Rebranding conspiracy theories as conspiracy fantasies as a coping mechanism

Results may vary as it is entirely possible to also convince yourself it works with the same method

"I don't know."

If it were truly undetectable, I don't think they'd bother. They want to look like one of Trump's lumpen-faced groupies or a washed up Las Vegas magician. Their Hellraisered faces are like a meat-based country club membership card.

The afternoon sun gave me this idea.

I'm sorry but I'm frustrated by the blatant misuse of AI by my students and colleagues alike. It's so obvious when they don't understand what they've written.

Silent films boomed at the start of film, and quickly got replaced by talkies.

Nowadays people at home are watching a movie, talking to friends, and playing on their phone at the same time. Short format content is often consumed silently. The artform of silent film making is having a resurgence (in 1-5 minute clips)

I've browsed coub, tiktok, youtube shorts, instagram reels... all muted while doing something else

The Talkie days are numbered.

Where is the cabin cheese? The fourth-floor-walkup cheese? Give me the fancy mansion cheese. Or skyscraper cheese, ooh la la.

Leave the bathhouse cheese alone, though

Last week, I ordered food from a restaurant and went to go pick it up. To my surprise, there was nobody at the counter. However, my food was sitting on a shelf in the lobby, labeled "mobile orders".

I had a moment of pause. Should I wait for someone to witness me taking this? It is, after all, my food. Bought and paid for. I confirmed the name and order number on the bag.

But even if the employee witnessed me taking this, what would that prove? They don't know what the person who ordered this looks like.

When the pandemic started, and these popped up everywhere, I imagined they'd be abandoned relatively quickly. After all, it would be very easy for me to walk into a restaurant and grab a bag.

I'd imagine these companies would have a very low tolerance for food theft, intentional or otherwise. I figured only one or two transgressions would result in the shelf being locked behind the counter.

Maybe the food isn't taken. Or if it is, maybe the loss is small enough to not bother. Maybe it goes unreported.

Whatever the cause, I'm glad they've remained.

(And thus perfectly acceptable to eat for lunch)

Foreword: Just My Opinion™

Pessimists are creatives who are able to see the worst possible outcomes. To me, this means we have people who are able to effectively sound the alarm, and it's worth at least listening to what they have to say.

I feel Pessimism is shunned nowadays because it comes close enough to Realism so as to be uncomfortably familiar, as what we're seeing unfold is one of the worst potentialities we had at our disposal (I think most if not all of us agree that we couldn't have anticipated a dystopia THIS fucking stupid).

In a healthy society, however, one in which things work in favour of the citizens and every soul has the necessities of life assured, Pessimism would serve as a cautionary element. It would demonstrate the disasters we're avoiding or will have to avoid.

I feel this has always been its role, from Ancient Greek Tragedies to contemporary dystopian sci-fi, but somewhere along the way it became something to be avoided like the plague (see Toxic Optimism/Positivism).