kalaboukis

One of the good things about what's happened with COVID it is that we can all now work from home, but as a corollary to that as a corollary that we can all now work from pretty much anywhere

• When people ask for advice, are they just asking for confirmation? • They most likely just want you to agree with them • You need to dig back into why they are asking for this advice • If they are really going in a bad direction, you really need to decide if you want to maintain the relationship • Real friends should tell the absolute truth • Be prepared to lose the relationship if you go against their decision • 99% of the time, they will just do what they want anyway

• The protestors and rioters are deluded if they think the world is better under socialism or communism • Tens of millions of people have died under non-democratic, non-capitalist systems • In every socialist system, there are the elites and the proletariat, and these rioters will never be the elite • They are just "useful idiots" for the globalist elite • The protesters and rioters and looters will never be the elite • No matter the system, there is always an elite. • Only capitalism allows you to become the elite

• Is social media worthwhile? It's pretty useless since its 99% fake • Its pure entertainment, since its all fiction • You have to look at it as "light-hearted fiction." • It's not reality. It's not TRUTH • Don't get so excited about it • Don't take it as truth. If you do, you might get irritated • Don't be so serious about it. • Social Media, Astrology, Tarot, Gambling: For Entertainment Only • If you spend all of your time on social media, you probably in too deep • There are 100 other far more productive things you can do with your life.

• We have lost the ability to think critically and problem solve • We immediately make snap judgments on people based on appearance • We have to use our past as a reference and not as truth • Ideally, we need to derive a set of ethics and live by those • Every moment and situation is different from every previous moment and situation • Every moment is a brand new moment, and without a set of ethics to base your actions on, you can easily get lost. • Without an open mind which can change with new information, we are simply "useful idiots" to be pushed around by those with more power and wealth than us

• We live in these weird little bubbles of our imagination • We sometimes feel that this is reality • We allow yourselves to bask in these bubbles of non-reality • Is AI controlling the creation of these bubbles? • Have humans lost control of the matrix and are the AIs running the show? • No. There are human minds behind all of this constructed reality • This is why they are so imperfect. This is why they make mistakes and sometimes we see cracks in the matrix when these bubbles of imagination intersect with reality. • The problem, as I see it, is open-mindedness. Living in these bubbles of imagination has closed us off to reality • We all need to turn off our phones and take a walk in nature. • We all need to re-experience reality

• What is going on with corporate America? • Many companies have huge amounts of contractors • It's probably because regular FTEs spend most of their day politicking, schmoozing, and covering their asses • Contractors, on the other hand, are just there to get the job done • Google is 50% contractors: they do all the work • Normal FTEs don't actually do any work - they just network and schmooze • This is the American dream? Big job at big corporate is 90% politics • If you care more about doing the work than politicking, then be a contractor • FTEs are only incentivized by promotion by schmoozing and networking

• What is going on with corporate America? • Seems to me that discussing diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) is more important than profitability • I thought corporations existed to make money. If that is the case, then should they care what the employee looks like? • Are we seeing the "feminization" or corporate America - moving from a masculine competitive capitalist model to a feminist communist model? • Is this why they care more about having parties, benefits and turning your workplaces into a surrogate "family" instead of a for-profit business?

• What is going on with corporate America? • Its politics over profits • Companies that take these political positions are dying • Business exists to make money, not to create jobs or send a message • If you are a true businessperson, you don't care about who buys your product, as long as they buy it • Why are all these companies going woke? Do they not care about profits anymore? Professional sports, banks, magazines, everything has now become so political that they are turning people off • When I buy "Mens Health" magazine, I'm interested in men's health, not "how to be an ally with black and brown people" • Star Trek has had transgender people on the screen since Day 1 - we don't need to force this on people. The whole promise of Star Trek was not caring about what people were, just what they could do.

• Do you make all of the decisions in your life, or does everything around you control you? • Typically, people lean one way or another • Most narcissists use determinism as an excuse for bad behavior • You are free to stay in or break out of the box of determinism • We all have to live with the consequences of our decisions • If you are thousands of dollars in debt with a useless degree, that your won damn fault.

• News media is now fiction, we are no longer getting facts from them • Fiction is a story - it's not reality. The news is pure fiction • Fiction however should seem real, otherwise, they are fantasy • Fiction is nothing which has ever actually occurred • Non-Fiction is a retelling of an actual event - based on reality • Now we have "creative non-fiction", a genre which real-life events are "embellished", telling a creative story around reality • At the base of creative non-fiction, there should be a reality, otherwise its just fiction • Propaganda is fiction recorded as fact

• Words have turned out to be the most important thing • If you use the wrong words at the wrong time, that could mean the difference between success and failure • For example, if your resume says "project manager" but the employer is looking for a "program manager", your resume may never be seen, even though the skillset is almost exactly the same • Even though we are moving towards more of a visual and auditory society, the text is still important because systems still use text to find and match things • If you get the words wrong, everything might be wrong

• I used to think being colorblind was good - not to treat people differently based on their external appearance, but now I hear that it's bad • Now we are being told to treat some people better than others due to their least important attribute • I judge people by the content of the character not by the color of their skin and now they're turning around and telling me overnight no that's wrong you have to judge people by the color of their skin

