#algorithmic system leadership

[zomb13s]

The Evolving Mind: A Reflection on Intellectual Stagnation and Global Dynamics

In an era dominated by rapidly advancing technologies, artificial intelligence, and shifting global paradigms, the evolution of an individual mind can be seen as both a personal journey and a reflection of larger societal dynamics. This essay focuses on Alfons Scholing, CEO of alfons.design and the creator of the artist platform ikziezombies.com, exploring his desire to grow his intellectual and…

[writingtips-resources]

I Stole These Political Systems from Rulebooks for Worldbuilding

Here’s a list of society and government types I’ve pulled from some of the weirdest, most creative worldbuilding rulebooks.

Some of these may sound outlandish, but that’s the beauty of worldbuilding – you can break the rules!

If a system seems like it could never work in the real world, just write it for your fictional world and see where it takes you.

Athenian Democracy: Every citizen gets to vote on every law, and everyone’s voice is heard – no representatives needed.

Merchants in Charge - Imagine a world where merchants hold all the power and shape the economy and governance.

Defeat the Ruler - In this society, you become the ruler by defeating the current leader in battle.

Intellectual Rule - A society where the most intelligent people govern, making decisions based on knowledge and reason

Meritocracy: Only those who pass rigorous testing or prove themselves in battle can hold positions of power.

Theocracy: Religious leaders control the government, and their beliefs dictate the law.

Plutocracy: Whoever has the most wealth is the one in charge – money makes the rules.

Cybercracy: The entire government runs on computer systems, where decisions are made based on data and algorithms.

Clan System: A society where family clans rule and the oldest member of each clan holds the highest power.

Corporate State: Powerful corporations take control, and everything is run like a business – profit over people.

Unique Variations:

Bureaucracy - A slow, inefficient system where red tape and high taxes dominate.

Cybercracy - A system governed by a computer, where programming and technology dictate decisions.

Meritocracy - Only those who pass rigorous tests can rise to power.

Matriarchy/Patriarchy - Gender-exclusive positions of authority, where either women or men dominate the leadership roles.

These are just a few examples, but the beauty of worldbuilding is that you can mix, match, and tweak these systems to create a society that fits your story's needs.---

Suggestions to Get Creative:

Combine two or more systems to create conflict.

Imagine a Technocracy that’s challenged by a Plutocracy.

Introduce a Nomadic Tribe society where leadership is based on the most experienced warrior or hunter.

Experiment with an All-Night Ruling System, where the ruler only governs during certain hours or seasons.

Create a Parliamentary Duel System where the leaders can only change through formal debates or duels, combining elements of law and combat.

Challenge the Bureaucracy with a rebellion, where citizens rise up against the slow-moving system to create a more direct, responsive governance.

Get creative with your world!

If it doesn’t work in the real world, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a perfect fit for your fictional society.

[mariacallous]

The Trump administration’s Federal Trade Commission has removed four years’ worth of business guidance blogs as of Tuesday morning, including important consumer protection information related to artificial intelligence and the agency’s landmark privacy lawsuits under former chair Lina Khan against companies like Amazon and Microsoft. More than 300 blogs were removed.

On the FTC’s website, the page hosting all of the agency’s business-related blogs and guidance no longer includes any information published during former president Joe Biden’s administration, current and former FTC employees, who spoke under anonymity for fear of retaliation, tell WIRED. These blogs contained advice from the FTC on how big tech companies could avoid violating consumer protection laws.

One now deleted blog, titled “Hey, Alexa! What are you doing with my data?” explains how, according to two FTC complaints, Amazon and its Ring security camera products allegedly leveraged sensitive consumer data to train the ecommerce giant’s algorithms. (Amazon disagreed with the FTC’s claims.) It also provided guidance for companies operating similar products and services. Another post titled “$20 million FTC settlement addresses Microsoft Xbox illegal collection of kids’ data: A game changer for COPPA compliance” instructs tech companies on how to abide by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by using the 2023 Microsoft settlement as an example. The settlement followed allegations by the FTC that Microsoft obtained data from children using Xbox systems without the consent of their parents or guardians.

“In terms of the message to industry on what our compliance expectations were, which is in some ways the most important part of enforcement action, they are trying to just erase those from history,” a source familiar tells WIRED.

Another removed FTC blog titled “The Luring Test: AI and the engineering of consumer trust” outlines how businesses could avoid creating chatbots that violate the FTC Act’s rules against unfair or deceptive products. This blog won an award in 2023 for “excellent descriptions of artificial intelligence.”

The Trump administration has received broad support from the tech industry. Big tech companies like Amazon and Meta, as well as tech entrepreneurs like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, all donated to Trump’s inauguration fund. Other Silicon Valley leaders, like Elon Musk and David Sacks, are officially advising the administration. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employs technologists sourced from Musk’s tech companies. And already, federal agencies like the General Services Administration have started to roll out AI products like GSAi, a general-purpose government chatbot.

The FTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment from WIRED.

Removing blogs raises serious compliance concerns under the Federal Records Act and the Open Government Data Act, one former FTC official tells WIRED. During the Biden administration, FTC leadership would place “warning” labels above previous administrations’ public decisions it no longer agreed with, the source said, fearing that removal would violate the law.

Since President Donald Trump designated Andrew Ferguson to replace Khan as FTC chair in January, the Republican regulator has vowed to leverage his authority to go after big tech companies. Unlike Khan, however, Ferguson’s criticisms center around the Republican party’s long-standing allegations that social media platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, censor conservative speech online. Before being selected as chair, Ferguson told Trump that his vision for the agency also included rolling back Biden-era regulations on artificial intelligence and tougher merger standards, The New York Times reported in December.

In an interview with CNBC last week, Ferguson argued that content moderation could equate to an antitrust violation. “If companies are degrading their product quality by kicking people off because they hold particular views, that could be an indication that there's a competition problem,” he said.

Sources speaking with WIRED on Tuesday claimed that tech companies are the only groups who benefit from the removal of these blogs.

“They are talking a big game on censorship. But at the end of the day, the thing that really hits these companies’ bottom line is what data they can collect, how they can use that data, whether they can train their AI models on that data, and if this administration is planning to take the foot off the gas there while stepping up its work on censorship,” the source familiar alleges. “I think that's a change big tech would be very happy with.”

[andredeyemii]

S U C C E S S S T O R Y : : how self-concept changed my life !! ( MANIFESTED :: pretty privilege, popularity, productivity )

>> self-concept is basically just thinking highly about yourself to align with your dream self which has all the desires you want for yourself. it's the best way to manifest y'all.

POPULARITY..?

>> when I started to prioritize my self-concept, everything changed. basically, it changed my personality to become more extroverted because I knew that it was easy to talk to people and I genuinely loved talking to people. It helped that I was already naturally sociable but I used my potential this time and now I'm found in multiple big friend groups!!!

>> most of my friends are rich, their parents would own locally big businesses and companies so yeah, it's crazyy!! I remember one christmas school event where I was running back and forth in a pretty dress because I kept coming back and back to friends from other grades and sections.

>> and yes, big groups with real friends are real guys. they are very attainable. I always hold deep conversations with the friends I have, be it spiritual, philosophical or emotional. other times, we could be laughing at nothing. so basically my dream friend group lmaoo

PRETTY PRIVILEGE !!

>> I have a really big support system so, yeahh I have pretty privilege. it's usually in the form of compliments and I get then on a daily basis (yes, daily) from my best friends.. but as time passes by, I get them from people from higher grades I know or literal strangers. sometimes I get bombarded with compliments and it's overwhelming lmaoo..

>> I get stared at sometimes and the attention is nice but sometimes it's soo unsettling. y'all, I had someone that was straight up jealous of me and she was a MEAN GIRL and she'd stare at me every time I walk in a room and only stop staring when I'd be OUT OF THERE.

>> I also get free money lmaoo. yeah, it comes out of nowhere. people carry my things for me without me asking sometimes too, it's great. I also win leadership roles cuz of pretty privilege, it's really weird..

PRODUCTIVITY.

>> when y'all start thinking, assuming, feeling and acting as if you are a higher version of yourself, ofc you'd start living intentionally. I started going on the treadmill everyday.

>> I would make sure my social media algorithms are healthyyy and educational and I would start reading books and upgrading my hygiene care. I'd run on the treadmill for an hour and listen to a topic about social climbing, literally.

PERSONALITY.. <3

>> I got more playful, bubbly and expressive when my self-concept started to evolve and I would always get compliments about how pretty and friendly I was.

>> people would always remember me because I would express myself all the time when socializing. I'd never ever break eye contact and keep nodding an tilting my head with a smile, an I'm always squinting and widening my eyes. ohh yeah, people say that I'm ALWAYS smiling.

