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Calling it dreaming basically. Gross. This feels like purposeful gaslighting

One of my fondest memories was beating our old HP printer to death with the baseball bat we keep for potential intruders. I now print at the local library and regret the beating incident less and less every year.

I feel similarly. My job uses all kinds of 2FA and email-chain nonsense that pretty much require me to keep one as well. I’m starting to learn how to retrofit a special half-dumb phone to do those required things, but it’s quite a process compared to what George Clooney got to do

Far more accurate lol. Nothing’s trickling down except some half-digested oats covered in horseshit

This. The invisible hand doesn’t work if monopolists buy control of all the fingers.

I think Smith would probably prefer playing ball with Marx over whatever this hellscape is

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I do think there is some evidence that companies are just doing that stuff regardless. There’s a “speedup” I think I’ve seen it called, a push to do more with fewer people and make basic benefits feel more like a privilege.

My company fortunately did not issue RTO mandates but has taken to requiring people to work watched in a Zoom room all day and explain any bathroom trips longer than 3 minutes. That’s where I think the real estate angle becomes relevant, probably the only reason my workplace went the other direction and full-remote is that a) we’re stalking people on zoom now and timing their #2s and b) we’re midsize with few close corporate relatives, and leased all our space previously. We have no other skin in the game besides saving a massive overhead cost

Hahaha right? Have you seen the property tax rate in Texas? Real liberty lol /s

Is it normal, as a Texan evac, to be afraid of joining PFLAG in another state? I used to feel that was just one of my psychosis symptoms, unwillingness to join a formal rainbow group and actually socialize, but now I’m increasingly unsure

I gotta say as an American I really appreciate some of these recent things the EU is doing with privacy. They seem to have a bigger impact here than any actions American politicians come up with, which is depressing, but still deeply appreciated

I know it’s still intense, but I am honestly shocked at the civility level of this conversation. This really is not reddit. In a good way.

Maybe explain, as you’re doing so well here, that your goal isn’t to be invalidating. You could point out that sometimes distracting, venting, or leaning on coping mechanisms can actually become the problem. They can become a way to avoid and minimize our own feelings, abilities, and issues. Even basic actions, like taking a much-needed shower, taking a brief walk or finally making it through a whole workday can trigger massive chemical changes in our brain when we’re in a crappy place.

I hope this helps. I think you’re bringing up a really helpful sticking point here, and having received and misunderstood many a “man up” pep talk during depressive episodes, I gotta say it’s a very cool move for you to workshop supportive language like this

I like the Ancient Soviets theory better than Ancient Aliens

In my little college town, there was this intense party culture. No frats, just kegs. In the 80s, apparently a school wide party became so large the local police force was unable to shut it down. The students commandeered an entire apartment building, and everyone just kinda had to wait for it to be over when they said.