Topic: The Chit Chat Thread

@TheBrandedSwordsman yup, it was the next one on my notifications

@Th3solution People should be more angry with the pull of corporate power in general in the U.S. It's disgusting how much influence rich sociopaths in the private sector have over politicians and the operations of the government.

With that said, it's tiresome how EVERYTHING gets pulled into the vortex of our culture war. One has to draw the line somewhere if they don't want to get sucked into endless war with everyone around them. Some people thrive in that sort of environment, but I just find it obnoxious, frankly.

Chic-fil-A backing down won't sate the people that targeted them, unfortunately. If anything, compromising on one's positions is actively be avoided in this social environment, since your opponents will attack more viciously once they know you'll buckle to pressure, and your allies will turn on you for being a traitor to whatever cause it was that got you into the frying pan in the first place.

I guess it's unfortunate they were putting money into the pockets of extreme-right blowhards, but there's a reason the phrase "no ethical consumption under capitalism" exists. In our current system, giving money to even the most ostensibly milquetoast, apolitical multinational corporation will mean indirectly supporting horrifying labor exploitation or abusive industry practices that goes on everyday.

If you buy meat in a store, you're supporting the torture of animals. If you buy ANYTHING from Walmart, Target, etc. you're supporting the exploitation of labor of workers both domestically and in third world countries. If you buy anything electronic pretty much anywhere, you're supporting horrifying, near-slave labor conditions in China and other countries. I'm sure some slave somewhere dug up the minerals that are needed for your electronics as well. Probably even most of the stuff you have in your kitchen.

And, of course, anyone here who pays taxes in the U.S. has indirectly paid people who tear migrant children away from their mothers and lock them in cages.

It's pretty much impossible to live in a modern, capitalistic society, and especially the U.S., and not be inextricably entwined with systems of abuse.

So, you know, I find the fixation some have on Chic-fil-A to be a bit difficult to take seriously.

@Ralizah Well said. I know every individual has their “hill to die on” and that’s fine, but you’ve an excellent point that a dedicated study of nearly all corporate or societal entities will reveal something unsavory. And speaking of savory, I now feel less guilty about having a nice tasty chicken sandwich!

@RogerRoger On the subject of shortened nicknames, I like the ‘double R’ branding that you’ve adopted for your YouTube channel. It looks very professional! You need to trademark it 😄

@colonelkilgore Be sure to tag me in your playthrough of Demon's Souls, I'm planning on getting a PS5 as and when they are available and I have enough funds to buy one, it is the only Miyazaki Souls game I am yet to beat, so I will be keen to play Bluepoint's version when I have the chance.

@Kidfried @Th3solution @Ralizah We have an amazing KFC 5 miles or so down the road. It's weird, arguably the worst part of our peninsula but the KFC is outstanding. Every single time it's finger licking good.

Every other KFC is variable quality.

@TheBrandedSwordsman will do. With the exception of Bloodborne it is my favourite of the Soulsborne games... well the ps3 version anyway. If you manage to get a PS5 in time (April) we'll have to do some jolly co-op.

@Ralizah Modern capitalism is a cancer on society, invariably screwing over someone or something, be it people, animals or the environment. All in the pursuit of more money for shareholders who then proceed to pay as little tax as humanly possible. Generous corporate welfare policies are largely propped up by the tax burden on the low and middle income earners who generate that wealth in the first place. Unfortunately it's extremely difficult for the consumer to escape it. We can boycott certain companies, but where do we draw the line? Almost everything is tainted in some way. Many electronics are now assembled in China and contain rare earths and metals mined from questionable sources. Most High Street clothes are made in South East Asia by people paid pennies per hour. But then I look around my home and see things I enjoy using and am happy to buy, and realise I'm a hypocrite.

@Th3solution It's the logo for the Double R diner in Twin peaks.

@mookysam I'm 40 now and looking back to my childhood a ton of stuff was free. Now EVERYTHING comes with a price. In the news the first cost calculated is the monetary cost rather than the emotional one. So we are in a trap of sorts.

