For real. Academics are some of the most prolific pirates I’ve ever met. Usually out of necessity because we don’t pay them reasonably or value their work.

Thank you, this framing makes sense to me. I still disagree with the ultimate decision, but I understand and appreciate your tone.

I hear you, and agree it’s unlikely that Lemmy will change the world. But frankly I’m surprised how little faith you have in the platform you help moderate. Why are you doing this if you don’t think what happens here matters?

For an example how I would have handled it, the Ten Forward Star Trek community did it right, in my opinion.

As I said in the next sentence, “it’s highly unlikely, but you know we’re real people here, with real thoughts and ideas.” Lemmy is the only social media I use, period. I don’t contribute to any other social media, so it’s perhaps more likely than you’re thinking, but still, like I said, highly unlikely. Why take the chance?

This comes across as an extremely heavy-handed way of controlling the conversation. I get wanting to keep things civil, but taking a massive world-changing subject completely off the table, a subject that many many many of us clearly want to talk through, is not a reasonable response in my opinion.

Who’s to say some random comment in a random post on the presidential election doesn’t come up with some incredible idea or solution? It’s highly unlikely, but you know we’re real people here, with real thoughts and ideas. You never know where that one good idea will come from, but it definitely won’t be coming from here if you shut down the whole conversation. I understand this is your instance, and you can do what you want with it, but this is a disappointing response to a very live issue.

This kind of direct home visit has been happening for years in Muslim regions of China, for different reasons. At least these pregnancy visits (ugh feels gross to even talk about) don’t involve home stays, but any time the state shows up at your door to surveil your family, your human rights have been violated. It’s incredibly invasive and dystopian.

“Muslim families across Xinjiang are now literally eating and sleeping under the watchful eye of the state in their own homes,” said Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch.

In early 2018, Xinjiang authorities extended this “home stay” program. Cadres spend at least five days every two months in the families’ homes. There is no evidence to suggest that families can refuse such visits.

Source

The AI-generated thumbnail really undermines the seriousness of the issue.

That makes a lot of sense, thanks!

I was actually wondering about this, since a close relative of mine probably won’t make it to election day: if you legally cast your ballot (mail in or absentee), but die before Election Day, does your vote still count?

Blinken has 0 credibility in my book.

Ah okay, it does look like it’s a common salute in Mexico. Still weird to me, but thanks for the links!

Is the nazi salute Mexico’s equivalent of ‘raise your right hand’ to take the oath of office? That first picture is really throwing me.

Yeah I see what you mean. She does call out comments made by Lindsey Graham, John Fetterman, and Kamala Harris though, implying that she expected at least two of those people to be better. To be clear, I don’t think you’re the bad guy, I appreciate your perspective. But you’re right that tensions are very high…

Holy shit that’s wild. Just when I think I can’t be surprised by Donald anymore, boom! Woodward does his thing.

As talented as Woodward is, I really dislike that we only find out about these travesties years after the fact, when it’s all but too late to do anything about it. I understand that that’s how he is able to get access to these stories in the first place, but it feels really icky to me.

I think I get your point, but I’m not sure we read the same article. She did get pretty personal without naming names (we can’t expect anyone in her position to name names safely.)

Imagine feeling this every day of your life, it’s horrific:

…simply by paying my taxes, I am complicit in the slaughter and starvation of my own people.

And

…in 1967, my father had to flee again. He became a refugee, unable to ever return to live in the country where he was born. He has, however, taken me back to visit. I went back to his village when I had just turned six and had a brief taste of what a Palestinian childhood is like – by which I mean Israeli soldiers shot teargas at me and raided our village to burn the Palestinian flag.

Make sure you check out that Imgur link, it’s pictures of the journal she wrote when she was a kid visiting the West Bank. Doesn’t get much more personal than that.

I’m curious, to the people downvoting: why? Are you unable to see her humanity? What specifically in her deeply personal op ed made you so feel so strongly that you had to downvote this post? I’m genuinely curious. Or did you just see the word Palestinian and downvote it by force of habit, thus proving her point in the process?

This was a powerful op ed written by someone who knows what she’s talking about, exposing some uncomfortable truths about the US and what it valves.

I appreciate the clarification on how these laws work. I think you’re right that their popularity doesn’t necessarily imply effectiveness, it probably has more to do with the impulse to join in the virtue-signaling. But their popularity does send a strong message that how people and companies spend their money is important, and I’d argue that means they must be at least a little bit effective.

And the laws are wildly unpopular with the American people, but were still passed in the majority of states, which also tells me they must be doing something:

a majority of Americans oppose anti-BDS laws; 72% opposed laws penalizing people who boycott Israel and 22% supported such laws. Source

To echo some other comments, it seems like this article proves that boycotting is in fact one of the only ways to hold companies accountable. That’s why so many states in the US have passed laws making BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) illegal when it comes to Israel.

Basically, if you’re poor fuck you and drown. If you’re rich, also fuck you but you’ll ultimately be fine, because you’re rich.

It all comes down to hating poor people, women, and minorities.

Cool. Thanks for that, New York Times.