Journal of Other Forum Analysis (Volume II, Issue 1)

[FUME5]

Reclamation, affirmation, affection & empowerment.

This fuckin cunt.

[Potato]

Reclamation, affirmation, affection & empowerment.

This fuckin cunt.

G'day cunt!

[Taco Bell Tower]

I apologize for the wait on this. Here is the official C-word policy update.

[STAFF]Revisions to the moderation of the ban on the word "cunt"
2.18.2025

The word will be banned with no differences based on target or user's gender.
First time will be given a much lighter moderation before proceeding back to more severe ban durations.
Adjustments to the banners. (Durations are guideline starting points).

• User Banned (3 Days): Perpetuating Misogynistic slur; Don't Do It Again.
  
• User Banned (1 Month): Perpetuating Misogynistic Slur; Prior Ban for the Same
  

Additional Considerations & Details

• The primary concern is and always has been the word creating a less comfortable if not hostile environment for some women.
  
• Context in other cultures and countries.
  • Some places have a more normalised usage. However there are still women who feel otherwise from these countries and places.
    
  • It remains our hope that each community is welcoming to members and takes consideration of things that make the community less welcoming.
    
  • Unlike in speech where it is one and done a forum persists longer. Whether users are browsing later, going back to reply to a quote or following a conversation the slur will remain present again and again on the forum.
    
  • In consideration of the above, we felt it fair to give others a less harsh first time offense while reinforcing the desire to curb the word from the forum. We also recognise that it is unlikely their intention to cause discomfort to women reading and have focused the banner to reflect perpetuation of harmful language rather than a banner than felt like being labelled a misogynist.
    
• Recognising usage & patterns on Resetera
  • The primary usage across the site is as a derogatory. Even ignoring the misogynistic lens the word remains one of the harshest in most cultures.
    
  • The usage is primarily towards figures who have done or are planning to/doing something that is of significant harm to others. Eg. Politicians in the UK with policies that directly harm trans people.
    
  • The immediate contention is when users are banned when using this word to express criticism towards bigotry and similar instances. It is evident that there is no intention in these post to harass or otherwise provoke readers using the word and moderating these often feel like tone policing or restricting criticism. However it remains part of what drives the word usage and it doesn't serve to benefit anybody to allow usage that causes unintended friction between different groups on the site.
    
  • One issue we did not foresee is that when users gather to express disagreement on the bans in such instances it further cause friction as it can feel like the concerns of the slur is being dismissed. Seeing many users pushback on it and calling for conditional allowances can feel very much like boys club behaviour further driving some women away from the site. It is however evident that driving women away from the site is ultimately not what any of the users or staff involved want.
    
  • We have dramatically reduced the duration of the first ban to ease the pressure on members venting frustrations at critical issues. We are however serious about the ban otherwise.
    
  • We will also be stricter on this type of meta-commentary in threads where bans take place, if you have constructive feedback you can post in the constructive criticism and discussion thread.
    
  • The best moderation remains as self moderation. We understand your frustrations but blasting someone who will unlikely ever read your comment here is not a reason to make the place unwelcoming to others. If you see a friend post it, tell them to edit it. If its gone by the time a moderator reviews the report we're all good.
    
• Reclamation, affirmation, affection & empowerment
  • We recognise these aspects in different communities and parts of the world. Usage where it is not an insult is incredibly uncommon and has honestly not been an issue for us.
    
  • We won't be banning usage such as "serving cunt" or "cunty" which have their own usage and meanings in the queer communities. Concerns of dog whistling or using these to try and circumvent the ban should still be reported for moderators consideration.
    

[/STAFF]

These embarrassing cunts

Should have given Uzzy a warning before this "revision".

[HaughtyFrank]

It appears there are no actual revisions to using the word "cunt", despite the title.

And that it also appears that AliceAmber is likely the source for most of the insane bans we see here, if that writing style is any indication.

The big difference is now that instead of a 7 day ban they'll get banned for 3 days. (But only if it's their first time)
Apparently this took a couple of months to deliberate.

Oh, and "serving cunt" and "cunty" are now allowed because those are used in the LGBT community and what good would a rule be without some hypocritical exception

[D3RANG3D]

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

Porque eres tan maricon mano?

Por que no soy un Trumpista de mierda. 

“Mira mamá, puse un meme del Trump con máscara de Bane en la calle en el año 2025.”

“Estás bien pendejo, mijo.” 

Es más maricon irle al Trump.

