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HawkbitAlpha

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Posts posted by HawkbitAlpha

    "Thoughts of the Free" - a new blog by yours truly!

    in Topics

    Posted

    Yep, here we go! I've had this site on standby for months now, but nothing to write for it until now. So, here it is: "Thoughts of the Free", a mainly-political blog by yours truly. I don't know how often I'll be updating it, nor when I'm gonna get around to actually building the rest of the site, but to start off, I thought I'd mirror the first post here for all of you to see and, hopefully, enjoy. This one's a summation of my thoughts on the whole discourse around Kyle Rittenhouse, and what I see in it.

    Let's go!

     

    Quote

    Kyle Rittenhouse as a symptom, not a cause

    Alright, overly long Steam break over. Let’s get the ball rolling on this blog.

    Ever since I first heard the Kyle Rittenhouse trial was underway, I’ve been going out of my way to laboriously avoid any of the discourse surrounding it. That includes the fact that I also haven’t watched the trial at all. Now, why is this? Because, right after the Rittenhouse case first hit the news, I looked into the details of the killings, and figured that he had a strong enough case for self-defense to get off from at least those charges – I knew the outcome of this trial would, more or less, be a foregone conclusion. He ended up getting off on all of them, of course, but my overall take on him remains unchanged. This is for one simple reason:

    The legal part of this case is a discussion I find to be extremely uninteresting. Whether Rittenhouse was too young to legally own a gun, broke state crossing laws, or met the legal threshold for self-defense, I don’t care. So, for everyone on both sides of the discourse who apparently went to law school and passed the bar exam in the last year since his killings, save your opinions about the court case for someone who actually gives a damn. (I will just stonewall you if you try to go there anyway.)

    No, folks, the ideological part of this discourse is what really clicks with me. What happens to one Kyle Rittenhouse is effectively irrelevant to me, but since he’s the center of attention, let’s use him as the symbol of a larger issue, and dig in.

    To start off, let’s get one very clear, but often-ignored fact out of the way: 93% of the BLM protests, by all measurements, have been peaceful. The fact that this known statistic has been out there for more than a year now, while the “common knowledge” of the right-wing mythology remains that “BLM and Antifa” are “burning American cities to the ground” as we speak, is a testament to how detached from reality one already has to be to think traveling to another city to “defend property” with armed force is a solid idea. There has never been a mass protest movement in the entire history of the world that didn’t involve some degree of violence (see: the 60s Civil Rights Movement and the many race riots associated with it, a la the “long, hot summer” of 1967; or, for analogues to Antifa: the Black Panthers or Deacons for Defense & Justice), meaning that anyone willing to give justification to armed opposition to BLM will also have to explain why they would justify brandishing guns against those civil rights protesters of days past. If you actually do want to be the one to defend the anti-protest actions of both Kyle Rittenhouse and the Klan in the same argument, though, be my guest.

    Anyway, let’s keep riding this train of thought. What have we heard from Kyle Rittenhouse’s fans ever since he had his episode in Kenosha? That the people he killed deserved to die anyway, that “angels guided his bullets” (yes, that’s an actual quote from The Hake Report), that he’s a precious boy who deserves to be shielded from the media, that this case is so clear-cut that it shouldn’t even have gone to trial (that’s not how the legal system works), and so on. In more blunt words, for putting himself in a position to harm members of the political group that they don’t like, the American right-wing is celebrating this kid as a national hero, just as they have before with, among others, convicted killer Derek Chauvin (who, might I remind everyone at home, was so unambiguously in the wrong that he was a cop who managed to be convicted of murder) and the many rioters who attempted to overthrow the government at the Capitol at the start of this year.

    Now, really, tell it to me straight: what does this all-consuming bloodlust say about the state of affairs of the Republican Party and company? Because I can tell you the message it broadcasts to me.

    The common mantra about political discussions is that it’s alright to have disagreements of opinions as long as you both agree on what’s true, but here, we face another problem entirely: the American right-wing disagrees with the facts, and reality itself. What’s true, let alone what’s a correct belief, is only secondary to crushing what the divisive media has told them is their opposition (“owning the libs”, as it were in internet parlance), even if they have to spin a narrative to create the opposition themselves. So, naturally, if you take it all the way and kill your political opponents, who cares, as long as you’re convinced that you’ve just done good in the process?

