33 Comments
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Venkatesh Rao's avatar

I don’t think the fundamental premise of the rant is correct, though it’s entertaining. I’d say it’s been about 50-50 ideology and attention economics as long as I can remember. There are genuinely ideological actors all over the place. Without them, this would all have vanished in a shriek of void energy in 1997.

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Katherine Dee's avatar

I think people don't realize how much of their beliefs are steered by a desire for attention

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Rufio's avatar

Omg yes default self care! 💁🏼‍♀️👏👏👏

I love it when you write your truth and make me look up words and things 🐬

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Katherine Dee's avatar

SHOULD I PIVOT TO SPIRITUALITY.

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Rufio's avatar

Yes (especially if it sells) and all the other parts of Katherine Dee will come along with it and shine through anyway 🐬

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Leroy Jenkins's avatar

full throated ‘not me!’ from me.

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Top Shelf Theology's avatar

hahah, the cherry on top was definitely ending with "Bro dared me to write a rant, so I did, there."

Not wrong, though.

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Katherine Dee's avatar

I wish I knew how to 'tag' someone in the comments

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Top Shelf Theology's avatar

So that's not just me then, @defaultfriend ? Makes me feel a little better. I thought it might have been if the user is not participating in the thread/article comments, then it wouldn't work, but you're right there, so...

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ediblspaceships's avatar

You are not wrong! 😎👍🍻

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ediblspaceships's avatar

I believe I wrote the same thing last time this topic came up!

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Katherine Dee's avatar

Yes, I get frustrated by this often

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JMK's avatar

It's a good idea to just take a break, now and then, from the news, the opinions, the whole kit and caboodle, and give one's brain and nervous system a needed rest. Katherine, you are so plugged in on the internet beat (which is why I read you), but you can't let it eat you alive. Enjoy your down time.

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internetfriend's avatar

I deleted my flagship twitter account the night before you posted this...so yea

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Katherine Dee's avatar

it's all so tiresome

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Madeline McCormick's avatar

This is why I'm not on sm, YouTube, and I only read you and Mary Harrington on Substack. I just exhausted

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Katherine Dee's avatar

yeah, I'm at the end of my rope and I wonder if I'd be better off nuking everything but Substack

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J-Pat : Jason Patrick Quinn's avatar

I used to find the whining of Maga voters very amusing, with the whole “They voted for the ‘Leopards Eat People’s Faces Party’ and now they’re shocked the Leopards are eating their faces” meme, but now it’s the actual Maga ‘Leopards’ Party politicians and their media shills - Shapiro, Levin et al - whom are crying that the “N@zi Fuentes/Carlson/whoever” even more right-wing Leopards are eating THEIR faces after they cynically got in bed with them for political, electoral expediency. This “Quelle Surprise” moment is even more hilarious, watching these poisonous and insidious fucks crying, than it was before when only the common-or-garden variety racists were crying.

J :D

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Katherine Dee's avatar

it's complicated -- they didn't really get in bed with those guys, it's a turf war, and that turf is lowest common denominator audiences

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Michael Mallot Bickford's avatar

Jim Morrison, 1967: "You are caught in a prison of your own device." seems appropriate.

At least I know you are "real" at the other end of this thing... right? Right?

Address that, maybe—how do we verify the biological reality of those we interact with through the internet? A bio-checkmark system?

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Katherine Dee's avatar

NO!!! that's techno-fascism

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Cluis's avatar

TBF as a Gen Xer I don't need a reason to shit my pants these days, commentariat or otherwise. Have fun storming the castle!

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Katherine Dee's avatar

nor does this millennial

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dj microbeads's avatar

Honestly the thing that makes me Mad Online is not anyone saying outrageous, it's people deciding to cash in /get attention by saying something totally unoriginal. What is the point. Other than the money and honestly a lot of people I know who do this aren't earning much (they'd be earning more if they got off Twitter and focused on their day jobs)

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Katherine Dee's avatar

right, like what kind of life is this

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Havblue's avatar

We're dunking on a Sydney Sweeney GQ interview and debating Godwin's law. Meanwhile, the Right is well on its way to losing power again. What are we, animals? We need better slop.

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Katherine Dee's avatar

i wish we were just getting into bar fights

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Ellie Day's avatar

verified checkmarks on twitter were the original sin. made ppl who got them think they had something important to say, even if they didn’t. meta discourse ever since.

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Katherine Dee's avatar

the original sin was paying ISPs

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Ellie Day's avatar

wow

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Ellie Day's avatar

will read this evening. looks interesting! perhaps relatedly, im getting pretty close to having my own “internal” dial-up provider running on a hybrid virtual/physical phone network w/ a public trunk cuz i have a lil space again and all the physical gear. i’m really really excited for this and if it works well, id love to get you set up with one so we can connect but importantky you could use a landline for your show. wip name is Loamlink

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J. Wynona's avatar

Omg yes. Yes to all of this.

I'm so tired.

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