@QuietLurker@mastodon.social
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QuietLurker

@QuietLurker@mastodon.social

Interested in conversations on film, television, games/gaming, books, writing, politics, news, current events, hot topics

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RickiTarr, to random
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Sometimes it feels like more investigative journalism was done for the Chris Rock/Will Smith slap than the crimes of a former President.

QuietLurker,
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@RickiTarr Remember in 2016/2017 when journalists and pundits (particularly those who lived through Watergate) were saying it was offensive and ridiculous to compare his scandals to Watergate because that was so serious? They were really out there acting like there was no comparison in severity, and they were right, just not in the way they said. It never occurred to them that it was so serious because the country and media took it seriously unlike now where it’s all spectacle.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Something I've noticed a lot lately, is that especially Boomer women, but honestly, women in general, don't seem to ask for what they want or need in a direct way. I notice this a lot with my Mom and her friends. Instead of just asking for what they need directly they tell a story, to ask in a roundabout way. For instance, my Mom needed help this morning, and Instead of just saying, "Hey, I dropped my remote, can you pick it up for me?" She tells a one minute story about what happened, no ask, and eventually I get the point, and then suggest that I come pick it up. Or if one of her friends wants to do something like have a birthday party for a friend, they don't say "We should have a party!" They say, It's Sarah's Birthday coming up, you know she likes surprises, what does everyone think we should do?"

I often wonder if this is why older people think younger women are rude and demanding, because younger people often just ask for what they want and need in a more direct way. But also it's probably just straight up sexism, because men are supposed to make decisions, and women are supposed to make suggestions.

What do you all think? Is this just me? Have you experienced something similar?

QuietLurker,
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@RickiTarr My MIL is the master of this, but she’s so warm and friendly that she makes people want to do her favors. I take her shopping with me because she’ll get the salesperson’s life story and us a discount or special accommodations. It’s amazing. On the other hand, you can’t ask her for things directly. You have to pretend you don’t want something and it’s her idea to give it to you or else she’ll think you’re rude and entitled. It’s bizarre.

QuietLurker,
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@RickiTarr I don’t think it’s as much an age thing as it is a gendered thing in terms of how many women are socialized. I fall into this pattern myself sometimes. My spouse gets annoyed and just tells me to ask for what I want. I’m not doing it on purpose, but I was raised to make myself smaller and to prioritize everyone else over myself. It feels wrong for people to do things my way or for me. I feel guilty even if I know it’s not an imposition.

BlackAzizAnansi, to random
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So is this the year of corporations just dropping all pretense and kicking their employees and customers in the ass?

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@BlackAzizAnansi I guess when you coast through life without the fear of serious repercussions there’s no need for pretenses. They’ve consolidated enough power to not worry. They’re just trying to suck up every last drop of possibility of ever losing another inch of ground. I guess my only question for them is what happens when 99% of people can’t afford to buy any of their useless shit?

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Name a movie or TV series where none of the characters are actually good people. Explain why you think that.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr I’m seeing all the ones I came to say have been said already like Sunny, Seinfeld, Succession, Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, etc., but adding Veep to the list. Every single person is cruel and power hungry, suffering from Dunning Kruger. I had difficulty watching that show to the end because it became so negative that it was no longer funny.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Where do you live and how do you feel about it?

Obviously, don't tell me exactly where you live, no actual addresses please! You can be as vague as you like.

I live in Central Missouri in the U.S.

Pros:

This is an absolutely beautiful place, green rolling hills, lots of rivers, lakes, ponds, and natural springs, cool caves to explore.

Lots of farming here, so great access to quality fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy.

It's relatively inexpensive to live here compared with other states, because it's a "flyover".

I'm close enough to three major cities, that it's an easy day trip, and I'm about halfway to anywhere in the U.S.

We have one of the best Conservation departments in the U.S. and this is one of the few things that is a bipartisan issue. Lots of awesome nature programs that are free or cheap, state parks, conservation areas, bird watching, hunting, boating, foraging available to everyone.

Cons:

Yeah, it's a big one, it is a RED STATE, while a lot of the cities are blue, there is a large rural population, that votes red. Abortion is not legal here. People often vote against their own self interest.

While I'm not against responsible gun ownership, lots of people aren't responsible, and people have access to guns that definitely should not.