Also I have been so skint I've struggled to pay my bills but over the last 4 years (when I've arguably been less productive) I've built up a portfolio and moved into a bug house. The whole system is skewed for those with dough as money makes money rather than hard work.

@themcnoisy Yeah, you get a lot of variability in terms of how good individual chain restaurants are. Like, there's a Hardees near us that cooks everything well and does a good job with customer service, and then there's a Hardees out of town that can barely cook edible food (impressive, given fast food is 75% done already before the workers even touch the ingredients) and always gets order details wrong.

It's remarkable how the same item at two different places can taste so different.

@mookysam Pretty much. I don't think enjoying your luxuries necessarily makes you a hypocrite, though. Even if capitalism is necessarily exploitative, a LOT of that harm could be reduced, ideally. Plenty of countries enjoy robust capitalist economies + a high quality of life for their citizens.

Prices would go up, but in an ideal capitalist system where workers are paid a good wage and income disparities aren't nearly as great, people could afford to buy more expensive products with additional money. Low prices are only super important when millions of people are forced to get by on criminally low wages in the first place. The system is rigged so that the livelihoods of working class people in well off countries are dependent on the enslavement of working class people in other countries, and then the snakes lie to our faces by saying this is the best way for everyone.

@Th3solution Definitely. Enjoy your chicken sandwich. Boycotting a thing you like really hurts nobody but yourself.

I’m just gonna sit back and watch y’all talk. Would rather not start a nuclear war lol

@mookysam Ah, Twin Peaks... somehow I missed out in the cultural phenomenon, but know enough about it from reputation and a few clips I’ve seen. But never saw the Double R Diner! 😄

KFC and Chick-Fil-A will be taken back for the proletariat during the Great Poultry Revolution.

@Jimmer-jammer I mean, if you took human nature out of the scenario, technically communism would be achievable. So I’m pretty sure it still comes down to personal opinion on what would be the ‘ideal’ system.

Social democracy, IMO, is the ideal social arrangement when taking human nature into account. Still allows for a decent amount of economic freedom while making life tolerable for people at the bottom rung of the social ladder.

Some socialism is preferable, but too much makes it indistinguishable from any other sort of totalitarian arrangement.

@Kidfried I realised recently that I hadn’t seen a Kevin Spacey movie since the whole downfall. It wasn’t a conscious decision to be honest but I don’t really feel like I’m missing out.

@Kidfried And, y'know, if it doesn't really cost you anything, then it makes sense, right?

I might boycott a corporation out of principle if their actions were particularly egregious. Like, say, if chic-fil-a was regularly professing support and helping to fund those ICE concentration camps or something. And I've definitely refused to patronize local businesses that support horrifying policies.

In general, though, refusing to buy from a chain or larger business is purely a symbolic act for an audience of one. Which is obviously fine, but it seems silly if there are no suitable alternatives and you're just removing something you enjoy from your life to register displeasure in a way that the people you're angry at will never be aware of.

Also, I've been intrigued by LGBT-free zones since I heard about them. If I enter one, will I suddenly feel the desire to consort with the opposite sex? Or do I just get a questionnaire before being allowed in? If LGBT people can go into an LGBT free zone, then it's no longer LGBT free and thus doesn't exist.

@nessisonett Not terribly hard to boycott Spacey movies if they're not even coming out anymore, yeah?

@Ralizah It’s not just new films, I honestly hadn’t even seen an older one!

@nessisonett I don't think I have, either. Lemme see if I've successfully been boycotting him or not.

edit: boycott success! Haven't watched anything with him in it since Baby Driver in 2017. It's been a few years since I last saw Seven, too.

Also lmao what a crap filmography. Very few notable roles since the 90s. How is this dude still a household name?

edit edit: Wait, I might have seen The Usual Suspects on TV. Do I still get points if I actively tried to remove the film from my memory?

@Ralizah Pro tip for abusers - release rubbish movies so that it’s easier to boycott them accidentally 😂

@nessisonett Nicholas Cage's years of molestation and abuse of power about to come out, then.

Or has he actually done something?

It's hard to keep track when half the people in Hollywood are outed as sex offenders.