Post Race!

[Niya]

Supposedly, according to Greta Thunberg, rain is created by cow farts, and gas stoves are the devil.

lol.....shows you just how little the elites think of us if this is the best they have.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Those 'elites' how many times can you think of where they pushed somebody to demand that they change? How many times can you think of where they pushed to maintain the status quo? I can't think of any of the former, but plenty of the latter.

Seconds, how many times did the elites pay their supporters to support their cause? How many times did they just motivate them by suggesting that the other side was out to get them? I can think of a few of the former, and lots of the latter.

Based on those two, I'd say that you are more likely to be a tool of the elites than some teenage gadfly.

[Niya]

Those 'elites' how many times can you think of where they pushed somebody to demand that they change? How many times can you think of where they pushed to maintain the status quo? I can't think of any of the former, but plenty of the latter.

Seconds, how many times did the elites pay their supporters to support their cause? How many times did they just motivate them by suggesting that the other side was out to get them? I can think of a few of the former, and lots of the latter.

Most people are not ready to accept that our entire reality is crafted by a select few powerful families, governments and corporations. Everything we like, everything we hate, what we consider to be right and wrong are all in one way or another influenced by them through institutions and through the media. A lot of what most people hold to be true are in fact inventions of these ruling elites. Very few opinions in the wild are naturally occurring. They were manufactured and programmed into us from birth.

Based on those two, I'd say that you are more likely to be a tool of the elites than some teenage gadfly.

We are all tools of the elite whether we want to be or not. The only difference between us is that I see it and you don't and there is nothing wrong with that. Not everyone is meant to see it. It's just the way it is.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Yeah, the 'puppetmaster' theory. That's pretty far down the rabbit hole.

Another difference is that I don't believe there is ANYBODY pulling the strings. Whether you believe it is some guy living on a cloud or some shadowy elites, it's all religion. You want to believe that SOMEBODY is in charge and that they have a purpose. It's not a very great distance from your elites to the Greek or Hindu pantheon. All you have to do is substitute supernatural beings for your elites.

It arises by chance. There is nobody in control. The elites that exist are just as surprised at creation as you are, and are trying to figure it out as well.

All we are good at is recognizing patterns. Look into the research around chess if you'd like to see more of that. If you use your intelligence to play chess, you'll be terrible. If you have played so much, and studied so much, that you can recognize patterns in the pieces, and use that ability to play chess...well, then you'll probably also be pretty bad, but some such people make up ALL the grand masters.

We are good at pattern recognition, and that's all we are good at. So, when we look at the world we assume that there must be a pattern. There must be a reason. With that assumption, we try to figure it out. It's what we are good at.

I was working on an AI that I abandoned, but which showed pretty well that there need not be a pattern. It showed that there could very well be a god, but that god could very easily not need to even know we existed for the world to look the way it does.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I suppose that another way to look at it is that there are too many elites. If nobody is in control, then everybody is in control. If the world we are living in emerges from the sum of our actions, then we are all the elites. None truly control the pattern, but with all influencing the pattern, then those who are aware they are influencing the pattern might be able to tug a bit harder to shape the pattern to their liking.

That doesn't make them elites, though. That would be like pulling on one thread in a tapestry of billions of threads. That pull might distort the pattern in locally recognizable ways, but overall, the sum of a billion threads pulling in a billion directions won't be predictable.

Furthermore, people can pull quite hard without doing so deliberately.

[dilettante]

Even setting aside the character of the motives behind them, organizations like the WEF do actually exist. And they develop and implement plans for your life without asking your consent or even making much effort to inform you.

There are a lot of calm and thoughtful people of education and experience who have also lost any enthusiasm for your "puppet masters." Indeed, those "masters" and their gatherings and stated objectives are now spoken of sarcastically just in passing by such people.

This isn't a matter of belief. There is no argument over facts. These are not theories, but objective truths.

Do people tend to get a little hyperbolic when mentioning "them?" Sure, it's called gallows humor.

[Shaggy Hiker]

The existence of these groups is fact. What impact they have on the world is theory. Even they don't really know.

Every group that has ever formed, from your local PTA, your local churches, to the gathering in Davos, the US, the WEF, and everyone else, is attempting the exact same thing: To enhance their ability to tug on the threads by combining forces to amplify the tug they exert.

Do they work? Well, they certainly do SOMETHING. Is it what they want? Sometimes it must be. Other times, it is not. If your local church rallies people to ban some book, it sometimes gets the book banned. Sometimes it makes the book FAR more popular. Sometimes it does both. Were they right or wrong to rally people? That depends on perspective. If you don't agree with that church, then you probably think they were wrong. If you can get enough people together to disagree with the church, then you've amplified the tug that you provide counter to theirs.

