#Merit and Capital

[jiejing-lifechanyuan]

The Scope of Application of the Law of Positive and Negative Energy Summing to Zero

Xuefeng

January 26, 2024

(Translation edited by Qinyou)

While exploring the origin of the universe and the balance of cosmic energy, especially the principles of natural law, the mechanism of nature, and the principle of justice in Tao, I discovered this law, namely, “the sum of positive and negative energy is zero.”

If there is a positive universe, there is a negative universe; if there is positive energy, there is negative energy; if there is a positive electron, there is a negative electron; if there are people, there are anti-people; if there are gods, there are demons; if there is heaven, there is hell, etc. This law indicates that what is given and what is gained are equal, or in other words, giving + gaining = zero.

This law is the balance mechanism of the universe, ensuring that the development of anything does not go to extremes. This balance mechanism is the natural law and also embodies the justice of Tao. Understanding and applying this law, we will know the mechanism of nature.

Now a question arises, since the sum of positive and negative energy is zero, then, is happiness + pain = zero? Is love + hate = zero? Is cruelty + kindness = zero? Is enjoyment + suffering = zero? Etc.

There is a very obvious fact that seems to prove that this law only applies to the category of energy and does not apply to other categories. This fact is that the Super Celestial Beings in the Celestial Islands Continent of the Elysium World can enjoy eternity without worries and pains, and they will not suffer or be punished; while many lives trapped in hell are “irretrievable” and have to endure eternal pain; from the perspective of a single life form, the law of the sum of positive and negative energy being zero is not established, and there is no formula of happiness + pain = zero.

This means that the law of the sum of positive and negative energy being zero applies to the macroscopic, not to the microscopic; it applies to the whole, not to the individual.

Is this really the case?

Let some life or lives enjoy a good life forever for no reason, let some life or lives suffer pain and torture forever for no reason, is this possible? If it is possible, where is the natural law? Where is the justice of the universe? If it is not possible, where is the principle? Is it necessary to go through suffering and torture to enjoy a good and happy life? Do you have to endure hardship before you can go to heaven?

What I know and understand is that the law of the sum of positive and negative energy being zero applies to all fields, both macroscopic and microscopic, both the whole and the individual. There is no unprovoked blessing to enjoy, and there is no unprovoked sin to suffer. If you want to enjoy the benefits of heaven forever, you must meet the standards of heaven for life. This standard mainly depends on the following three items.

The quality of LIFE must meet the standard.

Have enough merit, that is, capital.

No worldly ties, no debt.

To meet the above three standards, it is actually a very difficult and painful process. In this sense, happiness + pain = zero is established. Once the standard is met, you can enjoy eternal happiness, but the possibility of meeting the standard is very small. It is a miracle if one percent of humans meet the standard. If you do not meet the standard, you will inevitably suffer endless suffering and torture, reincarnation endlessly, there is no end in sight, because we will find that we are suffering from pain and torture, but we are enjoying short-term happiness and joy, this is like a person, every day go to work to make money, spend all the money you earn every day, you can’t save a penny in the bank of heaven, where is the money to enjoy a good life in heaven? Some people complain that the Greatest Creator is unfair, saying that the common people are suffering pain, enduring hardship, and bearing sins; why doesn’t the Greatest Creator relieve the suffering of the common people?

I asked, “Who among the common people is willing to heed the call of the Greatest Creator and walk the path of the Greatest Creator? Can you find one? While disregarding the call of the Greatest Creator and complaining about the perceived injustice of the Greatest Creator, can you really blame the Greatest Creator?”

Perhaps someone might ask, “How is it that the law of the sum of positive and negative energy becoming zero fails for those wealthy individuals who, without enduring much pain or torment, enjoy a life of luxury?”

The law has not failed. The perceived failure of the law is due to two reasons: one, you have not seen the pressures and trials they have endured; two, you have not seen their future. They have shouldered more risk and mental strain than the average person, experiencing psychological and spiritual torment. Therefore, they are entitled to enjoy material wealth, but their future is bleak. The wealthier a person is, the greater their responsibility for the destruction of nature, the more money, the greater the sin. The more material wealth a person possesses, the heavier their sin, and the more severe their future punishment. Therefore, one should never envy or admire the rich, but rather pity them.

