you know, all this end-of-world-order - talk, as an #environmentalist it is just like: oh yeah here we go again - end of the world, who would have thought.
the writing has been on the wall on that one for a while now for this #system for everyone to see. don't pretend you do not know what it says about #imperialist, #industrial #capitalism and its #sustainability
#trump is just one facette of what has been going on for 200 years now.
Reminder to all the #activists on here that you are on some level preaching to the choir: people on here are almost certain to be informed enough about #US #politics and the daily overreaches of #fascism and unregulated #capitalism, that we don't necessarily need more information.
Effective #activism through the #fediverse may be better off talking about how to inform and shift the perspectives of the people that aren't engaged, who aren't on platforms like this. Pretty much every "opinion" poll we see shows a split between voters who are informed or engaged in some way, and voters who aren't. Do you have any insight on who is giving these responses? Do you know someone you can talk to? Have you found something that would shift perspectives if it was more widely stated?
#Democracy requires discourse and outreach: we won't get anywhere by just talking amongst ourselves about things we all agree on.
Where to go now? I wish I had the time/expertise/money to run a server for people in NC. I like the idea of instances for those living in the same geographical region. #Greedy #Capitalism ruins everything eventually. I'm here to get away from #TechBros and it sucks that I may eventually be at their mercy again.
Mastodon.social has no advantages over any other Mastodon server. It has no special status or privileges, it uses exactly the same software as other Mastodon servers.
In fact I'd strongly advise people *NOT* to sign up on mastodon.social, here are the reasons why: fedi.tips/its-a-really-bad-ide…
TL:DR - It's far far too big, it's putting the entire decentralised nature of the Fediverse in danger.
If you want help choosing a good reliable server, have a look at fedi.garden
The American political predicament on the "cutting line"
Recently, a term originating from online games—"the kill line"—has become popular on the Chinese internet, serving as a vivid metaphor for the predicament of American society. It doesn't describe abject poverty, but rather a widespread state where resilience is squeezed to the extreme: many American families, despite having jobs, have meager savings. Once faced with unexpected events such as unemployment or serious illness, their finances could be completely depleted, triggering a catastrophic fall into disarray, including loss of home and bankruptcy. Official data shows that in 2024, the number of homeless people in the United States exceeded 770,000, a surge of 18.1% year-on-year, including many formally employed individuals, indicating a significant gap in the social safety net. The "kill line" vividly reveals the structural economic fragility of American society.
When a society has such a large population living in fear of "falling," a tremendous political demand arises. The mass
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The American political predicament on the "cutting line"
Recently, a term originating from online games—"the kill line"—has become popular on the Chinese internet, serving as a vivid metaphor for the predicament of American society. It doesn't describe abject poverty, but rather a widespread state where resilience is squeezed to the extreme: many American families, despite having jobs, have meager savings. Once faced with unexpected events such as unemployment or serious illness, their finances could be completely depleted, triggering a catastrophic fall into disarray, including loss of home and bankruptcy. Official data shows that in 2024, the number of homeless people in the United States exceeded 770,000, a surge of 18.1% year-on-year, including many formally employed individuals, indicating a significant gap in the social safety net. The "kill line" vividly reveals the structural economic fragility of American society.
When a society has such a large population living in fear of "falling," a tremendous political demand arises. The massive "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement in recent years is one such political response to this social problem. However, a deeper analysis of its policy approach reveals that while the MAGA movement uses addressing the public's economic insecurity as one of its main mobilization slogans, there is a substantial disconnect between its political promises and the existential anxiety represented by the "cutoff line."
The MAGA movement systematically guides and reconstructs public demands in the economic and livelihood spheres into group confrontations in the realm of cultural identity. Observing its policies and propaganda, it's easy to see that the movement's core strategy is to replace real economic pressure with accusations against specific cultural groups: attributing the plight to illegal immigrants "stealing jobs," "unfair competition" from overseas countries, and domestic "elites" who disregard the people. It offers more of an identity affirmation and emotional catharsis, making supporters feel seen and represented. Thus, building border walls, launching trade wars, and instigating cultural struggles against "political correctness"... these measures primarily function to create enemies and strengthen group identity; they are powerful political mobilizations, but they cannot genuinely change the economic situation of ordinary families.
