Robert M Brown
@rmbrown.mrbadexample.com
Writer of fantasy and alternate history. Dad. Historian-ish (BA). Fueled by caffeine and rage.
Sorry ladies; I'm taken. Dad jokes, not flirting.
Sorry ladies; I'm taken. Dad jokes, not flirting.
I concede that renting out 5-year-olds to rich old weirdos for sexual entertainment purposes would be worse than renting out 15-year-olds, but that does nothing to change how very, very bad renting out 15-year-olds is.
How bad a thing is doesn't change just because you can imagine something worse.
How bad a thing is doesn't change just because you can imagine something worse.
Megyn Kelly: "I know somebody very close to this case…Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile…He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15 year old girls…He wasn't into like 8 year olds…There's a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old."
November 13, 2025 at 10:09 PM
I concede that renting out 5-year-olds to rich old weirdos for sexual entertainment purposes would be worse than renting out 15-year-olds, but that does nothing to change how very, very bad renting out 15-year-olds is.
How bad a thing is doesn't change just because you can imagine something worse.
How bad a thing is doesn't change just because you can imagine something worse.
It looks like we going to be losing the mighty Chaos the Cat soon. My heart is broken.
November 12, 2025 at 4:45 PM
It looks like we going to be losing the mighty Chaos the Cat soon. My heart is broken.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the guns on the western front fell silent, and the world could begin to count the terrible price Europe had paid, and would continue to pay for 27 more years, to make Alsace-Lorraine French again.
November 11, 2025 at 6:19 PM
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 the guns on the western front fell silent, and the world could begin to count the terrible price Europe had paid, and would continue to pay for 27 more years, to make Alsace-Lorraine French again.
Democrats remain the party of McClellan, who fought the Confederates not with the idea of defeating them, but dragging the fight out until both sides were exhausted, then making a compromise peace that preserved slavery.
November 10, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Democrats remain the party of McClellan, who fought the Confederates not with the idea of defeating them, but dragging the fight out until both sides were exhausted, then making a compromise peace that preserved slavery.
'Doomerism' is like prologues. I never see anyone complaining about prologues, only writers complaining about people who don't like prologues.
I never see any doomerism, but I see a lot of people saying they'll block people for spreading it.
I never see any doomerism, but I see a lot of people saying they'll block people for spreading it.
YES THIS. If you are one of the "all is lost" people please feel free not to say so in the comments of my posts, it'll save me the two seconds it takes to "hide for everyone" your comments. All is not lost. All is never lost. I prefer not to have you infecting others with your doomerism in my space.
"This fucking sucks" and "all is lost" are two different sentences.
Don't say the second when you mean the first.
Don't say the second when you mean the first.
October 30, 2025 at 2:31 PM
'Doomerism' is like prologues. I never see anyone complaining about prologues, only writers complaining about people who don't like prologues.
I never see any doomerism, but I see a lot of people saying they'll block people for spreading it.
I never see any doomerism, but I see a lot of people saying they'll block people for spreading it.
I'm with her. I consider even grammar suggestions to be insufferable impertinence on the part of the computer.
"I DON'T NEED YOU TO FUCKING REWRITE WHAT I'VE JUST WRITTEN!"
October 28, 2025 at 2:30 PM
I'm with her. I consider even grammar suggestions to be insufferable impertinence on the part of the computer.
I wonder if there will ever be a study of the role of toxic positivity in the destruction of American democracy.
We know about the role it played in the 2008 financial crisis, but it goes way beyond that.
We know about the role it played in the 2008 financial crisis, but it goes way beyond that.
Doomerism is chickenshit. an embarrassment to every ape that threw a rock at a bear to protect the tribe. if you actually believe this doomer shit what are you posting for? it's chickenshit and i will have no truck with it. you had something better to do with your life than make the world better?
October 27, 2025 at 12:18 AM
I wonder if there will ever be a study of the role of toxic positivity in the destruction of American democracy.
We know about the role it played in the 2008 financial crisis, but it goes way beyond that.
We know about the role it played in the 2008 financial crisis, but it goes way beyond that.
There's a metric fuckton of people right now spouting off about how glorious it would be to die resisting fascism, and attacking anyone who suggests that dying as a first resort might not be a winning strategy.
Death might happen when resisting, but it shouldn't be the _goal_.
Death might happen when resisting, but it shouldn't be the _goal_.
October 24, 2025 at 4:56 AM
There's a metric fuckton of people right now spouting off about how glorious it would be to die resisting fascism, and attacking anyone who suggests that dying as a first resort might not be a winning strategy.
Death might happen when resisting, but it shouldn't be the _goal_.
Death might happen when resisting, but it shouldn't be the _goal_.
My local No Kings protest has a banner for people to sign.
I think they're not very good at this.
I think they're not very good at this.
October 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
My local No Kings protest has a banner for people to sign.
I think they're not very good at this.
I think they're not very good at this.
To expand on this point, a lot of the people who died with Nazi Germany were not Nazis. Probably most of the German-speakers who died were not Nazis.
Only about 1/3 of German voters supported the Nazi Party, and there was a massive ethnic cleansing of German-speakers from eastern Europe.
Just....
Only about 1/3 of German voters supported the Nazi Party, and there was a massive ethnic cleansing of German-speakers from eastern Europe.
Just....
Someone asked what happened to the casual Nazi at the end of WWII. The people who supported the Party
The answer? Suicides and murders. If they weren’t beaten to death or shot in the streets, they killed themselves
There’s a book called Promise Me You’ll Shoot Yourself by Florian Huber about it.
