adry

I understand it. I have emigrated like your sister, only that my relationship with money is not the standard. Given the terrible inflation, I was used to live without any savings… I was making 500 USD per month, and spending everything. Some (poorer) friends perhaps only liked me because of that. I think it’s not like I was buying their love or anything… just didn’t mind. Tried to be quite stoic/ anarchist about it. But then, that’s me.

The standard (capitalist) way to go about money is that it’s yours as your soul. It’s an essence. You don’t share. Unless when you do a gift (e.g. birthdays)… And, even couples split tabs. Also, the standard (patriarchal) way about money is that Males pay. So your brother in law is just spitting the misery cassette.

We (commentators) can blame all we want on this people. It won’t make OP feel any better.

OP: I think that a difficult talk with your sister and/or brother in law is due. Perhaps even a letter (you can also ask someone else to proofread/ help). Tell them how you feel… That way, they’ll know why you are not visiting so often. If they are really shitty about it and get mad or anything else other than comprehend, then that’s onto them.

PS. Do they have kids? I am an uncle, and my niece is in another country. But thankfully, since I emigrated, I have a not-so-dissimilar salary to my brother so I can plan holidays together… I’m actually looking forward to that. It will be our first.

• The average age seems to be much higher. I joined when I was 16 and feel quite young unlike on other social media.

Enjoy. Less echo bubbles. This goes in both directions, but mainly I value that younger people are able to be part of “mature conversations”. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to underestimate your worldview or anything. It’s just that I’m remembering when I was around your age, the Internet was in a raw form, and it felt much like this. I was amazed to be able to talk with other adults and learn about their tastes on say books or movies when I joined some theme specific chat channel (via protocol IRC). At some point this changed drastically (e.g. Facebook connecting people from real life/ schools)… and I think nowadays TikTok, Insta, and for the most part, even YouTube are just centered around being young, pretty… very much like mainstream TV.

Plus, black holes may do contain universes. This year there was some evidence pointing that our universe is actually trapped inside one… ref: https://futurism.com/universe-trapped-inside-black-hole

Ah, I saw this term in the past. Never understood, I could barely see the relationship to US elections. And, I’m a complete alien to the sophisticated methods billionaires use to sustain their US dictatorship, but it seems to me that this only works because of some “given” stuff like having only 2 parties, and having electorates… Disclaimer: I don’t want to bother that much into understanding this, like going through lengthy articles on the web. But will definitively read your answers (thanks!)

I know… yet,

ducks eating birdseed were, in fact, birds.

(Can I patronize? should be funny to point out that) ackshually, ducks are birds regardless of what they’re eating. Like, at all times. Same happens with Penguins, Ostrich, and… Mmm… other birds! gotcha!! Can’t say the same with Velociraptors :P