All of this works at the local level, the national level, and the international level. It works to the same degree, too. That's why I don't like people talking about being 'controlled by the elites'. It's a tapestry of many strings, some you hold. If enough people act against your interests, and there aren't enough people acting for your interest, then yeah, you're going to lose out. Being passive just makes you a pawn. In most things, we're all fine with that. No person, no matter who they are, has the capacity to be able to know what they want in all decisions that impact their lives. You simply can't be fighting every fight to your best advantage. Heck, you won't even know about all of them until after they are long past.

The problem is that if five people pull hard on one issue, and you are busy on something else because there aren't enough hours in the day to pay attention to everything, then you might be impacted by that pull against your wishes. That happens. You want everything to go your way, but it doesn't. You want everybody to agree with your point of view, but they don't. They aren't passive, though. They also want things to go their way, and they have their own point of view. If they are willing to exert the effort to push that forwards, and you aren't willing to exert the effort to push back, or are unable to, then you get what you get.

One thing about being unable to: People think, "those folks are too powerful". That's what makes them the 'elites'. That's fundamentally untrue. Sure, at this time, in this place, they happen to have a greater purchase on some particular thread than you do. If your view was shared by enough people, then they wouldn't get anywhere. The problem isn't that their too strong, or that you're too weak, it's that most people don't agree with you. They either feel differently on the topic, or are indifferent.

The whole point of propaganda by some group is to hold power by pushing the population into either feeling different or indifference. If everyone is fat and happy, they aren't going to get riled up over much of anything, so those with objections are howling in the wilderness. If they have all been told that there's a guy on a cloud who will punish them for eternity if they don't aggressively push their views on you, then they aren't going to agree with you when you say you don't want their views aggressively pushed on you.

You have agency, you simply lack the capacity to use that agency in all the areas that you care about. That's true of everybody else, as well. There are no elites, there are just localized, temporary, consensus.

[Shaggy Hiker]

And that was WAYYYYY too long a post.

[homer13j]

There's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased Scotsman.

[dday9]

Man, the Philadelphia Eagles killed the New York Giants.

That game was never close.

[dday9]

The Bengals' win over the Bills wasn't really close either, but at least it still had some action.

[Shaggy Hiker]

There's nary an animal alive that can outrun a greased Scotsman.

It's also hard to catch a greased pig.

So what happens when a greased Scotsman tries to catch a greased pig?

[Shaggy Hiker]

The Bengals' win over the Bills wasn't really close either, but at least it still had some action.

I felt that this was the most disappointing game of the weekend. The Giants never had all that much talent. They just performed really well at times, and that could win games. The Eagles are very talented all over the field, and they played like it.

On the other hand, both the Bills and Bengals were really talented. That should have been a closer game. Instead it pretty much sucked. I really didn't care who won it, as I feel about the same about both of those teams, but I was expecting a thrilling game. It did not meet my expectations.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I'd like to see Purdy win the super bowl. I'm not optimistic that he will.

[dday9]

All I know is that I'm glad the Cowboys beat the Buccaneers and the 49er's beat the Cowboys. Now I could careless about who wins the NFC, but ultimately I'm cheering for the Bengals.

[dday9]

It's Joey B. and Ja'marr Chase... come on!

[Shaggy Hiker]

All I know is that I'm glad the Cowboys beat the Buccaneers and the 49er's beat the Cowboys. Now I could careless about who wins the NFC, but ultimately I'm cheering for the Bengals.

I'm glad that the 49er's beat the Cowboys. I'd have been shocked if the Cowboys hadn't beaten the Bucs...or if the Bucs had beaten ANYBODY they faced in the playoffs.

I'm kind of rooting for KC over the Bengals just because KC has to be considered the underdog in that particular series. As for the SB...I'd be happy with any of the four teams, currently, so I'm just hoping for a good game with a lot of scoring.

[wes4dbt]

I don't think KC is an underdog. If they were playing in Cinci they might be but not at home. I'm very curious what kind of shape Mahomes is going to be in. Yes, he finished the game but I've had a sprain like that and I walked around for hours afterwards. But the next morning the swelling and inflammation had set in. Yikes!!!!

I don't know what to think about the Cowboys. One week they look invincible and the next they look inept. Dak threw two more interception, should have been three. He looked bad, or was it the 49'ers defense that made it look that way. I'm not sure. The Raiders scored 30+ on the 9'ers.

I'm looking forward to both games. I don't watch a lot of Philly games so I'm not sure about them. They seem to be the real deal. I live about 85 miles from the 9'er so they get lots of coverage around here. My ideal out come would be a Philly/Cinci Super Bowl.

