#demystify

[mtg-cards-hourly]

Demystify

Artist: Christopher Rush TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[critical-skeptic]

Why I Call Out Idiots, Ridicule Them, and Still Put in the Intellectual Effort

Let’s get one thing clear right out of the gate: engaging with the intellectually bankrupt isn't about convincing them. It’s not about changing the mind of the conspiracy nut, the QMAGA cultist, the religious zealot, or the Dunning-Kruger poster child who thinks they know more than any expert because they once watched a YouTube video. Most of these people are beyond reasoning. They've willingly turned off the critical thinking switch in their heads and committed to their insulated worldview. Trying to talk them out of it is like trying to teach a fish how to ride a bike—it’s pointless, exhausting, and ultimately a waste of time.

But here's the thing: I’m not talking to them. When I call out their bullshit, ridicule their arguments, and put the intellectual or academic effort into tearing down their fallacies, it's not for their benefit. They’re lost causes. It’s for the one person in the crowd—the bystander, the lurker, the person who hasn’t yet fully bought into the echo chamber of ignorance—who might be open to listening. That person? They’re worth the effort.

There's a popular conception that if you engage with these kinds of people, you should do so respectfully, patiently, and with empathy. Frankly, that’s nonsense. These ideologues don’t deserve respect because they have no respect for truth. They don't deserve empathy because their entire shtick is designed to perpetuate ignorance, division, and sometimes outright harm. When someone uses their platform to spread blatant lies or dangerous fallacies, they should be called out—and if it takes ridicule to do that, so be it.

Critics might say, "But you're not going to convince them if you're dismissive or rude." Guess what? I don’t give a damn. I’m not interested in convincing someone who thinks the Earth is flat, that vaccines are mind control devices, or that an invisible deity is pulling the strings of the universe. What I care about is the other people watching, the ones who are still on the fence. The ones who might be swayed if they see someone actually pushing back against the tide of misinformation. If one person out of a hundred sees my argument and it plants a seed of doubt in their mind about the nonsense they're being fed, that’s worth it.

This is about reaching them—the thinkers, the skeptics, the people who might not even realize they’re hungry for real information. Maybe they’ve been floating around in the middle, too timid or unsure to push back themselves, too lost in the noise to seek out better sources. When they see someone pushing back—whether with logic, mockery, or cold, hard facts—it might just give them the encouragement they need to look deeper.

We live in a time when people are retreating into ideological bubbles, only talking to people who agree with them. That’s dangerous. It allows bad ideas to fester, unchecked, and gives the impression that everyone is either an extremist or a coward. I'm not interested in talking only to my bubble. I want to break through the walls and let people outside see that there’s another way to think. That’s why I engage. That's why I argue. And when necessary, that's why I ridicule.

The problem with staying silent or pretending these people can be reasoned with is that it normalizes their nonsense. It gives the impression that their ideas are just one side of a "legitimate debate." Newsflash: they're not. When you engage with a creationist, you're not debating science versus religion. You're calling out blatant ignorance masquerading as intellect. When you respond to a QMAGA believer who claims Trump was sent by God, you’re not engaging in a political conversation. You’re confronting a cultist mindset. And when you take on a conspiracy theorist who thinks 5G is part of a global mind-control plot, you’re not discussing telecommunications technology; you're pointing out someone’s dangerous disconnection from reality.

So, why do I still bother? Because it matters. Even if 99 out of 100 people are unreachable, there’s always the chance that the one who’s left will see the truth. And that’s worth everything. We all have a responsibility not to just talk to our perceptive bubbles, but to provide others with the tools and information they need to see things for themselves. You don’t have to force anyone; you just have to be there to plant the seed.

The world doesn’t change because a few idiots get smarter—it changes when a silent majority sees that the idiots can and should be called out. When rational people stop being silent and start pushing back, others take notice. And maybe, just maybe, that leads to real change.

