Oh damn, that’s very interesting to hear. I avoided watching it so thanks for taking one for the team and reporting back.

What about the military parade shows disdain? Doesn’t it happening at all show support?

I don’t know enough to be able to extrapolate anything from it, but sounds like there’s a lot to unpack for those like you who can.

I’m from Washington and I’m surprised we’re not higher. In the winter it’s dark during both morning and evening rush hour, meaning most people are doing their commutes in the dark. It can feel pretty dangerous sometimes.

Maybe I’m wrong, but I would imagine tons of bot accounts being spun up just to wait for a bit would also be suspicious, right? But in that case they could be pruned before they did anything. I’m not a moderator, so don’t take anything I say as fact.

I think account age would be more useful than karma. Karma is just a game-able system, but I could see a very short age requirement being useful eventually if a lot of spam starts to happen. I don’t think we’re there yet, though.

Absolutely, and I’m about ready to start identifying as that over American 🫠.

I usually think of BC being part of it, too, cause we’re so similar culturally, and we hang out on each other’s side of the made up invisible line all the time.

One can dream!

Washingtonian here, I’ve been saying this should happen for like 8 years now lmao

The marriage isn’t working. Let it go.

This is kind of an apathy echo chamber tbh (not just here, other socials too). Out in the real world lots of people are trying very hard to improve things all around the globe. If you’re feeling depressed by perceived apathy I would encourage you to look into organizations working to make a difference. They’re out there and need your help.

I use an instant pot and it works really well. I use it for other things too but honestly rice is probably what it gets used for the most.

You won’t regret it. They’re such a nice thing to have and there are totally decent ones for pretty cheap.

Don’t worry, it will. I’m a designer and the one thing you can count is all of us designers get bored every few years and flip things around. That’s how buttons keep shifting from rounded corners to square corners every few years.

For some reason doing it that way sounds extra fancy to us. At least it does to me. More formal I guess?

I can’t say it matters to me that much what order it’s in, but that’s just the same order we say it in when fully written out. March 23, 2025. 03/23/2025.

Let’s go straight to omega male. The male to end all males.

Reading these responses is so sad. I can see that a large number of people on here have fully embraced cynicism and active pessimism. This is the most damaging attitude possible when trying to create change. If you have this mindset, you’re not only not helping to make positive change, you’re actively working to drain any energy from those who might be in a better and more productive place than you.

To the OP, don’t give up hope. There are thousands of people around the country working right now to change things and resist the downfall of our country in whatever ways they can. The number is growing every day with each new outrage and attack, and energy is building quickly. If you can’t donate your time, donate your money to progressive organizations (look up the 50501 project for help finding them).

Nothing is going to change with blind optimism, but history is on our side, and it shows that when things start to hurt for people in their day to day lives, real change is possible. This is not the first fascist takeover in history, and it won’t be the last. Some older folks have literally lived through similar times in our own country (see: McCarthyism for example). Nothing is inevitable and no one can predict the future, no matter how believable their claims may sound.

To the cynics, you’re absolutely allowed to feel how you feel. I feel quite cynical myself a lot of the time, too. Just remember that when you mock and shout down people trying to move forward, you help create the future you’re so resigned to. Not all of us are so ready to roll over and take it. If you won’t help, please at least get out of the way.

/soapbox

Thanks for saying it. People on here really seem to think this is the first fascist regime in history.

I think with a task like that it’s hard to judge the response. Many people feel like they’re being a burden asking for helpers with things like that, so they may have felt like they were doing you a favor by letting you off the hook when you asked.

To be honest if I were you I would start inviting these people to fun stuff and see what happens. If you try that a few times and you just get dismissive or wishy-washy responses then you probably have your answer and can focus your attention elsewhere.

If you’re not hanging out with them already you don’t have anything to lose by trying to push the issue a bit. If they really want to hang out they’ll be receptive, even if you have to do some negotiating on a time that works for everyone.

I can definitely say that my friend circle shrunk a lot as I got into my 30s. I also stopped drinking in my late 20s and while I kept a bunch of friends, there were also some I used to have that were so drinking focused in everything they did that we drifted apart naturally after that.

As we get older we get busier. I wouldn’t assume it’s personal. It takes effort to stay in touch in adulthood and both people have to make an effort and want to. I don’t want to assume what you’re doing, but that part about the house does make me wonder if you’re falling for a classic pattern of expecting others to reach out even though you yourself don’t? I’ve been guilty of this too sometimes, but I think it’s good to remember that that kind of expectation can actually make what you’re afraid of a reality. The other people might wonder if you still want to hang out since you never initiate.

Again, don’t mean to assume about all that, so ignore it if it’s not helpful.

It was the “so others find you interesting” part I was reacting to. It sounds like that’s not what you meant, so don’t worry about it.