Sounds like narcissists.
Having grown up with actual narcissists in my extended family, they sound nothing like narcissists. They just sound like they were being idiots: "How could anyone not like a cruise!? They'll like it if they try it!", and that they don't understand introverts.
They have significant weight on the general population: layoffs, actual inflation decreasing value of wages, etc.
The problem is corporate greed and artificial scarcity also have a significant impact on the general population.
I deleted my reddit account and joined lemmy during the subreddit blackout, but there's still a few authors I follow on reddit. Most I've followed to other sites, and just recently one was suspended for what sounds like a fuck up on reddit's end.
Reddit lost most of their quality content creators and I can't see the few remaining staying long term.
I'd point out Vietnam and Afghanistan for the USA, or Afghanistan vs the USSR. Those were tiny, poorly equipped countries fighting against the most powerful militaries in the world. Said small countries eventually started receiving materiel, training, and intelligence support from powerful allies.
They didn't have to kill all their enemies or push them off the land they held -- they weren't capable of it. They won by just dragging the conflict on and making it as expensive and difficult as possible for the other side. A common path to victory is the enemy saying "this fight is no longer politically/economically worth it" and withdrawing.
A singer 29k53 treadle sewing machine from the 1930s. Nearly identical to this one:
It was originally made for sewing leather shoes and boots -- hence the boot shaped tray. I use it for heavy duty sewing and leather working.
I considered adding a motor, but the hand wheel and treadle give a massive amount of control. On repairs I can usually put each stitch through the existing holes in the material without the machine getting away from me.
Politics (from Ancient Greek πολιτικά (politiká) 'affairs of the cities') is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status.
That covers literally anything involving a group of people doing things.
If you're working for or licensed by a government agency in the USA, it gets more complicated. Your 1st ammendment rights carry more weight since firing you or pulling your license is the state taking action against you.
Obviously they can still punish you if you're bringing "disrepute" to your employer/professiom: bigotry, obscenity, misrepresentation, ethics violations, etc.
My understanding is "I was a", "former", or "retired" are fine. Same situation as any other licensed profession, like doctor.
Oh, I thought it was because those instances are home to communities of obnoxious assholes.
If not wanting to interact with those idiots means I'm "in an echo chamber" ... ok.
I've raised Cornish crosses and fed them normal, quality feed without any hormones: they ended up looking just like the chicken on the right at about 8 weeks old.
They've been selectively bred over the decades to grow as fast as possible, as big as possible, docile, and stupid.
The latest lemmy update allows users to block entire instances.
My lemmy experience has been 100 times better with hexbear and lemmygrad blocked.
The GOP and DNC didn't do shit -- they're symptoms of complacency.
The uncomfortable truth is as a species we're tribalistic, short sighted, and selfish. The worst of us eventually find positions of power, and they'll use/create "crisises" to do so. None of this shit is new.