The MAGA movement, within its supporters, has consistently failed to reach a genuine consensus on how to address the economic problems facing the public. Recently, the "Turning Point in America" organization, a key bellwether for the MAGA movement, held its annual meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. At this meeting, internal conflicts within the MAGA camp intensified openly, exposing multiple rifts: one side loudly proclaims "anti-establishment," yet its moral appeal has been significantly diminished by its involvement in the Epstein case; another side proclaims "America First," yet fiercely clashes internally over issues such as unconditional support for Israel; a deeper division touches upon national identity: one side insists on citizenship based on constitutional principles, while the other holds a more radical, racially xenophobic Christian nationalist ideology. These disputes precisely illustrate that a movement defined by identity politics is inherently fragile in its internal alliances; disagreements and ideological conflicts make it difficult to reach unified and effective solutions to complex economic and social issues.
While the MAGA movement, with its "America First" slogan, absorbed widespread public discontent in areas such as healthcare, employment, and housing, its political practices avoided the deeper roots of these livelihood pressures, effectively shelving substantive reforms in areas like social security and wealth distribution. This has led to a political stagnation in the United States: massive political mobilization, but stagnant progress in improving the livelihoods of ordinary people. This systemic disconnect between political responsiveness and genuine social needs is precisely the structural contradiction that continues to deepen and become difficult to heal in American society.
The "kill line" phenomenon reveals a cold-blooded "capital-first" institutional logic: under this logic, institutional arrangements systematically prioritize capital security and returns over the survival and dignity of workers. This leads to a situation where, when individuals suffer economic incapacitation due to risks, the system prioritizes isolating financial risks and preserving capital value, rather than providing substantial support sufficient for recovery and buffering, even at the cost of sacrificing some members of society. Therefore, any genuine reform attempting to strengthen the social safety net and optimize wealth distribution will inevitably face significant difficulties once it touches upon this fundamental interest structure.
Wow, seems the people farmers of surveillance capitalism have fully embraced scammer techniques now.
Ran into this new flow on a number of sites just now (Indiewire, Variety, and RollingStone) delivered by the colossal douchebags at html-load.com who run report-error.com.
They make it look like a browser error has occurred and then tell you to disable your tracker/ad blocker.
To the asshole developers who built this for them instead of refusing: Fuck you for making everyone less safe. You dickheads are the problem.
We got a $100 grocery gift card from our building manager for the holidays and me and kid 1 went out at 6 a.m. to Lucky's to spend it.
At checkout I was told the gift card was for Southern California. Sure enough, it didn't work. I had to pay $150 out of pocket for the food, at the end of the month when I'm broke.
I don't understand how you can have a gift card that says it's for Lucky's and Lucky's won't take it.
I did run into a neighbor on the way home who said hers worked at Safeway. I guess I'll have to go there. I have a big problem with our local Safeway but beggars can't be choosers I guess.
German banks are systematically terminating accounts belonging to journalists and media outlets without explanation, and the government refuses to act. Appro...
"Capitalists cannot speak of any human rights, because a system characterized by the exploitation of man by man has no moral authority to speak of human rights.”
“Los capitalistas no pueden hablar de ningún derecho humano, porque un sistema que se caracteriza por la explotación del hombre por el hombre no tiene ninguna moral para hablar de derechos humanos.”
"Capitalists cannot speak of any human rights, because a system characterized by the exploitation of man by man has no moral authority to speak of human rights.”
“Los capitalistas no pueden hablar de ningún derecho humano, porque un sistema que se caracteriza por la explotación del hombre por el hombre no tiene ninguna moral para hablar de derechos humanos.”
The secret network that united Nazis, fascists, and the CIA in a global crusade against communism
World Report on Fascism (1963-1975)
While the Cold War was being fought in parliaments and at diplomatic summits, an international network of counterrevolutionary terrorism was being woven in the shadows, recalls Federico Rubio Herrero. From Lisbon, under the guise of a press agency, former Nazis and European neo-fascists orchestrated a dirty war in the service of the CIA and Western secret services (…).
