Depends on the jurisdiction, but in most of the U.S. “speedy” (~90 days) is actually the default, and you have to waive your right to one if you’d like more time.

I think my reply was still a de-escalation from the attitude in the post to which I was replying. But, noted that I could be better.

It’s just that, in my sci-fi reading experience, the attitudes towards radical life extension always seem to be very conservative

Despite all our posturing as a society about choosing life, etc, we are just a species of death-loving mortalists.

I think this reflects our current culture. A lot of people seem to really think that death is what gives life meaning, and that bitter experiences are good because they make sweet experiences better. (They really need to understand The fable of the dragon-tyrant)

On top of that, even for people that don’t see death as a “positive”, many tend to think of life extension as making aging simply last longer, that you’d continue to get more frail and dotty (or whatever) for another decade or two.

There is fiction that celebrates radical life extension, but it is at least as rare as people that want radical life extension. And, even then, many of those people (myself included) as captured by the idea of uploading or otherwise separating the consciousness from the body, which doesn’t seem to be what you want. https://www.fullmoon.nu/Resurrection/PrimarySpecies.html

I believe most defendants choose to waive their right to a speedy trial in order to have more time to prepare. It’s so common that many judges schedule themselves under that assumption and some will even be biased against persons that do not waive that right.

[Judge] Murphy was angry with [attorney] Weinstock because the public defender wouldn’t waive a client’s right to a speedy trial, the complaint says.

– https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_who_challenged_public_defender_to_fight_then_heard_7_cases_without_co

I think with all the options for a non-physical existence, it’s seen as quaint that one would choose to permanently extend their physical existence. But, I’m not an expert; I’ve only done the audiobooks for a few of the Culture series.

I don’t know enough of the “rules” around consciousness transfer in the Culture universe, if there are any. I can imagine a future were we find out that consciousness is somehow non-copiable and non-mobile, and if that is the case, then I think a lot of people are going to be interested in putting off death forever, one day at a time (maybe tomorrow… but not today). If you can copy consciousness (which is what “backup services” implies to me), things get weird quickly; intentionally or accidentally there could be multiple living individuals that all share my whole history up to some copy point, e.g. Restoring my backup to a separate vessel in Utopia doesn’t stop torture or other suffering that might continue for my current vessel.

Are you possibly referencing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efiW2K8gASM

I think you are probably right.

I think “eccenticity” has a connotation of negative judgment. So, yeah, I think “frowned upon” is an accurate summary of the attitude toward the rare biological citizen that chooses physical immortality.

But, no one is expected to just let “natural” biology cripple and kill them in a mere 80 years. They get to choose when they die, and most choose to end their physical existence sometime after 400 years, tho that’s not always the end: they “simply” stop having a fixed physical vessel.

Even an arrest is temporary if we haven’t thrown out due process. Habeas Corpus means a judge has to look at things, and decide to extend the detention until trial. Also, the trial has to be “speedy”.

It’s probably not good that there is a mechanism for legally detaining someone for months without them being an imminent threat to themselves or others. But, that’s been status quo as long as I’ve been drawing breath, so I’m used to it.

If you knew anything about The Culture, you’d know it’s not that simple.

Attitudes individual citizens have towards death are varied (and have varied throughout the Culture’s history). While many, if not most, citizens make some use of backup technology, many others do not, preferring instead to risk death without the possibility of recovery (for example when engaging in extreme sports). These citizens are sometimes called “disposables”, and are described in Look to Windward. Taking into account such accidents, voluntary euthanasia for emotional reasons, or choices like sublimation (abandoning physical reality), the average lifespan of humans is said in Excession to be around 350 to 400 years. Some citizens choose to forgo death altogether, although this is rarely done and is viewed as an eccentricity. Other options instead of death include conversion of an individual’s consciousness into an AI, joining of a group mind (which can include biological and non-biological consciousnesses), or subliming (usually in association with a group mind).

– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture#Death

I want optional mortality, but am also comfortable with death, and I can imagine situations of survival where I would prefer death.

I think you are running a risk of No True Scotsman, but I agree that detoxified masculinity rejects controlling persons.

“sign jokes” are probably written by “the room”. Everyone tosses out 2-3, and the whoever is running the room for that episode picks one. They might even keep a backlog for these since they don’t really have to be related to the episode plots/topics. Simpsons and Futurama also have them in many episodes, but Bob’s Burger’s is the only show I know that always has one (two if you count the “Burger of the Day”).

Agreed. I tend toward more literal translations for instruction/explanation – it made things stick better for me when learning Spanish. But, yes, in context “harder” is a definitely a more useful translation.

“tres bien” is “very good”

“si vous plait” is like “please”

“plus fort” is like “more strength”

I’ve never studied or learned French, but you can pick up some of this stuff from “throwaway” French in other context and the etymology shared with other languages.

So, basically just the stock U.S. porn phrase translated to French.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Miller was one of those “Skinny guys [that] fight 'til they’re burger.”

I thought he might have been the source of Elmu’s black eye for a while.

I want to live in a world where no entity gets to use my organs without my consent. I want to live in an equitable / just world.

Therefore, I want to live in a world where no fetus gets to use any person’s uterus without their consent. I support access to abortion.

He agrees; no one should take health advice from him.

The Ubermench does not serve the undermench!

/s

I disagree that an IQ restriction would be an improvement. It would just be another tool used by authority to marginalize. Competency tests have been used as such in both the U.S. South and Nazi Germany.

Improving the electorate and having the output of the voting process reflect their will is the only way forward.

I think the subway stabbing is the main focus of the Cracked video I linked. But, maybe it’s a different subway stabbing.