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1000 results for “hopeless”
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I have to return to an article I published two weeks ago: “Why Even Try? A European Answer to Digital Pessimism“, because it turns out the problem may be deeper than I thought. Do we really believe this little in ourselves? Where does this deep-seated defeatism come from?
I’ve said it before: when I talk about the idea of European digital autonomy, I don’t do so naively. The nature of an idea is that it detaches from current limitations and dares to propose a direction. It might never be fully realized, but it offers guidance. If we start from a place of disbelief, we end up with nihilism.
I was glad to see that the TLDR News EU YouTube channel recently published a video asking whether Europe needs its own social media platforms. But I was disheartened to see that the main argument for it was the EU’s ability to better control content and thus counter foreign influence, like Elon Musk’s political meddling via X (formerly Twitter).
To me, that’s missing the point entirely. We don’t need European alternatives so the EU can control them. We need them so no one can. Platforms aligned with European values should be resilient against both corporate and political dominance. Their virality shouldn’t be driven by profit-maximizing algorithms but by human sharing—one follower at a time. Mastodon and the Fediverse show this is already feasible, even if imperfect.
Yes, such platforms may not thrive under traditional business models—but isn’t that a feature, not a bug? One of our core European values is that not everything should be subject to market forces.
The TLDR video also lists the usual difficulties: network effects, lower quality of European tech, fragmentation. They question whether EU algorithms might also generate echo chambers. But this presumes that European platforms would merely copy American designs—an assumption I strongly reject. Most concerning is the implicit conclusion that building something based on European values would be too complicated to attempt:
- Europe lacks the digital infrastructure the US has, especially in AI and cybersecurity
- The EU doesn’t have the same startup culture
- The EU consists of 27 separate markets and languages
I agree with these facts. But to use them as reasons to give up is terrifying. Have we truly lost the spirit of “not because it is easy, but because it is hard”—the very mindset that once made America great?
It’s hypocritical and unsustainable to celebrate European values while depending entirely on foreign platforms that directly undermine them. That’s like applauding environmentalism while importing goods made with child labor and environmental destruction—as long as it’s far from Europe, we pretend we’re clean.
If we accept that European values can only survive by outsourcing their violation elsewhere, then basically we agree that Elon Musk was right when he said: “The biggest weakness of the West was empathy.”
Yes, the challenge is enormous—but not impossible. Do we really think Europe lacks the minds to build strong AI models? That we can’t scale up our search engines, maps, or data centers? That multilingual platforms can’t be enhanced with translation tools—just like the US platforms already use? This isn’t a lack of cognitive capacity. It’s not even a lack of production capability. We are on par with our global peers in that regard.
What we lack is alignment across all levels—users, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. I know the foundation is shaky. It always was. But if we don’t address this now, in 10–20 years there may be nothing left to preserve.
Regardless of whether you’re conservative or progressive, you’ll find that the European culture and values you care about are no longer there. Despite all our differences, I still believe we Europeans could think together—about what we share, what we want to preserve, and what kind of digital future we want to shape. We must.
📌 Explore my full strategy and share your thoughts: 👉 European Digital Autonomy Initiative
Follow me on Mastodon:
TechTonicShift (@[email protected]) – Vivaldi Social
Gabor Hrasko (@[email protected]) – Mastodon#EDAI #DigitalSovereignty #EuropeanAlternatives #TechTonicShift #EuropeanValues
https://techtonicshift.vivaldi.net/2025/05/18/so-we-europeans-are-hopeless-right/
#ByEuropean #DigitalSovereignty #EDAI #EuropeanAlternatives #EuropeanValues #TechTonicShift
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I have to return to an article I published two weeks ago: “Why Even Try? A European Answer to Digital Pessimism“, because it turns out the problem may be deeper than I thought. Do we really believe this little in ourselves? Where does this deep-seated defeatism come from?
I’ve said it before: when I talk about the idea of European digital autonomy, I don’t do so naively. The nature of an idea is that it detaches from current limitations and dares to propose a direction. It might never be fully realized, but it offers guidance. If we start from a place of disbelief, we end up with nihilism.
