#Credit and capital

[morlibertarianism]

The Falsehood of the "Meth-Caused Homelessness" Claim: A Libertarian Response

Homelessness is a complex and multifaceted issue, and it is simplistic and reductionist to suggest that it is caused by a single factor such as meth addiction. While meth addiction may be a factor for some homeless individuals, it is important to recognize that it is not the sole cause and that a one-size-fits-all approach to addressing homelessness will not be effective.

Homelessness has multiple root causes, including lack of affordable housing, job insecurity, mental illness, and the failure of social safety net programs. Additionally, excessive zoning regulations can limit the availability of affordable housing, contributing to the homelessness problem.

So what can be done to address homelessness? Rather than relying on targeted government intervention, we should focus on strategies that lower time prices and make resources more affordable. This can include policies that reduce the cost of living, such as lowering taxes and regulatory burdens, and that increase access to credit and capital, making it easier for individuals to help themselves and others. By empowering individuals to take control of their own lives and overcome homelessness, we can create a more prosperous and self-sufficient society.

It is important to recognize the complexity of homelessness and to approach it with a nuanced and multifaceted approach. Only by understanding the root causes and implementing targeted solutions can we hope to make a lasting impact and reduce homelessness in our communities. This means moving beyond simplistic explanations that pin the blame on a single factor such as meth addiction, and instead considering the multiple root causes of homelessness. It also means focusing on strategies that lower time prices and make resources more affordable, rather than relying solely on targeted government intervention that may function more as a jobs program for those who claim to help the homeless rather than actually helping the homeless. By empowering individuals to take control of their own lives and overcome homelessness, we can create a more prosperous and self-sufficient society.

[liberalsarecool]

Capitalism is crushing you.

[niymue]

imagine how much cool shit we would have for our games if everyone’s tou was open like if simblr was actually a truly collaborative and creation focused community.

[intersectionalpraxis]

"unskilled labor is a classist myth the rich use to justify poverty wages"

[image description: Usagi from the anime Sailor Moon, in casual wear, lays down on her bed with her arms propped up beside her -atop her stomach is Luna, Usagi's feline friend, mentor, and companion -who has one paw on Usagi's chest and the other on her cheek as though to 'lecture her' with the caption above.]

[redheadedfailgirl]

I just had a riveting discussion with a self proclaimed anarcho-capitalist at work, whose opinions included:

Tipping is bad because 'contracts with your employer are voluntary and they can leave if they're not paid enough.' He will still tip if he thinks his wife is watching

If you're stuck inside a torture chamber with an apple you can bite every ten seconds that sends you to paradise for a year, it is illogical to bite the apple and humanity is broken for thinking so

The ending to the good place was bad because the characters weren't being logical and there was so much shit you can do with the afterlife.

The marxist labor theory of value 'isn't true' because paintings have arbitrary value

Heidegger was an idiot

Kant was an idiot

Nietzche was an idiot

He is an anarcho-capitalist

If I don't have 100% certainty for something than I can't truly say that I know something is true, and isn't it illogical that people do that?

I have to see this man every Monday from now until I quit. We work one on one.

[andthebeanstalk]

the average person doesn't expect you to be a perfect ethical consumer, that's not possible for the vast majority of us. but what youre saying is it's better to do nothing at all and choose the worst possible options (sweat shops, overseas shipping waste, idea/product theft, all wrapped up in SHEIN) than to put even the tiniest effort in where you can.

[they are referring to this post]

What I said was "some people are doing literally everything they can to survive and have no extra bandwidth to spend extra time and money on their purchases, and it is cruel and therefore un-punk to gatekeep punkness and add additional shame to these people's lives based on that fact."

I think it's still a good thing to try to ethically consume; I literally never said it wasn't. I had never even heard of SHEIN before. Rather, I am much more concerned about what I saw as arbitrary gatekeeping based on ability and income.

And frankly how dare you claim that I am supporting sweatshops and abuse by saying that this additional work you are demanding (in this case, presumably, vetting every clothing company you buy from) is not always possible for people. It is not a light accusation to accuse me of supporting abuse.

"How dare you say we piss on the poor", Etc. 🙄 this isn't Twitter. You are determined to enforce moral purity, but you are failing to see the nuance.

