I am sorry it is so difficult. I wish I had a solution that didn't blow life up.
What I will say is... Sometimes, the biggest life changes and new ways of living can bring out the best in us.
Coming out here to farm, changed not just my life, but me. For the better.
Welcome to Penpal-Gate! Find your ideal penpal today. Please log in or create a profile.
Well that is my story... What's yours? And how can I help you with english?
I am now in my mid 40s, I live still with my husband, I have a dog, some goats and chickens and a horse instead of a car which is fine because I never learned to drive anyway. Unbfortunately we never did start the family we planned to have. The dog is my only progeny.
I am hoping to find some nice penpal/s from well I dream of someone from a little island in the Hebrides, or Greenland, or The Faroes, or a science out post in the arctic somewhere. I would hope you would be somewhere in my general age bracket 30 to 60. My hope is that it might be a relationship we can build over time and one day still be nurturing when we are old and in diapers seeking our lost teeth cuz the old age dementia caused us to forget where we put them.
I am however available to help anyone of all ages with english. Of course, you must understand I speak the english of the North East Coast, so if you are looking for a whole bunch of bless your heart and other southern stuff you are looking in the wicked wrong place.
Hi and welcome! It sounds like you live on a farm, may I ask why you never learned to drive? If you live in rural USA I'm having a hard time picturing life without being able to go places with a vehicle 😛
On a side note I noticed that you tried to revive a bunch of topics in the "politics" forum category, I think most of us were kind of burned out by the previous back and forths we already had so you didn't get too many replies but I'm sure it's only temporary 🙂
Hi and welcome! It sounds like you live on a farm, may I ask why you never learned to drive? If you live in rural USA I'm having a hard time picturing life without being able to go places with a vehicle 😛
On a side note I noticed that you tried to revive a bunch of topics in the "politics" forum category, I think most of us were kind of burned out by the previous back and forths we already had so you didn't get too many replies but I'm sure it's only temporary 🙂
Why I don't know how to drive.... I was 5 when I was hit by car. My pelvis was shattered. I still have scars in various places on my body from this event. I am 44 years old I still have PTSD nightmares. Trauma to the head the damage they never got to the bottom of but they think it is healed. the state of my psychology ruined perminantly by PTSD or even CPTSD. This is one reason I don't drive. I see cars as big killing machines that I do not want responsibility for.
Another reason, I don't want to be part of the problem of climate change. For most things around town my horse works fine. I live in a tiny town by American standards and it is a farming community. My farm, operates a permaculture model and runs on solar power. The vast majority of our heating is done by wood stove. I am always seeking ways to be more environmentally friendly. We are on a well, we have a septic tank no connection to a sewer system is even available in this town. We chose to remain connected to the power grid. All of our electricity is produced here via solar panels on the roof. We stay connected because our excess can further help our region cut it's environmental footprint by contributing to the electricity that others receive and having it come from a clean source. So, it isn't just driving. But this place remains an imperfect work in progress while it's foot print has been dramatically shrunk to quite small more work remains to do. And it will be done as I can finance it.
I am married. We maintain in this era a 1 car household. My husband has one. Often he is at work. So it is rarely at the house. But for some occasional things I have him go get what we need or even more rarily the dog and I sit in passenger seats and go with him. Around here, a single car household is as rare as a chupacabra. Our goal is for my spouse to get an electric car when he dumps the current one. Which will be fed electricity created by the sun, to further cut our foot print. Eventually I will replace the stove in the kitchen with a wood cooking stove that was common 150 years ago, and I will run our plujmbing through it so hot water is created there and then sent to the hot water tank where it will be stored. At that point, the oil burner will be removed. We will have no further need of it at all. Already, we keep it super low at just high enough to produce hot water and prevent pipes freezing while the actual heat comes from wood stoves. So if another solution can be had for these issues I can cut it all together. Which is a goal of mine.
I did try to revive the politics. Mainly because I have started noticing some scary things related to the media where I live. I am fearful that soon we will lose access to accurate and honest information about what is happening in our politics and in the world in general especially in relation to us. So while I am not necessarily looking to argue, part of why I am here to help myself stay an informed person as long as possible until there is an internet crackdown which I view as being in our future at which point the lights go our and you will all have to pray for us like you do for the citizens of North Korea or something..... So yes, I was trying to bring that back. I also enjoy mocking political stupidness. It is a bit of a hobby of mine. And all countries engage in it though some more than others for example mine at the moment unfortunately.
Why I don't know how to drive.... I was 5 when I was hit by car. My pelvis was shattered. I still have scars in various places on my body from this event. I am 44 years old I still have PTSD nightmares. Trauma to the head the damage they never got to the bottom of but they think it is healed. the state of my psychology ruined perminantly by PTSD or even CPTSD. This is one reason I don't drive. I see cars as big killing machines that I do not want responsibility for.
Oh I'm sorry that sounds terrible. I was going to ask if you still ride with other people, but after I kept on reading it looks like it's a yes.
Another reason, I don't want to be part of the problem of climate change. For most things around town my horse works fine. I live in a tiny town by American standards and it is a farming community. My farm, operates a permaculture model and runs on solar power. The vast majority of our heating is done by wood stove. I am always seeking ways to be more environmentally friendly. We are on a well, we have a septic tank no connection to a sewer system is even available in this town. We chose to remain connected to the power grid. All of our electricity is produced here via solar panels on the roof. We stay connected because our excess can further help our region cut it's environmental footprint by contributing to the electricity that others receive and having it come from a clean source. So, it isn't just driving. But this place remains an imperfect work in progress while it's foot print has been dramatically shrunk to quite small more work remains to do. And it will be done as I can finance it.
