What gives you more power?

[Hygro]

Coming back to this because @Hygro asked nicely, but, uh, "money" isn't on the list. So I'm left with a bunch of less-than-ideal choices. Let's rate them individually, as best as I can on an Internet forum:

1. Media representation of your identity: I'm a straight white guy, so, uh, nah. And I'd argue that's a good thing. Definitely don't need more of it, there's plenty.
2. Social justice education and the language to discuss power structures: sure, this'd be useful. I suck at theory, and I suck at relating discussions out of the pit of interpersonal relationships that makes up us CFC OT posters. But money would still be more useful for me.
3. Advanced math skills: I went into software to avoid having to do maths beyond a certain point Still look at quaternions as something akin to forbidden knowledge. But my problem isn't learning things. I can pretty much learn anything I put my mind to. I could specialise into more traditional CompSci (and therefore maths) if I wanted to. I don't want to. Technically I guess this means I already have advanced math skills (at least compared to the average). I took maths further than the average, after all.
4. An Armalite and counterinsurgency training: if I didn't have a family? If I lived somewhere else? I mean, sure, perhaps. But honestly, nah, the need for guns is something that would only be relevant in a different life. Martial arts and body training? Sure. But that's back to money.

So why is my answer money? Because my main boundary is time. I'm a full-time software developer with two young kids, financial pressure (even if I'm making enough to live on, we still need more sleeping space as the kids get older), and hobbies that I don't want to ditch (water polo, video games testing, and so on). Money buys me time. Money buys me things like a web presence (which makes me more marketable). It buys me more / better clothes (which are generally always last on the priority list). It buys me networking. It lets me give more away. All of this increases "power" in basic terms, both personally and professionally.

In terms of what I spend my time doing, "social justice education and the language to discuss power structures" is probably the most useful (specifically the latter part - I'm always looking to educate myself on the former). But then that's also time that I don't have.

I appreciate your lengthy examination of the subject. Money is obviously not in the poll but you can justify one of the others for its best proxy.

 

[Farm Boy]

You would have to be dumb as rocks for counter insurgency training to not function as insurgency training.

Sometimes relevant!

 

[Hygro]

If you need some actor in a dove commercial to validate your existence you need to turn off the TV and call the suicide hotline.

Every ad I see makes me hate the person in the ad, I think that's why people romanticize native americans, when's the last time you've seen one selling you some bull*?

Seeing someone 'like you' (cuz what matters is superficial stuff like your skin, accent and what sex you want to bang) only means that advertisers value you enough to hook you to their nonsense and dictate who you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to buy.

Don't conform, be a punk, when you see someone on TV (or even youtube on Instagram) realize that person is an actor and unless you know them personally you have no f-in' idea who they are or anything about their 'identity' whatsoever.

The last dove commercial I saw was like “imagine how harmful these words would be if you said them to your daughter”, proceeds to deepfake the mom saying those words to the daughter.

We don’t have to imagine jack sh dove you just did exactly what you pretend is the subjunctive.

 

[Hygro]

Sometimes relevant!

Lmao! But I think to Chris Dorner. Turned chaotic evil with definitely enough power in one moment to bring down the true and rarely seen full weight of the police he was fighting. He scared the institution. He knew all the moves as an insurgent from his counter insurgency.

Or, I suppose almost all of them. He chose to die in the country rather that continue fighting from the city.

 

[El_Machinae]

I realized that discussing the opposite might illuminate:

Media misrepresentation of my identity would strip power from me really severely, depending on its success. I coast on this free ride. Post 9/11 was noticeable in how I got treated, and if it were cranked up a notch, it would flip to 'painful'.

The obfuscation of power structures would hurt me minimally. I got lucky in time. I'm fine. It would just be harder for me to help others efficiently.

Decreased math skills this one is really hard to unpack, since it's tightly tied to my luck. I'd never have gotten to where I am in the power structures with reduced math skills. There is a meritocratic element, after-all. But you only have to make it so far to coast on institutional effects. It would be a double-whammy if I didn't have these, since I'd lose the tailwind AND have a harder time in the meritocratic sense.

Being less capable of direct and useful violence would affect me minimally.

 

[Narz]

The last dove commercial I saw was like “imagine how harmful these words would be if you said them to your daughter”, proceeds to deepfake the mom saying those words to the daughter.

That's odd for a soap company...

We don’t have to imagine jack sh dove you just did exactly what you pretend is the subjunctive.

U lost me there

 

[citizenofdoom]

Media misrepresentation of my identity would encourage me to make new friends. It has been that way.
The obfuscation of power structures would turn me into someone focused on making things done. A step becoming more machine than man
Being less capable of direct and useful violence. I'm currently 20 years old. If a 14 years old pick up a fight with me, I will run because I'm that weak. So if it got worse, doesn't matter anyway. 20 years old human is mentally developed enough to use the power of "sue".
Decreased math skills will render me to useless:
- Suffering from memory issues. I often forget information about relationships so I can't keep track of it. I don't really know if I'm autistic or not. I used math to guide me to make friends by conducting empirical research on relationships 2 years ago. Its result made me be able to make friends and be able to work together efficiently. I didn't have any friend in my 8-15 years old.
(I still can use old results but I need to conduct new research on it because changing environment)
- Suffering from academics.
- Suffering from lack of planning.
It would be very horrible for me to lose math skills. My math skills aren't good anyway.
The day I know a bit of probability & analysis & discrete math. Everything immediately gets better.
Probability to model beliefs/statements/bets.
Analysis to model things like rate of change/formulates well/understanding.
Discrete math to put things to tables for autonomous calculations.
---
Idk why I spit out those.
Would be bad if saying to my friends irl that: "You are just number in my eyes."
Online world is somewhere I can express those, maybe, without consequences.

 

[Lexicus]

I had to vote math