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sugartoken · 2 months

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There's not a single thing that will ever make me believe that this wasn't fuelled by hatred of Dream.

Rue, who literally says she had a personal experience with Wilbur, claimed Dream was worse for enabling. She literally decided that diminishing her own experiences with an abuser was worth firing shots at Dream.

Like I've seen tweets saying "Rue is deserved an apology she was speaking the truth." What truth? Dream had no knowledge of anything happening and Rue was straight up lying about it, that's the only truth.

The only enabling going on here has been the enabling of mass harassment to a man who self admittedly misses social cues and expecting him to work out there's a problem on his own. Like what do they expect of him?

Dream will call someone a friend then in the next breath that person is calling him awful. It's honestly cruel, just let the man know you don't like him instead of pulling him around on these hooks.

I don't owe Rue, AverageHarry, or any of those mfers shit. They were way out of line from the beginning, and targeting the person who had the least knowledge of anything. They hate Dream. They hated Dream before this happened. Pretending otherwise is just closing your eyes and going "lalalala". As for the general treatment of Dream... yeah. It's cruel. It's something I have a lot of empathy for him, so I know I'm a bit emotionally compromised, because I would be him in these situations. I also have autism and adhd and a similar upbringing and can be bad with social cues. I am generally able to offset this in my relationships by being very direct, and asking my friends to do the same. Because I WILL NOT pick up on a lot of subtle things. I can't tell when someone is implying things, or doesn't like me, because if we are hanging out and having a good time and calling each other friends, then why wouldn't they like me? What deep seated problems could they have that they aren't telling me? Surely if we had issues, I would know? Surely they would tell me? Especially since I have given them several opportunities? Except, psyc, NO. WRONG! They all hate you! You did everything you could to try and figure things out and communicate but they just lied! And they think you are evil and a monster because of something you didn't even know happened! And every attempt to talk about it will be shot down because you are evil! HAVE FUN!!

Like I would not be able to handle it. I would be constantly triggered and unable to trust anyone and be lashing out constantly. Sort of like-- *gunshot*.

#ren replies

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twojackals · 1 month

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The Joy of Teaching

In recent weeks I had some opportunity to advise younger individuals interested in Kemetic practice, and I have to admit I was shocked at just how... good it felt to do that, and I couldn't figure out why I had never felt so good about teaching other people the thing I've done for over half my life.

But I think I've figured it out.

It's been several months since I left the 'organized religion' style Kemeticism I was part of for so long, and became an independent Kemetic practitioner. What I've found out is that there is a massive difference in communicating within an 'organized' religion vs. not. Namely, in the latter, when I speak from a position of experience in the general Kemetic world, people listen.

But in the former, when I spoke from a position of experience in the organized-religion world... people argued.

There was always this bizarre level of 'competition' that occurred between members of that organization which I don't find to exist outside of it between independent Kemetics. And despite the fact that they never claimed to be the 'one true Kemetic path' (and the person responsible for birthing it into being never wanted it to be), it didn't stop congregants from taking on the mantle of "one true way" at various turns. It definitely didn't stop them from applying their own opinions to the masses in terms of the way people 'should' and 'should not' practice being Kemetic.

Sure, you can pass judgment I suppose on someone practicing that specific organized path incorrectly, though even then the idea of passing judgment on someone else’s practices was not condoned by its founder in the slightest. But I suppose if you were literally teaching, verbatim, something completely incorrect about that specific organized path, there is obviously an opportunity to say “hold on, that’s not how we do things, here are the resources / contacts who can explain how we do practice instead.”

That’s not how it went, of course. It was not unusual to have members side-eyeing each other over their personal, subjective interactions with the Divine, and in particular there were a select number of individuals who were even so bold as to tell other people their very experiences with the Netjeru (Kemetic Gods) were outright wrong – a position so brazen and ignorant to take when it comes to what is essentially an entirely subjective experience, particularly among a Pagan or Pagan-adjacent practice in relative terms of world religion.

But aside from what I would term ‘extremists’ (there are always two extremes to every spectrum), there was also just an ongoing sense within the community of regular day-to-day one-upmanship in spirit that could be subtly if not overtly identified, and it did negatively impact morale, community cohesiveness, mood, and spirit which is certainly not the vibe you want from an organized group. And this vibe was consistently tolerated as simply... the norm.

As a result, it's now extremely freeing to be able to give a piece of advice to others and candidly have a listening, attentive ear tune in to what I have to say based on years of personal practice and intricate experience, vs. a situation where one or more members of a group are pretty much always trying to formulate an attack, or defense, or argument designed primarily to bolster their own personal (equally subjective) experiences over that those of others.

I’ll just be blunt: a number of people considered themselves better than everyone else, and even though that was the minority, it affected the majority on a regular basis.

As a teacher of others, I've had to struggle against a serious feeling of imposter-syndrome that is underwritten by these experiences. There's a level of gaslighting, bullying, and even aggression which I've lived through in organized Kemetic religion that utterly need not have existed. Of course I won't deny to some degree there is a spectrum of what makes the most sense to what makes less sense -- or maybe even no sense at all. I'm not saying there is no right and wrong, nor am I going to suggest it is invariably inappropriate to ask people to meditate on discernment and critically examine their experiences.

But that's not what I'm addressing here. Because by the Gods, if people would just take a moment from time to time to actually and carefully read the room. It may shock you, but your opinion isn't always needed, wanted, or invited, and the manner in which you communicate your opinions to others often matters far more than the opinion itself. After all: If you knew everything about Divinity, if you had every truth in-hand.... well, I guess all of our searches would be completely over.

You don't, and I don't, and so we search on. But it sure would be nice if we could do this searching together, while respecting each other's answers and journeys.

In the meantime, I suppose I will simply enjoy the enjoyment of others when I have something meaningful to say, and try to remember that my experiences matter more than people from my past have sometimes led me to believe.

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lgenvs3000w23 · 4 months

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Nature Interpretation Through Art (unit #4)

I see “The Gift of Beauty” (Beck et al., 2018) as the passing of nature’s magnetic and recharging quality from interpreter to audience. Nature is known for its magnetic quality that draws people in, to the point of craving fresh air and sunlight almost like a drug. Many people consider nature spiritual and emotionally recharging, which adds to nature's mass appeal and draw. Additionally, an important feature of “The Gift of Beauty” is the. aspect of preservation. Nature’s immense beauty creates an intrinsic drive for one to want to preserve it to be able to continue to appreciate it and allow others the opportunity to do so as well. A huge driving force for me is that I want my future children to experience the beauty of nature, which ultimately drives a need for conservation and sustainability for me.

I think that “The Gift of Beauty” and “The Gift of a Spark” are connected because of how powerful beauty is, often being the spark of interest for many. Notably, beauty is the easiest of the 15 principles and gifts to quickly communicate, especially through art. It is said that one has a maximum of 10 seconds to grab an audience’s attention (Griffith, 2023) so visual art is the most effective and impactful. An example of beauty being utilized to spark interest and desire for nature is through information pamphlets (below). An interpreter chose each of these images to grab attention and convince someone to visit.