I have mixed feelings when it comes to climate change. We should all acknowledge it's a real thing and be mindful of the environment, but there's something almost cult-ish about it that kind of rubs me the wrong way. All modern countries have cut down on emissions in the last few years/decades, however China, India, Bangladesh, Russia, etc couldn't care less about climate change. This was posted last week by the Indian Ministry of Coal:
I think the US is currently in a pretty healthy spot when it comes to balancing the economy and being mindful of excessive pollution, but places like Europe (France being a prime example) are burying themselves with countless norms and regulations for the sake of climate change that are completely killing our economy and making people's lives hell. Not only does it make us poorer, but we also need to import more and more stuff which... increases pollution even more. What I'm trying to say is: let's keep working towards clean energy, but we should celebrate our efforts more instead of being so alarming about how much harm we're doing. Those who do want to be alarming should fly (row? 😃) over to Asia to maybe lecture them first. What is your stance on this?
On a side note, not to be that guy but.. wood burning generates tons of particulate matter 😛 (that's also what I use).
I did try to revive the politics. Mainly because I have started noticing some scary things related to the media where I live. I am fearful that soon we will lose access to accurate and honest information about what is happening in our politics and in the world in general especially in relation to us. So while I am not necessarily looking to argue, part of why I am here to help myself stay an informed person as long as possible until there is an internet crackdown which I view as being in our future at which point the lights go our and you will all have to pray for us like you do for the citizens of North Korea or something..... So yes, I was trying to bring that back. I also enjoy mocking political stupidness. It is a bit of a hobby of mine. And all countries engage in it though some more than others for example mine at the moment unfortunately.
I think honest and accurate information is long gone. If anything, I think it's good that people do realize that some supposedly trusted sources actively try to lie and manipulate the general public. I feel like it's a good opportunity for some people to realize the world isn't as simple as they thought it was.
Why are you expecting an Internet crackdown? I definitely wouldn't mark the US as being at risk in that regard
I apologize Etienne, I must explain this through several posts and it may not let me do it all at once. I want to give you a real response though because I think it is important to do as the issues at hand are deeply important. So please bear with me.
Ooooh where to begin? Yes, it was terrible. I can never convey the
terrible in words sufficiently. To properly convey it, I would have to
set you on fire and literally have you treated like a third degree burn
victim over more tha a third of your body. And I won't do that because I
am not evil, cruel, or interested in assaulting or harming anyone. It
would require you hearing a doctor tell you as you are lying there dying
that no you can't have a tylenol till morning cuz you will die during
the night and the hospital doesn't want to charge insurance if you will
soon be dead anyway. It is looking that doctor straight in the eyes and
saying to him at 5 years old, " I will be here in the morning bitch, so i
can spit on you." Then being there in the morning by sheer force of
will and nothing else.
I DO occasionally ride in cars with someone else driving,. I ride in
cars probably less than 97% of people do. I don't like getting in the
car. If I can avoid it I will. When we purchase a new one which is
coming. We will keep it charged with solar electricity to further cut
our footprint.
One thing I learned from nearly dying at 5 and
then finding the joke was on me cuz I am dyslexic.... Quality of life is
as important as continued life. Money, isn't worth much. You can't eat
it. You can't drink it. All you can do is buy crap with it. Well....
What happens when we have destroyed all our resources and there is
nothing left to buy? So no I don't agree with you that the economy
should come before climate change. I do however think that there are
ways to make folks feel as though they are losing less switching to a
more environmentally sound model. I do believe, we need to look at the
way we are balancing the economy as we go and see how we might make it
work better so that there is an economy less built on fictional
worthless paper dollars than on clean water and earth. I believe
strongly there are ways to do it. I believe too there are ways to create
a life around these principles in which we lose nothing of our modern
existence. The fact that major governments are too scared of bad actors
who have grown quite rich through exploiting what belongs to all of us
and abusing it, isn't an argument against change. It is actually an
argument for change.
Ok let's see if I can post more of this response....
At one time I might have agreed with you that climate change cultiness
is cultiness. Unfortunately that time is past. Not because I have joined
the cult. Because I have read the science. We are at a major tipping
point. Once we cross it and last I checked we were less than 12 years
from hitting it, there is no saving the planet. What is all the money in
the world worth to people too dead to spend it? On this issue, we are
staring down the barrel of a gun set to fire within the next 12 years
after which there is no way to save anything. The was is over. It
literally is now or never.
My thoughts about other nations? We
share this planet, we ALL need to be acting on this issue immediately
and to massive scale. We are out of time. We don't have time left to put
anything ahead of this matter. In the 80s we still had a little
time.... We don't now. It's over in less than 12 years. In less than 60
all the money on earth won't buy you a single vegetable. Because we run
out of soil for farming in less than 60 years. Unless folks start
composting now. It will only get worse as the living things that
contribute to our soil die off due to major fires and all kinds of other
disasters.... The time to act must be now. Because later it is too
late. EVERY nation should be acting. But we don't get to control other
people. We get to control ourselves and only ourselves.
No, the
USA failed to pass a green new deal so it was NEVER doing enough or
anywhere near what it needed to do even while it was doing more than it
ever had done. The problem is, we could have done this slowly and
gradually but then no one did. And we are now on a cliff looking down at
the end of all life on the planet still saying, "well money is more
important." You won't feel that way when you are starvi9ng due to lack
of soil, I promise. When you are watching your children starve due to
lack of soil. What is life worth? Depends on it's quality. Vaccines
don't cause autism. Know what does? Studies have found it is air
pollution. What are your lungs worth to you breathing that in??? How
much money will it take to buy a new set every 6 months to maintain your
current quality of life? What is it worth to have a healthy child?
Trump,
has rolled back an alarming amount of our pro environment regulation.
To which South Carolina, promptly literally set itself on fire that has
even broken into North Carolina now. He has alienated Mexico and
Canuckstan, who came to help fight the recent fire in California because
they understood air isn't limited to over the country that is burning.