The answer? Suicides and murders. If they weren’t beaten to death or shot in the streets, they killed themselves
There’s a book called Promise Me You’ll Shoot Yourself by Florian Huber about it.
October 16, 2025 at 2:20 PM
To expand on this point, a lot of the people who died with Nazi Germany were not Nazis. Probably most of the German-speakers who died were not Nazis.
Only about 1/3 of German voters supported the Nazi Party, and there was a massive ethnic cleansing of German-speakers from eastern Europe.
Just....
Only about 1/3 of German voters supported the Nazi Party, and there was a massive ethnic cleansing of German-speakers from eastern Europe.
Just....
Why are people pretending to be so attached to the + in Apple TV+?
October 13, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Why are people pretending to be so attached to the + in Apple TV+?
The great irony of Columbus Day is that it started out as a day to recognize immigrants, and their acceptance into American culture. They just chose a really, really bad symbol and the day has become more about Columbus's character than about immigrant acceptance.
October 13, 2025 at 7:21 PM
The great irony of Columbus Day is that it started out as a day to recognize immigrants, and their acceptance into American culture. They just chose a really, really bad symbol and the day has become more about Columbus's character than about immigrant acceptance.
Alas, this is not how we do things anymore, and haven't for decades. Just like formal states of war are a relic of a bygone era. Now people and things just get blown up for a while, then it stops. Then starts again.
why is sentence two in every story not "congress has not authorized the use of military force"
October 2, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Alas, this is not how we do things anymore, and haven't for decades. Just like formal states of war are a relic of a bygone era. Now people and things just get blown up for a while, then it stops. Then starts again.
Some people demand resistance, but don't want to think about what resistance looks like.
October 1, 2025 at 2:08 AM
Some people demand resistance, but don't want to think about what resistance looks like.
Hegseth calling in all the senior brass to fat-shame them might turn out to be the most consequential thing he'll ever do.
September 30, 2025 at 2:13 PM
Hegseth calling in all the senior brass to fat-shame them might turn out to be the most consequential thing he'll ever do.
Wait, so the Gaza peace plan is to make Gaza a US colony?
September 30, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Wait, so the Gaza peace plan is to make Gaza a US colony?
The thing about stochastic terror is that you're never quite sure what kind of violence you're going to get.
September 10, 2025 at 9:15 PM
The thing about stochastic terror is that you're never quite sure what kind of violence you're going to get.
Blocked by so many people for saying that poor rail service in the US is a matter of choice in railway design and operation.
September 1, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Blocked by so many people for saying that poor rail service in the US is a matter of choice in railway design and operation.
This should be part of the high school graduation ceremony. You walk on stage, get your diploma and sword. Face the crowd and raise both in the air. Crowd shouts and stamps approval.
I am a pacifist. I don't believe in violence but I also believe that women should have swords. Like if you are a woman you should be provided a free sword should you want one
August 31, 2025 at 9:03 PM
This should be part of the high school graduation ceremony. You walk on stage, get your diploma and sword. Face the crowd and raise both in the air. Crowd shouts and stamps approval.
They will never be fixed. We know that Democrats won't do anything, because they HAVEN'T. They have yet to lift a finger to undo the damage done by Reagan. We know they won't do anything about fascist crimes, because they didn't.
Just look at Democrats' track record. They do nothing.
Just look at Democrats' track record. They do nothing.
In less than a year we've seen the entire US healthcare system get shot in the face, all of scientific research set on fire, the education system mangled, renewable energy destroyed, trans genocide become legal, etc.
*Each* of these things took a few months to destroy and will take decades to fix.
*Each* of these things took a few months to destroy and will take decades to fix.
August 31, 2025 at 6:51 PM
They will never be fixed. We know that Democrats won't do anything, because they HAVEN'T. They have yet to lift a finger to undo the damage done by Reagan. We know they won't do anything about fascist crimes, because they didn't.
Just look at Democrats' track record. They do nothing.
Just look at Democrats' track record. They do nothing.
One of the most important things to do when moving to a new area is to find a local 'I know a guy' guy. In my experience, they're usually a middle-aged immigrant, and not always male.
my father-in-law is a “I know a guy” Guy. sadly all the old Guys are aging out of the Guy Economy. Guys are fundamentally incompatible with Hustle Culture because it’s not about “winning” a deal, it’s about collecting favors and goodwill in a mutually-beneficial cycle. protect your local Guy Economy
August 30, 2025 at 5:13 PM
One of the most important things to do when moving to a new area is to find a local 'I know a guy' guy. In my experience, they're usually a middle-aged immigrant, and not always male.
We cannot even begin to get out of this until people start to recognize what side the major media companies are on.
Thinking about how the big social media companies got quite good at suppressing ISIS content but when they turned those moderation tools on Neonazis they stopped because "normal" conservative got immediately picked up in the mix too
August 29, 2025 at 12:37 AM
We cannot even begin to get out of this until people start to recognize what side the major media companies are on.
This sort of reply, narrowly viewing fascism as something that only existed in Germany, is often well-meaning, but also part of the problem.
Fascists first came to power in 1922, and were still ruling countries until at least 1975.
Fascists first came to power in 1922, and were still ruling countries until at least 1975.
August 28, 2025 at 10:36 PM
This sort of reply, narrowly viewing fascism as something that only existed in Germany, is often well-meaning, but also part of the problem.
Fascists first came to power in 1922, and were still ruling countries until at least 1975.
Fascists first came to power in 1922, and were still ruling countries until at least 1975.
