Everyone should be wary whenever they think they are part of a large group of people who are uniformly (or nearly so) better people than another group and certainly any time they think some very large group of people are evil.
The dissolution of traditional forms of authority. People used to derive meaning and a sense of self and their place in the world from these; their dissolution didnāt remove the need their existence met. So you have a gap, basically, in the meaning market and the technology via social media to forge virtual communities centred around the construction of these meanings.
Iām tempted to suppose that social media is just a refinement of mass communication generally and that mass communication is connected to this dissolution of traditional arbiters of meaning, but itās not clear to me how thatās so, if it is so.
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Uh, there have been plenty of kooks in traditional forms of authority and crazy movements go back as far as history can document.
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āKooks in traditional forms of authorityā doesnāt really speak to my point and yes of course thereāve been crazy movements all through history. There was even a fairly popular death-cult centred around consuming the flesh and blood of the god it worshipped ā some executed criminal or something? I forget the details. What Iām talking about is not the innate truth-value of the Q movementās claims, but the nature of its widespread appeal and the sheer speed of its spread and penetration.
If you look at folklore going back hundreds of years, you find much that resonates with Q ā monsters that prey on children, hidden evils, dark, corrupting magic etc. But these varied in their specifics by local culture and tradition. Iām not saying Q is some amazing new phenomenon caused by Facebook or whatever, Iām saying itās a return to folk-wisdom where Facebook allows people on different continents to live in the same āvillageā, if you get me.
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Anywho, there may be differences between people who believe in Q and people who believe in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, but theyāre pretty minor.
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This is one of those Venn Diagram things.
Itās a hell of a lot easier than small claims court. Iāve never done it in MA but it looks pretty straightforward. In TX they require an Intent to Lien notification first. One of those got me paid 5 figures in less than 48 hours, because had I actually filed lien it would have thrown a huge monkeywrench into the financing for an 80 unit condo development.
I had another lien filing in TX rejected without explanation within hours of submital. The process usually takes days at a minimum. Iām sure the rapid response there had nothing to do with the fact that I was attempting to file on the brother of one of the worldās wealthiest people. Total coincidence.
Another thing is that a direct customer/HO has never stiffed me. The only times Iāve had trouble getting paid is when Iāve been a sub and the HO didnāt do anything wrong other than get suckered by the same contractor who suckered me.
And itās not always suckering. Right now a contractor owes me $2400 and heās just broke and will pay when he can. It would be sucky of me to lien the property.
eta: Also, I couldnāt lien it anymore even if I wanted to. You have to file a preliminary notice within 20 days.
I would have absolutely no problem filing lien on a property as a sub. The homeowner has legal recourse, and Iām not going to eat a loss to protect some 3rd party.
Meh. Heās going to pay me. Iāve known him for like 12 years (not that I like him, but heāll pay me). Iāve done probably two dozen jobs for him. And this is like the final payment on one job - like 20 or 30%.
Once or twice in the past I probably should have done it though.
I donāt see the allure. like when I went to rehab as a teen, one counselor told me, āthat my high would never be the same, because Iād basically been reeducated on the vice and thereās no damage control.ā I canāt compartmentalize stuff like that. Iām too introspective.
stupidity is a clear prerequisite for this stuff. it might also involve literal psychosis, because theyāre so stunted and unable to process any actual life-experience that contests their elective reality.
The stay at home guidelines are not good for thisā¦i mean we need them, but yeah.
But they like Trump, so how bad can they be, really?
So itās basically a combination of bullshit numerology and memes?
Agreed. And appreciate the reminder.
Sometimes I donāt know what else to do than laugh at the absurdity of it.
I try to remind myself to stay empathetic to all people, but at times ill aimed mockery wins the moment.
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Isnāt that what we do here everyday? 
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I am cool with āYou are dumb.ā And leaving it at that. Not going to work on disproving insanity.