(The Adventure Map)

But you don't have to be designing nature pamphlets to act as an interpreter bestowing “The Gift of Beauty” on audiences… the average nature-lover does this all the time without even trying, that's how powerful the draw of nature’s beauty is! Every time we upload a vacation photo of a pretty destination, open our laptops revealing a landscape wallpaper, tell our friends about our camping weekend and so many more tiny things, we are be spreading “The Gift of Beauty” to other’s without even trying!

So this brings us to the question of “Who are you to interpret nature through art?” Well, I am a human being just like all of you so it is in my nature to enjoy and protect the beauty, as well as want to spread the beauty for others to revel in. Art is one of the most accessible forms of communication on the planet, as art is a universal language that has no economic or social barriers when it comes to personal expression.

One of the pieces of artwork below is by Claude Monet and one is by an elementary school student… can you tell which is which?

(Gorden, 2024; Monet, 1897)

I joke of course! However, the point is that both pieces of artwork communicate “The Gift of Nature” and inspire audiences to appreciate nature: one probably inspired a family to go on a nature walk after dinner and the other inspired generations of artists, but the point still stands that art is a power tool to drive audiences. Additionally, art can be expressed in many forms which opens up even more opportunities for the average person to interpret nature.

References

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

Gorden, B. (2024). Tissue paper Monet art projects [Photograph]. 123HomeSchool4Me. https://www.123homeschool4me.com/famous-artist-monet_71/

Griffith, R. (2023). Use value proposition to catch attention: Pragmatic Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pragmaticinstitute.com/resources/articles/product/the-10-second-customer-attention-test/#:~:text=User%20experience%20data%20and%20market,they%20engage%20with%20your%20message.

Monet, C. (1897). Nympheas: Sun Effects [Photograph]. GettyImages. https://www.gettyimages.ca/photos/claude-monet-water-lilies

The Adventure Map. About The Adventure Map [Photograph]. CHRISMAR. https://chrismar.com/pages/about-the-adventure-map%C2%AE

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bodyalive · 4 months

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youtube

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

January 12, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JAN 12, 2024

Last week, after President Joe Biden went to Valley Forge and then spoke in Pennsylvania, I got a chance to sit down with him to ask a few questions.

What I wanted to hear from him illustrates the difference between journalists and historians.

Journalists are trained to find breaking stories and to explain them clearly so that their audience is better informed about what is happening in the world. What they do is vitally important to a democracy, and it is hard work. One of the reasons I always try to call out the names of journalists whose articles I’m describing is to highlight that there are real people working hard to dig out the stories we all need to know and that we are all part of a community trying together to figure out what’s happening in this country.

Historians do something different than journalists. We study how and why societies change. We are trained to see larger patterns in the facts we find in documents, speeches, letters, and photographs…and in the work of journalists. Some historians believe that mass movements change society, and so they focus on such movements; others believe that great figures change society, and they focus on biographies. Still others focus on economic change. And so on.

In my case, I am fascinated by the way ideas change society, and I am especially interested in the gap between what people believe and what is actually happening in the real world. That interest means that I always want to know how people think and especially how their worldview informs the way they act. Then I compare that worldview to the real-world policies they are putting into place. I sometimes think of what I study as the place where the rubber of ideas meets the road of the real world.

I have twice now been able to interview President Biden. (And let me tell you, it is an odd experience to have your historical subject be able to talk back to you!) The opportunity to ask a historical figure how he thinks, after I have spent years studying his policies, is mind-blowing.

To that end, I wanted to know why he chose to go to Valley Forge, where General George Washington quartered his Continental Army troops for six months in the hard winter of 1777–1788, to start his 2024 presidential campaign. Valley Forge looms huge in American mythology, but most people probably can’t say why. So what did it mean to him to launch his 2024 presidential campaign from there?

I also was deeply interested in what he means when he says he has great faith in the American people—something he says all the time but usually without much context. So what exactly is it about the American people that gives him such faith?

The answers are important, I think, and I found at least one of them surprising.

As I say, it is an odd thing to have a historical subject who can talk back to you, but in all the right ways: it forces you to adjust your understanding of our historical moment. That’s the sort of information that will make the historical record clearer and that, when today’s society has itself become history, will help historians in the future better understand how and why it changed.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

#Joe Biden #Letters From an American #Heather Cox Richardson #election 2024 #democracy #Youtube

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tara-girl · 6 months

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Part- I: Rahu Ketu Transit 2023 to 2025 for Pisces Ascendant

Rahu in Pisces and Ketu in Virgo transit on 30 Oct 2023 till year 2025.

For Pisces ascendant, Rahu came in 1st house and Ketu came in 7th house.

Rahu represents desires and materialistic things. Pisces sign represents spirituality. This means that this time your material desires should have a spiritual intention. Then, only Rahu will give you good results.

Rahu transit in Pisces sign in the 1st house. Rahu aspect 5th house of creative intelligence and 9th house of belief system. This means that universe has given you an opportunity to present your materialistic physical appearance to entertain people with the intention to transform belief system of people for the overall betterment of society.

For example, Ayushman Khurana played role of a doctor in Doctor G movie to transform the belief system of people towards male doctors who generally don’t choose the field of gynaecology department.

Here his appearance as a doctor is Rahu in 1st house. His acting is Rahu aspect on 5th house of creativity. His message to society is Rahu aspect on 9th house of belief system.

Ketu represents, psychology, detachment and previous experience of past life. Virgo sign represents communication and logical thinking. This means one should use previous experiences with logical thinking for psychological transformation. Then, only ketu will give good results.

Ketu transit in Virgo sign in 7th house of legal partner, spouse, co-worker and masses. Ketu aspect 3rd house of reading, writing and skills of dealing with media. Ketu aspect 11th house of gains and network circle. This means that one should use previous experience of business or dealing with masses logically to make a psychological transformation through media and network circle.

For example,In making the movie Doctor G, logical thinking of writer ✍️ is required in proving the message of movie to audience with the help of 🎦 cinema screen and network circle(distributors) to change the psychology of audience.

Here, logical thinking 🤔 of writer is Ketu in 7th house in Virgo sign. Cinema screen is Ketu aspect on 3rd house. Distributor is Ketu aspect on 11th house.

Overall, this is a great opportunity to get fame for Pisces ascendant people. But condition is that your intention should be noble and your skill or plan prepared should logically connect to people.

Wait for Part-II: Rahu Ketu Transit for Aquarius Ascendant from Year 2023 to 2025. I will write on this tomorrow- 30 Nov,2023.

