What have you learned today?

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@kazharding
3 months ago
I think it's weird to think how democracy is so highly valued especially in developed nations, and yet the economic system---the system that dictates most areas of our lives---is not democratized.


@jse-shack825
2 months ago (edited)
I always loved self-regulating systems. Originally from engineering, these systems can be found in sociological environments as well.

An example: Split a piece of cake between two children fairly. If you do it, they will complain abut you not being fair, regardless of what you do. To avoid this, you present them with a knife and say: "one of you cuts the piece and the other one is first in line to choose one of the halves". The child cutting the cake is now forced to think, assuming that the other one will take the larger one if the halves are not the same size. It will therefore split the piece exactly in half and both will agree that they were treated fairly.

Capitalism has the opposite effect: It's an instable system, in which wealth enables the growth of more wealth, which enables the growth of more wealth and on and on, even though our real resources are finite. Until somebody comes up with an intrinsically self-regulating system, I don't see much change happening.

Due to popular demand: guys, i get it. We all scroll down after watching this video, emotionally charged and most likely anxious about the future, understandably so. I did not provide an analogy. None of these children nor the parent are a metaphor for states, companies or the common person, they were a real example taken from pedagogy to underline self-regulating mechanisms using a parent-children dynamic as example. If we can put our heads into creating a real self-regulating system within politics and/or economics, then we might spark a chance of changing things for the better.
 
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Gordon_4

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I learned that one of Australia’s most famous exports - porn superstar Angela White - also starred in the TV series “Pizza”. As an ex-porn actress.
 

Silvanus

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Learned that antimatter is subject to gravity. Wasn't just me that learned it of course; so did the scientific community.
 
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Gotta love the raw honesty of the animal kingdom.

Interesting comment -
@canadachandler7521
8 days ago (edited)
When my uncle married a single mother of two, the first thing he did was drive out both of her underage kids by means of abuse, including starving them. He wanted no part in raising another mans kids and the mother readily accepted it and immediately bore him two kids of his own. Step parents are often monsters, it is not a myth that they want to eliminate the previous offspring.
 

Gordon_4

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Interesting comment -
@canadachandler7521
8 days ago (edited)
When my uncle married a single mother of two, the first thing he did was drive out both of her underage kids by means of abuse, including starving them. He wanted no part in raising another mans kids and the mother readily accepted it and immediately bore him two kids of his own. Step parents are often monsters, it is not a myth that they want to eliminate the previous offspring.
You know, what really makes my skin crawl with this comment, is that I can't tell if its a joke or a lie. Like I can believe a pair of utter shit-stains are capable of this and I hate that.
 
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Basically corporate mergers + clever marketing to convince consumers that what’s good for their companies is also what’s good you.
 

Xprimentyl

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You know, what really makes my skin crawl with this comment, is that I can't tell if its a joke or a lie. Like I can believe a pair of utter shit-stains are capable of this and I hate that.
Oh, that's an entirely plausible anecdote. You don't have to look far to spot a narcissist capable of this kind of reprehensible behavior. In fact, that comment is so entirely unremarkable that for it to be a lie, it'd be a pointless one affecting nothing, like lying about getting in a fender-bender once when the topic of car accident fatalities comes up for broader discussion.
 

Xprimentyl

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I really can't be bothered to scroll through Reddit myself as I've long since lost interest in Mario after the N64, and Reddit is a cesspool, but apparently there's been a debate as to whether the iconic opening is "It's-a me, Mario" or "Itsumi Mario," itsumi being traditionally a surname that "can" mean "superb, supreme," and with a stretch "super," which led a lot of people to think Mario's given name is "Mario Itsumi." Interesting and fun coincidence, but no, it's-a "it's-a me, Mario."

 

The Rogue Wolf

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I really can't be bothered to scroll through Reddit myself as I've long since lost interest in Mario after the N64, and Reddit is a cesspool, but apparently there's been a debate as to whether the iconic opening is "It's-a me, Mario" or "Itsumi Mario," itsumi being traditionally a surname that "can" mean "superb, supreme," and with a stretch "super," which led a lot of people to think Mario's given name is "Mario Itsumi." Interesting and fun coincidence, but no, it's-a "it's-a me, Mario."

Okay, so I know that the game is a Japanese creation, but why would an Italian-American be introducing himself surname-first even in the English versions?
 

Casual Shinji

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EvilRoy

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Oh god, every fluid.

So yeah obviously his splooge, but also every time he missed the urinal in McDonald's or didn't hold down the toilet handle long enough in Subway he was endangering the next person's life. Any time you walk down a street and step on a loogie because humans are awful that could have been spiderman raising your chances of developing leukemia.