Authored by Charles Hugh Smith via OfTwoMinds blog,
OK, now I get it. Take a couple tabs of Euphorestra and Hopium, and stick to talking about making money in the market. Greed won't offend anyone.
So I started to tell my buddy about my new screenplay idea: "There's a global pandemic, and when they rush a bunch of vaccines to market, then...."
"Stop right there--even talking about vaccines will get you renditioned to a hellhole in one of the 'stans."
"But it's just fiction."
"You can argue with your guard in the hellhole, just before they haul you off to be waterboarded."
"Jeez, has everything really gotten that crazy? OK, never mind. Anyway, I'm working on a little nostalgic story about the good old days when we plinked cans with our .22 rifles..."
"Don't mention guns. Doesn't matter who you talk to, somebody will get upset."
"But this was in the mountains, nobody around, just single-shot .22s."
"Doesn't matter. You'll lose friends or make new enemies just mentioning guns. Forget it."
"OK, if you say so. Hey, did you read about that proposal for the Supreme Court?"
"Are you trying to get people to hate on you? Never bring up politics and the Supreme Court, it's a sewage sandwich. Whatever you say will unleash hell."
"Dang, is it really so insane out there? I think you're getting psycho-paranoid."
"Don't ever joke about anything related to mental illness. That's super-taboo."
"Anyways, I was reading an article about cryptos and energy consumption, and--"
"Never bring up cryptos except privately, it's like a religious war. You'll get burned at the stake one way or...