The protests matter.

History shows us how and why. It also shows us that thinking they don't matter is pretty common. If even 10% of Americans showed up to protest you would see instant, dramatic changes the next day. And it tends to snowball. Americans are not as powerless between elections as they have convinced themselves they are.

I think that deep down they know all this, but it's easier to claim it won't matter.

To better protect myself from cognitive biases I try to put my faith in the consensus of the experts. Otherwise we all just waste time cycling through old, ego-fueled debates that have been fully explored before we were even born.

In the case of protesting: the overwhelming consensus is that protests matter. If you don't have the time/inclanation to defend a disertation as to why they don't: you should listen to those that have. Unfortunately the experts don't have the resources to play whack-a-mole with every objection any person can claim on any platform. If you want that you need to go to school. Until then trust and protest. The longer you wait the harder it will be.

Unfortunately Americans are convinced they can't do anything about it, so they don't.

We would completely solve the climate crisis in one generation if we all stopped having kids.

Yes. I have it set up this way. I forgot it wasn't the default. For the amount of headache it would solve, I wonder if the Arch team has a specific reason for not keeping a number of previous kernels by default.

Unpopular Opinion:

I think Tucker Carlson is a piece-of shit and a coward. That said, there is no contadiction in someone hating the bravest person they know.

I didn't say you said I was American. I just said that if we can dismiss a point by claiming a worse example we might as well all stop posting.

I didn't mention the USA. I'm not American. If any idea can be dismissed by suggesting a worse example then we might as well all stop posting.

Ukraine should do what they want and what's best for them. The rest of us should fully support Ukraine. Their lives are worth more than our guns. For as long as their government can field troops we make sure they are equipped and trained. It's supremely arrogant of us to suggest how these people should or shouldn't conduct any peace agreement with Russia outside their request for our thoughts. They will run out of soldiers long before we run out of guns.

But...

The rest of us should continue to isolate Russia. Not a single sanction is lifted, and we continue to isolate them harshly, even after they claim peace with Ukraine. More sanctions. More restrictions. No invitations to world events. More seizure of Russian assets. Entire sections/ministries of our governments created to deal with Russia and their ilk. More security against Russian actions and their corrupting money in other countries. Russia is a cancer that works against us all, we need to treat it as such. Even when Putin is dead in his bunker from old age we show no mercy for the kleptocracy Russia is. No easement without Russia peacefully returning all occupied land to Georgia (in Abkhazia and South Ossetia), Moldova (in Transnistria), and Ukraine (in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia) AND full, transparent, overseen democratic election process, and then very very slowly. We relentlessly isolate them more and more.

Countries are like organic cells. We need to isolate and starve the bad cells or else they infect those around them.

Don't let the Pigeon drive the fucking bus.

I know you've read the warning thousands of times, but the Pigeon could have a mouse, and he is sneaky as fuck, so... you know what? Fuck this shit man. I'm not being paid to be some bus station security guard. Fuck you bus driver man. Hey Pigeon, I say you should live your dream. I'm not stopping you. Go drive the fuck out of that bus. Some rando bus driver telling my kid to do his job for him? Fuck that. Don't let people take advantage of you - that's what we should be telling our kids. This world is going to hell.

Damn. You are fine. I'd treat you right.