Pandemanium

Corps have been complaining for years already that people aren't buying enough. Millenials are killing this industry and that industry because we don't consume enough - "enough" being whatever level they've decided we should consume. They feel entitled to our dollars, whether or not their product or service is any good.

If they were smart, companies would lower prices to be more competitive and incentivize people to buy more. Instead they've doubled down and posted armed guards at the store exits to intimidate the customers they have left. They've slipped data collection into every interaction. It's pretty obvious they're not playing the long game anymore.

JubilantJaguar was telling you how it is, not how it should be. They didn't say any of it was good or right or that they were happy about it in any way. You jumped to thinking they agreed with the poli-sci academics who said the parties were too democratic.

That's why you flash your lights on and off at them, to get them to unfreeze before you get too close.

I hate to break it to you but almost every major corporation has a person whose entire job is to translate corporate copy into easy-to-parse, casual, friendly "conversation," because they do want you to think of the brand as your trusted friend. They're trying to manipulate us at every level, every interaction.

When I am amazed by a piece of art, it's because a person was able to conceive of a scene and then use techniques they've learned to bring that scene from their mind into reality. I think, "Wow, how did they decide to blend those colors together in such a way, and why? I wonder how hard it is to get that right? How long might it take me to learn the same technique?"

But when I look at a piece of art made by AI, I think, disappointedly, "Oh, they didn't. Nobody leaned the technique to paint this, there may not be any feeling behind it, or any point at all, other than 'it looks good.'" It's just not impressive.

And I'm pretty sure that most people could learn how to prompt successfully in a matter of days or weeks. Real artists practice their craft for years, learning and perfecting techniques and often developing their own unique style.

Your first sentence, yes I agree. The next two, not so much. In my town in 2020 we had groups of these chuds roaming around downtown, armed, hunting for "antifa," meaning anyone wearing black or looking slightly punk. Some of them really do want to shoot us with impunity.

But yeah, it's also my parents, who probably wouldn't turn me into the gestapo, but the cognitive dissonance where they simultaneously believe I'm their family but I'm also "the enemy within" doesn't seem sustainable. At some point, it's got to be one or the other. Getting them to agree on small things hasn't changed their overall loyalty to the party, their disdain for Dems, or our relationship.

That's not where the surprise is coming from. The surprise is that the hospital failed to tell you there might be out-of-network staff that might be involved in your surgery, even though you were careful to choose a hospital that is in-network. So your insurance won't cover the out of network doctors, and you don't have any choice of how many or which other doctors (other than your scheduled surgeon) get involved. Those out of network staff then bill you separately from the whole procedure. That's the surprise.

Ok doc, what do you suggest? I'm 40 and somehow my 80 year old mother has better mobility than I do. I can't even tell you why I have pain, there is no injury. Doctors can't tell me why. I've tried everything short of opioids and back surgery, and I know those aren't going to help either. What the hell do you do when your body just doesn't react normally to exercise, stretching, physical therapy, etc?? It's not that I want to accept that this is my life now, but there don't seem to be any other options. Just be glad this isn't happening to you, I guess.

I hadn't heard of it until this year. The name isn't particularly inspiring either, makes me think of past kings of England.

One thing I've noticed about current media portrayals of the 90s is they're all wearing crop tops and high waisted jeans, which are in style now but weren't back then. Baggy jeans, sure, but the high waist was an 80s thing.

Alternatively, if you really prefer the rotating menu thing you could forget the food truck and do a supper club. Typically a reservation-only, once a week or once a month thing, or whenever you have time. If you could find a small local farm to partner with, they may be able to offer you dining or cooking space in return for showing off their veggies or something.

What exactly do you propose the "normies" do? Is there some non-corporation making road-worthy cars? No? Let me guess, you want a family of 5 to bike 2 hours to the nearest school/park/grocery store in the snow on rural roads with no shoulder just to avoid paying a corporation? Take the nonexistent train?