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

Mira mama el maricon es mas retardado que el retardado Trump!

Mijo no lo mires porque te pega lo retardado!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3272300/Yasuke_Simulator/

Kino is back on the table!

[Boredfrom]

[Taco Bell Tower]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/do-you-consider-yourself-a-member-of-the-democratic-party.1112664/
I think I saw the poll and majority said no

[books]

Lupita Nyong'o should be in a movie where she plays every role and it'd be dope; something Greek.

[TylenolJones]

The best moderation remains as self moderation. We understand your frustrations but blasting someone who will unlikely ever read your comment here is not a reason to make the place unwelcoming to others. If you see a friend post it, tell them to edit it. If its gone by the time a moderator reviews the report we're all good.

 complete bullshit too

We won't be banning usage such as "serving cunt" or "cunty" which have their own usage and meanings in the queer communities. Concerns of dog whistling or using these to try and circumvent the ban should still be reported for moderators consideration.

Fun police


Who wouldn’t want be a moderator here?

[BananaBlast]

I would've given them the slightest, tiniest, smallest crumb of respect, if they just flat out banned the word "cunt" entirely. You know, since if you're gonna be a totalitarian regime, you should at least use your powers to put an end to the whole "b-buh i'm a woman, i-i should be allowed to say it!" squabbling.

But NOPE, just at the finish line, they just had to make a point that queer ladies (or just queer people?) are allowed to say "serving cunt" and "cunty". Because of "reclamation" and "empowerment". 

And if you aren't deemed part of this queer minority, or if you're not queer and question why they're allowed to say the word "cunt" (god forbid if you're a straight man), you will be banned instead.

Hilarious.

to make the place unwelcoming to others.

.....Yeah, it goes without saying Resetera is a very unwelcoming place to even its own people.

It's so bad you can't even do the strategy of leaving nothing but positive, inoffensive "I like this. That looks nice. Mondo cool." comments because at any moment you can accidentally step into a warzone and get sniped by the mods.

[benji]

Like with women, despite the success of both Wonder Women and Captain Marvel, when 1984 and Marvels came out as failures, suddenly the same old rhetoric of "women don't sell" appear from execs, press and fans (please ignore all the examples that prove otherwise, seriously why does Wakanda Forever get completely ignored!?); with the previous films dismissed as "anomalies", "only successful because of the hype for Endgame/Justice League" etc: hell we saw this rather openlly with Sony after Madame Web.

What execs and press said this? What executive would say this? They aren't stupid, they know The Hunger Games made over $3 billion with a woman lead. Supergirl is one of the first new DC movies in the slate and The Authority has two women and two gay men as leads. Sony didn't single out women, they pulled the plug on the entire "Spider-Man Universe" after two of the failed films were headlined by men.

Seriously nobody said this. And you're clearly only talking narrowly about superhero films which is beyond stupid. The problem with women-led superhero films is that there aren't many headlining women characters. Diana will clearly be back, they just want some distance with the reboot, Supergirl is going to fill that role initially. Aquaman is getting the same treatment, it'll probably be a while before we see Flash again too. Marvel doesn't have anybody on the scale of Diana or Supergirl or Batgirl. There's fan favorites but there isn't anybody you can name that normies are going to know like those three.

Also not a single person said Wonder Woman was successful due to hype for Justice League for which there wasn't any. But fucking come on, Marvel stuck Captain Marvel right in the middle of their two-parter, you really think fucking Carol Danvers was a $1 billion character.

[Steven Snell]

The rare biological women on Era could probably all be labelled absolute cunts. And they know it too so no surprise they are so harmed by it. And the trans mafia is offended by everything so naturally they're gonna jump on it to make Era the most dull place ever.

Like how do these people operate in the real world. I assume they don't.

[Garfield]

American life expectancy significantly lags behind other developed countries, with pre‑COVID-19 United States life expectancy averaging 78.8 years and comparable countries averaging 82.6 years.  This equates to 1.25 billion fewer life years for the United States population.  Six in 10 Americans have at least one chronic disease, and four in 10 have two or more chronic diseases.  An estimated one in five United States adults lives with a mental illness.

These realities become even more painful when contrasted with nations around the globe.  Across 204 countries and territories, the United States had the highest age-standardized incidence rate of cancer in 2021, nearly double the next-highest rate.  Further, from 1990-2021, the United States experienced an 88 percent increase in cancer, the largest percentage increase of any country evaluated.  In 2021, asthma was more than twice as common in the United States than most of Europe, Asia, or Africa.  Autism spectrum disorders had the highest prevalence in high-income countries, including the United States, in 2021.  Similarly, autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis are more commonly diagnosed in high-income areas such as Europe and North America.  Overall, the global comparison data demonstrates that the health of Americans is on an alarming trajectory that requires immediate action.

