#and there was a valid point there:

[tanadrin]

Do you think that people who invent things with very destructive consequences are blinded to the downsides of it more by money or more by scientific curiosity?

I think the downsides are not always immediately obvious. Coal-fired electricity looks a lot more attractive in 1882 when there's literally only one such power plant and the global population is like 18% its present value. TNT was invented as a yellow dye, and it's so stable its usefulness as an explosive wasn't discovered until thirty years later.

We have this collective mental image, promoted by simplifications of historical narratives, that the inventor is a lone genius who through his labor produces an artifact and all its consequences in a single moment in time, and without which the thing would never be invented. Pretty much every point in that narrative is wrong. New technologies are the culmination of many different discoveries; there are enough very smart people working at the cutting edge of these fields that if one of them did not discover the principles behind these inventions, another almost certainly would sooner or later; and the exact applications of new technologies, nevermind how they will change society when those applications are utilized, often take years or decades to discover.

Now, I think there is an extent to which, as a working scientists, you can reasonably be held to account for the work you do. If you work at the Acme National Horrible Death By Chemical Weapons Laboratory, and invent a new, horrible chemical weapon, you do not get to go "oh no!" in shock when somebody dies to your horrible chemical weapon. And sometimes scientists do have a pretty good idea of how their technology will be used--the Haber Process was originally invented to manufacture fertilizers, but its application to the manufacturing of explosives was pretty clear to Fritz Haber, and he joined the German effort to develop deadlier chemical weapons pretty enthusiastically.

Men like Haber seem historically to be motivated not by intrinsic greed, but by the things which motivate us all: the desire to provide for their loved ones, the approval of their peers and the respect of their colleagues, and their status in society. The problem with respect to scientists who know damn well what they're doing isn't that everybody working at the Acme National Horrible Death By Chemical Weapons Laboratory is greedy and the job pays too much; the problem is that society, by and large, respects you and looks up to you and fetes you at public events and talks about what a patriot and a community leader you are if you do really well at inventing new, horrible chemical weapons.

#i knew a guy in university who said he would have no problem working for weapons r&d #because it's not the designers of the weapons who decide how they're used #and there was a valid point there: #shaking your finger at fritz haber only absolves the german general staff of the decision to use the weapon #or the kaiser of the decision to wage war #of all the people involved in the chain of events leading to chlorine gas in the trenches of the western front #fritz haber was probably the most generic #in the sense that if you went back in time and killed him in 1915 probably nothing significant would change #i think it's a little too pat to say the person designing the horrible chemical weapon has *no* responsibility #i certainly would find the idea of trying to figure out new ways to kill people extremely morally unpleasant #but without the military and political will to use those weapons #they just sit on shelves until they stop working

[littlemizzlinguistics]

Studying linguistics is actually so wonderful because when you explain youth slang to older professors, instead of complaining about how "your generation can't speak right/ you're butchering the language" they light up and go “really? That’s so wonderful! What an innovative construction! Isn't language wonderful?"

#linguistics #gen z slang #english #as people in the reblog pointed out! #most gen z slang comes from (or was appropriated from) aave #honestly I was just excited to talk about how people in my field actually get excited about non standard uses of English #instead of ridiculing speakers #and I tagged incorrectly and didn’t point out the very real issues of language and power and appropriation inherent in modern slang #in that much of it was appropriated #and even that which experiences language change in the wider culture still originated in aave #aave is just as linguistically valid as any other English dialect because it is a proper language #and the grammar is incredible!!! #habitual be is fantastic and an excellent example of how a richer case system or a certain case can render an adverb unnecessary #and the phonology is just beautiful #anyway I’m very sorry #I fucked up

[professorcalculusstanaccount]

I remember discussing Tintin casting choices with a friend from Germany and remarked how it was odd he often has an English accent in adaptations rather than a Belgian one, and my friend just replied "that's because Tintin gives incredibly strong English boy energy (derogatory)"