Because when I say "no extra bandwidth," I mean no extra bandwidth. This is not the "car shows it's on E but actually secretly it has a lot of gas left" situation that abled people constantly assume disabled people mean when they say they are at their limit.

This is "at a certain point, people will hit a wall in terms of money and time and energy, and any energy spent after that comes directly out of their life force."

So the argument "okay but just spend a little more time money and energy actually" is not a valid one.

And the argument "if you are not able to do this specific task, then it means you're not doing anything else to make the world a better place" doesn't exactly impress me either. You said yourself that it is impossible to be a perfectly ethical consumer for most people.

How do you know what else people are doing to resist oppression? How many hours per week until your standards are met?What if someone works 3 jobs? Does that mean it's harder to be a good person if you're poor?? Why do you get to decide what specific avenue of bettering the world is the most morally repugnant or acceptable? What kind of proof of goodness and effort would make you satisfied enough to lay off on the shame?? Who are you helping??

Clothing is a fundamental human need, and some of us have to buy cheap fucking clothes quickly. Billionaires are buying their seventh yacht this month. The people who own fast fashion companies are abusing their workers and putting local affordable clothing stores out of business - and this applies for basically every company with price points that low because governments are failing to regulate corporations to enforce basic human rights.

I have $300 to spend on a new wardrobe as my old clothes have fallen apart or become too small. Do you have a way for me to get a new winter coat, 3 flannels, 10 shirts, 3 dress shirts, new sandals, 10 pairs of pants, 5 bras, 12 pairs of socks, and 10 pairs of underwear within that budget and also definitely 100% ethically sourced, with free returns in case it doesn't fit? Or will I simply have to use the cheap stores?

I have about an hour to spend on this per week. Should I continue to wear small and tattered clothing until I have the time, money, and energy to meet your standards? Did you know there are more empty homes in this country than homeless people? If I decide to splurge on only 100% ethically-produced products, and I can't make rent, and I become homeless, are YOU going to be there for me?? Or are you busy litigating the endless tiny shames of poverty in your own community?

So I ask you again, are you sure this is where you want to direct your punk energy? Because energy and time, as it turns out, are limited resources. And I would never expect you to secretly have more than you claim to have.

[yellowocaballero]

ORV Characters Ranked by Least to Most Likely to Commit White Collar Crime

You guys said you wanted my ORV takes, and I try not to say things unsolicited, so I'll drop the good meta-analysis and literary criticism that I'm known for. For comedy purposes please pretend that ORV is American.

Omniscent Reader's Viewpoint characters broken down by likelihood to commit white collar crime, least to most:

Lee Hyeonseong: he's convinced that he's never committed a crime in his life. Intentionally, of course not. Unintentionally, he takes shopping for groceries extremely seriously, and is sometimes so wrapped up in the fruit inspection experience that he'll leave without paying. Due to his innocent face, bulk, and sheer confidence, he's never caught. In an economically thrifty maneuver, KDJ always sends him on snack runs for parties and texts him math problems while he's there. He insists it's like couponing. It's not couponing.

Jeong Huiwon: similarly, of course she would never choose to commit a crime. Also similarly, when KDJ says, 'Hey, wanna commit a crime?' she always participates. Since the crime is normally targeted at rich people, KDJ can usually morally justify it to her. She calls this harm reduction. It's not harm reduction.

Lee Jihye: would love to commit a crime in theory, almost never in practice. She has an idealized image in her mind of the ideal high school experience and it involves grand theft auto. However, the worst she ever gets is breaking & entering and trespassing, mostly because she didn't stop to wonder if the building was abandoned or not. She can't even shoplift from Claire's.

Shin Yuseung: the kind of kid who sets the dissection frogs in the school laboratory free. Looks up illegal exotic animal trading on the deepweb and sighs in longing. But exotic pet trading isn't very Animal Rights of her, so she just leaks information to the CIA and busts the rings. Lee Gilyeong convinces her to track down shady sellers on Craigslist and bust their kneecaps. Neither of them view this as significantly different from the dissection frog liberation. KDJ gets her a rescued exotic cat for her birthday as a reward.

