Critical theory can be seen as one big attempt to cope with how Marxism was much more right-wing in practice in the 20th century than it had seemed on paper in the 19th century. Marx’s debunked theories get recycled into rubrics for critiquing English authors who deserved much better.

English literature grad school is like “ok time to see what this charlatan French psychiatrist, this other French guy who strangled his wife, and this German guy who hated jazz with his whole being thought about this poem we just read one line of”

I think this post is correct that the U.S. simply doesn’t produce the specific types of hard-right politicians that thrive in Europe.

It’s been 30 years since the Nintendo 64 came out. Here’s our podcast episode about its mixed legacy, why it was difficult to develop for, and which of its games are still worth playing.

Common dumb-guy-trying-to-sound-smart take is that the 21st century “hasn’t started yet” because there hasn’t been a Marxist revolution or the complete collapse of the USA. Dude, the century is over 1/4th complete, you’re living in it, it has started.

Samsung owns JBL, Revel, Bowers & Wilkins, Denon and Marantz.

It’s absolutely wild that people still pay for the product of a company co-owned by this guy.

I actually think Earl Butz has the better arguments here; he was of a generation (born 1909) that saw unprecedented changes in living standards due to the improvements in agriculture. Berry’s arguments to me sound weird (“city people”?).

Karl Marx died during the U.S. presidency of Chester A. Arthur. He saw little of modernity. Treating him as an authority on anything today is like advocating for Aristotelian physics.

Many people still define themselves against enemies who’ve vanished or are diminished, like:

• Bible-quoting GOPers (the GOP’s the party of vice now)
• the communist third world (🇺🇸 is a more socialistic country than 🇨🇳)
• climate change deniers (admitting/denying has made no difference to action)

Reminder that “AGI” has no agreed-upon meaning. Saying we’ve reached it or that it’s in sight is similar to an evangelical saying that they’re “saved”; or like saying you know what Plato’s Demiurge looks like, and that he’ll soon pay us a visit.

I guess the question is: Do we really need a weed industry? It’s medically useless and has the same social utility as candy.

I never got into queer theory, which I admit surprised me as someone who couldn’t possibly be more of its target audience. So much of it is just hand-waving to say “you’re a sellout for advocating for same-sex marriage, you should instead be nostalgic for risking your life in 1980s New York.”

Oedipus telling the people of Thebes he’ll catch Laius’ real killer—slipping into the singular even though his interlocutors use the plural—is what’s called “foreshadowing” in Greek tragedy, in this case of the OJ Simpson murders 2000 years later.

Guy who thinks Fordism is named for Gerald Ford.

This is a great paper about how western leftists will whine endlessly about colonialism but ignore it when it comes from China, which along with Russia is the most literally imperialist nation today.

SanDisk sells a 1TB microSD Express card for $429. Less than a year ago, you could get the same capacity from Lexar for $199.

Detailed article on why China would be the biggest loser of any shift away from the trade status quo, under which the USA serves as the consumer to last resort for China, Germany, Taiwan, and South Korea.

“Living vicariously” means cosplaying as an Anglican vicar.

Adjusted for inflation, a new Atari 2600 cost over $1,000 in September 1977.