cjet79
Anarcho Capitalist on moral grounds
Libertarian Minarchist on economic grounds
User ID: 124
cjet79
1yr ago
internal mouth stuff happening that they can't see and copy. Also she will just stonewall us with these requests sometimes
"I can't".
"Could you try?"
"I can't"
"Just like blowing bubbles"
"I can't"
"Or blowing out candles"
"I can't"
"Come on, I've seen you do this before, I know you can"
starts crying
cjet79
1yr ago
We went with the (easy) method tonight. Though when I think about it, she should already know the (medium) method, since she does it quite successfully anytime she decides she doesn't want some food.
It was fun posing this question to our dentist and having him honestly stumped for a few moments before he came up with something to say.
cjet79
1yr ago
A new series of potentially re-occuring problems. How do you explain basic things to a young child.
In this week's edition: spitting.
Our four year old is brushing her teeth and we want to start using tooth pastes that you aren't supposed to swallow. They just need to spit it out.
Problem: she can't spit. How do you describe it?
cjet79
1yr ago
I agree with @CanofWorms that you are unlikely to see snow. I live in the DC area, we get like one or two snows a year on average. On a crazy year we might get 5 or more snows. If you drive West or South you might hit some hiking areas that have perma snow in winter. I remember hiking at Old Rag and seeing snow at the top in late November.
One Caveat I'd add to what CanofWorms said: If it does snow, it can look magical, but logistics will be a nightmare. Most DC drivers are not accustomed to driving in snow, making the first snowfall of the season pretty dangerous to be out on the roads, with lots of accidents. Also the DC area is not equipped to handle heavy snowfall. They don't have enough plow trucks. Usually during really bad storms we just have to wait for some Northern city to lend us snow plows.
As I said above, I live in the DC area, but like most natives to a area, I basically never do the touristy things nearby. I generally avoid going into DC whenever possible (I live in northern virginia, but DC is like a 30 minute drive away in low traffic). We do sometimes go to National Harbor in Maryland which has good places to eat, and a cool Ferris wheel that can give you a view of DC and the Potomac. We have also been meaning to make a trip to the Smithsonian Air and Space Udvar-Hazy Anex that @MollieTheMare mentioned.
cjet79
1yr ago
There is also a pretty Mormon Tabernacle in the DC area.
cjet79
1yr ago
Mark of the fool is one. Defiance of the fall. Primal Hunter I might stop reading. Sylver Seeker I stopped. I've gotten close to putting down millennial mage and chaotic craftsman worships the cube.
It's hard to think of stories in this category cuz I'm optimizing for being able to forget the story and be done with it. So I typically don't remember them unless they are always at the top of the fictional list on royal road.
cjet79
1yr ago
Police and government agents also have sovereign immunity, meaning they can't be individually sued for actions they carried out on behalf of the government, as long as they reasonably believed those actions were constitutional. It's a loophole big enough to drive a truck through.
The legal system has also found many ways to work around the "protections" of the constitution.
So the restrictions on cops are not that strong.
Meanwhile you have ignored the main restriction on private security: getting sued. Bounty hunters exist and you can see how they perform arrests on YouTube. Many of the restrictions that exist for police are there because they would be too powerful otherwise. Private security does not currently reach that level of power.
cjet79
1yr ago
I appreciate the serious and thoughtful essay on the topic. My first impression was a fearful "oh no, is this one of those crappy converted libertarian essays". You might have seen the kind ... where the title and content of the essay amounts to "As a libertarian, I use to think poor people were evil and horrible, now as a liberal I see how wrong that idea is." I'm glad this was not that kind of essay.
I have to admit as a bit of an anarchist libertarian myself it challenges me more than most essays would. I am however of the anarcho-capitalist variety of libertarians, or as some anarchists would describe it "not an anarchist at all". (I started writing this right before I got to the section of the essay where you talk about anarcho-capitalists, so you beat me to the joke, but I'm keeping it in)
I did not have your starting position of ACAB. Though I was very suspicious of cops that would defend the "thin blue line" when corruption came into play. I had multiple personal stories from former cops of the insane corruption and shit that cops got away with. One that stuck with me was an economics professor at a local community college. He taught the class between his extended golfing sessions. Former New York Cop, with a very hefty pension. He explained he was doing the class mostly to have something to fill his time. I liked him, but jeez did he have some stories to tell. Pedophiles left on rooftops to either jump or freeze to death. He told the story in a way that gave plausible deniability that maybe other cops had been doing this, but there was also a degree of bragging and agreement with the practice that suggested he'd done it himself. There was also a story about a bomb investigator that got permanently put on desk duty when his wife and the man she was cheating with were blown up under mysterious circumstances that no one could figure out.