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9w1ft · 1 year

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how do you feel about gaylorism & kaylorism becoming mainstream?

personally i always preferred the comfort of being in a niched community that the general masses either don't know about or leave alone. nowadays i could be scrolling through some random social media post and suddenly see people mocking or ridiculing gaylors which intimidates me a great deal. not to mention the antis who invade and hog up the #gaylor #kaylor tags wrongfully and attack us at every opportunity.

other than that, i do think it's pretty cool to see gaylorism take off and receive subtle support from famous people including those in taylor's circles as well as get featured in prominent magazines, i will admit!

hmm… i guess i have mixed feelings

from one perspective, ive gotten to the point that i really dont associate myself with gaylors too much if at all, so this sort of criticism of gaylors actually doesnt stir up emotions in me 🙈 and outsiders that criticize kaylor rarely have cutting criticism… it always comes off like they have no idea what theyre talking about

though it is a little bit tough to see all these (what i would consider) off-base takes take off and spread like wildfire due to the nature of mediums and number of people we are dealing with. but as i think ive said before ive made my peace with it and actually think that its probably for the best for folklore to run rampant. thats part of that haze taylor talks about, methinks.

oh and to me with the way i see things and the way i blog, it all very much still feels niche ☺️ and i like it that way. im proud of the spot ive carved out.

of course, to speak from experience, it was a thrill for the eye theory to get covered by rolling stone tho, ngl 😁 its also fun seeing eye theory tweets get hundreds and hundreds of likes and tiktoks getting tens of thousands of views, and to know theres support outside this platform 🥰 when i see stuff like that, when i see there are so many people out there getting a little extra joy out of things, it makes me very happy and hopeful.

more importantly than all this, my mixed feelings come from when i think about the girls. i just hope that everything is only ever as mainstream as they want it to be 😌

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pastorsperspective · 10 months

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Jacksboro's Got Talent

It’s another HOT Friday Y’all! Time for another discussion with Pastor Chad! If you weren’t with us this past Sunday, there was no sermon. You can watch our special guests, Simple Gifts, and their wonderful musical service here: https://fb.watch/md5yp87-6f/

For having no sermon this week, what a message! I was so blessed by Simple Gifts, The Sawyer Family Band and so grateful they came to play for us. I was touched by their testimony and their overall genuine worship. It got me thinking, you probably know because you have studied extensively all things biblical. Historically speaking, was music always a part of religious services?

Oh absolutely, there are many references Biblically for music in worship:

Psalm 150:1-6

Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

Colossians 3 and Ephesians 5 bring this out simply, but powerfully, telling us to sing “to God” and “to the Lord” because he is the object of our praise. Ephesians 5:19 says, “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” It is to him and about him that we sing!

Historically the church has always encompassed music in worship. From Gregorian chant to praise music, music has played a key role as an avenue for the Holy Spirit.

When was the first music incorporated into a church service and what was its purpose at that time?

The early church had canticles and chants which were the early predecessors to worship music.

Do you happen to know why some denominations don't allow instruments in their services? (I've always wondered about that.)

So, this comes from a reformation movement which was brought about by a Swiss reformer names Ulrich Zwingli and became known as Zwingli-ism. Zwingli felt that because there was concrete evidence for instrumentation instead of vocal (debatable) and that Jesus never directly addresses this, that there was no need. Zwingli’s movement was known for the mass destruction of thousands of organs at this time. This movement and other theological views have influenced this approach of no instruments in worship.

I have always felt very strongly that worship music provides a sermon all its own sometimes and we were blessed to experience a full day of that Sunday with both the morning service, and then in the evening with Rooted Worship. It was really special to witness three generations coming together simply to praise God the way they felt most comfortable. I think everyone in attendance was touched by the Dixon/Fry Family and the way that they stepped out in faith and shared their stories and songs.

What words of encouragement would you offer to someone thinking they might want to try that, but they just aren't sure?

I would say always remember Jesus’ calling is to go and serve, not to seek perfection. We aren't opening for Casting Crowns here; we are simply making a joyful noise for God. When we show our hearts and willingness to serve that is what people will see and be moved by more than anything!

There has been a call for more opportunity for us, as a church, to open our doors to the community and provide a platform and a space for people to share their talents and creativity beyond Sunday morning, and beyond Rooted worship. Are you ready to share a little bit about that?

We are SUPER excited about starting open mic nights this fall! We want to create a space where people can come and share gifts and graces with each other to support and encourage one another as we develop and share our passions and gifts. Come and share a poem, music, dance, comedy, skit, or anything else that is church appropriate. We will have fun laughing and fellowshipping and celebrating together.

Absolutely! Mark your calendar for Saturday, September 30th and come share your talent with us at our first ever community wide open mic night! We hope to see you and your favorite sock puppet there!

#methodist #pastorsperspective #fumc #pastorchad #open mic night

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xerxeswitch · 10 months

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Spiritual Narcissism (One-upping) Part 2

As usual, take my words with a grain of salt. These are my beliefs and concerns. If you find this offensive and send nasty comments, I won't care and block you.

--

I still think this modern era promotes and profits off of narcissism like no one's business...more than ever before.

The witchcraft community is definitely not immune. In fact, I arguably see a lot of it which is one of the reasons I'm usually not active in that said community. I just also feel it in my gut everytime I see certain claims and behaviors.

I think it took a sinister turn when it's fused in with one's sense of glorified inflated ego disguising itself being morally righteous. It's used to bully/abuse people instead of educating those whom are learning. It's a bad social parasite.

Even I am watching myself for any of these signs just in case. Anyone is susceptible to fall into it.

--

More examples of spiritual narcissism are:

-Taking advantage of others claiming you're a direct mouthpiece of some almighty, famous entity...and use their name to further your personal intentions. -Claiming you're the direct descendent of an almighty entity, and use that title to feel entitled to unquestionable respect.

-Demonizing other religions (Unless that religion glorifies abuse, kidnapping or murder -- duh)

-Spiritual Bypassing

-Downgrading someone's experiences or situation out of the extreme toxcity of "love and light." (I support the term "love and light," not the extreme side of it where it denies the shadow)

-Purity culture ("Culture ever changing and blending with other cultures at its margins. Cultures have never been hermetically sealed from one another, self-contained and exclusive of outside influences. Each one is necessarily a mixture or an agglomeration of its influences. A culture doesn’t spring to life fully formed, a platonic ideal that generated itself from nothing. Just as there is no such thing as a pure race or ethnic group, so are there no pure cultures, unmixed with others, their essence uncorrupted. The toxic extreme side of cultural appropriation breathes new life into old racist attitudes, discouraging us from finding new opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue and exchange." --DAVID S. D'AMATO

(Now, I'm not saying cultural appropriation is acceptable -- as long as you are respecting it and learning it for educational purposes, or you're properly initiated -- it's completely fine. Mocking that culture or religion is not.)

- Claiming certain types of entities/spirits like certain types of people with different sexual preferences or neurodivergent/typical qualities over others (I find this extremely, laughably shallow as it is untrue; common sense. In my experiences, your preferred orientation and neurological makeup has nothing to do with your personality, or being a likeable person for a group of entities/spirits; incel behavior for short)

-Coerce someone to put all spiritual healing over medical needs.

-Simply claiming your style of practice is better than others.

-Copying other people's specific crafts and claiming it as your own.

-Using your spirit team solely as an extension of yourself. -Gaslighting people to discredit their experiences as well as their sheer existence of being and identity -- and use fancy terms/acronyms to cover up its malicious intentions. This can fall under spiritual bypassing, and can fall under the same gaslighting category as people who delve too extremely into "love and light" and "New Age." (For example: "Suffering is not real, thus your experience of suffering isn't real. Dissolve your ego, you don't know anything about yourself.") -- (Guess what, the person in this example has a huge inflated ego, perhaps even narcissism. -Claiming what you do takes years, and higher frequency to master, claiming it's too profound for the masses and somehow you're above the rest in your endeavors, showing off you're without ego. (Guess what, this is an ironic sign of an inflated ego hiding in plain sight...and the only person who can't see it is the speaker)

----

There is more to come. More editing will be done.

