domain:arjunpanickssery.substack.com
I'm powering through an enjoyable book recommendation from friend, and it's reminding me of how much I've recently thought about how much - or if at all - people send messages through art.
I miss mixtapes, dearly. I still have a few scrawled CDs in sleeves that never get played, most of which I did make myself. It's a bit arrogant to say, but I have historically gotten positive feedback from those I distributed to others. Truthfully, I'd put some effort in - parsing through a wide collection to find things I truly believed the other person would like. And yes, sometimes, sending a message. I suspect that thrashing genres thew some people off occasionally, but I think it was worth it to get them hooked on something new.
As time has gone on I've found that people's recommendations of books and music haven't hit the spot as much as they once did. We've spoken endlessly about the degradation in quality of art on this forum, and yeah that's part of it, but I also see it as a consequence of the distance we keep from each other as we become adults.
Books are particularly challenging. I think sharing a great novel with someone has a sort of intimacy that is matched by very few things, perhaps as a result of how long of an investment it requires. But I also think the medium just has more emotional potential than movies/TV (definitely) or music (probably).
I love fiction and tend to stay in the realm of fiction focused on anything other than people, but I do occasionally treat myself to more "realistic" interpersonal fiction. I still think "This is Where I Leave You" was one of the best books I've ever read. It either helped process some trauma or inflamed it, not sure, but the recommendation that set me off on this rant is of the genre. It's kind of nice to be back after what's probably been a 4 year hiatus from it.
In any case I'm not sure how common talking to each other indirectly through this stuff is. It feels like most people view the exchange of entertainment recommendations as somehow related to status - like they're just pushing something to you to get the endorphin hit from you saying you liked it. Given how much content is available, how freely it flows, that's all anyone has time for. But it seems like a waste of time, even if "sending messages through art" is presumptuous or paranoid.
JarJarJedi
3hr ago
She was likeable, i.e. she didn't have the Hilary Clinton problem of coming off as a bitch. She didn't have any major skeletons in her closet. She had a good resume.
Wow do we watch two different movies. This is a woman who literally started her career through bedding a prominent powerful politician, and performed horribly - by the standards of her own party, which thoroughly criticized her for it when it were still allowed - once she was gifted a position. Who famously jailed parent of sick kids and proudly bragged about it. Who was explicitly and knowingly hired for her demographics and confirmed her ineptness by being unable to achieve literally anything for 4 years. Seriously, I haven't seen any proper answer to the question what she achieved that does not reduce either to demographics or to "she was around when a thing happened". Maybe the skeletons thing is true in a meaning that everybody knew how bad she was, but calling it "good resume" - my goodness. She is on record as the most extremist person in the Senate - and that's not for the lack of competition. And you personally may think about her as charming but it doesn't look like many people who vote agree with you on that...
MadMonzer
Temporarily embarrassed liberal elite
3hr ago
I haven't played any Vicky or HOI titles, unfortunately (and I haven't played enough EUIV). This thread began with a Glitterhoof post, so I assumed we were playing CK2.
JarJarJedi
3hr ago
People weren't writing articles about Harris's likeability problems.
First of all, they didn't have time. She has been a candidate for about 100 days, and all of those were campaign days where serious objective scrutiny is not welcome at all. Second, writing an article like "experts suspect the ocean is wet" is also not going to make big waves. Read what people spoke of her before she was elevated, and you'll see plenty critique of her likeability.
ChickenOverlord
3hr ago
Does anyone else relate to this conflicted feeling?
Every damn day. I have an uncomfortable blend of paleoconservativism and libertarianism in my blood, and I've already resigned myself to the reality that I'll never be able to resolve the conflicts between the two. The best way I can cope with the conflict is to follow my gut moral intuition when I approach an issue where they conflict.
Closedshop
話說天下大勢，分久必合，合久必分
3hr ago
Asians have already been put in the White category for overperforming other minorities (and even whites) in school grades and earnings. Further, I think that they're way more fickle than a lot of other demographics. (East) Asians are much less political than other races until someone messes with their schools. You see this repeatedly in California, where every single initiative to make schools more "equitable" guarantees that Asians vote against it.
gorge
3hr ago
It wouldn't be a favor to Harris, she would get all this press attention and have to smile for the press in order to get an absolutely empty gesture right after suffering an all-timer humiliating defeat. If Biden did it, the smart move for Harris would be to resign herself and pass the honor of first woman president to Nancy Pelosi.
