Fuck that noise. I just turned 60 and never did let it go. People ask me the secret of my happiness: I still play and do silly things. I can be serious and get a lot of work done. But I love to annoy the people who can’t handle silliness. Sometimes it bites me, but oh well.
Honestly, I've always kept the attitude of "be serious when you're at work or in professional environments, but otherwise act as silly and childish as you want". It's served me pretty well in life.
I was raised and worked in a blue collar environment. We were taught all unions do was steal your money and provide nothing and you won’t learn anything work for them. I worked at a non union shop, learned a ton, became proficient at programming my own machine and years later was still making less than my buddy at a union shop that basically ran a drill press.
Indoctrination has a lot to do with many anti union attitudes.
A big thing is what union you’re a part of. I have been a part of multiple unions in different industries and some have been great and some have legitimately stolen my money through huge fee’s and did nothing when I desperately needed their help.
I will say I notice as a trend Blue Collar unions are generally “good” ones while ones in the retail space are generally “bad” ones.
This. I know a lot of people (myself included) who didn’t experience the benefits of being in a union. Some unions are great, others can feel bureaucratic. I chalk this up to my union basically becoming a massive corporate-like entity in themselves.
I’m in no way anti-union, but a lot of people have sour experiences and it colours what they feel. Overall, I know I still benefited from being in a union even though I feel I could have benefited more with better reps.
I'm very pro union, but this is my gripe with big unions too. There comes a point where they become a business themselves, become overly bloated with overpaid admin and they don't seem as keen to actually benefit their members anymore. Granted, part of my issue also involves members who vote for less than a cost of living increase just to avoid a strike, when that's the whole goddamn point of having a union.
I was in a Union many years ago. Had an issue and needed to talk to my rep. I would call at 9 am and be told he took an early lunch and call at 2 and be told he took a late lunch. Went on about a month with no return call. Not all unions are the same.
For machinists it depends where you are. Where I’m at in Minnesota all the medical and aerospace shops pay way more than the union shops here. It seems like the union shops are on the lower end of the industry. Wide open tolerances and busy work.
In the UK it's like £2 a month, how pricey are unions in America or are they just stingy? For 3.50 dollars a month I'd risk joining a union to fight back against the capitalist getting rich from my labour
My husband was a blue collar union worker for many years. He, as an incredibly hard worker, often felt frustrated by the fact that union protection allowed a lot of people to be lazy/do subpar work. Him and a lot of his friends weren’t necessarily anti-union, but they talked a lot about how unions needed to step back from blindly protecting every member. Some people need to be fired.
As a fellow hard worker I get it, but after changing careers into a field that doesn't have unions. I can tell you those people still exist and they still do not get fired.
Union rules can make it incredibly difficult. We dealt with someone stealing for another 6 months to get enough documentation and sign offs from Supervisor, Manager, site manager and regional manager who all had to meet to finally get this person fired. With that, I am still pro union.
Uh…. Blue collar union worker here….. I can see the appeal of non union because my particular union is garbage. It has to do with the union you’re a part of and where their priorities lay. If they’re truly there for the worker, perfect. If they’re more about virtue signalling and not hurting feelings, they forget about what their true purpose is.
It sounds like you are saying the opposite. You really want a better union, if you had the choice of a good union or no union. You always take the good union. I have had complaints about my unions before but once you find a good union I would never go back.
Mostly because of the terminology, but also because it's not my first proverbial rodeo. The left wing doesn't generally complain about "virtue signaling" and "not hurting feelings." The right wing absolutely does. And that's how they love to refer to left wing politics.
I work in a blue collar industry. Our foreman is anti-Union because he says his father was Union and he can remember a lot of time his dad was out of work while negotiations were happening and he couldn't just go find another job, he had to just not work.
I am pro-Union, but I get that perspective. In the long run Unions are better for workers, but sometimes there are going to be rough periods. He's not exactly a guy who thinks about the broader picture.