[dday9]

Oh man, the Eagles look unstoppable this year. It reminds me of the Colts with Manning under center.

[dilettante]

What? No report on curling? Or doesn't Vandal Doofbook accept bets on that yet?

Hurry hard!

[wes4dbt]

Oh man, the Eagles look unstoppable this year. It reminds me of the Colts with Manning under center.

A lot of people seem to feel the same way. To me, I'm less convinced because it's been a huge jump in performance from last year, but the 9'ers are proven and consistent. But that's what makes this game so interesting. I really don't know who I'd pick if I had to.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I don't think KC is an underdog.

Cincy has beaten them three times in a row. Cincy just seems to have their number....which means that you're probably right, as KC is due.

[Shaggy Hiker]

A lot of people seem to feel the same way. To me, I'm less convinced because it's been a huge jump in performance from last year, but the 9'ers are proven and consistent. But that's what makes this game so interesting. I really don't know who I'd pick if I had to.

Pick the ice bath. Two running teams with dominant O-lines? There will be more bruises after this game than a bushel of apples in a clothes dryer.

[wes4dbt]

Pick the ice bath. Two running teams with dominant O-lines? There will be more bruises after this game than a bushel of apples in a clothes dryer.

lmao, I like it!!!

[wes4dbt]

Cincy has beaten them three times in a row. Cincy just seems to have their number....which means that you're probably right, as KC is due.

It would be impressive if Cincy beat them four times in a row. It could happen, I'm not convinced that KC has a great defense. But I wouldn't be surprised if KC scored 35+ points. So I'm going to reply on my Magic 8 ball for my picks.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Yeah, I agree with that. These should be two great games.

[dilettante]

Wasn't there once a thread here with recipes and food hacks for bachelors and other singles?

Maybe it was on another programming site. I remember a weird standout recipe involving rice, sardines, and greens harvested from the lawn.

[Shaggy Hiker]

I was going to say that I don't remember it from here, but that bit about 'greens harvested from the lawn' does ring a bell. The rice and sardines, not so much.

Overall, I'm leaning towards the thread not coming from here...but I could easily be wrong about that.

[wes4dbt]

Man I'm not very observant. I just notice today that the names listed in Current Active Users are in alphabetic order after my name. Maybe my parents were right, I don't pay attention. lol

[Shaggy Hiker]

That's good. Think of all the attention you have saved up over your lifetime. Some people have attention deficit, while you have attention surplus.

[wes4dbt]

That's good. Think of all the attention you have saved up over your lifetime. Some people have attention deficit, while you have attention surplus.

lol

My body has a surplus of many things.

[Shaggy Hiker]

There is something going on outside my house. I have yet to bother getting up to see what it is, because I'm pretty sure I know. I believe that some company is installing fiber in the neighborhood, and their doing that by running something outside my house that sounds like a jackhammer with a deep bass beat to it.

[wes4dbt]

I just read an interesting story about a study on what kind of people are more likely to believe conspiracy theories. The study hasn't been peer-reviewed. It's kind of long, @ 5min read.

https://currently.att.yahoo.com/news...111400996.html

I question his use of Trump and Musk as examples. I'm not convinced they actually believe the theories they spread. They just use them as a tool. Either way I enjoyed the article.

[dday9]

I certainly do not consider myself a conspiracy theorist, but I also find myself questioning narratives.

Take for example this quote:

Anti-vaxxers used an athlete's collapse during a game to revive claims that COVID-19 vaccines kill people. (They don't.)

First off look at the use of the phrase "anti-vaxxer", it is immediately used as a pejorative. I do not have any of the COVID-19 vaccinations, but I am far from an anti-vaxxer. I genuinely believe in vaccines, especially ones that have decades of proof showing their efficacy (MMR for example). Now I am lumped into the category of "anti-vaxxer" because I did not want to get the injection. This decision was because of several factors, including:

1. This is an experimental usage of these mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations, confirmed by the CDC's decision to implement emergency use authorization
2. The fact that we were lied to when it was claimed that these COVID-19 vaccinations prevented the spread of COVID when it is now agreed that they do not prevent the spread
3. I question things like the need of a vaccine for someone my age and health factor, confirmed now by the death rate broken down by age groups and comorbidities
4. There was always questions about COVID-19 deaths, discrepancies between "died from COVID" versus "died with COVID", now confirmed by prominent individuals such as Fauci
5. The companies who rolled out vaccines are completely shielded against any legal liability

Back to the quote, there is also the context of the athlete collapsing on the field due to a heart issue. There had been claims for literally over a year at this point that myocarditis may be a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccines, but the topic itself is taboo. Because of this there is rarely any discussion on the topic and when there is... a dissident opinion is never allowed.

