"The more money an American accumulates, the less interesting he becomes."
āI'm not a conspiracy theorist - I'm a conspiracy analyst.ā
āOne is sorry one could not have taken both branches of the road. But we were not allotted multiple selves.ā
āThe unfed mind devours itself.ā
āUntil very recently, the artist was a magician who did his magic in public view but kept himself and his effects a matter of mystery.ā
āYes. With us the ability to detect mediocrity or anything else is rare. Evaluation descends, through ignorance, to mere opinion, and opinion is a matter of fashion. And fashion is based on middle-class, middlebrow values, despite the mock defiance of an occasional licensed fool, like Vonnegut.ā
āSelf-education is the point of education. But it is easier if you have escaped the stifling of the academy.ā
āThe critic must know more than either writer or academic. He must also value experience and have a truth-telling nature. I think I have that. In their youth most people worry whether or not other people will like them. Not me. I had the choice of going under or surviving, and I survived by understanding (after the iron - if not the silver ā had entered my soul) that it is I who am keeping score. What matters is what I think, not what others think of me; and I am willing to say what I think. That is the critical temperament.ā
"You can improve your talent, but your talent is a given, a mysterious constant. You must make it the best of its kind."
ā Gore Vidal, my toxic opinionated egocentric guiding light in this sick sad world (quotes which are not broadly inspirational but are inspirational to me to be my best most audacious evil hater self)
May 27, 2024
Related Recs
Theodor Adornoās aphorisms written around wwii are terrifyingly insightful for the current moment. Itās also the sort of book where you (I) have to look up words and reread sentences and identify subject-verb placement to understand his syntax (which I think for the most part is at clear as it can be to best convey his complex ideas) and feels like a very anti-brainrot read, like I can feel the peaks and valleys of my brain returning. Heās also gotta be a top 10 hater throughout history and authors his frustrations delightfully. I feel more equipped to insult searingly after reading.
May 19, 2025
I find often in media, specifically meta media, that we are told materialism (and its association to capitalism and greed) is a sickening disease. A disease that traps us to our boring, normal and sometimes if we are lucky enough, corporate lives. Lives without schizo episodes of terrorism, young boy play things, and massive bank heists. But Iām not so sure it IS a disease ...It canāt be a disease.
Or maybe it's precisely that becauseĀ our lives have been shortened by the disease, that I may expand my pathetic record collection into something bigger and continue making āinvestmentsā on my epic, old school pokemon collection.
āThe things you own end up owning you"
Ā -Tyler Durden.
I fucking hope not, Iām this: |_| close to filling my new display case with action figures and I will not become batman's bitch.
To see the opposite side of views we subscribe to, is not a difficult thing these days and yet my desire for materialism is supported by very fucking few (comedically, academically and socially).
If weed and alcohol is supported and opposed, then why the fuck is no one arguing about my main poison materialism?
A case for making your own homestead or even starting that epic #vanlife is so constantly supported and yet the lives we first world masses occupy is celebratedā¦when? Or maybe itās truly as the pedos say?
āThe greatest wealth is to live content with littleā
-Plato.
Youāre right Mr Pedo, at least everyone believes that to be right, but in my first world society what most would consider āthe greatest wealthā Iād consider ālittleā.
Is it so much to ask for a massive one of a kind library in my house that's sitting on a few acres of fertile land? The kind of library that says, āMy cock may be small, but my ego more than makes up for it!ā -No, it isnāt so much to ask for, and if I could have it my way, it wouldn't be āso muchā for anyone. (See! I'm a humanitarian!)
I stumbled across this account on Instagram that seems to be going against the trends of #vanlife and homesteading with his reels depicting a ānormal lifeā.The user romanticises the stability of a 9-5 office job (or rather the stability of HIS 9-5 office job.) that America seemed to adore so much, and kinda still does???Ā
For a proud capitalist he makes me surprisingly sick to be honest. Preaching his trademarked phrase, āNormalise the Normā along with well edited windows into his unsurprisingly grey life. When did the ānormā become so fucking colourless?
