#extricate

[sowhatifiliveinfukuoka]

Mark E. Smith (The Fall) (1990)

© NME Magazine

[the-ephemeral-ethereal]

What attaches us to other human beings is the thousand tiny roots, the innumerable threads formed by memories of the previous evening, hopes for the following morning; it is this continuous web of habit from which we cannot extricate ourselves.

from In Search of Lost Time, Book 5: The Prisoner by Marcel Proust

[rastronomicals]

1:32 AM EST December 30, 2024:

The Fall - "Black Monk Theme Part I" From the album Extricate (February 19, 1990)

Last song scrobbled from iTunes at Last.fm

File under: Always Different Always the Same

[vinyl-artwork]

The Fall – Extricate, 1990.

Artwork by Bob Berry

[so-true-overdue]

Climate change is real, and yes, it's our own fantastically brilliant handiwork that's tearing apart the only environment that supports life as we know it. How marvelous, really, that we—a species capable of creating awe-inspiring art, probing the cosmic abyss, and generating near-limitless scientific knowledge—should use our prodigious intellect to engineer our own habitat’s downfall. Extricate ourselves from this self-induced calamity? How quaint. We’re much too occupied with devising novel ways to hasten the unraveling of ecosystems instead.

As emissions cascade into the atmosphere, transforming it into a thickening blanket that traps heat with the efficiency of a solar oven, the Earth’s delicate climate system groans under the assault. It's a bit like cranking up the thermostat on an antique clock, watching it tick faster and faster as it lurches toward a break. Just as it’s self-evident that applying brute force to finely tuned machinery yields catastrophic results, one might think that bulldozing our way through Earth’s own delicate processes would strike a similar chord of caution. But no. We march on, blithely ignoring the fact that we’re, quite literally, cooking our own planet.

Yes, let's be clear: this is not a freakish, random occurrence—the climate changes we see now are human-made. We're basking in the effects of industrialization and fossil-fuel fervor, each atmospheric particle of carbon dioxide we release a tiny soldier in an army marching resolutely toward global destabilization. Every mile driven in an oversized, petroleum-guzzling behemoth, every puff of factory smoke, every acre of rainforest felled—it all converges in a magnificent display of collective self-sabotage.

In our pursuit of unbridled convenience, we've crafted a magnificent cage, with each iron bar forged from the very technologies that promised us liberation. Now we find ourselves embedded in an intricate web of interdependencies, entangled with the fossil-fuel economies and industries that have carved away at the Earth’s protective layers. Extricating ourselves from this self-perpetuated environmental catastrophe would require, of course, the very sort of foresight and discipline we so ingeniously sidestep.

So here we are, in an ironic twist of fate, poisoning the single life-support system we have in this expansive cosmos—a universe that, let us remember, is ruthlessly indifferent to our existence. There are no lifeboats in sight, no planetary Ark awaiting to ferry us to some untouched, Edenic haven. For all our technological mastery, we remain entirely reliant upon this fragile biosphere, which we degrade with the carefree disregard of children smashing their only toy.

The message couldn’t be clearer. Yet here we are, delightfully ignoring it. Perhaps we are too clever for our own good, or perhaps we lack the will to change. Either way, the road to climate catastrophe is paved by our own doing, and unless we master the audacious task of actually caring, we will find ourselves not so much extricating from this crisis as plummeting headfirst into its irreversible depths.

[decoding-narcissism]

They slip into your life like sunlight through blinds, casting their charm just enough to make you squint and feel warm, even comfortable. But the shadows grow. Extricate—that’s the word that may one day come to define your freedom, but for now, they use it as a tool to isolate you, to draw you away from those who truly care.

Narcissists are masters of entanglement. They need to be at the center, the brightest light in your universe. And to make sure of that, they slowly, subtly, begin to sever your ties to reality, to people who ground you, to the voice inside that says, “This isn’t right.” They wield manipulation like an artist’s brush, and they paint the world in a way that makes you question yourself, doubting even your simplest feelings and memories.