...

This poses a dire threat to the American people and our way of life.  Seventy-seven percent of young adults do not qualify for the military based in large part on their health scores.  Ninety percent of the Nation’s $4.5 trillion in annual healthcare expenditures is for people with chronic and mental health conditions.  In short, Americans of all ages are becoming sicker, beset by illnesses that our medical system is not addressing effectively.  These trends harm us, our economy, and our security.

Literally begging people to learn how to read. Mr. President do something about the literacy crisis.  

It's also the same language that every administration in their entire life has used. The Obama Administration declared obesity and related health issues to be a "national security threat" over a decade ago. The Biden Administration published this infograph with the same complaints as this executive order.

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

It's pretty hilarious that lefties even find a way to screech about the administration stating, factually, that disease and ill health are dire threats to our country.  This fucking idiots never cease to amaze me.

[Taco Bell Tower]

I think this is is connected because I fear that even the new Cap is/was a success, he'd STILL only have one shot because women and minority heroes are always only have one shot, on thin ice and always expect to succeed and be impactful. Like with women, despite the success of both Wonder Women and Captain Marvel, when 1984 and Marvels came out as failures, suddenly the same old rhetoric of "women don't sell" appear from execs, press and fans (please ignore all the examples that prove otherwise, seriously why does Wakanda Forever get completely ignored!?); with the previous films dismissed as "anomalies", "only successful because of the hype for Endgame/Justice League" etc: hell we saw this rather openlly with Sony after Madame Web.

Underrepresented groups constantly have to worry that the next succeeds and is impactful because one false move is all fucking executives need to "prove" we don't sell (aka, they don't want to make them and using it as an excuse). I remember the discussion before Black Panther and Captain Marvel, how do many fans were worried they'd fail which should not be the case but the depressing reality we are.

A Marvel flick can never be bad. It has to be because of chuds. 

https://www.resetera.com/threads/letitia-wright-calls-out-thr-for-article-they-published-about-problematic-stars-and-their-award-chances.656823/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/thr-vaccination-status-of-actress-letitia-wright-may-cause-logistical-challenges-for-filming-of-black-panther-wakanda-forever.512775/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/letitia-wright-returns-to-black-panther-ii-set-months-after-accident-update-filming-paused-again-check-threadmarks.539411/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/letitia-wright-exits-black-panther-2-over-vaccine-mandate.525462/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/black-panther-wakanda-forever%E2%80%99-shutting-down-production-as-letitia-wright-recovers-from-on-set-injury.510618/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/letitia-wright-shuri-links-to-anti-vax-video-on-twitter-update-she-has-deleted-her-twitter-account.337992/

https://www.resetera.com/threads/in-hindsight-were-you-happy-with-who-black-panther-was-in-wakanda-forever.807942/

Lot of FUCK Letitia Wright posts

[Polident]

Like with women, despite the success of both Wonder Women and Captain Marvel, when 1984 and Marvels came out as failures, suddenly the same old rhetoric of "women don't sell" appear from execs, press and fans (please ignore all the examples that prove otherwise, seriously why does Wakanda Forever get completely ignored!?); with the previous films dismissed as "anomalies", "only successful because of the hype for Endgame/Justice League" etc: hell we saw this rather openlly with Sony after Madame Web.

What execs and press said this? What executive would say this? They aren't stupid, they know The Hunger Games made over $3 billion with a woman lead. Supergirl is one of the first new DC movies in the slate and The Authority has two women and two gay men as leads. Sony didn't single out women, they pulled the plug on the entire "Spider-Man Universe" after two of the failed films were headlined by men.

Seriously nobody said this. And you're clearly only talking narrowly about superhero films which is beyond stupid. The problem with women-led superhero films is that there aren't many headlining women characters. Diana will clearly be back, they just want some distance with the reboot, Supergirl is going to fill that role initially. Aquaman is getting the same treatment, it'll probably be a while before we see Flash again too. Marvel doesn't have anybody on the scale of Diana or Supergirl or Batgirl. There's fan favorites but there isn't anybody you can name that normies are going to know like those three.

