About the below, people get really, really angry when you suggest that everyone is more puritanical now. Even though it is obviously true. Probably because it is obviously true.

Everyone on Metafilter is a fucking idiot.

Jesus Christ, what a bunch of clowns. I was rolling my eyes so hard I nearly created a black hole. I wonder if they realize how like Church Lady they all sound, and how like children at the same time? Gen Z and younger millennials really do have a mental age much younger than their actual calendar age, I think. Many of them act and think like 10-year-olds even into their early 40s. That sex is “ick” to them is a good as sign as any. As well as a fucking puerile word like “ick” being used by them so often.

Most of them are also intellectually arrogant but utterly clueless as to sociocultural history at the same time. It is a sight to behold.

Partially, I work out for aesthetic reasons and if I took Wegovy or Ozempic I’d mostly take that for aesthetic reasons, too. It’s weirdo liberal shit that you all see this as “cheating.”

And here’s what I say to that, as I do to many, many things: FUCK ALL Y’ALL! In the most emphatic terms, fuck each and every one of you fat, weak bastards.

Just makes me work out harder and look even better. Hell yeah.

I think these explanations for the increasing gender divide in political alignment are very incomplete, at least for Western countries. Those interpretations aren’t wrong, exactly, but all miss something really large.

What’s missing is that feminism has become increasingly about demonizing men’s sexuality and mere existence over the last two decades and that has caused many men — including me — to be highly resentful and unsupportive of modern “men are inherently evil” feminism. Most men remember the harsh transition from being seen as a cute kid to being told around 12-14 that you have now devolved into being inherently terrible and dangerous despite being exactly the same person you were just a few months before.

Then to be further told as an adult that this fact will never change, that your sexual desire is immanently abhorrent and harmful, and that you are an irredeemably bad person just because the skin you’re in — well, that goes about like you’d expect. Feminism should not exist to coddle or comfort men, but at the same time I don’t think it should exist to de facto treat men like a group or orcs who want nothing more than to rape and rampage.

How did anyone think that’d actually help?

Be the galactic overlord you want to see in the world.

Most modern dating advice is 180° wrong because it’s optimized for neoliberalism, HR- and algorithm-friendliness and most certainly not for personal flourishing.

Modern Advice: Date only those exactly like you in every way.

Actual Good Advice: Date people with some overlapping interests but not identical to you — having some divergent interests can really enrich both of your lives, and/or allow you to have some time apart.

Modern Advice: Don’t date anyone you know.

Actual Good Advice: Friends and acquaintances are most likely to have enough similarities to be worth dating, and you can vet someone over time that way. Remember: Tinder wants you to stay lonely and longing.

Modern Advice: Date people only born the same year-ish you are.

Actual Good Advice: Date people of a wide variety of ages (if legal). Such restrictions harm you more than they help you (or anyone).

I could go on. But modern dating advice is purpose-built to please neoliberal HR departments and the algorithm. It’s terrible as it applies to real humans. Ignore it all. Or don’t, if you wish to be unhappy.

That’s really cute; must’ve taken forever to create.

It is fascinating how so many people get so many things exactly wrong. Hint: shooting missiles at civilian ships is classified as a war crime.

And shooting retreating uniformed combatants is very much not a war crime. If I were a commander, I’d shoot anyone — retreating or not — who did not surrender to me. I’d gladly and without conscience shoot any enemy right in the back unless they were offering legal surrender. It’s the right thing to do. Those retreating today will be butchering you tomorrow. War is a brutal business. It never will be anything other.

The opinion of the average person on anything is worth about as much as a donkey fart.

I’m not woke or anti-woke. I’m not left or right. I’m not liberal or illiberal. None of those categories matter any longer.

I’m anti-extinction. And what this means is that we must engage in a bold, pointless quest that will take a billion years. It’s conquer the galaxy or die. This is not a lark or a joke. Evidence suggests this sort of endeavor is the only thing that keeps humans going. Get started, or die. It’s our choice.

The first ten on today’s playlist:

That’s it exactly. Especially if you’ve worked helpdesk or have any user contact, you are exposed to the nadir of user and general stupidity. And it often causes you tons of extra pointless effort. On Reddit, I saw someone who had to fly 21 hours each way to press a power button much like above. That kind of crap makes you jaded.

I will never understand heterosexual dating culture’s obsession with height. Just get a footstool!

It’s not hetero dating culture, it’s women who are obsessed with height. I don’t understand it either. Of course not all women, but of those obsessed with height, it’s 99% women. It’s some sort of sickness. I don’t think this person is correct to blame the patriarchy, though. That’s just a bizarro copout.

Even if a man towers over you it doesn’t mean he will protect you. Since the moment a guy sprouts overnight in high school and becomes prom king (Zac Efron’s height is 173cm by the way), they know how big this advantage is, and it’s reinforced constantly. This knowledge, and huge leg-up in dating, means a lot of the men being thirsted at have never really had to try.

Yep. The same is true of beautiful women. Many have terrible personalities and no achievements because they’ve never had to actually work hard for anything. Again, not all beautiful women. But far more than average or ugly women! Don’t read me wrong here. I have several very beautiful women friends (including my partner) who are simply lovely, hard-working, empathetic human beings (but that’s because that’s the only type of people I want to be around). But if you’re a gorgeous woman you can coast through life so much more easily. Many do — and end up as shit humans because of it. The same is true of tall men, to a lesser extent.

Anyway, I’ve beaten the absolute hell out of several guys much taller than me who attacked me (and were bullying me). That’s because I actually had to learn how to fight and couldn’t rely on my height alone to intimidate people. So there’s that.

I’m only relaxed when I’m hypervigilant. And I’m only happy when I’m mildly grumpy. Daryl Dixon, il est moi.