It really depends. A lot of them are hurt in some way shape or form and in a desperate situation like qooqie mentions and get pushed back into a corner over and over until they violently lash out, and a lot of others have a genuine disdain for other people or a warped personality/prespective on something (like Elliot Rogers and his entitlement to a girlfriend/sex) and rather than try and quell it or get help, they let it fester until they eventuallty also lash out.

The end result is the same. Either they get inspired to do heinous actions because there’s no other option in their head to stop whatever they precieve as a problem, or they look at someone else that did them before and think “they had the right idea” and emulate them.

Took ya that long? As soon as they went “That’s right fuckface.”, it was over lol. I knew whatever was gonna follow would be some unhinged shit…and it was, save for that one nugget of wisdom that was thrown in there about shutting up and using what you wanted (that of course, they wouldn’t follow. If they did this wouldn’t exist in the first place)

So basically, “they’re trashing KDE, Gnome, SystemD, etc, so I’m gonna trash XFCE/MATE/GRUB/anything that isn’t the latest bleeding edge stuff?”

Cuz that’s what i get outta that whole, article…that and that you really, really like to swear.

And you could have asked this in a dozen different ways without resorting to the same misuse of words that the overly radicalized ignorants of both side of the democratic or republican spectrum choose to throw at each other. But fair, I didn’t answer your question.

It’s more to do with both the politics (Cali is a Blue State, meaning the majority of those that vote lean more towards Democratic, Liberal, more progressive/open-minded values. Texas is a Red State and leans in the opposite way. Republican, Conservative, more “old fashioned” values. Note that this isn’t always the case, and you can and will find a mixture of idiologies across it. Well, i can only personally speak for Texas since I live there, but that’s everywhere in the US, i want to say, not just these two titianic states) the cultures of the two places (both in the American side and Mexican side and how they mingled with each other throughout thier histories), and what region they’re located at. And there’s probably more factors I’m missing that contribute to why they are the way they are, like difference in educations of the two states, and just how different living in one place is to the other that yeah, it’s very complicated and can’t be distilled down to just “the gays” or “the artists”.

Holy massive oversimplification, Batman…

Also:

Fascist

Communist

Outta all the words you could’ve chosen, you went with the two that people throw at heavy Conservative and Heavy Liberal places because it makes them sound worse than they actually are (and, i’m going to guess, because they don’t know what either a facist state or a communist state actually look and function like). Interesting.

Oh yeah, on the level of Extinction Events, we haven’t survived one yet. Hopefully we will in some way, shape or form (hopefully as ourselves), but you never know. That’s why i said, or tried to say, “worry, but don’t claw your hair off because of it just yet”. Because if that punch is coming, there’s no sense in worrying about it–better to brace for it as best we can, you know?

When i said “we’ve survived worse before” tho, it was in response to the OP’s worries of the state of the United States. The question itself was kinda broad and they didn’t really get specific, but at the same time…i highly doubt this is the worst it’s gotten for the States (or any country, really) besides in the area of climate change, but that’s not exclusive to the US, that’s everwhere.

By reminding myself that unless some space rock suddenly hits us or the sun decides to explode super early, we’re fine. And if you look at our history as a species, we’ll continue to be fine. We’ve endured far worse things than this before and we’ll do it again and again. We’re good at that. Stupidly good. Whatever rough spots we’re facing now is going to pass. It’s always passed. Can’t be bad all the time, after all. As for global warming causing a potential extinction event? It…more than likely won’t happen in our life time, so, worry, but don’t, like, believe it’ll happen tomorrow or that we’re already actually facing The Great Dying 2.0. We’re maybe at the crossroads, but not there yet.

Other than that? I do as a few have already mentioned here and try and make the world just a slightly better place. Helping others in my community out, being kind and considerate to the people around me, trying to not get frustrated at drivers out on the road (this is tough NGL), that kinda thing.

This so much. It’s like, you’d think when you shell out cash to pay for a license (or well, I did anyways. But tbf, most PCs you buy come with a valid license), you’d at least be entitled to do as you will with your copy of the OS (within reason, i mean. Yeah, less than legal stuff, go off Microsoft, but stuff like settings and such?) But, well…Microsoft just loves telling you “you opted out, but what you REALLY meant was to opt in. Source: because we say so” with basic settings, not surprising the do it for an OS…of course they would. My bud said it best at the time: they don’t care how you gain it, they just want everone to be on Windows 10

Two things made me leave. Both having to do with Windows.