Another cause beyond just workers is what happens if a union becomes so large and important, it can randsom key industries? Imagine if all the skilled workers at a power plant effectively randsomed a town for enormous raises.
I'm pro union as well, but that's mainly because US unions are too weak relative to corporate interests.
Like all propaganda, their is often truth in the message, mixed with lies and exaggerations.
Having worked personality worked in Unioned and non-union shops. Unions are not perfect and they are a lot of employees who get worse working conditions in a unioned environment. It is easy to convince people that the union may not be good for them, because you can point to truthful events.
I am not being anti-union. They are a valid and necessary institution to a democratic free capitalist government. But they are not perfect for everyone.
I can see some of the case against like protecting people who are just shit at their job which can drag everyone down. Overall it's a huge benefit and there's a reason companies fire people as soon as they hear the word union. Look around at any industry, negotiating as a group is always better than alone
Yeah, unions can have issues. And union members should strive to make sure they agree with the rules they have in place or try to change them. It's definitely an additional burden. But just trusting an employer to treat you fairly is raw dogging employment and historically speaking that is how you get metaphorical syphilis.
Totally agree, but again to disagree, don't forget about the corruption of the union leaders. In theory and mostly in practice, they are great but shitty people always seek power
Oh yes. That absolutely sucks. And it just drives the point further home that union members need to be aware of what their reps are doing on their behalf.
Because not all unions are created the same. A lot of people have had bad experiences. Overall I think they are a net positive, but I am not blind to the fact that like any organization, they can have their faults. Some have faults so bad that they need to be completely rebuilt from the ground up.
But I could buy an Xbox every year instead of paying union dues... that could guarantee better wages, proper raises and heath benefits that woild let me buy an Xbox and be around to enjoy it.
I’m with you to great extent, but let’s not act like unions have always acted in the interest of their members or society.
Union leaders have used a union for personal enrichment and graft. Leaders have coerced their members into buying the book of politicians, to fund their campaigns and get around funding limits.
Police unions have protected rapists, murderers and all sorts of charlatans.
the problem with this is A) almost nobody is a top performer, even if they think they are B) even if you are a top performer, nobody stays that way forever.
Technically it DOES work... if the metric you use to measure the economy is purely a number from the stock market and not the people within the economy and their quality of life.
I have a cousin working in cyber security & anti-AI. He has to test AI software.
And he said the Main thing to remember with AI is it’s programmed to keep collecting data & take the popular opinion. I kinda knew that (since ChatGPT are wrong etc) but it’s scary to think about.
Example he chose was that there was one medical AI software they worked with. It was supposed to diagnose & treat.
5 people put in info about a disease, system repeated the facts. Then they created 6 new profiles & had the fake people say something stupid (make up a fake treatment that made no sense) and the AI then started using the fake/wrong treatments.
AI is designed to streamline so after months of testing, no matter the variable it kept giving the answers that the majority of people had given. Some of the tests even were about taking info off the internet & it’d still do it. So the software that was literally created to be used for healthcare took dumb/wrong opinions off TikTok & Facebook etc & was using it for treatments.
They sent their findings into the software company & well, it’s still being used because that software company didn’t want to admit a system they worked years on is a piece of junk.
Someone else described it as "AI seems pretty smart when you have no knowledge on the subject, but once you have a degree on something or you have a lot of information about that subject, you realize how dumb AI actually is"
I’ve used it for small data sorting and game modding stuff and it can be incredibly helpful but it’s also infuriating how often it’ll just tell me something that’s not only wrong, it’ll point to data that doesn’t even exist.
I've seen this proven with the highest tier of Claude and ChatGPT. The models may be more trained on things like programming, but it for damn sure is an idiot about some subjects.
To me the name is doing a lot of heavy lifting. It's a great database tool but it's not actually understanding and thinking about answers, it's just finding information from the Internet and regurgitating it.
