Pthigrivi’s Moral Dilemma:

[Pthigrivi]

36 minutes ago, darthgently said:

No doubt...15 years ago. But who is getting rich now? Are they intrinsically better? Why are they still flying around whimsically in private jets? Why do they still own several luxurious ocean-side properties each?  Why are they buying up oceanside properties at an increasing rate?  Ignoring repeating patterns is bad science

It's still them. It's still Saudi Aramco, Exxonn, and Chevron. Even these tech companies are gobbling up stupendous amounts of energy, plastics, and metals. They don't want those costs to go up either. The worse the environment is and the sicker people are the more money pharmaceutical and insurance companies can charge. Rising housing and commodities prices help the banks. Look at the top 50 companies by market cap. Where's big solar? Where's big wind? They're not there. Even Tesla isn't actually generating clean energy, which means all those EVs are still just sucking down coal and oil through other means. Thats not to say multinationals are necessarily twisting their mustaches and creating these problems, but they have no real incentive to make big changes when it's so much cheaper to just keep burning fossil fuels. The investors and execs all know they'll be dead before the worst of the consequences hit and they just don't care. They buy the government and set their own rules so they don't have to do anything real and everyone else gets lip service about meeting climate targets 30 years from now. Us being complacent and fractured and confused is just fine by them so long as we keep buying what they're selling.

As for where they're buying real estate: they're buying real estate EVERYWHERE. Up here in Vermont its all hedge fund managers building out end-of-the-world compounds. They know sea level rise won't effect them for 30 years and by then they'll have hit their short-term ROI and sold on to some poor sucker who thinks its all a hoax, of which there will be plenty. 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Pthigrivi

[darthgently]

7 minutes ago, Pthigrivi said:

It's still them. It's still Saudi Aramco, Exxonn, and Chevron. Even these tech companies are gobbling up stupendous amounts of energy, plastics, and metals. They don't want those costs to go up either. The worse the environment is and the sicker people are the more money pharmaceutical and insurance companies can charge. Rising housing and commodities prices help the banks. Look at the top 50 companies by market cap. Where's big solar? Where's big wind? They're not there. Even Tesla isn't actually generating clean energy, which means all those EVs are still just sucking down coal and oil through other means. Thats not to say multinationals are necessarily twisting their mustaches and creating these problems, but they have no real incentive to make big changes when it's so much cheaper to just keep burning fossil fuels. The investors and execs all know they'll be dead before the worst of the consequences hit and they just don't care. They buy the government and set their own rules so they don't have to do anything real and everyone else gets lip service about meeting climate targets 30 years from now. Us being complacent and fractured and confused is just fine by them so long as we keep buying what they're selling.

As for where they're buying real estate: they're buying real estate EVERYWHERE. Up here in Vermont its all hedge fund managers building out end-of-the-world compounds. They know sea level rise won't effect them for 30 years and by then they'll have hit their short-term ROI and sold on to some poor sucker who thinks its all a hoax, of which there will be plenty. 

We are headed to a neo feudalism with a super wealthy slice jetting around at whim, with everyone else held in peasant status via an all encompassing surveillance state aided by a complicit mega corp fascistic alliance.  Environmentalism is being used as a cudgel to get the peasants in line. I am a strong conversationist, but most of these new top down green mandates have far more to do with power politics than anything that will address real issues.  It isn't just oil corps making money.  There are trillions being printed and handed out selectively. It is more of a gang war with multiple players and there are zero noble parties no matter the rhetoric.  It isn't being done for "democracy" or "the planet" or "justice" or "the children".  The collateral damage is already huge and growing. Small biz worldwide has been decimated by lockdowns while mega corps consolidated and had banner years.  Of course the pols had all their insider trades on the right stocks

[Bej Kerman]

On 8/17/2022 at 7:24 AM, SunlitZelkova said:

Green. Not because of any particular logical reason (none exist), but because if pushed into the role of judge, jury, and executioner under the described circumstances, this is simply the decision I would make.

I chose green as well, pressing the red one would be somewhat selfish and a bit illogical.

[Catto]

Monkeys can carry on

so, green

Edited September 15, 2022 by Catto

[kerbiloid]

35 minutes ago, Bej Kerman said:

I chose green as well, pressing the red one would be somewhat selfish and a bit illogical.

No problem. It's normal.

Spoiler

For a Kerbal

 

They are green.

[Pthigrivi]

23 hours ago, darthgently said:

We are headed to a neo feudalism with a super wealthy slice jetting around at whim, with everyone else held in peasant status via an all encompassing surveillance state aided by a complicit mega corp fascistic alliance.  Environmentalism is being used as a cudgel to get the peasants in line. I am a strong conversationist, but most of these new top down green mandates have far more to do with power politics than anything that will address real issues.  It isn't just oil corps making money.  There are trillions being printed and handed out selectively. It is more of a gang war with multiple players and there are zero noble parties no matter the rhetoric.  It isn't being done for "democracy" or "the planet" or "justice" or "the children".  The collateral damage is already huge and growing. Small biz worldwide has been decimated by lockdowns while mega corps consolidated and had banner years.  Of course the pols had all their insider trades on the right stocks

Yeah I thinkkk we're tiptoeing over the line into the forbidden "P" subject. I'll just say I agree with 80% of that

[darthgently]

2 hours ago, Pthigrivi said:

Yeah I thinkkk we're tiptoeing over the line into the forbidden "P" subject. I'll just say I agree with 80% of that

And I thought the lounge was different, my bad for my ignorance.  Fences are important, but far more helpful if they reduce conflict rather than just increase it in the long run.  Too many must-have conversations with no place to happen stacking up.  History teaches well where that leads

[Pthigrivi]

6 minutes ago, darthgently said:

And I thought the lounge was different, my bad for my ignorance.  Fences are important, but far more helpful if they reduce conflict rather than just increase it in the long run.  Too many must-have conversations with no place to happen stacking up.  History teaches well where that leads

Yeah its tough and I bet we'd agree on more than we disagree, as is most often the case when folks actually get to chat about this stuff. 

[kerbiloid]

Spoiler

 

[KSK]

Green button.

One species (well two if you count the pond scum aftermath of pressing the red button) vs countless millions? That’s an easy choice even if the one species is mine.

Get rid of the planet trashing murder hobos and hope something more intelligent evolves next time around. 

I find it telling that the green goo tastes of chicken. 

[Spacescifi]

I would choose neither. Clearly the aliens are either epically evil trolls are are merely testing me to see how selfish or unselfish I am.

 

Not choosing to play their sick game will either reveal if they are seriously evil or if mankind has any protector at all that we are unaware of.

 

In scifi it's Doctor Who. IRL it's supposed to be God.

 

So... I will let the evil aliens play out their sick threat.

 

Since if they do it... guess what? Even if I complied how many other hoops would they make us jump through or else?

This is like that scene in Spiderman with the green goblin telling Spiderman to choose who to save who he drops off a bridge.

 

This is is the trolley problem magnified to the max. And they can do it again, and again. Who knows who else they have done this to. They need to be put down or stopped... and I reckon they will be in time.

 

In my dying breath I would curse them and tell them someone will take them down.... you get what you give. Jerks.

On 8/17/2022 at 6:54 PM, Hotel26 said:

Quite true.

But in the face of giant evil, very often the only reasonable action is to state the evil and refuse to play.  It's also necessary in my view to target the perpetrators, not innocent bystanders.  In this scenario, no personal nuclear suicide vest (with a palm-held orange button) is mentioned, or else I'd happily press it.

 

 

Yeah... only one I wanna genoicide at this point IS the sick guys imposing this sick test.

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by Spacescifi