1. Microsoft themselves.

2. My Windows install was just…bad. I’m not sure how else to describe a Windows that frequently crashed and just gave up and Blue Screen. Sure, both probably happen to any normal Windows install (well, the 1st thing. If you get the second, yeah that’s a problem)–but not at the frequency it happened with mine, I’m sure. Besides that, it was slow for no reason (AFAIA, anyways) and doing anything took a while. Yeah, I eventually reinstalled it after some hassle, and after that it was just slow, but then i made the fatal mistake of trying Windows 11 and was like “if this is what I’m eventually ganna have do deal with…no thanks.” Tbf, Microsoft was promting it, so i assumed it was an upgrade to Windows 10, not a wannabe chromebook with some baffling “lets fix what isn’t broken and works great as is” choices.

Well, thinking about it, there was a third reason i ususally neglect to mention:

3. I had a choice. I like looking at all my available options and choosing what to go with instead of having something chosen for me. I’m a big boy and can make my own choices for myself, thank you (looking right at you there, Bill). As soon as i heard “there’s something else besides this or an Apple Product. And it’s much better than some people like to give it credit for” i researched a bit on the differences, the requirements, and a good place to start, and well, here I am.

As for what I am, IDK. I’m a happy Linux user, but i also get some people are perfectly happy Windows users (or aren’t, but are locked into the ecosystem regardless) and hey, as long as we agree that both OS’s have their quirks, you let me keep my penguins, and I’ll let ya keep your…erm, Windows (does Windows have a mascot? I doubt it, but you never know)

Oh I know it can be installed, but after the headache I got re-installing 10 once before and then trying to get 11 running on…anything, really, i just decided “you know what? What will be will be at this point. I’m not gonna need it for much anyways.” when i finally got 11 to accept and install into a random external drive that i never really used (it didn’t like the one i had inside my PC reserved specifically for it. Somehow…).

(Note: this was a while back, so installation could be a helluva lot better now and i have upgraded a bit since then but, shrug. Already got Windows ready to go on a drive, and only have it because I might need it moreso than me actually wanting to have it, so meh)

That is…true, actually. The longer I use Linux, the more I’m like “…but what if, man, what if I ditch Arch for Fedora or NixOS or give Pop_OS! another chance (and i very well might when Cosmic launches)?” And sometimes I do…and then always come crawling back.

Going back to Windows full time ain’t even crossed my mind for a hot minute. Partly because i have a spare driver running it for emergencies (that i barely use anyways, only because Windows literally runs one important app that I need, that I can’t run on Linux), and partly because going back means being stuck with Windows 11 again, and I really dislike Windows 11’s design choices, personally (and Microsoft in general, but i digress).

Can’t speak for everyone, but I’d love to see more personal projects done by others posted on Lemmy–whether it’s something god-teir or mediocre (because well, what you may call mediocre, some might call pretty good. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and all that).

Oh, he’s one of those “muh freedoms to be a racist jackass are being censored!” types? I mean, from how you called him out in your comment, you seem to have had dealings with this guy (or his alts that I’m guessing were very short lived) in other threads, so I’ll take your word for it if that’s the case. Regardless, it wouldn’t surprise me either way if he was since again, to have to keep making alts to say his piece…

His comments were deleted (as I’m guessing his whole account), but I’m almost morbidly curious about whatever he was claiming to be the cause (I’m gonna wager it was “ThE ELiTe trying to subjegate the masses, man!” for $200?)

We can only hope the ones that sparkle are powerful enough to outshine the waves of those who would drown us all in violence, crime, and stupidity.

Indeed. “Wait, and hope” as the Count of Monte Cristo says (at least I think. Haven’t dusted off that book in a while), but also, if possible, become one of the few that sparkle among the masses.

Appreciate that we ended this discussion amiciably in the end!

If you’re fighting a one man war for privicy? Yeah, that’s pretty much a lost cause. (Also, the “all or nothing” approach will leave you with a bitter taste in your mouth. Pick your fights, and accept that you’ll never be able to keep all away from companies selling em, and that sometimes, sacrifices to your privacy have to be made. Complete removal shouldn’t be the goal when it’s just you going at it–it should be the reduction of what they get as much as feasibly possible without inconveniancing the user)

If you spread and bring that war to the collective? That’s where things are gonna change. Slowly, yeah, but they’ll change.

