Ben Cates
@bencates.bsky.social
Reposted by Ben Cates
The Only Children of White Collar Professional Parents In The 1990s website is uniquely badly-positioned to have good memories or holiday food
November 24, 2025 at 1:35 AM
The Only Children of White Collar Professional Parents In The 1990s website is uniquely badly-positioned to have good memories or holiday food
It's one of those dishes like beef wellington, where most people think it's bad because they've only tried botched versions of it but if you're lucky enough to find someone who can prepare it properly you'll learn it's still not very good.
November 24, 2025 at 1:25 AM
It's one of those dishes like beef wellington, where most people think it's bad because they've only tried botched versions of it but if you're lucky enough to find someone who can prepare it properly you'll learn it's still not very good.
Unfortunately, what they primarily understand the value of compound interest to be is defrauding dwarves.
November 24, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Unfortunately, what they primarily understand the value of compound interest to be is defrauding dwarves.
I've had good hot dish. I was a long way from Minnesota when it happened, but still.
November 24, 2025 at 12:34 AM
I've had good hot dish. I was a long way from Minnesota when it happened, but still.
The culture that gave us a hot dish named "hot dish".
November 23, 2025 at 11:49 PM
The culture that gave us a hot dish named "hot dish".
Not sure what to call the maximally useless corner where you verifiably don't have the problem you're worried about and whatever you're doing clearly wouldn't help even if you did.
November 23, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Not sure what to call the maximally useless corner where you verifiably don't have the problem you're worried about and whatever you're doing clearly wouldn't help even if you did.
Expanding on the original taxonomy, I think there's a 2x2 grid of "is this problem real" and "would this solve it". Legitimate enterprise solves real problems, grifts don't solve your real problem, and cons would solve the problem if you had it, which you don't.
November 23, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Expanding on the original taxonomy, I think there's a 2x2 grid of "is this problem real" and "would this solve it". Legitimate enterprise solves real problems, grifts don't solve your real problem, and cons would solve the problem if you had it, which you don't.
I mean, the canonical example here I think is crime, where the level of political salience is just thoroughly uncoupled from any empirical reality about which neighborhoods are safest or which way the trendlines are moving.
November 23, 2025 at 11:17 PM
I mean, the canonical example here I think is crime, where the level of political salience is just thoroughly uncoupled from any empirical reality about which neighborhoods are safest or which way the trendlines are moving.
I think there's a qualitative difference between "Glonzo is chewing on the power lines, which explains why we keep having rolling blackouts" and "wow, it sure is lucky that nobody I know has had an outage despite the rampant Glonzo-related power line damage".
November 23, 2025 at 10:47 PM
I think there's a qualitative difference between "Glonzo is chewing on the power lines, which explains why we keep having rolling blackouts" and "wow, it sure is lucky that nobody I know has had an outage despite the rampant Glonzo-related power line damage".
Yes, but that's also a nontrivial part of what we mean by "consent of the governed" in a small-r republican system. The powerful themselves are supposed to have an extremely visceral self interest in the peaceful transfer of said power.
November 23, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Yes, but that's also a nontrivial part of what we mean by "consent of the governed" in a small-r republican system. The powerful themselves are supposed to have an extremely visceral self interest in the peaceful transfer of said power.
It's most often true where a corporation is dutifully serving some genuine consumer demand that we would collectively benefit from stymieing. That's a really uncomfortable frame for a left of center person, though.
November 23, 2025 at 9:14 PM
It's most often true where a corporation is dutifully serving some genuine consumer demand that we would collectively benefit from stymieing. That's a really uncomfortable frame for a left of center person, though.
It's kind of the worst possible example because what killed GoT was finally firmly landing on the rails.
Who's gonna end up on the Iron Throne? Somebody we've heard of, because that's how stories work! The fact that it isn't how real history works gives the core conceit a half life.
Who's gonna end up on the Iron Throne? Somebody we've heard of, because that's how stories work! The fact that it isn't how real history works gives the core conceit a half life.
November 23, 2025 at 12:59 AM
It's kind of the worst possible example because what killed GoT was finally firmly landing on the rails.
Who's gonna end up on the Iron Throne? Somebody we've heard of, because that's how stories work! The fact that it isn't how real history works gives the core conceit a half life.
Who's gonna end up on the Iron Throne? Somebody we've heard of, because that's how stories work! The fact that it isn't how real history works gives the core conceit a half life.
And there was generally widespread celebration when he did.
The actual rule is that it's fine as long as you win, and it's been a minute since someone won a handshake this decisively.
The actual rule is that it's fine as long as you win, and it's been a minute since someone won a handshake this decisively.
November 22, 2025 at 9:07 PM
And there was generally widespread celebration when he did.
The actual rule is that it's fine as long as you win, and it's been a minute since someone won a handshake this decisively.
The actual rule is that it's fine as long as you win, and it's been a minute since someone won a handshake this decisively.
I actually started respecting him more as a filmmaker once it clicked that the through line of his work is characters sincerely trying and catastrophically failing at embodying healthy masculinity.
November 22, 2025 at 8:35 PM
I actually started respecting him more as a filmmaker once it clicked that the through line of his work is characters sincerely trying and catastrophically failing at embodying healthy masculinity.
...dammit, now I want a stroopwafel
November 22, 2025 at 8:21 PM
...dammit, now I want a stroopwafel
Yeah, but Thanksgiving sides are generally regrettable too.
November 22, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Yeah, but Thanksgiving sides are generally regrettable too.
An unprecedented act of aggression against an allied nation.
November 22, 2025 at 3:06 PM
An unprecedented act of aggression against an allied nation.
No, that's what it's called. It is served with the pie, though.
November 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
No, that's what it's called. It is served with the pie, though.
It takes a village, apparently.
November 22, 2025 at 2:19 PM
It takes a village, apparently.
Slowly, and then all at once.
November 22, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Slowly, and then all at once.
I don't know if it makes sense to describe what happened today as "good PR". The Fox crowd doesn't seem terribly thrilled about the meeting either.
November 22, 2025 at 1:42 AM
I don't know if it makes sense to describe what happened today as "good PR". The Fox crowd doesn't seem terribly thrilled about the meeting either.
Technically, but the probability distribution clusters around either "horrifying" or "schadenfreude".
November 22, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Technically, but the probability distribution clusters around either "horrifying" or "schadenfreude".
It's been the better part of 20 years and I'm still salty about that one rogue who ganked me nine times in a row while I was just trying to turn in the damn quest and move on with my life.
November 22, 2025 at 12:17 AM
It's been the better part of 20 years and I'm still salty about that one rogue who ganked me nine times in a row while I was just trying to turn in the damn quest and move on with my life.
Generally yes, but the ideal golf game has you believably finishing up two strokes behind the schlub you're trying to convince.
November 21, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Generally yes, but the ideal golf game has you believably finishing up two strokes behind the schlub you're trying to convince.
I'm not sure how to distinguish the desire to be in a personality cult from the appeal of fascist politics more broadly. They're probably not completely synonymous but it's awfully damn close.
November 21, 2025 at 10:11 PM
I'm not sure how to distinguish the desire to be in a personality cult from the appeal of fascist politics more broadly. They're probably not completely synonymous but it's awfully damn close.