I’d rather have a professional judge me than some randos who just want to get home quick (but also, some countries have three judges and I think it’s possibly the best way to deal with the problem)

Wait, so the DEA agent essentially scolded you for NOT contributing to the problem and ordered you (well, tried to) to be part of the problem going forward? What a fucking joke. If he wanted you to participate in this super important multi-jurisdiction sting he could’ve contacted you (as he’s clearly capable to do) beforehand. The only way the agency comes out of it not looking like a clown car is if there was no sting and he was an impersonator, with falsified documents and a fake folder, looking to establish a steady drug source. It might have been worth it to report it to his boss, but maybe I’m too European to properly understand all the risks involved in doing so.

Fair. But I’m not sure widespread poverty will do the trick this time. The wealth extraction by the richest is historically unprecedented, but the poorest blame the immigrants instead of revolting. Manipulation of public opinion has become easier than ever before, the same as surveillance. I don’t see the people rising up anytime soon and my neighborhood cashier has to eat this month.

And that’s exactly why I’ll start using self-checkout the day UBI is implemented (and not a day sooner).

No, it’s a problem I hear about the most from my friends and family. There seems to be no reliable brand on the market right now, you might get lucky with your individual appliance but you cannot buy certainty. My own fridge, knock on wood, seems alright for now, but I paid through the nose for a “quality” Miele dishwasher that broke right after warranty.

Right. Find me a quality fridge that will last a decade then.

Bullshit. The pricier products just have more bells and whistles but they too break just after warranty. The times when you could buy quality for the right price are long over.

The lie of free market is in the assumption of perfect knowledge. In order for the free market to work as intended (self regulate), the consumer is supposed to have the perfect knowledge of the product, its internal quality, all available alternatives and their respective prices. In reality, absolutely no consumer can possibly have the necessary breadth of knowledge about each and every product they buy and service they use, so the market winners are the ones with the best marketing and/or lowest prices.

And that is why nothing seems to last anymore.

The fucking McDonald’s case will never cease to haunt the internet.

In civilised countries there are robust laws protecting the customers and oversight agencies doling out fines or even closing down unsafe establishments. In the US, you have to sue the restaurant that caused you disfigurement and disability through their repeated and reported unsafe practices just so you can pay your resulting medical bills, and the internet will forever ridicule you for it.

I’ve been to Frankfurt area this summer and passed by accidents on the highway every couple days or so. They just usually clean them up very quickly.

It’s hard to make a neighborhood accessible if the whole thing was built 500 years ago so I assume tons of places in southern Europe will have problems. Finland, on the other hand, is very accessible and last I checked, still in Europe.

Just a general advice, even when your father writes something completely outlandish, try not to “debunk” it. Instead ask soft, nonconfrontational questions to help him find the truth on his own. Be clear about nonreliable sources, but don’t dwell and always approach with curiosity (“Fox news is not a good source. Have you seen it somewhere else? I’d like to learn more”). The goal is to be seen as a partner. Nobody likes to be lectured, and parents in particular usually reject their children’s attempts to teach them anything.