Pessimistic Optimism

pessimistic optimism, and other oxymorons

[Tom Mallinson ⚕ WP-C @MallinsonT]

Good to see the new MOCA Cognitive Test has been released.
It’s been due an update for ages.

[𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 @beyoncegarden]

the way she laughed in her face like that will forever have me in tears i’m sorry LMFAOOO😭😭😭

[Aakash Gupta @aakashgupta]

That pile is roughly 300-400 devices from one middle school. At $10-15 retail, that's $3,000-6,000 in nicotine hardware confiscated from children aged 11 to 14. And every dollar traces back to the same place.

I can see Lost Mary and Elf Bar packaging in that pile. Both brands are made by iMiracle Shenzhen Technology, a Chinese manufacturer that generated $3.5-4 billion in global revenue selling these things. The FDA placed iMiracle on the import red list in 2023 and ordered customs to seize their shipments. iMiracle's response: rebrand to "EB Create," register through a shell company in the British Virgin Islands called Wonder Ladies Limited, and keep shipping. When federal agents seized 1.4 million devices at LAX, the containers were deliberately mislabeled as toys and shoes to clear customs.

Toys and shoes. To get nicotine into the hands of sixth graders.

The flavors in that pile tell you everything about who these products were designed for. Watermelon ice. Strawberry melon. Triple berry. Frozen creamsicle. The devices cost $2-3 to manufacture in Shenzhen. They retail for $10-15 in American gas stations. A 400% margin on a product that 85% of adolescent users choose specifically because of the flavor.

3.5% of all U.S. middle school students currently vape. That rate has shown zero decline while high school rates dropped 22%. Prevention campaigns are reaching the 16-year-olds. Twelve-year-olds are wide open. And 60% of teen vapers got their first device from a friend, which means the industry built a product that turns children into its own sales force.

iMiracle's parent company Heaven Gifts used to advertise "discreet" shipping on its website, promising to label nicotine products as "atomizer, coil, tube" and mark lower values to help buyers evade import taxes. The company "went offline" right after the FDA cracked down. Its staff kept using the same email addresses.

One middle school. One pile on one floor. There are 13,000 middle schools in America, and the companies filling them with candy-colored nicotine devices are operating through offshore shells, falsifying customs declarations, and rebranding every time enforcement catches up. The machine works exactly as designed.

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

Why is this season of #euphoria just Nate torture porn?

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@chris_wisby @SassySouthBlond Damn you’re crazy lol. Women are people not a stereotype dude. There’s a lot of women out there who agree with you and a lot who don’t.
Stop being nuts

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@chris_wisby @SassySouthBlond It’s almost like…women are individuals…and you can’t make blanket statements about them

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@rahxephon231 @AshariExpresses I’d much rather pressure and fight against Kamala to change than fight against Trump.

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@ChadLaCrbot @AshariExpresses It’s not “vote blue no matter who,” it’s “oh my fucking god please do anything to get Trump out of office PLEASE”

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@Chizitere_xyz Was with you on this until you put it on women.

Men could just as easily hug each other and comfort each other. They don’t due to homophobia.

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@splinterhood @takeitsleazy456 @PopCrave Okay, and???

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@TaylorWilmes @AndromedaPip Idk about this specific post, but as a therapist for teens and young adults, a LOT of them have reported this exact situation lol

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@SW_1889 @hashjenni Yeahhhh, suicide research data continuously recommends that the media does NOT show graphic depictions of suicide, for it can increase the risk of suicide attempts for vulnerable individuals.

That scene was a public health nightmare.

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@midtowncowboys My dad still regularly yells “I can’t believe I have to drive all the way to work on a Saturday. ALL THE WAY TO WORK” daily from Toy Story 2

(The funny part is he works from home)

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@wsgitsMason @midtowncowboys My dad too omg

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@DandyJim_ @PopCrave Uhh Damon Albarn??? Of the Gorillaz and Blur???

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@yooxical I also see that we’re back to creating ads for women’s products that target the male gaze

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@chohan7782 @DiscussingFilm Cortisol junkies I guess lmao

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@Greensheet6 @gendestus This app is absolutely dumb. However Jesus, if these dumb fucks put half as much energy into hacking into something that betters mankind, they could really change the world.

But nah, gotta be as misogynistic as possible

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@piinkdollyy @paulinenby @jordan_colon238 @TaghridAlMawed @I_amMukhtar This is WILD coming from you, an American citizen, who is also living on occupied land. Like…you don’t see the irony? You are every bit as much of a colonizer

[Pessimistic Optimism @pessimismphish]

@piinkdollyy @Weltersbigboob @dreamsequencxr @jordan_colon238 @TaghridAlMawed @I_amMukhtar Alright what country do you live in?