    The easiest way to get more Kyle Rittenhouses is to stay locked in this perpetual cycle of consuming rage piece after rage piece. For years, my dad would tell me to never listen to the media, because they’re out to divide us… and yet, he lets them do it. So many people, just like him, say they believe in looking beyond the media to the truth, only to gladly let their favorite TV host, online/alt media personality, Facebook influencer, or what-have-you get them stuck in a confirmation bias-laden, one-sided information silo.

    So, to bring this meandering piece to a close, I want to ask a direct question to Kyle Rittenhouse’s fans: why, exactly, are you defending him? Is it on your own initiative, or is it because you’ve been told by your favorite source of confirmation that it’s the righteous thing to do? Once you’ve answered, I want you to ask yourself the same question about any other topic you may be focused on at the moment. Vaccines/COVID might be a good one to start. Be honest with yourself when you do.

    This message goes for everyone reading as well. When you find yourself making a point, try to ask yourself the big question: “How did I learn this?” I know from experience that it can be hard to apply this rule to yourself on a regular basis, but trust me, it’ll make for a much healthier participation in politics, a field that’s already diseased enough as it is, both figuratively and literally.

    …Oof, it’s now 2:25AM. I think that’s my cue to end this here. That’s all from me here.

     

    PS: If you think Rittenhouse and his family are going to be able to launch an entire legal counter-campaign against the media for “slander”, I advise you to look into how hard it is to actually prove slander under the law.

    PPS: Rittenhouse’s verdict wasn’t the only one that came out today. A disgraced Kansas City cop was also convicted today for the blatantly-unjust 2019 killing of Cameron Lamb. Just a little positive news on which to end this post of exasperation.

     

    • Like 1

    What'cha Listening To?

    in K-BLUB

    Posted

    16 years to the date that Hurricane Katrina tore my home state to shreds, now another, even stronger monster in Ida is knocking at my door. Let's hope FEMA has their act together this time!

     

    [2nd] All-Nighter

    in Krabby Land

    Posted

    I call dibs on Central time!

    EDIT @ 7:56am: Alright, this is where I'm officially clocking out. Been up all night and then some laying down some groundwork for YSRIAT, and my brain's not having it anymore, so it's time to shut off for now.

    • Thanks 1

    The SBC Community Mixtape #2: Electronica Edition

    in K-BLUB

    Posted

    Round two, folks! We're back with the SBC Community Mixtape, and this time, with the introduction of themes. Basically, iterations of the Community Mixtape from here on out will have a specific theme to them, be it a genre, a time period, or maybe even an artist if they're popular enough. So, you probably guessed from the thread title what this version's theme is...

    Electronic music! Be it your Daft Punks, Autechres, Pendulums, Fatboy Slims, or whatever else, this Mixtape #2 is all about showcasing the wonders that were introduced to the world of music by the introduction of computers and synth technology. The rules for submissions are mostly the same as last name, but since I'm expecting this might end up with longer songs than usual, let's re-post the rules from the first Mixtape with a slight change:

    • Length limits per person: you have a total of 30 minutes worth of songs to play with, up from 28 in the last round. The flexibility of how many tracks this allows you to submit remains the same. (This site is great for calculating the times.)
    • Joke/troll entries can and most likely will be excluded.
    • Try to make sure that what you're submitting is available (i.e. not copyright-blocked) on both YT and Spotify.
    • No repeat entries (can't submit the same thing as somebody else).
    • If possible, try to make your submissions with a Spotify playlist. That makes the process of building the master playlist a lot faster.
    • Most of all: have fun with it!

    To start off, the submission deadline is set for midnight on July 31, next Saturday, though we can kick it back if we feel more submission time is needed. With all of that said, let's get going!

    Spoiler

    HawkbitAlpha:
    *The Crystal Method - Trip Like I Do
    *Daft Punk - Around the World/Harder, Better, Faster Stronger (Alive 2007)
    *Daft Punk - The Game Has Changed
    *Pendulum - Showdown
    *65daysofstatic - Dance Dance Dance
    *Carpenter Brut - Turbo Killer

    Steel Sponge:
    *Daft Punk - One More Time
    *New Order - Blue Monday
    *Röyksopp - The Girl and the Robot
    *Pendulum - Propane Nightmares
    *M83 - Reunion

    dmandaman:
    *808 State - Plan 9
    *BT - Quark
    *Squarepusher - Coopers World
    *Autechre - Eutow
    *Orbital - Halcyon and On and On

    Fred:
    *Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
    *Fatboy Slim - Praise You
    *Clean Bandit & Jess Glynne - Rather Be
    *MGMT - Electric Feel
    *Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

