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After Interviewing figures of the french left, a popular anglo-Saxon streamer is interrogated by USA police[edit]

After giving an interview of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, in which he (apparently ironically) mentioned the possibility of being stopped at the US-American border, the Anglo-Saxon influencer Hasan Piker was detained by the American police. New world (talk) 11:04, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

I doubt it’s because he interviewed Mélenchon (who’s not exactly a well known figure in the US), but because Piker himself is a well known progressive influencer who made his dislike of Trump very clear to an official at the border. This is yet another example of Trump’s “chilling strategy” targeting any kind of opposition. Btw, it’s a bit bizarre to call him an “Anglo-Saxon influencer”, when even the cited France24 source calls him a “Turkish-American”. ScepticWombat (talk) 13:12, 15 May 2025 (UTC)
There is part of me which wonders whether we might be in a variant of a 'Shamima Begum situation'. She was a British citizen who was stripped of said citizenship on the legally dodgy argument that she was already a Bangladeshi citizen via her immigrant parents [jus sanguinis], because it's against international law to render someone stateless. After legal appeals etc, this was upheld - meaning that now UKGov [ie politicians] can now decide to strip citizenship [and deport] anybody who at least theoretically could be a citizen of somewhere else. I noticed this immediately because I fall into this category; my British citizenship is no longer an inalienable right but a conditional privilege - even though I also enjoy British jus sanguinis. One is always alert to when your personal rights are being eroded, after all.
Piker is in this position too. His father appears to be a Turkish citizen, which means he is at least eligable to jus sanguinis Turkish citizenship. Couple this with Trump's constant attacks on the principle of birthright citizenship [jus soli, which Piker enjoys] and his general 'fuck you, I am the state' mentality I really wouldn't put it past the likes of ICE et al to declare his US citizenship void/fake and then try to deport him to Turkey [or just leave him stranded overseas]. This isn't much of a logical leap when you consider the case of those folks sent to labour camps in Columbia and the fate of the [at least] one guy sent by mistake [don't fucking care, you're never coming back].
This is a lot more effective chilling effect than the headline, because it is making everyone who is at least theoretically capable of being a foreign citizen [which I suspect in the USA is going to be a lot] realise that their membership of the American volk is no longer as solid as they believed it to be, and well... if you like your life here, you better not oppose the New Order, just like the bellend from the Heritage Foundation warned you all about when they published Project 2025. Now, some folks would be deported to fairly pleasant locales [I wouldn't mind much if I was deported to Ireland] but not if said 'citizenship' was for say, China, Russia, Iran etc. KarmaPolice (talk) 14:22, 15 May 2025 (UTC)
It tends to be very easy to violate fictions. The problem is that a lot of people were kinda depending on those fictions to be taken seriously, as was the trend post-Cold War. Though I note we're still acting willfully ignorant of the fact that Trump himself isn't the threat, the GOP as a whole is. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 14:30, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

Anti Trumpery[edit]

There seem to be any number of anti-Trump news postings - galloping gibberish, bizarre statements, his pronouncements and initiatives being legally challenged/rolled back etc? Is this just cherry picking or is it as bad as it seems?

IF he serves less than half a term would he be able to run again? Anna Livia (talk) 20:38, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

If you're focused on "galloping gibberish, bizarre statements" then it is much worse than it seems. If you're focused on "his pronouncements and initiatives being legally challenged/rolled back" then it is only worse than it seems. There is a long-term strategy here: media attention-grabbing by saying stupid shit (possibly now drifting into clinical dementia), and more generally filling the zone with shit: hoping to do so many awful things simultaneously that it is impossible for the opposition to focus and/or counter everything. Bongolian (talk) 23:31, 15 May 2025 (UTC)
I really can't listen more than about five minutes of his boastful bloviating boosterism. It amazes me that his acolytes are able to endure hours of it and then applaud with enthusiasm.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 08:51, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

To prepare for presidential election, Jean-Luc Mélenchon makes international campaign[edit]

Probably to gain more visibility, and because the international press hasn't identified him as an « adversary » yet (they don't know him enough), Mélenchon has published his latest book (« Faites mieux » or « Now the people! » in English and « ¡Ahora el pueblo! » in Spanish) in Spanish and made a visit to Mexico, he then published it in English and visited Québec and New York (in New York, he also had a video conference with Bernie Sanders). Then, back in Paris, he gave an interview to the Financial Times and the New York Times, and he then decided to meet the popular US-turkish neo-editorialist Hasan Piker, before accepting an interview from The Nation. He is now presenting the Italian translation of his book (titled « Ribellatevi! » in Italian). During these visits, he has given conferences at the university of Montreal, the CUNY university in New York, and the Turin international book fair in Italy. Meanwhile, Manon Aubry and Mathilde Panot, the European candidate and the president of the parliament group respectively, have brought abortion pills to Poland. It seems that this is a deliberate strategy. Before this moment, interviews to international newspapers were rare, and contact only occasionally happened with Anglo-Saxon, Spanish and Italian press. New world (talk) 10:52, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