#spiritual narcissism #narcissism #witchcraft #witchblr #purity culture #common sense #spirituality #one upping #one-upping #inflated ego

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pixelpoppers · 11 months

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Convenience Features and Lazy Asceticism

It's common for people to complain about a game getting convenience/difficulty/accessibility/approachability features they personally won't use and which thus won't directly affect their own experience. My mental model has been that this happens for several reasons. In no particular order:

Status quo bias. If you already like something, change is scary.

Status signaling. If more people can do something, that thing is less impressive.

Gatekeeping. The more people enter a given fandom/community, the more the community changes to be like the mainstream, and the more the property will change to target mainstream tastes. (I haven't written about this subject directly yet, though I've brushed up against it. My feelings are complicated and mixed: it frustrates me when something niche that I like reinvents itself to chase mass appeal, but there are also properties that I only fell in love with after they did that. Something to dig into another time.)

Opportunity costs. If a developer spends time on these features, that will consume resources that could have gone elsewhere.

The "intended experience". I disagree with this one pretty strongly, but my attempt to frame it generously would be something like: Giving the player more ways to tweak the experience makes it more likely they will change it to a version significantly worse than what they could have had. (Sometimes this comes with half-hearted concessions for accessibility.)

For the first four of these, I can at least understand where people are coming from. I generally think they are not sufficient reasons to keep these kinds of features out of games (at least games that aren't super-small and super-niche) but I can at least see the possible outcomes these people say they want to prevent. There's something real going on there.

But for that last one, "intended experience," I've always been a bit confused. I've usually chalked it up to a lack of empathy, with people not realizing these features are for someone else and just because you wouldn't use or benefit from them doesn't mean nobody would. Lately, though, I've been thinking - what if the problem is actually that people don't want these features because they would use them?

Take this write-up about Steam's then-upcoming (now released) note-taking feature:

[T]here's one thing I'm quite upset about, and that's the new Notes app. I love a good notebook game, you know? Fiddling out puzzles in Tunic, remembering patterns in The Witness... Notebook games are great. But I fear this new Notes app will kill that kind of note-taking dead. And that makes me sad. . . .

[A]s much as I like physical notebook games, I know full well that I'll opt for the easy, in-game version as soon as it's available. Because ultimately, I'm a lazy creature at heart, and balancing a notebook on my knee while playing games on Steam Deck isn't nearly as easy as having one open on my desk.

I assume there's some exaggeration for comedic (and engagement-seeking) effect here, but I feel like I've seen this sort of sentiment expressed far too many times for it to not be at least somewhat a Real Thing. I've discussed something similar with what I called "checklist features" - things like quest logs and map icons that are very helpful for some players but ruin the feeling of exploration and freedom for others even if they are optional. But this takes things further. It's less about breaking an illusion and more about people sabotaging their own experiences.

For convenience, and based on the above write-up justifying this view by identifying as "lazy," I'm going to call this position "lazy asceticism" and the people who hold it "lazy ascetics." Lazy ascetics seem to honestly claim that they prefer a specific kind of higher-friction experience (taking physical notes, playing on a brutally-hard difficulty, etc.) but also that if a lower-friction experience (taking digital notes, playing on an easier difficulty, etc.) is a feasible option, they will choose that experience instead, even though they know they will enjoy it less.

This... blows my mind a bit? I mean, I understand things like akrasia and procrastination and so on, where (to oversimplify) you do something you'll enjoy more now even though you know you'll regret it later. But this doesn't seem to be like that? This is someone engaged in a recreational activity, the purpose of which is enjoyment, choosing to do something they'll enjoy less even in the moment because it is, in some sense, easier.

Like, imagine that a game patches in a literal "win button". Pressing this button unlocks the "beat the game" achievement and rolls credits before depositing you back on the main menu. To me, it's patently obvious that (novelty value aside) this wouldn't be any fun. I'd play the game without using it and wouldn't be haunted by a nagging feeling that I could simply stop and hit the button at any time. I'm here to experience the game in a particular way; why would I be tempted by a way that isn't appealing?

I suspect that even lazy ascetics would handle this absurdly-exaggerated-extreme the same way. But to me, it sure seems like optional convenience features and easy modes are essentially just more-targeted friction-removers that tap into the same thing. If I know I'd enjoy a game less with all the Assist Mode features turned on, I'm not tempted to use them. I don't see why lazy ascetics are.

I assume this is another one of those cases where the same stimuli are experienced differently by different people based on subtle and illegible differences in our brains, because this view seems to be pretty common and it makes zero sense to me. And because I don't understand these people's internal experiences and am speculating based on plausible-sounding but unflattering possible explanations, all my ideas come out pretty self-serving.

Like, maybe lazy ascetics don't actually want those higher-friction experiences on their own merits. Maybe they just want to be able to think of and describe themselves as the sort of person who does because they think it's cool to be someone who writes in physical notebooks or beats games on Extreme difficulty, and they're lying to themselves. People like me who play on Easy when we want to and Hard when we want to are just more capable of being honest with ourselves about what we actually want, and lazy ascetics will have a better time if they just admit who they really are and do what they truly enjoy.

Or maybe lazy ascetics are just incredibly suggestible to the point where they are incapable of choosing their own experiences based on their own preferences. Maybe they're the sort of person who needs to uninstall every social media app or they'll spend all day endlessly scrolling even though they don't want to just because the option is there. People like me who can be aware of convenience features without using them have better self-determination and are more resistant to manipulation, and lazy ascetics would be well-served by training up their willpower a bit. (I've seen people tout the value of playing games on high difficulty to train perseverance and other important skills, and occasionally even done that myself. Maybe lazy ascetics should toughen up by playing games with those features and not using them to train the skill of choosing their own experiences rather than taking whatever path has been greased-up for them, so they can do what they enjoy and what's good for them and not just what some corporation has made easy because it's profitable.)

I'm immediately suspicious of these theories, of course. I don't want to fall into the same trap I did when I first wrote about punishment in games. But I'm still left feeling that I don't understand what's actually happening here and would love to hear an explanation from a lazy ascetic (maybe they can give me a better name for them, too).

#difficulty #neurodivergencies

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grumpygus · 2 years

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I’m not sure if anyone has said this and I know this is way late, but I haven’t seen anyone say this so I’m gonna say it:

Mass Effect should’ve been a story about capitalism.

At first it bugged me that EVERY single sapient culture you encounter in the Mass Effect universe is capitalistic by nature. Greed, corruption, and the over exploitation of natural resources to the detriment of literally everyone are rampant throughout the game, but I’ve never seen it even mentioned in universe. Sure, you’ll see people talking about the Volus, but always as those funny little reverse naked molerats whose writing has some unfortunate implications. This is the biggest missed opportunity I’ve seen in video game writing, and it’s all because of the Reapers.

The Reapers were designed to protect organic life, and that bullshit about “organic creating synthetics that destroy them” stopped being relevant by the end of Mass Effect 2, and that’s being VERY generous regarding its validity as a motivation.

There’s an even more obvious motivation that was completely ignored, and that’s—you guessed it—capitalism. Think about it, if you were an AI dedicated to preserving life, what would be your biggest concern, a hypothetical machine uprising that could easily be solved through the occasional well-placed computer virus, or a reckless consumption of resources that was fueling the decadence of your creators? Synthetics weren’t the greatest threat to life in the galaxy, their own masters were, so the initial response to betray them was obvious.

