A bunch of restaurants around me shut down recently and everyone blames the greedy servers for demanding more tips and wages. They're blaming shoplifting too, claiming petty crime simply isn't punished enough. Someone I know claims shoplifting is legal in California.

Americans can't conceive of real estate capitalists squeezing other, smaller capitalists. It's always gotta be taxes or baristas asking for higher wages.

Every restaurant that shuts down around here is 100% the fault of landlords. No restaurant has ever folded because the servers got paid $10 per hour instead of $8 per hour

I got told today I shouldn't raise kids because I'd purposefully raise them in a vegan household, without animal products of any sort. I was told this would be dangerous and unfair to the kids.

It was a weirdly direct thing for this person to say to me (one of my coworkers). It's stuck in my head. I was told I should let my potential children choose what sort of morals they have, even though this person is raising their kids Catholic. Their advice to me was to allow my potential kids to choose every night between a meat-based meal and a vegan meal (???). And several other coworkers agreed. Where do they come up with this? No carnist raises their kids like this.

So is anyone raising vegan kids or does anyone know about what it's like? Or was anyone here raised in a vegan household?

I never got into it and I feel like I'm missing a huge social part of my life. I've tried alcohol and it just tastes bad. Maybe if I had enough to get inebriated I'd feel different, but so far nothing about the experience of drinking has been good. Also I grew up around Baptists who don't have drinking in the culture, so maybe that's part of it? My parents never had alcohol in the house and there was never beer/wine at family gatherings. I never even saw a full glass of beer in person until I was like 23.

Bars are too loud and there's too much expectation to drink, parties have the same problem, drinking at home alone sounds sad. I go to concerts and I'm the only person without a huge glass of beer. People hand me drinks and I'm like "nah" and they get mega confused.

What do I do

Is this the opposite of a problem?

I just realized I have no idea why this happened. Does anyone have a good dialectical materialist explanation?

Person the other week noticed I was wearing vegan Doc Martens (the tags are white for vegan shoes). I know they're polyurethane, which isn't great, but I'd prefer that over animal skin on my feet. This person was apparently also a vegan, but says they prefer wearing leather (what) because in their words "Animal leather is biodegradable, lasts longer, and is a by-product of the already existing meat industry." making the point that animal leather has less of an environmental impact.

I didn't know how to respond at all. I know veganism isn't simply consumption habits but it did make me feel weird. I still don't think anyone should wear leather.

Does anyone have advice? I'm just feeling weird and self-conscious now

In the interests of leftist unity I'll also accept a soirée

Does anyone have experience figuring out if they're aro/ace? This is all over been thinking about lately. I've realized I've never imagined myself in a relationship, I only tried dating because it felt like I was supposed to. I don't relate to the idea of having a crush or being in love. I've lived alone for the past 7 years and only went on dates when prodded.

I used to feel bad about it, like I was missing something, but also I realized I've never attempting dating completely unprompted.

I'm otherwise ok with myself. I don't feel like something's missing, but I do feel very awkward around other people since my life is a lot more solitary. Never having a romantic partner would be alright with me, but I'm struggling with my self-image and how I'm gonna relate to people for the rest of my life. Since I'm at an age where most of my peers have lives revolving around spouses and kids. Am I aro/ace then or do I gotta do more examination of myself?

Every chud in my life is obsessed with someone breaking into their house and the situation being resolved with the discharge of a firearm. And these are people living in low crime areas out in the suburbs, with no pedestrians. It's frustrating to talk with these people since their whole worldview is a racist panic over some imagined brown interloper invading their white fortresses.

One of my coworkers tells me he always pulls out his Glock to check the corners when he comes home in the evening. Another has a CCTV system and an AR15 by his bed. I personally don't own a gun anymore because I don't trust myself with one, and chuds will ask me what I'll do if some mentally unwell person high on amphetamines decided to enter my apartment. I guess I'd leave or call an ambulance? It seems so unlikely of a scenario that even if I had a firearm I probably wouldn't use it right, or even register this person as a threat quickly enough to do a John Wick style takedown.

How many home invasions are actually stopped this way? Do chuds all think they're Robocop?

I learned I naturally do goofy stance

It looks a little different than it did a few years ago? There's been radio silence since Paradox started over with the new devs. This game has had a really troubled production, I think Paradox has been trying to get it off the ground since 2015. Now it's being done by The Chinese Room, most known for Dear Esther and Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs.

Bloodlines is one of my favorite games of all time, so I'm trying to stay optimistic that the devs also hold it in high regard and will try to make a worthwhile sequel. The gameplay from this new trailer looks a little clunky and weird, but maybe that's ok. VTMB never had great combat in the first place. The dialogue, writing, and vibes are where it's at. Looks like there will be gliding around and parkour stuff? Might be cool.

Anyone looking forward to this game? There's even a release window, Fall of 2024, but this game was supposed to originally release in March of 2020, so don't hold your breath.

I just got around to checking out Psychonauts 2. The first one was always a favorite of mine, really clever platforming and cute story. The second game starts out with a disclaimer that it does portray real mental illnesses, but it's supposed to be playful and humorous. I thought that was kinda neat.

I'm amazed at how much the sequel feels like the previous game too. It came out 16 years later and it still feels fresh and good. Seamless transition, picks up almost immediately after the previous game. Platforming feels smooth and tight. Gameplay is actually the same, which is good to me.

I went into this game thinking it'd just be some nostalgia pandering repeat of the first game, or some kind of hollow cash grab, but nope. Genuine extension of the first game. Worst you could say about it is that it's too similar to the first one, but...that's what I wanted. Good times. Feels like Double Fine at their best, like a culmination of all the stuff they've done in previous games. Jack Black is even in it.

No spoilers please

I suppose it makes sense. I have no close friends and I completely avoid social situations unless I have to be in them. It would explain why I always feel like the center of (negative) attention in any given room, or why I always feel like I'm annoying people or that I sound smug.

The doctor told me people with AVPD often have trouble understanding who they are as a person, and can't latch onto specific identities, but I haven't thought about that much. The pamphlet and stuff I'm reading online also seems to suggest AVPD has such overlap with social/general anxiety they're almost the same thing.

Anyone else have experience with this?