Basically what I said. Hair metal was as silly and theatrical as it was true genuine rock. It had tons of skill, theatrics, the culture. It had phenomenal songs too and some amazing artists. It carried on from the 70s with amazing rock. Then when grunge came along, it ruined music. It ended true rock forcing it into a less mainstream genre, and ever since then music has suffered. Ultimately I feel hair metal is way more listenable too. Grunge is frequently very slow and sad whereas hair metal is more about love, partying and good times. Grunge also imploded much faster than hair metal, and lead to some truly terrible artists in my opinion such as linkin park, blink 182, nickelback. As much as I dislike those artists, after than rock was simply pushed out of mainstream.

Edit: Yes, I set my post history to private. Because some people started to look for my posts on other subreddits I frequent and insulted me there. Personally I don't care about getting insulted myself. But I do care about people bringing toxicity to unrelated communities.

Posting from my gooning account, because apparently that's who I really am.

A couple month ago, I got tasked with training a new apprentice at work. A 19 year old woman fresh out of school. I am 43. I trained a lot of apprentices over the years, but due to our profession being very male-centric it was the first woman in quite a while.

It seemed like we hit it off great. She is super extroverted and fun to have around. We had some great conversations during breaks and shared personal stories with each other. It felt like we got along great. We had some company-mandated formal feedback meetings where we both had nothing but praise for each other.

A couple weeks later, she requested to be transferred to a different department. She told me it had nothing to do with me or the work I gave her, but she just felt like that department was a better fit for her. So I didn't think much of it.

But today I heard from my boss that there was also a different reason why she requested that transfer: She said she didn't feel comfortable around me anymore. There was an after work event where we both participated. And apparently I made a couple comments there that made her feel creeped out.

At that time I didn't think much of it. We seemed to get along so well and she seemed like someone who could take a bit of adult humor. She didn't even seem to react much to it. And her behavior towards me didn't seemed to change at all after that.

But it seems like I misjudged that. In retrospective I have to admit that I might have pushed boundaries too far. I was her de-facto superior and I had some say in whether or not she would stay with us or not. Which put me in a position of power over her. But nevertheless I became what I swore not to be: A creepy, old man who makes young women around them uncomfortable with his behavior and pushes them out of careers they wanted to pursue.

In my youth, I went through a sexist phase. I was quite a jerk towards women during that time. And nowadays I hate myself for that. I thought I had grown beyond that. But apparently I haven't. Seems like I still need to do some work on myself.

___________

The alarmists will probably now want to tell me to lawyer up and never talk to anyone without supervision. Don't worry: my career is going to survive this. I have seen people around me get away with way worse things.

The manaosphere faction will probably now tell me that she is a calculating bitch who threw me under the bus to get a better job. No, she certainly is not. Don't victim-blame. The only one to blame here is me.

__________

Dinner: Vegan chili with marinated tofu dice.

My tofu marinade:

• 3 parts soy sauce
• 1 part balsamic vinegar
• 1 part olive oil
• MSG
• corn starch

People died during these, and we're just making jokes about it? That's not right.

i get that this could be a popular opinion but Some People (DO NOT HARASS ANYONE.) do still make these jokes so who knows.

By making these jokes we are essentially playing down these very serious events.

Title. The same tired talking points are all over the feed. "Trans people are bad!", "blackface isn't that big of a deal if I didn't mean it", "who else loves slurs??", "liberals and conservatives are the same", and so on. Same trash we've been dealing with since 2016. Where are the mods? Sipping on some white russians perhaps? Or are they getting dinner with Joe Rogan and Peter Thiel?

Edit: so the mods do exist. To all the conservatives complaining about this post - hot takes are supposed to be provocative. Thanks for the endorsement.

The left can be just as toxic as the right, but they often show it in different ways. The right can judge people for being different, discriminate against minorities, blame immigrants for society’s problems, or try to force everyone to follow traditional values. The left can call people racist or sexist simply for disagreeing with them, try to ruin someone’s reputation over a mistake or an unpopular opinion, or act as if they are morally superior to everyone else. For example, someone on the right might refuse to listen to concerns about discrimination, while someone on the left might refuse to listen to concerns about immigration because they automatically assume the person is racist. Both sides can demand freedom of speech but oppose it when someone says something they dislike. Both can defend a political leader even when that person lies or behaves badly, simply because they belong to their side. The biggest problem is hypocrisy: when people criticize the other side for behaviour they excuse in themselves. Some people on the right believe they are protecting their country, traditions, and values, while some people on the left believe they are fighting for equality, fairness, and justice. But when people become convinced that their side is always right, they can start treating everyone who disagrees with them as stupid, evil, or ignorant. The truth is that neither the left nor the right has a monopoly on good intentions, bad behaviour, or hypocrisy. Both sides have reasonable people and extremists. The real problem begins when political beliefs become more important than honesty, respect, and the ability to think critically. You should be able to question both sides without being labelled or attacked, because no political side should be above criticism.