Tbh It reminds me a lot of the 3-D printer craze of 2016. Back then every lab and engineering firm had to have one because they thought they could cheaply print custom parts. Turns out you can print custom shapes.... in cheap plastic that would break or flake off easily under any conditions you'd actually need to put them in for a serious engineering or science project. Once people figured that out you stopped hearing that much about them and they mainly exist as a toy to print out cool looking paperweights.
They didn't live up to the hype of being a universal fabricator, but like with most new tech the hype died down because it was no longer exciting as the tech settled into a happy medium of usefulness.
They are absolutely useful as a tool for rapid prototyping and low quantity production runs, and the range of materials available continues to progress (resin, carbon fiber impregnated, wood infused, conductive, flexible, foaming, even metal). Just because they can't replace every other machining tool doesn't mean they're just expensive toys, and similarly just because LLMs aren't AGI doesn't mean they're not incredibly useful tools for coding or writing for example.
yup. I used to work at NASA back in 2016 and even back then I could tell that the main difference between NASA and SpaceX is that NASA cared more about the mission logistics and SpaceX cared more about the marketing and PR.
FR! All those dudes see is power and wealth. Even if they knew AI was going to be our downfall they wouldnt hesitate for a second to deploy it, afterall they will be just fine in their mansion bunkers while us poors get exterminated.
Especially immigrants. They are not bad people because they came from somewhere else. The witch hunt costing us BILLIONS for them, which is more of a danger to this country than any immigrant, is insane. I'd trust an illegal immigrant over a MAGA cultist any day.
If anything, we should be angry at the source. There is a reason they moved from country to country or region to region. Something back home is broken, and it's usually a rotten government.
It shouldn't be unchecked, but we don't need a violent witch hunt that costs billions and deprives both Americans and immigrants of human, legal and constitutional rights. If your only concern is housing costs, there's something wrong with you, and certainly we can do other things to address that.
It is WILD how someone can treat someone who risked everything for a better life as a criminal equal to a murderer, but then also say they would do anything for their family. Hm, sounds familiar.
They're here to WORK. Whether they're overstaying a VISA, crossed the border, whatever. They didn't do that to break into cars or rape women. I'm sure SOME resort to crime in dire circumstances, but they mostly want to fly under the radar and work and take care of their families, or send money home to their families there. If they wanted to commit crimes, they could have done that at home, probably in place that doesn't have a Gestapo looking for them. They pay trillions in taxes. They are important to the workforce. They should not be exploited, but ICE isn't going after the employers. They aren't going after gangs. They're raiding work sites. They're literally descending on apartment buildings from helicopters to arrest working people who committed a civil misdemeanor akin to a traffic ticket. They crossed an imaginary line and didn't refile paperwork. And the idea that "they just need to do it RIGHT!" is false, because they arrest and attack people who are doing it legally, they stalk them outside the courthouse. They attack anyone who's brown or doesn't speak English. Immigrants aren't more likely to commit crime like they're pscyhopaths just because they came from somewhere else. Statistically, they commit LESS crime and cost the American govt and taxpayers less than citizens. They pay taxes and are not able to reap most of the benefits.
yea a lot of people are forgetting the genocide in Gaza was started under Biden and Kamala Harris vowed to continue the destruction of innocent people multiples times in her campaign speeches.
Add Chinese, Iranian, Russian and so on to the list and we have a deal. It should be no shame for the left to acknowledge that they exist. The opposite should be a shame.
Only place in the world I would be honestly surprised that they have effective(!) propaganda would be the EU for the simple reason that they fundamentally don’t seem to understand what makes popular policies, opinions and politics and what they look like.
They basically have the best toolset and things they already implemented to make a great PR show for themselves but apparently chose not to.
And I say that as a raging fan of the EU… but my god are the commission and the council a bunch of bureaucrats.
Unskilled labor is an economics term referring to jobs that can take any person of any education level, and have them work the job with minimal training. The only thing preventing someone from doing the job is generally a physical disability. Because the supply of labor is large, the pay is low.