Where's the WIGO for the Biden Interview?[edit]


Would the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (Western Sahara) count as a proto-state?[edit]

It does meet the requirements of the Montevideo Convention of what qualifies as a sovereign state. However the SADR has limited government function. So would the SADR be a proto-state? --Trans Fem Agenda 19:36, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

It controls territory, it is a full member of the African Union and, is recognized by 44 or 45 UN member states (WP can't get it straight). So, yes it would seem to be at least that (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic). Bongolian (talk) 17:14, 18 May 2025 (UTC)
Quasi-state. It's limited functionality is mainly because the vast majority of claimed territory/resources is occupied by another. Calling it a proto-state can suggest that it will [or should] become a 'proper state' a la Westphalia at a later point. That's because those arguments are always very political - as the situation of Kosovo, Taiwan and Palestine all show. KarmaPolice (talk) 15:39, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
Now living in either Morocco occupied territory or SADR territory, it is pick your poison. The human rights situation in both areas is not very good. --Trans Fem Agenda 19:16, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Is it weird that I use AI to edit RationalWiki?[edit]


This is just sad[edit]


Nationalism is the primary force of evil in this world[edit]

Why do people constantly push nationalism in this world? Do they realize how much death and destruction it has done to this world? All forms of nationalism, regardless if religion is involved, is the same thing: jingoistic, cultish and demonizing others. Why do people follow the cult of nationalism if it’s caused that much destruction in this world? — Unsigned, by: 2607:fb90:3916:d527:2978:75c6:9d39:6686 / talk / contribs

Because historically nationalism was the solution to feudalism and no one has yet successfully enacted a better system. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 18:17, 19 May 2025 (UTC)
(edit conflict) Don't mistake the emancipatory nationalism of Malcolm X with the oppressive nationalism of Hitler. Nationalism is a tool to gain or hold power, just like any other political concept. It all comes back to power, and more precisely who should wield it and how. Antares (talk) 18:21, 19 May 2025 (UTC)
It's less a tool and more a historically rooted social form. Nationism mainly cames out of the rise of democratic/republican movements who sought to unify the various smaller polities under a common identity in order to weaken their aristocrat rivals. This has been the case across the board as far as I've seen, with the only edge cases being newly autonomous colonies such as the US. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 18:29, 19 May 2025 (UTC)
Humans found plenty of reasons to kill each other before the nation state existed - and they would again if nations ceased to exist.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 19:40, 19 May 2025 (UTC)
I forgot how to do the goodpost emoji, but pretend I did anyway. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 19:44, 19 May 2025 (UTC)
Just a different form of "them vs us" - all the same whether it's a different village, different king, different skin colour or supporting a different football team. Evolution will take 100k years to change it if ever Aloysius the Gaul (talk) 20:10, 19 May 2025 (UTC)
Now we can have Nationalism and Feudalism at the same time.BeefHistorian (talk) 00:38, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
I’d argue that some kind of “national solidarity” is a key underpinning of the Nordic (“universal” and state centred) welfare state models. The Nordic countries are all pretty nationalist, but this also means a pressure to “look after fellow nationals” to some extent. In one case, a Danish historian quipped that the “renationalisation” of European politics during the late 1990s and especially in the 2000s and later went largely unnoticed in Denmark, because “it’s hard to be more than 100% nationalist”. ScepticWombat (talk) 15:19, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
@BeefHistorian Yes, we can have "thing predicated on multiple dispersed categories" and "thing predicted on one centralized category". Lol. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 16:02, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
Just look at Albanians, Serbs, Croats, Bosnians and others. Shit flinging from all sides. 🇷🇸 Serbian Arbiter (What would you have your arbiter do?) 22:21, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

flabbergasted[edit]

i still can't get over the fact that conservapedia is somehow not a satire website. every single page is riddled with falsehoods so obvious i genuinely think a first grader could reliably spot them.

i know conservapedia isn't the focus of rationalwiki anymore but it's been boggling my mind ever since i first heard about its existence. SystemPhantom (talk) 00:26, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

It's even more stunning that within these last few years, Conservapedia's ideology became the core tenants of the modern GOP. In fact I'd go so far to say that the modern GOP makes Conservapedia look moderate by comparison. BeefHistorian (talk) 00:41, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

What is the deepest, most impactful sentence that you have ever read?[edit]


Should teaching kids Young Earth Creationism be considered abusive?[edit]

YEC certainly goes against modern science as well as the evidence for both common descent and the age of the world. And it is embarrassing and shameful to know as an adult that you have been indoctrinated into a fringe sect that opposes the natural facts and evidence. Though is "abuse" the right way to describe it? Also, should YEC be considered a "cult" though it is not technically a minority view even if it goes against mainstream society and Christianity which accept the reality of evolution and an ancient world. Rationalmind (talk) 14:07, 20 May 2025 (UTC)