This is the goal—what should be everyone’s goal. Not to convince every lost cause, but to ensure that the people on the fence have a clear view of both sides. And to make damn sure they know which side is built on reason, evidence, and truth.

If calling out the bullshitters and ridiculing the dogmatic helps accomplish that, then I’ll gladly do it every day.

[underworlddreams]

Demystify

Artist: Christopher Rush Set: 9th Edition

[melvingaines]

Ministry Demystified - Video Message - July 14, 2024

Asst. Pastor Melvin GainesAkron Alliance Fellowship Church, Akron OHWorship Service Message, Sunday, July 14, 2024 Everything about our relationship with Jesus centers on the love He has for us.  As we learn more about Him and what He did for us on the cross, my prayer is that it will help believers to grow even more in their relationship with Jesus.  It is this growth that will help them to…

[voltlotus]

https://ko-fi.com/i/II2I8VOGEL

Check out my most recent WIP on Ko-fi!

[mod2amaryllis]

ok for every ten silly pregnancy posts i get ONE earnest

[lakecountylibrary]

Kate's Top 3 Adult Nonfiction Reads of 2024

Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say and How to Be an Ally by Emily Ladau

This book gives readers actionable steps to be an ally to the disabled community as well as how to act and what to say or not to say to disabled people. The author describes how to follow these steps in a nonjudgmental way. She realizes that everyone makes mistakes and she informs readers on terminology to use and to eliminate from your vocabulary when it comes to the disabled community.

This is a concise guide to help readers become more educated, empathetic and accepting. I highly recommend reading this book.

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

This book focuses on life values that align with my way of thinking, therefore I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The author explains how important it is to focus on gratitude, reciprocity and community. She uses nature based examples to explain how the natural world also lives by these values.

Other books by this author include Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants and Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. Give this book a try if you enjoy nature and short reads.

The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work by Simone Stolzoff

This book urges readers to reclaim their lives from a work obsessed world. It suggests putting more emphasis on our lives outside of work and allowing ourselves to believe we are doing a good enough job in our work lives.

The author offers strategies for how to have a healthier relationship with work and how to have a better work-life balance. If you are struggling with burnout at your job, this book will hopefully help you realign the important things in your life and make you realize you are doing a 'good enough job' in your career.

I really enjoyed these two quotes from the book:

“You are not the work you do, you are the person you are.”

(Edited to add: This was originally said - or rather, written - by Toni Morrison in a 2017 New Yorker article titled The Work You Do, the Person You Are. It was quoted with the source in the book. Thanks to the reader who pointed out this additional context would be good to add!)

and

“A good enough job is a job that allows you to be the person you want to be.”

See more of Kate's recs

[crevicedwelling]

still have a lot of creatures to post from my trip! here’s some vipers

Tropidolaemus wagleri, female. Singapore

Tropidolaemus subannulatus, male. Sarawak, Malaysia

Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus, Singapore

[wanderingblindly]

nawww so you cant see the little commentary bits that people put in there ?? 😧

Only if they’re public!!!! Taking an example from October birds, this is what it looks like from the author’s statistic page:

And this is what it looks like to everyone:

So everyone can see 205 public bookmarks (including their comments and tags, which is why people recommend you be mindful of what you put there). But no one can see the remaining 267 private bookmarks + details, which makes 472 bookmarks in total.

[fridge-04]

The presentation of Johan Liebert in Monster is so interesting. You’ve got the actual devil, the actual devil, the actual devil and sad cat in the rain.

[crimeronan]

Post understanding Amity, Hunter has developed a new favorite form of personal terrorism: Amity’s gigantic crush on Luz. Amity knows he knows after he comes out of her mindscape and he DOES at least promise not to tell (because Luz has enough on her plate without having to spiral about Amity’s feelings), but he has made zero promises about not embarrassing the ever loving hell out of Amity.

Hunter’s on door guard duty that night? Wishes Luz good night and then before stepping outside he’ll put on his most self righteous little shit voice and say “You two kids play nice!” back over his shoulder.

