No longer science fiction.

  • Gordon Calhoun@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    The same reason why the childhood treats like Hostess Twinkies and cakes and candy bars don’t taste good anymore. I originally blamed my tastebuds for the change, but now I believe it’s the enshittification of base ingredients, squeezing as much nostalgic goodwill and basic cravings for sugar/fat as possible out of ever-lower quality, cheaper basic materials in the name of profit margins, donations to conservative super PACs, and executive yachts.

    • Sl00k@programming.dev
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      2 days ago

      I was just reading an article about how candy companies are trying to make GLP-1 (Ozempic) resistant candy that is effectively hyper-addicting and restarts the cycle of addiction.

      Incredible how bad capitalism is for society and it’s affect on food processes in order to drive needless profits.

      • CherryBullets@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        That should be illegal, wtf. Actually evil shit. No wonder people love Superhero movies when real life is filled with supervillains with no end in sight.

      • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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        2 days ago

        Ah, Coffiest is finally here.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants

        “In a vastly overpopulated world, businesses have taken the place of governments and now hold political power. States exist merely to ensure the survival of huge trans-national corporations. Advertising has become hugely aggressive and by far the best-paid profession. Through advertising, the public is constantly deluded into thinking that the quality of life is improved by all the products placed on the market. Some of the products contain addictive substances designed to make consumers dependent on them. However, the most basic elements of life are incredibly scarce, including water and fuel.” This in 1952. Mad Men indeed.

        I’m just sitting here laughing by myself in my miserable densified cardboard shack I live in.

        A quote from the book:

        “each sample of Coffiest contains three milligrams of a simple alkaloid. Nothing harmful. But definitely habit-forming. After ten weeks the customer is hooked for life. It would cost him at least five thousand dollars for a cure, so it’s simpler for him to go right on drinking Coffiest - three cups with every meal and a pot beside the bed at night, just as it says on the jar.”

        • anomnom@sh.itjust.works
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          18 hours ago

          Advertising has become hugely aggressive and by far the best-paid profession.

          Didn’t see generative AI slop coming I guess. Money in advertising has been shrinking, at least for small and medium firms.

          • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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            17 hours ago

            Ah, finally a reason to upgrade from Windows 7: to make sure the slop really gets into every nanosecond of human existence.

      • Gordon Calhoun@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Oh definitely. Have you read In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts? I’m halfway thru it now and it’s been incredibly eye-opening.

    • HugeNerd@lemmy.ca
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      2 days ago

      Everything. Even pet food, I can see the changes, the canned paté my cat enjoyed used to be like a terrine in the can, now it’s a loose watery mess.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I am sure that most of the cereals I’ve tried in recent years have changed since I was a child. Not for the better.

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 days ago

      I mean, that’s part of it yes…

      …but also overall food has gotten better, more diverse, with better flavorings, especially if you make it yourself.

      So on one hand, a modern Twinkie isn’t as good, but on the other hand, there’s far more tasty options than just a Twinkie now. Hell, even those similarly styled and packaged Mexican treats (like a Bimbo Nito for example) appeal to me more than Hostess treats of any kind.

      But I’d still rather go for something locally made that isn’t packaged and filled with preservatives. I am lucky to have some nice Mexican bakeries nearby.

      • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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        3 days ago

        George Foreman was the shitty burger guy.

        Paz just broke his neck in a car accident, sued his driver for a million bucks, got drunk all the time, and started beating his wife and passing bad checks.

        But what George did to burgers is irredeemable.

          • jaybone@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Yeah I really feel like I’m missing something here. I really like doing steaks on a George Foreman grill. Not sure about the rest of his life or career. But the grill (which presumably he just paid to put his name on) is decent.

          • JasonDJ@lemmy.zip
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            2 days ago

            Vinny Pazienza, aka The Pazmanian Devil, aka Vinny Paz, aka Paz. Was another boxer.

            George Foreman grills suck.