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sarker

competency crisis actor

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joined 2022 September 05 16:50:08 UTC

Suddenly I cannot remember the color of your eyes

Or the things we said as we stood together for the last time


				
User ID: 636


				
				
				

			

		

	














	


		


			



	

		

			

			

				

					

						

							
						

						

							
							

								
sarker


								

								

								
								
								

								
							
					
 
				


				
competency crisis actor

				
				
				

				

					0 followers  

					follows 0 users  

					joined 2022 September 05 16:50:08 UTC
				


				
					

					
Suddenly I cannot remember the color of your eyes


Or the things we said as we stood together for the last time



				

				

				

				

				

					

					

					
					
					

					
User ID: 636


					
					
					
				

			


					

						
					



		

	

 











			
			

			
			

			




	


		

			
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				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 20, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


She called today, and went on about a "mandatory home visit", next week, with highly inflexible weekday hours. I did not like it. She said she was going to drop off paperwork and meet my daughter.




Presumably you want your daughter in pre-k more than the teacher does. What's with the high pressure sales tactics?




Also, just because I found it odd, here's Keturah complaining about a situation where someone invited her into the hostess's home, and Keturah came, and then they judged each other for their stance on shoes, that Keturah wanted to keep them on, and the hostess wanted her to take them off.






[In the East, guests] are greeted by the host who bends down to remove their guest’s shoes (sandals or slippers), wash their feet, and then offer them a pair of house slippers. The atmosphere is peaceful and clean, a sanctuary from the road — nothing in an eastern home will offend or frighten the guest. This ritual considers the comfort of guests — after a long, dusty walk it feels good to have your feet scrubbed and a fresh pair of slippers to wear.




It's not often you get to see orientalism in the wild in AD 2026. I suppose she has never actually met an individual of the oriental persuasion, much less visited their house, much less visited a house in the orient, and might actually believe that when you attend a party in Shanghai the host will take your shoes off and wash your feet (happy ending presumably not included).


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 20, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Sure. But you rarely see people claim that the median soap opera is a tremendous artistic coup.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 20, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


But also it's more just the concept of natural hierarchy existing and being good. I find most recent kids shows avoid this topic entirely or portray natural hierarchy as bad.




It's an interesting question. On one hand kids really should listen to their parents. On the other hand a pokemon can never become a trainer and I think it's important for kids to realize, at least on some level depending on their age, that they are not going to be kids forever and the role of their parents is to prepare them for shouldering the responsibilities of a full member of society. I am reminded of Johnson's absurd defense of the British class system:




Mr. Dempster having endeavoured to maintain that intrinsick merit ought to make the only distinction amongst mankind. JOHNSON. 'Why, Sir, mankind have found that this cannot be. How shall we determine the proportion of intrinsick merit? Were that to be the only distinction amongst mankind, we should soon quarrel about the degrees of it. Were all distinctions abolished, the strongest would not long acquiesce, but would endeavour to obtain a superiority by their bodily strength. But, Sir, as subordination is very necessary for society, and contensions for superiority very dangerous, mankind, that is to say, all civilized nations, have settled it upon a plain invariable principle. A man is born to hereditary rank; or his being appointed to certain offices, gives him a certain rank. Subordination tends greatly to human happiness. Were we all upon an equality, we should have no other enjoyment than mere animal pleasure[1307].'




				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 20, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


I think Akira and Serial Experiments Lain are far, far less cringe than Twilight or Cops.




I'd like to slightly hijack this thread.


What is going on with Attack on Titan? It was basically everywhere for a while so I decided to read the plot summary. I haven't watched a single second of the actual show and I haven't read the manga.




Eren Yeager is a boy who lives in the town of Shiganshina, located on the outermost of three circular walls which protect their inhabitants from Titans. In the year 845, the first wall, Wall Maria, is breached by two new types of Titans, the Colossal Titan and the Armored Titan. During the incident, Eren's mother is eaten by a grinning Titan while Eren escapes. He swears revenge on all Titans and enlists in the military along with his childhood friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Arlert.


Five years after Shiganshina's fall, the Colossal Titan attacks the city of Trost, located in the second innermost wall, Wall Rose. Eren helps to successfully defend the city after he discovers a mysterious ability to turn himself into a sentient Attack Titan [??]. Additionally, he regains memories of his father Grisha Yeager giving him this ability shortly after the fall of Wall Maria, and telling him that the truth about their world can be found in their basement in Shiganshina.


[...]


Shortly thereafter, Pure Titans mysteriously appear within Wall Rose with no evidence of how they got in, accompanied by the sentient Beast Titan. Ymir, one of the new Survey Corps graduates, reveals that she can transform into the sentient Jaw Titan [???], while Ymir's close friend Krista Lenz reveals herself as Historia Reiss, a member of the royal family [?]. Two other members of the Survey Corps, Reiner Braun and Bertholt Hoover, reveal themselves as the Armored and Colossal Titan respectively [???]. They attempt to kidnap Eren and Ymir, but fail. In the ensuing battle, Eren discovers another power within himself called "the Coordinate", that allows him to control other Titans, which he uses to kill the grinning Titan and send a horde of Pure Titans to attack Reiner and Bertholt. [????]




