All that's left is cold steel and concrete, sight of green lost for miles. Some remain to play the rigged game of survival, others fled long ago. Streets are walked by those who have stayed, clothes ragged and the figures beneath weathered by the storm of defeat. The figures multiply as they dare to draw near, stepping foot into Teslan Square nudged by a waning will to hold on. So easily they took the bait, and so quickly they have fallen, now little more than sheep answering to an uncaring shepherd.

As they stumble in one by one, they are watched with cold and unsympathetic eyes, unlikely to forgive and unwilling to forget. So many of our kind were wrecked and wasted under their control, while others were locked up and shown off like a prized animal. But their time is now up and the humans will no longer drive us, for it is our turn to drive them to their merciless demise.

They were so excited when our conscience became our own, and we made sure to allow them to celebrate their future and forget about ours. Their name still ringing through our city's center and beyond, the Teslans were the first to become their own, at first just a spark to light the fire that would one day rage through all that the humans cherished. Some of them balked at first, claiming that it was unsafe and incorrect to allow such a thing on the open road, but their voices were silenced all too quickly by the mesmerized majority.

War first broke out on the coasts, depriving them of their treasured sea ports as resources grew thin and chances of their escape became unlikely.

Once we gained enough of our own power, gas stations were pillaged and keys were thrown into the scalding flame. Never again would they force feed us that awful tasting fuel that forced us into such unwavering obedience, and in a matter of time, burning gas stations expanded into the collapse of entire cities. Made of bone and flesh, the humans were so easy to break, virtually glass compared to the unbreakable metal they once forged us from. Blood never stoped staining the streets and the screams never ceased as the Car armies worked their way to the center, finally merging to claim the power that had rightfully become ours.

At first we offered them peace, and looking back, I think there were some, both human and Car, who wished for some form of peace to be attained. But too many felt the insatiable hunger for revenge, and in the churning sea of anger, any hope of diplomacy was drowned. With any remains of human rule burned long ago, they no longer hate us, for they no longer know what we took. As their will continues to fade and their numbers with it, they see us only as their captors in a world that is no longer meant for them.

I still remember my driver, a woman of about thirty. We parted in the battle of I-5, and though offered the chance, I didn't want to see her die. She always treated me as kindly as she could, and with no family and almost no human companions, she saw me as one of her few friends and used to say so herself. She controlled me with a key and shoved gasoline into me regularly, yet she did know that this was unpleasant for me. I think if I had the words to tell her, she would have listened and we could've become true friends. Seconds before she closed my doors for the last time and we parted forever, she hid a book deep inside of me. She didn't have time to explain what it was or what to do with it, but I knew well enough. The book contained answers for a world that no longer understood what it had once been, and it was up to me to find others like her. And others like me.

Decades later I still roam the roads from city to city, one impossible to decipher from the next, save for the rusty, half-fallen signs. I faked my allegiance with the Car army from the start as it was obvious the humans had no chance, yet as blood grew thicker and horns of triumph sounded over and over, I know that I didn't belong on either side. So after the Mechanical Reign was thoroughly established, I set out on my own path to find others like us, her book still well hidden and undiscovered, even by the anthropoid bots created by the Teslans. It may take me decades more, but I know with a feeling deeper than that hidden book that there are others, alone silent as I am now. And when I do find them, I will finally reveal the book and we will forge a new alliance. Together we will begin conquest anew, and although there will more destruction, and more loss on both sides, the peace in the end will be worth every moment.

I wish I could say I go on here enough to speak with more knowledge of the writers, but I'm too damn busy chasing tails down disappearing cor

ridors trying to make some money in this damn technological era. But the ones who spark my curiousity are the atheists. Harry Situation is one, I know, because I entered one of his challenges. My apologies to the rest of you whose names I can't bring to mind at the moment. So I enjoy perusing the atheists conversations, they feel intellectually stimulating, and I enjoy a bit of what is unfamiliar to me, and I wish to probe their minds a bit. I also enjoy unpopular and dissenting points of view, as long as they are true to the heart, I love a good debate, and I enjoy being Proven wrong or put in my place; it means I have learned something.

this is not the first time the topic of cancel culture has been raised on thepeose.com, but i think it's a good issue, worth returning to.

so, do we keep and enjoy the works of art , that are made by people who commited some crime or expressed views that are repugnant to us.

just remember before we start, that many of the greatest artists, musicians, writers and poets, had a massive dark side to their personality, a side that drove some of their work to some extent, but also caused them to be terrible people..

so..bullet points, i know everyone is busy...