"Should" ordinary people "consider teaching kids YEC abusive"? It doesn't really matter. Of course they're not going to approve, whether it's "abuse" (or "a cult") is just semantics.
"Should" the state, whatever state that may be, "consider teaching kids YEC abusive"? Ie, should you get visits from social services, escalating to having your kids placed in foster care if you don't desist? Obviously not. Christopher (talk) 14:58, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
It's not "abusive". It's just dumb and, scientifically, wrong. I'll leave it up to Christians to reconcile the theological side of the debate.
The problem I always run into with "Biblical literalism" types is that, similar to other bullshit like originalism, is that "literal" is never true. There's plenty of verses in the Bible that "literalists" (often from my moral viewpoint correctly, but sometimes not) ignore. Generally I see YEC as a culture war symptom more than anything else; as a general rule, this is a focus that represents a "rejection" of modernity and science and a celebration of anti-intellectualism. It's sort of the same thing that at the extremes drives weird bullshit like flat earth. This "rejection" of modernity is more a superficial shake-your-fist type (Answers in Genesis has a large website after all) but still...
The real problem here is that once you start going down the road of anti-modernity woo, it can be hard to stop. So much of American Christianity has descended into vehicles of hate and conspiracy theory these days, and much of the cause is the sort of visceral reaction to modernity: don't debate things, don't reconcile theology and science (which are two separate vehicles) or any of the theological contrasts with modern understanding. Just cling to various cultural identity memes of "religion", many barely justified by Scripture (if that), and shake your fist at modern life in anger. Not a good way to approach life, for many reasons... BobJohnson (talk) 15:00, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
Was not certain if "abusive" was the right word to describe it (I did get into an argument with a YE Creationist who insisted it was not). That said, speaking of literalism, it is fascinating that the seven days are to be taken literally yet the dome above the earth is not. Nor is the fact light predates the sun (which is simply a light in the dome along with the moon) is ignored by most creationists. And those who claim ex nihilo ignore that water clearly predates creation. Rationalmind (talk) 15:12, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
I mean, "abusive" seems to entail a level of implicit moralism. Clearly they disagree, hence appealing to notions of impropriety is pretty futile. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 15:59, 20 May 2025 (UTC)
Define 'abuse'. Is only the applications of 'suffering' to a child [sex, violence, acute starvation etc] count at abuse or do we move it wider to encompass a list of things which cause 'failure to thrive' [poor nutrition, lack of social interaction, healthcare, education etc]. I cannot speak on social services in other countries, but here in the UK they [if they are brought aware of the situation] will intervene in latter situations [not automatically take kids away, but at least 'have a word'].
This division is small-p political in my experience. That while there's always going to be the crackpot 'left' too [think cults a la Jonestown] it's almost only the right-wingers who draw the abuse line at the narrow 'avoid suffering' one. Why? Because almost to a person, they believe that children are their property, to use and direct as they see fit. I have not yet encountered any real supporter for 'parents rights' which did not ultimately rest on this maxim.
Where did this maxim come from? Well, the Bible is a usually a good place to start looking when you find shit like this and you're right. But also the effect of the Romans is important; that of the principle of 'paterfamilias' in which basically the male citizen owned everything and could dispose of it how he saw fit - money, land, animals, slaves, children and women. And this held for a very long time; it's the cause of Mr Bumble's 'the law is an ass' line from Oliver Twist [he tries to blame his wife for criminal acts, only to be informed as she has no seperate legal identity her crimes are his]. Women's suffrage from c1900 onwards was one of the final steps of getting 'legal personhood', not the start. It's all variants of the same thing; from the parent's demand that they control what their spawn learns to the slaveowner wanting to whip their insolent charges - control of property.
Anyway, BobJ comes close to hitting the main point; in which [in my opinion] is that it's not that YEC is taught, it is the way it is taught and what dissenting views are offered. In my general experience; they're not. YEC is presented as literal, 'I-have-the-negatives' facts, other arguments are only presented in straw man form and there's no discussion afterwards. As we all know well now [and should really stop pretending otherwise] when they bleat about 'freedom' and 'choice' it is only for the freedom and choice to hear them [and to be unmolested by criticism etc], not vice-versa. And factor in Dunning-Kruger... [or better put in this case by Bertrand Russell - 'The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt'] is that said 'debates' end up being variants of loud, confident creationists with gish gallops and pictures of Crocoducks while a scientist is trying to pick their way out of the verbal avalanche and is acutely aware that they don't for certain know anything at all.
And that, I would say could be seen as abusive. You are deliberately mentally hamstringing kid's learning so they take your own views of the world and lack the intellectual tools to develop an independent [and perhaps different] position. This involves crippling logic, scepticism and the spirit of enquiry [which involves questioning authority]. That's a much bigger general danger to society than simply on the religious front; that if we have a solid minority of people who are not curious, sceptical, rational and with a marked tendency to fall behind supposed authority figures who manipulate them with feels and playing on fears and frustrations. This is toxic to a societal setup which relies on a citizenry to be relatively active, educated, reasonable and sane for it to function. KarmaPolice (talk) 13:49, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
So the post asks two questions. Is teaching YEC "abuse" and is YEC a "cult".
It's all down to definitions. Is teaching "Flat Earth" abuse? Vaccine Denialism? Homeopathy? The ideas are all equally dumb - and if you think that teaching kids dumb anti-scientific stuff is abuse, then so be it.
Is YEC a "cult"? Is YEC actually more cult-like than, say Catholicism? Maybe. On the other hand there is no actual religion called "YEC". It's simply part of the sillier ideas present in many religions. So the poster needs to clearly explain how they are using the words "abuse" and "cult" before we can respond.
And when they have done that they may find they have answered their own questions.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 14:40, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
Children have a human right to an education. Various European ensure this by either (1) banning homeschooling, (2) banning private schools, or at least (3) requiring schools to follow a curriculum and be inspected. In the US, this would be considered an attack on "religious freedoms" and "parental choice," and it's so ingrained that Americans can't envision anything other than their own system. Duncan from Teflpedia (talk) 15:44, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