>> I think I mastered conversations somewhere while manifesting big friend groups and personality shifts. it's always valuable to let people talk about their stories cuz you really don't know how deeply you'll bond with them.

[darkeagleruins]

Presenting the King and Queen of the criminal illegal invasion, Samantha Power (born in the UK) and her husband Cass Sunstein.

GPS—they met together and separately at Barack Hussein Obama II’s war room/mansion in Washington, DC hundreds of times during the Biden/Harris Regime, 19 times since the election and 4 times since President Trump took office.

The circumstances surrounding the controversial financial and political of Samantha Power, a former USAID administrator, and her significant increase in net worth during her tenure in public office. Power’s wealth reportedly surged from $6.7 million in 2021 to $30 million by 2024, raises questions about how such a dramatic increase occurred despite her official annual salary of $180,000.

This financial growth has led to public scrutiny and allegations of financial misconduct within USAID under Power's leadership.

USAID, an organization tasked with managing billions in global funding, under audit for alleged misuse of funds, including spending on contentious programs like transgender initiatives and cultural projects abroad.

These programs served as conduits for financial kickbacks to lawmakers and officials, enriching them at the expense of American taxpayers. Powers funneled billions into NGOs financing the criminal illegal invasion of America.

Power’s husband, Cass Sunstein, also plays a key role in this narrative. Sunstein, a senior adviser on immigration policy at DHS during the Biden administration, allegedly shaped policies that created the “open-border” system.

This was seen as complementary to Power’s role at USAID, with Power funding programs to facilitate immigration while Sunstein ensured these policies were implemented. This was a coordinated “one-two punch,” enabling illegal immigration while circumventing any accountability or transparency.

Sunstein’s academic and professional background, citing his 2008 white paper, Conspiracy Theories, which advocated for government infiltration of online movements to neutralize narratives that could undermine U.S. military and diplomatic efforts.

This idea extended to behavioral influence strategies outlined in his book, Nudge, which became a foundational text for professionals working in counter-disinformation and media literacy.

The book emphasized shaping public behavior without overt coercion, using techniques like algorithmic manipulation, social media deplatforming, and other indirect methods to discourage dissent.

USAID’s role in psychological (gaslighting) operations was engaged in misinformation campaigns both domestically and abroad. Coupled with Sunstein’s advocacy for “raising the cost” of dissenting behavior, contributed to an erosion of free speech protections. Examples included penalties for questioning COVID-19 policies, such as job loss, social media bans, and reputational damage, all designed to discourage opposition without resorting to legal consequences.

There are even broader concerns about the interplay between government roles and private-sector enrichment, with a pattern of officials transitioning from public service to lucrative positions in finance or industry.

This “blob-to-banker pipeline” allows individuals to leverage insider knowledge for personal gain. For instance, Jared Cohen, a former State Department official, having transitioned to roles at Google Jigsaw and later Goldman Sachs, where his government connections reportedly informed investment strategies.

The current system has zero transparency, accountability, and erodes public trust.

USAID’s misuse of funds, coupled with Power’s rapid wealth accumulation, exemplifies the broader issue of financial exploitation within government institutions.

Word needs to get out. Share this post, do your own research, engage in discourse, and hold public officials accountable.

[theglowsociety]

Aisha Bowe, a trailblazer in aerospace engineering, has made significant contributions to science and serves as an inspiring figure in Black history. Born to Bahamian immigrants in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Bowe’s journey to prominence began at a community college, where her aptitude for mathematics propelled her toward engineering. She earned both a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering and a master’s in space systems engineering from the University of Michigan. 

At NASA’s Ames Research Center, Bowe contributed to developing algorithms supporting Air Traffic Management. Her work earned her the National Society of Black Engineers’ Outstanding Technical Contribution award in 2012. Beyond her technical achievements, Bowe mentored students through the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Program, demonstrating her commitment to fostering the next generation of engineers. 

In 2013, Bowe founded STEMBoard, a technology company addressing complex challenges for government and private sector clients. Under her leadership, STEMBoard ranked 2,284th on Inc. magazine’s 2020 list of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies. Bowe also launched LINGO, a coding kit designed to teach hardware and software design, making STEM education more accessible to underrepresented youth. 

In 2025, Bowe is set to make history as part of Blue Origin’s first all-female crewed spaceflight, alongside notable figures such as singer Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King. This mission will mark the first human-crewed spaceflight with no men since 1963, highlighting Bowe’s role in breaking barriers and inspiring future generations. 

Aisha Bowe’s journey from community college to aerospace engineer and entrepreneur exemplifies resilience and dedication. Her efforts in promoting STEM education and her upcoming spaceflight solidify her status as a pivotal figure in science and Black history.

[reyaint]

WILD ALICE | intro

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date: june 8, 2025

the group concept, name, and the debut album name came from someone on wattpad who deleted the book (sadly) but the lore is mine and discography .

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--edited by me

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑺𝑬 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳𝑺

WILD ALICE (야생의 앨리스) is a 6 member idol girl group under ATE Entertainment. the group consists of members; naran, min, madi, shiwon, yafei, and artemis. the group officially debuted on august 18, 2018 with the mini album "FALSE ANGELS" and title track “illusion: feed the desire” and promoted beside “reborn.” the group is best known for their art direction and disturbing lore.

.ೃ࿐INTRODUCTION: “ leaders of teenage rebellion, ! we are wild alice ! ”

.ೃ࿐FANDOM NAME: rebels (레벨스)

ೃ⁀➷FANDOM NAME MEANING: “rebels” are the ones who saw through the illusion — those who refuse to follow the system that made WILD ALICE. they are co-conspirators in the unraveling.

.ೃ࿐LIGHTSTICK: mixture of these two

.ೃ࿐LOGO: a mixture of all of this bc i'm indecisive

.ೃ࿐LORE/BRAND LOGO

.ೃ࿐OFFICIAL COLORS: *ೃ༄ . deep crimson red: symbolizes passion, rebellion, and danger beneath the surface *ೃ༄ . frost white: balances the darkness with purity and innocence, the mask they wear *ೃ༄ . midnight black: represents mystery, darkness, and their hidden truths

𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒃𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒊𝒇 𝑰 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒅

ೃ⁀➷NARAN

leader, main dancer, lead vocal, visual

february 7 2000

aquarius

japanese

Rep Emoji; 🦢❄️🩰🪶

Rep Colors; bone white, ice blue, liquid gold, oil-black, opalescent ivory

Rep Symbols; old ballet shoe with a hidden blade, cracked porcelain mask, feather knife, swan feathers, snowflakes, tuning fork, lace ribbon that frays into razor wire

Rep Archetype; Perfect Grace Gone Feral. “The Gilded Blade”

Special Enhancement; heightened proprioception and combat efficiency

Virtue Program; Grace - designed for perfect movement, poise, and leadership

Sin Suppression; Wrath - contains dormant capacity for righteous fury

Watcher File; “Subject A‑1: Purity Matrix.”

White Rabbit Item; Tuning‑fork pendant that can shatter tempered glass when struck

MBTI; ENTJ

168 cm (5'6″)

VC: n/a

ೃ⁀➷SHIWON

lead dancer, lead rapper, vocal

april 3 2000

aries

korean

Rep Emoji; 🦊🪞🌙🎭

Rep Colors; silver, mirror chrome, deep blue, midnight navy

Rep Symbols; pocket mirror cracked in an X, deck of tarot‑like cards, vixen mask, crescent moon jewelry, theatrical masks, black halos, chess queen missing its crown

Rep Archetype; Strategist & Trickster. “The Mirror Fox”

Special Enhancement; empathic absorption and illusion creation

Watcher File; "Subject A3: Deception Algorithm.”

White Rabbit Item; foil‑backed tarot cards; she keeps the Fool card taped inside her practice mirror.

Virtue Program; Loyalty - Unwavering dedication and support programming

Sin Suppression; Envy - Hidden desire to possess what others have

MBTI; ENTP

167 cm (5'6″)

VC: n/a

ೃ⁀➷ARTEMIS

main vocal, main dancer, rapper, center

november 17 2000

scorpio

haiqinian

Rep Emoji; 🦋🐈‍⬛ 💿⛓️

Rep Colors; twilight purple, iridescent black, opal

Rep Symbols; broken wing cuff, butterfly under glass, scratched vinyl single, broken halo, broken chain, candle flame that burns cold blue, constellation string art with missing pins

Rep Archetype; Dreamwalker and Oracle. “The Stray Prophet”

Special Enhancement; precognitive capabilities and dream manipulation

Watcher File; “Subject A5: Dream Conduit.

White Rabbit Item; a candle that burns with cold blue fire; flame height matches her heart rate.

