AnimalsDream
@AnimalsDream@slrpnk.net
- Comment on So, is the USA screwed? 2 days ago:
This is the thing making me lean more toward leaving than trying to change things. Even if Trump were magically impeached today, and our election system were left as near-intact as it is, somebody just like him could be just as likely to be elected in the next cycle. And odds are he’s going to pull off rigging the system to make sure that happens by then.
I think that on a long term scale, to get at the root, something needs to be done about the media machine behind him. Culture eats policy for breakfast.
- Comment on Liquid Death Quietly Adds Stevia to Tea Drinks 4 days ago:
I’m sorry, you didn’t actually think this beverage was healthy to begin with, right? Lol
For starters, agave is one of the highest fructose-containing sweeteners out there. Our bodies can’t use fructose directly, so most fructose metabolism occurs in the liver where it’s converted to glucose. Overconsumption of it may promote metabolic syndrome even more than glucose.
The only two sweeteners I use are date sugar (whole powderized dates), and rarely molasses. Unsweetened teas might be an acquired taste for some, but after getting used to it, they generally add plenty of sweetness on their own.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 5 days ago:
Omfg I can’t believe I forgot about this one. Ecco the Dolphin metroidvania!
- Comment on How important is flirting within the dating scene? 5 days ago:
Flirting comes in a lot of forms. It should spring naturally, a fair bit more naturally with experience. But awkward flirting isn’t always a bad vibe either. On a date just let go of specific goals, be there to have a good time, being open to whatever that can entail as you connect. If you fixate on specific goals, you might overthink and become paralyzed when the date inevitably doesn’t go as planned. Try to be in a happy, relaxed headspace.
Generally flirting is pretty important, because it should be a natural, unforced extension of both parties feeling safe, being light-hearted, and having fun. But don’t try to force it.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 6 days ago:
Lol, that’d be interesting. Would the whole thing take place in that semi-first-person perspective?
- Comment on The internet is bad ux, everybody. There's too many choices. 6 days ago:
If the full extent of this kind of internet existed, Tor would be completely irrelevant on it. Imagine that there essentially are no other sites than what’s approved by isps. It’s the cable model.
Not that such a wild vision of the internet has any chance of taking hold now days. The point of the thread was to make fun of the people who are complaining about lemmy providing too much choice.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 1 week ago:
If you’re not aware, Megaman Zero series, and Megaman ZX games are pretty much metroidvanias.
There’s also the fanmade Megaman X Corrupted which is reimagining the Megaman X games as a metroidvania.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 1 week ago:
Dunno, but if that’s true, then ideally the rights would be bought and used by people who don’t suck, or maybe there could be a spiritual successor.
- Comment on The internet is bad ux, everybody. There's too many choices. 1 week ago:
Why would you do that? You can just watch Star Wars recycle the same story over and over.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 1 week ago:
Commander Keen metroidvania?
- Comment on The internet is bad ux, everybody. There's too many choices. 1 week ago:
Here’s what all these complaints about federation choices reminds me of: every job I’ve ever had, new people get hired from time to time. What do they do? Long before they’ve had any time to get any training or learn how things work to maybe get a better understanding of why some things are done the way they are - day one, they start complaining about all kinds of little things, waxing fantastical about how they’d do things differently. Same energy.
Nothing is perfect, and maybe things can be improved in a number of ways as time goes on. But also everything has a learning curve, so maybe try learning that curve before making demands about getting rid of the core elements that make federation what they are.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 1 week ago:
Yeah, I didn’t consider that. The game would probably have to design the map in a way that keeps all the characters relatively nearby, or introduce a mechanic for them to converge more seamlessly, like maybe having save rooms that teleport all of them together or something.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 1 week ago:
Oooh, another one: Demon’s Crest.
- Comment on Games franchises that need metroidvania spinoffs? 1 week ago:
Sonic Adventure 1 is my favorite Sonic game. I was thinking more along the lines of a 2d sidescrolling Sonic metroidvania though.
- Submitted 1 week ago to [deleted] | 72 comments
- Submitted 1 week ago to games@lemmy.world | 33 comments
- Comment on imagine 1 week ago:
Whatever the case, fuck Monsanto; free the seed.
