At first glance, I feel like your in parentheses statements maybe should not be left beneath the surface.

Synthwave sent me down the path of Vaporwave > Chillwave > Darkwave. There’s a not-unrelated genre called Mallsoft. Somehow that got me into Library Music. I found a lot of music on Bandcamp and archive.org. You can get downloads of full albums and discographies for a few dollars, name your price, or for free.

If you’re looking to do a deeper dive, the genre and sub genres are largely credited with being kicked off by Macintosh Plus - Floral Shoppe in 2011.

I listen to this stuff all day long while I’m working at home. My vaporware playlist is literally 7 days long (2350 songs). Here’s some of my picks.

https://interloperecords.bandcamp.com/album/--7

https://9rhythm9.bandcamp.com/album/kmart

https://dreytnien.bandcamp.com/album/silicon-reality

https://obliqueoccasions.bandcamp.com/album/v1

https://obliqueoccasions.bandcamp.com/album/remnants

https://catsystemcorp.bandcamp.com/album/palm-mall

https://catsystemcorp.bandcamp.com/album/sunday-television-2

More Links
https://archive.org/search?query=synthwave
https://archive.org/search?query=vaporwave
https://archive.org/search?query=mallsoft

I’ve actually been rewatching some episodes of All In The Family airing on Pluto TV. It’s remarkable (1) how little has changed and (2) how we’ve lost such great quality television over the past forty years.

The Republican agenda for over 50 years has been to eliminate federal agencies. Reagan was overwhelmingly elected and he campaigned on closing Carter’s recently created department of education.

If it’s not explicitly in the constitution, they believe it should be operated by the states or by a corporation. It’s not about “why do they want to close it”, it’s “why should this exist” - especially when (they think) a corporation could do it better. Bonus: corporations make money and you can invest in them to make money for yourself.

Generally, the idea is a very small federal government and more sovereignty for each state. It’s easy to misunderstand this when conservatives are also calling for federal restrictions on health and freedoms. Don’t fool yourself to believe there’s consistency in politics.

The world was very different two hundred and fifty years ago. Our lives, commerce, and opinions are no longer impeded by state boundaries. The reason for this country to exist still remains but the context has changed. Anyone holding conservative ideas is, intentionally or not, holding this country back.

Moreover, if you think this administration gives a shit about anyone but themselves and corporations, you my sweet innocent child are truly out of the loop.

Again, going back to Reagan, Americans have been convinced that the government is bad and enriching corporations is good. Trickle down economics is still by and large considered good for workers. You give tax breaks to the billionaires and corporations and, in theory, they can employ more people. Of course we know now that trickle down economics has been a failure and that enriching the poor and middle class is best for the entire economy.

The United States is a failure. It came close but it doesn’t scale. We need a new Constitution and Bill of Rights that more explicitly outlines the responsibility of the federal government and what The People can trust it to do for them. If you want a truly Democratic Republic, we also need to make election day a holiday, fund election campaigns strictly through taxpayer dollars, and implement ranked choice or STAR voting. Footnote - the new constitution would have to explicitly say election campaigns are an exception to any free speech clause because fuck Citizen’s United.

The “in general” part of your statement is doing a lot of work here. It’s a bit more complicated.

It’s absolutely true that many manufacturers are using cheaper materials and near-slave wage labor to make clothing. Industry, in general, has changed dramatically in the past 10-15 years as we’re seeing a flood of low cost garment makers who can ship direct to consumers at a fraction of what we’re used to paying for clothes. There’s a substantial portion of the industry (Shein, et al) that’s putting out ultra trendy clothing for tens of dollars.

There’s also still good quality brands out there but their stuff costs more than the cheap(ly made) stuff. Most consumers don’t see or understand the value in spending more today for something that will last more than five years. Especially in regard to fashion; trends and styles change so why would you want to wear something more than five years. Also, a lot of people do not know how to properly care for their clothing.

Consumers have greatly benefitted from certain international trade regulations at the expense of quality materials and craftsmanship and unfair wages. Speaking on behalf of Americans, the costs of our goods would be noticeably higher without the legislation passed during the Reagan and Clinton administrations. You could also argue we’d be able to afford it if the jobs remained in this country and we were being paid fair wages.

I’d argue that WAGES are what have been enshittified more than anything else. People are making less money today than they did 30 years ago.

For reference, I looked up Levis 501 Jeans from 1996 and today.
1996 - $37.99 | 2025 - $79.50

If I run this through the inflation calculator, $38 in 1996 is worth $75.97 today.

Now, if you convert $50k, that should equal $100k today. I have my doubts that a job that paid $50k in 1996 is paying $100k today. I’m not sure about my math / source but it appears to me that the median hourly wage in 1996 was $18.94 and in 2024 $24.75. Adjusted for inflation, it should be $37.99 today.

At first I thought you were advocating for stocking up on Dr Pepper - ,wouldn’t you like to be a pepper too’

Yep https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2007701/uk-gold-shortage-london-donald-trump

You’re absolutely right. It can be difficult navigating this world, even with best intentions and sharpest of minds.

No one said anything about proper.

I answered the questions posed. I didn’t add any other context or inject my feelings into it. If you want to have a discussion about the ramifications of this person being elected, that’s another conversation. I’d be happy to engage with that and I’m sure you and I would be in agreement.

That’s a bit concerning that you have this fact mistaken.

Trump: 77,168,458 49.9%
Harris: 74,749,891 48.3%

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/USA-ELECTION/RESULTS/zjpqnemxwvx/president/

Because we’ve been lead to believe brainwashed to believe that consumerism solves everything.

Advertising, influencers, and what we’ve declared the meaning of “success” to mean all tell us that we must own and collect and covet in order to feel whole.