Hi everyone,

I’m raising this here because I’d like to finally have a genuine discussion—no dodging. Whenever the ties between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein come up, the responses from his supporters are always the same: either a barrage of insults intended to shut down the conversation, or that well-worn, repetitive line: "Just because someone appears in the records doesn't mean they’re guilty."

Sorry, but to me, that argument doesn't hold water. Trump is among those who appear most frequently within Epstein’s inner circle—shared flights, parties at Mar-a-Lago, and public declarations of friendship. In my view, denying the gravity of these connections is pure hypocrisy.

And that’s not all. Beyond Epstein, how can you condone—or turn a blind eye to—his overall behavior? Let me remind you of what Trump himself admitted—in his own words—during an interview with Howard Stern on April 11, 2005, regarding the backstage area at the Miss Teen USA pageant (where the girls were between 14 and 16 years old):

Here is a direct account from Donald Trump himself, recorded during an interview with Howard Stern on April 11, 2005: "I’ll tell you the funniest thing. I go backstage before a Miss Teen USA pageant, and everyone is getting dressed and ready—there isn’t a man in sight. And I’m allowed to go in because I own the pageant and I’m inspecting it. You know, I’m inspecting. The girls (aged 14–16) are there, naked. And you see these beautiful women (teenagers)—well, I get away with things like that."

Personally, I find this absolutely indefensible and sickening. We are talking about underage teenage girls.

So, I’ll ask you directly, without any filter: how, in practical terms, do you manage to keep defending him on this? What is your factual counter-argument to his own statements and his history with Epstein?

No insults, no nonsensical conspiracy theories, and please—spare me the "he hasn't been convicted" line. Give me your actual, substantive arguments, if you have any.

I get what people mean, but it literally doesn’t work like that. You are not vegan if you still eat cheese, or milk, or have animal products “sometimes” Everyone makes mistakes as a vegan, and obviously, if you accidentally consume a dairy or meat product, then it’s ok and I truly think it’s all about intention. BUT, it is NOT veganism to still consume the cold foam on your coffee, or eat cheese and eat eggs from your neighbors chickens. This whole trend of being vegan except cutting out a certain thing, literally defeats the whole purpose of vegans and spreads misinformation.

This is a follow-up to my earlier post here: https://www.reddit.com/r/IndianHomeDecor/s/nQOx1VsIzS

where I had posted my primary setup in Hyderabad where I work, however, when I visited my parents in my hometown, I felt the need for a monitor there. As such, I decided to make a setup there, but I needed my setup to be aesthetic but it had to be on a budget. After doing some digging this is what I came up with and here in this guide, I will share some tips for people who want to make an aesthetic setup on a budget within 25k and not just that - this would include everything from table and chair to decor items and lighting, everything apart from the laptop.

The one that I have posted here is my own setup that I have built in my hometown all within a budget of 30k.

Essentials:

• Table 6k to 11k: There are multiple budget options here. The one that I use is this standing table from Lukzer. I bought this for 10.6k during the sale in August. Other options would be get a desk underframe from Amazon - try out these furniture legs from Amazon and get a plywood tabletop from your local furniture shop. This would cost you around 6k. You can also try out Ikea stuff but I feel those aren't really durable. No matter the kind of desk you choose, make sure it's simple without any shelves or drawers so that you can use clamp mounts for accessories to save up desk space later. Also, make sure that your desk top is atleast 120 cm wide and 60 cm deep. Anything less than that would feel cramped. Mine is 120 cm by 60cm.
• Chair 4k to 10k: Chairs are expensive to be honest. I use Green Soul Zodiac Lite Ergonomic Chair (5.6k) but there are other options such as Wakefit Gravita Pro (my recommendation and my Hyderabad setup) and Astride Ergonomic Chair. All these would come in around 5 to 7k. If you can afford, please go ahead with something having an integrated footrest and multi-lock mechanism for tilt, but apart from these, I think even for a basic chair, look for lumbar support and optimum curvature and alignment with the backbone.
• Monitor and Monitor Arm (10k + 3k) : I think there are few options here but I bought this Acer monitor here for 10.2k and I am not aware of anything else that provides similar value for this price. Along with the monitor, I think a gas spring monitor arm is mandatory for better ergonomics and saving up the valuable desk space and there's also a few options here - this Jin Office Monitor Arm (the one I used here), Dyazo Monitor arm, FlowLyf Monitor Arm.
• Mechanical Keyboard (3k to 7k): Here, I would suggest to go with Linear switches and hot-swappable gasket mounted keyboards. I use Kreo Hive 75 (for 2.5k) here but I would highly recommend going with the Aula F75 if you can stretch the budget a little bit (6k).
• Mouse (2.5k): At the moment, there's only one good option in budget. I use Amkette XS Flow Plus which I bought at 2.1k. I use MX Master 2s in Hyderabad but that would be too expensive and would exceed the budget.

