I didn't know MA does a album of the year too. Then again a lot of music site do.

@Chidder you're right. Question is what we do about that. How do you prevent the rise of another fascist regime in central Europe when all the consequences seem far away and abstract, and people are concerned with personal issues?

Being a responsible participant in democracy is hard, and the easy answers of populists may seem cozy. But it's what comes next that scares me. And all this was true in the 1920s as well.

These liberties we enjoy were fought for by generations before us. They are not guaranteed, not perpetual, but fragile, and have to be defended. Once lost, liberty is extremely hard to get back.

Where I see parallels to the 1920s is that people start looking to the right as soon as they're affected by a bad economy. But no one's point about shying away from the responsibilities of a democracy is probably just as valid.

@X-Ray Rod Yeah, it's crazy expensive. When I was in Chile, I met three Finns who came specifically for the festival. In the end it got canceled, lol. Imagine how blown away they were

-- shout deleted --