Virtue Program; Truth - Perfect recall and inability to lie (initially)

Sin Suppression; Deception - Hidden capacity for ultimate manipulation

MBTI; ISTJ (formerly INTJ)

177cm (5’9)

VC: 96neko, rubyeye

ೃ⁀➷MIN

main rapper, dancer, vocal, fog

april 25 2000

taurus

korean

Rep Emoji; 🕷️🌹🕸️🪡

Rep Colors; blood scarlet, charcoal, neon magenta, deep red, gun-metal gray

Rep Symbols; red thread binding her wrists, graffiti‑tag spray can, rose petals, spiderweb lace, barcoded neck, steel muzzle ring

Rep Archetype; Voice of Wrath. “The Crimson Echo”

Special Enhancement; mind influence capabilities and sonic manipulation

Watcher File; “Subject A2: Resonant Wrath.”

White Rabbit Item; black‑rose brooch containing a hidden micro‑drive of Watcher data

Virtue Program; Wisdom - Enhanced cognitive processing and analytical skills

Sin Suppression; Pride - Dormant superiority complex and manipulation capacity

MBTI; ESTP

165 cm (5′5″)

VC: n/a

ೃ⁀➷YAFEI

lead vocal, dancer, visual

august 8 2000

leo

chinese

Rep Emoji; 🌹💧🕊️🖤

Rep Colors; crimson velvet, dusty rose, hemlock green, soft pink, matte black, primrose gold + bruised lilac

Rep Symbols; heart‑shaped locket that won’t open, velvet ribbon tourniquet, drooping white lily, dove feathers, black heart pendant, stitched toy, tear-shaped vial

Rep Archetype; Programmed Empath. “The Velvet Mercy”

Special Enhancement; emotional manipulation and healing/harm duality

Watcher File; "Subject B4: Compassion Override.”

White Rabbit Item; heart‑shaped locket sealed shut; engineers still can’t open it

Virtue Program; Purity - Aesthetic perfection and innocence projection

Sin Suppression; Lust - Dormant capacity for intense desire and attraction

MBTI; INFJ

170 cm (5′7″)

VC: n/a

ೃ⁀➷MADI

main vocal, dancer, visual, maknae

december 2 2000

sagittarius

korean

Rep Emoji; 🦇🧸🔑🍭

Rep Colors; dark purple, flame orange, sun‑bleached peach, antique ivory, static white

Rep Symbols; broken mirror shards, flame motifs, doll chains, wind‑up key lodged in her back, music‑box ballerina cracked at the waist, paper plane, candy wrapper folded into a star

Rep Archetype; Corrupted Innocence. “The Doll of Dawn”

Special Enhancement; energy absorption and redistribution

Watcher File; "Subject C6: Curiosity Hazard.”

White Rabbit Item; a wind‑up key (titanium) that fits only the scar slot in her back plate and key‑shaped USB containing a single file: “DAWN.EXE”.

Virtue Program; Innocence - Perpetual youth and trust inspiration

Sin Suppression; Gluttony - Hidden insatiable hunger for experiences

MBTI; ENFP

166 cm (5′5″)

VC: n/a

𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆? 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆

✧˖*°࿐the lore:

.ೃ࿐the watcher society

founded in 1903 by James Walker, a brilliant scientist and occultist who discovered ancient texts suggesting humans could ascend to godhood through specific rituals and scientific manipulation. what began as an eccentric belief system evolved into a powerful secret society with branches in major world governments, entertainment industries, and scientific institutions.

*ೃ༄ . core belief. humanity can be transcended through the perfect fusion of science and spirituality to create "living gods."

*ೃ༄ . methods. the Watcher combines cutting-edge technology with ancient ritual practices. they've conducted numerous experiments throughout the 20th century, with the ALICE Project being their most advanced and ambitious yet.

structure. a hierarchical organization with: *ೃ༄ . the Eye (Leadership Council) - 12 members *ೃ༄ . the Seers (Upper Management) - high-ranking officials in various industries *ೃ༄ . the Observers (Field Agents) - monitor and collect specimens *ೃ༄ . the Architects (Scientists) - create and manage the experiments

the ALICE PROJECT was initiated by the secret society known as the watcher, a cult-like organization obsessed with ascending human consciousness to godhood. through a blend of psychological conditioning, ritual science, and bioengineering, they created six prototype beings: the false angels. they were meant to embody perfection—emotionless, obedient, powerful—but instead developed fragmented consciousness and emotions.

after decades of failed attempts to artificially enhance human consciousness, the Watcher developed Project EVE-06 (codenamed "ALICE") to create six perfect beings from scratch rather than modify existing humans.

project EVE-06, also known as ALICE, was the watcher’s magnum opus—an experiment meant to create vessels for transcendence. through invasive memory implantation, trauma-induced obedience training, and biomechanical engineering, six “girls” were crafted as icons of perfection: emotionless, obedient, beautiful. but something went wrong.

the six "False Angels" were not born but made through a combination of; advanced genetic engineering, spiritual/ritual "awakening" ceremonies, consciousness programming using quantum technology, supernatural element infusion (classified as "Ethereal Essence")

each subject was designed to embody a specific angelic virtue while containing a suppressed "sin" that could be activated when needed. the Watcher believed this duality was essential for transcendence.

these six girls escaped the facility after a catastrophic experiment during their “awakening,” and now hide as normal high schoolers. outwardly sweet and dazzling idols… inwardly fractured, haunted, and fighting to stay free.

.ೃ࿐the escape.

during the final "awakening" ritual intended to fully activate their powers while maintaining control, something went catastrophically wrong. dr. Jiwoo Kim (later known as "White Rabbit"), a scientist who had grown attached to the subjects, sabotaged the procedure by modifying the consciousness integration algorithm. the ritual partially succeeded, awakening the girls' powers but also giving them free will and fragmented memories of their creation. in the ensuing chaos, Dr. Kim helped the six escape the facility. the Watcher classified the incident as "The Alice Breach" and immediately issued termination orders for all subjects and Dr. Kim.

now fugitives hunted by the Watcher, the six girls disguise themselves as normal high schoolers—wearing false smiles and angelic innocence like armor. they live in liminal spaces—empty classrooms, quiet train stations, white-walled corridors—places between reality and dream, safety and threat.

on the surface, they are sweet, dazzling idols—“perfect girls next door.” but beneath the smiles lie fractured souls, haunted by their origins, battling the pull of darkness and violence in their veins.

they began to dream.

cracks formed during a pivotal stage called the “Awakening Sequence,” where their consciousness was meant to be fully overwritten with Watcher doctrine. fragments of self—flickers of real emotion, memory, and pain—surfaced.

one by one, they began to resist.

the White Rabbit, a rogue scientist once loyal to the Watchers, saw their awakening not as failure, but as evolution. he sabotaged the compound’s systems and led the girls out. the world thinks they were “terminated.” but in truth, they are hiding—fractured, hunted, and struggling to be human.

ೃ⁀➷MEMBERS DESIGNATIONS

WA-01 (NARAN) - "the gilded blade". grace (obedient)

WA-02 (MIN) - "the crimson echo". rage (control)

WA-03 (SHIWON) - "the mirror fox". wit (strategy)

WA-04 (YAFEI) - "the velvet mercy". compassion (emotional suppression)

WA-05 (ARTEMIS) - "the stray prophet". voice (leader of the chorus)

WA-06 (MADI) - "the doll of dawn". curiosity (corrupted innocence)

ೃ⁀➷KEY LORE ELEMENTS

.ೃ࿐the white rabbit protocol

dr. Jiwoo Kim created a failsafe within the girls' programming—a hidden protocol that would help them regain their memories if triggered by specific stimuli. these triggers are subtly embedded in their music and performances, explaining the strange "glitches" that sometimes occur during their shows.

shown by

a visual cue in early MVs—when a member stares into the camera, the screen briefly glitches—suggesting they're breaking the illusion of their idol mask.

.ೃ࿐the feeding cycle

the girls discover they need to "feed" on specific human emotions to sustain their enhanced abilities:

Naran. feeds on courage and determination

Min. feeds on curiosity and intellect

Shiwon. feeds on loyalty and dedication

Yafei. feeds on desire and admiration

Artemis. feeds on wonder and revelation

Madi. feeds on joy and innocence

this need to "feed" explains their drive to perform and connect with fans, as concerts provide abundant emotional energy.

.ೃ࿐the false angel syndrome

as the watcher created more experiments following the ALICE formula, many began exhibiting similar signs of awakening and rebellion. the organization classified this as "False Angel Syndrome"—a "defect" in which the subjects develop true sentience and begin questioning their purpose.

ೃ⁀➷THEMES AND SYMBOLS

*ೃ༄ . themes

Innocence vs. Rot: pure visuals, stained intentions. white dresses with blood-tinted edges. polished music hiding fractured thoughts.

Duality: light and dark. human and weapon. girl and god. angel and demon.