Lee Gilyeong: self-explanatory.

Han Suyeong: she's been pirating media since she was eleven and has never stopped. World-class expert in pirating everything. She's the unsung hero who rips the CDs and games and puts them online. Runs the pirating websites. Has never paid for a webnovel or manwha or manga in her life. Despite this, she insists that pirating books is immoral and that people should support small authors. The FBI knows she exists and has been trying to catch her for years. She brags about this constantly.

Yoo Sangah: has committed tax fraud before, will commit tax fraud tomorrow, is currently committing tax fraud. Embezzles her company's embezzlement. Insists that she's only committing victimless crimes, mainly because she doesn't view business executives as people. Her ability to evade the IRS is mythological and it's how KDJ got a crush on her.

Yoo Junghyeok: does not understand adult life well enough to knowingly commit any sort of white collar crime. He is this high on the list because he enables and helps KDJ in literally everything he does, especially using his clout as an influencer. This is because KDJ has convinced him that these things aren't crimes, and he doesn't understand adult life well enough to figure it out.

Kim Dokja: has done every white collar crime under the sun. I can't emphasize enough how much crime he does. He's currently blackmailing SYS's college tuition out of a US Senator. HSY makes the shell companies and launders so much money with him. Alternates between running a pyramid scheme and a ponzi scheme depending on the month. Started a cult that one time but we don't like to talk about that. Runs the betting ring for YJH's esports games. Fixes the games. YJH does not know he does this, but KDJ splits the profits and Yoo Mia also needs a college tuition so he decides not to think about it too hard. Big into crypto and runs every crypto scam you can possibly think of, which is normally where the the ponzi schemes come in. Steals YJH's identity often. Somehow everything he does is technically legal. The only crime he does not commit is pirating. Exclusively targets the wealthy and ultra-wealthy and has never stolen money from a poor person. Sugar daddies all of his friends and pays all college tuitions. Anonymously yet obviously sponsors huge amounts of money to YJH's Twitch streams, mostly in apology for the ID theft. Would really rather be living a quiet life in a big house with all of his friends, but that big house ain't gonna pay for itself.

[thepringlesofblood]

don't make me tap the sign

[image id: screenshot of the simpsons "don't make me tap the sign" meme, where the sign is edited to read "“Hastur was a Duke of Hell. Crowley wasn’t even a local councilor” - Good Omens (1990)" /end id]

update: re-read the book lately and realized they spell it "counsellor" bc they're british. this makes sense but it also means my american ass can't help but read "counsellor" as the american "counselor" which is like a therapist or mental health consultant (the way i spelled it originally is like. someone who sits on a council. which is what i'm sure they meant). just wanted to share the fun image of crowley as a therapist ("I see I see. have you tried yelling at plants?"), or even funnier, that "Duke" as a title is like. a level above therapist. grand therapist. high throne of therapy. tier 1 therapist hastur la vista.

[perikrone]

Description: a text post from fediverse user @mostlyharmless@thecanadian.social:

THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE

Private School

Legacy Ivy admission

Nepotism hire

Seed capital from family money

Club memberships

Personal assistant, nanny, ghostwriter

Journalists who ask "what's your secret?" and uncritically publish the lame answer

[econsociology]

What insights can we gain from characterizing the three capitalist institutions -- money, corporations, and nation-states -- as trusts?

[touchmycoat]

Shitty comic transmigration, fake white lotus!SJ AU

There were servants, and silk, and sunlight.

"Good morning, Young Master Shen. Did you have a good rest?"

And there was this comic.

"...Mmh, yes. Thank you."

The comic told a tale of romance and triumph over lofty class disparity and illustrated, at one point, the bedroom of the main antagonist--the treasured son of a merchant so wealthy that his political clout sometimes outweighed that of the nation's Emperor's. That bedroom was the quintessential embodiment of that power, sculpted out of pale birch, marble, and imported ivory. It was dustless and glowed with the gentle warmth that only the magnificently wealthy could afford.

"Where would Young Master like to take breakfast today?"

Shen Yuan's attention lingered on the intricately pale room surrounding him, gaze filled not with covetousness but with mild exasperation.

