RantingInAVacuum

Just a semi-random ramble. As we enter a new dark ages, has anyone actually thought how we're expected to survive it?

I'm late to the table on this topic - but then, I'm a part of the same declining world as the Smiths, so is it really any wonders?

#Ukraine #NATO #WW3 https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/12/russias-clash-with-the-west-is-about-geography-not-ideology/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrMiSQAGOS4&t=2041s&ab_channel=TheUniversityofChicago

A semi-recent clip from the Podcast of the Lotus Eaters stirred up a thought that's been scratching at my brain for a while. So, I figured I'd scrawl out and deliver a quick rant on the topic of OnlyFans. Sources and further reading/watching: https://www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/9820253/suicide-death-prison-porn-stars/ https://nypost.com/2018/01/22/porn-stars-keep-dying-and-nobody-knows-why/ https://nationalpost.com/news/world/ex-mma-fighter-war-machine-gets-36-years-to-life-for-kidnapping-and-beating-porn-star-ex-girlfriend https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19085605/#:~:text=Results%20indicated%20that%2062%25%20of,at%20least%20once%20a%20week. https://theconversation.com/is-sex-work-still-the-most-dangerous-profession-the-data-suggests-so-81854 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHIpk8QrvGE&ab_channel=ThePodcastoftheLotusEaters

Which "n-word" is worse, when you really think about it?

Despite how much they’re already worth, American celebrities are still happy to sell out their people and the very idea of democracy, if it puts a few more yuan in their pockets. John Cena’s recent apology video to the CCP is… distasteful, to say the least.

It's crazy just how quick the international community is to hide the barbarism of Hamas behind the memory of apartheid.

I normally wouldn’t take aim at the Centre For Risk Analysis, because they tend to provide solid, informative content. But I have to call BS on the content of this video. -- SOURCES -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjqi9sNKhM&ab_channel=CentreForRiskAnalysis https://irr.org.za/reports/occasional-reports/files/south-africas-immigrants-2013-building-a-new-economy https://ichikowitzfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/African-Youth-Survey-2020.pdf https://migrationdataportal.org/regional-data-overview/southern-africa https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/26/south-africa-deadly-attacks-foreign-truck-drivers

This is just a short response to WhatIfAltHist’s video on the 5 nations they think will collapse by 2040. I don’t touch on all of the nations listed, rather focusing on my own home country of South Africa. The discussion ranges from water shortages, as have been experienced already in the Cape, to racial tensions, the Zimbabwe comparison, and what a post-collapse SA might look like. Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3bEVlNcpq0&ab_channel=Whatifalthist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOZP7qdvFIg&ab_channel=ConflictsMapped https://www.businessinsider.co.za/impact-of-brulpadda-2019-2 https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/260943/3-graphs-that-show-what-south-africas-middle-class-looks-like/ https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/black-farmers-refuse-to-pay-bribes-kicked-off-state-owned-farms-20201011 https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2021-03-23-eviction-of-black-farmers-raises-questions-about-readiness-for-land-reform/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/264656/countries-with-the-highest-unemployment-rate/ https://www.pambazuka.org/governance/corruption-south-africa-tale-black-political-elites-and-white-economic-elites https://www.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/government-does-not-trust-black-people-with-property-analyst-20170517 #EndOfTheWorld #SouthAfrica #2040

I’m neither the first nor last to ask, but why on Earth do we need a black Clark Kent? Is this a bad sign for the DCEU?

So, with the ANC continuing to be battered by its own ineptitude, talk has begun circling about the party’s inevitable collapse. Is it likely or even possible, and what would that look like for South Africa? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufOrXRUUlS8&ab_channel=eNCA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSbxvp5LK04&ab_channel=CentreForRiskAnalysis

I’ve a long history of thinking little of the people who lead my nation, but Biden at least carries on the Bush tradition of making the leaders of rich nations look even less competent than the rabble we’ve roused over here. Thanks Biden!

The world is moving toward decentralisation of… everything.

Next week it'll be guys' turn but for now, Let’s consider for a moment, all of the aspects of society and human existence over which the female of the species has traditionally retained decision-making power: https://www.saferspaces.org.za/understand/entry/toxic-masculinity-and-violence-in-south-africa https://www.heritage.org/crime-and-justice/report/the-real-root-causes-violent-crime-the-breakdown-marriage-family-and https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubPDFs/foundation_34.pdf https://www.forbes.com/sites/bridgetbrennan/2015/01/21/top-10-things-everyone-should-know-about-women-consumers/?sh=321128cd6a8b https://www.forbes.com/sites/bridgetbrennan/2020/02/10/how-womens-economic-power-is-reshaping-the-consumer-market/?sh=74a7553aeb4a https://hbr.org/2009/09/the-female-economy https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656699922523 https://theconversation.com/women-show-sexual-preference-for-tall-dominant-men-so-is-gender-inequality-inevitable-98159 https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/good-life/2012-06-05-women-are-hard-wired-to-want-dominant-men/ https://genderjustice.org.za/news-item/most-households-in-sa-are-run-by-single-moms/

As much as they like to call the rest of us out on our “unconscious bias” the trans activist community (which I am certain is a different thing to the trans community) has very blatantly and consciously bigoted views of their fellow man. https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/is-masculinity-a-lost-cause-thoughts-on-a-new-masculinity-from-a-non-binary-person/ https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/new-york-times-reveals-painful-truths-about-sex-change-surgery

