Fun fact: the Greek word kakistos (meaning “worst”), from which the first part of kakistocracy derives, comes from the Proto-Indo European root *kakka- which means “to defecate.” Source: Etymonline

In other words, kakistocracy can be considered: Being governed by shit.

ETA another related fact.: the word cacophony (meaning “harsh or unpleasant discordance of sound”) also shares this root. It came to English via Latin, so the spelling is different, but the origin remains the same. Which is to say, a “cacophony” is a shitty sound.

Checks instance name

Story checks out.

Also, sorry the crap from our political cesspool keeps splashing across the border. :(

That is amazing. TIL!

So we can say that Bork borked things up?

Seconded. If we oust Texas, we can regain control over the content in school textbooks.

People who want to flee can still be welcomed as refugees.

Who’s blowing whom?

Wow. This means that now, someone can say that medical bills literally cost them an arm & a leg.

In case anyone came to the comments looking for directions on how to opt out:

1. Go to Settings. 2) Scroll down and select “Photos.” 3) Locate the “Enhanced Visual Search” option. Turn off the toggle.

And yet when we pointed out that Project 2025 talked about banning porn, a lot of people didn’t think it was serious. This is just one way that such an idea can play out.

I don’t think porn could ever be fully banned - prohibition doesn’t work. (Besides, I already made a promise to create erotic art specifically in order to spite any such enacted law.) But considering how modern porn and its variety has enabled many people to acquire niche preferences, this is still going to trigger a challenging time for a lot of people.

Autocorrected spelling helps with a lot, but it doesn’t help with run-on sentences that lack punctuation. Nobody’s expecting punctuation like an English teacher, but when you have to re-read a comment several times to make any sense of it, that’s simply poor communication.

Social media rises and falls just like any other fad or fashion. It’s a never-ending churn, as people (particularly, young people) inevitably crave something novel. There’s little use in fighting the cycle, just as there’d be little use in fighting the trendy choices of a teenager.

It’s frustrating to watch people en masse continue to make choices that don’t make sense. It turns out that a lot of people are much more driven to follow the crowd than to have (let alone stand by) personal principles or rational decisions. Thankfully, we’re not obligated to be like that. There’s always some sort of counter-culture that bucks the main trends, and honestly? That’s where the most interesting people tend to be.

If you feel driven to educate people on the futility of trends, then by all means, go for it. I just know it can be draining, and not everyone is going to be receptive. On the plus side, you sound like a rational person who actually thinks about their decisions - in a world full of followers, that can be pretty powerful.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t the key difference in layaway that you didn’t have access to the item until it was paid off? I remember my mom putting holiday gifts on layaway at Walmart. They’d be kept in storage in the back of the store, and would be given over only after they were fully paid off.

Buy now/pay later plans allow the consumer access to the item now, with a payment plan to follow. It’s much more akin to credit than layaway.

What a peculiar line of attack. OP isn’t bragging about anything, they’re irritated that it’s taken at least a decade for a known problem to be addressed.

Being frustrated about a problem for a long time ≠ being into a thing before it was cool.

Good, I’m glad for him. With the upcoming tariffs/trade war coming our way, I can only imagine how much higher the cost of living in Hawaii is about to get.

I made a Twitter account in the early days when I was a teenager. The sole reason I made it was because one of my favorite bands had an account. Their posts would be sent in an SMS to my phone, and the cool thing about that was how it felt like they were texting me personally.

I have no idea when I last logged in, let alone when I last posted. When the SMS feature was dropped, so did my interest.

At least they’re are trying. That’s more than can be said for a lot of people. Is it better to be with someone who’s got an understanding of their issues and wants to resolve them, or be with someone who doesn’t acknowledge their issues and/or who leans into maladaptive behaviors because of them?

I’ve dated people in both camps. I’ll take the psych major any day. By a long shot.

Obviously you’re kidding. You said you drive in Appalachia. Yet, you are so clearly a seal. Driving by the beach, okay maybe I could see that, but mountains? Is there even anything for seals to do in Appalachia?

Oof, poor kitty. And isn’t that just what this trip needed - more uncomfortable tension in the air. Is your brother the type of person to find comfort from talking about a recently-deceased pet? Or will it just make things more awkward?

My brother (and his wife) practically house a menagerie/farm. Not that they care about animals in some particular way, I honestly don’t know why they do anything they do. But I know that for them, life just rolls on.

Best of luck, friend. That’s a good thing you’re doing for your mom. I, too, have a troublesome brother in a southern state, and even my own family members have told me, “If you ever visit him, for the love of god, get a hotel. Do NOT stay at his house.” I’m glad you have friends that you can stay with instead. Hopefully you’ll arrive back home with more fun memories of friends than anything else.

Unfortunately, the fact that they don’t take many pictures of themselves can be really obvious. I try not to turn a guy down because of a bad profile picture, because I know there’s a technique to it and that requires practice.

At the same time, we’re in a digital era - you can take 100 pictures and only upload your favorite one. There’s no reason for an average guy’s profile picture to resemble a mugshot.