- Comment on Anon achieves optimal testosterone 1 week ago:
As a long time daily coffee drinker, that is definitely not accurate about caffeine withdrawal. Every time I try to quit caffeine I go through multiple weeks of depression and physical weakness symptoms.
And as a former smoker, nicotine is still significantly worse. Never touch the stuff, not even once. For a lot of people, there just is no going back from it. It claims you.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
This is a good way of putting it.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
I don’t know what it’s like to cut wool, but no, wool cutting in and of itself doesn’t seem like a sexual act to me. Though it does share the parallel of violating the sheep’s bodily autonomy.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
Estimates have it that in the industrial world, somewhere between 1-5% of people are vegan. That remaining the same until your preferred revolution happens, and your idealized form of governance becomes the reality everywhere: how is your socioeconomic system going to get the remaining 95% of billions of people to stop consuming, committing cruelty to, and exploiting animals? Sorry, but we have to do whatever we can in the here and now, and there is urgency in time. It’s not only a matter of morality. We know that our wanton animal consumption is one of the largest drivers of climate change. We know that our society’s addiction to flesh and secretions have resulted in agricultural systems that not only resulted in one recent pandemic, but we are hanging on the edge of an even worse flu pandemic that can end up happening at any time. 75% of new infectious diseases have a zoonotic origin.
In a world where ideal society has never happened and is always a dream away, we do not have the luxury of an either/or approach of fixing one problem before we think about the next.
The toxic food environment is a reality, and that needs to be fixed in policy. But individual choice matters too, because what we choose to buy is what drives what is sold. Taste is dynamic and subjective. New diets are only temporarily less satisfying until the person develops the knowledge, cooking skills, and palate to start getting more satisfaction out of their foods. Even better, the difference in the way people feel when they adopt a whole-food plant-based diet for even as little as a couple of weeks, is a start contrast to the standard western diet. Experiencing the difference first-hand generates more motivation to continue.
Also, our bodies do not inherently like the smell, taste, and mouthfeel of animal flesh. That is a learned habit. When a person goes long enough without consuming flesh, the very smell of it changes - even the freshest meats smell rotten, and the people who eat these foods smell like rotting corpses.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
Are these best shearers not still commoditizing the products of the body of another thinking being?
How do we know your claims of non-violent sheering are true?
Where is the sheep in this shed, now?
Do they still have their horns?
Do they still have their tail?
How much of the industry do these sought-after shearers even represent?
“Firstly, and most fundamentally, sheep and other animals should not be farmed and used for profit in the first place. Vegans stand against all forms of animal imprisonment, and against all industries in which animals are used for human gain.
Secondly, those that are farmed are subject to active cruelty and pain.
Many of us are told that shearing is as painless for sheep as going for a haircut is to us, but this is not true.
Shearing is often done in a fast-paced environment where workers are paid by the sheep, not the hour, which leads to inevitable cuts, bruises and injury. As reported by PETA, one eyewitness to the process said: “[T]he shearing shed must be one of the worst places in the world for cruelty to animals … I have seen shearers punch sheep with their shears or their fists until the sheep’s nose bled. I have seen sheep with half their faces shorn off …”
Sheep have been selectively bred to grow as much wool as possible, which makes their lives painful and uncomfortable. As mentioned previously, wool is often justified on the grounds that the animals need to be shorn, but this is only because we humans have bred them to be this way.
Because they are selectively bred to maximise wool growth, the sheep must be sheared at least once a year - meaning they will often overheat during the summer.
Heat exhaustion is common in farmed sheep, particularly those that live abroad. In Australia, the world’s largest exporter of wool, sheep often do not survive the summer. Blow Flies can lay their eggs within a sheep’s wrinkles in hot climates, due to a build-up of moisture. Horrifically, the animals can be eaten alive by maggots when they hatch. This is called Flystrike and can kill the sheep within days if left untreated.
Mulesing is a method that intends to stop flies from laying eggs in a sheep’s skin, but this practice is horrific and painful in itself. It involves cutting off parts of a lamb’s skin, often done without anaesthetic, subjecting them to excruciating pain both during the procedure and the weeks it takes them to recover.
