u/DemotivationalSpeak

I'm incredibly grateful for my family. We're very close, and I've been supported so much by my aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. That being said, I feel like I missed my extended family's best years. On my mom's side, my grandmother was the cornerstone of the family. She brought us all together for holidays, vacations, and get-togethers. I spent my childhood going to Mimi and Papa's house at least once a week, playing in their pool, and doing homework at their dining room table. Mimi was a stubborn woman, and that stubbornness demanded that every Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter be the best it could be. She spoiled all her grandkids but made sure that our grades, our faith, and our behaviour were up to her high standards. She had a stroke when I was 11, and wasn't the same until her death when I was 15.

After she got sick, the family dynamic was never the same. The family didn't get together as much, and we drifted apart a bit. My mom took on the responsibility of caring for her alongside my grandpa, so I was around her a lot while she was sick. I'm blessed to have had those years with her, but the memories of her being sick pushed out the memories of her as she used to be. When she died, I didn't mourn because I had been losing her slowly for years. My dad's side wasn't as close, but they've drifted even further apart since my grandma died when I was 8. I'm very close with a few of my dad's cousins and their kids, but they've fallen out with each other, so those relationships are difficult.

I sometimes imagine what my life would've been like if I were the age of my older cousins. What would it have been like to have my grandma before the stroke through my teenage years? How would my memory of her have been different? Would I be closer to my cousins and second cousins on my dad's side of the family? I'm incredibly lucky to have the family I do, but sometimes I get nostalgic for the family dynamic that I largely missed out on growing up.

TLDR: I have a loving family, but we haven't been as close since my grandma got sick and passed away. My dad's side of the family had some falling-outs, which have strained our relationships with them. I'm greatful for the family I have, but sometimes wonder what life would've been like if I was born earlier.

I was falling asleep last night after taking some NyQuil and started hearing voices as I drifted off. Couldn't make out what they were saying, and I could control when I heard them or not by shifting my perspective. Reminded me of focusing and unfocusing my eyes, but with my hearing. 10/10 experience would do again.

I've heard a ton of takes from my side of the aisle, but I'm curious if this topic is discussed on the left and what y'all's opinions are.

(Edit: Specifically referring to the growing gap between male and female Americans, with men trending right and women trending left in recent years)

Have you noticed that Disney adults are almost always millennials? There's a very specific reason for that. Disney reached its cultural peak in the 90's with their streak of animated blockbusters. Millennials born from the late 80's through the 90's grew up on these films, and visited the parks while they were still priced for middle-class families. They then grew up and entered the workforce right after the recession, as the cost of living was skyrocketing, leaving wage growth in the dust. With supporting a family or buying a home largely out of the question for many young people, experiences became the focus of any disposable income. As these "Disney adults" became a larger section of their customer base, the company capitalized on the far greater spending power of adults who didn't need to pay for their kids.

While this was happening, the following generations were growing up with YouTube instead of Disney movies. My brother and I loved Disney as kids, but when we got iPads in elementary school, we stopped watching movies as often. Our childhoods were defined by Minecraft, Roblox, DanTDM, and Fortnite instead of Simba and Lightning McQueen. No one corporation can capitalize on our childhood nostalgia. With Gen-Z and Gen Alpha children not as interested in Disney, the millenial disney adults are left as an even larger percentage of Disney Park visitors, pushing prices even higher.

In 20 years, the same people will be visiting Disney even more, with increased disposable income, and less competition with children and their families. The customer base will eventually shrink as Disney adults start families of their own and get priced out. With new generations of kids growing up without the Disney obsession, and millenial disney adults moving on, maybe we'll see Disney parks bring their prices down eventually, but I don't expect this to happen anytime soon. My point is that the "Disney Adult" phenomenon is the result of very specific demographic and economic factors, and tells a story of a generation that grew up with conditions that they can't achieve themselves.

(I broke this up into paragraphs. Happy?)

Could UI’s become drug addicted? I’d assume that UI’s, if their brains are uploaded with their original structure intact, would need to simulate neurotransmitters given that they’re essential for brains to function. Control over the levels of these digital neurotransmitters could also be very useful. On the other hand, who’s to say that drugs couldn’t be simulated as well? I imagine UI’s jacking dopamine levels for amphetamine or opioid-like effects, or mimicking the effects of alcohol or THC, maybe even hallucinogens like LSD or DMT. Could addictions manifest the same way in UI’s as they do in humans today? I wonder how a hypothetical government would regulate this, or if they even could.