I was glad to see that the TLDR News EU YouTube channel recently published a video asking whether Europe needs its own social media platforms. But I was disheartened to see that the main argument for it was the EU’s ability to better control content and thus counter foreign influence, like Elon Musk’s political meddling via X (formerly Twitter).
To me, that’s missing the point entirely. We don’t need European alternatives so the EU can control them. We need them so no one can. Platforms aligned with European values should be resilient against both corporate and political dominance. Their virality shouldn’t be driven by profit-maximizing algorithms but by human sharing—one follower at a time. Mastodon and the Fediverse show this is already feasible, even if imperfect.
Yes, such platforms may not thrive under traditional business models—but isn’t that a feature, not a bug? One of our core European values is that not everything should be subject to market forces.
The TLDR video also lists the usual difficulties: network effects, lower quality of European tech, fragmentation. They question whether EU algorithms might also generate echo chambers. But this presumes that European platforms would merely copy American designs—an assumption I strongly reject. Most concerning is the implicit conclusion that building something based on European values would be too complicated to attempt:
- Europe lacks the digital infrastructure the US has, especially in AI and cybersecurity
- The EU doesn’t have the same startup culture
- The EU consists of 27 separate markets and languages
I agree with these facts. But to use them as reasons to give up is terrifying. Have we truly lost the spirit of “not because it is easy, but because it is hard”—the very mindset that once made America great?
It’s hypocritical and unsustainable to celebrate European values while depending entirely on foreign platforms that directly undermine them. That’s like applauding environmentalism while importing goods made with child labor and environmental destruction—as long as it’s far from Europe, we pretend we’re clean.
If we accept that European values can only survive by outsourcing their violation elsewhere, then basically we agree that Elon Musk was right when he said: “The biggest weakness of the West was empathy.”
Yes, the challenge is enormous—but not impossible. Do we really think Europe lacks the minds to build strong AI models? That we can’t scale up our search engines, maps, or data centers? That multilingual platforms can’t be enhanced with translation tools—just like the US platforms already use? This isn’t a lack of cognitive capacity. It’s not even a lack of production capability. We are on par with our global peers in that regard.
What we lack is alignment across all levels—users, entrepreneurs, and policymakers. I know the foundation is shaky. It always was. But if we don’t address this now, in 10–20 years there may be nothing left to preserve.
Regardless of whether you’re conservative or progressive, you’ll find that the European culture and values you care about are no longer there. Despite all our differences, I still believe we Europeans could think together—about what we share, what we want to preserve, and what kind of digital future we want to shape. We must.
📌 Explore my full strategy and share your thoughts: 👉 European Digital Autonomy Initiative
Follow me on Mastodon:
TechTonicShift (@[email protected]) – Vivaldi Social
Gabor Hrasko (@[email protected]) – Mastodon#EDAI #DigitalSovereignty #EuropeanAlternatives #TechTonicShift #EuropeanValues
https://techtonicshift.vivaldi.net/2025/05/18/so-we-europeans-are-hopeless-right/
#ByEuropean #DigitalSovereignty #EDAI #EuropeanAlternatives #EuropeanValues #TechTonicShift
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CW: USPol, Don't fall for Hopelessness
I don't really know what to say anymore about politics or life or whatever. Everything I predicted to come to pass since sept 11, has come to pass, so I think I will change tactics.
Below is a picture from my ride to work. It is like that my entire 4,2 km/2.6 miles to work. And it doesn't stop there. The Niersuferweg goes all the way to a keep older than my country in one direction and then god knows how long afterwards. No traffic, I have to cross 3 roads.
Mönchengladbach is 100,000 people larger than my home town of Fort Collins, Colorado. Almost twice as large. Fort Collins is sold on environmental friendliness and bike/pedestrian friendliness. It is nothing compared to some random industry town in Germany.
Germany is far from perfect, the auto lobby here has too much power. Everything could be so much better here. BUT I need you to understand that this country was split, East and West, within my lifetime. It is a much much deeper divide than anything the US really has to offer and it was also Germany's fault.
I'm not saying this to say "Hrhrhr Germany is better" or "I told you so". I'm saying if you can unite and a much better world is possible. The media and the politics of an authoritarian trying to take over are always the same, to overload and make you feel hopeless. But it isn't hopeless. The sunrise still comes.