So imagine this was indeed their initial motivation. The Reapers likely thought their job done at that point and stepped back from the galactic scene, only to witness the brutal and apocalyptic wars to fill the power vacuum left behind. So the Reapers step in again, wiping out all the warring empires, because obviously they were problem elements that needed to be removed. Then it happened again, so the Reapers decided the wipe the slate clean, as this generation of galactic civilizations had obviously been tainted by the Leviathans. They decided to wait for organic life to evolve and watch after the next generation instead. But that next generation was just as destructive as the previous (because if all the civilizations are gonna be capitalist then you can bet your ass I’m gonna work with that), so they wiped the slate clean and tried again. After a couple of generations of civilizations come and go, the Reapers start to wonder if organic life itself is the bringer of its own destruction. So they create a plan: they quietly observe each generation of sapient life, and if it looks like this generation is also a threat to the galaxy as a whole, they step in to wipe the slate clean and restart the experiment. They create more controlled environments so as to better contain the spread of the ravenous swarm that is “civilized beings”. Each time, they observed, waited in hope that THIS might be the one. THIS might be the generation that can live in harmony with the galaxy. But each time, they’re disappointed, so the cycle begins anew. And each new cycle becomes more efficient than the last, to the point where they’re able to pinpoint a close approximation of the galactic community’s point of no return. After billions of experiments, each more streamlined and full of shortcuts than the last, would the Reapers even bother to check if this generation could save itself? Or would it go with the tried and true method of starting over and seeing if things improve?

And so here we are at the time of the story of Mass Effect. Civilization has reached its designated point of no return and the reapers return to restart the experiment. Enter humanity, the outlier to all their predictions not by being superior to the other races, but by virtue of our perseverance in the face of impossible odds and our occasional tendency to come up with wildly unpredictable solutions to problems. Shepard, of course, exemplifies these qualities and uses them to do the impossible: killing Sovereign and stopping the invasion.

And so we get the plot of the Mass Effect games, this time with themes of the evils of colonialism and a callous disregard for the consequences of unchecked greed, but also more emphasis on the horrors of war, and how it’s often the innocent bystander that suffers the most when titans clash.

Skip to the end, with the Catalyst that isn’t a random human child but instead takes the form of the most important person in the galaxy: Shepard. You literally have to confront your own reflection as this jaded intelligence throws all your failures and mistakes back at you. However, during this conversation one thing becomes clear: The Reapers and Shepard have a lot in common. They’re both protectors: “dedicated to saving the galaxy no matter what it takes” if you lean more renegade, “possessing an unflinching conviction to stand up for what’s right, even if it’s not what’s easy”for paragons, or “utterly committed to your mission and willing to make necessary sacrifices” for more balanced characters. This is Shepard’s opening to reason with the Reapers, either by showing them the flaws in their logic, accusing them of becoming callous butchers who have lost sight of their purpose, explaining that one cannot truly understand people by judging from on high, or any number of possible counter-arguments.

And this is where player choices start to matter! Because the Reapers have been watching Shepard, and might be more inclined to be swayed by certain arguments if Shepard demonstrated the virtues of your argument over the course of the story. Perhaps by proving that Shepard has been a more dedicated protector than the Reapers ever were, or by asserting the virtues of self-determination and that it’s our goddamn right to destroy ourselves if that’s what it takes to be truly free, or by simply shooting the Catalyst in its smug face and starting an epic boss battle.

Of course, if you triumph through violence, proving you’ve learned nothing from everything you’ve seen, the Reapers will bitterly curse you with something like “It would seem that you organics are truly beyond saving. Reap what you sow, Shepard. Reap what you sow.” as their circuits fry and the life sputters out of them.

If you want a more optimistic ending, you win through words and convictions, and the Reapers become convinced that Shepard is a far more suitable caretaker than they are. So now you get the choice: what to do with the Reapers? Do you shut them down to free the galaxy? Do you install yourself into the mainframe (this is the Catalyst’s recommendation) and become an immortal machine god to forever protect the galaxy? Or do you encourage diplomacy by encouraging the Reapers to surrender and help the galaxy repair the untold damage the reapers have done, because the galactic community never needed a king, they just need a friend? The latter is my favorite option but they’re all valid choices and probably not the only ones that could be included. At the very least, they amount to more than multicolored laser beams and destroyed mass relays. You have deposed the king and taken his crown, and it’s up to you to decide what to do with it.

Anyway, that’s my rant. Sorry if it’s incomprehensible, I’m switching meds and it’s made me borderline delirious.

#mass effect #the reapers #commander shepard #HFY if you squint #Reapers are the French Revolution of space

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natalie-conklin · 2 years

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Week #1 Introduction

Hello, everyone, my name is Natalie Conklin. I am going into my senior year at Central Michigan University. I am from Oxford Michigan. I have worked in retail for a little over four years. Which through my experience in the industry I developed an appreciation for the business side of retail. Originally, I was planning to get my degree in professional sales and a minor in management. I instead decided to get my degree in General Business Administration with a concentration in communication and a minor in management. I decided to do this because I found that I was interested in more than just sales, but also the other components of a business. Just this summer I have a Store Management internship with Kohls.

My career goals are that I would love to be a retail business consultant. I would love to go into a company and look for ways to make the company run more efficiently. I would like to run my own consultant firm. However, I would also be happy to work for a consulting firm. I would like to have a good balance between office work and fieldwork. I also am open to moving out of state for a job I think that would be great to live in another place.

What I hope to accomplish with this blog is I hope to first learn how these different sights work I use Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. I don’t use Twitter, TikTok, or ironically Tumblr. So, I am very excited to learn about these sites within. I also hope to have a better understanding of how media is influenced or how it influences businesses.

American Eagle: https://www.ae.com/us/en?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sem-brand&utm_content=ae&utm_campaign=nogender_general_general&utm_term=american%20eagle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIv9yM28i3-AIVNAytBh2UzQsfEAAYASAAEgLMTPD_BwE

American Eagle does a wonderful job at utilizing the mass collaboration that social media has to offer. In the reading assignment principles, I think American Eagle excels at each of the components of mass collaboration. Which include community, social media, and purpose. I feel community relates to American Eagle because they use their social media to bring together and celebrate diverse groups of people and their community such as LGBTQ, ethnic groups, and people of all different shapes and sizes. As far as social media American Eagle uses Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and their own website. This leads me to their purpose which is not only to bring together communities but to also draw people into these communities. American Eagle encourages customers to participate in all kinds of in-person and online events or opportunities. Transparency is very prevalent as being able to see each other’s contributions, which encourages more participation.

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simplyfy9 · 18 days

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Unveiling the History of Cryptocurrency: From Genesis to Revolution by Simplyfy

In the realm of finance, the emergence of cryptocurrency stands as a testimony to the dynamic nature of human innovation. It's an experience marked by resilience, revolution, and relentless pursuit of decentralized solutions.

Join us as we embark on a voyage through the annals of cryptocurrency history, exploring its genesis, pivotal moments, and the profound influence it has had on the international economy.

And as we delve into this narrative, we will unravel how Simplyfy with its unwavering dedication to simplifying crypto transactions, has performed a pivotal position in this transformative journey.

The Genesis: Bitcoin and Beyond

Our story begins with the enigmatic Satoshi Nakamoto, whose whitepaper introduced the world to Bitcoin in 2008.