My starting position on cops was something like "probably mostly not bastards, but this is definitely a corrupt state institution, and there are better ways this could be run with the right incentives"
I'd stick by that as the correct position, even today. And it might not sound extreme, but I take it to the extreme. There are certain levels of "defund the police" that I'd agree to. And I'd like to defend that position without vague references to thought exercises. Or to leave you as unsatisfied as David Friedman.
What is the problem with policing today?
In short: Too many laws.
A police officer today probably has more knowledge of the legal system than was ever required of anyone in 19th century America. Maybe 19th century supreme court justices would have been required to have more knowledge.
We have seen in moderation on this forum and in many other circumstances there are two semi-valid approaches to law:
- Codify everything
- Say what vibes you want, and rely on people to get it right.
These two things exist on a spectrum. But it is hard to disagree that America has been trending towards the codification of everything. Both systems have their downsides, but the main downside of the "codify everything" approach is that humans aren't so good at applying it. They certainly can't remember everything that has been codified, but even if they do, they can't help but injecting their own opinions into things and turning it into a vibes based system.
Cops are sort of the first entry point into the legal system, so its the first and most obvious place where you see these problems crop up. Even if they get fixed by later parts of the justice system, they are still the most visible. The top of the funnel is always the widest, and cops are at the top of the funnel.
There are many other problems with too many laws. It decreases trust in law enforcement in general. It splits valuable resources. It creates avenues for criminals to exist outside the legal system. Etc.
What is the solution?
First, Reduce the scope of policing.
Second, Split up what they do into different professions.
Third, stop trying to legislate goodness into others.
Fourth, allow private citizens to do the work of police.
To me, these are options are both the realistic approach in the short term, and the only viable long term solution. Policing is a bundled good. Any police precinct has many relevant functions and duties, and police officers are supposed to be generally interchangeable between those duties. (so interchangeable that I know one police district required officers to serve a prison wardens for a year before being allowed to go out on patrol).
This is bad, and dumb. Every industry specializes over time. Police officers directing traffic or making stops to give people speeding tickets do not need a full set of training. Police officers that go and apprehend murder suspects might need full swat training. Clearing out homeless people, securing a mall/shopping center, or patrolling a dangerous neighborhood can all be very different jobs that require different mentalities. Some of the worst "police are terrible" stories come from what I see as mixups between these professions.
Also, just have less laws. Sorry all you sim city players out there hoping to control everyone's actions. You need to back off. The scope of policing needs to be philosophically limited. Murder, rape, kidnapping, theft, etc are all clearly valid reasons for some group to exist that can use deadly force to respond to these crimes. But things between consenting adults need to be off limits to the use of force. People tend to want to legislate how to be a good person. But being a good person is a never ending process, and there are always minor improvements you can make. Once we started embarking on this journey of "police should make people be better" we entered down a path of endless laws and regulations.
As an example of areas where we have reduced the scope of policing, I'd suggest looking at any side job cops ever get. Private security for facilities, private protection for rich individuals, security guards at gated neighborhoods, private investigators, bounty hunters, etc. These are all often more specialized security forces than police, and they can often provide better services than the police. (we should not be surprised that private businesses can provide better services than a semi-monopolistic government entity).
Finally, private citizens are sometimes capable and more motivated to accomplish the goals of a police force. An easy example is a home break in. Police might be there in five to ten minutes at best. If you are already there, you can respond much faster to the situation. Perhaps you should be allowed to shoot to defend yourself. This is true in some states, not in all, and not in many countries outside the US. A harder example: I also can't go to the homeless encampments near my neighborhood and take many actions. I am restricted to calling the police (who luckily did something about it recently). But as a homeowner and father of two. I had much more to lose from a confrontation with the homeless. Even if I could have easily brought superior firepower and safety. A full set of body armor ammo and weapons, and hiring two professional bodyguards for a few hours is ironically cheaper than fending off any murder changes for the crazy homeless person that might have suicided themselves against this extreme use of force. Police have a measure of protection from liability that makes them the only viable path for rich people to deal with problems that might require the use of force.
