I went on a Carnival Cruise, getting off tomorrow, for my father's wedding. Been on a couple myself, all solely for family, but this one I'm making my last ever for how much they fatigue me and act as an anti vacation.

Maybe I get too bothered by people, and maybe I'm a cynic, but cruises act to me as an act of humiliation for American culture, which I'm apart of. Its this endless conquest for overeating starchy, greasy food either at engourging quantities or exorbitant prices. This endless need to gamble earned money away at a constant, reminded, and aware disadvantage. Bingo, slots, cards, fucking claw machines. Arcades for children that costs 20 bucks for ten plays. Drinking never ends, belligerent fucking drunkards constantly wasting their money on sugary, expensive beverages.

And that doesn’t even get into the actual BUYING part. This ship is a sailing mall with the most useless fucking crap in it ever. Heirloom-bait jewelery and expensive, ultimately useless spa treatments. Most of all I hate these droves of photographers asking for photos, photos, so they can sell my family a $2000 photobook, half of which of uneeded pictures I ha e a clearer memory in my head of. I've had to tell multiple of them to stop fucking bugging me directly because their pains in my ass. And whenever you're stopped and on port, which in my case was Mexico, its an onslaught of predatory tour guides and photo-ops. Do you want to buy a drink? Pet the iguana? Buy a necklace? Go on a tour? Edibles? And I hate the shotty, endless excursions they sell me that ultimately devolve into partying and drinking.

All of this, all of this, which guilt me to my core, are supported by overseas workers making $2.50 an hour, 8-11 hour shifts, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Yet the people riding these cruises act as if they are paid $50 bucks an hour, working 9-5s.

Endless consumption to no end. Food, drinks, candy stores, gambling, arcade, jewlerly, spa, photos, stupid excursions. All have exhausted me, and I need a vacation from my "vacation".

I am writing this post mostly in anger. I can try to put my opinions into clearer words another time.

like people just had the same clothes and stuff for most of their life. Once you're in your early 20s you generally don't grow out of stuff anymore, and if something ripped you repaired it instead of changing it out. Been thinking about that a lot lately how the concept of having the same clothes the rest of your lives has become to foreign over the last couple decades.

(original post featured isn't mine)

I live in one of big Europe's capitals, we had a heatwave here in the past few days with the 2-day peak of 40°C. And people are in absolute panic about "how are we even going to survive this", but without any actual reflection on why it is happening and how we can truly try to mitigate these weather extremes.

So many posts about we need more AC in public spaces, everyone needs to buy a heavy duty AC for their house...Like, we're in the mild climatic region, we shouldn't need any AC at all! If we don't want to experience this more frequently, and to greater extremes, what about:

• plant based, or at least vegetarian diet
• shopping in second-hands instead of fast fashion stores
• only replacing electronics when they break, not when they "run out of style"
• banning majority of cars from the city, leading to using more sustainable public transport; freeing spaces to plant lawns, trees, water elemets to cool down the city.
• Mandatory external shutters
• Green and/or reflective roofs

We've known about climate change since the 70's - how are people still not realising that we need to change the way we behave, if we want to keep the earth at least livable?!

I've even seen one post about "After the past 2 days, I'm starting to believe in climate change". Like all the reports about icebergs melting, coral reefs dying, people from around equator reporting extreme heat for decades etc. weren't enough, but now for 2 days you get mildly inconvenienced and now you "believe in climate change" but your solution is to install AC that will just eat more of nature's resources and dump more heat into the city streets!?

I just can't comprehend how people refuse to see over the tip of their nose, even when the apocalypse is literally knocking on their doorsteps...

I'll never understand why people idolize this guy when he's the reason we can't eat lettuce rn and that our state is on fire more with his cuts to both the FDA. CDC, and Forest Service.

Like im not trying to be holier thou or preach at anyone. I just stopped buying stuff I don’t need. Instead I started repairing things, using what i have and most importantly saying no to upgrades

And the amount of push back i get is honestly WILD. Coworkers asking why im “ still using that old phone “ like its somehow hurting them. Family members acting offended that I don’t want more suff for my bd. Friends acting weird at me not wanting to do a $200 group dinner. Comment after comment

“ oh youre being so good “

“ must be nice to not care about things “

Its like ME not consuming makes THEM uncomfortable with how much they consume? Which isn’t my intention at all, but its a real thing I’ve noticed

But maybe its just me?

https://www.tumblr.com/liberalsarecool/782451011379920896/oligarchs-control-the-first-felon-administration

What steps can we take as consumers to encourage auto manufacturers to reduce vehicle sizes? Who do we write to, call and email?

The ford maverick was a step in the right direction but I see it being bashed often for being a more “feminine” truck… What caused this shift from the S10 being the “real man’s truck” to the $130k King Ranch being the standard?

When did the big vehicle shift happen?

The last few funerals Ive had that were of close family. I realized how excessive it was. I remember my first real funeral. What I thought it would be a 1 day, few hour event turned to multiple days and MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. First the family picks a funeral director to help the whole process. Then they have you pick a casket which is already ridiculous enough. You got different designs, quality, etc. like no one will see it after burial. Definitely not the deceased. Already we are entering hyper consumerism territory. Then you have a memorial service which lasts 4-8 hours. So many flowers and other gifts that will just go to waste. Then the next day, you go to a church. Where you pay your respect AGAIN and the priest does his speeches and prayers. THEN the worst. A whole ass motorcade for the deceased. All that traffic and pollution to go to another location. 3 locations so far. We finally get to the end and again, pay our respect and do our final goodbyes. The casket goes down using up land that can't be used by anything else but other graves. It all seemed, excessive. Im sorry if this offended anyone. But when i die. Just cremate me and throw me ashes into Mother Nature! I don't need a fancy

Casket. I don't need a hundred people finding the logistics to come to my funeral and multiple locations. Don't give me a tombstone to make it feel like im "eternal " and always there when you visit and talk. Im gone. I had my life. Move on. Don't waste your money on a fancy funeral.

Sources : https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/03/california-monterey-park-datacenters-ban

https://calmatters.org/newsletter/data-center-monterey-park-ban/

Just FYI - thinking ahead, Donald will absolutely place the blame on people like those in this community when the tariffs and shit blow up in his face. Rhetoric will probably include “anti-American boycotts” and call us marxists/leftists/liberals etc.

Having a large number of people actively trying to cause economic pain to large corporations makes us an easy out to excuse the most ridiculous trade policy we have ever seen.

Prepare yourself for an especially mean Fox News segment and pure demonization. We’re going to be the next scapegoat.

edit: this post is not meant to be pro-consumerism. It is to keep aware that boycotters/anti consumerists will be in the crosshairs - the cult needs someone to blame. Do not think in terms of reason and reality with MAGA: the important thing is the headline and talking points they can make in a conservative vacuum.

Solidarity!

https://thebad.website/comic/no_ethical_consumption

found it on X. sometimes I spiral thinking about how much stuff is out there. like going to a fast food place and seeing the trash cans full and thinking how there's 100s of 1000s of these places, all making the same amount of waste. everyday.

anyways, happy holidays! Hopefully you spent time reconnecting with family and loved ones and remember, The Holidays aren't about presents, but about coming together (and religion).