Bitcoin, the pioneering cryptocurrency, laid the basis for a decentralized digital economy. Its underlying technology, blockchain, supplied a tightly closed and obvious ledger for peer-to-peer transactions, disrupting regular monetary systems.

The Early Days: Challenges and Triumphs

In the early days, cryptocurrency faced skepticism and regulatory hurdles.

Nevertheless, passionate communities rallied at the back of tasks like Ethereum, which added clever contracts, enabling programmable transactions. This duration witnessed the start of severa altcoins, every with its special aspects and visions.

The Rise of Adoption: Mainstream Recognition

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Visionary agencies like Simplyfy diagnosed the possible of digital belongings and spearheaded efforts to bridge the hole between regular finance and the crypto ecosystem. Their basic structures and intuitive interfaces made it simpler for beginners to navigate the complicated world of crypto.

The ICO Boom: Fueling Innovation

The ICO growth of 2017 marked a substantial milestone in cryptocurrency history. Initial Coin Offerings supplied startups with a new capacity of elevating capital and democratizing funding opportunities. However, it additionally led to worries concerning regulatory compliance and investor protection.

Regulatory Challenges: Navigating Uncertainty

The decentralized nature of cryptocurrency posed challenges for regulators worldwide.

Governments grappled with crafting insurance policies to tackle cash laundering, tax evasion, and purchaser protection. Despite regulatory uncertainty, forward-thinking jurisdictions started embracing blockchain technology, laying the groundwork for future innovation.

Institutional Adoption: A Paradigm Shift

The entry of institutional investors signaled a paradigm shift in the crypto landscape.

Wall Street heavyweights and company giants identified the achievable of digital belongings as a hedge towards monetary instability.

Initiatives like Simplyfy institutional-grade custody solutions bolstered confidence among traditional investors, paving the way for mass adoption.

Defi Revolution: Empowering the Masses

Decentralized Finance (DeFi) emerged as a innovative force, democratizing get right of entry to to monetary services. Through decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and yield farming, men and women received remarkable manipulate over their finances.

Simplyfy user-centric DeFi platforms empowered users to participate in this financial revolution seamlessly.

The Future of Cryptocurrency Towards Mass Adoption

As we gaze into the future, the potential of cryptocurrency appears boundless.

From decentralized governance to tokenized assets, revolutionary use instances continue to emerge, reshaping industries and difficult the popularity quo. With Simplyfy visionary method and dedication to simplifying crypto transactions, we are poised to witness a new generation of monetary inclusion and empowerment.

Conclusion

The records of cryptocurrency is a testomony to human ingenuity and the relentless pursuit of innovation. From humble beginnings to international prominence, it has defied expectations and reshaped the monetary landscape. As we stand on the brink of a new era, organizations like Simplyfy are at the forefront, using adoption and democratizing get right of entry to to the digital economy. Together, let us include this trip of transformation and usher in a future the place monetary empowerment is aware of no bounds.

#simplyfy #news #cryptocurrency #blockchain #bitcoin #crypto #simplyfynews #simplyfycrypto #cryptonews #digitalcurrency #ethereum #history

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maisysplayhouse · 2 months

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the poetry slam post

poetry slams were my entire life between 2014 and 2016. some of my old slam videos still make the rounds on tumblr. in december 2016, i choked mid-poem and ran out of a slam, not realizing i was running out of slam entirely. i never competed at a poetry slam ever again. this is why.

1. by design, the poetry slam is no place for radicals. spoken word is certainly a genre with radical roots. many people credit gil scott heron's "the revolution will not be televised" as an early iteration of what we know today as spoken word. it is a black art form with relationships to jazz and dub poetry. the poetry slam is a competition invented by a white construction worker from chicago as a sort of theatre sport. mark smith is so famously racist that during his feature performance at the 2017 college unions poetry slam invitational, hundreds of college poetry slammers staged mass walkout. he used his performance to complain about social justice warriors, political correctness, and the black lives matter movement. i would argue that mark's simplistic thinking and aversion to nuance is baked into architecture of the slam itself.

2. by design, the poetry is bad. the poetry slam purports to be "of the people". instead of being judged by ancient elites at a poetry institution, the slam is judged by random audience members. if you are a regular attendee of poetry slams, you will likely have gotten to know one or more competitors, making you biased and no longer eligible. as a result, people with the least relationship to the art form are trusted with determining the best of it. this intrinsically discourages experimental and brave work, and generally produces an environment of cliche and tired performance gimmicks (such as the "slam poet voice"). there were many instances of newcomers being racist and transphobic and this being reflected in their scores. newcomer judges are also not aware of cultural norms in the slam community, a big one being that the audience is encouraged to boo and heckle judges for perfectly reasonable scores (every time a judge raises a scorecard, the audience is expected to yell "higher!!!" unless the score is a perfect 10. it is of extreme advantage to go last in a poetry slam since the judges will be throwing out 10s like crazy to not get screamed at). do not forget that most poetry slams have a cash prize!

3. "use your cancer poem". the laziest tool of the slam poet is guilt. newcomer judges are very vulnerable to this. there was a phrase i used to hear when i started in slam: "use your cancer poem". as in, if your competitor has selected a poem about their sexual assault, the only way to beat their score is to use your poem about the time you had cancer. many poets complained about the "trauma talent show" element that pervaded poetry slams, and yet few if any slams found a way to avoid this effect.

4. this is exacerbated by the opportunism of coaches. in short, there was a problem with coaches. every slam thought their city was just weird. coaches built grant-funded careers as "youth workers" / "mental health relief" / "community leaders" by pressuring young people to exploit their most traumatic experiences for the whims of the attention economy. i watched slams where coaches instructed teens to start crying before they got onstage to increase their sympathy. i watched performances where teenagers collapsed or vomited or had to be carried offstage. there was an incredibly pervasive phenomenon of coaches writing poems for their mentees, fudging scores, and valuing competition over the care of sensitive storytelling. there was also an epidemic of grown coaches sexually harassing their teen mentees. i shudder when i see some of the men still active in the scene. i saw people i love change in ugly ways through the poetry slam.

in summation: i do owe a lot of my passion for poetry to the slam. there were times it also put me in my place, which was deserved and i am a better person for it. but a lot of the time it was ridiculous and harmful and i would caution a young person to take up almost any other hobby. in 2017 i had a nervous breakdown that stopped by whle lifeand when i went back to a poetry slam in 2018 with new eyes i was rocked to my core with disgust. if you really do believe in "justice", host an open mic!

#i wont get into what exactly my experience was with coaches but i can say i had some legendarily deranged men in charge of me LOL #poetry slam

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mamun258 · 4 months

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When it comes to the WeChat private domain ecosystem

I often hear friends say: Some people run paid communities and sell a course system for thousands of dollars. There are actually people who buy it. For a certain treasure, the same course can be purchased for dozens of dollars.

In the past, I was very confused about HE Tuber this, and I thought I had a high level of business knowledge. After understanding non-standard business, I suddenly became enlightened.

Paid communities and high-priced course systems are non-standard products

And their value lies in providing unique and customized experiences. Regardless of the content, users are willing to pay for goods and personalized services, and they also need a sense of value.

I once asked a post-95s generation:

If you think a certain big V’s content is average, why do you still pay for his products? He told me that I wanted to change my network and see what that circle was like.

