After this's all over, I hope the U.S. gov't bills Trump for the damage he's done to our reputation

[friendship]

I just don't know what else I can do with my life to ensure I won't have to work until the day I die (which I probably will regardless of anything).

Have you looked into index funds? They're a headache-free and relatively safe investment. I'm not an expert, but I have some links I could share if you're interested.

[Jwar]

I'd love links.



Is anyone comfortable with talking about any of this stuff going on currently? If not, it's ok. I just wanted to say, man, this whole year has been just so fucked up and it's not just this year, I know, but fuck man.

I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm scared, I'm depressed, and I want to make a difference. I just don't know how. How are you all making a difference right now? I'm only asking because I need some options. Thanks all

[Chankgeez]

Yeah, this year's been super fucked. Talk away. That's what this thread's for.

[Achtane]

I'd love links.



Is anyone comfortable with talking about any of this stuff going on currently? If not, it's ok. I just wanted to say, man, this whole year has been just so fucked up and it's not just this year, I know, but fuck man.

I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm scared, I'm depressed, and I want to make a difference. I just don't know how. How are you all making a difference right now? I'm only asking because I need some options. Thanks all

I donated to Women for Political Change: https://www.womenforpoliticalchange.org/
They have a fund that directly gives aid to protesters in the form of supplies/bail money/etc.

This Google doc contains a list of resources and organizations that you can help:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CjZ ... p=drivesdk

It hasn't gotten too ugly here. I'd like to at least go hand out water or supplies to protestors. My boss didn't directly state, but did imply that if you're seen protesting, you'll be fired.

[TraceItalian]

So there was an official BLM protest on Friday, it went great, really chill, but then out of nowhere another one got posted on Saturday. No one had any idea about the background but plenty of folks showed up. These dudes in black dropped in and just started wrecking shit, then left right before the police came in. II was trying to wrangle my friend's teens and I ended up getting shot with a pepperball, not in the face thankfully, but jesus those things will leave a welt even through jeans, I didn't even see I was bleeding (not much) til I got home.

[friendship]

I'd love links.

Re: index funds, I was gonna send you a PM, but maybe the info would be useful to others, so I'll post for all.

Here's a good primer: https://jlcollinsnh.com/2011/06/08/how- ... to-wealth/
You can peep his "Stock Series" link at the top if you're interested and have time for a long read.

This post is good too: https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05 ... retirement. The blogger's whole "brand" is really douchey imo, but if you can look past that, his strategy is very solid and backed by real data. He has a bunch of related posts, and his angle focuses on reducing your spending, which you may or may not find applicable to your personal situation. Most of the useful stuff is at the beginning of the blog--the more recent stuff seems like recapitulation and also a cringepost about why he thinks COVID isn't a big deal (dude is smart about investing, but he knows fuckall about epidemics).

And finally, I found this list of priorities useful: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Priorit ... nvestments

I hope this info helps! It's not nearly as fun as pedals and synths and music, but learning this stuff (knowing basically nothing at all before I did) gave me a lot of peace of mind and feeling of control over money, and I hope it does for you too.

Is anyone comfortable with talking about any of this stuff going on currently? If not, it's ok. I just wanted to say, man, this whole year has been just so fucked up and it's not just this year, I know, but fuck man.

I'm sad, I'm angry, I'm scared, I'm depressed, and I want to make a difference. I just don't know how. How are you all making a difference right now? I'm only asking because I need some options. Thanks all

Achtane's post has some great resources. I donated to my locality's Liberty Fund and an organization campaigning for police reform in my city. It's easy to feel overwhelmed but donating a little to just one good organization makes a difference, even if it doesn't feel like it. If you don't have cash to spare, look up your district's representative and see how they are responding to the protests. If you don't like how they're handling things, write them an email or call their office. It feels weird, but it's worth it and it really does make a difference. Let me know if I can help you with any of that. Also, reach out to your black family and friends just to see how they are doing and feeling. Showing up in this very basic, simple way isn't going to fix institutional racism, but I feel that our personal connections with others are the foundation of a society, so it matters.

Also, if it needs to be said: vote this year and vote every year, including and especially in your seemingly-unimportant-but-actually-very-important local elections. In my 20s I did not show up for these and I will always regret that. I started going every year and I'm going to continue to my dying day--do not let the cynics tell you they don't matter. They do.

Like finances, politics are also very boring, but our lives depend upon them, unfortunately.

[friendship]

So there was an official BLM protest on Friday, it went great, really chill, but then out of nowhere another one got posted on Saturday. No one had any idea about the background but plenty of folks showed up. These dudes in black dropped in and just started wrecking shit, then left right before the police came in. II was trying to wrangle my friend's teens and I ended up getting shot with a pepperball, not in the face thankfully, but jesus those things will leave a welt even through jeans, I didn't even see I was bleeding (not much) til I got home.

Shit dude, I am glad you're okay

[Achtane]

Yeah, really. Be careful dudes.
And remember,

[TraceItalian]

My thigh looks gross, but I got the blood out of my jeans so I'm good lol. Honestly, just glad I got the kids out of there before they either got hurt or started letting their hormones get in control and start participating in fucking shit up. I'm gonna start hitting up the protests with my med kit handy. I'm not EMS or anything, only trained in wilderness first aid and done some work with emergency management drills, but hopefully that'll be enough to help folks out should the protests ever get escalated in my area. I was tempted to drive Friday to any area getting hit, but I need to see how things go here first.

[01010111]

Is the libertarian party literally a joke now? https://verminsupreme2020.com/spike/

[Blackened Soul]

its nice living in a country where racsism is cool and being against fascists is bad?

[D.o.S.]

Is the libertarian party literally a joke now? https://verminsupreme2020.com/spike/

Vermin Supreme is a longstanding institution, sir.

[Chankgeez]

Haven't all third parties always been a joke though?

[Jwar]

Yes, which sucks.


I can't even subscribe to a party right now. On the one side you have a racist old man, on the other side you have another racist old man.

Can we have a female President? I was against Hilary but I take it back. I'd rather have her than any of them.


The stuff occurring right now is so sad and so frustrating. As a nation it seems like we never progress in the right ways. People have become more accepting of others but apparently that was kind of a ruse. Look at stuff that's going on.

Systematic racism needs to end.



What sucks about this too is it's become several different issues at the same time.

We were inside for months, this horrible atrocity happened, unemployment is sky rocketing, USPS could be out of business by the fall, Russia, China and Iran are making fun of us (which instills fear of another world war in me...look at the pandemic histories around the world wars)....I don't know what to do anymore. Small business owners are going broke and now their buildings and belongings are gone from fire with no insurance coverage for a lot of them for something like this.

Our country is being dismantled. However, was it ever together really?

I wish the human race could love each other and just that's it. Love man. Fuck hate. Fuck discrimination. Fuck money and greed. Just fuck this whole planet right now.

[Benn Roe]

The world is fucked, and I don't want to take away from that, but what fucking business owners aren't insured, and why? It costs almost nothing for basic business insurance that should more than cover any damage from fire or looting that anyone who would consider being uninsured would need covered. When my store was only 800 square feet, our insurance was like $150/year. We've grown a lot, and now it's more like $150/month, but I can't imagine a business so small that not being insured makes any sort of sense.