In summary, the law of the sum of positive and negative energy applies across all domains.

~~~

If you like this article and would like to know more about Lifechanyuan values, please check this link, thanks: https://lifechanyuanvalues.wordpress.com/2024/06/23/some-pdfs-of-lifechanyuan-values/

May Wisdom, Peace & Love from the Greatest Creator be with you.🙏

[xerith-42]

There's a version of Minecraft story mode in my brain... Okay hear me out on this and know that all, and I mean ALL of my familiarity with this game is playing it's early chapters when I was a kid, followed by watching some pig guy play it and complain the entire time.

But in Chapter 2 there's two different paths you can go down, and I find the difference between them and how that would hypothetically effect Jesse fascinating. Because Redstonia (god that's a dumb name) is a relatively chill place. Everyone there is weird, but you went to the nerd town, you met the nerds, you do some nerd stuff, it gets dangerous for a bit, and then you leave.

Meanwhile in Boomtown Jesse and Axel are literally fighting for their lives from second one and are constantly in the trenches the entire time they're there.

So we take two different designs of Jesse and just make them twins. One of them is named Jesse and the other is named Jessie and they refuse to change their names. They're basically inseparable, but then that can be part of the emotional climax that happens in chapter 1 when they realize that they have to separate from each other during a serious situation.

Jesse goes with Axel and comes back with hearing damage, new scars, a hatred of loud noises, and a lot of weird hand cramps. Jessie meanwhile gets to go on a nice little vacay with Olivia where they do a bunch of redstone and nerd out the entire time. Gives them a different outlook on things going forward that's bound to change when they reunite and other Horrors of the story happen.

[backpackingspace]

Okay but xie lian really do just being lying the whole series

[brionysea]

this man is pissing me off

[grim-echoes]

Any thoughts on what's up with the Accelerated Dynamics nightmare dungeon? The obvious surface is about corporate greed, but how does that relate directly to Jimmy's life like the other nightmare dungeons do?

i've been slacking on the analysis posts a hell of a lot but this is one of the dungeons i've been looking for an opportunity to talk about because it's another one of those inclusions in jatpm that i think gets overlooked because it doesn't have an immediately obvious interpretation like some others do (or, as obvious as is possible for your average jimmy fan). i've done a lot of thinking about it, and a while back had this realization (slight tw for very very brief suicide mention, also obvious spoilers ahead):

kasey definitely put a lot of his own personal grievances with capitalism into accelerated dynamics, but in my opinion it's an incomplete picture without taking megatropolis as a whole into consideration. terminal illness is extremely costly to treat and particularly in the US, it's (in my experience) much more terrifying to imagine being unable to afford the cost of healthcare than it is to actually fall ill and require treatment. even with insurance covering the cost of medical supplies and bills most people continue to struggle to feed, clothe, and house themselves, and that's assuming they do have health insurance that covers the right necessities to begin with.

i say this because i doubt jimmy's cancer treatment was at all affordable given that he's already been through chemotherapy once before, and has spent the entirety of his second battle comatose while his family continues to work not just to support themselves, but to try and save his life. this isn't to argue that money troubles were absolutely a factor in his family's life because of his illness because we don't know much at all about their financial situation--more that this is a terrifying reality for many, many families fighting illnesses, and megatropolis is representative of something that jimmy and his family don't have the luxury of anymore: leisure.

accelerated dynamics is set in a sprawling city landmarked by arcades, shopping malls, theaters, toy company headquarters, and a massive school campus, all adjacent to a high-class beach resort. it's a stark contrast in atmosphere that was likely very intentional--accelerated dynamics is devoid of personality and wonder in comparison to bonita vista or even shinryu and features workplace ambience as its area theme and visuals of skeletal employees hanged outside the office windows. i think a lot of people were incredibly disappointed in mr grouse as a character to see that his humble beginnings had led him to this point, but i think the commentary runs a lot deeper and touches on this incredibly grave aspect of illness and thus jimmy's personal life that can be easy to miss for the trees; mr grouse tells jimmy before the fight that he used to dream of his banking business growing bigger and bigger and that now, with the advent of it having grown so big that it's now expanded into an entire enterprise, he understands the power and influence that money can buy him, but more than anything he now conceptualizes how terrifying it is to lose that wealth.

his dialogue after the fight is an admission that wealth completely and utterly eroded his morals and that jimmy should enjoy his innocence while he can--this is the incomprehensible, horrifying world of adulthood that he couldn't possibly understand at this age--and it's very clear that this is (one of) the intended angle(s) of this dungeon's theme where jimmy will never live long enough to understand the complications of growing older and losing his innocence to concepts like late stage capitalism, but mr grouse phrases his dialogue like an earnest request for reflection, something for jimmy to consider in a way that his brain can more easily deconstruct--think of all the things you could do if you had practically infinite wealth, and the only thing you had to worry about was not having money.

if jimmy and his family had infinite wealth, then maybe they'd be able to afford luxury resorts and theme parks and theaters and shopping trips again. if jimmy and his family had infinite wealth, maybe they wouldn't need to work themselves into an early grave over their child's deathbed.

[goodolreliablejake]

I'm finally watching Jack Saint's video on Wonka, and I gotta say, it's really putting things together about the characters that are changing my perspective...

As a child, I gravitated to the character of Willy Wonka as portrayed by Gene Wilder because of his combination of melancholy and imagination. I really related to that feeling of the world being harsh and cruel and unyielding and wanting to create a sanctuary where you could live out your dreams, safe, if disconnected from the world.

Then as I grew, I couldn't deny the problematic element of his role as industrialist, capitalist. And I think I waved it off by basically saying "well, this is a story that is ignorant of that problematic element, that buys in too fully to the romantic image of the industrialist, which I don't believe in but which doesn't ruin my enjoyment of the story."

But now I see how intrinsically tied these two elements are, and how together they paint a picture of a very dark and tragic character. Willy Wonka is the tragedy of the sellout. He's a misanthrope that hates the world, but he's willing to perpetrate its worst crimes for the personal freedom of pretending he is separate from it. He is hidden and free in delusion, cut off from the world, and he hurts and exploits for the privilege.

I know this is a really random pull to compare it to, but... I can't help but think of the ending of Daniel Kaluuya's character in the Black Mirror episode Fifteen Million Merits. He hated the cruelty, the falseness, and the exploitation of the artificial, profit-driven world he was trapped in, but in the end even his rebellion was something that could be commodified and co-opted by the system. And he decided that it was a worthwhile deal to give himself the illusion of freedom. He sacrificed the real woman who was kind and funny and gave him an origami penguin made of trash for the solitude of a larger cell with a penguin statue.