    Burgerpants:
    *Hudson Mohawke - Polkadot Blues
    *Thomas Schumacher - Kickschool 79
    *Stush - Dollar Sign
    *Skream - Dutch Flowerz
    *Noisia, Mayhem, & KRS-One - Exodus
    *Scott Brown & DMO - I'm In Heaven

    sbl:
    *Bjork - Big Time Sensuality
    *Radiohead - Idioteque
    *The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl
    *Four Tet - Sing
    *Boards of Canada - Dawn Chorus
    *Bjork - Hyperballad

    jjsthekid:
    *Genesis - Land of Confusion
    *Foster the People - Waste
    *The Killers - Read My Mind
    *The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

     

    [JUL 17] SBC Royals - Green vs. Blue #1 (Ace of Spades)

    in Topics

    Posted

    Yes, you read that thread title right! After a very long time of doing nothing of note, we at the Royals Discord have finally decided to implement our long-frozen plan of turning the server into a hosting hub for non-forum event games here on SBC. And what game are we starting this (hopefully) line with?

    Ace of Spades Classic is a classic indie game from 2011 that can be best described as "Minecraft with guns", and so lightweight that it can run on a toaster (unless you choose to use the OpenSpades client, which has significantly better, Minecraft RTX-like graphics). In between fighting the other team, you can shape the landscape to your advantage with the great power of digging and building, be it to make fortifications or, say, put obstacles in your enemy's path. It's quite a unique and enjoyable game, so what better way to enjoy it than to bring peeps from SBC together for it?

    At 1600 UTC (9AM Pacific <-> noon Eastern) on Saturday, July 17, we're set to kick off (what I hope will become) a series of gaming events based on the Royals server in the form of Green vs. Blue (GvB) - the inaugural Ace of Spades competition on SBC. The idea is simple: across three rounds of Capture the Flag, we'll see which team has what it takes to capture the most flags. My personal bet may be on Blue, but what do I know, eh?

    CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AOS CLASSIC

    (When you're running the installer, make sure to pick the 0.75 version to install, as this is the one we'll be using.)

    TO SIGN UP TO PLAY:

    Leave a reply below with the following questions answered:

    -In-Game Nickname?
    -Green/Blue or Either? 
    -Are you on the Royals Discord?
    -What is your time zone?

    (If I leave a like your post, that means you're signed up.)

    PLAYERS:

    GREEN TEAM:
    RDQuil

    BLUE TEAM:
    HawkbitAlpha
    dman

    • Like 1

    Has The Show Ever Went Downhill?

    in Bikini Bottom

    Posted

    Some episodes of S5 were the last time I can remember really enjoying SB. After that, with S6, it feels like it just took a nosedive. From what little I've seen, 10 onwards seems to have picked it back up a bit though. But hey, I'm an old bantha when it comes to SB, so ya better not take that observation as word of god.

    What Do You Collect?

    in Robot-Pirate Island

    Posted

    I've got a whole box sitting on a shelf where I keep special coins. That includes those engraved oval pennies you can find from machines at tourist destinations, but just as much of it is foreign currency that I've either collected myself, or gotten from other people as souvenir gifts.

    And my favorite part of that collection? A 1000 goldmark from pre-WWI Imperial Germany. Something of a family heirloom too - my mom's side of the family has kept them ever since they moved from Germany to the States before WWI, and I'm the latest keeper.

    1N9WK22.jpg?1

    scbz9MM.jpg?1

    I also have a vinyl album collection in the making (including another family hand-me-down, a big stack of mostly-unlabeled shellac Edison Diamond Discs originally owned by my great-grandpa), but it's not much too much to write home about at the moment:

    yJAwOl7.jpg?1

    (link to the full pic, if you care enough to have the resolution to see what's in there)

    The SBC Community Mixtape #1

    in K-BLUB

    Posted

    It's here! After 2 weeks of submissions, the first SBC Community Mixtape is now locked in and ready for listening. Enjoy!

    SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2WH5NszdB77YSbKpOGm00L?si=ee3b2842c0a34787
    YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHse4Y4IvXm294VMFKHGPN6zvXZM4bOC2

    As for the MP3 download copy of the Mixtape, I'm compiling it right now, but won't be able to post it here on SBC for... uhhhh, safety reasons. If you're interested in getting the offline copy, you'll have to DM me on Discord about it.

    • Happy 3
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