Just got three of mine updated. I just don’t understand the anti-vaccine sentiment from parents were have been vaccinated their entire lives and have no adverse effects.

Like. The critical thinking is in the negative.

It’s my generation’s joke that social security wouldn’t be available for us to retire on, but seeing it actively dismantled fills me with an indescribable rage.

I understand that Canada doesn’t want to cause harm to anyone and also wants to protect itself, and that’s why leaders are backtracking, but it’d be nice if they did what they said they’d do.

That’s a fair critique. I definitely don’t feel like Canada and Mexico are doing anything wrong and the fault is entirely with the Trump administration.

I’m just tired, mate.

If it isn’t yet, where do I donate the funds to make it happen?

Updoot for the conversation starter.

I’d like a new acronym for my own use, when I don’t want to say all the letters and the situation requires quick communication (canvassing for political purposes, for example). I’d also like it for things like audiobooks, when the reader attempting to be inclusive suddenly becomes a verbal/audio burden…and it’s kind of annoying to listen to all of the letters over and over.

In written circles like research papers and social media, I don’t really care. It’s easy to get the gist of the letters without taking up too much time or energy, and it’s recognizable.

Yeah, our civilization deserves to fall.

I assume soda and other bottled drinks are included in this warning, as well as any other container lined with plastic, and I think some canned drinks and food are….which, uh, sucks.

I am interested in the relationship between stupid people and narcissistic people. Narcissism hurts both society and that individual, as well.

Yeah…let’s focus on this instead of the increasing number of Americans dying from preventable diseases. This is the stupidest timeline.

I’m tired of the highly-publicized threat to add tariffs and surcharges, followed by the quiet and ignored backtracking of the same. I’d like for leaders to stick to their word so I know what to expect day-to-day.

This constant pissing on each other’s legs as a show of dominance is fucking exhausting. I’d like off of this stupid merry-go-round.

I used the tool where I could import my Reddit subs to find similar communities here, and it surprised me how many communities I was a part of that the Reddit algorithm never let me see posts from. Also, it highlighted how much more infrastructure there is to build here. It’s exciting! Like the creative energy of expanding the Wild West but without the decimation of entire indigenous communities and the murder of innocent people and animal species.

I haven’t heard of those! Do you recommend?

I’ve basically abandoned Reddit as well. I’ve been on for so long, but this bullshit makes me feel unsafe. If the platform is going to so blatantly side with those who would happily let me die for a few dollars (health insurance companies), then I don’t need to give them my attention or data anymore.

I downvoted out of instinct.

I’ve already stopped using Google because of this bullshit. Fuck ‘em. AI already gives biased responses because you just can’t give a short summary of complex issues provided by a variety of voices. True knowledge arises from complexity.

The people of this earth have always been friendly neighbors, not counting the consequences of authoritarian propaganda.

Those who struggle for power have always created enemies out of nothing just for their own gain.

Americans are with you, friend!

I’m so glad you asked! It feels good to find kinship and community in this way!

Honestly—this is going to sound really woo-woo, but I’m not trying to—I encourage you to take the journey to find the resources yourself. Trust that your own curiosity will lead you to the right entry point and the right format for your mindset and life experiences, whether it’s book, movie, YouTube short, poem, or audiobook. The right teacher will appear when you ask the right questions. I can recommend the book that started me on this journey, but it may not resonate with you and you could lose interest.

But if you really don’t know where to start, I started with the audiobook version of Braiding Sweetgrass, and paid attention to her lessons on reciprocity and living life directed by the lessons of plants. I then moved on to Restoring the Kinship Worldview, and now I’m listening to Sand Talk. I’m also looking for documentaries.

Good luck on your journey! Let’s see how many others we can invite along with us!

I completely agree with all of your points. It’s really hard to break out of the belief that it’s far more comfortable at home, that other people are scary, that you don’t know how to meet people, etc., but you know what’s more scary?

Being absolutely and utterly alone.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We cannot thrive and become whole humans like this. We cannot save ourselves from tyranny like this. Making a bunch of comments online is not making real change out there.

I really hope we can figure out how to bring back third spaces/the commons, and soon.

College adjunct instructor checking in:

Your teacher is human. They are there because they want to help you get the information that you need to be a successful person as an individual and in society. They see the class packing up early and it really stings because they care about you and their subject’s impact on the world.

If you don’t want to be an educated member of a democracy, just save yourself the student loan bills and don’t come in the first place.

"Amending this bill to require the Ten Commandments be made of bulletproof kevlar may actually be useful as a shield from gun violence, a real problem Texans face," Samuels said.

Savage. Beautiful.