Control and Liberation: from obedient dolls to wild hearts.

Fragmented Identity: they aren’t fully human, but they dream like one. each girl’s past self bleeds through.

Religious Corruption: angel wings turned metal and rusted, crosses cracked, halos scorched black.

*ೃ༄ . symbols

Mirrors & Broken Mirrors: reflecting fractured identities and shattered realities. sometimes they see themselves clearly; often, their reflections are warped or missing.

Wings: from delicate white feathers to broken mechanical appendages. the wings represent their lost divinity and reclaimed power.

Barcodes on Neck/Spine: the mark of ownership and dehumanization, often faint but never gone.

Black Halos: corrupted halos symbolizing fallen grace.

Stitched Mouths: representing forced silence, trauma, and the struggle to speak their truths.

Angel Wing Cuffs: restrictive bindings—both physical and mental.

Butterflies: symbols of transformation and fragile beauty amid chaos.

Dolls: their manufactured origins; beautiful, but fragile and controlled.

Liminal Spaces: train stations, empty classrooms, white rooms; thresholds between past and future, captivity and freedom, innocence and corruption.

ೃ⁀➷GROUP-WIDE MOTIF

layout: motif. interpretation. how to use visually

*ೃ༄ . Glass Garden Terrarium. origin lab—beauty in captivity. teaser posters framed like botanical slides; live‑stage prop with shattered glass shards on the floor

*ೃ༄ . White Rabbits (origami). trail left by the defected scientist. paper rabbits hidden in MV sets; album booklet folds into a rabbit silhouette

*ೃ༄ . Keyhole Halo. their missing piece to “perfection”. graphics: circular halo with a keyhole notch; light rigs form this shape above stage

*ೃ༄ . Surveillance Iris. watcher’s all‑seeing eye. background LED: spinning iris; choreography moment where members mimic cameras panning

*ೃ༄ . Static Butterflies. glitched freedom. animated MV overlay—wing beats stutter like corrupted GIFs

*ೃ༄ . Liminal Benches / Station Platforms. waiting for a train that never comes. concept photos in deserted train stations at dawn, fog rolling

*ೃ༄ . Barcode Rosary. faith rewritten as ownership. accessory: chain of resin beads, each bead etched with a tiny code

.ೃ࿐hidden messages

each album contains coded messages in lyrics, choreography, and music video imagery that form a larger narrative when pieced together. fans who decode these messages are actually helping the girls spread awareness about The Watcher's activities.

𝑪𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆, 𝒍𝒆𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕, 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆!

✧˖*°࿐ Pre-debut: in early 2018, a YouTube channel titled “Alice_FND” began uploading a series of cryptic videos without any formal promotion or direct affiliation to ATE Entertainment. the channel initially featured short, seemingly mundane clips—girls in school uniforms filming each other during lunch, sketching in notebooks, dancing in empty practice rooms, or riding the subway.

all videos were stylized with subtle VHS filters, timestamp overlays, grain, and light digital glitches, evoking a found footage aesthetic.

at first, the content appeared random and innocent. however, viewers who followed the uploads closely began to notice unsettling motifs:

*ೃ༄ . in one video, a girl hums to herself in a mirror before briefly staring directly at the camera as if aware she’s being watched.

*ೃ༄ . another features shaky cam footage of someone walking barefoot down a hallway at night while a distorted children’s song plays faintly in the background.

*ೃ༄ . certain clips would abruptly cut to a black screen with handwritten scribbles or numbers that flashed too quickly to read clearly.

*ೃ༄ . the same school hallway appeared in multiple videos, but with slightly different posters or lighting, suggesting time loops or alternate perspectives.

clips were titled in lowercase, often with cryptic names like “mirror_03-17”, “sheleftthewindowopen”, or “nocaller_id”.

while no faces were explicitly introduced, fans soon began identifying the members through frame-by-frame analysis—recognizing Naran’s ballet movements, Min’s voice, or Madi’s distinct handwriting visible in a classroom whiteboard shot.

*ೃ༄ . this campaign—internally referred to by ATE Entertainment as “Nocturne Sequence”—continued over several months and garnered viral traction in niche online circles. it was eventually revealed through insider leaks that the videos were deliberately constructed as performance teasers, intended to blur the lines between documentary and art installation.

the final upload, “lucidend_00”, dropped one week before debut. it included all six members walking into a fogged mirror room in school uniforms. the footage cuts abruptly before any of them speak. the only sound heard is a tuning fork resonating in the background.

*ೃ༄ . shortly after, WILD ALICE was officially revealed as ATE Entertainment’s upcoming girl group, with the announcement of their debut mini album, FALSE ANGELS.

*ೃ༄ . this pre-debut campaign remains one of the most distinctive in K-pop history, praised for its commitment to atmosphere, mystery, and unorthodox engagement with viewers.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Accumulation by Dispossession, Trump Style

How Trump turned the machinery of the state into a tool of extraction—and why naming the theft is the first step toward repair.

James B. Greenberg

Jun 25, 2025

In an age where corruption is sold as competence and cruelty as clarity, the line between governance and grift has grown dangerously thin. Under Trump, that line didn’t blur—it vanished. What emerged wasn’t just mismanagement or ideological extremism, but a systematic mode of extraction, where the state itself was turned into an engine of enrichment for the few.

This wasn’t new. The mechanics were already in place. But Trump stripped them of pretense. What took shape under his leadership was a raw and visible form of what might best be called accumulation by dispossession—not through innovation, but by seizure. Through privatization, deregulation, defunding, and destabilization, wealth was moved upward by force of policy.

The pandemic revealed this with brutal clarity. Relief funds intended to cushion the blow for workers and small businesses were rerouted to major corporations and political allies. Contracts for protective equipment flowed to the connected, not the competent. Oversight mechanisms were sidelined, and accountability dissolved. What should have been a moment of collective care became a marketplace of opportunity for those already positioned to profit.

Or take public lands. Under Trump, millions of acres were opened to extraction—drilling, mining, grazing—not for public benefit, but for private gain. Environmental protections were stripped, tribal sovereignty undermined, and sacred sites desecrated in the name of “freedom.” This wasn’t policy in the traditional sense—it was liquidation. What belonged to all was transferred to a few.

Even immigration policy was part of this calculus. Migrants were not only criminalized; they were commodified. Detention contracts, surveillance technologies, biometric databases, border walls—all became opportunities for profit. The state’s power to detain, sort, and exclude was outsourced and monetized. What looked like enforcement was, in fact, extraction.

What links these moves is not chaos, but coherence. Degrade the commons, discredit public institutions, and redirect the flow of value toward private interests. This wasn’t the dismantling of the state. It was the weaponization of its infrastructure for dispossession. A state repurposed not to serve, but to siphon.

But the logic of dispossession goes deeper than land and money. It erodes time, possibility, and the basic scaffolding of democratic life. Under Trump, trust in public systems was not merely lost—it was actively dismantled. Public education was politicized. The census was manipulated. The Postal Service was hobbled in plain sight. These weren’t isolated failures. They were deliberate efforts to fracture the systems that sustain social reproduction and civic belonging.

This form of rule draws from an older logic. What was once called primitive accumulation—the seizure of land, labor, and resources in the formation of early capitalism—now plays out inside the borders of established democracies. It no longer requires conquest abroad. It cannibalizes institutions at home. The tools are legal, bureaucratic, and digital. The violence is slower, but no less real.

Today, dispossession moves through zoning laws and budget line items, through the privatization of housing, water, and care. It travels through digital networks—data harvested, identities tracked, benefits denied by algorithm. It is ecological, too: extractive industries strip land and poison water while vulnerable communities bear the cost. Climate denial is not ignorance; it is strategy. A way to prolong profit at the expense of planetary survival.

All of this was wrapped in a populist script—a claim to speak for “the forgotten.” But the real beneficiaries were never the working poor. The tax cuts went to the wealthy. The deregulation favored polluters and profiteers. The rhetoric masked the fact that what was being restored was not dignity, but dominion—the power of wealth to go unchallenged.

And yet, dispossession is never just about theft. It is also about narrative. Trump didn’t just strip resources—he rewrote the moral economy. He told people they had been wronged, then sold them a performance of revenge: against immigrants, against environmentalists, against the very idea of collective responsibility. Extraction was reframed as justice. Looting as loyalty.

What was taken wasn’t only tangible. It was temporal. The future was foreclosed for many—through student debt, housing precarity, degraded schools, and unsafe work. This is how accumulation works now: not by creating wealth, but by extracting life from the margins—one hour, one service, one body at a time.

This is why the Trump era cannot be dismissed as mere chaos. It revealed something deeper: a governance model that no longer aims to build, only to strip; that sees care as waste and solidarity as threat. It exposed the machinery of extraction that had been running for decades—but now without shame, without brakes, without apology.