Here in the UK there's a lot of weird classism tied into accents. Today accent diversity and representation in broadcasting is actively pursued but in Tintin's time there certainly was a preferred accent to have.

imagine this exchange happens between pages 28-29 in The Crab with the Golden Claws

#tintin #adventures of tintin #comic #captain haddock #archibald haddock #snowy #milou #fanart #the crab with the golden claws #i remember tintin crafting a trumpet to communicate with an elephant #and he remarks he must get the accent correct #very odd scenario but it shows he would be a stickler for that sort of thing #i also have to say accents do not indicate how smart someone is #a lot of pundits use an english accent to sound more credible #but i have to say there are a lot of fucking idiots here #me included #thank you 2011 film for validating my scottish haddock headcanon #any french speakers who have read to this point i wonder what your hcs are for his french speaking accent

[thriftdyke]

it really does bother me how no one can seem to answer the question “what even is romantic attraction, really.” like some people are like “it’s who you wanna kiss and cuddle <3” and I’m like ok well kisses and cuddles can be either sexual or platonic depending on context. “It’s who you feel passion/desire/arousal for” well that just sounds like sexual attraction which you can have without even knowing somebody so I fail to see how that’s romantic. “It’s who you want to go on dates with” I go on dates with friends all the time plus “date” is a social construct anyway there’s really no innate difference between a date and hanging out. “it’s who you have deep feelings for” great news for you that can be literally any type of relationship. my friend told me she defined it as “who you wanna give roses to” and I’m like do u hear urself??? like the more I talk to people the more I’m convinced romance and romantic attraction is an elaborate socially fabricated illusion that has no real defining characteristics. and like there’s nothing Wrong with it being a constuct but why people are so attached to defending the supremacy of it is something I cannot for the life of me figure out

#like reading this u might be like ‘sounds like ur just aromantic sis’ but I’m like. listen. #ur missing my point. which is that I literally think romance Does Not Exist #at least not in this bioessentialist way people like to pretend it does #the desire for companionship and the desire for sex are biological drives. everything else is a social construct #which doesn’t mean its bad! or not valid! or anything like that! #but I’m just genuinely do not understand Why we are so bent on treating it like gospel

[starstuffandalotofcoffee]

Really fucked up actually that the "you are valid" culture which, usefulness and uh, validity thereof aside, was intended to provide some some perspective for people who may have been blamed for harmless things they could not control morphed into "if strangers on the internet do not constantly tell me I'm good and perfect they are the oppressor" and "even constructively and gently telling me that I hold some power and responsibility to seek a better situation is an unspeakably cruel act."

#personally i'm :/ on the you are valid culture in general but like. i can see it could have value in specific circumstances #but it's really at this point HOW DARE YOU NOT VALIDATE MY EVERY BREATH and as such useless and dumb

[cassandragemini]

its so crazy that for the last 5 years a small but annoyingly vocal online group has been acting like mob movies of all things are pretentious and inaccessible cinema. yeah the godfather is kinda slow but these are movies about criminals who shoot people

#that family guy bit is right it does insist upon itself but it has a valid point to insist etc etc #crow.txt #side note if you do wanna watch a good mob flick and the godfather was a bit too slow for you please watch goodfellas #its one of my favorite films of all time i love it so much #while i do like the godfather and i recognize how important it was for film history i like goodfellas a bit more

[bottombaron]

The scarest thing about Nandor being actually smart in all things Guillermo is that this is the reason why he'll never make the move to be with him:

Nandor already knows how he feels about Guillermo.

He's not even repressing it. He's just made peace with it. Because Guillermo was never an option.

Guillermo is human. He'll choose to stay human. He's fleeting. He'll always leave in some form or fashion. Nandor doesn’t choose to act on his feelings for Guillermo for the same reason why he never turned him. It would just be a curse.

