Q&A: America Transformed

[@stephanieroberts4837]

Your example of giving people things to incentive them to recycle is very interesting because this has been implemented in parts of Europe with the container deposit system for beverage containers.

[@LateBoomer-sl1dk]

We used to have a bottle deposit system in America but it went out the window when sodas started coming in plastic. We're going backward.

[@AskthePoolman]

@@LateBoomer-sl1dkCalifornia has a recycling system. Even Costco in the back reviving dock has a plastic bottle, aluminum cans and glass. Highly regulated, but works great if you go with the program. This system came out Nixon era.

[@LateBoomer-sl1dk]

@@AskthePoolman Nothing like that in Texas. The AG goes after cities that ban disposable plastic bags, so I don't expect us to go back to deposit bottles anytime soon.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

@@LateBoomer-sl1dk uh they still have it in Oregon and 9 other states. Oregon started it in 1971. Why Americans assume because something doesn't happen in their state that it's not happening in "America" never ceases to amaze me.

[@Ivan-y7e8p]

Another fine q&a. I have been a long time lister to your channel and enjoy how it always seems to get me into different ways of seeing things. I often get into little thought bubbles and then have to rewind as i realise ive missed ten minutes pondering a point.

[@Bronxguyanese]

One final question. Is the philosophy of calvinism and manichaeism compatible? I have noticed in the past century both manichaeism and calvinism play a part in American post religious life. One thing that I noticed is That manichaeism played a major role in the united states especially during the red scare, satanic panic, war on terror and the death of George Floyd. Manichaeism is the philosophy of good and evil and no room for middle of the road. Or does Anglo calvinism adopts a manichaeism approach to their religious philosophy?

[@AjarnMatt]

48:43 About the dangers of winning a war - coheres w/ Dave Smith's observation that Gulf War 1 (GHWB) was the worst war because we became convinced of our invincibility aaaaaaannnd hello neocons.

[@TrentonGauthier]

Younger people are turning to "Bright Green" environmentalism and that always struck me as such an elegant response to the guilt we tried to stack on them. We, millennials, were always "punk" with our scifi, cyberpunk, steampunk, and then solarpunk being the closest equivalent to Bright Green environmentalism. We were told society would break if we allowed witches and we said, well, there's definitely going to be witches and imagined futures within broken societies full of suffering. I'm glad they've chosen less suffering!

[@S.J.L]

Check out John Mearshimer's analysis of analysis on what's going on with Ukraine and Russia. It's not black and white, there's always some grey. There's more authoritarianism in Western Europe than almost anywhere else but some people have a taboo against some truths.

[@rickhunter1454]

It’s not really gray. It’s pretty black and white on this issue, whatever one international relations theorist says…

[@S.J.L]

@@rickhunter1454 You literally said nothing except an opinion with no substance. Hug your father.

[@adept42]

I’m trans, and I think I get the point you were trying to make, but you came off kind of muddled. Trans folk do sometimes play the whole respectability politics game and relentlessly defend against any criticism. But as you’ve pointed out, American culture tends to see everything in terms of stark good & evil; presenting ourselves as all good is arguably the best way to be accepted.

[@TrentonGauthier]

It always seemed backwards to me that the right was against masking during covid. It's sad to say but I think if masks were presented (accurately at least initially) as a scare resource that benefitted the wearer instead of some public service, it would have been both more right-aligned and more widely adopted. On the other hand, we probably would have had people hoarding masks like toilet paper. It was so insane that masking was such an issue of identity politics. My wife and I were denied a table at a restaurant because the host said her mask made the other diners uncomfortable and she didn't want to walk through the restaurant without it. She's a witch.

[@chickenfishhybrid44]

@@TrentonGauthier I notice that people very concerned with how alot of the right rebelled against masking almost never talk about how Fauci or others in public health and authority didn't exactly cover themselves in glory with their messaging around it.