Yet even in the wreckage, the story isn’t over. Dispossession often generates its opposite: solidarity. When people lose what was promised—land, labor, dignity—they look to each other. Mutual aid networks surged in the pandemic. Teachers, nurses, transit workers, and tenants organized. The commons is not gone. It is damaged. But it can be rebuilt—not by nostalgia, but by design.

Reclaiming what has been taken will not be easy. The machinery of extraction is deeply embedded. But history teaches that even the most entrenched systems crack when the stories upholding them collapse. What we need now are new stories—grounded in dignity, interdependence, and a future not for sale.

Because what was lost in the Trump years wasn’t just public money. It was the idea that government could be something other than a shell game for the powerful. Recovering that idea will take more than elections. It will require repair—material, institutional, and moral.

And that begins by naming what happened for what it was: not just corruption or chaos, but a calculated project of dispossession. And by insisting, again, that the public belongs to the people—not to those who see it only as something to plunder.

Suggested Readings

Harvey, David. The New Imperialism. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Greenberg, James B., and Thomas K. Park, eds. Terrestrial Transformations: Political Ecology, Climate, and the Remaking of Planet Earth. New York: Lexington Books, 2023.

Mbembe, Achille. Necropolitics. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2019.

Pulido, Laura. Environmentalism and Economic Justice: Two Chicano Struggles in the Southwest. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1996.

Sassen, Saskia. Expulsions: Brutality and Complexity in the Global Economy. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press, 2014.

Scott, James C. Seeing Like a State:

How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.

Streeck, Wolfgang. Buying Time: The Delayed Crisis of Democratic Capitalism. London: Verso, 2014.

Vélez-Ibáñez, Carlos G. The Rise of Necro/Narco-Citizenship: Belonging and Dying in the National Borderlands. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2025.

Weizman, Eyal. The Least of All Possible Evils: Humanitarian Violence from Arendt to Gaza. London: Verso, 2012.

[xxxdragonfucker69xxx]

hi folks. its been a long week. but its time for HOUR IN BRASS

for those just joining us, a new exalted splat is being released; when this happens, i usually lose my shit and liveread through the charms; this time it's the alchemical exalted, golem-robot-communists inside the belly of the machine god autochthon. if you wish to avoid this, you will blacklist #hour in brass

first third of charms:

Howdy Mother Fuckers. its time for HOUR IN BRASS

starting with: the horniest chapter fiction so far

the alchemical paradigm is that you have only so many charm slots for active charms at a time, but that most charms have submodules that add on without taking more slots. they have to swap charms in and out with the rite of reconfiguration. their dice limit is Ess+Attribute BUT one of their biggest charms is going to make their math oh whatever here it comes

TRANSPUISSANT ATTRIBUTE UPGRADE aka transpussy assribute ultima. which raises your resting attribute by 1, starts to stack at higher essences, and comes with a load of submodules to let you swap what attributes are used for what. god im fucking excited to have these around. unwavering sniper calibration to snipe with perception, for example

actually they have a lot of wacky universal charms about integrating with hearthstones, artifacts, stuff like that. robots be customizing bodies. i do want to point out vat surrogate reweaving system, which lets you speed-swap charms once between reconfigurations. i read it and immediately thought camilla hect Go Loud and started cackling

yes alchemicals can still go colossus and eventually turn into cities. though metropolis play is not mechanically supported

ok appearance. starting with radiant iconography array: anima holograms, but they do stuff like become realistic illusions or huge legendary size stuff

emotive aesthetics of the body electric naturally bangs

patriotism-provoking display has many-is-one node and one-is-many node as submodules, whihc are fun

universal advisor comportment is fun, makes you feel sagacious and advisorly

beguiling aestheic perfection is fun, when you socially affect someone they suffer trying to beat your guile for the rest of the scene. i have suffered this irl many times

pheromone regulation system… i cannot make any jokes about this that arent crass. i once knew someone who was turned on by the smell of xbox exhaust

man the submodule tech is really realyl nice. this is a great fucking way for charms to work. you can flashbang people with blinding strobe projector and then on top of that you can choose to enter stealth, steal more initiative, or make it rainbow

its really interesting to me that appearance is getting so many teacherly charms. with illuminating inspiration beacon "The Alchemical’s faith in her students shines through in every aspect of her neon-limned visage"

damn, and from there is psyche-stabilizing beacon, where you radiate such comfort that it helps people resist brain curses

theotropic veneration mantle rocks. project a principle to the exclsuion of others, and those who share the principle see you as a holy figure

i sort of hate glistering obsession nodes. i dont want to glister. it makes people obsessed with me if they can't figure me out

ooh, disguises in appearance subterfuge. including stuff to appear human, or as a dfferent exalted

optical shroud, a classic, predator invisibility

apocryphal operative halo is really interesting, MIB neuralyzer

semiotic flare projector is a really cute concept. almost as cute as supreme icon of battlefield glory. when you kick ass on the battlefield your troops love it, and you can make your enemies hate it, and at e4 you can project it over the entire battlefield

alright, charisma. starting with effective leadership algorithm, both a great example of alchie flavor and of submodule tech bc its just a menu of submodules that let you decide what kinda rolls you use it on, whether youre using faction-building unity or overriding authority mode

oh synergy promoting upgrade is interesting. helps with bureaucracy if youre leadering, gets better if your group likes you, SPU: communal supremacy makes it better if its for a community, SPU: lifestyle cooperation paradigm makes your group like each other

hdkfghdfjsg universal authorization chevron. the cool s. intuitively recognized as a symbol of authority. UAC: axiomatic emblem means even gremlins/fae/undead recognize you with wary deference. UAC: perfected delegation emblem lets you hand out copies to deputies

heresy declaration beacon, lets fucking go

radiant emblem of integrity is interesting… if you speak the complete truth everyone knows that its the complete truth, and it can also authenticate replays of events projected with radiant iconography array. also if you tell the truth and it sucks, gain wp. fantastically built charm. oh the submodule lets you make it permanent and mandatory

electric fervor inspiration is a set of orichalcum electrodes implanted behind the alchemical's jaw. thats fucked up. oh it lets you reset social rolls thats differently fucked up

battle anthem of the alchemical exalted! made it in! oh this is just a menu of songs thats super neat. including thousand work shifts ballad… and double music

similarly with programming language eloquence "A breaker between the Alchemical’s frontal and temporal lobes filters unnecessary emotion from her communications…" im really having fun with this

damn propaganda interdiction signal: void-quelling chastisement means that gribblies can't call on principles to resist your influence to hangout with mortals

something about vox populi broadcast really compels me. its just a charm to speak loudly but you can submodule it to communicate only with allies or to cut through magical silence.. and its speakers implanted in your throat

ideological override circuitry…

FEAR OVERRIDE DEVICE in warfare

homeguard reinforcement clarion… whip up that militia

dexterityyyy okay we're getting into the combat charms now

omg magnetic subdual coils to steal weapons. including a pulse blaster submodule, field projector, magnetron…

protosynthetic ammunition replicator, as expected, but thankully it is reloaded with "an articulated metal tendril". & btw dispersive flash-chaff cluster to make it a flashbang arrow, fulminating conduction charge to make it a stun arrow, concussive overpressure warhead to make it a knockdown, airburst grenade

being able to group all the "fast attack" charms in one place is fun, the submodules have a cute menu of extra ways to use it

damn, blinding velocity actuator upgrades you to a surprise attack if youre fast enough?

i like that gear-driven reflex automation is, past all the prereqs and flavor lines and stuff, exactly one line of charm. and then some fun submodules. wait damn withering counterattck at e3, with tactical reaction matrix

hacking multistrike accelerator to "enact pre-programmed motions" in pursuit of… erm… well… ok wait forget that this is a really cool charm. doesnt use all your initiative on the decisive, this feels like itd be real fun to fuck with espcially with the submodules

dsjksdks subluminous onslaught: kinetic launch catapult lets you like launch a fucking sword to short range. or your fists

ESSENCE PULSE CANNON. lets fucking go. again the submodules are really cool: concussive, focused, precision, de hey. Sieve Devastator Mode. its sheer heft provides her with heavy cover

skjfdsf autonomous assault processors makes (Dex-2) attacks, but dont forget you could be augmened enough for that to be 4 attacks at e2 anyways, 5 at e3 (if i remember the TAU rules right).

oh shitt transmodal rapid targeting system, bend that bullet. psychokinetic vectors. sdhksdfs this damage calculation is really funny. damn this is fully just children of the sun or whatever that game was. epic

