No, I mean the quack bullshit about creating energy from nothing. And not just some theoretical framework, as in technically, this could yield a net positive somehow, no. My guy was convinced he could build it himself from tinfoil and strings, if “the establishment” didn’t oppress him (meaning his coworkers and bosses told him it’s stupid).

Fucking wild. Imagine it being that easy, and everybody in the world is either too dumb to come to the same conclusion or in the pocket of Big Oil. Not even, like, a North Korean mad scientist trying to one-up the capitalist pigs? Yeah, sure.

Out of curiosity, have some sources for “most of the academic field”? It sounds like some sociology/psychology thing.

Besides, my guy had a PhD in physics. Either it was an elaborate prank, or a complete nutcase. And I’ve met more than one of that kind, sadly. Degrees are not a guarantee for intelligence or sanity, just a proof that at some point they wrote a thesis.

I had a physics professor tell me about free energy. Having a degree is not 100% effective in curing stupid.

Bro, I’d love to change with you. I tend to be the opposite, I fear I often come off as aggressive and rude when in fact I am only pissed off at a computer for beeping the wrong way all week.

You say you have some (good) friends, have you considered just asking that? “How do you perceive me, I worry I look <x>?”

At a store? I have never met an employee like that. How would that even work? Sure, they might try to make some small talk because it helps sell things or because they are bored, but “I’m good / just looking, thanks” is all I’ve ever needed to get them to get the hint.

Fair point, people are different.

Nice try, FBI :)

Have you seen lemurs and stuff? They’re tiny.

+1 for the onlookers. I have watched plenty of arguments myself, just trying to build an opinion. Humans work like that.

Not much better, I’d bet. The death penalty does not stop murders from happening. Sure, there might be slightly less, but it would not scare people off the crime, just off getting caught.

Isn’t that just the (American) definition of liberal? That the market works, if restricted and guided enough by the state, so it works in the right way?

I’ve just met more people. Friends coming out kind of forces you to re-evaluate the casual *phobia. I don’t think online can do it. You have to experience and learn yourself.

Sure, and money grows on trees

Yeah, I don’t understand this either. If someone offered me to make me rich by paying him 10 bucks on the street, I’d tell him to fuck off and evaluate my chances in a fight and/or escape route. But as soon as a computer is involved, some people’s brain shuts off or something.

People != their government

Except that they’re still mostly a democracy, and they vote for the shit.

Lobbying from a small nation with no money, resources or military power, that doesn’t even buy our stuff and snuggles up to Russia for protection? I don’t really see how that would work. It doesn’t check out with the behaviour of US/EU other conflicts, like Israel or Armenia-Azerbaijan, where we immediately sided with the party that had oil/gas and bought our weapons.

I’m willing to have my mind changed, but the gut feeling doesn’t really point that way here

Unfortunately yes. People wanted this. They still want this. But people were also cheering for like, Mao even after he put millions of his own citizens into the ground, so who knows

What the actual fuck. You know, I lock the screen because I don’t want people to see what I am doing.

Add telegram, threema, another matrix client for that other server and WhatsApp for some old friends to it

As a straight man who absolutely doesn’t want kids, I understand you. But raising a kid is a fuckton of work, and parents deserve a chance to do it right, so I’m not jealous. After all, my decision to not have children will probably save me loads of money. A tax cut here and there is just fair, if you ask me.