The smoke is toxic. Sooner it is out the safer the air is for all of us.
This time though they won't come. Because now they are scared of being
sent to prison in El Salvadore for trying to put our a dangerous climate
caused wild fire. So is the usa doing what it should? hahaha NOPE! It
wasn't before but it was at least doing something and something is
better than nothing. Now it isn't even doing that.
Yes, wood burning creates particulates in the air. Wood breaks down and
you wind up with that weather you burn it or not. It is also possible to
plant trees. Either way the break down of wood is going to happen and
the resulting climate damage is pretty much equal no matter how it is
broken down using natural methods such as fire, or just gradual break
down. So you might as well burn it for warmth. Again, I have read the
science. Not to be a guy? What is wrong with being a guy? You think I
can't use a chainsaw? I can be a guy too. You think a farm doesn't
require a guy? Even when that guy is a girl, that girl is as much a guy
as is necessary.
The reality is, change costs money. It can't be
done all at once. But it needs to be done right now as fast as we can do
it. Which means we must make it the most important priority we have as a
planet. And we must go as quickly as we can. It could have happened
differently and more slowly and been less of a cult if people had
actually done it as needed when needed and met the historic goals set.
But that didn't happen.
You will note I have the internet. I
don't ration my electricity. My life is similarly reflective to yours in
the areas of energy and many things. My home is heated, I am
comfortable. I try to constantly do more to create an environmental
situation here on my farm to show it can be done without people losing
what they are afraid of losing. Every day I wake up in the morning and I
prove that again. But the reality is, we are past the point at which we
can make anything more important than the climate. Don't take it from
me please. Read the science yourself. Don't just accept that it is
happening. Actually understand what is happening and how it will happen
and how much we can do to change the course and how long we have to do
it in. Please read the science. You are right. The sources matter. I
read literal studies. Not articles interpreting studies.
TThe US
wasn't at risk in that regard until a couple months ago. Now everyone is
scared of Trump, and they are waging war on things like Public Broad
Casting and NPR. So YES those things ARE now at risk. And to placate an
orange luantic just a few days back PBS, had on a truck driver and a
highly decorated doctor to discuss vaccines as if they were equals on
the subject. The USA, isn't what it was just a few months ago. Major and
dramatic and dangerous changes are taking place. Just look at the world
stock market today. You want to talk about stuff that is BS? Tariffs.
Things are happening here very quickly. People are being kidnapped on
the streets who have every right to be here.... And that is just the
beginning. It is only going to get worse. So it is important to stay
connected to people now who have access to information from sources that
are NOT operating with a gun to their head. I expect internet crackdown
because everything is getting cracked down on. All sources of
information. I think it won't happen tomorrow but I don't know when it
will happen. I fear that it will because that is what dictators do. They
shut down access to information that may offer a different story than
they are offering.
I think lecturing people has never done much
good. I still can't seem to stop myself anyway. I apologize. It is a
personal failing. I think the more we talk about this with countries not
acting the better. I dunno that lecturing though is the best format for
that communication to take. I also don't think the goal should be
perfection. Because that isn't realistic. But it should instead be, to
keep the problem set to low at a level the planet can tolerate. So I
think if a few continue to be bad actors as harmful as it is, it isn't
necessarily the end of the world if the rest of us can get it down to a
low enough level that the planet can tolerate us living on it. I believe
there is a time and place for literally everything. The time for
alarmism related to this issue, we are tragically there. I wish we
weren't. I wish we had more time. We did have more time. We used it
badly. Now it really is a 3 alarm fire.
Again I'm sorry about your accident, it feels like it affected you very deeply.
So no I don't agree with you that the economy should come before climate change.
I never said that money is more important than our planet, I said that there's something delusional - and even sometimes manipulative - about exclusively focusing on what the West does, dismissing what the rest of the world is up to. Again I think it's good that we're doing things, but it renders them virtually useless if the worst offenders aren't willing to take part in any effort. What I'm trying to say is let's keep the energy, but shift it a little bit.
I think our "salvation" will come with technological improvements, which needs a strong economy to flourish. Tesla and SpaceX are good examples: cash flow combined with great engineering is allowing them to make massive leaps that greatly reduce the footprint in their industries. It's really unfortunate that some people think burning down electric cars is the right call to make.
At one time I might have agreed with you that climate change cultiness is cultiness. Unfortunately that time is past. Not because I have joined the cult. Because I have read the science. We are at a major tipping point. Once we cross it and last I checked we were less than 12 years from hitting it, there is no saving the planet. What is all the money in the world worth to people too dead to spend it? On this issue, we are staring down the barrel of a gun set to fire within the next 12 years after which there is no way to save anything. The was is over. It literally is now or never.
I'm going to be completely honest, I think this is typically the kind of counterproductive speech that drives people away from climate change issues. It sounds like Earth will explode at the flip of a switch in 2037. This is a quite dramatic thing to say, and one doesn't need to be a climate change expert to figure it's just as likely to happen as the infamous 2012 doomsday, no matter how many times "science" is stamped in caps. I think there's got to be a middle ground somewhere, although yes some areas of the world are in a very bad position, it's very uneven. Could you please share the firsthand scientific studies you have read on this? I am genuinely interested.
Yes, wood burning creates particulates in the air. Wood breaks down and you wind up with that weather you burn it or not.
This is technically true, but natural decay creates significantly less pollution - on an order of magnitude. You can tell by the insane amount of black smoke that gets generated when forests burn, there is a big scalability problem with wood burning, it's only acceptable if few people do it.