• Once again, more evidence that politicians are the elites who can get away with anything while they lock us down in our homes with masks on • How is it that the government is allowed all this but we aren't? • We are already living in a communist system where the elites tell us what to do • They can get away with anything, the rest of us get thrown in jail • Laws apply to some and not to others - some people can do anything they want and get away with it • We only have the illusion of free speech and personal responsibility

• Can't go to a massively huge beach on a hot long weekend, even though there is no reason why people can't wear masks and social distance • No reason why people can't social distance on a giant beach like that • This is just a campaign against fun • We are all adults - we know what we are doing • If you can be in a mall and a grocery store but not on a wide-open beach? • The state is treating us like children • It's all about control • You can go to the beach only when you can't go to the beach • Stop treating us like children

• No one can "make you" do anything unless it's under threat • How many times do you hear people say "You made me do this" • If I call you names, it's not violence • If you react violently, it's all on you • You are literally triggering yourself, you are working yourself into a rage • Its an excuse, and not a good one • For example, all of these riots and lootings are "reactions" to things? • That is a lie. The choice to take an action rests solely with the actor. • Triggering is in the eye of the triggered

• Despite the fact that the Coronavirus numbers have been proven to be way off, we are all still in lockdown, and lockdowns are being extended and expanded • The CDC recently revised the numbers way down • Now that we know the reality of the numbers, then we should be opening up the country faster by now • Why are we still using the same tactics even though the numbers have been proven totally inaccurate? • Now that we know that most deaths are those with co-morbidity, we would have handled this in a much more targeted manner - the question is - why aren't we?

• Have we lost all of our common sense? It's not being taught in school, that for sure • We are not taught anything about how the United States is structured • Many outsiders (and even Americans) don't understand the USA • We are not one monolithic state like Canada, Singapore, China, or Russia • Once you understand that the USA is really more like 50 little countries, then you will see why we can't expect the federal government to step in and solve our problems • They need to be asked. The states are supposed to have more power than the federal government, which is unlike EVERY other country

• Based on the differences between the DNC and the RNC they have very visions of America • I fled socialism in Canada and now it's coming here • Most Americans think Canada is so wonderful, but it's not • The tax rates are double what they are here • Even those people who make $10k a year have to pay taxes • Health care is not free but paid for in taxes • "Death Panels" are real: only the government can decide if you are allowed to have expensive procedures • The Canadians were more racist than Americans during WW2 by denying Jews entry and putting the Japanese in camps. • While the Americans built camps for the Japanese and let them go back to their own properties afterward, the Canadians made them build their own camps and let others seize their property

• Short Version: you can't believe anything you read in the news • News used to be provided by reporters, now they are created by journalists • Reports are factual descriptions of actual events, by reporters • Stories that you see nowadays are written by journalists • Journals are not reports - they are typically stories writing about feelings • The news has always been "embellished" but it used to have a kernel of truth • Now, "news" completely disconnected from reality • There is no TRUTH in news any longer, so whenever you see any news, start with DISTRUST AND VERIFY, not Reagan's Trust, But Verify.

• If you aren't familiar with PLUSSING, it adds to ideas instead of subtracts • A key to the virality of stories is you • If you only share crappy, pessimistic stories then that's what will go viral • In these politically charged times, it would be great if you didn't just "gut-share" every bit of data that outrages you

• George Floyds cause of death has come out and he basically killed himself • I'll bet that the cops are all absolved of any crime and did everything by the book • Now do you see how we are all manipulated by the media? • Even Rudy Guliani said "the murder of George Floyd" during the RNC • George Floyd basically committed suicide. It was a wonder he was still vertical at all with the number of drugs in his system • But will we see a retraction? An end to the violence? • How do you feel knowing that it was all a lie, conveniently edited, and released to trigger all of this? • We can rebuild, but what about all of the lives lost? • Can you see how evil the news media is now?

• Our illustrious governor is now forcing us to lock down forever • He wants us to get down to 1 case per 100,000 people before opening • Which is basically saying "we are locking down forever" • Those in Democrat states are screwing us over in a political way • They are not doing what the people want • Once the state has control over you, they will never give it up • We have to push back against these draconian measures • There is no medical or scientific reason, its all political.

• Do you just share stuff that is fed to you on social networks without checking to see if this is true or not? • How do you feel when you share something that you found out later was a spreader of a blatant lie? • We are all responsible for the sharing of blatant lies on social media • Instead of gut sharing anything which comes across your feed, take a second to research and see if it's true or not • Why not spend a second or two questionings anything that sounds like it's designed to outrage you? • We all have so much access to so much information, it doesn't take long to check a fact - but we don't do it • You are a mouthpiece for sharing information - if you share "fake news", then you are a purveyor of fake news

• Human beings are creatures of variance or difference • We all make judgments of people based on past experience, we can't help it • This is not something we can stop doing unless we remain openminded • The only way to reduce racism is to keep your mind open to people acting in different ways than you are used to • The only way to eliminate racism is to keep your mind open to people acting in different ways than you are used to