You’re reacting to the increasing costs of the means of basic existence. In a way it’s rational, though going as far as marriage is a big commitment. If you found someone who felt exactly the way you do and is willing to marry you for the same reasons, I don’t see anything wrong with going through with it. You’d definitely want a prenuptual agreement in case it doesn’t work out, though.

It might be easier to live with friends or family and pool resources with them, though ofc it wouldn’t be the same tax benefit. Maybe talk to a professional accountant to learn if you have ways to save on taxes even without getting married.

If your lawyer isn’t picking up or returning your calls and emails, contact your local bar association. Clients have a bill of rights in every state.

Catch up with loved ones. Volunteer with your local mutual aid group. Join a local sports club.

I’m no expert, but if we have a hierarchy of beautiful/youthful looking people above regular folks, then yeah people are going to do some wild, desperate stuff to try to get that edge. capitalism and hierarchy pressure us all to get every advantage we possibly can.

looksmaxxing itself is based on incel delusions about how women choose men, taking societal hierarchies and pressures I’ve been talking about and viewing them as biological/evolutionary (which is nonsense)

What we view as attractive is socially constructed and varies over time and place. See e.g. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0738081X23000251

Youth and health are probably a proxy for fertility, so that would be related to physical attraction, but why should that affect how we treat people? That’s not a reason to favor the young or to disfavor the old. Not only that, but community care of children meant everyone had a role in the greater sense of “fertility”.

The wealthy surround themselves with beautiful people, get blood transfusions from young people, get cosmetic surgery. In our stories, good characters are usually portrayed as beautiful or handsome and often young. Successful characters, whether good or evil, are often beautiful or handsome. Regular-looking folks more often appear as side characters or comedic characters instead.

this view is encouraged by the fashion, skincare and cosmetics industries (not that there’s anything wrong with fashion, skincare, or cosmetics per se).

So we are all being conditioned to worship or favor beauty and youth.

also https://www.psypost.org/ai-chatbots-fail-medical-misinformation-test-returning-inaccurate-and-fabricated-advice/

your example about India described a biased response at first, which you then correct. you were only able to get that correction because you had knowledge already, but ppl generally rely on llms for questions about things they’re not experts in, so there unlikely to be able to correct for the bias.

LLMs are probabilistic, not deterministic, so you won’t get the exact same response every time for the exact same prompt.

I’m only scared of how much bosses can be convinced to fire workers (even if they rehire later, which has happened a few times already); how self-driving vehicles are being allowed on our public roads and sidewalks when they are not proven safe; how they get used for critical info gathering and treatment in medicine with very little regulation; how they get used to track and surveil us; their uses in war; and of course the impact on the planet.

In a society after capitalism and other hierarchies, I think some amount of AI could be used much more responsibly, consciously, safely, and for the public good.

Voting is definitely not enough on its own, you’ll feel better if your main political engagement is local: mutual aid, volunteering, community or labor organizing. You can see the impact you’re having and the good vibes among neighbors will be palpable.

When the elections come around, I still suggest doing it. The difference between your local mayor or governor actually trying to accomplish things vs. just being a roadblock can energize your local political scene.

I vote for DSA candidates every time because there is essentially never a better option. If none are running, I vote as far left as I can. I vote in primaries and generals. Here are some current DSA candidates to check out if you’re in any of those districts: https://thedigradio.com/podcast/primary-struggle-w-abdul-el-sayed-and-other-insurgent-candidates/

I am to the left of social democrats, but even DSA has full-on socialist caucuses within it (varying by state/national DSA), see: https://dsa-lsc.org/2025/01/31/a-guide-to-dsa-politics/

I would never vote for the right. It’s a terrible plan because (1) it’s not gonna spark “a revolution”, it’s just going to create a more and more oppressive society without building any power on the left – that’s just some apocalyptic savior narrative that sounds more like anime than real life; (2) it sacrifices others, starting with the most marginalized and vulnerable, in a vain hope of improving my own future, which means I’d be just as much a right winger as any “true believer” would be.

Voting isn’t enough. Act and organize locally. But also vote, especially in local elections.

if you are experiencing depersonalization or similar dissociative symptoms, psychologists and psychiatrists can be helpful

it sounds like an Australian accent. there are tons of accents that have their own history and context. it’s shitty to call them weird, bizarre, or bastardized and makes you seem narrowminded.

don’t explain the tech, talk about the community

yeah, I mean I can’t say I consider an oil exec picking new places to exploit to be on the same level as the local car salesperson. Still, the question was ultimately about socialists’ positions on middle class insurance salesmen as a category.

at most, such things are an expression of frustration and desperation. there only resistance is organized resistance. also you have to build the alternative you want to see, otherwise it’s just destruction

we are all forced to do unethical jobs to survive because capitalism itself is unethical

preppy, Ivy League, business-casual style

these aesthetics come from early & mid 20th century style worn by wealthy “aristocratic” (not literally, they weren’t nobles) American families. they rode horses, played tennis, rugby, and polo, wore school uniforms, etc. and their clothing reflected that.

that style was pushed into the mass market by Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilifiger, and other brands. this meant everyone could afford those aesthetics. the old cars used to be much more expensive because they were imported and hand made, but modern production and shipping has changed that.

rich people now differentiate themselves in other ways.

avoid red pill influencers and communities like the plague if you ever want to date in this lifetime