We have very few employee protections here, while the cost of living is relatively low compared with other places, it's taken years to get to a $12 minimum wage, and it's still not enough.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr @LPerry2 Sorry to jump in, but I’ve lived in 3 major US cities using public transportation and LA was by far the worst. Much of it has to do with the massive sprawl of the city. It’s mostly one giant suburb, some of it very hilly. There’s a subway, but it doesn’t cover much of the city. So much of it is buses and often the routes are long and roundabout. It used to take me 2 hours to go 4 miles because of all the transfers. Walking to a more direct stop was dangerous.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Okay, I'm thinking about gift giving today. A little backstory about why:

Every year my Father-in-law attempts to get my Mother-in-law a gift. She is a bit of a shopper, and is notoriously difficult to shop for. Every year he gets her something he guesses a woman would like (perfume, sweater, jewelry), and every year she doesn't really like it, and ends up begrudgingly using it or returns it. They have been married over 30 years, and seem to have a pretty good marriage otherwise. It's like she wants him to magically understand what she wants, and he is sort of equally bad at the whole thing too. I will never understand why they don't just have a conversation about this. Just for extra fun, she is the most bizarre gift giver, also, to the point that it has become an annual tradition that I show my friends what she got us. A small list of things we have gotten:

A couch cover with grapes on it
A sexy nightgown
A painting of the house they live in
A gourd painted to look like a cat eating a bird
A package of tea that I would have absolutely loved, stuffed with cheap tea bags
Children's Lego sets
Toy trains
Underwear that didn't fit either of us
A wooden board covered in seashells that is supposed to hold a curling iron
A waterproof bed cover

I could go on and on. Just to clarify this doesn't bother me or my husband at all, we actually get a kick out of the weirdness. I don't personally care about presents much, I'm more of an experiences person.

SO, if you've managed to get this far, how do you feel about gift giving/getting? Feel free to elaborate and give examples!

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr The whole obligatory gift exchanges need to end. If you happen to find something cool you think someone might like and want to give it to them, that’s fine, but I hate all the pressure to just find something, anything, something the person likely doesn’t want or need, just so you can say you didn’t forget. Everyone acts like I’m a curmudgeon when I suggest ending it, but they all dump the burden on me to buy gifts for each other then complain when it’s not good enough.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Health and Beauty Gurus who are under 60 are scam. Come talk to me about wrinkles and joint health when you're 72, then I might buy what you're selling.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr I also don’t want to hear it from people who’ve had work done or started out a “supermodel.” People will be like “so and so looks amazing for being older.” Oh, you mean that person who started out as one of the most attractive people on the planet and who now gets cosmetic procedures still looks great in their older age? This is like when someone who’s never been overweight gives weight loss tips. What relevance does that have to anyone?

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr @QuietLurker Oh yes, those useful articles about how someone retired at 30 and when you learn how, it always boils down to “Jack took a million dollar loan from his parents to start his business and lived in his grandfather’s third home to avoid paying rent.” Very helpful WSJ.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Why do you think so many people are obsessed with murder?

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr I think most people just like solving mysteries, but there are some who get a little too into it. I met a girl in high school and when I went to her house I was shocked to see her bedroom walls covered in pictures, posters, and newspaper clippings of serial killers. Then she pulled out letters she had exchanged with serial killers in prison. She was in love with Richard Ramirez in particular and had a ton of letters from him. No idea what was going on there.

QuietLurker, to random
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

In high school I took a dystopian fiction class. We read books like 1984, A Brave New World, A Clockwork Orange, and The Handmaid’s Tale. All were good books that captivated me at the time and feel pertinent to today, but having just finished Parable of the Sower it made me realize the aspect of the genre we were missing. All those books took place under an oppressive, centralized, authoritarian government, and what I find fascinating about Parable of the Sower is the lack of “leadership.”

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

It’s interesting to read a novel of this type where the narrator’s goal isn’t to “beat” the bad guy or bring down the government because if you’ve ever read those books, that isn’t often successful unless you’re reading in the YA space. It just has me thinking about that movie Leave the World Behind and how a character says something about how “there is no plan, just chaos” and now I can’t decide which prospect is more frightening.

QuietLurker,
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It’s not that the government or authority figures didn’t exist, it’s just that they were irrelevant. Life descended into a free for all and while the narrator talks about the president and cops, they aren’t central to the story in any meaningful way. The country’s been picked clean, burned down, and everyone is left to fend for themselves. The narrative keeps making the point that it doesn’t matter what the authority is doing wherever they are because everyone now has to shape their own world.

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

Tapas in most of Spain: Free snacks when you order drinks.

Tapas in the U.S.: $10 Beers, $18 cocktails, $20 for 4 pieces of garlic bread with some tomato on it.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr One of the things I miss most about pre-Covid days was going to pintxo (tapas) bars in Spanish Basque. Not free, but affordable, healthy, fresh, and delicious. I’m not sure I’m comfortable with food displayed like this nowadays, but I really miss the experience.

Pintxo bar top with various pintxos including skewered shrimp topped with cream or a soft cheese, various croissants with ham or other meats and anchovies in one, deviled eggs, some topped with shrimp and smoked salmon, other deviled eggs with green olives on plate

QuietLurker, to random
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

Any Covid cautious people have any tips or warnings about flying? I have to fly for the first time since this started and am nervous about it. I know most people won’t be masked, that I should wear an n95 or better, I’ll have to lower it at security, to never remove it otherwise, but wondering about things like running the air on the plane. Is it better to keep it off or on? Any other suggestions appreciated.