He isnāt nearly as exciting as or even palatable as a Japanese guy travelling around and living out out of his Kei truck or a big bearded man and his funny dog building a homestead.
I must say though. It is nice to see someone defend our collective desire to hold onto our stonesā¦Like an otter!
And donāt worry (My teachers always taught me not to begin a sentence with āAndā, but Iām a big boy now so you can go get fucked) - I do still romanticise the other side - The other political side if I may indulge even more actually.Ā
The idea of shedding it all and running away, Hopping from person to person, bed to bed and adventure to adventure (STI to STI) is fucking fantastic! A dream perpetrated by my favourite explorer (Indiana Jones) and my favourite slave trader (Sir Francis Drake). Even now after discovering how accessible it is for me to have the comfy materialistic life, I find myself thinking about that badass āHeatā quote:
"Donāt let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds if you feel the heat around the corner.ā - Not Al Pochino.
Hmm, nah fuck all that. Materialistic people shouldnāt have to worry about āthe heat around the cornerāĀ anyway.Ā
Iām not sure I truly believe in materialism, only that I hope itās not as bad as people say it is, because I have no intention of stopping.
Ā
ā You, the reader, should tell me what you think (without forgetting that the title says my questions are rhetorical of course). -I wonāt change my mind, but maybe Iāll discover someone as arrogant as me, and that would be cool.
Jan 5, 2025
Really funny and surprising article about how reviewing the 1996 film The English Patient for a small newspaper in the 90s basically started the chain of events which led to the author becoming a Marxist
Itās also about how getting all the things you thought you wantedāthen losing themāmight be the best thing that ever happens to you
āI used to think I thought the right way, like, who cares if everyone does bad things, because bad things are just what important people have to do. Who cares if Barack Obama bombs people and doesnāt even try to prosecute bankers, because thatās all just his job, and he loves gay people and yells at bigots and his wife is smart and has great arms. Who cares if Hillary Clinton is best friends with Henry Kissinger, because she is a woman and so am I, and she stands up to men, and isnāt that what feminism is all about, finally getting into the rooms, finally getting to be the one to kill the people who donāt matter? Since my life was a fantasy, I had no trouble inhabiting a larger one.ā
Nov 12, 2024
Top Recs from @taterhole
My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyābe it a relative or one of my best friendsāwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too š
Feb 23, 2025
May 28, 2025
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Iāve been thinking about how much of social media is centered around curating our self-image. When selfies first became popular, they were dismissed as vain and vapidāa critique often rooted in misogynyābut now, the way we craft our online selves feels more like creating monuments.
We try to signal our individuality, hoping to be seen and understood, but ironically, I think this widens the gap between how others perceive us and who we really are. Instead of fostering connection, it can invite projection and misinterpretationāpreconceived notions, prefab labels, and stereotypes. Worse, individuality has become branded and commodified, reducing our identities to products for others to consume.
On most platforms, validation often comes from how well you can curate and present your imageāselfies, aesthetic branding, and lifestyle content tend to dominate. High engagement is tied to visibility, not necessarily depth or substance. But I think spaces like PI.FYI show that thereās another way: where connection is built on shared ideas, tastes, and interests rather than surface-level content. Itās refreshing to be part of a community that values thoughts over optics.
By sharing so few images of myself, Iāve found that it gives others room to focus on my ideas and voice. When I do share an image, it feels intentionalāsomething that contributes to the story I want to tell rather than defining it. Sharing less allows me to express who I am beyond appearance.
For women, especially, sharing less can be a radical act in a world where the default is to objectify ourselves. It resists the pressure to center appearance, focusing instead on what truly matters: our thoughts, voices, and authenticity. Iāve posted a handful of pictures of myself in 2,500 posts because I care more about showing who I am than how I look.
In trying to be seen, are we making it harder for others to truly know us? Itās a question worth considering.
Dec 27, 2024