recently I've gotten back into the BBS scene, particularly those accessible via ssh. its refreshing to have auth become simple again, and to often have the option of using the same kind of pub/priv key pairs to access BBS as I have any other Unixy host online, for decades. The UX is simpler, theres more privacy and personal control.
AI slop and adverstories are a growing problem on Reddit. It worsens the S/N ratio of subreddit subscriber feeds and so I have little sympathy for those who contribute to it.
Generations ago, we idolized war heroes and astronauts (and, for the nerds, the people working to get the astronauts there). I won't try to argue that was perfect, but for decades now we've idolized power and wealth without regard to cost or honesty. I don't know if that's stuff rolling downhill, just looking in a mirror, or something more complex. But it seems to me we've lost our civilizational self-respect. And I've no real idea how to get it back. The sorts of people who I would think ought to be at the forefront of any sort of positive reactionary movement seem to be bent on making sure that any sort of traditionalism is utterly and rightfully discredited.
When my dad grew up, he wanted to be a locomotive driver. Locomotive drivers were cheered upon by kids and greatly respected. Today, bus drivers complain about kids spitting in their faces. Something went wrong. I'm not sure what.
Good point. I used to think it was silly to idolize sports stars, but they worked incredibly hard with honest toil and usually a lot of study to be where they are. Heirs of big fortunes, mendacious politicians & influencers and scam artists who hit the big-time are not the same.
> ...or decades now we've idolized power and wealth...
Have we? Or is that what the ever-increasingly-consolidated media companies have chosen to talk about, and -because so many of the entities that did in-depth investigative reporting have been strangled to death- there are very few entities who "buy ink by the barrel" left to provide an opposing perspective?
Collapse of "honor" as a publicly meaningful concept.
Now, there were negatives to the concept, and it always relied on a certain amount of public/private hypocrisy to maintain a high public image while hiding deviations from that standard, but it did mean that people who misled the public would voluntarily resign.
Shame worked. Unfortunately due to overuse, like antibiotics, the public sphere evolved shame-resistant personalities.
> The sorts of people who I would think ought to be at the forefront of any sort of positive reactionary movement seem to be bent on making sure that any sort of traditionalism is utterly and rightfully discredited
If they had anything positive to offer, they wouldn't be reactionaries.
Not sure if people buried your post for mistaking a question as snark...
In general No, even the shadiest people still uphold contracts due to public reputation with customers, suppliers, and the law.
Con artists and saboteurs do scrape by ripping off the credulous (they don't plan on hanging around long term), but even they just skirt the law to avoid prison. Note, even the worst criminals have their own code about what is acceptable, and just because their trade is illegal doesn't mean they want to live in a chaotic shit-hole country. It is a a moral gray area in both eastern and western cultures, that contrasts the written laws with actual practiced laws.
Almost every successful firm delivers everything on the invoice, and often it is customers shorting payment that are a problem.
Most customers and businesses have a mutual interest in seeing each-other do well. It is not like the movies, but be careful what you sign... and clear it it with a local legal representative if you don't understand a clause. =3
But it does give taurine, and for some people it is problematic.
Unsustainable corporate policy tends to afflict larger publicly traded firms, as the responsibility and personal liability is diffused. For most normal competitive brands, the firm does not survive too many scandals or boondoggle products. =3
We've been the target of a stochastic economic sabotage campaign for years. I've been surprised the US economy has been in as good of shape as it is, considering all the obvious sabotaging events/trends.
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