Is there really any question that the drama surrounding Adam Habib is an example of Cancel Culture? https://www.heraldlive.co.za/news/politics/2021-03-29-habib-n-word-saga-shivambu-says-he-should-fall-on-his-sword-zille-insists-its-cancel-culture/

China continues to crack down on activism within its borders – somewhat posing the question about how much the culture wars are a part of a new world war. https://www.dw.com/en/china-feminism-free-speech/a-57277438 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/19/china/china-feminists-silenced-intl-hnk-dst/index.html https://theconversation.com/chinas-new-civil-code-has-angered-feminists-the-chinese-communist-party-is-now-trying-to-appease-them-151165 https://www.scmp.com/abacus/culture/article/3029410/chinese-police-are-cracking-down-extreme-feminism-online https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285322154_'Safe_Spaces'_Experiences_of_Feminist_Women-Only_Space https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generations_of_warfare#:~:text=Fifth%2Dgeneration%20warfare%20(5GW),of%20the%20world%20and%20politics. https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/26db15ee/files/uploaded/5GW%20Section3.pdf https://othjournal.com/2017/07/31/5th-gen-warfare/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unrestricted_Warfare

Apparently, South Africa needs Cuban engineers to help with water sanitation, despite our country’s infrastructure being decades ahead of theirs. Smells fishy. https://afriforum.co.za/en/afriforum-questions-appointment-of-cuban-engineers/

After listening to Trevor Noah discuss transgender rights I can only conclude that, if his logic and morality are consistent, he hates women and is in favour of minority rule. Strange stuff from a former South African. Of course, I don’t think his logic is actually consistent, and I doubt he’s thought enough about anything to have formed a truly coherent worldview. More likely, he’s just a talking head, echoing the views he’s told to.

I wanted to take a look at a few of the key points made by the two pundits on this most contentious of American issues, and the hints of the ideological underpinnings of those arguments.

I have a feeling that masculinity and men’s issues will probably become a strong focus of this channel. In keeping with that, I wanted to chat a bit more about South Africa’s Gender-based Violence obsession. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/relationships/a37016/male-survivor-of-domestic-violence/ https://genderjustice.org.za/project/policy-development-advocacy/stop-gender-violence-national-campaign/ https://www.zurinstitute.com/clinical-updates/female-batterers/ https://www.spar.co.za/banana-bread-recipe (I have no idea why this URL has not been changed from “Banana Bread Recipe” maybe it will have been by the time you click – shows how seriously they’re taking things) https://www.spar.co.za/banana-bread-recipe/method (good lord)

There are reasons, other than simple social constructs, why “boys will be boys” and that isn’t just a statement made to dismiss our misbehaviour, but it’s a statement of the burden that we have to bear before we can call ourselves men. I don’t have time to edit every source into the video, and even I did, they’re only headlines; so… sources: https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/masculinity-is-killing-men-the-roots-of-men-and-trauma/ https://www.psycom.net/depression-in-men/depression-in-men-toxic-masculinity/ https://menalive.com/the-5-hidden-reasons-men-become-violent-and-what-we-can-do-to-make-the-world-safer/ https://thebodyisnotanapology.com/magazine/is-masculinity-a-lost-cause-thoughts-on-a-new-masculinity-from-a-non-binary-person/ https://sbtreatment.com/blog/men-and-emotions-the-importance-of-becoming-vulnerable/ https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/why_we_should_help_boys_to_embrace_all_their_feelings https://learn.livingwell.org.au/mod/page/view.php?id=282 https://mensline.org.au/mens-mental-health/men-and-emotions/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-the-questions/201401/how-crack-the-code-men-s-feelings https://menscenter.org/shame/ https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf https://globalnews.ca/news/4039294/cry-like-a-man-how-women-really-want-their-men-to-show-emotion/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4941426/ http://www.awcfs.org/index.php/component/k2/item/244-kenyan-men-unknowingly-raising-children-not-theirs https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWfeather.htm

South African political mainstay, Helen Zille has confirmed that she’s finished the writing for and is set to release a book warning South Africans to be wary of the American-imported woke politics being reinvigorated in our country by social media culture wars, after a generation or two of incubation in our universities. Since that coincides with one of my channel’s main aims, in the short- to mid-term at least, my curiosity’s obviously been piqued.

It’s hard to imagine why this is something that needs to be pushed at an academic institution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F3K4Pdm7hQ&ab_channel=TheRoommates https://thepeoplesledger.com/ohio-state-conducting-an-onlyfans-seminar-for-students-on-how-to-get-started-in-sex-work/ https://www.inyathelo.org.za/media-centre/inyathelo-s-blogspot/item/low-retention-rates-at-sa-universities.html https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/bbc-onlyfans-nudes4sale-young-women https://ceaseuk.org/2020/02/big-porn-human-trafficking-and-the-global-sex-trade-it-isnt-a-few-bad-apples-the-whole-tree-is-rotten/ https://www.sexweekatosu.org/2021-sex-week-events/2021/2/20/onlyfans-behind-the-scenes

I don’t know if the powers that be are this out-of-touch, or if they’re actively trying to stir up conspiracies every time an elite opens his or her mouth, but Baroness Jenny Jones sounded like a lunatic with her suggestion that the UK institute a curfew to keep men off of the street after 6pm to keep women safe and, unironically, reduce discrimination. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/13/men-curfew-sarah-everard-women-adapt-violence https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/sarah-everard-victim-blaming https://fairygodboss.com/articles/3-men-on-why-they-avoid-female-colleagues-after-metoo https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlynborysenko/2020/02/12/the-dark-side-of-metoo-what-happens-when-men-are-falsely-accused/?sh=242e8447864d