Whats_your_reasoning

Back when I lived with my parents, I had an extended family member who worked in hospitality in Atlantic City. Normally her hotel doesn't allow pets, but I guess this one guy was rich enough to be an exception to the rule, as he wanted to stay and gamble but had a new puppy that couldn't be left alone. She made a social media post asking if anyone would be available to dog-sit for him last-minute. I was the first to reply.

I made several hundred dollars by sitting in a random hotel room and playing games on my computer while a sweet puppy slept on my lap. The man expected to be out late, but he came back early and still paid me for the full time.

It was awesome. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Those poor kids. The presents under the tree were the last gifts from their mom they'd ever receive. Thank goodness the mom had the awareness to send her son out of the house, and that the baby was unharmed. No matter where they go from here, the older kids, at least, will never be able to look at Christmas the same way again.

Oh no, I just noticed that their username itself is a cry for help

Quick! Someone in Canada go check on OP!

It's such a strange thing to get hostile about. Ironically, it low-key bugs me that we put the dollar sign before the number it's indicating. "$64" is read as "sixty-four dollars," not "dollars sixty-four." So why write it like that? (Not rhetorical, I really want to know. I tried looking up this question to find out the answer, but haven't found anything conclusive.) Putting the currency symbol behind the number makes more sense, like how some countries write the Euro. (Which also explains why some people might not intuitively place the dollar sign before the number - it's their native convention and it follows clear logic.)

So maybe the point was ignorance or fear of the foreign? Or a misguided attempt at English language purity? Or they're a former Redditor who hasn't quite shaken off the Reddit "pointless, hostile hot-take" mentality?

The cult mentality is on full display whenever these folks talk about being hurt by Trump but still supporting him.

Yet add in the blue wave from the recent election, and I can’t help but wonder how much of it is bullshit said to save face, or in an attempt not to ostracize the impacted people’s stance in their local communities. In red bubbles, it’s dangerous to publically go against Dear Leader. To say so in a news article would probably cross a line. I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of these farmers are secretly feeling disillusioned by Trump, but feel pressured to tell people that they still like him. Like how a lot of the people, especially in the Baby Boomer generation (I noticed it a lot in my parents’ cohort, which is why I mention it) keep the label of “Christian” even though they stopped believing and don’t actively attend church services. My parents themselves won’t use the word “atheist,” but they live completely secular lives that their own parents wouldn’t recognize (if they were still around.) If they were asked, they’d say they’re Christian all the way. But in reality, it’s little more than a label that links them to their community.

Trump worship is a cult, no doubt about it. Just as members in a traditional cult find themselves surrounded by believers and pressured to play along, I bet a fair number of questioning Trump cultists only hold back from leaving because their communities are entrenched in it. They need to say, “Yeah I still support him” not because they still feel it in their hearts, but because the backlash of just saying, “His choices hurt my livelihood” would come back to haunt them both socially and materially.

I used to prefer gas ranges. I grew up with one and really liked that we could still cook when the power was out. Also, fire. I just... kinda like fire.

But learning about the dangers has changed my view. Funny enough, I recently moved into a new place and have an electric stove for the first time. My heart is upset at me, but I can't deny that it's better. Not only are there fewer dangers, but it seems to heat up really fast. Much faster than any of the gas stoves I've used (which have been in almost every house and apartment that I've lived in til now.) I set a pot to boil, go sit down, and it's bubbling before the YouTuber I'm watching finishes gargling their sponsor's balls.

(Kidding, of course. I always skip the sponsor placement.)

We're Lemmy. The best we can give is the hug of coma.

I just saw an entire train of spam from a commenter that appears to be dealing with ... a lot. I'm not naming names, but suffice to say there are definitely some folks dealing with mental issues posting the way being described here.

Still, that isn't the norm. It probably just feels like more because this is such a small space - when there aren't hundreds of comments (like found on more popular social media sites), a few spam posts can feel like a lot.

Maybe it's because I like to focus on the positives, I still think there's more quality content here (by percentage of overall comments) than on many other sites. There's a lot more thoughtfulness, and more people resolving disagreements by actually listening to each other and seeing each other's sides. I've been reading Lemmy since leaving Reddit during the API debacle, and I've noticed I feel much better about engaging in the community here than I ever did there. I've seen countless Reddit arguments that hinge on one (or more) stubborn parties refusing to take in new information. I used to feel dread when I saw messages in my inbox, because no matter how carefully you tried to word your thoughts, there would invariably be some troll intent on misunderstanding your comment at all costs. It was exhausting and discouraging.

I realized recently that I no longer feel that way when I get a response on Lemmy. I mean, I still approach clicking that box with a tiny bit of trepidation, but the more I click it, the more I see rational responses, funny commentary, and simply friendly people responding in light conversation. There are trolls out there, but I've come back to see responses already deleted by mods, and other commenters defending my position, all without me knowing what the troll even said. Despite all Lemmy's flaws, there are a lot of decent people here, and it seems we look out for each other.

We must continue to practice this rationality and kindness, and encourage new-comers to leave their Reddit life at the door. If we want Lemmy to be better, then it's on us, its users, to build and maintain the culture we want it to have.

For me, I like the peace. Pass it on ✌️

Nebulae: "In fact, forget the wire!"

Spins and condenses into a star

I, for one, would rather they eat from the trees than try to knock bugs off house siding

Outside of my bedroom

At sunrise

I, too, wish to be part of the Addams Family.

Ah, okay. Hope you like Rocko’s Modern Life!