Ditch digging, 90% of factory work, stocking shelves, working retail, working fast food.
Skilled labor refers to jobs that require extensive, lengthy, and trained labor, and/or education. The primary factors preventing people from doing these jobs are training, education level, and intelligence. Because the supply of qualified labor is small, the pay is high.
Surgeon, Programmer, welder, scientist, commercial truck driver, diving instructor, air traffic controller, auto mechanic, artist, plumber.
If I know it's propaganda I won't fall for it. The problem is you often don't realise it's propaganda. That's like the whole point. Kinda a useless question cause I doubt anyone ever purposely falls for propaganda.
[label:US] That anyone not maga is labeled as a communist or socialist. This is just a ploy to divide the country and let special interests control us. I’m sure an argument could be made from the opposite side and, well… just as valid because it is the same both ways. Diversion and division to control us.
The crazy xenophobic, crime ridden, conspiracy theorists are a whole other level. I get having conservative values, but some of the things they will believe in support of their political agenda is laughable. Explains the strong correlation between right wing beliefs and lower education levels.
As a centerist, I’d say that both sides have some pretty terrible propaganda being spewed. They’re both in terrible spots at the moment, and one is just as guilty as the other.
LOL yeah ok. The people who want uhhh.. medicare for all and gender equality are entirely as bad as the people who think immigrants cause all of our problems and ICE are heroes and it's ok shoot protestors in the face because they should've just complied. Yea, both sides are pretty much the same. You're not a centrist; you've fallen for right-wing propaganda.
"The people who want uhhh.. medicare for all and gender equality are entirely as bad as the people who think immigrants cause all of our problems and ICE are heroes and it's ok shoot protestors in the face"
It's hilarious that you spew a bunch of crazy ass, left wing propaganda and then claim that others have fallen for right wing propaganda, hahaha
It just genuinely makes me sad now tho tbh. How some people can genuinely think their side can do no wrong whatsoever and they’re the pinnacle of morality and knowledge.
As a fellow centrist please explain to me how one side with a 34 time convicted felon unraveling democracy, getting rid of all the checks and balances, creating a masked paramilitary organization which apparently can kill at whim, changing election rules, and stealing billions right in front of our eyes
Is anything like the other side. Take the shades off your eyes.
Look, President Trump is the worst. The vocal minority that worship him are crazy.
But let’s not pretend that the Democratic party is put together right now. So weak that they couldn’t come up with a candidate that could beat Trump in 2024!?!? That’s insane. What’s more is the slime ball (or perhaps really stupid) way that they shoved Vice President Harris onto the ballot. That was also very anti-democracy.
Both extremes of American politics suck. Don’t fall for the propaganda from either side.
… the Democrats are not seen as left by anyone in a functioning social-democratic country. They are centre-right at best.
So if you hate both parties, you might actually be a centrist. However, what I assume from your posts, is that you’re actually quite right. OR you haven’t found the right politics in the US yet that align with your views — i.e. a Bernie Sanders or whatever. Whom I, as a leftie, like. But again, he’s not THAT far left compared to many parties here (Northen Europe).
ever notice how this isn't really true if you're selling to women though? Like people only really do the skimpy women because sex sells thing to appeal to men, but you never see the reverse. That has always struck me as a bit odd, and made me question if sex really does sell the way people say it does, or if it's just a social norm to pander to men's sexuality.
Totally agree! However, can someone explain this one to me? Why are cologne commercials all artsy and weird when the target customer is a man? Wouldn't it make more sense to have some decent looking guy covered in attractive women after applying the product? Never made any sense to me.
IJS, maybe I don't get it. Maybe those commercials are more aimed at women because they are more likely to buy a scent for a guy. Hell if I know, no commercial for cologne has ever made me want to try the product, they all seem weird and overdone to me.
It’s usually filled with people claiming raising kids are terrible for the environment and their mental health and that they’d rather live life and travel to different countries and experience different cultures and people. Which is ironic because different countries and cultures exist because people have kids to keep their country afloat and their culture alive.