Also not a single person said Wonder Woman was successful due to hype for Justice League for which there wasn't any. But fucking come on, Marvel stuck Captain Marvel right in the middle of their two-parter, you really think fucking Carol Danvers was a $1 billion character.

All this comic book malarkey aside… two years ago the Barbie movie made $1.45 Billion. About on par with the first two Avengers movies and considerably more than other comic book movies. Last year Inside Out 2 made $1.7 Billion. Moana 2 made $1 Billion. Wicked made $730 Million.

Looking at movies this year. Jurassic Park 8 or whatever has Scarlett Johansson as the lead. Marvel Suicide Squad has that lady from Liam Neeson’s The Commuter as the lead. There’s a lady John Wick spin off. There’s a Lilo and Stitch movie with real actors. There’s Snow White. I’m done reading upcoming releases because it’s grim. Lotta junk.

Larger point is, any of the doom and gloom over this stuff is just that. Or it’s hyper focused on marvel fanboy shit instead of the wider landscape of popcorn entertainment.

[HeavenIsAPlaceOnEarth]

[benji]

All this comic book malarkey aside… two years ago the Barbie movie made $1.45 Billion. About on par with the first two Avengers movies and considerably more than other comic book movies. Last year Inside Out 2 made $1.7 Billion. Moana 2 made $1 Billion. Wicked made $730 Million.

Looking at movies this year. Jurassic Park 8 or whatever has Scarlett Johansson as the lead. Marvel Suicide Squad has that lady from Liam Neeson’s The Commuter as the lead. There’s a lady John Wick spin off. There’s a Lilo and Stitch movie with real actors. There’s Snow White. I’m done reading upcoming releases because it’s grim. Lotta junk.

Larger point is, any of the doom and gloom over this stuff is just that. Or it’s hyper focused on marvel fanboy shit instead of the wider landscape of popcorn entertainment.

It has to be confined to superhero or MCU shit or the claim would be too absurd for even them to make. Yeah, movie executives are really going to look at Barbie and Titanic and Gone with the Wind and Frozen and Inside Out and the Hallmark Movie Channel and go "movies don't sell to women."

This is aside from how many blockbusters are clearly selling to both genders. Or that no kids movie is selling to "men" except the socially stunted ones on that forum.

I almost even skipped over the obvious. Male leads SELL TO WOMEN.

[Besticus Maximus]

Here me out guys. Maybe women are not interested in Ant Man 4.

[benji]

It's all part of their dumbass shit where they want the stuff they like to be popular with women so they think shoving women into the lead role will make women like their dumbass shit. (And consequently like their dumbass for liking that dumbass shit.) Nah, it's probably just going to convince more men to think they can be the women lead if they believe hard enough instead.

[benji]

Here me out guys. Maybe women are not interested in Ant Man 4.

Duh, that's why it needs to be a Wasp solo film. And all the other characters are her girl friends. And maybe one of them is more than just a friend...

No skin showing though please, we don't want to ruin this franchise for women like DOA.

[Chumbawumbafan69]

Here me out guys. Maybe women are not interested in Ant Man 4.

We knew this already. White women are not allies.

[Boredfrom]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/do-you-think-a-majority-of-people-like-“capitalism”.1112916/

Private Poll

[jooseloose]

I apologize for the wait on this. Here is the official C-word policy update.

[STAFF]Revisions to the moderation of the ban on the word "cunt"
2.18.2025

The word will be banned with no differences based on target or user's gender.
First time will be given a much lighter moderation before proceeding back to more severe ban durations.
Adjustments to the banners. (Durations are guideline starting points).

• User Banned (3 Days): Perpetuating Misogynistic slur; Don't Do It Again.
  
• User Banned (1 Month): Perpetuating Misogynistic Slur; Prior Ban for the Same
  

Additional Considerations & Details

• The primary concern is and always has been the word creating a less comfortable if not hostile environment for some women.
  
• Context in other cultures and countries.
  • Some places have a more normalised usage. However there are still women who feel otherwise from these countries and places.
    
  • It remains our hope that each community is welcoming to members and takes consideration of things that make the community less welcoming.
    
  • Unlike in speech where it is one and done a forum persists longer. Whether users are browsing later, going back to reply to a quote or following a conversation the slur will remain present again and again on the forum.
    
  • In consideration of the above, we felt it fair to give others a less harsh first time offense while reinforcing the desire to curb the word from the forum. We also recognise that it is unlikely their intention to cause discomfort to women reading and have focused the banner to reflect perpetuation of harmful language rather than a banner than felt like being labelled a misogynist.
    