"Right here is fine. Ming Fan?"

"Yes, Young Master?"

He managed to turn the twitch of his lips into a smile when the servant answered to the name. Alright. Alright.

"Wasn't there a super expensive tea gifted to us recently? I'll have that please."

He could deal with this.

//

Shen Yuan's general opinion on the comic was that it was a damn shame how it played out. He'd been ready to look past the uninspired and vague setting and all the tropey character executions because of one thing--that truly brilliant kernel of an idea at the very heart of the story.

What if the white lotus main character was acting all along?

What if, in the classic tale of the saintly poor underdog defeating evil aristocratic entitlement to secure his place on a royal throne, the underdog was every bit as manipulative and nasty as his antagonists?

Enter Shen Jiu, street rat and dreamer of grandeur far beyond his station. Enslaved at a young age, Xiao Jiu was one day suffering yet another very public and humiliating dressing down when Young Master Shen happened to be dining in town. Irked by the noise, Young Master Shen had in turn publicly humiliated Qiu Jianluo, Xiao Jiu's master, which Qiu Jianluo could do nothing but take given the difference in their stations. Of course, later that day, Qiu Jianluo took all his fury out on Xiao Jiu, a session of brutal torture that ultimately became the last straw. Xiao Jiu killed Qiu Jianluo, burned down the Qiu estate, and escaped to the Capital. He found grunt work for room and board at one of the Shen Empire's pig farms and for legal ease, took on the Shen surname.

Then he began scheming. His target was Young Master Shen, who by all accounts was careless with his privilege at best, destructive at worst. Shen Jiu may carry scars from Qiu Jianluo's whips, but he attributed them to Young Master Shen. How was it that some people could be born into nothing but wealth, comfort, and luxury, while others had to suffer the burden of their existence? Why did Young Master Shen get the banquet halls, the expensive robes, the handsome Crown Prince fiance while Shen Jiu got beaten, used, and thrown away?

Shen Jiu decided with the taking of his surname that he would usurp all that Young Master Shen had for himself. Why not? Had Young Master Shen done anything to deserve his privilege? Would anything Shen Jiu do make him undeserving of that same privilege, more undeserving than Young Master Shen?

That was the bit of the story that got Shen Yuan hooked.

The rest of the comic, unfortunately, was seemingly dedicated to undermining all the murky ethics and tangled potentiality of that single bit. After the reveal of Shen Jiu's true nature (in chapter three--that should've been Shen Yuan's first clue that the pacing was going to fail him), the narrative quickly devolved into recycled harem dynamics and tired romance tropes. Poor Shen Jiu was given nothing but a few ominous panels of him smirking past a veil of tears, and Young Master Shen was nothing more than an automaton set to rinse and repeat Humiliation Plot A, B, or C, and get humiliated in turn by a member of Shen Jiu's sparkly boy-harem following a timely rescue of Shen Jiu from that plot.

To say that Shen Yuan had been disappointed would be an understatement.

But that didn't mean Shen Yuan wanted to be transported into this story and take the place of Young Master Shen, way past the point in the story where he'd invoked Shen Jiu's ceaseless retribution. He had actually always rooted for Shen Jiu; as a fuerdai himself, Shen Yuan had been morbidly invested in Shen Jiu's plot to yank this Young Master Shen from his high horse and drag his body three times around the city walls to boot. It was far from sainthood but would it have been wrong? Shen Yuan wanted to know.

...He wanted to know a little less, now that it was his metaphorical corpse on the line. Or perhaps real corpse--there had been a line implying Young Master Shen's suicide at the end of the comic. Forgive Shen Yuan if he wasn't so keen on fulfilling the role of Shen Jiu's punching bag.

So what was he to do? Assuming the worst, Shen Jiu had the protagonist halo and Shen Yuan couldn't just be rid of him. Hug his thighs? No no, from what Shen Yuan knew of Shen Jiu's backstory, their dark protagonist was a hundred percent the type to take every advantage he could from Shen Yuan's capitulation. What Shen Jiu wanted wasn't just the riches, after all, but Young Master Shen's psychological destruction. The moment Shen Yuan started begging for mercy, Shen Jiu wouldn't let him stop.

