Just discovered Lemmy while browsing for Reddit alternatives, so let’s break the ice with this first post.
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Do you occasionally play videogames ? I’m asking because my parents are younger than you (they are in their early 60s) and tech literate but for some reason it never clicked with them, nor did “internet culture”. Like, I would be extremely surprised if one day they started expressing interest in stuff like Reddit (let alone Lemmy) and I’m trying to understand why. So I guess my followup question is how did you get into Reddit ?
I don’t play video games. I liked the format of Reddit and I like socializing, that’s how I got into it. Just randomly came across it one day.
Ok, thanks, this gets me one step closer to finding the “missing link”.
What advice would you give your 18 year old self?
My 18-year-old self? Enjoy every moment (even the bad times), it’ll all pass by so quickly. Fully take in things, not just superficially get through them. But I highly doubt my 18-year-old self would listen to anything I’d have to say, so…
I’d add to that to avoid loud noises because tinnitus is a pig. But he’d just say “get lost fuddy-duddy!”
Oh gawd yes. “Invest in some nice earplugs and WEAR THEM TO EVERY METAL SHOW YOU GO TO, if your ears feel weird after the show its TOO LOUD!”
“…what?”
That’s just what a fun-hating fuddy-duddy would say!
What were the 1980s like compared to the 1970s? Unrelated to my last question, of all the decades you have experienced, which decade was the best/peak decade overall, in your opinion (and a little about why)?
The 1980s in my eyes was a stable, distinct decade but cynical and kind of drifting back in terms of society (the start of the war on counterculture, the hippies had cut off their hair, were born again Christians and advocating against drugs now). On the other hand the 1970s felt like a continuation of the 1960s - counterculture, chaotic, felt like we were headed to greener pastures. 1990s was in my opinion the peak of modern US and the last great American decade. End of the Cold War (the fear of nuclear war was real), the dawn of global technology, kept the good parts of the 1980s while getting rid or improving the bad parts. It all ended with 9/11. That was a societal shift that we never recovered from.
I’m 20-years younger but felt the exact same about those decades! The 90s was indeed the peak and 9/11 beginning of the end.
Lots of millennials & outside of the US feel the same. Especially seeing the effects of modern tech on societies too I yearn for simpler times. It’s sad because you’d think they’d solve so many of our problems, make us globally more informed, but the opposite kinda happened. Everyone’s in their own disinformation safe space / bubble and radicalizes themselves further, causing everyone to just drift further and further apart. Class clown type people become annoying menaces and stream to a clout of equally annoying people, further reinforcing their behavior and pushing them to become more and more extreme for their perverse entertainment. Everyone throws a camera in people’s faces the moment they feel like it. Institutions push for more and more mass surveillance methods and idiots feed the same models through TicTok, Instagram and other superficial media.
I feel you on 9/11 killing the post Cold War honeymoon. I was a kid when it happened and it really felt like the death of my childhood innocence in a lot of ways.
That was a societal shift that we never recovered from.
Interesting.
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Yes! Especially the Apple Music app… unlimited music completely at your disposal; such a dream. No, I don’t. Hopefully a lot cause I want to make it to 100! I’d bid farewell and end it preemptively, there’s nothing I hate or that sucks the joy out of things for me more than anticipation.
Where are you from?
Do you have children?
What do you think about your country’s current political situation?
The US. Born and raised in Massachusetts. Husband is from NYC, studied in Boston 1965-1971. We got married in 1968, lived together in Boston until 1971 when we moved to NYC. Him and I have been living in Thailand for years now though, on a very advantageous 20-year visa (Thailand Elite Visa). Yes, 1 son born in 1971, who’s living in Switzerland. Depressing.
Why do you find it depressing? Because he doesn’t visit or?
The way I see it, the son moved away and is clearly living an exciting life
Depressing was my answer to the political question.
Okay, cool. I live very close to Switzerland (close enough that my wife works there.) As I am also an anglophone living in a non-anglophone country, Lemmy is basically my sole source of English language news and whatnot. It’s sometimes very difficult to be surrounded by another language and culture, and this place has become my escape in a way. Reddit was great back in the day, but I can no longer support the enshitification it has suffered.
Welcome home!
What was the reason for moving to Thailand?
Great culture, great climate, so much to see and do, amazing long-term visa, well connected to the rest of Asia and the world through Bangkok, close to world class healthcare (Singapore). Couldn’t ask for more.