There is an entrepreneur who is doing SCRM next to me. In the past two years, the track record has not been decent. He wanted to make some money to make a living, so he started training. Unexpectedly, in one year, the training revenue was more profitable than selling tools, and he could support himself. Not only did the team talk about it, but they also became consultants to the company.

You see, non-standard product business cannot be measured from the perspective of standard products at all. It is an extended service and can turn extended services into commodities. Therefore, non-standard products are a rare business incremental model.

Very early on, non-standard products were already popular.

For example, abroad, there is an e-commerce platform called etsy, which was established in 2005 and went public in 2015. I checked, and the current market value is about US$9.3 billion.

Judging from the time, it is almost one of the early e-commerce companies. Their market positioning is relatively niche, mainly selling some jewelry, art, and household items. Amazon has also launched its own platform Handmade before.

Non-standard products are different from mass-produced industrial products. They often have the characteristics of niche, scattered, and premium prices. Because the sales volume is not large, merchants determine production based on sales and will not distribute the goods on a large scale, so they are not accessible through conventional channels. It is difficult to form extensive marketing.

In this process, the role of the expert is very important. If it is not recommended by the expert, it will be difficult to find a product, because he is the link.

In China, many people used to sell non-standard products on various platforms. For example: for bags, searching for "LV women's bags" is a standard product, and searching for "women's bags" is a non-standard product; agricultural products and jade business are all considered non-standard products.

In the past, trust in selling non-standard products was relatively low, e-commerce platforms were not strictly supervised, and it was difficult for merchants to control the quality of their products. Many merchants took advantage of this to cut leeks.

The situation is different now, supply and demand are greater than supply. The relationship between people, goods and yards has been reorganized and arranged. Demand is put in front of you, and if you are not satisfied with the purchase, you can only get a refund without returning it.

Therefore, business thinking has changed. Where people are and what they want is more important than what you have. To put it bluntly, when the businessman’s sickle falls, users still have to look at whether the sword is fast or not. If you want to survive in a niche market, you must ensure the product. Quality passes.

Therefore, I believe that the private domain ecosystem is an incremental opportunity for non-standard products.

After the growth of the Internet bottomed out, merchants and users were divided into countless self-organizations, with serious circles one after another. The flow of information in the circles undoubtedly created a new consumption space. Non-standard emphasis on interest-driven, personality differences and visual aesthetics. It's more popular and pays attention to the new and unique niche.

Just imagine:

When a bunch of stock traders gather together, what sparks will come out of the collision? How will the fan base around a big V change with shared values? What kind of emotional value will a community formed around a brand inspire?

Of course, the private domain I am talking about is not limited to WeChat, but also includes Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu and other platforms. Although the social functions of some platforms are relatively weak, at the commercial level, they have formed a complete closed-loop system.

04

If brands and individuals want to find growth opportunities in the non-standard market, they cannot do without three points:

1. Conversion of value proposition

In my opinion, independent brands or owner brands for non-standard products have a sense of marginality in front of traditional commercial brands.

As a consumer, whether facing corporate customers (B2B) or individual customers (B2C), the evaluation of non-standard products comes from personal subjective feelings and values.

This means that everyone wants to get together with like-minded people and brands in a safe and recognized business environment. Equally, it is necessary to create a place with common values and atmosphere so that buyers can feel a sense of belonging.

For example, if I want to develop a tea and sell it in the community, I must first notice that some people not only pay attention to the quality of the tea itself, but also value the cultural significance of giving gifts. They want to be unique and tasteful. Something that can reflect a sense of value.

Or, tea here is like a way and a symbol of making friends. When offline activities are organized regularly, tea can promote connections among group members and make the community closer.

Perhaps, non-standard products are like a project. At the beginning, no one may be able to explain the values clearly, and they need to be controlled with specific people as boundaries. However, after slowly refining, they gradually become visible.

2. Aesthetic reshaping of design power

I have always believed that non-standard products are never a matter of "good or bad". Design is a logic that should be extended around "service". Service is not limited to the visual, but also stands out in the first impression.

Non-standard design requires a unique concept that satisfies the core design principles while also exercising fine control over other aspects. Only in this way can it be called true innovation.

Take the brand Rei Kawakubo as an example. Only some people may know it. On its short sleeves, there is nothing except a heart logo; however, it is very expensive and many people like it.

What's the difference between it and the short-sleeved shirts on the market that cost dozens of dollars each? Most people can't really see it, but for those who know how to appreciate it, they are basically attracted by the brand concept.

3. Break away from the principle of sustainable operation

Similarly, the sustainable operation of non-standard products is difficult to define, just like young people’s love for joint culture.

The relaxation and casualness of street culture represent a kind of de-identified values. In such an environment, people temporarily put aside their identity differences and enjoy equal interpersonal communication; although traditional brands may try to create this relaxed atmosphere, it is often difficult to achieve the same effect.

In the same way, whether non-standard products can be sustainably operated and whether they can form a recyclable value system is related to the group of people and the person in charge.

Sometimes, some niche brands never appear again after appearing that summer. It is this short existence that brings indelible memories to people.

Obviously, non-standard product business has concepts, values, self-persistence, restraint and rejection.

Among all dimensions of measurement, emotion is greater than business, and difference means not making money. However, it is impossible to discover good products and content simply by "how much money you make" as the final measurement.

In summary

Non-standard product business, growth depression.

When economies of scale no longer have the same competitive advantage as before, and you cannot win the market by producing large quantities of goods, you have to stop and think about what else you can do to create barriers on the technical side, or to create barriers for your users. customized product.

columnist

#watch #video #upload #sharing

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jontrayner · 1 year

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Why do you find the need to use that kind of language? Gary Lineker and disallowed speech

On the 13th of January 2023, Joan Salter stood up in a public meeting in Suella Braverman’s constituency and said:

I am a child survivor of the Holocaust. In 1943, I was forced to flee my birthplace in Belgium and went across war-torn Europe and dangerous seas until I finally was able to come to the UK in 1947. When I hear you using words against refugees like ‘swarms’ and an ‘invasion’, I am reminded of the language used to dehumanise and justify the murder of my family and millions of others.

Why do you find the need to use that kind of language?

Braverman batted away the question with the usual obfuscations, it was reported widely in the national news and disappeared after a couple of days.

On the 7th March, former England footballer Gary Lineker, replied to a comment on his Twitter feed discussing the same subject with the following:

There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I’m out of order?

As a result, Lineker was “stepped back” from presenting Match of the Day, his fellow presenters refused to appear on the show, and a huge row ensued in which the notions of impartiality in public service broadcasting were extensively discussed. The meanings and implications of this were generally well analysed by Barney Ronay in the Guardian. However, after the event, one paragraph of Ronay’s stands out:

Lineker’s key mistake was to throw Nazi Germany in there. However fine and nuanced his understanding of the semiotics of National Socialist messaging in the years 1930-1940, it would be good generally if people could stop using Nazi Germany as a kind of bad things emoji. Better to explain and use detail. Save Nazi Germany. Keep it in your back pocket for those occasions when only Nazi Germany will do. In doing so he offered up an opportunity. And an opportunist will never miss one of those.