Then you get to the meat of the article:

But according to new research, it isn't ignorance that makes people most likely to buy into conspiratorial thinking, or social isolation or mental illness. It's a far more prevalent and pesky personality quirk: overconfidence.

In days past, I would allow myself to buy into the argument from the point of view of authority. But since 2008 (but really escalating in 2016), cooperate media has gradually stripped that privilege away. In the past I would be more willing to go along with the narrative without having a compelling need to look into it more or seek out opposing opinions. Whereas now I have almost no faith in traditional sources of authority.

If you step back from COVID-19 topic, I think the conspiracy theory that has the most widespread acceptance is Jeffrey Epstein's death. There was a wide range of people who simply didn't believe that Epstein killed himself, so much so that it spawned a TON of memes. The reason why so many people do not believe he killed himself is because of the circumstances surrounding his death:

1. Many high profile individuals were implicated in being involved with Epstein
2. He was under 24 hour surveillance with health checks every 30 minutes
3. The guards who were supposed to be doing the health checks "falling asleep" shortly before he dies
4. Two of security cameras malfunctioning the night of his death shortly before he dies
5. One of the cameras still working had "unusable" video

So with Bill Barr claiming that it was just a "perfect storm of screw-ups", you can see how so many people would be skeptical.

I know this is a long post for the Post Race, but articles like that get under my skin. It is as if the corporate media REFUSES to look into the mirror and ask themselves "maybe we had something to do with this". Instead they just point the finger at the individual.

[wes4dbt]

I can't tell for sure but it seems like you don't agree with this conclusion.

But according to new research, it isn't ignorance that makes people most likely to buy into conspiratorial thinking, or social isolation or mental illness. It's a far more prevalent and pesky personality quirk: overconfidence.

Or is it you just didn't like the way the article was written? Or maybe both.

[dday9]

I agree with the conclusion to some extent, but it is a smaller part of a larger issue.

That and I do not like how the article was written.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Back to the quote, there is also the context of the athlete collapsing on the field due to a heart issue. There had been claims for literally over a year at this point that myocarditis may be a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccines, but the topic itself is taboo.

Actually, it's not taboo. The problem is that myocarditis can be a side effect of COVID-19. That's what was generally not addressed. There did appear to be an increase in those who got the vaccines, but it was less than the increase in those who got COVID itself. That point was widely reported in the literature, but not by certain groups.

There does appear to be something going on, but with no pathway identified, it's a bit hard to study. The virus went after a very common receptor on the surface of cells. The most direct thing that receptor did was somewhat known, but once you get into the whole body, the interactions between things are a bit too complicated. I don't believe science knows what that receptor is doing on all types of cells that it is found on.

Still, the issue with the football player are kind of numerous:
1) It has never been revealed what the cause was.
2) A blow to the chest can cause a heart to go into fibrillation. It's not common, but it does happen. Others have died playing football, as well as at least one basketball player.
3) Was he vaccinated? Had he gotten COVID?

The theories came out before any data was available...except that he wasn't the first athlete to suffer sudden cardiac arrest while playing a sport, he was just the first one to do so when people were looking for anti-vaxx ammunition.

[Shaggy Hiker]

You left out one really big one from the case of Epstein's death:

6. A constant stream of movies saying that nothing is EVER an accident, and that high level murders happen all the time.

Heck, that's essentially a plot point of pretty nearly every political drama, action/adventure involving power, and so on. In fact, it's so common one has to wonder why there aren't more, because there really aren't. You get people like Harvey Weinstein who did all kinds of strong arm things to cover up his crimes...but he never killed anybody. The same can be said for pretty nearly every scandal that has come to light for decades.

As for the other points, they don't surprise me. Is there a state where correction workers are well paid? Is there a state where that's not about the worst job you can get? They're treated terribly, paid terribly, and trained partially.

Another trope that Hollywood has foisted on us is the idea that government run systems are the most high-tech, tech-capable, of any. That's just not the case. It's a budget driven system. There stuff likely is broken as often as not.

[Shaggy Hiker]

Both of those are too long for the Post Race.

So, this is shorter.

[wes4dbt]

I honestly didn't post that article because I wanted a discussion over which conspiracies are valid or invalid. Or the honesty of the media or government.

I found it the conclusion interesting, that overconfidence can play a major role in if your prone to believing in conspiracies. I thought the test with the blurred pictures was funny. A few years back a saw test about the effects of MSG. There was @ 50 people, they gave half a meal with MSG and half a meal without MSG. When asked if they could tell if their meal had MSG a few that didn't get the MSG claim they could feel they effects. One women was very sure, she said she was very sensitive to MSG and then went on to describe all the effect she was having. Your brain can sure play tricks on you. lol