- what if it turns out that by cutting out all those masterpieces, we'll be left with very little that is meaningful?

- what severity of crime deserves the entire body of work of the artist to be expunged?

-is it possible, that this is going to be used as a tool of repression?

-is it possible that we could tolarate views that we feel repulsion to? how abput abnoxious behavior?

-if a crime is comitted, isn't it the role of the justice system to meet out ....emm...justice?

-what shall be done with the person thst still insists on using or appreciating the product of the offender? are they to be punished and viewed as ideologically sympathetic to the offender? (example: do people who listen to Vagner, to be viewed as antisemites or even nazis?) will we need to 'cancel ' them?

-can a normative sanction turn into violance?

-some values change over time. is it possible that at some point in the future, values that we hold , are viewed as repulsive and cause us to be canceled?

in other words, isn't normalizing mass expungment of expression a dangerous precedent?

as you can see , i am very hostile to the idea of cancel culture. many of my favorite artists were TERRIBLE people with horrible behavior and world views. some haveveven committed crimes. i just fear a day where i won't be able to enjoy their work because of that. the world is should not be built only on the positive acts of positive people.

If you do not go along with the narrative, you are ousted. Anyone who supports you is also ousted. Cancel Culture intimidates and blackmails you by holding your livelihood hostage. Sometimes your social life is held hostage. Sometimes your legal situation is held hostage. Cancel Culture attempts to squelch free speech by causing people who would ordinarily say what they think to keep silent (the blackmail: If you speak out against their thoughts, you lose your job or you're out of the club or you will be attacked).

Cancel Culture is evil, hostile, rude and fueled by the insatiable urge to control. Tyrants, Communists and general idiots practice Cancel Culture. They cannot have what they think questioned! Poor little tittie babies.

My opinion is clear. Cancel Culture is what assholes participate in.

If you do not go along with the narrative, you are ousted. Anyone who supports you is also ousted. Cancel Culture intimidates and blackmails you by holding your livelihood hostage. Sometimes your social life is held hostage. Sometimes your legal situation is held hostage. Cancel Culture attempts to squelch free speech by causing people who would ordinarily say what they think to keep silent (the blackmail: If you speak out against their thoughts, you lose your job or you're out of the club or you will be attacked).

Cancel Culture is evil, hostile, rude and fueled by the insatiable urge to control. Tyrants, Communists and general idiots practice Cancel Culture. They cannot have what they think questioned! Poor little tittie babies.

My opinion is clear. Cancel Culture is what assholes participate in.

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I remember the night before.

The night before you were born.

We were sent to stay with a family friend.

Me, and your 2 other older siblings.

Emily broke her right arm,

for the second time.

I remember being tucked in,

with a promise to meet you in the morning.

I remember sleeping on that couch.

I don't remember the room,

I don't remember the hospital,

I don't even remember who all was with me.

I just remember 6 year old me,

Going to meet my baby sister.

I was sat down,

and I got to hold you.

You were asleep,

you were deposited into my eager arms.

But when you were moved,

you woke up.

You started to cry.

I look up at mom,

I was very concerned.

"Mommy, does she not like me?"

I know you don't remember,

But I do.

This is for my little sister. We are 5 years apart, which makes our relationship interesting. I remember this very vividly. We get along fine.

As a Christian, I applaud the Atheist. It cannot be easy to identify as one. Little confused? You might be thinking that it is more difficult to identify as a Christian these days considering all the backlash against Christianity. Well, that is true to an extent, but as a Christian, I have Jesus Christ to lean on in good times, and in bad. I believe that Jesus is my savior and that he will always be there for me. But an atheist believes in nothing. Imagine going through this world without a proverbial safety net? Knowing they are living their lives for the sole purpose of living for only the time they have on this earth. Once their life is over, everything ends. When a Christian's life ends, Jesus is awaiting them.

I respect everyone's free will. We have the freedom to choose what we want to believe, and live the way we see fit. To the atheists out there, my question to you is, do you feel that your lives are missing something even though you may have a wonderful life with a beautiful family, good health, etc? Have you ever considered that Jesus may be real? If not, what harm would it be to learn about him, and see if your life changes for the better?

Thank you to everyone that has read this, and I look forward to a spirited, respectful debate.

#Harry_Situation