TLDR: A well funded and developed brainwashing machine vs the mind of an 18 year old will end in tragedy. The Israeli government is doing generational damage to its own people and this is just the beginning. There is no excuse for the genocide but there are reasons.

I had to serve 3 years in the IDF 2013-16. I spent a year trying to get out of it using medical issues but then the police showed up to our door. I spent 3 years fixing armored combat vehicles at an engine shop.

When you grow up in Israel you are surrounded by pro military and anti Palestinian/Arab propaganda. At 16 they call you in for a physical and that’s where the brainwashing really kicks in. The next two years of high school you’re thinking of finals and graduation, prom but also what unit you and your classmates could end up in. My school had a program where you spend time on a military base to “try it out”. They draft you at 18 years old, you’ve just graduated and you’ve received a letter from the government telling you what unit you’re in and when to report. You may hate the Israeli government you may think Palestinian should have rights but the social pressures of serving have been hammered into you for years. Now you’re on a bus taken to a remote military base where they put you through all the brainwashing and cult building tech they’ve perfected over the decades. You’re just a kid out of highschool already conditioned to follow authority and now they’re yelling at you to run, shoot and protect your new best friend you made in the army. They tell you that every Palestinian at the check point is a threat and show videos of Palestinian resistance to make sure you’re scared. You hear about a soldier who fell asleep on a bus and got stabbed in the neck by a Palestinian fighter. You hear about a police officer shot at a checkpoint.

These kids are committing war crimes while deep in a cult that tells them it was right. When they leave and see reality it will cause PTSD and suicide for those that can’t live with what they’ve done. The feeling when reality conflicts with your brainwashing hits hard.

Imagine looking back at your teenage years when you were an idiot by instead of cringe you recall shooting innocents that a system convinced you were out to kill you.

When I first drafted I was not aware of the Palestinian struggle but over my 3 years, even though I wasn’t in combat I started to realize who the bad guys were. I tried to transfer to the humanitarian arm of the IDF that allegedly does outreach to Palestinians but was denied due to my low physical score. If I had protested and dodged my draft it would have ruined my life, I did not live in a progressive town or household. To this day I don’t know any other pro Palestinian liberation people from my old social circles.

Live free orand die.

I knew a guy who would unbuckle his seatbelt when driving in New Hampshire because state law says its optional.

A small price to pay for freedom. /s

Joking aside. I go to town meetings and without fail during public comment there is always at least one anti fluoride activist.

At least it makes it taste good. Brown sweet fluoride water is tastier than plain stinky fluoride water from the toilet.

If fluoride has no negative effects then explain why I am so stupid?

Yeah, water loaded with fluoride, estrogens and heavy metals. I’ll stick to my diet coke

Phew, thank God I’m not a mouse. I’ll keep drinking my diet sodas.

Saying it’s just ignorance and zealotry is a cop out. The Zionist state wouldn’t exist without massive investments from the west. They secular politicians use God to rally the Orthodox but their goals are ultimately colonial and capitalistic. There is an ungodly level of media and sentiment manipulation going on to paint either side the way you just did. If we all believe that either side is full of ignorant zealots then there’s nothing we can do to fix it. Let them kill each other for eternity, flatten Gaza and kill all the Jews. There is nothing we can do about it so why do anything?

Must be the flat feet

Conflating religious Jews with the nationalist Zionist governmenr is what probably caused this attack. Jew ≠ Zionist.

It’s a fun show and even more fun if you’ve ever worked in education.

Well said.

There will always be slop advertisements. I avoid traditional advertising by pirating or paying for an ad free version. I do still watch ads in the form of product reviews and such. There are great products that I found through advertising that I otherwise wouldn’t.

There is a lot of awful advertising and I’m numb to it, my brain doesn’t even register it.

The problem is bad advertising works. My job is related to the text messaging industry. We have clients that spent six figures on sending marketing messages, for every dollar they are spending on text marketing they are making 5x more in profit.

I like to think that there will be a shift in advertising towards more thoughtful placement as consumers learn to ignore but honestly I think that’s my own bias. Most people are susceptible to slop advertisements and so the slop will continue.

Abbot Elementary apple sticker ads are clever, minimally invasive and I argue that this is what advertising should be.

This is a creative, tongue in cheek ad for a comedy about school teachers. Teachers stereotypically are given apples so its related.

You cannot compare this to the Pluribus fridge ads or car infotainment ads which make no sense other than “get more eyes on it”.

Is this rage bait? Feels like rage bait.

Phew! Thank God I’m not a zebra fish, otherwise I’d need to seriously reconsider my diet high on sorbitol.

A nice console is what? 500? Last year I could have bought all new parts and likely meet the same performance or very close to a console. At $600 I think I easily exceed the performance.

Its a lot harder in 2025-26 because of RAM prices but I am confident you’re wrong on the cost thing.

You win on not having to build it and ease of use.

The idea of paying a subscription for something I already own to have a basic functionality is 100% unworkable for me. The last Xbox I owned was the OG box and I still have a PSX.

Going to have to push back on the not economically viable bit. Once you factor in not paying for online play and being able to pirate all your PC games it’s a much better deal.

In 60 Seconds starring Nick Cage

60 isn’t that old. My grandpa turned 85 and rides 50+ miles a week, he hasn’t fallen since he loves somewhere where cars can’t run him over.