Fresh basil absolutely counts. I love margherita, but the thing with margherita is that you need an amazing crust for it to be a good pizza. That’s not really a surprise at all, but even a terrible crust can be redeemed with a mountain of good toppings.
And my statement is not about gatekeeping a pizza, in fact quite the opposite. Pizza is such a low bar that, yes, even Chuck E. Cheese’s pizza is better than no pizza. Great pizzas will have great crust and a wise combination of toppings, but a good pizza can be a mediocre crust with a kitchen sink on top. That’s basically what I order at MOD pizza everytime I go; just put everything on there, chief.
the rejection of games in liberal democratic culture
The fucking what? I’m sorry but in my experience playing video games since literally before I could read (Pokemon Yellow was a real struggle for me) the only people who have discouraged my passion for it are the conservative fucking boomers, and absolutely no one else.
The older I get the more gaming has become a legitimate hobby, accepted by more and more people. Older generations have accepted it as a much slower pace, but it’s still happening. The victimhood that these incels perceive is entirely self-imposed.
If you haven’t heard this vocal cover, the lyrics AND the vocals go fucking hard
It’s not a bass drop in the strictest sense but FUCK dude “Stone” by Mammoth WVH has a sludgy fucking breakdown with some of the most epic dramatic pauses in all of music and I can’t get enough of it
I was raised protestant Christian.
I would say what I believe now is heavily influenced by that, but also heavily influenced by how clearly the focus that evangelical Christians put on the idea “God needs to be feared more than They need to be followed” has fucked up so much of the world. Fearing someone at the cost of spreading their message is nonsensical, idiotic, hypocritical, and toxic to human society.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ rarely answered direct questions with direct answers; most of the time his answers came in the form of a story or a parable explaining one possible answer to the question given one possible context, implying that humans are encouraged to use their judgment to figure out how best to approach a situation. Imagine that. An all-powerful creator who granted intelligence like Their own to Their creation and actually wanting that intelligence to be exercised.
One of the most notable instances where Jesus answered a direct question with a direct answer is Mark 12:28-31:
“Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
In no uncertain terms, love is the most important commandment. Furthermore, Jesus equates loving your neighbor to loving God in Matthew chapter 25. It’s not evangelism, it’s not religious authoritarianism. It’s not indoctrination. It’s love.
I believe this world was created by an omniscient Creator who wanted humanity to use the intelligence granted to us to freely develop a society centered around love.
I’d argue you should watch A New Hope because it was groundbreaking at the time, Empire Strikes Back because it’s amazing by any standard, and Return of the Jedi only if you crave resolution. Then watch Rogue One because it’s borderline better than Empire Strikes Back.
There’s only 2 good Star Wars movies that are good by the standards of modern cinema.