TThe US wasn't at risk in that regard until a couple months ago. Now everyone is scared of Trump, and they are waging war on things like Public Broad Casting and NPR. So YES those things ARE now at risk. And to placate an orange luantic just a few days back PBS, had on a truck driver and a highly decorated doctor to discuss vaccines as if they were equals on the subject. The USA, isn't what it was just a few months ago. Major and dramatic and dangerous changes are taking place. Just look at the world stock market today. You want to talk about stuff that is BS? Tariffs. Things are happening here very quickly. People are being kidnapped on the streets who have every right to be here.... And that is just the beginning. It is only going to get worse. So it is important to stay connected to people now who have access to information from sources that are NOT operating with a gun to their head.
You're mixing lots of unrelated things here, I'll just respond to a couple of things if I may:
- I don't think "everyone is scared of Trump", I would venture to guess your personal circle is, given Trump won the popular vote.
- Who are these "people are being kidnapped on the streets who have every right to be here"? This is a very serious thing to say and I want to learn about this, it's terrible! (I assume you're not referring to illegal immigrants; that wouldn't make sense)
I expect internet crackdown because everything is getting cracked down on. All sources of information. I think it won't happen tomorrow but I don't know when it will happen. I fear that it will because that is what dictators do. They shut down access to information that may offer a different story than they are offering.
What are examples of effective crackdowns? You probably want to read the Twitter files or listen to Mark Zuckerberg's statements from a few months ago (I would be happy to provide the exact sources). They explicitly mentioned the collusion they both had with the FBI to prevent Trump from winning last time and to censor right-wing opinions on social media. This also applied overseas, French right-wing accounts were shut down without providing a reason. Can you name people being censored for their political opinions? Hell, just 4 years ago the sitting President of your own country got banned on a social network because calling his supporter "American patriots" was "inciting violence". How was that not the ultimate crackdown? If you did align with your current convictions back in the day and opposed this ban, kudos to you.
The entire presidential campaign was about defending free speech for Republicans and censoring fake news for Democrats (you probably know this better than I do). It sounds anachronistic to complain in 2025 about a crackdown on opinions when you're literally describing the pre-Trump/Musk world. The authoritarian ideology is not the one you think it is, as a matter of fact it is the main reason why they lost the election.
Full disclosure: I don't even like Trump as a person, I think it's unfortunate that he's the President, but this doesn't mean we should make up an alternative reality
Oh gosh where to begin.... You did say that the economy is the most important thing and should be the important thing for how we choose to deal with climate. And I disagree. All things come back to this 1 thing. Without it there3 is no economy.
I don't disagree. It would be wonderful if everywhere would do it's part. We don't live in a perfect world.
It is incredibly abusive and here is where I am gonna nail you for being a dude, to tell a woman what is and isn't delusional. Let's not forget the old term "hysterical woman" and where it comes from. It is possible to disagree without someone being mentally ill. If you can't see that and frequently speak like this to people this is not a platform anyone should be using. That might work with young women who don't know better, but it doesn't work with me nor does it put my views or opinions in their place beneath yours. If that is a problem then I don't think we will get along. Which is not to say, that you don't have a right to a valid opinion and view of your own. I may disagree but I will not declare it insane.
Nope. I am not on facebook. I am not on X. I do not buy from Amazon, I have been making a concerted effort to gradually move away from google. I don't think there is anything beneficial about Elon's dumb car company. Wasn't the economy important to you? Well, he is crashing my economy. His car sales are in the toilet. Why do you look to these toxic men who'd only goal is to make money at the expense of the welfare of whole societies if you think there is value to the earth and to society?
I do support electric cars. I will insist my husband get one. But not from Elon. There is nothing someone like Zuck, has that I want, and Amazon, has been ruining small companies for decades but sure let's pretend that enriching an oligarchy is good for the world. It isn't. Some things belong to everyone and those things are being destroyed. I understand why you look to these men and how they live and you want to be them. But.... we need a new ideal of what it is to be successful. These men are actually the most dependent and needy in the world. They aren't strong. Strong is being independent.
Not everyone is scared of Trump. Not everyone is scared of their kid dying of measles either, or of cancer, or of climate change that is coming for us all. That doesn't negate the danger of these things. Only the intellectual awareness and astuteness of those unafraid.
With all due respect, you don't live here and you don't feel or experience the impacts of these things which when taken together ARE a major threat to society.
Oh gosh where to begin.... You did say that the economy is the most important thing and should be the important thing for how we choose to deal with climate. And I disagree. All things come back to this 1 thing. Without it there3 is no economy.
I do agree with you that the state of our planet will always be more important than the economy - it's our only home. I only suggested that you can't pit the economy against saving the planet, because you need cash flow to transition effectively. Example: with a bad economy you have a low purchasing power which prevents you from switching to solar panels. Or you can't buy an EV so you're stuck with your old truck. I was trying to say that you want an economy that supports your goals.
It is incredibly abusive and here is where I am gonna nail you for being a dude, to tell a woman what is and isn't delusional. Let's not forget the old term "hysterical woman" and where it comes from. It is possible to disagree without someone being mentally ill. If you can't see that and frequently speak like this to people this is not a platform anyone should be using. That might work with young women who don't know better, but it doesn't work with me nor does it put my views or opinions in their place beneath yours. If that is a problem then I don't think we will get along. Which is not to say, that you don't have a right to a valid opinion and view of your own. I may disagree but I will not declare it insane.
I'm sorry did I call you a "hysterical woman" or imply you are "mentally ill" in some way? I was simply sharing my opinions, as you've been doing, and questioning viewpoints to understand your perspective - none of it was intended as a personal attack. When I asked for your firsthand scientific studies, I wasn't trying to mock you, I was being authentic. I find your choice of words and your assumptions about my character a bit unsettling, and bringing gender into this feels questionable. I apologize if being a man with differing opinions offends you. I hope this doesn't make me a bad person whose goal is to insult or oppress you based solely on your gender.