Germany has a dark past in fascism and imperialism, it still struggles with it today. But today it is one of the leaders of the democratic world. The US isn't out for the count, it just needs help.
It IS possible, it has been done, don't fall for hopelessness. The sunrise will still be there in the morning.
#uspol #hopelessness -
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🔊 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #SonicReducer
The Bouncing Souls:
🎵 Hopeless Romantichttps://kmnorth.bandcamp.com/track/hopeless-romantic-bouncing-souls-cover
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I remember thinking that people who collected PEZ dispensers were hopelessly kitsch, but at least the heads on those things were more interesting than #FunkoPops. Someone pointed out to me that FPs inherently look more like one another than they do the thing they're nominally representing, because that draws the consumer back to Funko instead of toward the represented media.
So your Billy Pilgrim Funko Pop (please tell me that's not a thing) takes your mind away from Vonnegut and toward all the other nearly-identical plastic blobs so they can sell more.
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E06 of «Brewing Love» («취하는 로맨스» (chwihaneun romaenseu (lit. «Drunk Romance»))) was kilig to the max.
I'm #Forever28 but I'm a #HopelessRomantic this was good source for kilig moments. 😅 Don't rush this episode!
#Kdrama #BrewingLove #취하는로맨스 #KimSejeong #김세정 @[email protected] @[email protected] @asiandrama
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E06 of «Brewing Love» («취하는 로맨스» (chwihaneun romaenseu (lit. «Drunk Romance»))) was kilig to the max.
I'm #Forever28 but I'm a #HopelessRomantic this was good source for kilig moments. 😅 Don't rush this episode!
#Kdrama #BrewingLove #취하는로맨스 #KimSejeong #김세정 @[email protected] @[email protected] @asiandrama
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E06 of «Brewing Love» («취하는 로맨스» (chwihaneun romaenseu (lit. «Drunk Romance»))) was kilig to the max.
I'm #Forever28 but I'm a #HopelessRomantic this was good source for kilig moments. 😅 Don't rush this episode!
#Kdrama #BrewingLove #취하는로맨스 #KimSejeong #김세정 @[email protected] @[email protected] @asiandrama
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E06 of «Brewing Love» («취하는 로맨스» (chwihaneun romaenseu (lit. «Drunk Romance»))) was kilig to the max.
I'm #Forever28 but I'm a #HopelessRomantic this was good source for kilig moments. 😅 Don't rush this episode!
#Kdrama #BrewingLove #취하는로맨스 #KimSejeong #김세정 @[email protected] @[email protected] @asiandrama
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Despair! Hopelessness! Fear! I stumbled on a relative relatives, lengthy, social media thread,! Women, FLA, lower working class, religious (definitely ignorant of #JesusTeachings)...celebrating the coronation of the #orangeTurd)! How the hell can #FLAFemalesRejoice in a convicted, serial rapist, felon, traitor, diaper wearing, decaying, decrepit, leaking, toxic, Gas Bag, being in power over them and their daughters? May God have mercy on their Souls for history will not forgive them!
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Despair! Hopelessness! Fear! I stumbled on a relative relatives, lengthy, social media thread,! Women, FLA, lower working class, religious (definitely ignorant of #JesusTeachings)...celebrating the coronation of the #orangeTurd)! How the hell can #FLAFemalesRejoice in a convicted, serial rapist, felon, traitor, diaper wearing, decaying, decrepit, leaking, toxic, Gas Bag, being in power over them and their daughters? May God have mercy on their Souls for history will not forgive them!
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Despair! Hopelessness! Fear! I stumbled on a relative relatives, lengthy, social media thread,! Women, FLA, lower working class, religious (definitely ignorant of #JesusTeachings)...celebrating the coronation of the #orangeTurd)! How the hell can #FLAFemalesRejoice in a convicted, serial rapist, felon, traitor, diaper wearing, decaying, decrepit, leaking, toxic, Gas Bag, being in power over them and their daughters? May God have mercy on their Souls for history will not forgive them!
