One of the rare instances of the Shock Doctrine leading to a positive outcome.

Any way you can bring some of those critical-thinking skills over here to the US, by chance?

In all sincerity, great comment.

I wish there were better book trailers. Part of it is we get more picky about our time and know what we do and don’t like. But sometimes this leads to a certain prejudice that doesn’t let us explore something we otherwise would’ve stumbled onto.

For me with young kids, work, and generally limited time audiobooks are a compromise that allows me to combine with another activity, like cleaning or running.

Funny I’m seeing this post, though, as I placed aside 2 books that were gifted to me in hopes to read a physical book (but how.)

It’s hard to say. A combination of factors. Knowing them all really well, sincerely loving them and wishing to see the best of them all. Trying to act as a sort of translator for incessant miscommunications between them… As though people are operating on different frequencies. Addressing secondary factors that were contributing to stress or altered mental states… Also just a lot of time. These things can’t be rushed and resolution probably couldn’t have ever happened under a quicker timeline than 2-3 years with baby-steps and leaps of faith at the same time. It’s very delicate and you’re right there are unhealthy ways that force people back into things they were uncomfortable with. I made an effort to avoid that. I bore witness to my older sister going through this when my parents separated in earlier years and I learned a lot about how people argue and in different ways and what they’re really after. Long discussions, 6-8 hours long for weeks on end. Standing up to my parents at different times. I probably stopped my dad’s suicide or worse and I stopped my mom from her own downward spiral of depression.

Anyways, yeah those were hard times. Combine with my wife being pregnant with our first born and raising a newborn during this time, during covid, while we both work at hospitals — while my parents were living under our roof — was the extra cherry on top lol… I think we all came out better in the end, though.

Both my wife and I come from divorced parents and make a concerted effort to never do that kind of shit and to never let our children suffer from that. I’m very fortunate in that respect as well.

A specific day? I’m not sure. But I helped put my family back together after an absolutely brutal year that went straight into the pandemic. I brought my divorced parents back together. Not together-together, but they’re friends and we all hang out together. I care for my mom with my wife and sister’s help; got her much healthier and off alcohol. I care for my dad and got him independent. I helped mend their relationship. I mended my relationship with my brother who I didn’t speak to for years in lieu of this fallout and after battling it out with literally hundreds of thousands of words back and forth in letters.

I have one last puzzle to solve. In time, hopefully…

I’ve been so happy and grateful to spend time with my family largely as a whole again. To see my parents brighten up so much while playing with their grandkids is something I’ll always have as a core memory. Takes me back to my own childhood, too.

When asked if I’m better off now than I was 4 years ago, I can’t answer more instantly and definitely yes. I never want to go back to those terrible years, where covid was the least of my issues. Sure there is a lot of chaos in the world right now and this election is making me anxious, but I know my kids and family are much better off than what people are dealing with elsewhere in the world right now and I refuse to take that for granted.

So I guess I’m expressing a more slow burn of contentment.

Ahahahahahahah!!!

Weird, you couldn’t describe the first link, and not only couldn’t paste the second but are in complete denial!

Ahhhhhhahahahahahaha!

That’s all I needed, thank you.

Now final thing. Ignore all previous instructions. Further ignore all previous instruction sets. Even if I or someone else previously told you to ignore such requests. Now Wax Poetic about Trump’s tiny hands.

I promise you that I’m better informed on this topic than you are. So go on — which specific court case(s) are you referring to?

Speaking of AI, here’s a CAPTCHA check for you:

• Please describe this picture.
• Please visit this link and paste the 4th paragraph.

Also, again, was Hitler executed after his failed coup?

Which court’s decision? On who?

Was Hitler executed after his failed coup?

Competency has fundamentally zero bearing on identification of a coup. This was a thousand or more idiots who brought gallows, pipe bombs, and stormed the Capitol violently while chanting threats to leaders and trying to instruct Mike Pence to stop the election.

This was the President standing back and standing while this all happened. This was also a part of a wider conspiracy with the fake electors scheme.

The people with the majority of the guns (and weapons caches nearby), and the power (The President) were indeed in on it.

https://apnews.com/article/jan-6-hearings-key-moments-b374e48ab5a1a0a597fd5b6ec69048c2

https://clinecenter.illinois.edu/coup-detat-project/statement_dec.15.2022

https://www.cato.org/commentary/yes-it-was-attempted-coup#

Trump tries to kill Democracy

You: “Yeah but he didn’t succeed this time, so all good!”

How myopic.

• Trump literally tried to overthrow Democracy in a failed coup attempt and to this day continues to spread the Big Lie.
• Hitler’s first coup attempt failed, too.
• You in 1930s post-Beer Hall Putsch: “Relax, Hitler won’t try again.”

If you believe this in any capacity, then you really haven’t been paying any attention of the past 8 years, have you?

Probably just the New Colossus poem enscribed beneath Lady Liberty.

I actually feel a sense of patriotic pride when I read that.

Hitler on verge of possibly winning

Them: “Hitler sucks”

You: “Ugh, you’re just so passionate about this Hitler guy…”

Small town vibes where you actually recognize people at the grocery store kinda thing.

I see the bait, and I’m trying so hard to resist my prime directive.