mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06Aging, pensive schlub; dyspeptic alter kacker (Yiddish; do a search); crackpot
Upper Manhattanite.
Atheist, which is to say:
not a universalist,
not an essentialist,
doing my best to make my way through a dancing, rugged landscape.
After numerous exchanges in the Fediverse I suppose I should explicitly state that I tend toward radical solutions to the problems we collectively face.
Together, we MAKE meaning. We don't uncover it
#TwitterMigration
As (some of) you reel (even now) from a sense of:
- displacement
- abandonment
- confusion
- disappointment/disillusion
- uncertainty
- foreboding
may I suggest that, fundamentally, those are all reactions to
your having experienced, in concentrated form,
the effects of capitalism as an overarching worldview.
The site's name is "Twitter", folks, not birdsite, not birbsite, not any other avoidance synonym.
Circumlocution invests too much power in the word being replaced, mythologizes it.
It doesn't do anything to diminish it's impact.
The goal is to genericize the word, use it frquently and disrespectfully in ways the owner doesn't want it used.
To avoid it is to defer to its power, like invoking it will summon forth demons.
Just say Twitter, please.
What the world would lose with the demise of Twitter: Valuable eyewitness accounts and raw data on human behavior, as well as a habitat for trolls
[This assessment, valid as far as it goes, doesn't take into account deeper issues of surveillance, control, economics, and therefore doesn't adequately address the prices we pay for the benefits reaped. It simply assumes too much of the status quo and thus biases the judgment.]
Listening while I rip:
"Wild Cat" (1927)
Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang
These companies claim to support abortion rights. They are backing anti-abortion Republicans
"while some of America’s largest employers want to be seen as supporting reproductive health for their female workers and their families, the abortion issue has not affected their financial support for Republican candidates who have promised to further erode those workers’ reproductive rights."
Last Announcement Before I Finalize the Move:
Given -
- mastodon.social overload
- my (repeated, *sigh*) failure to set up my own instance
- the growing ratio of posts I've tagged #SeizeTheMeansOfCommunity
I've setup a new account: @baslow@social.coop
It has all worked well over the past day so I will soon be ending all activity on @baslow@mastodon.social
Important Announcement:
Given -
- mastodon.social overload
- my (repeated, *sigh*) failure to set up my own instance
- the growing ratio of posts I've tagged #SeizeTheMeansOfCommunity
I've setup a new account: @baslow@social.coop
If this new pond finds my blend of Borscht Belt political acumen and erratic-socialist Rortyan comedy stylings tolerable I'll set up shop there and slowly phase out @baslow@mastodon.social
This may be the perfect chance to weed me out of your "Following" list!