That left only one option: play Shen Jiu's game all while not worsening Shen Jiu's resentment toward him until he could convince Shen Jiu that destroying Young Master Shen wasn't what he truly wanted. That had to be it, right? Yeah yeah, he may have to take some pain to absolve Shen Jiu's old and frankly warranted grudge (stupid cocky Young Master Shen--couldn't he have just bought and freed Xiao Jiu and called it a day?!), but surely at the end of it all, Shen Jiu's character arc was about building his own life back up from ashes and finding true emotional fulfillment? And romantic love? He had all those pretty-boys dancing around for his attention after all.

All Shen Yuan had to do was ensure Shen Jiu proceeded down that narrative path, and maybe squirrel away a rainy day fund he could take on the run, just in case his father's trade empire truly had to collapse. Shen Yuan hardly needed ivory and marble. A nice little house with all the necessities for life would do.

His mind made up, Shen Yuan stood with a self-affirming nod. Ming Fan immediately clapped his hands.

"Bring them in!"

Servants swarmed with five sets of luxurious designer robes, dripping in rich colors with jewelry in jade and precious metals to match. Shen Yuan blinked, and blinked some more.

Ming Fan, reading his hesitation as dissatisfaction, quickly explained, "that damn sewing house wasn't able to finish the vermillion one in time tonight, but they assure it will be ready in time for the imperial banquet. Would Young Master like me to go 'persuade' them to work faster? That vermillion truly was amazing on Young Master--"

"No, Ming Fan, these will be fine," Shen Yuan absently interrupted. He'd zoned out for the majority of Ming Fan's explanation as to what these outfits were even for, but Shen Yuan had enough context clues to guess he was prepping for a banquet. Hang on, a vermillion designer gown unfinished for some reason? Oh, this must be the banquet where--

Shen Yuan considered the options before him with a little more intent. He thought about color theory. And symbolism.

"The white one with the pale green," he decided. The servants holding the pieces he did not choose quickly filed out, leaving only the garment that Ming Fan was now lifting.

"Excellent choice, Young Master," Ming Fan gushed, smoothing a hand over the fabric and bringing jade piece after jade piece up against it. There was a jade-handle paper fan among the accessories and Shen Yuan picked it up, intrigued. "Young Master will look like a veritable--"

"White lotus?"

Ming Fan nodded enthusiastically, and Shen Yuan hid a chuckle behind the fan. Well. His end goal was Shen Jiu's absolution and happiness, but it didn't mean he couldn't have some fun with irony on the way there.

[indescriptequilibrium]

ok. if ads like these get approved maybe u should legit just let sex workers chill on this fuckin site⁉️

[cornerful]

[dailybehbeh]

Behbeh

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Who says Canada's buffalo are extinct? Here is a scene from Goose Lake, near Wainright, Alta, showing a part of the great herd on the government reserve there. Science is attempting to cross-breed these buffalo with cattle to produce a hard milch-cow for northern climes.

////

Another visit from US financiers to Canada's gold mines in Northern Ontario has been made, this time vis aeroplane. Gene Tunney, retired undefeated heavyweight champion of the world, was one of the party of 11, some of whom are shown at top. Col. W. A. Bishop, Canada's war ace, was also member of the party which included a number of prominent shining men. In the group shown at the top are, left to right - D. M. McKeon, New York financier; Col. W. A. Bishop; B. F. Smith, New York, financier; Gene Tunney, David Sloan, Vancouver, managing director of the Plonser mine, P. S. Arguimbau, New York financier; Eddle Dowling, comedian and singer, New York and Paris: and Heard P. Gimpel, of the New York department store bearing his name. In the lower picture at left is a close-up of Tunney, twice conqueror of Jack Dempsy for the world's heavyweight boxing title, now wealthy business man and politician. At right is shown, left to right - J. P. Bickell, president of McIntyre Mines, from whose home in Port Credit, Ontario, the party left; Ed Flynn, prominent New York politician and friend of President Roosevelt, and Hon. Chas. McCrae, Ontario minister of mines. The party bound for McIntyre mines near Timmins, Ontario."

- from the Kingston Whig-Standard. June 26, 1933. Page 10.