But - teaching children 'some people think [flat earth, creationism, other things of that ilk] - this is what scientists think' would be a useful exercise.Anna Livia (talk) 17:03, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

Pseudo-electronics[edit]

A professor of mine, a research in the domain of telecommunications, wishes to write a paper about pseudo-electronic devices: devices of an electronic nature that are functional, in the sense that they do something, but which claim to do other, usually impossible things, mostly from the domain of pseudoscience. Examples include: E-meters or Ovilus (on this site), Bioresonance devices, that quantum bubble shield USB thing, or Mind Machines which make your wishes come true (https://avalonlibrary.net/ebooks/G.%20Harry%20Stine%20-%20Mind%20Machines%20You%20Can%20Build.pdf ) - garbage, essentially.

I am one of his students, whose help he has requested. I am currently scouring through the archives here for anything applicable, but I wanted to ask the community for anything else: obscure pseudoscience-adjacent electronic devices that you know of, covered here or outside of this website. Any link, name, promoter, manufacturer etc. would be appreciated, as well as repositories of this stuff (like Quackwatch's Devices section).

Thank you :) — Unsigned, by: RoAwesomeFace / talk / contribs

There were the fake "bomb-detectors" sold to the police in Iraq. [3]. Duncan from Teflpedia (talk) 15:47, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
They were golf ball detectors, for the folks who can't be arsed to read the article. KarmaPolice (talk) 19:47, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
The late James Randi wrote a number of blog posts/email newsletters about the electronic dowsing rods marketed as bomb detectors in the 2000s. IIRC some had dead ants glued to circuit boards! His blog was archived after he got too sick to keep writing and the skeptic movement fell on hard times in the USA. I don't know where they are today but somewhere on https://web.randi.org/Polydamas (talk) 16:26, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
There's the various ghost hunter and paranormal stuff: ghost box, Ghost hunting TV shows (Blinkenlights). Also, there's Wilhelm Reich's orgone energy devices (orgone accumulator) and cloudbuster, which while not electronic devices per se, were intended to manipulate "energy". Bongolian (talk) 18:26, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
The museum of medical and quack medical electrotherapy instruments has several classic examples. —cosmikdebris talk stalk 16:05, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
The E-meter used in Dianetics would be a great example.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 17:54, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
I think we have an article about some sort of aether-reading lightbulb thingy, if that eloquent and clear description helps at all.
Regards, Avarice 19:08, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
Top of head;
-Ab Stimulators/Toner belts/pads
-Detox foot bath machines
-Ultrasonic pest control machines
-Parasite zappers
-Scalar wave laser
A 'possible' is ultrasonic skin scrubbers; while the others have been firmly debunked the scrubber has not [at least not from what I could tell]. KarmaPolice (talk) 19:47, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
Would Violet Ray instruments be a historical example? Anna Livia (talk) 20:08, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
Would polygraphs count? Technically they do measure something, just not what they're advertised for. Antares (talk) 01:13, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

I am switching up my novel concept that mixes my main character with a previous setting.[edit]

The sun poured into the halls and classrooms of South Mercy Classical Christian Academy. Students entered the school like bees going into a hive. Summer heat made the building feel like an oven. Sasha Angelovski walked up the steps of the academy and into the building. Her first class was history class; it was her second most hated class. The class that Sasha hated the most was gym class.