Imagine this: they convince you a shared experience wasn’t shared at all. “You’re remembering it wrong,” they say with that calm smile, a perfect lie in their eyes. Or they imply you’re too sensitive, too emotional, too much. They extricate you from yourself, prying you away from your own trust in who you are, slowly, until you feel alone even when surrounded by others.

To recognize a narcissist is to see these patterns for what they are. Watch how they claim space—always, without apology. Observe the way they leave you feeling uneasy, yet without reason, like you’re constantly one step behind, apologizing for things you don’t understand. Their words become a tangled net, meant to make you second-guess, to trap you in a state of constant doubt.

When someone chips away at your confidence, when they push you to the margins of your own life while they stay firmly planted at the center—that’s when it’s time to extricate yourself. Reclaim your reality, your worth, and your own unclouded vision of the truth.

[guerrilla-operator]

The Fall // Bill Is Dead

These are the finest times of my life This is the greatest time of my life This is the greatest time of my life These are the biggest times of my life

[talk-like-boomhauer]

Scene: Central Perk

The gang is sitting on the couch, coffee mugs in hand. Phoebe is playing with a spoon, Ross is reading a book on paleontology, Joey is intensely focused on the sugar packets, Chandler is making sarcastic faces, Monica is cleaning an invisible stain on the couch, and Rachel is adjusting her hair.

Joey: (squinting at a sugar packet) Hey, uh... what's this word? "Extricate"?

Ross: (pushing up his glasses) Oh, "extricate" means to free or remove something from a difficult situation.

Phoebe: (grins) Like when you’re stuck in a jar of pickles and you finally wiggle yourself out?

Chandler: (deadpan) Exactly, Pheebs. Happens to me every Tuesday.

Rachel: (frowning) Why do you need to know that word, Joey?

Joey: I got this script where my character has to "extricate himself from the laser pit." But I don’t know what that means. Can’t I just... duck?

Monica: (pausing her cleaning) Wait, laser pit? Joey, what kind of movie is this?

Joey: (shrugs) It’s about a chef who time-travels to ancient Egypt and gets thrown in a pit by, like, a laser-wielding mummy. It's called "The Mummy’s Recipe for Disaster."

Phoebe: (gasps) Wow. Deep.

Ross: (smiling, attempting to be helpful) So, Joey, imagine you’re in this pit, and there are lasers everywhere. To "extricate" yourself, you’d have to, you know, maneuver around the lasers and escape.

Joey: (nodding slowly) Right, right... so like, just... do this? (He starts wiggling his arms and head awkwardly, making buzzing sounds.)

Chandler: (sarcastic) Yes, Joey. That’s exactly how one avoids lasers. Just... go full wiggle mode.

Rachel: (laughing) Hey, maybe we could practice. I mean, what if we threw him in a pit and tried to get him to wiggle out?

Monica: We don’t have a pit, Rachel.

Phoebe: (matter-of-factly) Well, there’s one behind my apartment building. Just a big, abandoned pit. We could put him in there with some flashlights and practice.

Ross: (looks horrified) That’s not quite the same thing, Phoebe. And that sounds... dangerous.

Phoebe: (shrugging) If he gets stuck, we can always extricate him. Isn’t that what friends are for?

Chandler: (to the group) You know, as much as I’d love to see Joey try to escape a pit with imaginary lasers, I think we should leave the extricating to professionals. Or people with... I don’t know... lasers?

Joey: (still wiggling) So... what do I do?

Monica: (sighs) Joey, just... say the line and pretend to be serious. Don’t overthink it.

Joey: (stops wiggling) Oh, so, just like my role in "Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E." Got it.

Everyone groans. Chandler facepalms, and Phoebe just looks proud.

Fade Out.

[you-must-be-held-accountable]

Cut the cord. Yep, it’s time to extricate yourself from the delightful burden of babysitting other adults who should—shockingly—be capable of handling themselves.

Let’s break it down. Accountability isn’t a group activity. If your cousin can’t get it together enough to remember your birthday again, maybe it's time to extricate yourself from expecting more than a last-minute text. That friend who’s forever "on the way" but hasn't left their couch? Perhaps you gently introduce them to the novel concept of “commitments.” And as for colleagues, well, if Dave needs yet another reminder that a deadline doesn’t change to fit his weekend plans, then congratulations—Dave has volunteered himself to be out of your inner circle of dependables.