I don't think there is anything beneficial about Elon's dumb car company. Wasn't the economy important to you? Well, he is crashing my economy. His car sales are in the toilet. Why do you look to these toxic men who'd only goal is to make money at the expense of the welfare of whole societies if you think there is value to the earth and to society?
I personally don't look to anyone specifically, I look at what is being done. I just find amusing that Elon is the prime example of somebody who was hailed as a genius until a couple of years ago and has now become a villain when his political opinions shifted. His businesses and accomplishments have remained the same. It shows how some people prioritize their political agenda over anything else, sometimes including causes they claim to support. It'd be fair to say "it's great what he's done with EV but I don't agree with his recent political takes, which could even make me reconsider buying a Tesla" but that's not what we get. For instance, your words "His dumb cars" and "Crashing my economy" hardly align with your earlier stance of favoring energy transition over the economy.
I do support electric cars. I will insist my husband get one. But not from Elon. There is nothing someone like Zuck, has that I want, and Amazon, has been ruining small companies for decades but sure let's pretend that enriching an oligarchy is good for the world. It isn't. Some things belong to everyone and those things are being destroyed. I understand why you look to these men and how they live and you want to be them.
I also try not to get stuff from Amazon. I agree with you it's not good, their employees are borderline slaves. I'm also on your side with small businesses, and I don't like Zuck nor do I like Bezos. I dislike them not because they are wealthy, but because they have shown they can't be trusted with how they run their businesses. Same goes with Google. Thanks for making random assumptions about what I like/support though. I suppose criticizing certain things means I must adore what you disapprove of. Do you mind me asking examples of what belongs to everyone?
With all due respect, you don't live here and you don't feel or experience the impacts of these things which when taken together ARE a major threat to society.
You're right, I follow what's going on and I don't live there. That said, dismissing my questions based on where I live feels like an easy way to sidestep what I think were fair points. All major social networks are American and have a significant impact on lives in other countries.
I'm happy to debate with you (and maybe others will join in, so far it's just me) on topics where we may or may not agree. You've shown an interest in discussing politics and current events, so I'm keen to engage. To keep this constructive, I'd kindly ask you to respect a few ground rules: feel free to challenge beliefs or opinions, share your perspective, end even strongly oppose what you disagree with. In return, I'd hope you can manage disagreements without turning to ad hominem arguments, or unwarranted and harmful assumptions about my character. Otherwise, I might conclude you're simply seeking an echo chamber - which this forum isn't the right place for.
You don't need cash flow to transition effectively. That statement isn't true and I suspect you know it. To transition COMFORTABLY cash flow is a necessity. It would be my preference to do it this way as well. Because that which is uncomfortable is that which is rebelled against rather than embraced. And showing that it CAN be done in such a comfortable way is what my life is about. It is what my home exists as a model to show. That this is how it CAN be done. But we need to be making major moves and making them now. Time is money. We wasted time. Now we must accept it may be a little less comfy to change than we had hoped. It will get worse the longer we waste time.
I don't tend to take things personally. But I also don't sit down and accept attacks on every woman present on this platform due to the history of such engendered attacks, weather intended as such or not. There is a reason word choice like that comes to mind when you speak to a woman and not when you speak to a man. It isn't always intentional. But these things are ingrained within our societies, which means, they are ingrained in US, all of us. So when I see them I say something. If it wasn't intended as an attack great we're cool. But for the future, the fact that that is where your mind and vocabulary went while disagreeing with a woman should give and I hope it does give you pause to look at just what has been ingrained without deliberately choosing to internalize it. It's not that you are male that I find offensive. It is the word choice you invoked. Due to it's history which most men never stop to think about because that history is not regularly levied at them, and there are no atrocities against white dudes really in history. You have a deeply privileged position. Then you chose to throw a word around that is far too frequently thrown around to dismiss the views of women and comes from a historic horror situation that was inflicted on women. And the fun part is you don't even care to learn about it. You don't even realize that is what you are invoking. Time to study some Herstory. Because History we all know a little too well. But clearly some of us, have not read about Nellie Bly, for example and the institutions women were once put in and the torture they endured simply for refusing to back down to men. Time for an American History lesson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYQhRCs9IHM
If you are dependent on others what accomplishment? If you can't stand on your own 2 feet without needing to get paid through ads on platforms, or without destroying small businesses, or without creating anything substantive that supports you then how is that success? You are still completely and totally vulnerable to whichever way the wind blows. Which is what Elon is finding out. I have never had a high opinion of him. It has nothing to do with his political views either. As Corey Booker said, there is right and there is wrong. And then there is a lot of real estate in the middle. Ripping off the US government, while defunding Grandma who worked her whole life to starve is just wrong. Sorry. Not grey area there. DOGE, IS a literal death panel. The way they are defunding our healthcare and our healthcare research and defunding social security and medicare, they are a death panel choosing who lives and who dies. Having money, does NOT make one God. But if you use your money like Elon is, to pretend to be, certainly makes you Satan. I am definitely a liberal. But, any time anyone wants to talk about how to save money I am there because I DO believe there is waste. Nothing is perfect. But this isn't how you find it. This isn't even right wing politics. it is a dictator with an oligarchy. There is no right in that. That is hardcore WRONG. It isn't in the grey area. Mccain, is rolling over in his grave.... And Liz Chney, has incredible integrity. I would be thrilled to see liberals negotiating with her. Maybe between us both if we were handed a flash light we could find the center line. But you can't negotiate with a dictator. This isn't about right and left politics. It is about right and wrong.
BINGO! They can't be trusted! You think this is about money for me??? hahahahahahahahahahahaha Oh dears, no.... It is about concern for those who are suffering and are being abused for whom it is about money, and very real need. I am not dependent. I live on a small farm. I do hard labor quite a lot, but I provide for myself and I live with a small foot print. I am dependent on no one. I want for nothing. I only care because decent people can't help but care about the welfare of others.