Tail docking - the intentional removal of part of the tail by cutting, searing or similar - is another painful method used by farmers in the wool industry. It is claimed that this is necessary to prevent flies from laying eggs in faecal material that builds up on their tails. As well as being painful, there is a risk of rectal prolapse if this procedure is not carried out properly.
Mulesing and tail docking are often done to lambs when they are between two and 10 weeks old. Lambs subjected to this cruelty will often lose weight and socialise less in the weeks after, and they will also actively avoid people - particularly the person who did it to them. This clearly shows that lambs have the capacity to feel fear and experience - and remember - pain.
Once a sheep has stopped growing enough wool to be profitable for the farmer, they are often killed for cheap meat. Many sheep, particularly those from Australia, are exported to other countries on an overcrowded ship to their death, which is an unimaginably horrific experience for the animal. Can wool ever be ethical?
While wool farms differ in their levels of cruelty, and there will be a minority who do ensure that their sheep are not subject to active pain, it still cannot be argued that wool can ever be ethical.
This is because, as mentioned previously, all animals used for profit are not where they are by choice, meaning that - however ‘ethical’ the farm is - it is still a centre of imprisonment and exploitation.”
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
Did you watch the video?
- Comment on Is anyone planning on doing anything about trump creating a concentration camp at guantanamo bay? 3 weeks ago:
Maybe we can start by looking at all the corporations who are most supporting him, and push hard for boycotts. It might be slightly indirect, but corporate partners do seem to have the most influence on policy decisions. Maybe we could make a document in the style of the PrivacyGuides project to help people choose alternatives to fascist supporters.
I’ve seen posts on Mastodon calling for the general strike as well.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
You also have to keep in mind that it sucks to be a vegan sharing a meal with an omni. Even with access to plant-based options, we’re still required to be surrounded by what we see as gore, and people consuming gore.
You know how smokers can’t smell smoke as well as nonsmokers? When I stopped consuming animals I was surprised to find that all meat, no matter how fresh, smells rotten. And everybody who consumes animals smells faintly like rotting corpses - especially during and right after eating.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
In light of the west’s heavily animal-centric diets resulting in most of the top causes of death in these places, it’s not exactly accurate to call us omnivores. The centered on whole plant foods our diets are, the better off we are. Animal flesh, dairy, and eggs, at the very least, cannot be consumed without increasing progression and risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes (Ignoring a host of other harmful effects like cancer and autoimmune disorders, which is more contentious).
It would be more accurate to say that we are primarily herbivores, but with an incomplete and dangerous emergency system for omnivory.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like you’re conflating things. Sheep, in their entire life cycles, are harmed and violated in a variety of ways. Considering they are forcibly bred, that aspect of their exploitation is arguably sexual assault.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
Here’s a video on wool, but content warning, it is graphic despite blurring.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
Have you seen how wool is actually collected? It’s quite violent.
- Comment on Don't forget where we came from and what shaped us as a species. The Jungle. 3 weeks ago:
The survival of the fittest narrative was debunked almost as soon as it existed, and that debunking is what forms the ideological basis of mutual aid. That people continue to spread this toxic misinformation over a century later is a testament to the unfortunate tenacity of lies.
Even in the most brutal depths of the natural world, cooperation is still the overarching basis of ecosystem health. It’s known in Permaculture, for instance, that too much competition results in resource depletions.
A vegan ethic is inline with a growing awareness and need for us all to learn to expand our capacities of empathy and compassion, from those who are most like us, to those who are most unlike us.
On the topic of wilderness areas, vegans are divided on what the right approaches are. Some of us compare natural biomes to sovereign nations - while we dislike the harms that occur in those places, we feel a need to allow other species their independence to have their self-determination, if for no other reason than the fact that nature is the basis of maintaining a habitable planet, and interference in ecosystems should only be done with the utmost care.
But there are other vegans who do believe strongly that we should be intervening in wild places as well, with the goals of eliminating predation all together, and managing wildlife populations in more ethical ways.
It’s a highly contentious topic to be honest.