#wwdits #what we do in the shadows #nandermo #no srsly #the competence Nandor expressed this episode was off the charts #not that he's not a big dummy at heart #just that i think this is another unreliable narrative thing #we like to go “Guillermo's right there u idiot” #at Nandor #which is valid #but now im thinking that Nandor already knows probably even before the docu-crew showed up #we just all assumed he didnt consider Guillermo because hes an idiot #but hes probably already went thru the 5 stages grief over knowing Guillermo would never be with him for all eternity #and at some point hes going to have to let him go

[sweetdreamspootypie]

Does anyone have any recs for reputable orgs for Jewish solidarity for Palestine?

#I've tried to scroll through stuff I've reblogged #but I have not had a consistent tagging system for everthing that's happened since october #and tbh the ones I have seen posted about #then the next time I see someone talking about them its to talk about how they're ~~~~not valid~~ bc whatever #I just need a starting point #until the next time I can talk to the IRL peeps in the community who I trust to be good starting points #my posts

[hailsatanacab]

"Well, this is a bad idea," Tim says, hands on his hips as he surveys the mess they’ve made in the cave.

"Nah," Danny replies, twirling his screwdriver in the air in what is probably meant to be an impressive trick to inspire confidence, except he fumbles it and it clangs to the floor loudly, "we good. If a younger version of myself hasn't come forward in time to stop me, how bad can it be?"

"Shouldn't it be the other way round?"

"What?"

"Normally, it's an older version of yourself going backwards in time to stop you, right?"

"Not in my experience."

Danny's grin is impossibly feral and a shiver runs up Tim's spine.

"This is definitely a bad idea."

#dpxdc #dcxdp #batpham #dead tired #dead tired ship #there is a more expanded upon version of this with actual backstory and context rotting in the recesses of my brain #but its only half on paper and the conversation made me laugh so #here: have some feral danny leading tim down a path to disaster #danny: this is going to go so well! i have such a good feeling about this!! #tim: this is going to go so poorly. i have such a bad feeling about this. #danny: 🥺🙏🙏🙏 #tim: i never said we weren’t doing it. i just reserve the right to tell you i told you so when it inevitably goes wrong #danny: leave that to younger me - he always makes very valid points in the form of fists to the face! #tim: can you stop talking please this is making me want to do it less #danny: no.

[insanity-laughs-under-pressure]

Can we talk about how lost Crowley was this season. He drops hints at certain points like when he talks about things being "pointless", but whenever he would be having a down moment it would be brushed away almost instantly by something else.

For instance when he gestures to Aziraphale to stop and have a glass of wine, Crowley is literally talking to him about how he's scared that Gabriel could have smited him during the night, but then that fear is brushed aside by Aziraphale and Crowley's usual banter taking over the conversation.

Then there's the bit where Crowley claims that "It's always too late", like that feels like a really pointed thing to say and no ones really done a deep dive into what he actually means by that (half of it is foreshadowing because Crowley opened up to Aziraphale too late, as heaven had already gotten there first).

Then there's Crowley's absolute panic during the ball, where him and Aziraphale literally just end up dancing around the problem.

Not to mention he's living in his car and the only person who knows is Shax. (yes I would have liked to see more of Crowley living in his car but that's just me).

The most painful moment out of all of this, for me, would be the scene after the argument in ep1. Crowley leaves, shoots lightening everywhere because he's clearly trying to bottle up far too many emotions, and then when he gets back to his car he just looks so defeated. He knows the dance him and Aziraphale do, he knows it will all probably be fine in the end but he just looks so tired of everything:

But then once again this small moment is broken by Beezelbub summoning him back to hell.

So basically, to conclude, God needs to give Crowley a break and someone needs to give Crowley a hug.

#I did not expect to write that much #But the points are valid #good omens #good omens 2 #crowley

[djarinslover]

I love that the Black Panther movies give us “villains” that aren’t really villains. They have valid points that they’re fighting for, they’re just misguided, blinded by rage and the urge for revenge against those who have hurt their ancestors (coughwhitepeoplecough)

#black panther spoilers #bpwf spoilers #black panther wakanda forever #black panther #wakanda forever #erik killmonger #namor #kinda anti heroes possibly #I agree with them #they have valid points #just went about it all wrong

[bixels]

This Twitter MLP human redesign drama is a mess, leave me the fuck out of it.