• Recognising usage & patterns on Resetera
  • The primary usage across the site is as a derogatory. Even ignoring the misogynistic lens the word remains one of the harshest in most cultures.
    
  • The usage is primarily towards figures who have done or are planning to/doing something that is of significant harm to others. Eg. Politicians in the UK with policies that directly harm trans people.
    
  • The immediate contention is when users are banned when using this word to express criticism towards bigotry and similar instances. It is evident that there is no intention in these post to harass or otherwise provoke readers using the word and moderating these often feel like tone policing or restricting criticism. However it remains part of what drives the word usage and it doesn't serve to benefit anybody to allow usage that causes unintended friction between different groups on the site.
    
  • One issue we did not foresee is that when users gather to express disagreement on the bans in such instances it further cause friction as it can feel like the concerns of the slur is being dismissed. Seeing many users pushback on it and calling for conditional allowances can feel very much like boys club behaviour further driving some women away from the site. It is however evident that driving women away from the site is ultimately not what any of the users or staff involved want.
    
  • We have dramatically reduced the duration of the first ban to ease the pressure on members venting frustrations at critical issues. We are however serious about the ban otherwise.
    
  • We will also be stricter on this type of meta-commentary in threads where bans take place, if you have constructive feedback you can post in the constructive criticism and discussion thread.
    
  • The best moderation remains as self moderation. We understand your frustrations but blasting someone who will unlikely ever read your comment here is not a reason to make the place unwelcoming to others. If you see a friend post it, tell them to edit it. If its gone by the time a moderator reviews the report we're all good.
    
• Reclamation, affirmation, affection & empowerment
  • We recognise these aspects in different communities and parts of the world. Usage where it is not an insult is incredibly uncommon and has honestly not been an issue for us.
    
  • We won't be banning usage such as "serving cunt" or "cunty" which have their own usage and meanings in the queer communities. Concerns of dog whistling or using these to try and circumvent the ban should still be reported for moderators consideration.
    

[/STAFF]

These embarrassing cunts

They obviously got a lot of pushback over Uzzy's ban which is why they're coming out with this now.

Am I right in saying that their previous rules were females using the word weren't actioned as harshly as a male using it? I remember something daft like that before, and someone asked what about non-binary people using it and it was predictably ignored.

[benji]

Here me out guys. Maybe women are not interested in Ant Man 4.

We knew this already. White women are not allies.

I'm so tired of white libs going "save us again Black women" and then turning around and blaming Black women when The Marvels or Forspoken fails at the box office when it was yts who didn't turn out enough.

[Polident]

Here me out guys. Maybe women are not interested in Ant Man 4.

This is factually incorrect.

[Polident]

It's all part of their dumbass shit where they want the stuff they like to be popular with women so they think shoving women into the lead role will make women like their dumbass shit. (And consequently like their dumbass for liking that dumbass shit.) Nah, it's probably just going to convince more men to think they can be the women lead if they believe hard enough instead.

I recall a conversation with a friend back in college. She played The Sims more than I ever played any single game. Yet she kept denying she played video games. It was weird. Video games are for guys. Halo and Grand Theft Auto are video games. Therefore, she doesn’t play video games…

[Gamegirl Nostalgia]

ugh just.. fuck capitalism, okay? I'm so tired..

[HeavenIsAPlaceOnEarth]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/do-you-think-a-majority-of-people-like-“capitalism”.1112916/

Private Poll

To save everyone a click:

"Those idiots only think they love capitalism because they are dumb and think it's good and don't really understand that it's actually bad. They are dumb ignorant idiots and they fall for propaganda and lies. Not me though, I am very smart so I have a very good understanding of capitalism which is why I know that capitalism is actually very bad and not good at all like those dumb ignorant idiots think. They think that communism is bad and don't realise it is good actually because they have been brainwashed by propaganda and lies. My brain remains unclean. Only rich people like capitalism. Poor people hate capitalism. Some poor people are dumb ignorant idiots that think they love capitalism and don't realise how great communism would be for them. Capitalism has almost finished."

[JoeBoy101]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/do-you-think-a-majority-of-people-like-“capitalism”.1112916/

Private Poll

To save everyone a click:

"Those idiots only think they love capitalism because they are dumb and think it's good and don't really understand that it's actually bad. They are dumb ignorant idiots and they fall for propaganda and lies. Not me though, I am very smart so I have a very good understanding of capitalism which is why I know that capitalism is actually very bad and not good at all like those dumb ignorant idiots think. They think that communism is bad and don't realise it is good actually because they have been brainwashed by propaganda and lies. My brain remains unclean. Only rich people like capitalism. Poor people hate capitalism. Some poor people are dumb ignorant idiots that think they love capitalism and don't realise how great communism would be for them. Capitalism has almost finished."