Clean water, clean food, the right to shelter, and warmth. A clean place to call home, Clean earth, oceans free of plastic, clean air. The right to work hard and improve one's circumstances. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq3BYw4xjxE access and fair treatment by the law. These things and more MUST belong to us ALL. Our one home as you put it belongs to us all.
They WERE fair points... 6 months ago. at least here. When the usa, was NOT a dictatorship in which funding for climate related junk was pulled. In which regulation to save the planet was rolled back to nothing and legitimate businesses offering alternative climate friendly solutions were defunded. Now, the situation here is different. Speaking to those points is like calling a fish a mammal.
No, but criticizing things that are not actually things based on the lies told by the tech bros eating up money that could have been used to protect what belongs to all of us does make you sound a bit silly... Or brainwashed. Not entirely sure yet which.... I mean you are French, so you folks at least have not crossed into the crazy land territory yet of letting felons control the funding levels.... So perhaps, it is neither? Perhaps it is that you are seeing the world and the situation from where you and your society are, while clearly being into technology as I hear tell you created this platform? So you must talk to and find yourself inundated with views from other techies often. We tend to internalize what we are around too much. Which isn't criticism. It is just a fact. It holds true for all of us. Not just men, or french folks. Spent half a lifetime watching this phenominon impact people from all over the world.... Might I make a suggestion? Get out of your bubble a bit. Stop judging things based on the situation 6 months ago. There is a 3 alarm fire right now in the USA, in government and then collectively we have another, climate change. Read the science. Screw the opinion. Look at what The Mango Mussolini has done here in the last 2 months. Look at the stock market. The evidence is clear. We are not living 6 months ago when your legitimate points were in fact totally legitimate. We are here now. The situation has changed. Would you for example use one of those early Apple computers to hook up to the internet??? You know the ones from like 1988? NO. Because you can't. They don't have the capacity to connect to the internet at all let alone the modern high speed internet. Your view on this matter is like that computer. Which is no fault of yours. A lot of things have been happening VERY VERY fast here. They WILL soon impact the whole world and it will gradually become impossible not to see it. But they are already impacting HERE, where I am. Your views I hope are once again substantive relevant, and reflective of a situation in the future. But who knows? In the mean time, they are out dated you just haven't felt the hit from the changes yet. But you will.
It's not the social networks and their impact I am concerned with. It is the choices and insanity coming out of the oval, funded by those at the top of social media giants that you are absolutely right. Impact the whole world. But I would argue, facebook dissolving facts is an amazingly dangerous place for the world to be.
I don't think I did ad hominen attacking. If I did, I do apologize. And we have finally reached a point we DO agree on. Civil discourse should be civil. If I do make an assumption about your character please do set me straight if I am off base. Because I don't want to be wrong. And while I know a great deal, I think we can bot agree, I am not in your head with you. As you are not in mine with me. But I do hope you will consider some of what I have said about how ingrained some stuff is in our western cultures and even in other cultures as well, and that history is a powerful thing. Sometimes we don't realize we invoke it when we do unintentionally. History.... can and does become part of the zeitgeist of the current and future that it is built upon. Often surviving under the surface somewhere where it feels almost dormant and you don't realize it is there in the background of everything leaching into the fabric of who each one of us is. I originate in a Buddhist Hippy Commune. I am sending you folk music to try to help you understand. Does that shock you? it shouldn't. That junk is one of those things I have internalized. Just as I have internalized feminism. I come from a long line of them. So I am perhaps not just aware of the history but even over sensitive to it. But that doesn't mean it isn't there ingrained in others this thing from further back in history. I am sure there is crap ingrained that I don't even realize is ingrained. Soooo.... Yeh....
I don't tend to take things personally. But I also don't sit down and accept attacks on every woman present on this platform due to the history of such engendered attacks, weather intended as such or not. There is a reason word choice like that comes to mind when you speak to a woman and not when you speak to a man. It isn't always intentional. But these things are ingrained within our societies, which means, they are ingrained in US, all of us. So when I see them I say something. If it wasn't intended as an attack great we're cool. But for the future, the fact that that is where your mind and vocabulary went while disagreeing with a woman should give and I hope it does give you pause to look at just what has been ingrained without deliberately choosing to internalize it. It's not that you are male that I find offensive. It is the word choice you invoked. Due to it's history which most men never stop to think about because that history is not regularly levied at them, and there are no atrocities against white dudes really in history. You have a deeply privileged position. Then you chose to throw a word around that is far too frequently thrown around to dismiss the views of women and comes from a historic horror situation that was inflicted on women. And the fun part is you don't even care to learn about it. You don't even realize that is what you are invoking. Time to study some Herstory. Because History we all know a little too well. But clearly some of us, have not read about Nellie Bly, for example and the institutions women were once put in and the torture they endured simply for refusing to back down to men. Time for an American History lesson.
No, but criticizing things that are not actually things based on the lies told by the tech bros eating up money that could have been used to protect what belongs to all of us does make you sound a bit silly... Or brainwashed. Not entirely sure yet which.... I mean you are French, so you folks at least have not crossed into the crazy land territory yet of letting felons control the funding levels.... So perhaps, it is neither? Perhaps it is that you are seeing the world and the situation from where you and your society are, while clearly being into technology as I hear tell you created this platform? So you must talk to and find yourself inundated with views from other techies often. We tend to internalize what we are around too much. Which isn't criticism. It is just a fact. It holds true for all of us. Not just men, or french folks. Spent half a lifetime watching this phenominon impact people from all over the world.... Might I make a suggestion? Get out of your bubble a bit. Stop judging things based on the situation 6 months ago.
I'm curious: how does it usually go with other people (particularly strangers) when you display such patronizing behavior? Do you realize you're using bully-like tactics to complain about my supposed lack of empathy?