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Despair! Hopelessness! Fear! I stumbled on a relative relatives, lengthy, social media thread,! Women, FLA, lower working class, religious (definitely ignorant of #JesusTeachings)...celebrating the coronation of the #orangeTurd)! How the hell can #FLAFemalesRejoice in a convicted, serial rapist, felon, traitor, diaper wearing, decaying, decrepit, leaking, toxic, Gas Bag, being in power over them and their daughters? May God have mercy on their Souls for history will not forgive them!
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Yes, I have been up all night. 😱 #ThisCountry #HopelesslyBroken
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🎶Twisted reality, hopeless insanity
I told you I was okay, but I was lying
I was dancing with the devil
Out of control
Almost made it to heaven
It was closer than you know🎶Demi Lovato "Dancing With The Devil"
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I've been sad and feeling a little hopeless lately. Life getting me down. Doubting a bit my outlook on life, way of life, something like that. And so I decided to play the best game for depressed people: Death Stranding. This game found me during the pandemic during another sort of existential crisis. It holds a special place in my heart and I was glad to go back to its terrifying and beautiful world to see my friend Sam again
#deathstranding #videogames #mentalhealth #kojima #keeponkeepingon -
Is it wrong to help people in a "hopeless" profession?
https://translationtribulations.substack.com/p/in-the-currents-of-intelligence?r=3vfy5m
#TranslationStudies #xl8 #translation #l10n #localization #MoralDecay
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https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39028544/ Effects of Low-Dose Ketamine Infusion on the Positive and Negative Domains of Hopelessness and Suicidal Thoughts (Lin, et al, 2024) #ketamine #hopelessness #suicide #psychedelic #psychedelics #psychedelicresearch #mentalhealth #neuroscience #psychiatry #depression
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Hope, hopelessness and heroism: why #theatre is making a splash with #sport
From the #GarethSouthgate play #DearEngland to #RedSpeedo, about a swimmer caught doping, dramatists are using sport to examine #class, #race, #morality – and life in #Britain today
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/jul/15/hope-hopelessness-heroism-theatre-sport-gareth-southgate
#England -
„I wish it need not have happened in my time,“ said Frodo.
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
„So do I,“ said Gandalf, „and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.“
One of my favourite quotes from The Lord of The Rings, and literature at large.
#TheLordOfTheRings #TheFellowshipOfTheRing #hopelessness #hope -
I don't think "the normals" can understand just how hopeless Google AI is to say anything about The Onceler (a character from the 2012 movie The Lorax).
Go ahead and do any Google search related to The Onceler. You'll never see that AI answers thing. Because they figured out EVERYTHING the AI had to say about The Onceler was:
1) Super-inaccurate
2) Super-hornySo they had to blacklist "Onceler" from their AI.
Don't ask me how I know.
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I don't think "the normals" can understand just how hopeless Google AI is to say anything about The Onceler (a character from the 2012 movie The Lorax).
Go ahead and do any Google search related to The Onceler. You'll never see that AI answers thing. Because they figured out EVERYTHING the AI had to say about The Onceler was:
1) Super-inaccurate
2) Super-hornySo they had to blacklist "Onceler" from their AI.
Don't ask me how I know.
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I don't think "the normals" can understand just how hopeless Google AI is to say anything about The Onceler (a character from the 2012 movie The Lorax).
Go ahead and do any Google search related to The Onceler. You'll never see that AI answers thing. Because they figured out EVERYTHING the AI had to say about The Onceler was:
1) Super-inaccurate
2) Super-hornySo they had to blacklist "Onceler" from their AI.
Don't ask me how I know.
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I don't think "the normals" can understand just how hopeless Google AI is to say anything about The Onceler (a character from the 2012 movie The Lorax).
Go ahead and do any Google search related to The Onceler. You'll never see that AI answers thing. Because they figured out EVERYTHING the AI had to say about The Onceler was:
1) Super-inaccurate
2) Super-hornySo they had to blacklist "Onceler" from their AI.
Don't ask me how I know.
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I don't think "the normals" can understand just how hopeless Google AI is to say anything about The Onceler (a character from the 2012 movie The Lorax).
Go ahead and do any Google search related to The Onceler. You'll never see that AI answers thing. Because they figured out EVERYTHING the AI had to say about The Onceler was:
1) Super-inaccurate
2) Super-hornySo they had to blacklist "Onceler" from their AI.
Don't ask me how I know.