Good-to-have:

• Vertical Stand (1k): I am more of a minimalist guy and like to use a single screen setup, as such, I always keep my laptops on a Vertical Stand in clamshell mode. I use this stand (1k), which saves up my desk space a lot.
• Docking Station (5k to 10k): I hate fucking cables. Cables are like a girl's body count - you can't eliminate them but you can do your best to hide them. Go with Ugreen here - I use Revodok Pro 209 in Hyderabad (9k) and Revodok Pro 207 (4k) in my hometown. You can connect all the cables to the docking station and simply connect your laptop through a simple Type C Cable that would run the whole system. For my setup, I simply stuck my docking station under the table top with double sided tape.
• Cable Management (1k): Just get wire tray, and an extension board where you can connect all the power outlets. If you are good with electricals you can make one yourself for 200 Rs. As for the cable management itself, get a packet of zip ties and use those to tie everything up.
• Lighting (2k): Lighting should be continuous and layered. Use warm lights where applicable to have a cozy vibe. I use this Crosscut Floor Lamp (1k) for ambience and this flexible spring doctor lamp (1k) for task lighting and reducing glare. If you have some money to spare, you can go with a few LED strips here to create an ambience but you should think about it only when the setup is complete.
• Plants (1 to 2k): Use your creativity here, man. Go to your local nursery and get some fresh green plants. For hanging plants and stuff that is near electronics, go with artificial plants.
• A bookshelf or rack (3 to 4k): I use this Metal Rack that I spray painted all black and hung a few plants and keep a few books that I read and a few meshed boxes to keep stuff.

Remember I made my setup as per my preferences and personality. Your space should reflect who you are. So, just take what I said as simply suggestions from an online friend and not strict guidelines. But do try to make it as beautiful as you can.

Life is short, absurd, and entirely too chaotic to spend your waking hours staring at an ugly corner.

Edit: It's so satisfying to look at people taking the rage bait.

These are all my expectations in marriage.

1) After marriage we can move to an independent house where we can live separately from our parents but on sundays I'll stay with my parents and she can also stay with her parents for a day.

2) I don't and won't infer with your office issues or your salary but both should work. I won't interfere in your office personals until you want to discuss with me and I expect the same from your side.

3) Half of our salaries should be used for our household expenses and I won't ask for her salary for my own expenses. Likewise I expect the same from her.

4) My bank account details will be private with me always

5) I won't touch her phone and she shouldn't touch my phone either.

7) I won't interrupt her while she is on a call with her friends and I expect the same.

8) I won't ask her where she goes and what she does. I expect her also to not ask me about my things

9) S*x can be mutual but if I say no, it's a no. But I won't approach her in the first hand. Having s*\*x can be discussed before a day. Protection is a must, until I feel n u feel comfortable with our future.

10) Trust should be mutual and I won't examine what she does and where she goes. I also expect the same.

11) no relatives or friends should come to our home either from my side or hers.

12) If there is an emergency only then she can call me. The rest of the time is just a simple text. I follow the same too.

13) I can generally cook for myself so I'll prepare my own breakfast, lunch and dinner. She can cook for herself and I won't ask anything.

14) Maintaining the house should both of us duty. In alternative days

15) I won't help her in case of her casual expenses and I don't need a single rupee in return.

They all got Ragebaited 😂😂😂.... They wanted conditions only from their side.

All Battle Royale rewards should be available to unlock through multiplayer challenges.

Edit: Not to mention the character skins, which I personally missed out on because I didn't have a team to play BR.

I just want to be clear, this is not intended to be a dig a gay people, because I can already imagine what some of the comments will be like. It's okay to be gay. 🏳️‍🌈

A quarterly profit of just €115 million marks one of the worst quarters in the German giant's history, with factory closures and 35,000 job cuts now on the table.

Volkswagen Group reported operating profit of €115 million in the fourth quarter of 2024. The same quarter a year earlier delivered €6.3 billion. That is not a difficult period or a challenging environment. That is a 99% collapse.

The numbers land badly because they confirm what the factory closure announcements and union battles already suggested. This is not cyclical. A €3.5 billion impairment charge on the group's stake in Porsche AG drove much of the damage, but stripping that out still leaves a business in serious trouble. Full-year operating profit for 2024 came in at €9.1 billion, down 60% from €22.6 billion the year before. Operating return on sales fell from 7.0% to 2.8%. The Volkswagen brand itself posted an outright loss. How the wider European industry is faring in electric markets: European Car Giants Hemorrhaging $50 Billion as Electric SUV Plans Collapse

Revenues stayed flat at €322.3 billion, which sounds stable until you notice vehicle deliveries fell 1.4% to 9.0 million units. Flat revenue on falling volume means price cuts or unfavourable mix or both. Net cash flow in the automotive division collapsed from €13.2 billion to €500 million. That is not investment in the future. That is barely covering the present.