#saw people posting my designs to put down other artists' designs saying that i'm the “correct way” of doing things #don't do that #i don't give a SHIT if people are redesigning these HORSES to be fat or “”“ugly”“” people they're all valid #this whole thing is so dumb just say “i don't like the art style” and move on #“hey op i spent 4 hours of time and effort to redraw your shitty redesign and show you how it's really done” you're fucking weird #you know that right? dedicating that much time to cash in on a hate trend when you could be creating something unique and original with lov #your insistence that human redesigns need to be attractive and symmetrical and anything deviating that is woke psy-op brainwashing #is fucking weird. saw an entire tweet reposting my designs listing off how i “got it right.” bullet point: “looks like real people” #the black fat pinkie design with braces that went viral looks more like a real person than any of my designs you asshole #or maybe you spent too much time in high school bullying people who look like that to notice #personal #delete later #do not use my art to belittle artists who've done nothing wrong this legit made me really angry today

[sputniks-taboo-thoughts]

I love Mean!Eddie. its just so fun for me!! Fics where Steve is trying to be his friend, whether cuz he actually likes him or just for the sake of the kids, and Eddie’s like “Ew no fuck off”

Because that so funny to me. Steve has like spent his entire school years being popular and well loved. Even after he laid down the crown, people (excluding Billy and co) were atleast civil. And then? Some dude?? just hates him?

Steve is my favourite character though so I prefer it when Eddie takes it too far and has to apologise, but the main point is that I want Eddie to tease Steve, who just takes it because what else is he supposed to do?? he’s not gonna argue with a dude with bambi eyes! Steve has taste!

#steddie #i know i made a post ‘shitting on’ steddie like yesterday but shut up im a complicated person #also my point was valid. i love steddie! but its everywhere jesus #sorry these tags arent the point #stranger things #steve harrington #eddie munson #mean eddie munson #let that pathetic loser be mean to the other pathetic loser #i want to put them both in a jar and rattle it like one does with bugs

[rebekahgaveup]

Without a doubt the worst part of Taylor being at this level of popularity/fame again is all the people who want to be different and edgy and are claiming she's just an objectively evil man-hating eco-terrorist attention whore all while proudly proclaiming they also know nothing about her bc they don't like her

#i'm not even saying there aren't valid criticisms of her #but I've genuinely seen people claim she's participating in some political scheme to use football to distract from palestine #presumably for the benefit of the capitalist overlords she supposedly worships #and at a certain point you're not being critical you're just rambling madly on the internet about a conspiracy theory you made up #people genuinely get so insane about her and I do not understand why

[meep-meep-richie]

he did this twice....FOR MOBIUS?!

BONUS: LOKI DRESSING UP FOR MOBIUS

#but whats the point if not to impress bf?! #TELL ME WHATS THE POINT THEN?! #omg i'm so unwell #the way he keeps staring at mobius in that last gif #like give me validation #i'm done #lokius #loki #loki tv #loki show #dailylokius #dailyloki #loki x mobius #loki laufeyson #mobius #mobius m mobius #loki series #mobius x loki #loki mobius #loki gifs #loki s2 #loki season 2 #lokitvsource #lokiedit #lokiusedit #tom hiddleston #my gifs #lokius gifs #gifs

[fangirls-just-want-to-have-fun]

"I seldom cahoot"

babe wake up biblically accurate Hades just dropped

#he is so unserious I love him #I love one (1) uncle #h name gods are the only chill ones so far I guess #(hades and hephaestus if that was not clear) #and like we already know we're fuckin with hestia so #okay wait hera's a bitch actually I take that back #and hermes is on thin ice with me #anyways the point is that Hades and Hephaestus are the only valid gods so far #I'm softening on poseidon as we speak #percy jackson #percy jackson series #pjo #pjo spoilers #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson spoilers #hades #jay duplass