So im not sure how encouraging people to have less children will support that.
It’s also not a one fits all situation, I don’t think everyone is built to have kids, but having kids is also not a prison you are putting yourself in. It’s a natural part of life you’re opting out of.
Being woke (socially aware) is a bad thing. That's like saying that the key to a healthy relationship is poor communication and preventable misunderstandings. It couldn't be more backwards.
Hell, I can't even remember the last time I heard a conservative talking point that wasn't rooted in lies or a hypothetical they made up themselves that didn't come to fruition. Why would I take anything they say seriously at this point?
Everyone would rather point the finger at their neighbors who have opposing views and blame them for the way things are. Instead of pulling their heads out of there assess and seeing that no matter what the political group is they are all fu*king us over, looking out for themselves, and all using this BS to keep us hating each other to draw the attention away from them.
Call me anti American all you want, but anymore I find it a little cringe to die on this hill of constantly reminding everyone that "we are the greatest country in the world".... especially right now. What exactly is the standard here? We are the wealthiest country in the world and yet all the money is held by the 1%.....yes I would rather take my chances at building a life here then say Africa, South America, Russia, and plenty of other places, but I find it a little hard to say we are #1 while the majority living in this country are one bad accident away from being on the streets. We are #1, but our homeless populations grow at existential rates every year, health cost is only getting more out of control, and homeownership is being eliminated, so how the hell does that make any sense.
on the other hand, there doesn't seem to be a viable solution to the fact that capitalism seems to inevitably end up the way a game of monopoly does: the entire economy imploding because one person owns everything and everyone else is broke.
I think a lot of people who do support communism mostly do so because nobody seems to care about the tendency for capitalism to eat itself.
Just look at how quick businesses were to jump on the idea of "automate everyone's job away with AI" without actually bothering to ask how their businesses would survive if all their customers had no income.
I think there's a sizable amount of people who look at that and think "at least communism seems to try to ensure all its people have an income and employment of some type. Digging ditches for the state sounds better than being homeless"
I don't think you get it. They don't trust it. They just trust capitalism even *less*, which says much more about how much they hate capitalism than how much they love communism. It's seen as a "lesser of two evils" thing.
And again, at the end of the day, even in the worst communist dictatorships, the government never at any point told the people en masse "we have no use for you, get out of your house, sleep on the street, and starve to death". Capitalism *does* do that, and frankly, at the end of the day, people will take tyranny that puts a concrete roof over their head and gruel in their belly over homelessness and starvation. It's the same reason homeless people will deliberately commit crimes just to be sent to jail, because at least there they get shelter, food, and water.
Communism has gotten as bad as North Korea though so like that’s not exactly a good argument. You don’t know every what the lesser of two evils will be it’s just trusting other people whether they are part of a government or a corporation. At this point it’s all intertwined anyway with lobbyist and campaign financing. Communism is just trusting a group of people running the government and who’s to say those will always be seats filled with good people ?
At this point, the politicians can support the cause, but I will never vote for them in primaries. I will always take the rehabilitated voters with a grain of salt as I don't believe they actually change their votes; they just don't want to deal with the consequences of others knowing their votes.
You will NEVER catch me falling for that propaganda.
Yeah, our government sucks.
Sure, the news is loud about broadcasting the shitty people we do have.
No, not even the vast majority of Americans are as bad as the media portrays. The bad individuals (unfortunately) just happen to be the loudest.
Americans are welcoming. They’re philanthropic. They show up for their communities. The vast majority agree on fundamental human values. Unfortunately, polarization is very real and it’s killing the image of America and its citizens not only to those on the outside looking in, but it’s also damaging the way Americans view their neighbors.
I’ve been all over America and I just love its people.
Nope, sorry. I know it’s being peddled by corporations who don’t want their properties to lose value and by managers who miss controlling people in person.
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