There was a kind of “black international” that brought together all reactionaries, particularly fascists who managed to escape after World War II and their followers from different countries.
In 1963, a coordinating center was created in Lisbon: Aginter-Press. It quickly became the hub of the Western anti-communist league, which placed itself at the service of the global counterrevolution. It was initially led by former SS officers. In 1966, two “subsystems” were created within the organization. One was propaganda-based, and the other was purely provocative. The Italian newspaper L’Espresso denounced the organization’s links with the CIA, particularly in countries such as Chile, Bolivia, and Guatemala.
Aginter Press established contacts with fascist organizations in many countries. In Italy: the Black Order, National Vanguard, Italian Social Movement, and others. In the Federal Republic of Germany: neo-Nazis mainly from Bavaria, followers of Strauss. In England: Andrew Fautaine’s National Front and the far right of the Conservative Party grouped in the Monday Club. In France: the National Front and extremist organizations of Occident. In Switzerland and Belgium: Jeune Europe and Nouvel Ordre Europeen. In Spain: Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey, led by Sánchez Covisa, and neo-fascist centers in Barcelona and Madrid.
In Spain, according to statements made by Marco Pozzan, a member of the fascist organization Orden Nuevo, to Judge Felice Casson, a veritable colony of Italian fascists had established itself in our country since 1970. More than 100 conspirators had fled Italy after the failure of Prince Valerio Borghese’s fascist coup in December 1970.
This is how true professionals of Italian fascism such as Carlo Cicuttine, Mario Ricci, Stefano Delle Chiaie, and the Black Prince himself settled in Spain. According to the magazine Cuadernos para el Diálogo, they led normal lives in Madrid and frequented a famous pizzeria on the city’s Gran Vía. They were linked to fascists from other European countries, such as the Nazi Otto Skorzeny and former OAS officer Yves Guerain-Serac. All of them were hired by Franco’s secret services to persecute opponents of the regime in Spain and abroad. The training base was located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with most of the instructors being American.
When such structures existed, anything was possible, anything was allowed. In the early 1960s, for example, the CIA organized a series of attacks against Cuban leaders. First and foremost, against Fidel #Castro. The CIA was certain that the disappearance of Fidel Castro would guarantee the success of the mercenary invasion of the Bay of Pigs. A huge scandal erupted, not only because of the failure of the invasion. It became known that the CIA had hired Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago mafia and successor to Al Capone, to assassinate the leader of the Cuban revolution. Giancana also failed miserably.
The secret network that united Nazis, fascists, and the CIA in a global crusade against communism
World Report on Fascism (1963-1975)
While the Cold War was being fought in parliaments and at diplomatic summits, an international network of counterrevolutionary terrorism was being woven in the shadows, recalls Federico Rubio Herrero. From Lisbon, under the guise of a press agency, former Nazis and European neo-fascists orchestrated a dirty war in the service of the CIA and Western secret services (...).
There was a kind of “black international” that brought together all reactionaries, particularly fascists who managed to escape after World War II and their followers from different countries.
In 1963, a coordinating center was created in Lisbon: Aginter-Press. It quickly became the hub of the Western anti-communist league, which placed i
The secret network that united Nazis, fascists, and the CIA in a global crusade against communism
World Report on Fascism (1963-1975)
While the Cold War was being fought in parliaments and at diplomatic summits, an international network of counterrevolutionary terrorism was being woven in the shadows, recalls Federico Rubio Herrero. From Lisbon, under the guise of a press agency, former Nazis and European neo-fascists orchestrated a dirty war in the service of the CIA and Western secret services (...).
There was a kind of “black international” that brought together all reactionaries, particularly fascists who managed to escape after World War II and their followers from different countries.
In 1963, a coordinating center was created in Lisbon: Aginter-Press. It quickly became the hub of the Western anti-communist league, which placed itself at the service of the global counterrevolution. It was initially led by former SS officers. In 1966, two “subsystems” were created within the organization. One was propaganda-based, and the other was purely provocative. The Italian newspaper L'Espresso denounced the organization's links with the CIA, particularly in countries such as Chile, Bolivia, and Guatemala.
