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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: June 21st, 2023

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  • Bit of a tangent, but I find it funny that Americans complain about it being hot when they have AC in most of their buildings, but then mock people complaining about a 40C/105F heatwave with relatively high humidity in countries where AC is anything but standard and sometimes with houses which are designed to keep the heat in during the winter meaning it can easily reach 45C/115F or more inside.

    I assume it’ll happen again this summer, with the usual Marie Antionette level “let them use AC” comments, not seeming to grasp the environmental and financial cost of AC everywhere.










    1. Manhole covers are not heavy as fuck. They’re meant to be able to lift out. I’ve lifted far larger ones than this no problem.
    2. This manhole cover is at most 30x30cm judging by OP’s foot, so weights at most a few kilos.
    3. This is a small cover, probably covering a drain, not a hole to the centre of the earth. I have a few around the house. Cable tie, piece of string, lift it out no problem. You lift and slide it aside, it’s not going to fall in unless you’re a complete moron or drunk. If it does fall in, you pull it out, because it doesn’t weigh 100 kg.
    4. If you’re worried that this would take your finger off, you’re the kind of person who should hire an electrician to change a light bulb.



  • Oh, of course. But once you accept that all humans are flawed, you’re more likely to empathize with people who make poor choices, relate to them, and become more convincing.

    So for example, you don’t call people hypocrites and a murderers, which will inevitably cause them to become defensive and double down. Especially in a conversation where people are already expressing that they dissaprove of animal abuse. Instead you say something like:

    “Same here. Animal suffering also makes me sad, and I couldn’t help but think that I was part of that. I slowly transitioned to eating no meat a while back. But I know it’s hard to make changes. If anyone wants tips, just ask. No judgement.”

    Or perhaps:

    “Yeah. Food’s really becoming expensive. One thing that does help, is that I eat vegetarian curries. They cost less to make and it’s not that hard. I found this cool recipe and use a rice cooker so I can take care of the kids while it cooks.”

    I mean, imagine people who own a fairphone and buy only fair trade chocolate, went around calling the rest of us cunts. They might have a point, but it really wouldn’t help them win the argument.




  • Imagine you’re about to eat an ice-cream. You see a kid drowning in a pool. You could save him, but instead you choose to eat your ice cream. You put short term pleasure before saving a child’s life. Evil, right?

    Now imagine that you can’t see the kid. You know he’s going to die, but instead of donating a bit of money to a charity, you buy that ice cream, drink that fancy frappucino, buy that t-shirt or overpriced gadget you didn’t actually need to buy. You put a short term endorphin rush above saving a child’s life.

    This is you. This is everyone. Humans are all evil to a degree. We are all hypocrites to a degree. We allow that kid to die, those workers to get abused, those animals to suffer. The only excuse we have is that we are animals and that we largely act on instinct, even if we rationalise our choices afterwords, often telling ourselves we’re not bad people.

    Once you accept that basic fact, mostly because life experience has forced you to come to terms with your flaws, you hopefully become more humble. You gain character, wisdom, and honesty. And here’s a silver lining: once you realise that you’re also deeply flawed and approach fellow humans with humility, you often end up becoming more convincing.

    Of course, the first step is to accept that convincing people to be less evil, is more important than vanity and holding to the idea that you’re somehow better than them.

    Here’s Norm McDonald telling a joke about hypocrisy:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljaP2etvDc4