Mastodawn

Third spruce tree on the left 1d ago

@Linux yaay... ?

So now you can continue to earn a paycheck in exchange for moderating horrible people doing and saying despicable things?

(glad you still haz jorb)

@tezoatlipoca

> yaay... ?

Yes, you guessed it — a lot of mixed feelings about it.

I am 45 years old with no verifiable work history because all of my previous employers no longer exist. All of the people I personally knew and was on good terms with who were not family died during COVID-19 a few years back, too. So personal references would arguably be a problem as well.

But at the same time, I work for an evil corporation, and they have me working remotely for the overseas branch.

1 of 2

@tezoatlipoca

2 of 2

That evil corporation used to be a fairly decent job that gave me a sense of purpose because it was very “black and white.” By that, I mean: remove all the bad people.

Now, while we still remove bad people, it is not so black and white anymore because we also defend and support some of them too — that has been the policy since we doubled down on what defines freedom of speech.

Yet I also know I am lucky to be employed and have a job. That fact does not escape me.

Third spruce tree on the left

@Linux

I feel it. Our products can be used to make wonderful civilian things - planes that get you to see your family or escape from bad places. cars, trucks. Build your homes, medical equipment that gives you a life saving scan or image.

But our products also go into tanks and bombers and cruise missiles. :(
I shoulda been out of here half a decade ago but the local tech worker economy is so glut with layoffs, there literally isn't anything else.

@tezoatlipoca

A lot of those moments when you stop and think, and you know this isn't the work-life you imagined when you were younger.

@Linux @tezoatlipoca Never for the life of me did I think I would be working 7 days a week for 8+ hours a day. I feel owned; like I have no agency in my life. So, yes, I do get it.

@Linux @tezoatlipoca I also get that this is kind of by design. The more we have to work to afford the basics in life, the less time we have to rebel and overthrow the status quo.

Third spruce tree on the left 1d ago

@housepanther @Linux

I also thought there would be many more falling anvils and quiksand, but yes I agree. It sucks; this isn't what they told us it would be like in the 80s and 90s and despite cigarettes and lack of seatbelts I kinda wanna go back there.

Those decades sucked for different reasons but at least there was _optimism_ you know? things seemed like they were getting better all the time.

@tezoatlipoca @Linux Optimism is just a euphemism for hopium. Hope is perhaps the most powerful of drugs. The wealthy want us addicted to hope so we do not rebel. This is just one more reason why nobody wants to use the "recession" word.

@tezoatlipoca @housepanther

> Those decades sucked for different reasons but at least there was _optimism_ you know? things seemed like they were getting better all the time.

It is not that things merely seemed to be getting better—they were, as a matter of fact, getting better. But then things stopped getting better and instead got worse.

Look at the world today. The laws only apply sometimes, to some people, and not to others. You can buy an elected official and make laws without votes.

@Linux @tezoatlipoca Law is even more arbitrary and capricious now than it ever was. This is Rome redux.