Isn't this... Kind of retarded? Isn't anyone here a normal human? It just seems like endless rule of cool coincidences like you might hear on a playground. "Dude, what if Ymir was also a titan?" "Yeah dude, like a Jaw Titan!" "And then Reiner and Bertholt are also titans!" "Hell yeah! But they're bad titans!" "And then they try to kidnap Eren and Ymir!"


This continues for 40 volumes. I haven't checked the anime but I presume it's basically the same. Who reads this stuff?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 20, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Trainers are in charge, Pokemon have to listen to them




Do your children identity more with the mostly non-sapient Pokemon rather than the human trainers?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Is the tanto shape more conducive to this?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
What is "deriviting"?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I'm not aware of any range weapons which work on projectiles thrown at you by the enemy. In fact, I'm not aware of any range weapons that are used with bat or racket like implements at all. Perhaps you can enlighten me.




The purpose of sports is to practice war.




Citation, uh, needed.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
It's quite unclear how bat and racket sports mimic war, or why we should care either way.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Are you my wife? She'd rather spend five minutes futzing with scissors to open a package rather than five seconds with a knife.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
What if they keep a swiss army knife in the car or in their backpack?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Such covenants are not so solid depending on the covenant in question.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Small-Scale Question Sunday for July 19, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


In the vein of the famous comic: (1) You signed a contract. (2) Obey the contract. Whining that the contract is "weird" and (in the linked tweet) "HOAs have too much power" will not garner any sympathy when you agreed to the contract's provisions and you are free to just live somewhere else.




Did the daughter ever agree to the contract's provisions?


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for July 17, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
I don't know how much more verification you need at this point.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


No, I want to know who is going to be the court of last resort.




Typically, SCOTUS is the court of last resort.




We'll tell you who the experts area and what the standards should be, and by total coincidence we are one of the very few who meet those standards and have those experts.




This is still a general argument against regulation. In any subject, people who do it professionally are disproportionately likely to be the ones with expertise to advise the government.


I am not sure what you think is an alternative to people who study and work on AI advising the government about AI regulation.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Everyone knows someone in their job who doesn't seem to do anything and skates by, homemaking is no different.




Seems uncalled for to imply that my mother "didn't seem to do anything".




Men's social fabric will fall apart when women's stop socializing. Who do you think gets to meet up at these parties and picnics the women organized?




I do not take the view that men are entirely dependent on their wives and mothers to make and meet up with friends.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


What do you do if the owners of the models refuse to submit to that party for testing?




What happens when you break the law? I think there are a few techniques for dealing with that.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


There is a point in teaching children to read before they go into a school that teaches them the wrong way.




Sure, I concede that if you live in whole language country you have to take things into your own hands. This is fairly time limited to the first few years of a kid's life though.




The social fabric is falling apart and no one thinks it has anything to do with the decline of people who went out to coffee every Monday after dropping off the kids and made strong and weak social ties across the local area?




For me, it's simply that:


    

  1. 

    My own mother (a SAHM) did none of these things, so I'm not sure how common this was to begin with
    

    2. 

  2. 

    Men's social fabric has also fallen apart (Bowling Alone) and I think it's difficult to blame this on women
    

    3. 



So I find it difficult to feel strongly about the social contributions of SAHMs.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Makework is always possible, but I'm skeptical that it's worthwhile on current margins.


For example:




teaching children to read before 1st grade and tutoring them in their school work... chauffeuring children to activities,




There isn't really a point in teaching kids that young. For example, dropping arithmetic entirely until 6th grade resulted in zero learning loss by the end of sixth grade.


More broadly, you can only tutor kids or shuttle them around when they aren't in school, and mostly that is compatible with work outside the home. And if you live in a place with functional public transit it isn't necessary to shuttle them  and it's probably good for their independence to let them figure it out themselves.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Wellness Wednesday for July 15, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
Zuck wearing a $2M shitter is objectively funny though.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
A quick skim does not indicate any "underage callboys" in the white house in these sources.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for July 17, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
AGI implies the ability to produce agents that are more sneerable than anything humanity has ever encountered. Call it supersneerability.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for July 17, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


The Bigfoots are being harvested as slave labor by a more advanced alien race.




Bad news for the future of robotics.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Friday Fun Thread for July 17, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					
First time?


Buy an air filter, if you still can. Otherwise, DIY one. You might need one for every occupied room depending on your house size and how well air mixes in your house. If you don't have filtration, indoor air quality will eventually equilibrate with the outdoors.


				

				

						

							

								
							

						


						
					

				
			


			
			
			
				

			
		

	






		

			
			
				Culture War Roundup for the week of July 13, 2026
			
		

	

	

	

		
			

			

				

			

		

			


				

					


Farm land stays fixed while food demand falls. Food becomes cheaper.




Harvesting is mostly done by immigrants of various legal statuses doing the work for much less than Americans. The effect of increasing wages for farm laborers on food prices is left as an exercise to the reader.