Does seeing the cruelty of the system inspire solidarity, or does it drive you further into alienation?

[party-gilmore]

Modern art critics stop confusing "art" with "technical skill" challenge 2k23

[philosophicalgamer]

What Stage Capitalism

First some context: there is the idea that we are in a later-stage capitalism. My understanding is that it refers to the stage of capitalism where it has moved to multinational enterprise. This seems true. This post is largely questioning what stage of capitalism are we really in, as a society?

I think it is a false-cutoff. I think capitalism has more domains that it can enter beyond all countries of the world. For example, the previously public.

It already is happening, especially in countries like the United States, with things like private schools, private healthcare, and private prisons. As the world shifts ever more right-wing, so, too have more things become privatized.

This is also true of the digital domains. Much software used to be owned by a person, and are now becoming more transient ownership, like a crude rent. Even this blog is. The servers are owned by private owners, like Amazon or Tumblr.

Artificial intelligence also seems like another step in this. Similar to how clothing used to be made by the common people, and became an industry, it is making art no longer a public making. Writing as well.

I wonder more if we're not in late capitalism but an early point of it as notions of ownership become only private. Even in feudal societies, common land existed. Everything privatizing in tech is just more capitalism. Socialism is not necessarily even started or next. The idea that the workers would obtain the means of production has generally not been the common outcome, regardless of its merit or impacts.

If we go by the original definition, late seems apt. But as things continue privatization, and as a whole, I wonder if we're not really late at all. In economic terms, it seems the belief public institutions should exist is eroding and changing faster than the disbelief in private ones. Even in relative democracies, again like the United States, business leaders (or at least their presentation) are gaining sway.

Whether or not this is a good thing is not my point here. My point is it seems we're not on the end of capitalism, we're still entering it, for better and worse.

[zillyblog]

Seriously. Think about who would really benefit from a lack of copyright laws.

The indie artists who can afford to make some charms and stickers?

Or the huge corporations with enough money to buy adverts, screen time, movies and series and toys and books and anything imaginable PLUS billions of eyes from socmed and global news networks?

Like. Who do you really think is going to get more mileage here? It's not the little guy.

i do think a lot of indie artists' opposition to piracy and support for copyright is an extension of the western mindset of the temporarily embarrassed millionaire. these artists dream of one day hitting it big and owning the products of their labor but the vast majority of them will never be in a position of benefiting from copyright and are far more likely to be screwed over by it

[blogie2705]

Bangladesh: Will there be another Pakistan on India’s western border?

There  is more, which is not meeting the eye in the border state. Bangladesh is experiencing significant unrest once more, with nearly 100 fatalities reported on Sunday as demonstrators demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina engaged in confrontations with security personnel and supporters of the ruling party. In the previous month, violence instigated by student organizations opposing reserved quotas in government employment resulted in at least 150 deaths and thousands of injuries. Below are the details regarding the recent protests and their historical context. The well planned and executed plan with possible help from two neighbouring nations, situation provides them with several entry points into India for various activities. Their objective is to see the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) attain power and extend support to another nation. Hasina endeavoured to maintain a balanced relationship with both Neighbouring nation and India; however, her neutral position did not sit well with another capital city. "Notably, several prominent members of the Islamic student organization successfully engaged with Western-affiliated NGOs by employing the language of democracy and rights," was articulated as part of the strategic planning.

What does the spies reported?

Following the deepening relationship between the Indian and Bangladeshi administrations, the Jamaat-e-Islami, which is supported by the ISI, reportedly obtained considerable financial resources earlier this year aimed at undermining the government of Sheikh Hasina. An intelligence official informed TOI that a notable share of this funding is thought to have come from Chinese organizations based in neighbouring nation

The ICS, recognized for its opposition to India and its jihadist objectives, has been monitored by Indian intelligence for a considerable period due to its operations in areas neigh boring Bangladesh and its connections with the ISI-supported Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI). There is substantial evidence indicating that members of the ICS have received training in both Afghanistan and Neighouring nation. The primary aim of Jamaat or ICS is to create a government in Bangladesh akin to that of the Taliban, with the ISI reportedly providing assurances of support to help realize this ambition.

What was the trigger for the bloody protest?

Protests commenced at university campuses in June following the High Court's reestablishment of a quota system for government employment, which reversed a 2018 ruling by Hasina's administration that had abolished it. Subsequently, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court's decision in response to the government's appeal and ultimately annulled the lower court's ruling last month, mandating that 93% of positions be available to candidates based on merit.

Rising levels of unemployment

FLAGGING ECONOMY, UNEMPLOYMENT

The current turmoil in Bangladesh is largely linked to the lack of growth in private sector employment, which has rendered public sector positions, characterized by consistent salary increases and benefits, particularly appealing. The introduction of quotas has incited frustration among students facing significant youth unemployment, with approximately 32 million young individuals either unemployed or out of educational institutions in a total population of 170 million. The economy, which was previously one of the fastest-growing globally due to the thriving garment industry, has now stagnated. Inflation rates are approximately 10% annually, and foreign currency reserves are diminishing.

The protests in Bangladesh, which initially aimed to reform the quota system, came to a halt following the Supreme Court's decision to abolish the majority of quotas on July 21. Nevertheless, demonstrators resumed their activities last week, calling for a public apology from Prime Minister Hasina regarding the violence, the restoration of internet services, the reopening of college and university campuses, and the release of individuals who had been detained.

In the recent weeks, the protest’s  , they have since evolved into a broader protest against Prime Minister Hasina and the Awami League Party. The demonstrators have made it clear that their primary demand is for Hasina to resign, while the government claims that the agitation is being orchestrated by the Bangladesh.Demonstrations have persisted even after the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court annulled the High Court's order that had triggered the crisis. The ruling body declared that 93% of positions in government services would be allocated based on merit, with only 5% of jobs set aside for freedom fighters and their descendants. Additionally, a 1% quota has been designated for tribal communities, individuals with disabilities, and sexual minorities.