Do you both speak Thai? Or just winging it?
Trying but it’s difficult.
Considering the season… what are your favorite Winter Holiday (would assume Christmas but whatever you are observing - if anything) traditions and how did they evolve over time?
At 40, I am convinced that we cosplay as adult characters to hide our inner child, mostly from ourselves. Some seem to allow the stresses of life and responsibilities to make the mask indistinguishable, but I doubt any truly make it real. Do you wear the mask of age over the eyes of your inner child? Does age hold a meaningful value to you beyond the comradery of shared experience?
What was it like riding a boneshaker to the mill to work fourteen hour days?
Couldn’t tell you since I never worked, let alone at a mill.
What have you been doing since you were 18?
I got married at 16 in 1968. Had my first and only child in 1971. Focused on taking care of my family and house, practicing my hobbies and being sociable. Doing what I loved.
I envy you.
A good friend told me her mum was similar always stay at home. She briefly got a job at Sears about 40 years ago and quit “because it was getting in the way of my life”.
Sometimes the clarity of a SAHM helps you realize how fucked up the corporate world is.
Uphill both ways, of course.
Are you prepared for endless doom scrolling, Linux nerds yelling at you, and engagement with the most angry nerds, socialist, anarchists, and tankies? Do you have any idea where you’ve landed here?
God speed on your first day!
Mate, you’re the guy who called the ban on menthol cigs a “nanny state” move that causes the rise of “fascists”. You’re literally part of the problem.
That’s where the home page and filters come in handy. Subscribe to the things you enjoy, filter out the junk. Anything news related, I don’t subscribe to. I’ll come across it on All.
So you see like 4 posts a day? These tools don’t fix any problems around little content. I can be in here maybe a half hour before I’m getting 2-3 porn posts for every repeat or news from languages I cannot read.
It really depends on what you describe to and what you click on. I seee mainly nice conversations. And habe too much content to See all.
Well a NSFW filter exists for a reason. Since enabling it, I literally get none of it on any feed.
And like I said, my Home Screen and subscriptions are catered to topics I enjoy that show none of the shitty news. Sure maybe tech articles or stuff like that, but no doom and gloom. I get to see plenty of fresh content. Also depends on what sort setting you use.
And frankly, if I’m scrolling for anywhere near half an hour, it’s time for me to get up and do something productive for myself.
What made you start looking for reddit alternatives? What subreddits are you hoping to find analogs for?
I liked Reddit because it was like a forum. Forum = socialization. An over-moderated platform like Reddit and socialization don’t mix well together. So many rules, the karma / account age system which allows / restricts your access to different communities - censors you… I like the ask old people one on Reddit. In general I like the Q&A ones. Plus whatever’s on the front page. I’m not picky.
What was your first experience with the internet? Where you an early adopter or did you discover it later? How did you find out about the existence of the internet?
My husband telling me his MCI Mail started using the Internet, so late 1980s. My first personal experience wasn’t until AOL though, so 1996-1997. From my husband.
Do you think today is better or 1960/70? And why?
For me 1960/70 because youth. Objectively probably now - the world has never been freer: socially, economically, politically, etc.
What is your favorite Linux distribution?
I don’t use Linux…
That’s obviously okay :)
If you want to change that you’ll find many helpful people here.
Our Lord and Saviour, Linus Torvalds, will always welcome you with open arms.
You’re always welcome to try out Elementary OS ;)
What is your favorite operating system?
Of all time, it’s between Win 7 and XP.
Sorry, the correct answer is Windows 3.1. Welcome to Lemmy!
This answer is acceptable
- How long do you expect to live?
- How long do you want to live?
- What do you feel about the legacy of your generation?
I’m 54 and people are constantly surprised when I tell them that I expect to have, max, 20 years left and that I’m not interested in doing a bunch of stuff to prolong it.
Interesting questions! • At least 85. I’ve lead a healthy, active, relatively stress-free life. Plus good genes from family. Felling very mentally and physically able. • At least 100. I don’t know why but I’ve always had a fascination with making to a century. • Haven’t really ever thought about that. Truth be told I’ve lived my life in a bit of a bubble.
What are your thoughts on the blue zones and Loma Linda?
Come check out [email protected] (you don’t need to be a man to post)