It looks like you're wielding your American privilege against me, and I feel quite uncomfortable being subjected to this kind of entitlement. You're imposing your American mindset on me, as though you feel the need to educate me because I'm from another culture and a weaker country. As if being forced to use your language to communicate doesn't already put me in a submissive enough position - something you take for granted. Yes this was satire, yet it mirrors exactly how you proceed - it feels like sh*t just as much as it is fundamentally unfair to be essentialized based on immutable traits (ie: ad hominem).
I hope you'll forgive me for not addressing your other points, since you have shown a clear disregard for my perspective anyway. I've made the effort to structure and articulate my thoughts with reasoned arguments - something you haven't really bothered to reciprocate. Still, I will diligently study the educational materials you have provided - the YouTube music videos - in an attempt to elevate my conscience.
I hope you can find some peace of mind in this challenging world.
i apologize, patronizing was not my intent.... I think stuff gets lost over text based mediums..... Such as tone. I am a homesteader. I rarely leave here. I don't meet many people. It is for example possible that some of my social skills have atrophied. But I think mainly it is tone is often missing when you read the text someone else posts. I could say something about your own tone related to this point. But I won't because as I said I think misreading tone can cause massive miscommunications. Especially via text. I don't think I said you had a lack of empathy. Had I wanted to I would have. What I said, is that you have a lack of experiencing life in a different body with a very different history connected to it. And congratulations, that is not just you! That is loosely speaking half the human race. The comment was more in relation to who we are a product of society and society treats things a certain way and that way is based on history that often isn't taught. Especially not to people who it isn't weaponized against as an after thought or non thought because most don't even know the history. Usually too by no fault of their own.
No.... Not at all. I am trying to educate you because the last 2 months blew up the world. major stuff is going to be different now everywhere because a bloviated orange turd decided that it will be. And you are still 6 months in the past looking at the state of things before said orange turd got his grubby fingers non the nuclear codes. I am not privileged. Especially not to be an American. In the coming days, it is going to become very difficult to be american especially outside the usa due to likely rage when you all start to feel what is happening already here. I can't even say that rage will be misplaced. I don't think it will be. There is a lunatic driving the bus dismantling everything creating all kinds of issues for the whole world. https://www.rfsu.se/globalassets/pdf/project-2025/global-impacts-of-project-2025.pdf
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/watchdog-trumps-dismantling-of-usaid-means-billions-in-unspent-aid-now-lack-oversight
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/02/business/liberation-day-trump-tariffs/index.html
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/heres-what-to-know-about-trumps-executive-actions-on-climate-and-environment
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the last *2* months. Goddess Hera, save us all from 4 years of this orange idiot.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-funding-freeze-blatant-violation-constitution-federal-law/story?id=118183957 I apologize it is all in English, but I don't know the legitimate sources in France. Nor do I speak French enough to gather this information in French. I apologize I must use english.
On the contrary. I have never viewed this country as particularly strong and now we have emperor orange Dip Sh*t, driving the bus, golfing while American Farmers burn.... He is dismantling everything and not just for us. It's not that I think you are weak. It is that I think you are not up to date on the last couple of months.... Which to be fair.... Is a huge amount to be caught up on since a lunatic is on a spree acting destructively at a never seen before speed. When I think of strong nations, the USA, is NOT what comes to my mind. Fenno Scandinavia however does. It isn't about submissive or not submissive. It is about discussing these issues from a place of up to date awareness. You are coming to the table bringing the facts of 6 months ago. Since then, the stock market for example has crashed. People at least here, are being disappeared off the streets. Morons have been discussing social security matters on Signal, for Goddess Morrigan's, sake.... A billionaire has bought a nation, a nut has renamed the Gulf of Mexico, and bloody Greenland can't sleep at night because it is terrified of American invasion...,. And that is only the beginning.... You might not feel the effects yet of the last 2 months, so they might not feel real to you. But they are real, at least here. There is nothing strong about any of them. In fact they are terrifying. So when you talk about a situation that is no longer the situation.... It's not about submissiveness, it is about being not up to date. Probably because France, has been strong enough thus far for this stuff not to impact you yet. I hope it can continue that way. But I don't see how it can for too much longer...
You make a fair point about using my language. I do apologize. Unfortunately, I can't use French at all. Which is a personal failing. If it helps, I think you are doing a beautiful job in English. You should be proud of your skill level with it. But I can understand it does create an unlevel playing field. I am dyslexic. I understand exactly what that is like to have an unlevel playing field. How can I help to level it? I tragically can't speak french. The only languages I speak well are english and music notation. How are you with German? I do speak it not fabulously, but some. Would that be better? Please don't assume what I take for granted just as I should not assume what goes on in your head, please don't assume what goes on in mine. I didn't mention it because you were doing so well with English. But I don't assume. I don't assume my own spouse will speak to me in English, he is Finnish. I grew up in a commune full of people from all over the world, English was never to be expected or assumed. So I never do assume it will be spoken. I am grateful you have been willing to use it thus far. Thank you. You were doing so well with English, I did not realize you had difficulty with it.
I do disregard your points on some issues because they are not based on what is currently happening. A lot has happened at alarmingly high speed. Stuff that I think isn't really impacting you yet which is probably why our view is so different. Reasoned arguments something I haven't bothered to do? I think I have and I think that is incredibly ad hominen to say. Especially after being told about the history related to speaking to women that way. https://time.com/6074783/psychiatry-history-women-mental-health/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3480686/
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history-quackery/history-hysteria Good news for France! Seems they were ahead of their time on this issue. Which also might be part of why you don't know this history. It was a lesser history in France, than it even was here most likely.
I suspect your conscience is fine. You don't strike me as a particularly bad person. Your consciousness however, like most men's could use an influx of women's history. Which is not even a failing. It's really not taught. How can you know what largely isn't taught?