We all know what’s lurking here: the fear of rocking the boat. But newsflash—if they can't be accountable, they're already sinking the ship. So cut ties, set boundaries, and watch as the people who respect your time, your energy, and your calendar rise to the top. Let the rest figure it out on their own.

[weird-things-to-think]

So, uh, "extracate" or somthin' like that, means like... when yer like in a sitch-uashun that's like bad an ya don’t wanna be in it no more, ya gotta, like, pull yerself out or wiggle out or somethin'. Like, imagine if ya stuck in a big ol’ puddle of, uh, slime or... or, like, spaghetti noodles, an’ yer arms an’ legs are flailin’ all over the place. So yer tryin' ta extracicate yerself from the noodly goo mess, right? An if ya finally get loose, then ya all extricated!

[kick-the-clouds]

Imagine a world where every story looks the same, every hero wears the same face, and every dream fits neatly into one box. This is the world many people see every day on their screens, in their books, and even in their games. It’s a world that doesn’t look like them, feel like them, or sound like them—and it can be a world that feels like it doesn’t need them.

Representation in media is not just about putting different faces on a screen. It’s about telling everyone: “You belong.” When people see themselves reflected in the stories that shape culture, it reinforces their value, their experiences, and their existence. It’s powerful. It’s necessary.

For a young Black child watching a superhero movie, seeing someone who looks like them stand strong and save the day can become a personal revelation. It’s not just about seeing a Black superhero; it’s about seeing that they, too, are worthy of a cape. The psychological impact here is profound. They don’t just see themselves in the character—they see what they, too, could become. It plants a seed that says, “This could be you. You matter.”

This extends far beyond childhood. Adults, too, feel the influence of media’s mirror. Consider LGBTQ+ representation in movies and television. For many, especially those who grew up without positive role models who shared their identity, seeing an LGBTQ+ character who is complex, respected, and human can be life-changing. It tells them, often for the first time, that their lives and stories are worthy of being shared. This message fights against decades, sometimes centuries, of feeling invisible or excluded.

The impacts of representation ripple through society. A 2019 study showed that increased representation of minority groups in media led to improved attitudes toward those groups among the general public. Media shapes perceptions, and those perceptions shape how we treat each other in real life. When media celebrates diversity, it encourages empathy and understanding.

But the need goes beyond identity markers like race, gender, or sexuality. Representation can be about showing people of all abilities, all body types, all ages. It’s showing people that their struggles, their dreams, their everyday lives have meaning. It’s letting the world see that human beings come in infinite forms—and every single one has value.

We need more stories that show the whole, beautiful spectrum of humanity. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s right. Because stories can do more than entertain. They can teach us how to see each other, and how to see ourselves. When we give people a place in our stories, we’re telling them they have a place in our world. And that’s a message worth sharing, worth fighting for, worth believing in.

[faith-in-democracy]

Extricate. It’s not just a word. It’s a guiding light.

In a world drowning in division, it’s easy to forget the power of stepping back, of freeing ourselves from the web of anger and stubbornness. Extricate—this is a word for our time, a philosophy that might just save us. It means to release, to untangle. When we extricate ourselves from the throes of pointless argument, from the prison of self-righteousness, we take a powerful first step toward civility. And that civility? It’s the heart of a true democracy.

Imagine a world where every person could extricate themselves from a personal bubble of outrage and pause, even for a moment. Imagine the impact on social media debates, on political discourse, on everyday conversations in cafes and offices. Extrication is liberation, a radical act that says, “I don’t have to win this one. I choose peace over being right.” It’s choosing harmony over hostility, respect over rancor. It’s revolutionary because it’s so rare.

Democracy, at its core, relies on our ability to trust one another. Not to agree, not to be identical in thought, but to live together respectfully. We cannot be pulled closer by conflict. We need release. We need to extricate from every petty battle, every social media showdown, every relentless, joyless argument that accomplishes nothing but resentment. The heart of democracy is faith—in ourselves, in each other, and in our shared future.