The Porsche writedown matters because it demolishes what was supposed to be the group's premium anchor. Porsche AG went public in 2022 in one of Europe's largest IPOs, pitched as a high-margin, high-growth counterbalance to the mass-market struggle. The market capitalisation has since declined sharply enough that Volkswagen had to take a €3.5 billion hit on its stake. Investors are not buying the story anymore.

CEO Oliver Blume called 2024 "one of the most challenging years in our company's history." CFO Arno Antlitz was more direct, stating the results show "the urgency of our transformation." Both statements are accurate and both avoid saying what the numbers already show, which is that the transformation is not happening fast enough to prevent a crisis.

Got a motors question? Ask Mike anything | Buying advice, fault diagnosis, what something's worth. He's the bloke that's read everything.

China is the immediate problem. Sales there fell 10% in 2024 as domestic manufacturers, particularly BYD and others, took volume and margin with cheaper electric vehicles and aggressive pricing. European brands still have premium positioning in theory, but that theory assumes Chinese buyers care enough about legacy brand equity to pay the premium. Many do not.

The electric vehicle transition is expensive and slow and cannibalising residual profit from combustion models without replacing it yet. Investment in battery production, platform development, software integration, and charging partnerships all come with long payback periods. Those payback periods assume steady demand and stable pricing. Neither assumption is holding.

Volkswagen has announced it will close at least three factories in Germany. These would be the first domestic plant closures in the company's 87-year history. That precedent matters in a business where union agreements and political pressure have historically made German factory closures almost impossible. The company also confirmed 35,000 job cuts globally. Unions are fighting both moves, but the financials make clear that management no longer has room to negotiate away restructuring.

This is not unique to Volkswagen. Stellantis reported profits down 40% in 2024 due to inventory problems and weak North American demand. Nissan announced 9,000 job cuts in November 2024 amid a 90% profit decline. BMW issued a profit warning in September with operating margin falling to 6.5% from double digits. The pattern is consistent across legacy manufacturers facing the same combination of EV transition costs, Chinese competition, and weakening demand in core markets.

What makes Volkswagen's situation worse is the scale. It is Europe's largest automaker and one of the largest employers in Germany. The factory closures and job cuts will ripple through suppliers, regional economies, and political debates about industrial policy. If Volkswagen cannot manage the transition, the template for how European manufacturers survive this decade becomes much harder to see.

The €115 million quarterly profit works out to roughly 0.04% of revenue. That is not a business making money. That is a business avoiding a loss.

Sources: Volkswagen Group Q4 2024 financial results, company statements from Oliver Blume and Arno Antlitz

One thing I've always appreciated about WoW Forever is how Blizzard updated the player character models while still giving players the option to keep the original look if they prefer it.

I'd love to see the same philosophy applied to more environmental assets that already exist in Retail.

Many classic zones have an incredible atmosphere and iconic art direction, but some models and textures are clearly showing their age. Retail already contains higher-resolution versions of many trees, rocks, props, buildings, foliage, and other world assets that preserve the original aesthetic while offering much better visual quality.

Ideally, this could be implemented as an optional HD graphics mode, just like the character model update was. Players who want the authentic 2004 experience could keep the original assets, while those who enjoy vanilla gameplay but prefer more modern visuals could enable the updated models and textures.

Since many of these assets already exist in Retail, it feels like a relatively efficient way to improve visual fidelity without fundamentally altering the Forever experience.

Would anyone else like to see this as an optional feature?

If Obama had have filled his pockets with expensive items he found in the white house, if he had have ordered KFC deliveries, if he had have invited his homies over every night and turned the white house into a crack den, this would have confirmed the conservative prejudice. We probably wouldn’t have had to put up with a decade of Trump’s corruption and incompetence as a result. But he didn’t do this; he was the best president America has had in the modern era. He showed the “family values” party what family values truly means by having a loving wife of over 30 years and two beautiful college educated daughters. Obama showed the world the true nature of American conservatives and what a bunch of scumbags, hypocrites and liars they are. And they hated him for it. They hated him so much that they championed the most loathsome, the most despicable, the worst human in existence out of spite. My question is, will conservatives ever recover from the damage Obama did to them by simply being a decent human being?

Edit: a lot of cope in the comments lmao

just took what some of you were saying before and expanded on it.

From what I've ever seen or known, women don't actually appreciate how beautiful a naked man is.

For most women, it's all about them and how they feel and whether someone makes them feel like a pretty little princess.

Women don't adequately appreciate how beautiful a naked man is. And definitely not compared to gay men.

Gay men just appreciate men much more, don't we?