This became one of the ways the outraged right were able to attack Lineker, his comments were excessive, out of order, disrespectful to the victims of the Holocaust, etc. This was something about which he was not qualified to speak. He should stick to his job, to football. Such replies are common currency in our current social and political discourse – everyone has the right to speak but some people’s speech is disallowed.

There are those who are expected to speak – politicians, journalists, academics, they are (apparent) experts, and their job is to have an opinion, and their right to speak is not questioned. Then there are those with lived experience, such as Joan Salter. No one questioned her right to make the comparison between the rhetoric of National Socialist Germany in the 1930s and that of the current British government. Suella Braverman did not tell her that that she was “offended” by the comparison because her husband is Jewish. The speech of these two groups is allowed.

Then there is the vox populi, all (non-theocratic) political discourse pays lip service to the idea that the public are the supreme arbiters of right. However, the public can speak but only anonymously and en masse – as the voice of the people. This is ideally filtered through an allowed source, a community leader, a union, a consultation, an opinion poll. If this doesn’t happen, then they can be categorised as the mob. But there is never a shortage of people who claim to speak for the people, or at least the right-thinking people, or the ordinary hardworking people, or to provide the voice of common-sense. And if the public do not speak in the approved manner, you can always “dissolve the people, and elect another”.

The public figure – the sportsperson, the musician, etc. – speaking outside of their role is disallowed, because they are neither expected to speak, nor anonymous. Here we have someone who has the views of an ordinary person, right or wrong, but whose public visibility is not predicated on those views but rather on their talents in another field. They are, as Lineker – as the son of a market trader from Leicester – is, often the wrong class, and went to the wrong school. Perhaps however, the key point is that their participation is voluntary– they are not obligated to speak by either their profession or their lived experience. Indeed, quite often it would be better for them professionally not to have done so. No one requires Lineker’s opinion of the government’s cruelties, he is only speaking out because he feels it to be right. Most ordinary people could not speak in the way that Lineker did, with the risk of losing their job, simply because they cannot afford to do so. The already public figure in this sense has two privileges on their speech – visibility and lack of (serious) consequences, so it is vital that speech is disallowed.

In this instance the correctness of Lineker’s statement is irrelevant, Salter can make the same point, and Michael Rosen can (on 15th March) offer a series of concrete examples of the corelations between the language of the National Socialists of the 1930s and our government. Such recourse to facts, that demonstrate that our government is deliberately deploying the same rhetoric as the Nazis, is irrelevant in the current discourse and only proves how out of touch with ordinary people, we, the experts, are. This is because we are operating in a political landscape where speech is gestural and as Walter Benjamin pointed out (in the 1930s) politics is aestheticised. Slogans such as “Stop the boats” – are vague and meaningless except as a threat. There is no functional plan behind this intention, it will not work, but that does not matter because some other group can be blamed for its failure. This is the whole purpose behind policies of this sort, to provide a performative space for futile discussion while the real “criminals” on boats – the superyacht owning asset strippers who are the beneficiaries of current government policy – continue their work.

***

Barney Ronay, The Guardian, 10/03/23 –

Walter Benjamin, Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, 1936 – https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm

Suella Braverman, The Independent, 09/03/23 –

Berhold Brecht, Die Lösung (The Solution), 1953 – https://mronline.org/2006/08/14/brecht140806-html/

Gary Lineker, Twitter, 07/03/23 –

Michael Rosen, Twitter, 15/03/23 – https://twitter.com/MichaelRosenYes/status/1635918291385430020

Joan Salter, The Guardian, 14/01/23 –

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cerrein-sharma · 1 year

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What is a business model

it is a way that a company conceived a plan that can edge or get more leads over its competitor.

It is about specifying precise strategies, procedures, timing, marketing, etc. to sustain the proposed business plan.

The business model helped to find the answer to the targeted beneficiary, revenue source, spending, and work that had to be implemented.

all elements should describe the feasibility and success of a business so they need their business models.

It includes things such as how we can grab the attention of the customer, a description of goods, and details of the services that the company has offered.

Business model elements

[1] core business focus

What is the reason to start our startup, why do we do business and who is the real targeted audience or customer? Our focus is to serve the Japanese community and we forget the culture of Japanese in our business models.

[2] design priority

Why did we go online or why did our business go offline?

Walmart is the biggest retail outlet in the US even, they bought Flipkart for over $16 billion in India to capture the online market of India. This also helps to break the geographical barrier created by the earth.

Even Amazon does the same thing operating an offline store to give the pleasant feel of products to customers.

[3] Execution strategy

where we have to collaborate or hire a technical professional or hire a freelancer or who has already experience running an online business.

Where we made our website that saves our money or we can make our website by ourselves to save thousands of dollars in exchange for money.

[4] Revenue

how we can generate money and what is the percentage we allocate for an advertisement or to spend on social media marketing vs Television campaigns. Which way creates more leads and more customers and how we can recover our advertisement cost

. Either our motive is to earn only during the festive and rest seasons we close or shop or we can open our shop for infinity and execute a proper code of conduct in business. It all depends upon yourself what you want to do according to your financial position.

Even we take a commission from low-quality products and sell at the front row or do we promote an authentic product that satisfies the wand of customers?

IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF A BUSINESS MODEL ARE

[1] Find or target a specific audience

if we target the mass we can’t achieve any desired result only we have to think this is my product & I will target 20-30 year men’s or women’s cosmetics

e.g. if eBay starts its search engine on its website to show results like Google the people get confused about what the CEO is trying to do. All things get messed up & people start leaving the platform. The initial day your money or resources are limited, that just limits your audiences and category don’t try to think we develop our business for everyone.

in the future, if you want to expand there will be no problem at all, you understand more than whether another category is beneficial or not e.g. if you start your online software development company and place a baby category in one section, it hurt your business image for long term and it doesn’t suit your base business

[2] Choose the correct business partner

if you choose a lethargic, greedy partner they will sell everything from your equity to business ownership. But you say how we can choose the right partner the answer is simple whenever you expand your business investor is the most important parameter to sustain your business for long research at the market what their character is how they respond to entrepreneurs, are they provide the valuable knowledge and assistant to improve the business or they take the opportunity to grab the maximum shares of your company.

Always think twice while choosing the right partner.

[3] Create a unique value proposition

If you want to stand out from the competition we should definitely do something different to grab attention.

if you will copy the same business model as your competitor, there will be a small probability to get tons of customers e.g. to be ahead of the competition

In Japan, they had a tradition that if a new food product is launched they serve it for free in small amounts ( they just know that our product will rule the market, first had to create product awareness among the citizens ) always create positive value among the customer or can give the coupons.

You can give free chocolates to kids (initially hurt due to expense but it creates mouth-to-mouth publicity in the area and gets loyal customers who are always willing to invest lots of money in your store ).

And adults need only good products and good gestures.

Even this strategy applies to e-commerce also, you can provide small stuff such as key rings, or handwritten greeting cards for showing sweet gratitude and small messages to say ” You are not a customer for me you are just like our family member” even this small message increase your sale and always remember do not break the trust do not rush for short term benefit but for long term.

[4] Record business resources

Always collect & save the essential documents of business because it helps to find out how you are doing or how your code of conduct is moving according to your business model.

If you face a shortage then it helps where we are spending more and how we can reduce the cost if we can’t record then we cannot sustain it for the long term. it also helps to find out where my spending is going and how we can save it.

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