https://www.businesstoday.in/world/story/bangladesh-unrest-do-isi-neighouring nation-have-a-hand-in-conspiracy-to-oust-sheikh-hasina-heres-what-we-know-440315-2024-08-06

An historic context that dates back to 1972

Following the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, the country underwent significant transformations in its social, economic, and political structures. A fundamental promise underlying the establishment of the state was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's commitment to ensuring justice for those who had endured sacrifices and hardships in the struggle for freedom against the Neighbouring national military. Upon his return to Dhaka in 1972, Mujib took decisive steps to implement a quota system for freedom fighters, known as Mukti joddhas. Additionally, he established a separate quota for Bangladeshi women who had suffered atrocities at the hands of the Neighbouring national military. However, after Sheikh Mujib's assassination in 1975, the quota system experienced modifications. The provisions for freedom fighters were weakened, and the scope of the quota was broadened to include marginalized groups within society, encompassing women, individuals from underdeveloped regions, and ethnic minorities or tribes

Why were students protesting in Bangladesh?

The protests started in early July, driven by the peaceful demands of university students to eliminate quotas in civil service jobs. These quotas, which reserve one-third of positions for the relatives of veterans from Bangladesh's war for independence from Neighbouring nation in 1971. The foundation of these protests stems from a contentious quota system, which allocates up to 30% of government positions to the relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence against Neighbouring nation. The Bangladesh Police have resorted to using tear gas against the protesters.

Protests regarding the quota system have emerged due to a significant decline in the number of freedom fighters eligible to benefit from it over the years. This reduction has resulted in the underutilization of the quota for its intended purpose, thereby increasing the likelihood of its misuse. Critics argue that while it was justifiable to provide reservations to freedom fighters during their active years in the workforce, the practice of extending these reservations to their descendants��first to their children and subsequently to their grandchildren—has raised concerns. This opposition is further fueled by allegations that any shortfalls in the reserved seats are being compensated by granting quotas to members of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League party.

The political landscape of Bangladesh has been predominantly influenced by Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and her political party, the Awami League. Over time, opposition parties and government critics have increasingly expressed concerns that the quota system for freedom fighters serves as a mechanism to cultivate a faction of loyalists within the bureaucracy, thereby securing the Awami League's ongoing governance.

A possible dubious ploy supported by external fore

According to high-level intelligence sources, two nations played a significant role in the crisis in Bangladesh that resulted in Sheikh Hasina's departure. CNN-News18 was the first outlet to report on the potential resignation of Hasina from her position as Prime Minister. Unverified report indicates, David Burgan, based in the United Kingdom, along with activist Pinaki Bhattacharjee, Tarique Rehman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and the proprietors of Netra News, were identified as the principal coordinators. They orchestrated a social media campaign targeting her and were responsible for the military maneuvers as well as the initiation of a fabricated narrative on social media platforms.

Reports are emerging that a fabricated narrative regarding Prime Minister Hasina was constructed by the United States concerning the issue of "free and fair elections." Furthermore, the US imposed sanctions on Bangladesh's elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) due to allegations of human rights abuses. It is noted that the BNP has significant influence within this context. Additionally, Yunus Hasan, a Nobel laureate associated with Grameen Bank and accused of corruption in Bangladesh, is also active as a lobbyist in the United States, as per the sources. The sources indicated that the lobbying efforts by four to five prominent individuals, combined with Hasina's unwillingness to comply with American demands, contributed to the situation's deterioration.

An additional factor was her geographical closeness to Neighouring nation, as perceived by Western nations. In contrast, Tarique has promised the West that upon regaining power, he will sever connections with Neighouring nation and prioritize Western interests in Bangladesh, according to sources. Another tactic involves maintaining regional instability, which would also pose challenges for India, thereby diverting its attention to Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Neighouring nation, as reported by sources. Furthermore, Neighbouring nation's Inter-Services Intelligence has significantly contributed to these efforts, operating both directly and indirectly in support of Western objectives, according to sources.

Role of neighboring enemy nation which is inimical to India’s growth cannot be ruled out, which expect an anti-India government to be formed in Bangaldesh, to ferment contestant trouble, destabilize the country, possibly create a civil war like situation, which will directly impact India and especially the border stage of Bengal and Assam populated with a sizeable minority community. A foreign intelligence agency is leveraging an anti-India organization along with its student faction to exacerbate the situation in Dhaka. Jamaat is perceived to have strong ties with Neighbouring nation, receiving covert financial support intermittently. Recently, an atypical action was observed, which is generally not undertaken by diplomatic missions. The Neighbouring national embassy encouraged students to seek refuge within the mission if necessary. Such conduct is rarely exhibited by diplomatic entities. As a result, they gain access to various border entry points into India for a wide range of activities. Their objective is to see the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ascend to power and extend support to Neighbouring nation.

A possible role of another neighboring nation cannot be ruled out which must also be in the scanner of Indian security top-brass. However, they maintain strong business relationships with Hasina. The evident indication is the assault on Hindus, which is also aimed at fostering anti-India sentiments. If this situation is not managed, the next phase will involve the initiation of terrorist activities.

As reported in prominent news channel, the role of a neighbor that is aligned with as more advantageous. An intelligence source cited in a TOI report suggests that "the assistance from Neighouring nation's ministry of state and security is believed to have played a supportive role, given Neighouring nation concerns regarding Hasina's 'balancing act' in her interactions with both India and Neighouring nation. A government in Dhaka that is influenced by Neighouring nation would undoubtedly align more closely with Neighouring nation interests."

What next?

in the wake of Hasina's exit, the chief of the Bangladesh army is scheduled to engage with leaders of the student protest movement, as the nation looks forward to establishing a new government. The Students Against Discrimination initiative has put forth Nobel Prize winner Mohammad Yunus as a candidate to lead an interim administration.

