does it have to be vomiting out upvotes?

Neither do I, which is why it’s important to be clear with them.

That could be, and I definitely understand and sympathize with that stance a lot more. Sorry for coming across aggressively, I’m used to people refusing to engage but also complaining about the state of their world, so I don’t have a lot of tolerance for neutrality these days.

I understand not wanting to bear the labels of a group because that often comes with being tied to some views you don’t express or believe. This is the issue with party politics, as it’s not realistic to expect people to perfectly slot into a whole set of beliefs, we all have unique lived experience and so also unique profiles of understanding of the world we live in. It’s even more understandable when you consider how commonly the poisoned political discourse weaponizes labels to taint how people view your stance on one subject by associating it with other beliefs, or making up imaginary sets of beliefs to weigh down something most people would agree with (e.g. people should have freedom of movement, or some core element of privacy and a right to individuality in their lives). This is the importace of discource, and being able to challenge and advocate ideas together, and it’s what we’ve gradually been robbed of by social and legacy medias stealing the attention and the venues in which we have access to healthy discourse. I persoanlly think this reflex away from political engagement by saying ‘I’m not political’, is conditioned, and a response to how badly our societies have been fractured by monied interests, and that also ties in to the nature of the post. This all helps extremist groups recruit siloed individuals and indoctrinate them with a single set of views.

I won’t get into your stated views, though I’d love to, that’s not really the point here with the spirit of the post. I more appreciate your wilingness to state them. I know if we discussed them we would find areas of agreement, and middlegrounds to share because discourse is ultimately how you refine your closely held beliefs, and how you discover new understanding. It’s also how we build ideas worth mobilizing politically over to encourage change that will benefit us on lines of common interest. This is part of how you can see that crippling discourse enables class warfare and helps special interest lobbies advocate for their own interests at the expense of the majority, by occupying the void of activism. Be political, it’s intrinsic to human nature to participate socially, we’re evolved to do this and it’s the only reason our species earned this place in nature.

“you don’t know my reasoning for why I described myself as such and such.”

Well this is true, because you have given me nothing to work with. It’s okay to be afraid of expressing your views directly, and take the cowardly stance of “I believe a bit of everything but will also say nothing specific to avoid scrutiny”, it’s human. That doens’t make you non-political, however. Like Rush proclaimed: “If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice”. This is why undecided IS a political faction. You’re still part of society even if you refuse to stand with any particular set of views or are incapable of expressing your own unique constellation of them. You still contribute to and benefit from systems that existed before you, even though you never had a choice to join or not; we are born into these systems, and I have sympathy for not wanting to feel part of them. But you really do need to be aware, refusing to engage is a luxury, and a reflection of your relevent level of comfort in society. People who are threatened by the rise of far-right ideology, and I mean that in a very material and existential sense, do not have the luxury of choosing not to choose. Some day you might not either, this is not a judgement on you perosnally, it’s a wake up call.

Yeah, fuck that guy though. He’s a grifting charlatan who played a direct role in this topic of discussion here by helping upend civil discourse with disingenuous sophistry. Also he’s a degenerate drug addict who doesn’t follow his own rules, since he just stole really common advice and pawned it off as revolutionary ideas. You mom told you to clean your fucking room for years and you ignored her, but some failed philosphy prof gets to be daddy for you because he work a funny suit and larped as and edgy joker boi? Pathetic. If that stings cause it’s close to home as well as an accurate read on lobster king, fuck you too.

Everyone is political. Politics is where alternate perspectives intersect in a social setting. Everything in life that involves multiple individuals shaping a shared experience is politics, and so you cannot functionally be the thing you claim. To say “I’m not political” is actually to say “I am afraid of taking a stand, I can’t handle conflict, and what I believe means less to me than the risks I fear for showing it”. Be political, embrace having views and things you care about and being ready to advocate for them, stand for them, and act, because I promise you the people who don’t believe your perspective matters or can be tolerated are acting on their beliefs.

Ah I did not notice that, I often listen primarily to the streams, man that’s disappointing.

The Majority Report with Sam Seder - politics and humor

Crash Course - general learning

Just Have a Think - climate tech news

Astrum - cosmology and astrophysics learning

Some More News - politics and humor

Zeteo with Mehdi Hasan - politics

Josh Johnson - comedy