Abbie

In addition to the points the other posts have made, I think we’ve been conditioned to believe that cost = quality, “you get what you pay for.”

They did where I live, and continued to do so until the Walmarts moved in.

First and foremost, I equate privacy with dignity and respect.

But now it’s also a matter of self defense. A woman in Texas does not want to be caught looking up abortion clinics. An immigrant searching for legal council could find themselves visited by ICE. An idle comment that you are anti-fascist could end up labeling you as a domestic terrorist. A tasteless joke you posted as a teenager could cost you a job as an adult.

Fifteen years ago my mother was on Facebook and the algorithm figured out she had breast cancer. She was flooded with quack cures and ads for clinics in Mexico. She didn’t fall for, but if she had, it could have killed her.

It isn’t just about Amazon trying to sell you a toilet seat. The stakes are higher than that.

Stores used to ring up your groceries, bag your groceries, take them to your car, and load them up for you.

Now they’ve got you convinced that if you aren’t doing their work for them for free, you’re violating some sort of implied social contract.

I usually cut in with a comment like, “I know a little about this because it interests me, too.” Since it’s a common interest, you do still have a topic to talk about.

In addition to the previously linked SomaFM and RadioParadise, I use ReListen to listen to the Grateful Dead and a lot of other recorded concerts.

“I used to be a hot-tar roofer. Yeah, I remember that… day.” ~Mitch Hedberg

Two glasses of wine and some Iocane powder.

I like SomaFM and RadioParadise. They’re free/listener supported, and both have a multiple channels and a wide selection to choose from.

The Bhagavad Gita– not because it’s a religious text, but because it’s a very different philosophy than what most Westerners are exposed to. (The translation by Ranchor Prime is especially accessible to beginners.)

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