[aurianneor]

Living with dignity

Far-right ideas are gaining influence around the world. Center and right-wing parties are adopting their ideas. They are attractive because they propose to restore dignity by affirming national identity.

Indeed, many areas have been abandoned (public services, healthcare, transport, etc.) in favor of the cities. The people who live there are deemed at fault by the omnipresent neoliberalism: if they fail, it’s their fault! If they’re unemployed or overweight, it’s because they’re undeserving. The far right wants them to think they’re above foreigners. Their heredity is enough; without doing anything, they gain value.

But there are ways of restoring dignity that are more in keeping with democracy and community life. There’s no need to attack immigrants. We need to recognize the existence of these “deplorable” people and give them back their place in society.

Sufficient income to feed ourselves in harmony with the environment (organic permaculture) and public services are essential. We need to invest massively in infrastructure and introduce an universal basic income.

Working well in good conditions means dignity! Competition must be banned when it does not respect quality, social and environmental criteria.

Subsidies are a trap. It doesn’t raise living standards, it just gives public money to the rich. For example, giving a housing allowance means that landlords can raise the price of rents, so that public money ends up in landlords’ pockets. Another example: subsidizing agriculture according to the quantity of pesticides used forces farmers to pay back what they receive to the agri-food industry.

Price controls on the essentials of food, housing and health are essential if we are to live in dignity. First and foremost, producers and breeders must be able to make a living from their work, instead of being subsidized by the community through conditional welfare payments. The selling price must be dignified so that producers or farmers can work according to their will, and be autonomous and responsible. Otherwise, Cargill, for example, will be able to buy products that do not respect nature for almost nothing. Secondly, urban housing excludes people from the countryside. It has become too expensive to find a place to live, and therefore to study. Rents need to be controlled.

What’s unacceptable here is unacceptable elsewhere. Conditions must be imposed on imports. Multi-nationals must be held accountable for their anti-social and anti-environmental actions at home and abroad.

Private property cannot be absolute. The pollution and the destruction of forests cannot be accepted. Freedom is limited by the need to avoid harming others.

Capitalism must be fought, because in a company, ownership gives full decision-making power. Employees and society must have their say, because they have contributed to the company’s success: roads, police, schools, training, etc. And they also have their say on the impact on the environment and the treatment of employees and animals. The future of the company must be in their hands, and they must be able to influence the future of their jobs. It’s true that owners take risks. But employees take risks too: they’ve invested with their studies, they’re moving, they’re sending their children to school. Capital moves freely and travels from one company to another. Property is not a sacred right. No empty houses when there are people sleeping in the street!

Charity doesn’t make you worthy. You have to be able to stand on your own two feet because you’re doing something positive for society. If people feel good, they get sick less and it costs society less. Those who own property and are responsible for the burn-outs and even suicides of their employees, and who pollute to excess for their own personal gain, are valued, whereas an unemployed person who cultivates his vegetable garden and looks after the young and the old is not.

To fight the far right, we need to stop simply demonizing it, even if it is true that it is a real danger to democracies and the values of the revolution. We need to propose measures that restore dignity to all, that enable us to live together without exclusion.

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Solidarité Hélvétique: https://www.aurianneor.org/solidarite-helvetique-democratie-semi-directe/

Vivre dignement: https://www.aurianneor.org/vivre-dignement/

Humiliated by the Republic: https://www.aurianneor.org/humiliated-by-the-republic/

“Capitalism will eat democracy; unless we speak up”: https://www.aurianneor.org/yanis-varoufakis-capitalism-will-eat-democracy/

Basic Income is possible.: https://www.aurianneor.org/basic-income-is-possible-the-instrument-of/

Housing: https://www.aurianneor.org/housing/

Representation of capitalism trying to take all the resources and trying to make workers live nothing but work: https://www.aurianneor.org/representation-of-capitalism-trying-to-take-all-the-resources-and-trying-to-make-workers-live-nothing-but-work/

Cut out the middleman: https://www.aurianneor.org/cut-out-the-middleman/

How can we win back trust?: https://www.aurianneor.org/how-can-we-win-back-trust/

Restricting personal wealth: https://www.aurianneor.org/restricting-personal-wealth/

Freedom and coexistence: https://www.aurianneor.org/freedom-and-coexistence/

Fair trade and organic farming: https://www.aurianneor.org/fair-trade-and-organic-farming/

Immigration: https://www.aurianneor.org/immigration-2/

Nos ancêtres les marrons: https://www.aurianneor.org/nos-ancetres-les-marrons-il-nexiste-quune-seule/

[fozmeadows]

there is no ethical consumption under capitalism

Years ago now, I remember seeing the rape prevention advice so frequently given to young women - things like dressing sensibly, not going out late, never being alone, always watching your drink - reframed as meaning, essentially, "make sure he rapes the other girl." This struck a powerful chord with me, because it cuts right to the heart of the matter: that telling someone how to lower their own chances of victimhood doesn't stop perpetrators from existing. Instead, it treats the existence of perpetrators as a foregone conclusion, such that the only thing anyone can do is try, by their own actions, to be a less appealing or more difficult victim.

And the thing is, ever since the assassination of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, I've kept on thinking about how, in this day and age, CEOs of big companies often have an equal or greater impact on the day to day lives of regular people than our elected officials, and yet we have almost no legal way to redress any grievances against them - even when their actions, as in the case of Thompson's stewardship of UHC, arguably see them perpetrating manslaughter at scale through tactics like claims denial. That this is a real, recurring thing that happens makes the American healthcare insurance industry a particularly pernicious example, but it's far from being the only one. Because the original premise of the free market - the idea that we effectively "vote" for or against businesses with our dollars, thereby causing them to sink or swim on their individual merits - is utterly broken, and has been for decades, assuming it was ever true at all. In this age of megacorporations and global supply chains, the vast majority of people are dependent on corporations for necessities such as gas, electricity, internet access, water, food, housing and medical care, which means the consumer base is, to all intents and purposes, a captive market. We might not have to buy a specific brand, but we have to buy a brand, and as businesses are constantly competing with one another to bring in profits, not just for the company and its workers, but for C-suites and shareholders - profits that increasingly come at the expense of workers and consumers alike - the greediest, most inhumane corporations set the financial yardstick against which all others are then, of necessity, measured. Which means that, while businesses are not obliged to be greedy and