Sasha’s history class was located in the basement area. She walked to the stairwell so she could get to class. Just as she got to the stairwell a bully by the name of Victor Frampton shoved Sasha. He shouted, “Out of my way faggot”. Sasha fell down the stairs and hit her head against the wall; sending a wave of sharp pain throughout her head. Sasha shouted an insult in her native Macedonian language. Victor screamed, “What did you say shit face”?! Sasha continued her shout, this time switching to Albanian. Victor snorted, “Piece of crap immigrant” and he walked to class. Sasha sighed and continued on her way. The treatment she got at this school was terrible. She longed for her home country despite being treated poorly there too.

At least she had friends that did not judge her for who she was. Sasha’s family left the Republic of Macedonia because her father got a job in the United States. Her family became citizens not long after that. In her new country, her family dealt with xenophobic people daily. Sasha hated her life, making her long for death. With all the bullying she suffered through made her spiral into deep depression. Her grades plummeted and she engaged in risky behavior. Sasha frequently considered taking her dad’s gun so she could end her life. However she was too scared to do it.

In history class Sasha sat in her seat. Her teacher Mister George Hanson began class with a prayer. Mister Hanson said as he bowed in head, “Dear Lord, please bless our students with your infinite wisdom. Bless the teachers and faculty. May we see your guiding light, amen”. The prayer concluded and Mister Hanson said, “I trust that you read chapters 20-35 and completed your essay”. Students grabbed their school work and passed it up to the teacher. Sasha gave her school work too; although it was of poor quality. Once the assignments were passed to the teacher Mister Hanson stated, “Today we will be covering the Reconstruction era and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Read along as I read aloud”.

Sasha did not pay attention. She couldn’t wait until the day was over so she could go to bed. Sleep was the only thing that Sasha lived for. It provided a break from the torments of her life. Mister Hanson noticed that Sasha was not paying any attention to the reading assignment. He walked up to Sasha and shouted, “You are not paying attention again! That is why your grades are so low! Take your Bible, go to the hallway and write scripture for the duration of class”! Sasha mumbled in her native language and left the classroom.

In the hallway Sasha pulled out her mp3 player and popped in her ear buds. She listened to traditional Macedonian music. It made her day dream of her home. She was moved from her home five years ago but it felt like decades since she left. The feeling of nostalgia hit Sasha hard. Sasha began to cry; she just wanted to go home. She missed being able to speak her native language without fear of being judged. She missed her friends and she missed her old countryside house near the city of Skopje. Sasha told herself, “Might as well get started”. She grabbed her note book and opened her Bible; she began to write down Bible verses, although she did not see the point of this punishment.

Time passed as Sasha wrote down Bible verses. The bell rang after class was over. Sasha got ready for her next class- physical education. The idea of going to physical education made Sasha’s stomach churn. She loathed that class but Sasha had no choice in the matter. Everyday she was made fun of for her body. Everyone, physical education teacher included, mocked her.

Sasha went up to the first floor for physical education. Students shuffled past Sasha as she walked.

Entering the gym Sasha heard some students make xenophobic remarks towards her. Ever since the Russian Federation launched a nuclear attack against the United States, all Slavic people were being called Russians. There were plenty of hate crimes against all Slavic people. Sasha’s dad was jumped by a group of KKK members. They had beaten him so bad that he was hospitalized. Sasha tried to explain to the other students that her family was Macedonian but that fell on deaf ears.

In the gym Sasha went to the boys locker room; not that she had any choice in that matter either. The locker room was where Sasha was bullied the most. In the locker room she was mocked for her body. She would only change in the most secluded area of the locker room. That was the only safe place to change her clothes.

Tell me what you think. Give honest constructive criticism so I can improve. My main character will be intersex trans who is bullied due to her gender identity and ethnicity. --Trans Fem Agenda 19:12, 21 May 2025 (UTC)

Try some of the fiction writing groups on Facebook and elsewhere; and also some of the fanfic groups, who can go into areas such as this (and eg Archives of our Own, AO3). Pay attention to tags (and eg Dead Dove) Anna Livia (talk) 20:04, 21 May 2025 (UTC)
@Anna Livia Dead Dove is always where the fun writing is. ☭Comrade GC☭Ministry of Praise 02:33, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Depends upon one's tastes, and the stories (which can be peculiar/'strong' and vanilla-gen). As they say 'Your taste is not my taste, and that's OK.' Anna Livia (talk) 09:28, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
What’s “Dead Dove”? SomeAutisticAce (talk) 19:16, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Stories that can be 'not to everybody's taste' - see the Fanlore page I link to above. Anna Livia (talk) 23:42, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Too many boxes are checked and moved past. [4] you aren't breaking new ground just by having a unique character. It's cool if this writing helps you, but right now you gotta write in a different format. Poems, short stories, scenes, do these, get out of the idea that the only way to write is this. Take the time to turn this into a scene in a play, don't worry about the next scene. You need to know where Sasha is, what the xenophobic remarks are, and who, even if they are window dressing chumps, are making them. I suggested you work with an artist to make your writing a one or two page comic. I don't know why you haven't taken that seriously. Are we too nice in our criticism and support? Do it. Torrent (talk) 06:49, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Or write different bits of the backstory as separate stories - eg why the nuclear strikes. And having both the KKK and the anti-Russian attitude, will put some people off/will require a different sort of writing/fiction. Anna Livia (talk) 09:28, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
I do intend on exploring the nuclear attack. I am just not sure yet on how. --Trans Fem Agenda 17:23, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Perhaps have a seemingly ordinary story to start with, with passing hints (the 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.' trope) and then expand. Anna Livia (talk) 23:42, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

