u/Wild_Pitch_4781

‘Because no shit I really have to sleep here in a second. So listen — one way to lower the flag to half-mast is just to lower the flag. There's another way though. You can also just raise the pole. You can raise the pole to like twice its original height. You get me? You understand what I mean, Mario?’ (42)

Mario thinks of a steel pole raised to double its designed height and clips his shoulder on the green steel edge of a dumpster… (84)

The page this appears on (84) is double the number of 42. Also 42 is the meaning of life in HGTTG, so this quote is the answer to ‘what is the meaning of life?’ In a way.

I went to page 21 To see if there were any allusions to a flagpole but it was just Erdedy thinking about his new bong and having dry mouth from smoking. But still a really cool find nonetheless!

Hello all, with Infinite Summer 2026 underway, I thought it would only be fitting to follow it up with a Reading group for David Foster Wallace’s posthumous novel, The Pale King. I have dubbed it, ‘The Pale Winter 2026-27’ and will begin on Dec 1st and finish in February with a Christmas break in between. I will make more announcements as we get closer to the date. https://discord.gg/Deewuh7a8

Prevention is the best treatment! Prevention is the best cure to all troubles and ailments! We can abstract this out one level further though. If prevention truly is the best treatment for problem X, then we ought to prevent the possibility of X occurring at all. This is possible through AN! By denying the existence of new children, you prevent the possibility of any problem existing at all. There cant be any problems or pain or suffering because there’s simply no one there to experience it! Why doesn’t humanity follow that mantra? A nice sunset and smile doesn’t offset the brutality of life. Even if your life is cupcakes, your empathy for your brothers and sisters crying out in agony should outweigh your own personal satisfaction. To know your needs are met while the many’s needs are not, should incite rage in you. It’s injustice! Life is injustice! Prevent Injustice by not having kids to experience it!

The reason natalists can’t be converted (or it’s near impossible en masse) is because it is the equivalent of dragging the prisoners outside of plato’s cave to see reality for what it truly is. Our society is one big puppet show and is its own audience curtesy of social media. To wake up and decide to stop feeding the machine triggers alarm bells to the other actors on the stage. The emperor must have clothes on; the actors must continue to believe. Antinatalism goes against the script. It goes against the play. It refuses a perpetuation of the suffering. And it’s much easier for the actors to have the show go on. To continue following the script at all costs. The show must NOT go on.