inhumane in order to exist, overwhelmingly, they become greedy and humane in order to compete, because capitalism encourages it, and because there are precious few legal restrictions to stop them from doing so. At the same time, a handful of megacorporations own so many market-dominating brands that, without both significant personal wealth and the time and resources to find viable alternatives, it's all but impossible to avoid them, while the ubiquity of the global supply chain means that, even if you can keep track of which company owns which brand, it's much, much harder to establish which suppliers provide the components that are used in the products bearing their labels. Consider, for instance, how many mainstream American brands are functionally run on sweatshop labour in other parts of the world: places where these big corporations have outsourced their workforce to skirt the already minimal labour and wage protections they'd be obliged to adhere to in the US, all to produce (say) electronics whose elevated sticker price passes a profit on to the company, but without resulting in higher wages for either the sweatshop workers overseas or the American employees selling the products in branded US stores.

When basically every major electronics corporation is engaged in similar business practices, there is no "vote" our money can bring that causes the industry itself to be better regulated - and as wealthy, powerful lobbyists from these industries continue to pay exorbitant sums of money to politicians to keep government regulation at a minimum, even our actual votes can do little to effect any sort of change. But even in those rare instances where new regulations are passed, for multinational corporations, laws passed in one country overwhelmingly don't prevent them from acting abusively overseas, exploiting more desperate populations and cash-poor governments to the same greedy, inhumane ends. And where the ultimate legal penalty for proven transgressions is, more often than not, a fine - which is to say, a fee; which is to say, an amount which, while astronomical by the standards of regular people, still frequently costs the company less than the profits earned through their unethical practices, and which is paid from corporate coffers rather than the bank accounts of the CEOs who made the decisions - big corporations are, in essence, free to act as badly as they can afford to; which is to say, very. Contrary to the promise of the free market, therefore, we as consumers cannot meaningfully "vote" with our dollars in a way that causes "good" businesses to rise to the top, because everything is too interconnected. Our choices under global capitalism are meaningless, because there is no other system we can financially support that stands in opposition to it, and while there are still small businesses and companies who try to operate ethically, both their comparative smallness and their interdependent reliance on the global supply chain means that, even if we feel better about our choices, we're not exerting any meaningful pressure on the system we're trying to change. Which means that, under the free market, trying to be an ethical consumer is functionally equivalent to a young woman dressing modestly, not going out alone and minding her drink at parties in order to avoid being raped. We're not preventing corporate predation or sending a message to corporate predators: we're just making sure they screw other worker, the other consumer, the other guy.

All of which is to say: while I'd prefer not to live in a world where shooting someone dead in the street is considered a valid means of redressing grievances, what the murder of Brian Thompson has shown is that, if you provide no meaningful recourse for justice against abusive, exploitative members of the 1%, then violence done to those people will have the feel of justice, because it fills the void left by the lack of consequences for their actions. It's the same reason why people had little sympathy for the jackass OceanGate CEO who killed himself in his imploding sub, or anyone whose yacht has been attacked by orcas - it's just intensified here, because where the OceanGate CEO was felled by hubris and the yachts were random casualties, whoever killed Thomspon did so deliberately, because of what he did. It was direct action against a man whose policies very arguably constituted manslaughter at scale; a crime which ought to be a crime, but which has, to date, been permitted under the law. And if the law wouldn't stop him, can anyone be surprised that someone might act outside the law in retaliation - or that regular people would cheer for them when they did?

[changeling-droneco]

Hi I'm that person who made the original post about "no doesn mean no" when a small bit of the mr beast company document was leaked, well, now we have the full document (thanks rosanna) so I'm going to go over it. Please note I am not a lawyer or a business man, I'm in college for psychology, so I might misunderstand some things or make the wrong conclusion. However, if this is a document made for the average mr. beast employee, if I cannot understand it properly, then im sure some employees also struggled

First of all, the opening paragraph. Like I get it's supposed to be like, to put people at ease, but

This is so strange? Like, first of all, this is your EMPLOYEE MANUAL, you should have run it through like, a spell check? Or had someone edit it? This is already incredibly unprofessional. Also the promising of a thousand dollars if you pass a quiz on it? It's bizarre and I'd love to see if it's an actual quiz.

Jimmy, hun, please god get an editor for this you're already trying my patience.

YOU SHOULD, you genuinely should, while interconnected these are all COMPLETELY different jobs, if you think you could write a separate manual for each branch you SHOULD

I'm sure I'm about to get an answer but what the fuck is the best YOUTUBE video then? If it's not comedy, its not production, its not quality, its not look, then what the hell is left? (monetization, it's monetization)

First of all, Jimmy, why are you using internet lingo in this, it's not a text message, this is not a place for, idc, and lol, and not capitalizing your headers correctly??? Also like I said, he's chasing trends for monetization, and also he's just wrong, there are plenty of hollywood level shows and the like on youtube. You fully admit you do not care about trends and actively rush things?

This is just fucked??? Like of COURSE IT MATTERS??? Results based company is bullshit, your employees that worked for five weeks and failed aren't "lesser" then James, it's a structural failure! They still worked for HOURS to try and succeed?? That shows merit and loyalty??? What the fuck???

Rosanna covers this one in her video but it's worth restating that this is FUCKED??? It's clear overwork "your job is your family" culture. Especially the use of the word obsessive? If you do not OBSESS over your work, you are considered poisonous. NO WONDER we have so many reports of employees doing things they feel is dangerous or unsafe, if they don't they're considered POISON to the company.

The formatting in this doc continues to fucking kill me, what are you DOING man GET AN EDITOR

This feels like such an easy fix of just...make the thumbnail after the fact? Or only make a rough draft of one first? Like if production makes a red bouncy castle instead of a yellow one, that feels like an easy fix to the thumbnail OR a communication error, and again, that's on management

A lot of the next stuff is like analytics stuff that for the most part I can't really speak on as someone who does not do any of this stuff. There are a few things though

Which like???? what??? a lull??? what do you mean "watching a video without even realizing they are watching a video??" That doesn't scream good or even mediocre content to me. If I'm actively tuning out as I watch a video, that's bad. Especially because there have been plenty of times I've been like half way through a video i go "hey this sucks actually" and click off. They actively want their audience to not be paying attention to the video so it runs all the way through, that's kinda pathetic.