Apparently criticizing someone is "harassment of other editors"[edit]


What is cheeky? What is cheeky devil?[edit]

People keep calling me cheeky, or cheeky devil. What does this mean? — Unsigned, by: ArtIntoNihonjin / talk / contribs

On talk pages, please sign your comments using four tildes (~~~~) or by clicking on the sign button: SigButt.png on the toolbar above the edit panel. You can also indent successive talk page comments using one more colon (:) for each line. Thank you. Antares (talk) 03:07, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
English is my first language, and I have never heard the phrase 'cheeky devil' spoken in plain English https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7PXAus2n_z4&pp=ygUYaGVsdmV0aWNhIHN0YW5kYXJkIGRlYXRo Torrent (talk) 07:14, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
It is possibly a Britishism - as suggested by some of the entries on a quick search. Anna Livia (talk) 09:19, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Such phrases are going to depend a lot on context. Have you tried google translate into your language?Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 10:45, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
"Cheeky" is definitely more of a British thing, it usually means a sort of "disrespect" or "rudeness" that is nonetheless more playful or humorous than insulting or crass. BobJohnson (talk) 13:12, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
grandparent-speech for "silly cute person that gets up to trouble? Koafox (talk) 13:55, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
There is also '[you] cheeky monkey', which can be 'slightly positive' - to someone's apt joshing etc. However with a slightly different tone the terms can express disapproval. Anna Livia (talk) 17:36, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
Still common usage in New Zealand at least, and I think would be completely understood in Australia too. Not Gen-Z of course, but I don't see it as disrespectful or rude at all - rather it is a relatively light-hearted admonition regarding something unusual - often something that pushes a boundary - "that's a bit cheeky - lucky he got away with it the cheeky devil". "Cheeky monkey" would be used mainly in regard to such things from children. Aloysius the Gaul (talk) 20:29, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
From Wiktionary, cheek:
3. (figurative, informal, uncountable) Impudence.
Synonyms: impertinence, impudence, (slang) brass neck, (informal) nerve, (informal, especially US) sass, chutzpah
You’ve got some cheek, asking me for money!
See also cheeky, definition 1. Nowhere Man (talk) 15:31, 23 May 2025 (UTC)
The definition of 'cheek' being used varies somewhat depending upon who is speaking, who is being spoken to, the tone and context; while 'cheek' and 'cheeky' can differ slightly in meaning - 'cheeky' tends to have a positive overtone.
'Nerve' used in such contexts has a more disapproving tone 'You have a 'bit of a'/'a right/bloody' (or both) nerve saying that.'
And subtle differences such as these do not necessarily translate into the written word - hence some of the court cases. Anna Livia (talk) 10:05, 26 May 2025 (UTC)
Agreed. Maybe think of it as a spectrum of audacity and disrespect, with "cheek" at the mild end and "nerve" and "chutzpah" toward the harsh end. Nowhere Man (talk) 13:13, 27 May 2025 (UTC)
In the UK, being called a 'cheeky devil' is a mild admonishment. Normally, you're pushing the limits of 'general convention' socially and you're being called out on that. Asking for a friend to give you a lift to X but then revealing you have to go to Y and Z too, volunteering someone for something you think would be okay or when asking someone to 'help move a sofa' while declining to mention that it's a heavy fucker and involves going up two flights of stairs and 200m from the car park.
A more serious variant is 'cheeky fucker' in which the target is sailing very close to the wind. KarmaPolice (talk) 14:51, 27 May 2025 (UTC)

Is it worth getting into the IT field with the advancement of AI?[edit]

Something I wanted to find out since I have an interest in computers and tech but it's too late for me to go back to school (for many reasons) and I'm just wondering if I should be worried about job security in such fields.Yokaiwatch (talk) 20:55, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

There's a much diminished future for "code monkeys" that simply churn out code. But I think there's plenty of future jobs still for those who architect solutions / analyze / translate "human to computer" etc. If you think even that might go away (which I personally doubt but hey)... well, someone's going to have to build and train those AI models too. So go into data science.
For the "general biz app CRUD full stack" type of developer... I don't think AI is a huge change so far. After all, for the last two decades, coders have been saving time by using Google searches and resources like StackOverflow to pick out "code bits". Along with packages of code put together by others and downloaded using a package manager (npm etc.) Now you can also ask a LLM bot a question and it can spit out code for you (which often isn't perfect, but is still often helpful). That doesn't really help you architect; at the moment I don't think AI can do that well. (Although it might help in research for all I know, paired with other things like "Google search" and "experience". I haven't explored the chatbots much with this angle). BobJohnson (talk) 23:04, 22 May 2025 (UTC)
The 2019 alt-right "learn to code" harassment campaign now seems quaintly stupid. Bongolian (talk) 04:40, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