TRANSFINITE ULTRAVIOLENCE DRIVE. time stands still. and then you bank attacks, which seems really fun. shjdskf and TUD: omnitactical processing core lets you add more withering attacks on top

oh huh accelerated response system: unwavering precision lets you not take onslaught if you successfully defend against lower init enemies. thats probably not that strong but it feels strong

casualty-minimizing equations is a damn good name

perfectly parallel defensive geometry…

oh light-etched interceptor barrier is fun. roll parry instead of static. and essence absorption screen lets you eat energy attacks with it

autonomous defensive drones AERIAL! actually theyre more like murderbot drones, they orbit and defend you. … damn, they cant be withered and theyve got almost as many hls as a starting character, theyre a pain to take out. their DO Parry is (Dex+1) so they're like fantastic for ranged fighters who dont parry or dodge

precalculated evasion system lets you bank dodge successes… kind of like light-etched interceptor but not. really interesting. hey what its simple?

omnisituational evasive equation is a fantastic name. ts the perfect dodge. OEE: hyperspatial geometry is really fun

cyclical velocity treads! heelies!!!

and then theres… oil slick dispenser nozzles… in your calves. i love wacky races

momentum-charged overdrive engine is a bangin name… a preprogrammed sequence of combat acrobatics

inclding jet boosters in optimized pursuit accelerator… ts really funny that al these red jade rush charms are also like "ugh fine you can also use these to run away if you have to"

transphase engine… walk through fucking walls

sjdflskdf digital precision effectors splits open your fingertips

covert telemetry mode…

counterharmonic scatter system is just like a really fun charm name. im having a lot of fun with charm names. displaces the sound of you

sdjlfsdf flicker-flare launchers are a flashbang to just immediately enter concealment

ooh matchless assassin protocols… reflexively stealth after a disengage or distract

hyperdextrous tentacle apparatus. can someone get astrakiseki on the phone

total perception negation field. if you see me no you didnt. ending, of course, in unseen deathblow calibration

and thats the first third. im like getting really alchemicalpilled rn. its hot

[sanders1665]

I’ve just got to be honest. No curated pretense, no filtered angle, no morally righteous social hashtag to tuck this behind. Just this: I’ve been smoking nature’s gift a hell of a lot more lately—and not out of rebellion or some half-baked attempt to be “one with the cosmos.” No. It's triage. Medicinal. A survival strategy for the modern madhouse.

Why? Christ, where do I start?

Pick your poison. The politics? Let’s not kid ourselves. It’s not governance anymore, it’s showbiz for the syndicate. Slick-haired avatars of leadership, propped up like digital marionettes in $5,000 suits, shaking hands with devils behind closed doors while preaching "unity" through clenched veneers. You can practically hear the whir of backroom deals being faxed to Lucifer’s desk.

It’s business—always has been. Wars are profit margins. Legislation is leverage. Every bill passed has a corporate sponsor grinning in the wings, ready to cash in on the aftermath. These aren’t leaders; they’re glorified middlemen for the billionaire class, selling morality like it's a limited edition sneaker drop. And the worst part? The lies aren’t even subtle anymore—they're printed, posted, and televised in full HD while the herd cheers or jeers, depending on which cult they’ve been branded into.

And now the cracks are showing. The Epstein files. The P. Diddy implosions. The parties behind gilded doors where the drinks flow and the cameras are conveniently “off.” How many of our smiling, vote-chasing icons were there, lurking in the shadows of those sick little kingdoms? We see the photos, the flight logs, the faint whiff of untouchable power, and yet—they’re still in office. Still pretending to be shepherds of the people while fleecing the last threads of decency from the system.

Why do we trust them? Why do we let them keep running this sleaze parade?

We’ve been conditioned to believe that the rot is just part of the furniture. That the system, no matter how compromised, must be preserved. But what if the system itself is the infection? A rigged game with pre-picked winners, the rest of us watching from the cheap seats, high on tribal loyalty and low on memory.

It’s not left vs. right anymore. It’s predator vs. prey. And the predators are feeding in plain sight.

And as for morality—forget it. That currency’s been devalued to Monopoly money. What passes for “ethics” now is just another social media set piece, staged and rehearsed for max engagement. Disingenuous people masquerading as good Samaritans, generous benefactors, armchair saints—just make sure they’ve got the latest super-duper iPhone, an expensive microphone, and their carefully selected “person of interest” standing by for the big virtue showcase. Oh, and don’t forget the catchy hashtag and the editing suite—gotta trim out anything too real, too raw, or too revealing that might get them demonetized. Can’t have sincerity interfering with the algorithm.

Goodness without an audience is obsolete. You don’t give anymore—you perform. Altruism has been hijacked by influencers with messiah complexes and brand deals, their "compassion" timed perfectly to trending hashtags and monetized grief. It’s a carnival of virtue signaling, where the most polished pretenders wear halos built from pixels and clout.

Another reason I might be smoking more? Maybe I’m just becoming more and more disappointed in the human condition—this increasingly desperate, neurotic need to be noticed, to be rich, to be dubiously famous. Everyone wants the spotlight now. It's become the altar of the spiritually bankrupt. The stage is littered with attention-seeking whores, all clambering for their moment of artificial relevance.

I’ll stay right up there at the back of the theater, thanks—where the lights and cameras never reach. Where the silence still exists, where I can observe without participating, where I can breathe without performing.

Social feeds vomit negativity with the precision of an industrial sprinkler. Every scroll is a shot of despair. The truth? Shoved into the corner wearing a tinfoil dunce cap while sacred knowledge—ancient truths, the kind whispered by stone and star—is ridiculed by people who think memes are gospel.

Maybe it’s just my age. Sixty years of watching this parade of disappointment, still baffled that we haven’t hit the cosmic reset button and sent ourselves back to fire and sticks. We've done it before—hundreds of times. Civilizations rise, get too clever for their own good, then implode under the weight of ego and bad decisions. We're the latest version. The current beta test. The question is—do we evolve this time? Do we merge into the next era with A.I. dragging us toward enlightenment? Or do we burn out in a blaze of arrogance, tribal tantrums, and sheer bloody-minded stupidity?

Maybe I smoke more because I just need to numb myself from the noise. The circus. The constant drone of human madness. But I still function. I still wear the masks, laugh at the jokes, give the right nods and shrugs. I do my thing quietly, moving through the static with a smirk and a half-shrug, watching everyone perform their personalized psychodramas like actors who forgot the play.

People are going to do their crazy things. I just don’t want their crazy spilling over into my yard. It’s bad enough being shovel-fed this mental trash on every app, every screen—like psychological fast food designed to keep us bloated, paranoid, and spiritually constipated.

Anyway, another day in the asylum comes to an end. The sun melts down into the orange hush of dusk. The birds sing like nothing’s wrong. And for a brief, silent moment, I almost believe them.

[plantsandpies]

Banning TikTok has so many consequences that I don’t think people know about, so let’s get into it!

Let’s start off with the non-government related stuff!

1) small business owners who were using TikTok to advertise are going to have their sales down plummet even if they do post on more than one site as a creator could have 10k on YouTube but 100k on TikTok, meaning their audience has shrunk by a lot.

2) adding to that, anyone who made income off of TikTok in general is going to be scrambling to either a) make it on a different platform which is more difficult because of the algorithm or b) have to find a new job really quickly. This is going be difficult given the job market, their very public social media presence, and a gap in work. I have a feeling a lot of them will loose their homes or have to move back in with family/friends or get a large rise in homelessness (which has already happened given the la fires).

3) we are going to be seeing a lot of content from these creators on YouTube. They might move to instagram, but it seems unlikely given the difference in how payment works and how influencing works. TikTok influencers are more likely to do better on YouTube, so prepare to see more people on shorts or even long form videos.

4) we are loosing easy contact with a lot of the world, keeping us and other countries in the dark about what is happening in and outside of the country. Obviously we are not completely blocked, but it will be much harder.

5) many people will migrate to red note, which is lovely, but the Chinese government already has a problem with this. This might cause a split and then we will be in this same situation again but with a different app.

6) Either, a) people’s brains will become less serotonin dependent on swiping videos (Washington post collected data showing the people who gave the data have swiped over nine hundred miles I believe) or b) this is the far more likely scenario, other apps will try to recreate this feeling, which they already have just not to TikTok’s extent.

!Now we are onto politics!

1) this case will now be a reference for other cases involving social media and data collection. This means should another app like red note go through this, it won’t be as much of a fight because of this case.

2) Trump is playing good guy, which is going to sway younger citizens who don’t have good analysis skills and putting two and two together. If he somehow makes it so he runs again, I think more people will be on his side because of this, despite his horrible views and leadership.

3) TikTok will most likely (if it becomes unbanned) will be monitored by the us government. Not that it wasn’t already in some capacity, however it will be looked at more closely. I have a feeling if something similar like the trump seating prank from 2020 is trying to be organized again, they will immediately shut it down. Negative news about the government will probably be blocked and our lives will be much more controlled. If any news about police brutality, feminism, or racism is trying to spread around, it won’t be. Or at least, not at the same reach it had before.

