Minestrone Monster

Oof. I just read your post in the most uncharitable, pedantic way possible, and I gotta tell ya: it's not looking good for you.

Too many “middle ground” AI arguments—“I have concerns, too, but we have to adapt”—proceed from what is to me a peculiar embrace of “inevitability” which seems to be magical thinking, a way of depoliticizing the political, of self-soothing in the face of an overwhelming challenge.

so is anyone going to do anything, or

looks like a great way to harvest info on trans people

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James Butler | Just Voting The Green Party’s Hannah Spencer has won the Gorton and Denton by-election with 41 per cent of the vote. Progressive...

"Labour aimed to bully left-wing voters into swinging behind them, while luring back defectors with awkward reactionary posturing. Sometimes called a ‘Macron strategy’, after the only European leader more unpopular than Starmer, it has now failed in two by-elections"

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Yes. But the fascinating thing with a lot of leftists who refuse to take this topic seriously is that they are doing what they complain centrists do. They are looking at covid mitigation activists and branding them untrustworthy, unrealistic, unreasonable lunatics. Make it make sense 🤪

I honestly never really gave disability justice a second thought before the pandemic. If you'd asked if I was FOR it, sure. But I couldn't articulate what it means. For a lot of us it takes personal experience to open our eyes. I sincerely wish this wasn't the case. Nobody should suffer like this.

Can't wait for the faulty word salad machine to become more faulty

There are a number of big, mostly left-wing/progressive accounts on here who regularly side eye masking and people trying to advocate for covid mitigations. They seem to think covid cautious folks are deranged conspiracy cranks. It's very discouraging, because they are otherwise pretty good follows

It's about the podcaster Michael Hobbes, who seems as though he is taking the least charitable read possible on people who talk about covid vaccines not being universally, 100% effective at blocking transmission. He's conflating covid cautious accounts with being anti-vax and spreading misinfo

I suspect lay people understand 'effective' to mean 'will definitely prevent infection for everyone under every circumstance' when in fact effective actually means 'will lower the rate of infection at a population level'. You can't *guarantee* protection on an individual basis, and that's important

It's giving meth-bender

Also it's a fact that vaccines can and do have adverse outcomes for a tiny % of people. When I got my Novovax in 2024 I had to sign a consent form saying I understood that it could lead to Myocarditis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome. I still got vaxxed!

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Yes, and — maybe this is who they are? Maybe the things they say and do are sincere reflections of the world they want to create? Maybe it's not all strategising?

If Reform had won, Labour's statement would be that this result is a stark reminder we need to listen and learn from voters who rightly feel betrayed by modern politics.

But the Greens won by a comfortable margin, so it's: these voters are stupid and also sinister and, ugh, Muslims

Nice! thank you

Also, I've said this in a few replies today, but there is NO NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE to people masking in certain situations, on top of being vaccinated. Vaccines are imperfect! Even the measles vaccine is not 100% sterilising for all people. This is not being anti-vax, it a straightforward fact

'Immiserates' is exactly the right word

this is similar to Gish Gallup and it's a strategy to overwhelm you with bullshit. Have a snack and then come back to eat their fucking frame

lmao what the fuck is anti-AI bias it's not a protected fucking characteristic!!!!

It has felt like such an injustice to me the way people sometimes paint this community as deranged or conspiracy brained or whatever. These people have had something terrible happen. Have some consideration. Yeah we get things wrong sometimes, I'm not a fucking scientist! We're doing our best

I keep thinking, 'what if he's right? What if he has a point? Am I crazy? Are we deranged?'

But then I remember Alice Wong and Ed Yong and all the amazing, educated, intelligent, kind people I follow who value masking. And I am proud to be on their side.

I just wish there weren't sides at all.

This is the last thing I'm gonna say about a certain very influential and well liked and respected (by me also!) public figure on this site who has been calling proponents of masking 'anti-vaxxers'. 1/2

People don't like feeling bad and will do almost anything to avoid it

Ah I'm so so happy for you! This is so incredibly rare. I hope the new meds go well x

Yeah there are folks who say asking for alt text makes you a "woke scold" but I just mute those people and go on with my day. Only way to keep your sanity I think

I agree its so simple, it would make such a difference at such little cost. So yeah I am just honestly baffled.

Is that whats happening? Folks are saying they would if we asked nicely? I see posts about covid doomers being fringe lunatics consuming and spreading misinformation. I don't see people saying they *would* if we were polite. So maybe we are talking past each other?

Totally. What gets to me is how needless it is. Who is this hurting? Who do masks hurt? How is sharing studies, and talking about being considerate and making space for vulnerable people a net loss for society? I'm honestly baffled by this push back! The maths isn't mathing