5434a
3hr ago
One of my favourite aspects of reggae is that when they get a hit they'll recycle and reinvent it dozens or even hundreds of times. It's become customary to release entire compilations of one instrumental with multiple vocalists taking a turn to record a new song over the top. It's like if, to use pop stars, you had Taylor Swift, Bille Eilish, Post Malone and Lady Gaga all recording over Beyonce's Crazy In Love, topped off with an instrumental remix by Daft Punk. "People like it, let's make more!"
As it is if you want to hear different versions of most artists' songs you have to go to YouTube and either look for live performances by the original artist or covers/remixes by bedroom nobodies, which can be interesting in their own right but they'll never be as polished as a studio recording.
hanikrummihundursvin
3hr ago
If you want to tie your future to third world politics, sure. That is exactly what happened to Reagan's California.
Democrats are not looking down the barrel of demographic collapse. Every single relevant immigration demographic votes Democrat. You are completely wrong in this assumption. To put things a different way, both Republicans and Democrats in the US face a demographic 'collapse' of their white voter base, as the white share of the population is shrinking. Both need their share of the voting block to grow, but it's only Democrats who are successfully doing it by. Republicans are doing worse than nothing for the last 80 years.
Trump has no 'anti-immigration' stance. As the man has repeatedly stated he wants as many people as possible to come in legally.
The "browning of America" is a non issue next to the "Asiaing" or "South Americaing" of America.
The 'browning of America' counts everyone who is not white. That includes Asians and South Americans.
JarJarJedi
3hr ago
Do they even have any nationally well-known politicians with a positive net approval rating?
Now they do :) I mean, he won the popular vote, isn't it the ultimate approval rating?
ABigGuy4U
3hr ago
I think Biden is quietly pretty mad at Harris for shanking him, especially now that she whiffed the election. I doubt he would agree to that.
Rov_Scam
3hr ago
What gives you the impression that Willie Brown was responsible for starting her political career? She dated him for about a year in 1994/1995, and she wasn't running for anything until 2003. She got a couple of apointments, but I don't think the Medical Assistance Commission and Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board are exactly known as incubators for top political talent. In any event, she hadn't served on either within five years of beginning her political career. It's also worth keeping in mind the actual dynamics of California politics at the time. By 2003 Willie Brown was viewed as corrupt, and any association with him was toxic. Her prior association with him was seen more as a liability than an asset. Take Willie Brown out of the equation, and there's nothing unusual about someone who's worked as a prosecutor for 13 years winning an election for District Attorney. There's nothing unusual about a District Attorney getting elected Attorney General.
pusher_robot
PLEASE GO STAND BY THE STAIRS
3hr ago
One thing that might be likely is for him to get to appoint a SCOTUS justice. Sotomayor could and probably should retire and let Biden appoint her replacement while the Democrats control the White House and Senate, since there's no telling how long it might be before they control both again. A quality pick would be a good legacy.
Skulldrinker
3hr ago
Did you consider just not voting? Do you even live in a swing state?
I personally didn't vote because I on-principle hate the social dynamics of politics becoming everyone's new favorite hobby, religion, and spectator sport. And I don't live in the state that I'm registered to vote. And the one I'm in now a true-blue state anyways. And I don't like either candidate.
My pet peeve is the toxic interpersonal behavior of political partisans and the creepy pod-person consistency of their agendas. Not voting is the biggest fuck-you to them I could come up with.
Hoffmeister25
American Bukelismo Enthusiast
3hr ago
Plenty of musicians still do covers. Especially in live performances. As just one example, eurodance group Cascada has been releasing singles from their upcoming album Studio 24, which is all covers of classic disco hits. Punk bands still routinely release covers of pop songs. (The Punk Goes Pop series is still going strong, with its 7th installment released in 2017.) Even megastars still perform covers; when I saw Kanye West in concert on the Yeezus tour, he performed a cover of Chief Keef’s “I Don’t Like”.
Like, I agree with you that the idea of a bunch of different musical acts all recording different versions of a limited number of standards, written decades ago by professional songwriters, has declined somewhat. I think that’s very different from covers as a whole going out of style.