You are going to start teaching me French. What will my first word be?
This also happened recently.... Like yesterday. What the hell did these poor penguins do to deserve this??? Surely this must upset you as much as it makes my heart cry for the poor tariffed penguins. https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-tariffs-trade-war-global-penguins-not-putin-1235309637/ They deserve better than this. How is this environmentally friendly??? https://wildnet.org/penguins-charming-widespread-and-important/ And just yesterday, the bloviated orange jerk, slapped penguins with tariffs! If they will do this to penguins, what do you think he will do to other nations with his stupid tariffs??? poor penguins. Do you think this is in the best interests of the welfare of the planet and the world's economic circumstances? Tariffing penguins? Or are you on my side of this one?
I agree that tone can sometimes be lost over text. My argument about English was satire, as I stated; it's completely fine. You have very strong opinions (I think I do too) on a number of things, and don't hesitate to use swear words to refer to what you dislike (particularly Trump). This does break something, because anyone whose opinions might differ from yours will first and foremost feel insulted for thinking differently from you. It seems that you consider these people to either be ignorant (I think this would be me), evil, or stupid. That opinions, events, or people fall under 2 mutually exclusive categories: Good or Bad.
Let's assume you are indeed all-knowing: do you believe your words would convince these people they've somehow been "thinking wrong"?
The Trump tariffs you brought up will be a good example: I am personally opposed to them, and I believe they will have a negative impact on the US economy. I did some research to try to understand why he and his team decided to do it, and I found some legitimate reasons behind it - which I won't list, they're beside the point. I still think he's making a mistake, but I felt compelled to figure out what the reasoning was so as to give me a deeper understanding of things. Calling him an orange fart head or whatever instead would most likely just make me sound foolish, as a lack of nuance tends to be indicative of a limited understanding of the world. You seem to be keen on learning about issues important to you, I would just like to highlight that without nuance you close the door to understanding, which makes dialogue is impossible, which in turn only leads to never ending conflicts 🙁
Bonjour Ettienne, gods using French greeting feels strange I am used to Finnish and German.... French, feels like the most unnatural language in the world to try to use for me.... No offense intended. It may not be at all unnatural for others.
yes, I am highly opinionated. I am also highly attentive to what is happening now. Partly because I can be. I am home on my farm all day. I can listen to whatever I want in the background and kind of double task on farm chores and staying current to the moment. Most people don't have this situation. I wasn't saying you are slow. Or stupid. I was saying, you are not up to date on information. You are free to disagree with me all you like. I just insist you do it based on the current situation of the moment rather than what was happening before that orange bloviated golf ball of bullshit was elected. That is all I was trying to get you to understand. That massive changes have been happening at unbelievable speed here. The situation you are accustomed to and were speaking of, isn't the current situation. I am sorry the stock market died and that it took such a shocking thing to realize that a lot has changed very very suddenly. But here, I have been watching it change through one dramatic thing after another for 2 months now.....
I am right there with you on the orange dumb fuck's stupid tariffs. I have never seen in nearly 45 years on this earth anyone make as stupid a decision as those tariffs. I was raised by hippies in a commune.... The stupid I have seen could well.... win nobel prizes in stupidity. This move by that bloviated orange dumb ass makes them all seem like acts performed by not stoned members of mensa. These tariffs are friggin stupider than a pile of goat turds. A negative impact???? hahahahaha Ohhhh you are so gentle in the way you word that. Very politic. I happen to agree but I think your word choice is incredibly tame and polite for this act of stupid insanity. He IS an orange fart head. I refuse to discuss suppreme stupidity as if it were somehow valid and deserving of decent treatment. There is a level of stupid that goes so far respect is no longer warranted. He is there. Nothing is perfect. I am sure if we behaved rationally and brought our concerns to the world they would take a look at them and we could negotiate like sane civilized individuals to fix some of the legit issues. But that isn't what the giant orange dousch did. You can't negotiate with whack-doodle-doo, because you can't reason with a complete whack job. So here we are instead of fixing some of the broken economic shit.
There is a time for everything. I agree, a time to be nuanced and then there is a time to just go with it... Because what you speak of is so lacking in the ability to conceive of nuance using it in relation to his orange ass is a pointless pursuit in why bother? And yes it can lead to conflict. But sometimes, no matter what you do you will end up there because the person you are dealing with is hell bent on ending up there. Trump is such a person. I am not.
I agree that tone can sometimes be lost over text. My argument about English was satire, as I stated; it's completely fine. You have very strong opinions (I think I do too) on a number of things, and don't hesitate to use swear words to refer to what you dislike (particularly Trump). This does break something, because anyone whose opinions might differ from yours will first and foremost feel insulted for thinking differently from you. It seems that you consider these people to either be ignorant (I think this would be me), evil, or stupid. That opinions, events, or people fall under 2 mutually exclusive categories: Good or Bad.
Let's assume you are indeed all-knowing: do you believe your words would convince these people they've somehow been "thinking wrong"?
The Trump tariffs you brought up will be a good example: I am personally opposed to them, and I believe they will have a negative impact on the US economy. I did some research to try to understand why he and his team decided to do it, and I found some legitimate reasons behind it - which I won't list, they're beside the point. I still think he's making a mistake, but I felt compelled to figure out what the reasoning was so as to give me a deeper understanding of things. Calling him an orange fart head or whatever instead would most likely just make me sound foolish, as a lack of nuance tends to be indicative of a limited understanding of the world. You seem to be keen on learning about issues important to you, I would just like to highlight that without nuance you close the door to understanding, which makes dialogue is impossible, which in turn only leads to never ending conflicts 🙁
Well that is awesome! Nice to meet you.
Oh wait, you live in Berlin MA? We're kind of neighbor then. I live in Marlborough MA.