ContrarianTrail @ ContrarianTrail @lemm.ee

Independent thinker valuing discussions grounded in reason, not emotions.

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1 yr. ago

I'm trying to summon my inner Ben Shapiro here. This isn't my opinion but my understanding of what he has said on the subject.

While Trump lies a lot, he's fundamentally a bullshitter, which is different. A liar knows the truth but chooses to deceive, whereas a bullshitter doesn’t care about truth in the same way. When Trump says something like, "We’re going to withdraw from NATO," he’s often expressing a sentiment or creating leverage rather than making a literal commitment. He treats politics like business deals, where you start with an extreme offer, then meet somewhere in the middle. He has argued that in the case of NATO, for example, this approach worked: other member states did increase their defense spending (though the war in Ukraine played a role too).

So, the point is that Trump’s statements should often be taken as rhetorical posturing - ways to push for certain outcomes - rather than literal promises. From a Republican perspective, his actions during his first term ultimately aligned with their goals, which explains their relative tolerance of his exaggerations. In contrast, they see Kamala Harris (and Biden) as engaging in misrepresentation that has led to policies Republicans find harmful, so there’s a greater focus on what they see as her inconsistency between words and actions.

Interesting word, I hadn't heard of that one before. While not exactly perfect translation, it seems like a similar kind of word nevertheless. Doesn't exactly seem to refer to running directly though.

I guess that in the case of my example, it's more of a demonstration of how weirdly Finnish language can work. Juosta = run, juoksennella = run around aimlessly, juoksenneltaisiinko? = should we run around aimlessly?

In Finnish, I can simply ask, "Juoksenneltaisiinko?" whereas in English, I have to say, "Should we run around aimlessly?"

Yeah, absolutely. All bets are off once you go from just thoughts to actions.

If I remember correctly, the strongest correlation with offending is proximity to children. So if someone has these tendencies and works in childcare, teaching, a church, or, in this case, as a 'youth leader,' then we're on a bad path there..

When replacing thermostat valves or radiators in buildings with steel-pipe radiator lines, the water that comes out is often as black as ink. It’s surprising how dark it can get.

And for anyone wondering why steel is used, yes, it does rust, but only while there’s air in the water. As the pipes start rusting, that air gets used up, and the rusting stops. Same applies to sprinkler lines. Steel pipes in radiator lines can easily last the building’s lifetime, whereas copper pipes for drinking water usually need replacement every 30 years or so.

Just a friendly reminder that pedophile is not synonymous with child molester. It's a term describing sexual attraction, not behaviour, just like 'heterosexual' is. Simply being a heterosexual doesn't make a man danger to women any more than being pedophile alone makes them danger to children. They have a sense of morality too.

The vast majority of people in prison for child abuse are not, in fact, pedophiles but just good-old rapists. Children unfortunelately simply are an easy target. The capability to rape a person - underage or not - generally requires some levels of narcissism, psychopathy and/or machiavellianism i.e. the 'dark triad' personality.

I fired an assault rifle in the army without hearing protection once just so try how loud it was. No need to try that one again. I knew it's going to be loud but not that loud.

I just keep my radio off and instead listen to the worrying noises from the engine and suspension.

Why does TV need software updates? Mine has software from 2013 and I have never even connected it to the internet. It showed me tv-shows then and it shows me tv-shows now.

Sprinklers react to heat, not smoke and they don't all go off at once. Also the water that comes out is brown from rust, not clear.

War bows are so heavy that you can barely hold it for the moment it takes to aim. There's no way you're holding it for minutes before told to release.

The physical sensations of nervousness and excitement aren’t that different; it’s what you think that determines whether it feels good or bad.

The feeling you get when you go to the gym and lift heavy could almost be described as enjoyable in the context of working out, but if you woke up in the middle of the night feeling the same way, you'd probably call an ambulance.

Similarly, if something bad has happened or you’re worried, there’s often a brief moment upon waking when everything feels fine - until you remember the issue, and then it doesn’t.

There's three examples that illustrate how it’s not the event itself that makes you feel bad, but how you react and think about it.

My front door faces the courtyard, so you’d have to come through the gate, walk between the house and fence, and then around to the back to knock on the door. My house is one of the older ones in the neighborhood, with big trees and bushes and no porch light or anything. I’ve never had a trick-or-treater knock on my door. Maybe I should get a massive, highly coveted bag of candy just in case someone does - and then just give them the whole thing.

The rich want to get richer, the strong want to get stronger, collectors want more collectibles, records are meant to be broken, and so on. It’s never been about the destination - it’s about the journey. Having things isn’t fun; getting things is fun.

Media intentionally uses bad pictures of the people they don't like and vice versa.

I'd snip the wires immediately if my car had one like that.

Though, interestingly on my previous car I tried a front mask without the logo on it and it looked weird. Like something was missing and I didn't like that. I then ended up just blacking out the logo like I did with my current one and I think it looks better that way. From the tailgate I did remove it along with other markings and I much prefer the clean look.

Intelligence is defined as the ability to acquire, understand and use knowledge. Self-driving cars, for example, are intelligent and they run by AI too.

Wealth is not synonymous with money in bank

Wether I agree with them or not, I think that news outlets who this openly show their bias are trash and should be ignored.

Just give me the facts. No need to tell me what to think.

my wife does know about brands and will point out when someone is wearing over £20000 in their outfit

Here’s the difference: that 20k outfit doesn’t have logos all over it. Your average SUPREME enjoyer isn’t going to recognize an outfit like that - only those truly informed on the matter, or other wealthy individuals, would. It’s like wearing an entry-level Rolex; it hardly impresses anyone. A true baller wears an unassuming Patek Philippe. There are those pretending to be wealthy who can only fool poor people, and then there are those who may not seem wealthy at a glance, but those in the know can tell.

They are, in fact, advertising the brand though.

I wouldn’t criticize an athlete for wearing a jacket covered in sponsor logos - they’re the ones getting paid to wear it. With clothing brands, though, it’s the exact opposite.

I’m also unsure how well this signaling actually works. It feels a lot like name-dropping; almost everyone does it, yet no one seems genuinely impressed by it.