Don’t really wanna play the “no, YOU don’t understand” game here, but I dunno, from what I’m seeing in both society and nature…the way the world works is that there is no objective good and evil in it. Those are labels humans made up to feel better about some actions we see around us that we don’t like or find abhorant. Not saying some of the things we and animals have done onto others isn’t straight up horrible, some of it ABSOLUTELY is (as someone who has deep roots down South of the USA, yeah, I’ve seen some of the horrible things the cartels have inflicted on others for various reasons), but I’m also not going to sit here and pretend it’s something only humanity does or that they invented to be evil. Animals can kill and torture for fun and sport too, that’s been documented several times over. Doesn’t make em evil tho. The whole “but we more often choose to be cruel anyway” is a fairly narrow mind generalization that dismisses the fact that just as much people choose to do the exact opposite of what you claim, but don’t get a spotlight on them because they’re not stirring things up, and so nobody actually cares about what they do.

That the Trump Supporters “regret it now” kinda proves my point too, actually. If the people rioting really were these evil monsters like you want to claim they are, they’d have zero regret or remorse about their actions and would be proud of what they did. And yeah, i know there’s always going to be that one handful of people that ARE proud of their stupidity, there always is and always will be these types of people for as long as people (and animals, because yeah, some animals display oddities that differ from known behaviors and patterns of their kin) are a thing. And it’ll keep going long after we’re gone and something else takes our place. But just because some of us act a certain way doesn’t mean the entire species is deserving to be damned or automatically makes us a lost cause. That’s actually a pretty narrow minded opinion to have, actually. And again, that’s deliberately ignoring the Trump supports you yourself brought up (the ‘truly kind or intelligent person [that] would have said, “Screw that. There’s a line I’m not willing to cross, ethically or morally.”’ that you mentioned in your response), the ones who saw all that chaos and did just that: saying “this is both wrong and disgusting, and I’m not taking part in this”. Because those people do exist. I know they do, because my brother in-law is one, so is one of my former coworkers, Hardcore Republican (almost cultish IMO, but that’s neither here nor there), but was thoroughly disgusted at what she saw that day–and they can hardly be the only ones. Since you mentioned them, you yourself know they exist too. But well, nuance is nuance, i suppose. It’s much easier to try and fit everything into a small little category and leave it at that vs actually acknowledging “life is simple, humans are complicated. Sometimes stupidly so”.

I’m obligated to post this since Dragon’s Dogma was mentioned:

https://youtu.be/SZNbabKjKpA?si=b7chvHH0hHdki0RP

Dunno if I’d consider myself “younger” anymore (who am i kidding, i ain’t THAT old lol), but…

If we count really old games: the OG castlevania’s. Didn’t grow up during that era, but thanks to handmedowns, i got to play pre Symphany Vania when i was super young. Love them, wish i was better at them tho. The collections are sitting in my steam library, and maybe some day, I’ll beat at least one of the classics.

For something more recent(?) tho, i love me some Touhou. fangames, offically made games by Zun, fan games in the style of Zun, ya name it…but MAN do i suck at the actual bullethell Touhou games. i can make it past two or 3 stages, but then the boss destroys me and I’m like “I CAN choose continue, nothing but pride is stopping me…but also, if i can’t manage this far without continuing, how bad is the rest gonna be??” and wuss out lol

We’re evil, we’re sick, we’re all the same.

Screw that. Humans aren’t “evil” or “sick” or “vile”, but we can be cruel. We also aren’t peaceful, but we can be kind, and at least give it the old college try more than most people like to admit we do. All we are is just animals, and slightly smarter or otherwise, we do as other animals do.

Enslaving and using others for our benefits like ants do to other ants, competeing for resources and territory for ourselves or own little group, without consideration for anyone outside of that group, just like chimp communities and various groups, and so on, and so on. It’s not evil. Just nature being cruel and messed up, as it always is.

At the very least, (and why I abhor this take that humans are a buncha monsters and/or are worse than animals) for all our flaws, we can look at all the above and decide to NOT go through with it as hard as an incect colony wiping out their enemies to complete extermination, or even to forgo violence at all or show restraint when grabbing things for ourselves–Reptile brain be damned.