I might be able to continue this tomorrow, but I'm running out of steam. Police are a modern invention. We have survived most of history without them. I think they are mostly a result of modern legislation. Specifically, too many laws, nanny stating bullcrap, and restrictions on what private citizens are allowed to do.
cjet79
1yr ago
I did see that they started a new series, I have been trying for as long as possible to hold off on reading it, so I can binge as much as possible when I finally break.
cjet79
1yr ago
My dad has diabetes, but he was diagnosed with it in his old age, after me actually.
My A1C is under control these days. But yes it is strange how early it happened, the doctor was very confused.
cjet79
1yr ago
I am maybe the main advocate of kicking her out, but I feel that is mostly a result of how wishy washy our culture can be about handling problem people.
That is a good idea. Say that she needs to get her mental health under control.
cjet79
1yr ago
Fair enough, but I think I've come to realize that is the main thing I enjoy about web serials. If the author doesn't know where they are going, you don't know either! Or maybe even more fun, you can guess where the author could go, tell them, and have it go there!
Goes back to that post I wrote last month about indie vs popular:
https://www.themotte.org/post/587/culture-war-roundup-for-the-week/121337?context=8#context
Anyways, Threadbare is a more polished story, but it came out of that weirdness that exists in online serials of throwing crazy ass ideas against the wall and seeing what sticks.
cjet79
1yr ago
She is almost certainly mentally ill and unstable. Her behavior at tournaments usually involves random bouts of sobbing mixed with high levels of self confidence in her own abilities.
I've certainly heard of this abuse tactic, and known a few people it has been deployed against.
It always surprises me though, because no one has ever deployed it against me. Same with psychopaths. I've run across a few in my time in life, but they always seem to abuse and take advantage of others.
I'd like to think that I don't put off good prey vibes for these people, but maybe its just been a matter of luck. I lean towards the prey vibes explanation though, because the people that tend to get abused seem to get abused repeatedly.
cjet79
1yr ago
I'd say its finished. There was a feeling at the end of the story that protagonist's story had been told and things were mostly nicely wrapped up. But that there was still a bigger world out there within the story, and maybe the author could come back later and tell more tales within the same world.
Over the years I have grown a skill to find my own stopping points in web serials. Usually at a point where "too much is fucked" for the author to ever recover in a satisfying way, or "enough is wrapped up" that I can tolerate a few dangling storylines for the sake of a feeling of completeness. But this skill wasn't necessary for threadbare.
cjet79
1yr ago
I love the progression fantasy genre. Oddly I couldn't get into cradle. I'm usually concurrently reading a half dozen or a dozen online web serials in that genre.
I'd highly recommend "Mother of Learning" if you liked cradle. If you've already read that one, maybe try Threadbare for something out of left-field that might tickle your fantasy progression itch.
cjet79
1yr ago
"Treating your enemy the same way as you treat your friend is an insult to your friend".
I like this, and it gets at what has bothered me about how some of my fellow board members have responded to this problem lady. They have been very accommodating. Once the facebook post came out, and she started speaking with a high up and powerful person in the [obscure sport] community I felt that all bets were off. It was scorched earth time, and if it was solely my decision that is the route we would have gone.
I'm not sure if she is Christian, but I'm certainly not, so maybe I should bother with the mercy either way.
cjet79
1yr ago
The annoying thing here is that it is more fear than actual ability to bring the legal system against us. We are not an employer we are a private club formed for the purposes of promoting local obscure sport. She isn't local and she is actively making it harder to recruit people, she is against the strict purpose of our organization.
She hasn't ever sued anyone as far as I know. Also fat shaming is not illegal. You could maybe make a case of hostile work environment if this was work, but it's not.
She seems to mostly be using emotional manipulation and Karen energies. Which are fully outside the legal system and only gain power if you grant them power.
cjet79
1yr ago
This comment got enough reports that I feel it is important to respond to it with my moderator hat on.
This is certainly an unpopular opinion around here, but we don't moderate on unpopular opinions. I partly wish people would stop reporting things just because they are unpopular opinions. This clogs the mod queue for other uses.
At most I'd just say that you could elaborate on something like this:
Oh being cis and straight is absolutely affirmed by schools every minute of every day.
Which is a claim that might get accepted uncritically in some circles, but not around here.
This is antagonistic. You've had 6 previous warnings for bad behavior. And two of those were just last month for this exact kind of low effort antagonistic posting:
https://www.themotte.org/post/621/culture-war-roundup-for-the-week/128997?context=8#context https://www.themotte.org/post/640/culture-war-roundup-for-the-week/132787?context=8#context
3-day ban.
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