We’ve attributed less value to those who choose to give and educate and heal over those who hoard and enslave and control.

Because we’ve lost sight of the value of community and instead use consumerism as a way to relate to one another. Because there are powerful forces creating narratives to divide us and despise one another.

Humans struggle to survive without socializing. When you’re no longer able or have the opportunity to trust and respect your neighbor, you seek other opportunities to relate and communicate with others.

We’ve leaned on isolationism and the internet to create communities. These communities or tribes aren’t built on hyper-localism or the common experiences gained over time and environment but on ideas, passions, and hobbies. They may fulfill a portion of our human desires but they aren’t whole.

We struggle more to belong to something these days. Sometimes we join religions or cults. Sometimes we use social media and post on forums. Sometimes we collect things or we do our hair or makeup or dress a certain way. We want to belong with others.

We want to find community where we no longer have it.

What has God done for you lately?

You’ve asked two different questions.

1. Why don’t the democratic voters actually riot

• First, riots are illegal. I think you mean protest.
• Protest what? He was just elected president. A bit more than the majority of the electorate made this choice so we all have to deal with it. It’s called democracy.
• He ran a relatively transparent campaign. So far, all he’s done is sign executive orders we all knew he was going to do. A majority of Americans voted for these actions.

2. Why are the journalist bending over to Musk?

• Why aren’t they calling his nazi salute a nazi solute? Fear.
• I read an article saying Jon Stewart was the only one the mentioned Musk’s salute. I watched the segment and, while he did mention it, he did not call it a nazi salute. He tried to, in Jon’s funny way, make an excuse for what he was doing.
• I suspect there are legal reasons for not calling this a nazi salute. Likely defamation.
• There’s also people / organizations (like the ADL) who, for whatever reason, need to be kept in the good grace’s of these powerful people or who need to maintain their seat at one table or another.

By constantly asking “why”. Certainly, by asking why something is popular and ponder that for as long as needed until you come to a reasonable conclusion.

You may never conclude why some things are the way they are but by keeping this in mind, you’ll pick up the habit of thinking independently.

Actually, one of the things I’m always wondering is how I became an independent thinker. I have a hard time understanding how so many people are so gullible and what I can do to help them.

I can’t help by attributing my independent thinking to being somewhat isolated and poor as a child. I’m self sufficient and reject most things that are popular.

I also worked in advertising as a graphic artist for a few years. It became apparent that I am not cut out for thinking like everyone else. Advertising still annoys the heck out of me.

A quote is not a source. The news often misquotes people or takes words out of context.

A tweet should be screenshotted with the original link along with an alternate to xcancel.com.

If the tweet itself has a link or mentions something elsewhere, a link to that source should also be provided.

Sounds like a lot but anything less is misinformation, as far as I’m concerned. So much news and memes have been spread where the subject is taken out of context. Hours or days or years will go by before people come to discover the true meaning of something and by then the impression has already been made.

There should be a bot that converts the links like there is for youtube.

Sources are important, along with screenshots. Images can be manufactured or manipulated. Posts can be edited.

I’ve been using Instagram as a way to stay up to date with all the local community events or small businesses doing events around me for the past couple of years.

You have?? This is what I was using the platform for but then, many years ago, they forced an algorithm on us so I was no longer able to use it. Most of the posts I see are days old so I always miss events.

I would love if more establishments / organizations would use newsletters and public calendars. I’ve been trying to tell people, you want to own your content and your mailing list, but Meta makes it so easy for them to do things that it’s an uphill battle.

I use an RSS reader to deal with newsletters. I use BigNews but there’s also Stoop which give you an email address to subscribe to newsletters without them flooding your inbox.

STAR and RCV is growing among some states and counties. Have hope.

I recently watched this Thoughty2 video on YouTube that touched on this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRN2p7sSL_Y

He essentially concludes that, at this point, technology has been able to mitigate the overpopulation fears that have existed up until now.

I full agree with you. Just because we can exist on the planet does not mean we’re better off. We’re already living with the consequences of over population.

The first thing we need to do is change our eating habits. The over-farming of land is increasing the need for chemicals to grow food - not to mention climate change. Bird flu is coming. The manner in which we have to raise animals is atrocious and leading to pandemics. Everything is full of antibiotics so farmers and ranchers don’t have to throw away “bad stock”. Which of course is due to the increasing need to produce more food.

I think the worst part is that when this is brought up people blame the corporations and the governments. They’re right that legislators should do more about this but, in America at least, the people are the one’s who are supposed to have the power. We’re supposed to make choices and cast votes for the world we want to live in. Instead, we keep making the same choices that give corporations more and more power.

America is torn between wanting all the freedom to make their own choices while complaining that government isn’t doing enough.

I fully agree with this. Someone else rightly pointed out that access to UPF doesn’t equate consumption. Why are people consuming UPFs? I would argue because of economic hardship (being overworked), lack of prioritizing healthy activities and social encounters, ignorance, misinformation, and habit and/or addiction.

I think eating good foods should be every humans number one priority. “You are what you eat” may be cliche but it’s true. Above all else, I think, people should be making time in their day to eat properly. Not enough people know how to cook using fresh ingredients. I constantly see claims that processed foods are so much cheaper than fresh foods. In my experience, it’s the opposite. I mean, I just made a whole stock pot full of vegetable soup for less than fifteen bucks and it’ll feed me for a week.

To your point, I think it’s true that adding exercise to your daily routine contributes to a more positive mindset. I don’t know if this is universal but when I’m depressed I eat more poorly. When I’m in a good mood, I eat more healthy. This would seem to be backed by biology and our innate need to consume sugars and fats for long term storage.