Do most people like what they think capitalism is?

 Yes Votes: 308 69.7%
 No Votes: 134 30.3%

 Total voters
  442

Every time with their polls.

[Propagandhim]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/do-you-think-a-majority-of-people-like-%E2%80%9Ccapitalism%E2%80%9D.1112916/page-2

My favorite(?) story about this comes from my late father-in-law.

He was an immigrant from Sicily in the late 60s. Grew up on an olive farm, but his dad never let him work it because he wanted his son to leave and make a better life for himself. His mom died young, around the time he turned 18. He moved out shortly after and was a professional waiter all over Central Europe. He spoke Spanish, as well as a little French and German. He also spoke English, mostly very well but with a very heavy and kind of unusual accent. Like, you could probably peg him as Italian of some kind but also a little Spanish, a little French, and a little German, with some British thrown in there too.

Eventually, he and his siblings all came to California. He married my MIL, a child of people from his hometown. Had four kids. That whole story.

When I joined the family in the late aughts, he was a real estate agent living in the IE suburbs. He had recently been effectively forced into early retirement by Pacific Bell, which meant he had to tap into his retirement savings earlier than most people. And if you know anything about real estate in California, you can get by as an immigrant with an accent if you can find the right clientele. But most people want a "normal" person with no accent as their real estate agent.

And folks, my father-in-law was very strange by American standards. Sure, he did the normal weird dad stuff like go to the hardware store to buy an outdoor shed, look at the prices, and decide "I can do it myself for cheaper." But he also did weird foreigner stuff like make an "ice cream sandwich" using two pieces of bread. So, naturally, his clientele was mostly "people who did not speak English." I can only imagine he must have been the weird guy in the office.

This group of clients dried up pretty quickly after the 2007/8 crash. So he had to dig even more into retirement savings while chasing the big money that was surely gonna start coming in every day from his real estate gig, right?

Eventually, they fell behind on payments and defaulted while he was in the middle of receiving cancer treatment after having a grand mal seizure from cancer that had spread to his brain. They managed to sell the house before it was repossessed. But my father-in-law died in bankruptcy.

I don't remember when this happened, but a few months (maybe a little over a year?) before he died, we were all sitting in the jacuzzi in their backyard. Actually, let me stop for a minute.

My wife is a first-generation college graduate. She got her teaching credential and her M.Ed. But around the time she graduated high school, her parents decided to build a pool in the backyard instead of, I dunno, invest money for her education. Not that they had the money to do that. As I already said, the real estate gig did not exactly rescue their retirement plan. But they didn't have money for the pool, either, or the big Italian weddings they threw for their two married daughters. We didn't know how bad it was until it was too late.

Anyway, we were in the jacuzzi, and we asked him, "what did you think life would be like in America?" And while he was sitting in his jacuzzi, sipping a drink with his kids all around him, probably on a random weeknight sometime... he said, "I thought I'd be rich."

That has always stuck with me. It stuck with me when we learned they were gonna lose the house. It stuck with me when he kept going to real estate seminars, because that's how he was gonna finally figure out what he needed to do to get the momentum back. It stuck with me all throughout his cancer treatment. It stuck with me when he started to come out as a Trump supporter while he was trying to sell the house he couldn't afford. It stuck with me when I later learned what their mortgage balance actually was (much lower than you think). It stuck with me when he died in the early part of 2016. It still sticks with me every time I think about him, and when I think about that house which has been flipped 3x since they sold it while his childhood home literally lies in ruins after having its foundation ruined by earth movement.

Materially, my father-in-law had a much better life in America than he could have made for himself on an olive farm, in the family house that is now rubble.

But goddamn did capitalism sell him on an impossible promise that would force him to work until literally the day he died. He made his last sale as a real estate agent hours before passing away in the middle of the night.

What a completely irrelevant, non sequitor, story.  Thanks for contributing.  "Look, these simple, backward immigrants can't compete in the system.  They were tricked.  It's all a ruse."  I mean, I don't even understand what the point of this "favorite(?)" story was... even he admits at the end there's no point because he would've had a worse life anyway?  Why do I waste my time reading some of this shit instead of just AI shit post about Nepenthe 24/7 on here?