I’m sorry. Sounds like you’ve had some shitty experiences. I have, too, so maybe I get it at least somewhat (based on this very short description), but my experiences aren’t yours, and it sucks. It changes you and can fuck up future relationships and happiness if the aftermath doesn’t go well. Hoping you have found a better path toward happiness.

Oh, I am highly attracted to certain kinds of intelligence in women, but (a) I think I have acquired this over my post-teenage life, and (b) I still very much need that intelligence to be in a body I also find attractive. We are all victims of our evolution and cultural messaging, to varying extents.

Potato, ,potato

Notably, most people don’t actually understand the concepts involved with cognitive dissonance.

(edit: fixing terrible texting autocorrect)

100%. The mechanism is (I think) this: legally, there’s nobody to prosecute or sue, now.

In the early 2000s some of us who were Way Too Online learned this lesson: A major pillar of internet security, a company whose entire reason for existing was to protect its customers’ personal information, went bankrupt and sold all its customer data to the highest (or possibly just first) bidder.

No matter how “trustworthy” the company, no matter what their Terms and Conditions say, no matter how “solid” their “values,” everyone sells your data when they go bankrupt.

(And most of them will do it long before then)

It might just maybe be similar to why men are also not attracted to intelligence.

Does this mean kernels will be less stable? Big changes all at once seem to imply that, generally.

Want an even less popular opinion? A good portion of the reason people love their dogs so fiercely is because they are such a pain in the ass. It is basic cognitive dissonance: we love what we suffer for, like sororities and fraternities (because of the hazing etc.), military units (because of the misery, starting with boot camp), orthodox/intense religions (because of the constant self-denial and public embarrassment of living the rules), etc. Same with dogs.

No argument about the motives of record companies but Elvis was criticized by white people partly because, unlike most swing and country musicians, he openly praised his Black heroes and mentors. He was hated for bringing Black music to White kids. A for Nirvana, it was just the right sound+message+image at the right time.

Now, Zeppelin… I got nothing. I just want to continue loving Zeppelin.

It is so fucking good. My fave is pepperoni and pineapple. The sweet acidity of the pineapple with the salty umame acidity of the pepperoni and the richness of the cheese make an excellent combination.

The people saying “extroverts need to shut up” are often the same ones posting “you are fine just the way you are, no matter how your brain is wired.”

I offer (sometimes only mentally) a hearty Fuck You to anyone making that joke when they find out I have hearing loss.

Emotional rollercoaster

It me. I am Happy baby.

Oh, has he had a change of heart? A few months ago he was being dragged on mastodon for telling everyone to stop complaining about AI.

This is what celebrity culture does to women.

I knew someone who grew up very poor in rural coastal Alaska. Something like this was her idea of a great time: when she and her sisters found a bloated seal washed up in the beach they used it as a trampoline.

Take my upvote, you monster.

Oh, cool. Until now I thought “rough sleeping” was just the British term for homeless (TIL).

I think that is a reasonable take. It is s huge jump, in many ways, so I believe it is much more dangerous than other capitalist “innovations”.