Tractatus
14d ago
The 90's/early 2000's were might be better compared to now, at least when restricting ourselves to social factors like "social cohesion" or "expectation of the typical person that they'll get married and start a family," but that doesn't make it peak. You're still dealing with sky-high divorce rates (that only "recover" due to declining marriage rates - the early 2000s are debatably the beginning of "inceldom" as an actual trend, and not just a one-off thing you might experience only once or twice in your life). You have to go way back, arguably pre-Industrial Revolution, for that
I see no indication that nostalgia for the time - either by younger Gen X or older Millenials reminiscing on their youth, or by younger Gen Z/early Alpha exposed to 90's/00's pop culture by their parents - is driven by regret that being an International Man of Mystery is harder now. Everything I see points to (a misguided) belief that things were more optimistic then.
Tractatus
17d ago
It's never been easier to move to another town...
All too often, and increasingly so in recent months, I find myself browsing the Motte and having to ask "is this guy posting from an alternate reality, or just straight-up trolling?"
No, this is just absurd, completely contrary to reality. We live in a world of instantaneous communication, having had high quality cellphones capturing crystal clear recordings for years, easily accessible databases, and tens of millions of netizens who derive no greater joy than when they can "identify" a wrong-thinker, track them down, and have their lives ruined. It has never been easier to locate a "ne'er do well" and track them down, and conversly it has never been harder to lay low and trust that your neighbors will never hear about your supposed "misdeads" a continent away. 50 years ago, people could watch Bill Bixby play a scientist who bombards himself with gamma radiation, turn into a muscle-bound monster, and end every episode hitching a ride to stay one step ahead of Mr. McGhee, confident that the random people he meet will never even have heard of the Hulk, and would certainly never recognize him. Today, the "skip town to avoid consequences" is the most ridiculous part of that premise.
Tractatus
17d ago
This is just "Worst Arugment in the World;" that authors pull from their experiences doesn't mean that a wink-nudge "this is a work of fiction, that just happens to defame a clearly identifiable real-world person, totally by coincidence released during a period when social media was alight with "believe all women" and "yes, all men!" Why are you so upset? Hmmm, perhaps truly the guilty flee where none pursue..." is fine. "in Minecraft" isn't a magical talisman that makes sincere threats not so; "allegedly" doesn't automagically prevent any accusation of defamation either.
When a kid injures himself anywhere near the now-operational slide, the parents will be demanding to find "who's responsible," at which point, the city will notify everyone that they did no such repairs, there would be paperwork if there were, and all would "know" who made the fix. NL would be sued; maybe the civil court is committed enough to rule of law that "everyone knows NL did it" wouldn't work, but you'd be suprised to know just how flimsy a successfull lawsuit can be.
More options
Context Copy link