Whenever Amity’s face goes tomato red because of Luz, Hunter will make sure to get in Amity’s line of sight before doing the most dramatic eye roll.

Amity walks in on Hunter taking care of Luz’s hair, he just stops and goes “oh good, Blight, take over for me, my hands starting to cramp :))))”

Frankly Amity wishes he’d go back to threatening to kill her

amity's hair-braiding skills coming in clutch!!

luz keeps being like "you don't have to listen to him, don't do anything you don't want to" and amity, who's still trying to show luz that she likes being around her without showing luz that she LIKES being around her, is like "i KNOW that. i don't mind, um, touching.... you.... i mean.... your hair.... i..." and then loses her ability to be coherent.

at one point when talking to hunter, amity is like "i know you're just making fun of me, but if i didn't know better, i'd say you're trying to set me up with your...."

hunter: [raised eyebrow] my What??

amity: ...what DO you call her??

hunter: luz, mostly.

amity: ....right.

hunter: empress, occasionally.

amity: wow. you are SO unhelpful.

[melvingaines]

Ministry Demystified - Video Message - July 14, 2024

Asst. Pastor Melvin Gaines Worship Service Message, Sunday, July 14, 2024 Everything about our relationship with Jesus centers on the love He has for us.  As we learn more about Him and what He did for us on the cross, my prayer is that it will help believers to grow even more in their relationship with Jesus.  It is this growth that will help them to express themselves more in sharing that love…

[writinglittlebeasts]

i like the reputation of the semicolon as some esoteric wizards' tool, like it's difficult and frightening to comprehend

[alkemylabz]

if i had a nickel for every new age cult material thing ive read that told people that autism (or a list of symptoms that were autism but definitely not autism because Doctors are Always Wrong) was a sign that you were actually a reincarnated alien or some shit id be a billionaire

[toskarin]

I tried getting into elona a while back after you talked about it and remember being confused about the different versions; omake, elona+, and the Mobil version seemed really different and gatcha heavy.

Do you have a recommend for someone looking for the entrance to the rabbit hole? Or should I just wait for Elin?

so with elona, let's get one thing out of the way that's hard to glean from community discussion (because most players don't really talk about how to get into it): you shouldn't be playing vanilla elona in [current year] unless you specifically want to do it to get a glimpse into what it used to be like

your assessment of the mobile version is correct! it's fucking awful and, in spite of what a lot of people seem to believe, has no financial connection at all to the original creator. that game makes a lot of money and noa doesn't see any of it, to my knowledge

the mobile version is full of microtransactions and reworks several systems from the base game to encourage spending (including adding a companion and weapon gacha, timegating shop refreshes, turning sleeping bonuses into a daily reward, and making god battling an arena minigame), so its streamlining of gameplay is entirely in service of getting you to spend money on what's supposed to be a free game

so that leaves deciding between OO and Plus, and since you're starting out, Plus is the best choice.

Plus is not only the most popular of the two, but also has a not-insignificant amount of english language learning resources available. beyond that, its lack of build diversity is actually a boon because the game makes it pretty hard to well and truly ruin a character (you'll pretty naturally gravitate towards A Good Build)

OO is really good, but it's very bad at teaching you to play elona and a lot of its more opaque mechanics kind of require a working knowledge of how to play the game to reverse engineer them, in lieu of having seen the development process that informed them

I wrote a little bit on how to get into Plus over here

if you have any questions about the game that you want answered quickly, you can find the non-JP discord here. the JP elona discord is over here, in the event you want that as well

be of good cheer!

[straycalamities]

bluesky has been training me in adding img desc to my own art so i went back and copypasted the ones id already done from bsky its kinda fun sometimes bc it makes me think a little more and differently abt my art. also i can add fun context and extra info without making a big show of it and feeling snooty by putting it in the caption

anyways pretty much all?? my marble hornets and emh fanart has img desc now yippee