QuietLurker, to random
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

What I find fascinating in the Covid era is how some people who have developed serious health issues became wearier of risky behavior and more thoughtful about their choices, but many others have instead doubled down on risky behavior because “life is short.” There’s zero introspection that their own behavior might be making it much shorter. Almost as if that’s an impossibility. They’ll say becoming sick made them value their life more, but their actions contradict that purported belief.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@Lizette603_23 The thing is, I don’t even consider many of them to be stupid people. Perhaps their actions can be construed that way, but they themselves are not inherently dumb (at least the ones I know personally). It’s fascinating to me largely because it’s such a different reaction to my own. I can understand their rationale to a degree, but it also isn’t logical to me. Live and let live I guess, or not in many cases. Wish we didn’t all have to suffer the consequences of other’s choices.

QuietLurker, to random
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

Anyone have recommendations for high quality air purifiers with a Hepa filter and Merv13+? I’ve tried different purifiers over the years and either they end up not having an actual Hepa filter, stop making replacement filters, or filter replacements are too expensive. I like my Levoit, but it turns out they aren’t actually Hepa filters. And my Renpho went from having $30-50 filter replacements to now $90 on Amazon. I can’t even buy them from Renpho anymore.

QuietLurker, to random
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

The show The Traitors is a perfect encapsulation of why democratic countries get stuck with awful politicians. It demonstrates how easily people are manipulated into voting against their own interests. How many people are driven by “vibes” which they refer to as their gut which mostly boils down to unconscious biases and siding with people who they want to be friends with rather than trying to figure out who is being deceptive. Australia season 2 is a particularly alarming example.

QuietLurker, to fallout
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The Fallout series is really good if you are a fan of the games. They nailed the aesthetic quite well and crafted a story that’s a nod to the games while being its own thing. I enjoyed it more than The Last of Us series (which I also liked). Unlike that show, it benefited from not having a narrow, linear plot to follow or deviate from though. It doesn’t take itself too seriously which makes for a fun watch. Also, Xbox put all the old Xbox games on Game Pass if it makes you nostalgic.

shoq, to random
@shoq@mastodon.social avatar

Good morning. Have you ever asked yourself why MAGAs smugly say stuff like “Do your research. America is not a democracy. It’s a Republic!” Obviously, they think it’s just owning you, but in their heads, what do you think they are thinking the meaningful distinctions really are, and why do they want to seem so prideful about it? (Can you imagine Kristen Welker, Katy Tur, or Jake Tapper asking them this question? I can’t.)

QuietLurker,
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@tikistitch @shoq They’ve been saying it for years. Even during the Tea Party days you’d have trolls on forums arguing this point on every political thread or article as if it’s some kind of gotcha. It seems for them it means they are justified in trying to suppress votes or subvert democracy because we aren’t a true democracy or something. Really it’s justifying their fascist inclinations.

kickpedal, to random
@kickpedal@beige.party avatar

Frasier is the worst TV character ever created and I will not be taking questions

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr Because he sucks and the show was constantly foiling his plans. It’s satisfying to watch pompous jerks be humbled. Or at least that’s my theory. Also the supporting characters were great.

QuietLurker, to random
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

I couldn’t see the but I got a ton of photos on my phone.

Aurora tie-dyes the sky purple, pink and green seen through treetops.
Aurora tie-dyes the sky purple, pink and green seen through treetops.
Aurora tie-dyes the sky purple, pink and green seen through treetops.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

I played around with the photo editor on some just to highlight some of the interesting shapes.

Edited photo of the aurora. The effect of the aurora looks like a white horse stepping out of it.
Photo of aurora edited to show the brilliancy of colors. Image looks like a skull in the sky
Edited photo of aurora that makes the sky look tie-dyed. Image looks like the iris of an eye

RickiTarr, to random
@RickiTarr@beige.party avatar

A couple of you suggested I watch Vivarium, so I did. I am still not okay! LOL

It was a great movie though, but Cheezers Rice, does it mess with your head.

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr I watched it at the beginning of the pandemic and it took a couple years for me to stop thinking about it. I still haven’t decided whether I’d recommend it to someone unless I thought they could handle being in that head space because it really does wedge itself inside you. Overall I think it’s worth watching if you want to see something different but won’t be negatively impacted by an extremely eerie, depressing, and disturbing vibe. Would you recommend it to others?

QuietLurker,
@QuietLurker@mastodon.social avatar

@RickiTarr Exactly. On the one hand, I want people to see it because of its artistic value, but on the other hand, I’m not looking to traumatize people. Very few films have accomplished that for me.

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