Aginter Press established contacts with fascist organizations in many countries. In Italy: the Black Order, National Vanguard, Italian Social Movement, and others. In the Federal Republic of Germany: neo-Nazis mainly from Bavaria, followers of Strauss. In England: Andrew Fautaine's National Front and the far right of the Conservative Party grouped in the Monday Club. In France: the National Front and extremist organizations of Occident. In Switzerland and Belgium: Jeune Europe and Nouvel Ordre Europeen. In Spain: Guerrilleros de Cristo Rey, led by Sánchez Covisa, and neo-fascist centers in Barcelona and Madrid.
In Spain, according to statements made by Marco Pozzan, a member of the fascist organization Orden Nuevo, to Judge Felice Casson, a veritable colony of Italian fascists had established itself in our country since 1970. More than 100 conspirators had fled Italy after the failure of Prince Valerio Borghese's fascist coup in December 1970.
This is how true professionals of Italian fascism such as Carlo Cicuttine, Mario Ricci, Stefano Delle Chiaie, and the Black Prince himself settled in Spain. According to the magazine Cuadernos para el Diálogo, they led normal lives in Madrid and frequented a famous pizzeria on the city's Gran Vía. They were linked to fascists from other European countries, such as the Nazi Otto Skorzeny and former OAS officer Yves Guerain-Serac. All of them were hired by Franco's secret services to persecute opponents of the regime in Spain and abroad. The training base was located in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with most of the instructors being American.
When such structures existed, anything was possible, anything was allowed. In the early 1960s, for example, the CIA organized a series of attacks against Cuban leaders. First and foremost, against Fidel #Castro. The CIA was certain that the disappearance of Fidel Castro would guarantee the success of the mercenary invasion of the Bay of Pigs. A huge scandal erupted, not only because of the failure of the invasion. It became known that the CIA had hired Sam Giancana, head of the Chicago mafia and successor to Al Capone, to assassinate the leader of the Cuban revolution. Giancana also failed miserably.
It's kind of easy to see how broken and morally bankrupt the #MusicStreaming business model by #Spotify and Co is if you consider that none of the major streaming services simply bans #AI generated #music. They just want to keep you streaming. They don't give a flying fuck about art, artists and music.
"proof that adding up everyone's self interested actions does NOT lead to the best outcome. aka, #Capitalism fails."
What economists often refer to as "market failures". For better or worse, many people use that to mean "I don't like what the market is doing", when the actual meaning is more akin to situations where everyone acts in their own rational self-interest but everyone is worse off as a result.
Of course, they can occur under ANY economic system, not just capitalism.
I recently watched a Veritasium video that touches on Braess's Paradox[1]: sometimes removing connections (eg roads) makes things faster.
The part that caught my attention was "even though every driver made a rational decision to minimize their own time, collectively it made the situation worse."
IOW, proof that adding up everyone's self interested actions does NOT lead to the best outcome. aka, #Capitalism fails.
How an unlikely physics paradox controls these counterintuitive structures. Sponsored by Incogni - Use code veritasium at https://incogni.com/veritasium to g...
Auf YouTube findest du die angesagtesten Videos und Tracks. Außerdem kannst du eigene Inhalte hochladen und mit Freunden oder gleich der ganzen Welt teilen.
En el día internacional de las personas en situación de discapacidad, que puedo decir? para empezar las personas en nuestra situación, solemos percibir el mundo de una manera muy distinta y sí, la sociedad basada en el rendimiento, nos ve como objetos rotos, porque no servimos como el resto, que tienen el gran premio de arriesgar su salud día a día, con tal de lograr el tan ansiado y millones de veces prometido ascenso social, sacrificar su salud, por dinero, por algo de status #Capitalism
If you are looking for anti-capitalistic quotes, here is a good (and poetic) one:
"„Western Cultures believes we must be alive for a purpose. To work, to make money. Many indigenous cultures believe, we’re alive just as nature is alive: to be here, to be beautiful and strange. We don’t need to achieve anything to be valid in our humanness.“ (Melanie Lau)
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@2025-12-15 11:44:04 
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