Depending on your workplace, there may be avenues for making complaints. If someone is being rude/unreasonable, it could help to direct them with something like: “I understand this is a difficult situation. We’re trying to navigate it and will follow up in (time) at (contact.) If you have complaints about how we’ve handled this, here is the (name/number/e-mail.)” This redirects their energy and gives them a solid plan to follow. Sometimes people just like it when there’s a plan.

Moving location can ease tension. You can say “Hi, I’m (name,) would you like to come over here and explain what’s going on?”

If you avoid conflict, it could help to explain those feelings to your coworker and just ask them what you can do to help them (as you have.) Or discuss difficult scenerios they have to deal with and give you clear suggestions on what to do in (x) situation. People like plans, again.

If you work at a hospital and someone is legitimately having a meltdown over something, as in they’re being completely irrational and may turn violent, can you call a psych nurse/doc/security?

Alternatively, I knew a security guard who always carried saltwater taffy in his pockets. If people got heated, he would throw it on the ground and go “Look! Candy!” He said it was effective 100% of the time.

I used to live a few blocks away from Oppenheimer Park in Vancouver, on East Hastings, while the occupation was happening. I saw people openly injecting at 1am while I walked home from work. Worst that happened was being asked for money. Mostly? They just said “Hi,” and “Good morning.”

Yeah, it looks bad when folks are drunk and on drugs in the open, but those people have nowhere else to go. Cops kept raiding and shutting down the independent harm reduction sites set up to keep the worst of it off the streets. No kidding people attack the police, I don’t blame them.

…when you’re in an echo chamber all the weird misinformation and emotion-driven politics are coming from inside the house.

I love this and I’m stealing it.

I used to get a lot more freelance writing and design gigs before AI. It was great under the table money because, at times, I recieve partial support for my disability, and they deduct from my monthly funds if I make money. It’s not enough to live on to begin with, so I relied on side gigs for any savings at all.

Now? I get none. Former clients have outright told me it’s just cheaper to use AI or Canva or whatever. I have friends with similar stories, so I wonder just how much of the unseen labor market was affected by this.

I don’t blame AI. It’s a neat technology and there’s nothing inherently wrong with. I blame capitalism for stealing from artists, building unsustainably, and for creating a world where people have to worry about lost funds from designing bullshit web graphics and business cards instead of having the time, money and bandwidth to follow our passions.