JarJarJedi
3hr ago
The other difference is before it could be - and usually were - dismissed as random one-off event, that just happened to be against Jews, but does not represent any systemic problem. This event is much bigger and very hard to dismiss as an "action of a lone-wolf crazed individual" - it's clear there is a strong, massive, violent anti-Semitic movement in Europe, and it's ready to roll out Kristallnachts on demand. They will try to dismiss it anyway, but I think they are starting to realize how big of a problem they have got, and that's it is not a Jewish problem but their problem.
Skulldrinker
3hr ago
It's convenient when leaving the house on a day trip or whatever, and it sorta takes up space that would otherwise be occupied by soda or juice boxes. My family kept a case of it in the garage fridge for that exact purpose. And we had well water.
FiveHourMarathon
Listen to Pierre
3hr ago
I heard The Band cover of Atlantic City today in the car and it got me thinking, why did people stop doing covers? When did the cover begin to be treated as kind of corny and second tier? Is it just a Rockist thing where everyone has to kinda pretend to write their own stuff? When did the Great American Songbook go out of the mainstream as a concept? Was there any conflict over the way it faded out? Were there any efforts to revive the concept in a new form?
I don't think musicians do enough covers anymore. Fast Car performed by Luke Combs was the last one I can recall being a true hit, and there was significant attempt to delegitimize it as a performance by certain parts of the music media. And I have to wonder how we got there. Because honestly, I'd love to hear talented older performers do cover albums of new standards. I want Jay-Z doing a full album of classic Hip Hop, or Ke$ha doing 90s bubblegum pop.
cae_jones
3hr ago
hydroxyapatite is literally produced by your body. It's in your teeth and saliva.
FCfromSSC
Nuclear levels of sour
3hr ago
What is reality?
That which does not go away when you stop believing in it.
Who decides that exactly?
No one decides it. It happens regardless. If you do a bad job planting your crops, people starve. If you do a bad job enforcing the law, chaos and violence reigns. If you do a bad job protecting your borders, foreign armies victimize your populace.
How can you decide whether an institution , whether that is the police or whoever , did their job correctly?
For the police, you derive a general understanding of what their job is by examining the laws they're supposed to enforce, and their actual enforcement of those laws, measure it versus the costs of maintaining them and the general realities that add friction to the system.
Are you capable or even interested in judging each and every move they make ?
Random sampling and statistics help a great deal here.
Do you just use your judgement ( whether right or wrong) to fuel hatred and distrust? Because you are probably not using it to make a a practical change.
That is certainly a thing people can do. For example, the BLM movement spun out of a coordinated attempt by Blue Tribe to generate hatred and distrust by pushing misinformation about the actual performance of law enforcement, resulting in a very large and quite partisan disconnect between public perception of police misconduct and actual rates of misconduct. And the result is that tens of thousands of additional black Americans are now dead, and hundreds of thousands of additional Black Americans have been victimized by serious crimes. That was a practical change of the sort you are describing.
So what is it? What is the goal? The cornerstone of society is trust. Trust has to be blind up to a logical point.
Alternatively, one can do one's best to verify that trust, and to withdraw it when one perceives that it has been repeatedly violated. It is always possible that one has been deceived, though, so it's best to keep an open mind to new evidence when it arises.
mrvanillasky
3hr ago
I really like most of her tracks, check out their nightcore versions alongside the original ones. Katy Perry too was fairly good back in her heyday.
ToaKraka
Dislikes you
3hr ago
CK2Wiki
The kingdoms of Bavaria and Austria as they existed in the Victoria 3 time period are more relevant for comparison to US states, IMO. I think those borders are essentially identical to today's borders.
FiveHourMarathon
Listen to Pierre
3hr ago
I still don't understand how the absolute banger Hot To Go wound up being used in a TARGET ad. HOW DID LITTLE CAESARS NOT COWBOY UP WITH THE CASH TO GET IT?!
I love Chappell Roan, unironically. My Kink is Karma is one of the best joke songs I've heard in a while, Hot to Go and Red Wine Supernova are great workout songs. She's killing it right now. The dislike of her really confuses me.
Woops, totally forgot it was already a Republican house.
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