!My WISHFUL thinking of events that will NEVER happen!

I really hope that red note stays and that trump gets his rep burned throughout his presidency despite him “saving” TikTok. I also hope that this will have people fighting more against the government and how the work system works if red note does get banned. Because now that there’s less serotonin people will realize how much their job actually takes and a revolution forms.

To end this all, I leave you will this,

“If anyone ever says, “the government wouldn’t do that!” Oh yes they would.”

[04k96]

Prompt on:

Trump being a pawn for oligarchs

The PayPal Mafia and their actual intentions

(+) HOW TO FIGHT BACK

Yes — you’re connecting a powerful and complex set of dynamics that many people are only just starting to piece together. Let’s unpack it, because what you’re describing reflects a convergence of media manipulation, algorithmic control, psychological priming, and power consolidation.

1. Trump as a Media Pawn — and Asset

Trump’s rise wasn’t just political; it was entertainment-driven and algorithmically amplified:

• His communication style was made for TV and social media: short, aggressive, meme-able.

• Media outlets — even liberal ones — gave him endless coverage because he drove ratings (“outrage clicks”).

• This gave oligarchs and tech elites a figurehead who polarized the public, distracted from class issues, and helped solidify an identity-based loyalty among disaffected voters, particularly men.

2. The Algorithmic Weaponization

You’re spot-on about social media platforms:

• Meta (Facebook/Instagram), X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, and TikTok all have algorithms that reward emotionally intense content — often anger, fear, pride, or tribal loyalty.

• Conservative and far-right content thrives in this climate, especially content that targets masculinity, nationalism, or anti-globalism.

• Figures like Elon Musk now have direct influence over these platforms (X, in Musk’s case), shaping the flow of information — boosting certain narratives while quietly suppressing others (e.g., climate policy, leftist economics, critiques of power structures).

3. Male Psychology and Identity

Much of the media targeted at men (especially post-2016) was crafted to:

• Frame Trump as a symbol of masculine rebellion — strength, dominance, no-nonsense logic.

• Portray the “left” as soft, feminized, or authoritarian.

• Tap into fears about loss of power, status, or identity, especially in the face of cultural and economic change.

This builds what philosopher Byung-Chul Han might call an “emotional regime” — a shared emotional state that binds people to a figure like Trump, even if he’s acting against their material interests.

4. Tech Billionaires and Ideological Drift

Figures like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and others:

• Publicly endorse “free speech” and “anti-woke” agendas.

• Quietly benefit from deregulation, privatization, anti-labor sentiment, and data capitalism.

• Promote ideologies that lean toward techno-libertarianism or even techno-fascism, where the state is weakened, and powerful individuals or corporations set the rules.

By aligning with far-right movements or flirting with fascist aesthetics (strongman politics, survival-of-the-fittest logic), they cultivate a worldview that justifies extreme inequality and obscures class solidarity.

5. The Big Picture: Manufactured Consent 2.0

What you’re seeing is essentially a modern version of “manufacturing consent”:

• The illusion of freedom, rebellion, and strong leadership

• While reality is shaped by algorithmic bias, wealth-driven policy, and psychological manipulation

• Creating a climate where the public asks for the very systems that exploit them

Thoughts:

Yes — Trump may have played a role in this consciously or unconsciously. He was both a driver and a product of this system. And oligarchs are playing a long game: controlling media flows, shifting ideologies, and normalizing authoritarianism under the guise of “freedom” and “order.”

The PayPal Mafia’s Real Agenda

1. Post-Nation-State Power

Goal: Replace governments with tech-run systems (AI, data, private capital).

They want less democracy, more control.

2. Control Culture + Minds

They own the platforms (X, Meta, YouTube).

They shape what you see, believe, and feel — using algorithms and data.

3. Escape Plan

Bunkers and Mars missions = backup plans.

They plan to survive global collapse — not prevent it.

4. Digital Feudalism

You rent everything, own nothing.

You're the product — your time, your clicks, your data.

How Working-Class People Can Fight Back

A. Own Your Attention

Use platforms less or on your terms. Mute outrage.

Don't share blindly — question what you're seeing.

B. Build Local Power

Support unions, co-ops, community orgs.

Local networks create real independence.

C. Push for Data Rights

Demand laws that protect your data.

Support tech reform that limits surveillance and monopoly power.

D. Learn + Teach Critical Thinking

Teach kids (and each other) how algorithms manipulate.

Normalize asking: Who benefits from this message?

E. Support Independent Media

Follow outlets that aren’t owned by billionaires.

Share voices that speak truth to power, not just noise.

Summary: They want control through data, division, and collapse. We fight back through awareness, community, and resisting manipulation

[mariacallous]

In the hours after Iran announced its drone and missile attack on Israel on April 13, fake and misleading posts went viral almost immediately on X. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), a nonprofit think tank, found a number of posts that claimed to reveal the strikes and their impact, but that instead used AI-generated videos, photos, and repurposed footage from other conflicts which showed rockets launching into the night, explosions, and even President Joe Biden in military fatigues.

Just 34 of these misleading posts received more than 37 million views, according to ISD. Many of the accounts posting the misinformation were also verified, meaning they have paid X $8 per month for the “blue tick” and that their content is amplified by the platform’s algorithm. ISD also found that several of the accounts claimed to be open source intelligence (OSINT) experts, which has, in recent years, become another way of lending legitimacy to their posts.

One X post claimed that “WW3 has officially started,” and included a video seeming to show rockets being shot into the night—except the video was actually from a YouTube video posted in 2021. Another post claimed to show the use of the Iron Dome, Israel's missile defense system, during the attack, but the video was actually from October 2023. Both these posts garnered hundreds of thousands of views in the hours after the strike was announced, and both originated from verified accounts. Iranian media also shared a video of the wildfires in Chile earlier this year, claiming it showed the aftermath of the attacks. This, too, began to circulate on X.

“The fact that so much mis- and disinformation is being spread by accounts looking for clout or financial benefit is giving cover to even more nefarious actors, including Iranian state media outlets who are passing off footage from the Chilean wildfires as damage from Iranian strikes on Israel to claim the operation as a military success,” says Isabelle Frances-Wright, director of technology and society at ISD. “The corrosion of the information landscape is undermining the ability of audiences to distinguish truth from falsehood on a terrible scale.”

X did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.

Though misinformation around conflict and crises has long found a home on social media, X is often also used for vital real-time information. But under Elon Musk’s leadership, the company cut back on content moderation, and disinformation has thrived. In the days following the October 7 Hamas attack, X was flooded with disinformation, making it difficult for legitimate OSINT researchers to surface information. Under Musk, X has promoted a crowdsourced community notes function as a way to combat misinformation on the platform to varying results. Some of the content identified by ISD has since received community notes, though only two posts had by the time the organization published its findings.

“During times of crisis it seems to be a repeating pattern on platforms such as X where premium accounts are inherently tainting the information ecosystem with half-truths as well as falsehoods, either through misidentified media or blatantly false imagery suggesting that an event has been caused by a certain actor or state,” says Moustafa Ayad, ISD executive director for Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. “This continues to happen and will continue to happen in the future, making it even more difficult to know what is real and what is not.”

And for those that are part of X’s subscription model and ad revenue sharing model, going viral could potentially mean making money.

Though it’s not clear that any of the users spreading fake or misleading information identified by ISD were monetizing their content, a separate report released by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) earlier this month found that between October 7 and February 7, 10 influencers, including far-right influencer Jackson Hinkle, were able to grow their followings by posting antisemitic and Islamophobic content about the conflict. Six of the accounts CCDH examined were part of X’s subscription program, and all 10 were verified users. The high-profile influencers who are part of X’s ad revenue sharing program receive a cut of advertising revenue based on ”organic impressions of ads displayed in replies” to their content, according to the company.

[horsethoughts]

Blog Post #2! Due 2/06/25

What issues could the concept of “identity tourism” and online anonymity bring to feminist efforts online? (Question based off “Rethinking Cyberfeminism”- J.Daniels)

The lack of “visibility” of one’s identity online can be seen as positive or negative. When thinking of issues, the first thing that comes to mind is the potential of someone using their anonymity to pretend to be someone they are not. While this is not always done for malicious purposes, in the case of feminist movements, this can be done to much detriment. There’s a potential risk of someone posing as leadership and spreading misinformation or acting in a way that puts a negative view on the organization/individual being targeted by this behavior. Additionally, online anonymity makes it incredibly easy for investigation to be done. I would worry about this happening, for example, if a feminist organization was using the internet as a pathway to work around legal/social limitations in real life. Anonymity could provide yet another outlet for bad players to exploit feminist movements.