So, let us take the power of extricate and live it. Let us break free. Let us rediscover civility. Democracy demands it. And the world deserves it.

[extremely-moderate]

Hope is Not a Fool's Game

They want us to fight. And make no mistake: they’re good at it.

Powerful forces—shadowy groups and billionaires with vested interests—are pumping money into a machine that thrives on division. They want us to believe that cooperation is dead. That the left and right are doomed to endless, bitter conflict. Because if we’re busy fighting each other, we’re too distracted to see what they’re doing: squeezing us dry while we tear ourselves apart.

But here's the truth they fear: hope is stronger than division. And cooperation isn’t just possible; it’s necessary. When people come together across political lines, we’re unstoppable. We’ve done it before: civil rights, labor movements, even environmental victories—all achieved because people refused to let labels divide them.

They want us to forget that. They want to sell us lies, feed us stories designed to breed mistrust. Every meme, every twisted statistic, every misleading headline—it’s crafted to make us hate our neighbors. Why? Because division keeps them rich, powerful, and untouchable.

But we don’t have to play their game. We can choose to see the common ground beneath our feet. We can refuse to let them poison our minds against each other. We can, and we must, fight the real enemy: the lies that are driving us apart.

It won’t be easy. It won’t happen overnight. But remember this: real change is built on the courage to believe that cooperation can, and will, change the world. Hold that line. Don’t let them take it from you.

[churchofnix]

Breaking free from confusion requires a method, and there’s no better one than the scientific method. It’s a process designed to untangle mysteries, stripping away assumptions to reveal the truth. The core of the scientific method is simple: observe, hypothesize, experiment, analyze, and conclude. Each step is focused on getting closer to an answer, moving forward in a clear, logical direction.

To put it into practice, start with a single question. Say you’re curious about whether your plant grows faster in natural or artificial light. Begin by observing—watch its growth under each type of light for a few days. Then, form a hypothesis, maybe something like, "My plant will grow faster under natural light." From there, experiment. Switch the plant between lights for a set period, keeping all other factors the same.

Analyze the results. Did the plant grow faster in natural light, or was it the same? Conclude by evaluating your findings. Maybe your hypothesis was correct, or maybe it wasn’t. But either way, you’ve learned something real.

Practicing the scientific method is like practicing clarity. Each step is designed to help you navigate unknowns, untangling the complex so you can see things for what they are. It’s not just about finding answers—it’s about refining the way you think.

[capitalism-is-a-psychopathy]

Greed poisons the soul of a nation.

The pursuit of wealth, when unchecked, grows like a weed, spreading its roots through every corner of society. Those who have more than they need often crave more than they can spend, and in this hunger for endless gain, they find ways to warp power itself. They pour money into politics, not to serve the people, but to serve themselves. Politicians, once meant to be voices for the many, start to echo the demands of the few. Laws begin to shift, protecting the rich, widening the gap, allowing wealth to build walls that divide.

This is how democracy crumbles. When money is louder than the voice of the people, freedom fades. The will of the majority falls under the weight of privilege, and the government, once for the people, becomes a tool for the wealthy.

True democracy is a fragile thing, and when wealth is left unchecked, its roots strangle the very foundation of freedom. Wealth is not evil—but its hoarding, its misuse, and its corruption of power are forces that erode the soul of a free society.

[7rlol]

Trolls are the scourge of the digital age. They slink through comment sections, lurking behind keyboards, ready to throw a spark into a sea of gasoline. Their motivation? Simple: chaos. These shadowy figures thrive on stirring anger, confusion, and outrage. They feed off the energy of others, reveling in every reaction, every gasp, every reply. The troll doesn’t care about reason or debate. They want disruption. But how can you spot one of these virtual villains? Look for the bait—a bold, inflammatory statement with no substance, no backing, just designed to provoke. Or the relentless contrarian, disagreeing with every opinion, no matter how neutral. To combat these internet pests, resist the urge to engage. Ignore their antics. Starve them of attention. If you must respond, keep it cool, factual, and brief. Don’t let trolls win—make them vanish into the void of their own irrelevance.