Well I'm mostly talking about the IT teach support sort of thing, you know stuff like COMPTIA A+, Network, and Security +.Yokaiwatch (talk) 07:04, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

Oh gee I wonder why there was so much push for cs and it degrees. Now, the markets are over saturated, and workers (outside of talented seniors) are cheaper, pay decreased, oligarch mission succeeded. But even then still more pay than like engineers if you do enough networking so go do what you like to do.— Unsigned, by: 2600:387:15:3c10::5 / talk }
With all such 'new technologies' there is the initial phase, where there is high pay for setting up the systems, there is much discussion as to how many jobs will disappear, and 'having read one bock on the topic you are the company expert' (whom am I paraphrasing?); then there is the phase as standardisation occurs and most people have a vague knowledge/can do some aspects [being trained in PowerPoint and 'trying out all the various options including those generating mild eyewarp], then 'it is part of general knowledge and skills' with experts and providers of particular services; and then there is late stage technology [providing 'upgrade of legacy technologies' etc and discussing the next technology] with retro/vintage hobby enthusiasts being a thing. We are possibly still in the first group and may be edging towards the second. Anna Livia (talk) 11:44, 23 May 2025 (UTC)
My personal guess is that it will be even harder for a chatbot to replace the "guy who installs and sets up the network cables" role. :) Configuration type stuff (the security angle) might have the basics eroded by AI and automation, but if you are really good at firewall/VPN/load balancer/etc. config I also don't see that going away. The one thing I don't know is how one "gets in the door"; my impression is that companies are pretty bad at on the job training these days and want to hire Experts In Everything instead of someone to mentor. Maybe being a "network installer" is one way to get your foot in the door. BobJohnson (talk) 12:54, 23 May 2025 (UTC)
Hello. IT Support here. AI will not replace IT Supports anytime soon because the base user that you support is clueless about how anything works. They can not even describe their problem to you correctly so you have to look for yourself more often than not. Things like ChatGPT can be useful but sometimes they give you false info or info that even breaks things in other ways. As for the users, they are human. They have weird individual setups and preferences that are simply inefficient and illogical but hey they "always" did it like this so they need it. Idk, I don't see it yet. Even a fully automized bot that does everything short of talking misses the crucial human aspect. Many people just don't want a computer to answer them and are very relieved when they get to talk to a person. Anyhow those are my few cents. NastyNugget (talk) 14:57, 23 May 2025 (UTC)
'You cannot make things foolproof, because fools are so ingenious'/'it worked on Windows 3.1, and on Windows 11, with help from teenage know-it-all relatives so it will work with AI'/there being good reason why the troubleshooting list at the end of 'You and your new [machine]' starts with 'is it plugged in? and is it switched on?' Anna Livia (talk) 16:59, 23 May 2025 (UTC)
'AIs will replace all people' is a view mainly from AI companies, fanbois and point-haired bosses who dream of laying off everyone and then paying themselves all the money to themselves for being so clever [no, AI can't replace excs... right?]. As all the previous tech 'revolutions' never delivered more than half of the promises, we can make a resonable bet this one will follow suit in the under-delivery, at least in the medium-term.
Therefore, BobJ is right in that you should look at whether the tasks you are trained to do [or envision doing] is something clearly on the AI chopping-block, rather than the field in general. If your main task(s) revolves around quantitative data analysis [statistics, finance], creating content following precise rules [coding, reportage] and/or following rigid proceedures [data entry, inventory management] then the writing is on the wall, because all of those things AI is already fairly good at and perhaps your only hope is that you remain cheaper than the AI [or your boss is a techno-luddite]. That a lot of the better-insulated jobs will be the ones which require soft skills, possess intangable skill-bases ['gut instinct borne from experience' etc], have demands for creativity/flexibility and/or are tasks which realistically cannot [or shouldn't] be trusted to AI. Expect several fuckups [at least one major] in the next five years while we work out that last one; I liked the tale of an AI which made itself a sysadmin and then soft-bricked a computer. Now just imagine if that happened to the Tesco stock-management system...
This is why one of the boom career fields shall be 'AI-adjacent'; such as training them, maintaining them and curating the datasets for it to use. Or to be basically, the designated 'human-in-the-loop' - ie being the AIs boss, managing their output etc. Next, don't forget that outside of the bleeding-edge sectors huge amounts of our society runs on tech of varying levels of obsoleteness and general crappiness; the PoS machines and ATMs running WinXP, custom machines which require floppy discs, orgs running old versions of programmes and/or old tech which due to cost reasons need to be lashed-up to continue functioning and the all-too common situation of pointy-haired bosses buying shit tech and the techies being lumbered with the task of actually making said shit actually work. Therefore I predict while coders are at risk from AI, sysadmins aren't.
Lastly, to elaborate Nugget's point - I am convinced that the majority of advanced-nation folks are basically, functionally technically illiterate. That the stuff they can do is almost like muscle memory, which gets utterly thrown off the moment they have to do something 'new' with it. I know a few of these in my monkeyphere; I know they will not teach themselves, they will not attempt trial/error and they will not follow instructions. The only way to 'solve' it [apart from telling them to go to hell] is to physically show them how to perform the action and then let them repeat it in front of me until successful. There's no point explaining the principle of what's happening because they don't listen. That while computers etc have become a lot more 'user-friendly' since their inception the main thing they've achieved is to allow a lot of folks to use them very badly.
Not necessarily technically illiterate but 'the AI etc seems to be merely a shiny new add-on that does not add anything'/'I have gone through [number] of supposed major game changers of everything, but I am still doing exactly what I was doing before, and the next new boss will change everything again.' Anna Livia (talk) 10:08, 26 May 2025 (UTC)
This suggests to me that most folks will not be able to really 'use' AI to any really useful level because of technical incompetence [and as BobJ points out, companies won't pay for training], thus meaning folks who are capable of operating an AI to assist them in their work will be at a distinct advantage over their peers. KarmaPolice (talk) 15:26, 23 May 2025 (UTC)
Heh, yep, legacy crud. I still support Visual Basic 6 applications. :)
One of my personal takeaways from the "DOGE Elon Musk thingy" is that AI is going to enable a hell of a lot of "script kiddies" that are going to be fluent at using the latest whizbang buzzwords and technobabble, and will act like they are THE hottest shit around... but will produce really bad code, because these "script kiddies" will have no concept of when AI is creating bullshit, and won't be experienced at all the "little details" that AI boilerplate will miss. So there's probably some jobs in the future simply for developers who have the ability to play "AI crud cleanup crew". BobJohnson (talk) 16:10, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

