this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2024
605 points (98.7% liked)

196

16714 readers
2689 users here now

Be sure to follow the rule before you head out.

Rule: You must post before you leave.

^other^ ^rules^

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
all 43 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] kryptonianCodeMonkey@lemmy.world 48 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Counterpoint, when you have a real informed opinion, take a stance. When you have no informed opinion, take an absurd stance.

"I believe that the Kim and Kanye drama proves that there was a second gunman on the grassy knoll."

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 25 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I have never heard anything that could possibly disprove that

[–] wick@lemm.ee 6 points 2 months ago

Big academia have been paid minimum wage to not look into it

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 4 points 2 months ago

I believe Markus Aurelius was a secret alien agent and wrote this only to undermine Xitter warriors' efforts

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 46 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I came in here with an opinion, but somehow it's gone now. Weird.

[–] gnutrino@programming.dev 21 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I have no strong feelings one way or the other

[–] merari42@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

All I know is my gut says maybe.

[–] prex@aussie.zone 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Apparently all our opinions have to be concrete now - have you looked in the shed?

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 1 points 2 months ago

I am unsure if I am too high to understand this or not high enough...

[–] ShinkanTrain@lemmy.ml 33 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Marcus did you stop to consider immediately dishing out terrible takes about things I know very little about brings me great joy.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 29 points 2 months ago

Well, you're released from the obligation, the option is still there if you want to

[–] Signtist@lemm.ee 22 points 2 months ago

You absolutely don't have to have a concrete, well-constructed opinion on everything, or even really anything, but if you plan to spread an opinion you have about something, you should make sure it's concrete and well-constructed first.

[–] nialv7@lemmy.world 22 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Sure, but do realise sometimes not having an opinion is a very privileged position to be in. There are others who are forced to have an opinion, or are currently being forced to live someone else's opinion.

[–] mo_lave@reddthat.com 18 points 2 months ago

Sometimes

I strongly believe the internet forgets that and mandates everyone to have a position on anything and everything, regardless on how well-informed one is.

[–] AVincentInSpace@pawb.social 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

"Yes, well, there are people whose lives are directly impacted by this issue, therefore you should have an opinion on it"

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 21 points 2 months ago

I will not thank him. I refuse to decide how I feel about it

[–] match@pawb.social 14 points 2 months ago (1 children)

if you do have an opinion it should be concrete and well-constructed otherwise do not

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] Klear@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] PriorityMotif@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago
[–] svcg@lemmy.blahaj.zone 12 points 2 months ago (3 children)

If only Marcus Aurelius had bothered to form an opinion on whether or not Commodus would make a decent successor as emperor.

[–] kjaeselrek@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 months ago

Ok but were you not entertained?

[–] kzhe@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I mean it was understandable— everyone praises the five good emperors for choosing successors but none of them actually had biological kids, and there was no precedent that the successor would be chosen. Realistically, Aurelius wanted to avoid a civil war and wasn't like entirely throwing, I think I saw like a story about how he like. Didn't want to do it but it was like the only good outcome or optimal at least

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Commodus doesn't appear to have descended into megalomania until a few years into his sole rule. One expects the power got to his head rather than him simply being born wrong. C'est la vie!

[–] Klear@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Was he even as bad as they say? I mean, probably, absolute power and all that, but from what I hear the madness of Caligula is severely overblown since the main sources we have on him are the Roman versions of tabloids, so maybe it's similar with Commodus.

Never really looked into it too closely though, and it's probably safe to err on the side of "absolutist ruler was an asshole".

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Was he even as bad as they say?

Commodus was likely as bad as they say. Emperor Septimius Severus is said to have decried Marcus Aurelius for not strangling the kid when he had the chance. Of course, Septimius Severus's kid would turn out to be a gruesome fellow like Commodus, so he doesn't actually have much room to throw stones.

I mean, probably, absolute power and all that, but from what I hear the madness of Caligula is severely overblown since the main sources we have on him are the Roman versions of tabloids, so maybe it’s similar with Commodus.

Caligula revisionism is... very problematic. The most I would say there is that some of the pop culture interpretations of him are false, and some of the incidents mentioned as rumors by Roman historians are likely exaggerated. He was pretty unambiguously a tyrant and extremely arbitrary in his rule. If you take 'madness' as 'detached from reality', Caligula probably wasn't mad. If you take 'madness' as 'sociopathic and impulsive', then Caligula was almost certainly mad.

[–] minyakcurry@monyet.cc 1 points 2 months ago

He was a bit busy trying to not form an opinion about people who are smelly and don't take care of themselves (yes, an actual line from Meditations)

[–] zloubida@lemmy.world 12 points 2 months ago

Thank you Marcus Aurelius

[–] SteveXVII@pawb.social 7 points 2 months ago

Thank you Marcus Aurelius.

[–] M1nds3nd@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 months ago

Thank you Marcus Aurelius

[–] li10@feddit.uk 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My guy Marcy Marc, he has the best takes fr

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"Comfort is the worst addiction"

No, that's heroin. Fucking idiot.

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Marcus Aurelius: "Guys, I just found this new medical treatment, it's so fucking good, everyone in the Empire has to try it"

[–] sukhmel@programming.dev 3 points 2 months ago (1 children)

"Doc, it worked miracles, I feel so good, what was it?" "Sleep"

[–] PugJesus@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago

Funny enough, we have an extant letter from one of Aurelius's teachers yelling at him (while he was Emperor no less) for going down to a nice beachside resort town and then spending the whole time working on affairs of state, including working by candlelight all night long. Some sleep would have done poor Marcus some good, one expects.

[–] SsxChaos@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago

How many verification badges does this supreme-leader-stoat have??

[–] nebula42@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 months ago

kijetesantakalu

[–] TheReturnOfPEB@reddthat.com 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

abortion rights requires taking a stand on something that might not effect you right now or at all yet

[–] kittenzrulz123@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

I dont need a take on things like SystemD but im going to have one anyway

SYSTEMD SUCKS

And on an unrelated note so does bash

[–] WastingCommentSpace@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

You dont HAVE to. But it sure would help the world more.

[–] todd_bonzalez@lemm.ee 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

My brother in Christ, it is literally impossible to have a fully formed opinion on every single topic. You're allowed to not care about things you don't care about.

(you have replied to an experimental joke account thanks for your input)