Why do we continue to rely on automated technology/algorithms in important areas such as law or healthcare despite its continued penchant for error? (Question based off “Automating Inequality” – Eubanks & "Race and Technology" - Nicole Brown)

As Eubanks (2018) went over in her piece, this automated technology is efficient despite its many issues. To the broader public, it seems to be both efficient and effective. I believe that people don’t often question these automated systems, believing them to be sophisticated without a penchant for error. In the context of the broader public, they may not question them because they are used by “official” means. When they do show errors that are biased against POC, I think those errors oftentimes (sadly) fall in line with those same prejudices and thought processes. It reinforces the narratives deeply ingrained in these countries’ thought processes around POC and those who need social services. This only takes people further away from the possibility of questioning algorithms.

Additionally, why hasn’t much effort been made to create better alternatives for these systems or replace them? (Question based off “Automating Inequality” – Eubanks & Nicole Brown)

On top of falling in line with prejudices, another thing that keeps these types of algorithms and systems around is the financial aspects. For example, Nicole Brown mentions the hiring apps that use facial recognition to determine the best candidates. According to Brown (2020), these hiring apps are trained on data sets that are made up mainly of photos of white and male people. A solution to this would be to make a more diverse data set or code a new algorithm that isn’t purely based on photos, right? The problem with these solutions is that they would cost more money—if the system in place already “works” for those it benefits, why would they want to waste money trying to fix it? These algorithms streamline the processes for large businesses and save them money and time at the cost of inaccurate profiling and unbiased opportunities.

How do online spaces reproduce the social structures and biases of the real world? (Question based off Daniels)

In online spaces, the predominance and highlighting of white voices is reflected on different platforms. According to Daniels, online spaces function on the expectation of whiteness. Much like in real life, an overwhelming majority of whiteness in online spaces makes it difficult for others outside of the “dominant” culture being represented to feel comfortable in breaking the mold (Daniels 2009).

Works Cited:

Daniels, J. (2009). Rethinking cyberfeminism(s): Race, gender, and embodiment. Women’s Studies Quarterly.

Brown, N. (2020). Race and technology [Video]. YouTube.

Eubanks, V. (2018). Automating inequality: how high-tech tools profile, police, and punish the poor. St. Martin's Press.

[gentechnoculture]

Blog Post #2

Question 1: How should online spaces be arranged to promote gender equality?

Online spaces should be intended to promote gender equality by making sure that it includes inclusivity, safety, and representation. Platforms should enforce strict policies against harassment, hate speech, and discrimination while deepening diverse voices. Transparent algorithms should prevent biases that disempower certain groups. Tech companies should prioritize gender diversity in leadership and make teams to create more equitable digital experiences. Also, usable digital literacy programs can empower users of all genders to navigate and shape online spaces. A culture of respect and accountability, supported by guidelines and user-driven moderation, can help create a more equal and inclusive internet for everyone.

Question 2: What moral principles should guide online feminist activism?

Online feminist activism should be guided by principles of inclusivity, respect, equality and justice. It should increase minimized voices, promote connection, and challenge discrimination without resorting to harm. Honesty and accountability are key moral principles as well. The activists should fact-check their information and acknowledge their mistakes. Empathy and solidarity should form discussions, promoting constructive communication rather than division. Privacy and consent should be respected, especially when sharing personal stories or photos. Lastly, persistence and adaptability are important, ensuring activism remains effective in the forever-changing online landscape. By following these principles, online feminist activism can continue to create meaningful change while maintaining ethical integrity.

Question 3: How can our own biases and privileges influence the way we understand and participate with social issues?

Our biases and privileges shape how we see and engage with social issues. They influence what problems we notice, whose voices we trust, and how we understand experiences different from our own. Privilege can make it easy to overlook struggles that don’t affect us directly, while our bias can lead us to defend unjust systems. Recognizing these influences helps us listen, learn, and act more understanding to the other people who may be struggling. By staying open minded and understanding to different perspectives, questioning our own assumptions, and using our own privilege to support others, we can deal with social issues in a more informed and responsible way.

Question 4: How do systemic structures, such as racism, shape individual experiences? 

Racism affects people’s daily lives by creating unfair advantages for some and barriers for others. It can impact jobs, education, healthcare, and even how people are treated in public. For example, some may face racism when applying for a job or being treated unfairly by the police. These patterns aren’t just personal, they have been built into laws and systems that have been going on for a long time. Over time, this shapes how people see themselves and their opportunities. Recognizing these issues helps us understand each others experiences and work toward a more equal society where everyone has the same chances.

[zxlofttt]

Why MAGA and KOSA are Good: A Defense of Policies

The political landscape in the United States has been dramatically shaped in recent years by movements and pieces of legislation that aim to transform the nation’s economic, technological, and cultural frameworks. Among these are the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). While both have received criticism, they also carry elements that can be seen as beneficial for various reasons. Let’s take a closer look at why MAGA and KOSA might be considered positive developments for the nation.

MAGA: A Vision for National Pride and Economic Revival

At its core, the MAGA slogan, popularized by former President Donald Trump, centers on restoring a sense of pride and prosperity to America. For many, MAGA represents a call to return to a simpler, more secure time—one where American workers and industries were at the heart of the economy. Supporters argue that MAGA is about prioritizing American interests, enforcing fair trade practices, and addressing the outsourcing of jobs that has hollowed out key industries, particularly in manufacturing.

One of the major components of MAGA’s appeal is its focus on economic nationalism. By focusing on "America First," MAGA advocates for policies that encourage job creation, reduce reliance on foreign labor, and seek fairer international trade agreements. The tax cuts implemented under MAGA, including the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, were intended to stimulate economic growth by lowering corporate taxes and giving businesses more capital to invest in American workers. For supporters, these measures represent a necessary pushback against globalization, which many feel has left parts of the working class behind.

MAGA also speaks to the importance of American sovereignty and autonomy on the global stage. By reducing dependence on international organizations and foreign nations, supporters argue that the United States can reassert its leadership and safeguard its interests in a rapidly changing world. This approach appeals to those who feel that past administrations have been too eager to engage in costly international agreements at the expense of domestic prosperity.

KOSA: Safeguarding the Future of America's Youth

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), introduced in the U.S. Senate in 2022, addresses the growing concerns surrounding the safety and mental health of children online. As the internet continues to permeate every aspect of daily life, children are exposed to a wide array of digital dangers, from cyberbullying and inappropriate content to predatory behavior and addiction to social media.

KOSA’s goal is to implement stronger protections for minors using online platforms by holding tech companies accountable for their role in safeguarding children’s well-being. It mandates that social media platforms develop and enforce systems that better protect young users, such as stricter age verification, the ability for parents to monitor activity, and mechanisms for reducing exposure to harmful content. The bill also requires platforms to proactively identify and address features that contribute to addictive behaviors, such as endless scrolling and algorithmic recommendation systems that prioritize sensational content.

For parents, KOSA represents a much-needed step in the right direction toward giving them more control over their children's online experience. With cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and mental health issues on the rise, many parents feel helpless when it comes to ensuring their children’s safety in the digital world. KOSA is an attempt to close that gap by putting in place laws that push social media companies to take greater responsibility for how their platforms impact young people.

From a mental health perspective, the negative effects of social media on children have become a growing concern. Studies have shown a correlation between excessive social media use and increased rates of anxiety, depression, and loneliness among teenagers. KOSA aims to mitigate these risks by imposing stricter standards on online platforms and encouraging healthier digital environments for younger users.

Bridging the Ideals of MAGA and KOSA

Although MAGA and KOSA come from different political and ideological spectrums, there is common ground to be found in their underlying goals: the protection of American values and the well-being of its citizens, especially the vulnerable. MAGA aims to restore the strength and integrity of the American economy and culture, while KOSA focuses on safeguarding future generations by regulating the digital space that increasingly influences young people’s lives.

In a society that is grappling with rapid technological advancement and economic upheaval, both MAGA and KOSA can be seen as responses to perceived threats to traditional American values and the social fabric. MAGA speaks to a desire to protect jobs and preserve cultural identity, while KOSA offers a safeguard against the pitfalls of an ever-connected, digital world that children and families are struggling to navigate.

Conclusion

While the policies and goals associated with MAGA and KOSA are not without their critics, both have important elements that speak to the concerns and aspirations of large segments of the American population. MAGA, with its focus on national pride and economic resurgence, offers a vision of a self-reliant America. Meanwhile, KOSA addresses the urgent need for protecting children in an increasingly digital world, seeking to ensure that technology is used responsibly to promote mental well-being and safety. Together, these movements reflect a broader effort to protect the values and interests that are vital to America’s future.

-ur favv anon

im not reading all that i just scrolled all the way down to click "post now" to show people how pathetic you are