I don't actually know if this is common or not in this industry, but as an outsider this seems INCREDIBLY micromanaging to me, to an immense degree.

Jimmy why are you putting swears in your employee manual?? sir??? and also something about this whole thing icks me out, I don't quite have the words but the whole emphasis on "im different im special no one else can be me" just reeks of something kind of manipulative

Why is production changing so much Jimmy??? Infinite growth is the mindset of a cancer cell Jimmy! This is incredibly unstable working conditions! Also again with the word obsession, if you take time out of your own day on your own time to watch hulu, that's seen as not being obsessed enough for the company. This is nonsensical!

Again, this is INSANELY micromanaging, and also so fucking unhinged??? "God himself couldn't stop you from making this video on time" is NOT a healthy work mindset, things HAPPEN!!!

In this segment he's actually talking normal things but I did just want to highlight his use of "freaken" who the hell puts that in an EMPLOYEE MANUEL

Again with the micromanaging, and the immense pressure on employees for problems OTHER people do. While he's not fully wrong that you should be in more contact with the contractor then the example, this is too much in the other direction. How much time in the day does he think people have?!

My kingdom for a fucking paragraph break dude, my fucking eyes. Also this is a lot of "im so great and do everything and you should do more for me and if i dont know something that's your fault" for something titled "I am not always right"

I'm getting lazy with my highlighting, but again, the micromanaging? If you're SOOO busy, the first question should be the ideal? it's quick and makes a quick decision, while the second one meanders and meanders

Again, Jimmy is pushing blame for HIS mistakes on OTHER PEOPLE. For again, a section called "i am not always right" hes taking NO accountability for that and just making the SAME excuses he's berating in other places.

I can't even tell what he means here AN EDITOR JIMMY

Autism Hell tm, PLEASE email me so I can DOUBLE CHECK IT, things in writing are SO useful

Again the language towards "C-Players" which as mr beast has said, are the people who y'know, are NORMAL employees who DON'T live and breathe this company

Okay first of all, a Lamborghini is like 300k so that's already A REALLY hard task, and i sure hope don't usually put typos in the tasks. SECOND of all the fact he thinks its okay to go "hey if the studio is literally on fire around you and you stop working to get the Lamborghini, you're not doing good enough" even if he claims it as a joke is NOT OKAY what the FUCK

We've covered this before, but to reiterate this segment is named after a sexual assault reference when it could have been named ANYTHING ELSE and harasses employees and pressures them to break rules, don't do that.

I'm not an editor, so maybe this is normal, but as someone from the outside it seems strange to put this much emphasis on dividing focus between so many videos at once.

Jimmy, hun, are you paying extra for this? Because if I'm an editor and you want me FILMING stuff then i want to be paid more for doing TWO jobs and I probably still wont be as skilled a TRAINED CAMERA MAN

First of all now THAT'S a type, consteatants. Also the fact they are aware that leaving contestants out in the sun is bad, why are you not doing MORE TO STOP IT BEYOND "hey maybe giving them three hours of heatstroke is bad, try only two next time"

Don't we love favoritism, more shitty unprofessional writings, and a completely unstable work environment?

If your people have to pull all nighters period something is wrong, and if something happens to an employees car that could have seriously hurt someone, i sure hope you care more then just "LOL FUNNY" Who's picking up the broken glass? Who's reimbursing the car owner? That one meme of "your first care should be commitment to the bit" is a MEME jimmy, it's not ACTUAL ADVICE

Ah shit I hit image limit, well, you've seen enough screenshots to know these are screenshots, we're almost done I'll put them in as quotes

"Let’s say you are tasked with finding us a castle to live in for 50 hours and while doing research you find a castle and a number to call for the owner. So you do call, and he answers. Only problem is he says he quit the castle renting business to pursue his dream of building a 100 foot tall lego catapult. You can obviously tell where i’m going with this. Ideally you’d recognize that’s badass as fuck and try to convince him to let us use it when we do find a castle. This is a bad example because it’s so obvious but if you’re doing your job right you will be doing an absurd amounts of calls and data collecting. While trying to complete your prios and prepare for the video you should always be on the lookout for new things you can bring to your creative team to inspire them. Because just like me, they don’t know what they don’t know and you can’t just say “i’m in production and i’m not very creative” because that’s literally the equivalent of saying I suck at what I do. You also need to apply this same mindset when problem solving because many people lose sight of this stuff when in the weeds. If a problem appears, always always always ask yourself if your new plan is whats best for creative, not just the easiest bandaid."

First of all it's really funny seeing all the red lines pop up, second of all this insistent blurring of everyone's job seems so strange? Again maybe this is normal, but it really feels like Jimmy wants everyone working every job, instead on focusing on what they are actually hired to do.

"What is the goal of our content?

To excite me. The goal of our content is to excite me. That may sound weird to some of you, especially if you’re new but to me it’s what’s most important. If I'm not excited to get in front of that camera and film the video, it’s just simply not going to happen."

That's fucking weirddddd, like I get that he's trying to be like "im authentic" but it always feels like a bad sign when the goal of a company is literally just "What amuses the boss" like...bad sign

"this is youtube and there are constraints. You know the video can’t be a minute so you’re obviously going to need a story to hold the viewers and there are rules to storytelling. Our audience is massive and because of that you have to be simple, for 50 million people to understand something it must be simple. Content can be anything but there is structure and rules that we must mold it into that I want to teach you about, because virality doesn’t just happen. Every frame of our videos will be seen by 10s of millions of people"

Gross

"I'd say the average MrBeast viewer is a teenage memer that likes video games."

Mr Beast is completely aware of his demographic and puts screen shots of it, he is very aware his stuff is aimed at kids, even when its about gambling or hiring people not around near minors

"I feel silly for having to write this but all the time I talk to 32 new people that have at most seen like 5 or 6 of our videos and it’s mind blowing that they don’t see a problem with that lol."

It's almost like your audience is teenage memer and that people who working here are not in fact, teenage memers.

"What you consume on social media, when you watch youtube, tv, the games you play, etc. are what I like to call your information diet.

How do you stay up to date on the latest memes? How do you know what’s going on with celebrities? What’s trending on youtube? What other creators are doing? What’s popping on tik tok? Your information diet. Consume things on a daily basis that help you write better content."

If my job as a creative writer had my boss tell me to have to see whats "popping on tik tok" as part of my job i'd quit also again, the micromanaging of someone's life as well pops up again, it's weirddd

"It’s okay for the boys to be childish

