Brazil has a lot of gun deaths. But it’s worth keeping in mind that lots of the Amazon region is essentially a lawless “Wild West” and that specialized police units are, in fact, in war with enormous trafficking gangs. “Regular people” get shot too, of course, in violent crime incidents. But besides this, many “regular people” don’t own guns and don’t advocate for guns in the same way as in the US. There’s not really a “gun culture” that regular people participate in — it’s not an identity. Certainly not as much as the US.

I think that’s what makes the photo a valid joke and criticism of the US and that it wouldn’t work for other countries like Brazil. It’s not just looking at total gun deaths or other absolute metrics, it’s also taking into account the layers that make guns in the US a cultural symbol. The US is basically the “gun country” of the world because in the US, guns aren’t just a gang or criminal thing, they’re a “regular” thing.

The bad feelings turn into three Cronenberg lasagnas: a nihilistic Cronenberg lasagna, an existential Cronenberg lasagna, and an absurdist Cronenberg lasagna. Similar to the ghosts of Christmas in A Christmas Carol, the Cronenberg lasagnas take Rick and Morty on different journeys to teach them how to deal with bad feelings.

I also feel like it’s aggressively trying to not come across as a bot. It’s got a really intense whimsical energy that’s kinda creepy and… not human lol

It actually doesn’t really bother me, especially with memes and random internet content like that. I’ve seen posts on Reddit that were actual art, where the title of the repost implies the poster created the art and that it’s not a repost. It’s lame for a few reasons, such as commenters trying to engage with the alleged creator and the OP not replying, then people finding out it’s a repost, etc. But, honestly, whatever.

That’s an interesting point.

Upon further reflection, I discovered I don’t fully understand the nuances. So I tried to think it through.

I think it goes as follows:

• Nihilism says there is no meaning so any pursuit whatsoever is futile. (Not goal based.)
• Existentialism says there is no universal meaning but it is the individual who creates meaning. So we project our meaning into the world and live in it and therefore live in a meaningful world. We should search for our personal meaning. (Goal based.)
• Absurdism says there is no universal meaning and if there is, we’ll never understand it. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t enjoy transient pseudo-meanings, though. In fact, we SHOULD enjoy them. But we should be aware that they’re not eternal and not objective. (Not goal based.)

So, on second thought, I think the meme does a great a job at capturing absurdism. Still, the difference between existentialism and absurdism is subtle.

What do you all think? Is that kinda the idea?

I wonder if Existentialists or Absurdists consider our biological reality and needs when developing the ideas. For instance, we need food, shelter, social acceptance, and so forth. What does this say about “meaning” and pursuits like fashion and style (as it relates to social acceptance?). How does Maslow’s hierarchy of needs fit in with these philosophies?

The absurdism depicted isn’t pure absurdism because there’s the presence of style, which is a system of meaning and value. So, as depicted, that’s more existentialism or a healthy and cool blend of absurdism with existentialism.

It would be nice if there would be attribution for reposts. Maybe subreddits and such could do weekly / monthly / annual / all-time highlights? Feel like I need to say that I hate FB and deleted mine, BUT the “memories” thing could be interesting in a place like Reddit or Lemmy.

Don’t appreciate (i) your disgusting example and (ii) your attitude. Most of this is obviously amounting to different interpretations of “free will” and even “omnipotence.” Ok, if it’s free with no limitations, you win, buddy. If it’s free will in the sense that, well, obviously, there are constraints, but it is precisely those constraints that give rise to different wants, desires, actions, and pursuits, and there is freedom to choose them, then ok, there might be free will. In any case, free will is vague and not precisely defined. Similarly, does omnipotence entail the ability of creating something outside of yourself? If no, then ok, the paradox stands. If not, then the paradox doesn’t.

I dunno. To be all powerful does God need to be able to create paradoxes? Things that are and aren’t? I think that by limiting choices, free will is no longer fully free.

The all loving part I think gets resolved by the free will idea, too — he’s not going to step in and be a nanny.

I’m not really advocating for some biblical God, btw. Though, admittedly, I am spiritual in different senses which might overlap with the biblical God in some ways.

My understanding is that God is big on free will, including for the angels. Angel wants to fall and be the lord of darkness? Whatever, go for it.

My own interpretation of God and Satan, which is highly limited by what I learned about the Bible when I was a kid — and thus may be extremely incorrect — is that Satan viewed God’s “requirements” of being “good” to gain eternal life in heaven to be paradoxical to free will. Following God means not making decisions for yourself. So Satan represents the rebel, the true free will, with no regard to God’s plan or will.

But there’s a trick, I think: choose to follow the path of “good.” Don’t follow God’s plan because you have to but because you want to.

This resolves the problem and Satan can go back to being “good.”

I view this all symbolically and as a metaphor for how each of us confront and balance our individuality and selfish interests with harmony and collective good.

Maybe free will requires the infinite complexity of this world and hence must also contain “evil” in some way.

Don’t rat us out to the trisolarians

This whole thing reeks of “I came here, acted perfectly reasonably and logically, and everyone else, astoundingly, was illogical and mean to me. I’m so smugly innocent. I’m the victim. This makes no sense!”

Not one bit of self-reflection.

Is there an archetype or myth about this behavior? There must be. Some type of ironic “innocent” contrarian? The little brother who provokes then runs to mommy to tattle?

And get your eyes checked once in a while. For a while I would get massive headaches by early afternoon. I thought I had a nutrient deficiency. Bloodwork came out ok. Turns out I needed stronger glasses.

mid 30s guy also learning from most of these comments

I’m personally not a fan or alcohol. But I do think it’s just a “people are gonna want it” kind of thing. I think it should be regulated in a way that discourages abuse and boosts local economies.

I see modern alcohol companies just funneling money out of communities (especially on weekends). Stuff like wines coming out of vineyards might be one thing, but global conglomerates selling cheap beer worldwide is definitely another.

I wonder if it would be beneficial to regulate tobacco and alcohol products so that they were produced locally and thus harder to get, with lower marketing budgets, and limited supply. The added perk is that the money stays in the community.

I’m for it

NYEHH!

Jk, yeah, this site is amazing, thanks.

I appreciate the humor but I think your initial comparison is pretty bad.

Wild pigs don’t depend on waste from humans. They’re invasive to the Americas, sure, but there is a huge difference between hunting an invasive species that is wreaking havoc in the ecosystem (and possibly going through your “waste”) versus raising domesticated pigs in abysmal conditions — and all other associated negative consequences — for a market with inflated demand.

Also, the issue with H1N1 is, again, mostly due to farming.

So, no, pigs inherently aren’t “almost parasites” and although they can get diseases, like all animals, the threat of transmitting those diseases to humans come from farming practices.

Mosquitoes are consequential and our relationship with pigs is largely voluntary. The difference is enormous.

Not sure if you are arguing for or against pig farming. I’m against mosquito farming btw.