If you get into IT, be sure to get thigh high socks and estrogen. --Trans Fem Agenda 20:29, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

Naturopathic Doctors: Should they have at least a Physician Assistant degree and certification before getting an ND degree?[edit]

Let's face it, naturopaths are not going away. I think that if they want to practice medicine, they should have a Physician Assistant degree and certification. There is the option of having a mandatory dual degree. --Trans Fem Agenda 22:12, 23 May 2025 (UTC)

If they want to practice medicine they should become real doctors.Bob"Life is short and (insert adjective)" 12:37, 24 May 2025 (UTC)
True. Therefore, the best we can realistically do is ensure they cannot be mis-ID'd as 'real doctors' ie physicians and enforce the fuck out of said rules. A good start here is the very fact the title 'physician' and 'licensed medical practitioner' is in most places a protected title. Then we need to educate folks in being able to understand what these terms mean [such as dietitian vs nutritionist]. KarmaPolice (talk) 15:46, 25 May 2025 (UTC)

Incident in Kosovo and views on Albanians[edit]

Any Macedonians and other Serbs out there? Do you think that there is an Albanian conspiracy to destroy other nations and take their territories? Do you think that Albanians are hostile to others and are "scum"? It is very popular in Serbia to think like that. Albanians are like "demons" to us. A lot of Serbs think that giving up Kosovo will kill Serbs. "Albanian" or "Shiptar" is even the worst thing you can call someone.

Yesterday an Albanian provoked Serbian maturants in Kosovo by making an eagle symbol while Serbian maturants were marching, then one Serbian maturant responded with a hand sign. Then an Kosovo policeman ran to the other maturant and violently grabbed him from behind. Another clip shows the policeman violently pulling the kid and "choking" him. The kid was panicking and there was blood on his neck. The other policeman tried to stop bystanders from touching the kid. Then the first policeman softened a bit and tried to calm the kid down and spoke something. One bystander accused the kid of provocation (the kid did not provoke), then a woman responded to him by saying that Albanians always provoke. The kid was subsequently let go. This is police brutality and the verdict is: Albanians are scum. Just look at the comments. https://safereddit-com.translate.goog/r/serbia/comments/1kugvas/ceo_video_jučerašnjeg_incidenta_u_kosovskoj/?_x_tr_sl=sr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en-US

Albanians are also taking institutions from Serbs, taking off Serbian licence plates, taking off Serbain flags etc. in Serbian territory (in Serbian constitution). So what is your opinion on this? 🇷🇸 Serbian Arbiter (What would you have your arbiter do?) 22:18, 24 May 2025 (UTC)

My opinion is a pox on all the stupid murderous nationalist bullshit from both....indeed ALL.... your houses Aloysius the Gaul (talk) 01:38, 26 May 2025 (UTC)