If talent wants to draw a dick on the white board in the video or do something stupid, let them. (assuming they know all the risks and arn’t missing context on why it’s not safe) People like when we are in our natural element of stupidity. Really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots"

More favoritism

"If you’ve made it this far you are probably at least semi interested in this being your career. So I wanted to chat about it. Because if you're ambitious and want to dedicate your life to work, you picked the best company in America to do it at. I really don’t care to hoard a bunch of money and I deeply believe in rewarding the people that help this business get where it needs to be. But before I get into that, let’s talk about the future. As I write this we have 2 teams, that will grow to 4 in the next year. (and possibly 8 in the next 2 years but I can’t talk about that cause james will kill me haha). We need more leaders in the company. Weneed hard working, obsessive, coachable, intelligent, grinders that can step up and take some of these leadership spots over the next 2 years. Every single department has an opportunity for you to grow in and you’re in luck because we don’t do yearly reviews. We do whenever the fuck you want reviewes"

Lack of communication from management, and more emphasis on grinding and crunch culture, goodie, all while riddled with typos! God.

"I see a world where this company is worth billions and one day 10s of billions. And those of you that help build this will be rewarded. I want nothing more then for you to go all in, obsessive all day everyday, and become so god dam valuable this company can’t operate without you. And in return for becoming so valuable I hope to give you incredible experiences, a fun place to work, and of course, more money then you could ever dream of making at any other company."

I feel like I'm reading a fucking pyramid scheme document here, "youre so so valuable spend literally every minute of every day on this company haha" good GOD man

[bossuary]

Neve is painless. Rook is real.

Lucanis likes Neve because she represents what he is desperate to regain. He wants to feel normal, to work and cook and focus on the things he used to enjoy (such as they were) before the Ossuary. He wants capital R Romance, right out of a book.

Most importantly, he wants to get rid of Spite. He wants to pretend that he is the man he was...not this abomination.

Without truly knowing her, Lucanis believes Neve is a pathway to all of that. He's attracted to her, and she to him. Their flirting has an edge, but it's also friendly. She dislikes Spite, and her presence makes Spite disappear.

Neve will tell Lucanis that he's still himself, and that Spite doesn't change that. She will never be the one to reconcile Lucanis with Spite, to get them to accept each other. So, yeah, he gravitates to the charming, flirty, warm person who (through no fault of her own, really) feeds his desire to pretend he's not an abomination.

Even early on, I think he's smart enough to know that accepting Spite is his only option, but he...just... can't. With what tools? Nothing in his life has prepared him to deal with this. Rook does that. When denial tears Lucanis apart, Rook puts him back together with acceptance. Rook accepts the reality of Spite, and deals with it head-on every time.

Neve will remind Lucanis that she's not going anywhere. She'll tell him to open his eyes and look at facts, but she (probably) won't be the one to push him out of his own prison. Lucanis knows this, so Spite knows this, and therefore Spite will not look to Neve for help.

It's important for Lucanis to accept that Spite has changed him. But when it's Rook who says it--for whom Lucanis has developed real feelings, not idealized ones--well, it destroys the fantasy Lucanis clings to so vehemently, the one where he isn't this.

For me, the Lucanis/Rook romance feels the way it does NOT because the writers "preferred" that Lucanis and Neve get together, but because Neve is simply easier for Lucanis to accept. She's easier to talk to, unchallenging. Easy isn't bad! Comfort isn't bad! God knows they both deserve some comfort.

Loving Rook is a profoundly complex choice. There's not a lot of cute ways to work that profundity into sexy banter. It makes sense, then, that Lucanis doesn't have as much dialogue for a romanced Rook as he does with Neve. What he can do is cook, make small gestures. He can, heartbreakingly, tell Rook, over and over, that he doesn't have the words to express how he feels. That's such an awful state, knowing that the person you care about needs to hear words you simply cannot locate. As soon as he does have the words, he shares them.

Rook is real. And real is not easy.

To Lucanis, Rook represents a difficult path to recovery, a path he has to keep choosing to follow, every day. At a time in his life where he is incapable of seeing Spite (and his own PTSD ) as anything but a 'distraction' to shove aside, Rook shows genuine interest in helping Lucanis heal. Rook takes consistent action toward that goal, particularly when it's clear that Lucanis doesn't know how.

Lucanis also has to believe that he's worth the effort, his own and his love's. Neve is great, love her, but I don't see this struggling cynic, this chronic worrier, being very helpful in the self-worth department. No, people in a relationship do not have to perform therapeutic roles. But, partners do have to respect each others' boundaries and needs.

Of course Lucanis goes all-in for Neve, romantically, even while he and Rook are dancing around each other. Accepting how much he loves and cares for Rook means looking at himself the way Rook does. That is so much harder than whatever will happen with Neve.

The fact that Lucanis isn't afraid to pursue Neve, even if Treviso is blighted, tells me that Neve is an indulgence for him. Again, that's not a value judgement. If they treat each other with respect, then the merits of the relationship don't have to fall on whether Lucanis 'heals' as a result. Sometimes not hurting all the time is enough.

BUT. Contrast the ease he feels with Neve with his feelings about Rook:

"When I was afraid to want you..."

That is a powerful admission.

What was he afraid of? The annihilation of neglect, worthlessness, and shame. The awful but knowable pillars of his existence.

Wanting Rook means that Lucanis wants to dismantle everything he knows in pursuit of something he doesn't. To love Rook is to love and accept himself, exactly as he is.

Then...then...Lucanis finds real comfort.

[themedievalcryptid]

I see a lot of people whose problems with modern art specifically famous modern art boil down to I can paint that and make a million dollars or that a piece of art isn’t/shouldn’t be worth that much money. That’s a lot of the conversation around merit in art. I get those feelings I feel that a lot and when I look at a painting and art critics are saying it’s super complex and full of symbolism when it’s black and white vertical lines and it doesn’t feel symbolic to me it just feels dumb AND then that painting sells for millions of dollars (millions of dollars that someone could have used to buy a house or food for everyone in their life or pay for college) to some asshole whose never wanted for anything in their life and is running the world and they use that painting as a tax write off so they don’t have to help the poor. It feels like absolute bullshit (because it is). Which is a fair response but I feel like the wires get crossed here cause that’s not the fault of the art or artist. THAT is the fault of the fine art industry and government.

All art has merit but merit does NOT mean the monetary worth of a piece

Ahhh, This is in reference to fucking Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, and Blue (shown Below), What do you mean it has no merit, it's such a fucking influential piece, you are allowed to not get it but seriously you are the problem if you don't think that art you find ugly has merit. All art has merit no matter whether you like it or not.