Indignified

The Meta AI Version of being crushed by the world

Hello friends.

Yesterday was the first day since pre-launch began that we didn’t get any new subscribers. I admit, the reason was probably because I haven’t been doing a great job of marketing and sharing. Today I was going to share the Google Gemini version of this but instead decided to go with the Meta AI version because Meta has announced that they will make a standalone Meta AI app. Frankly, I’m not super impressed with what this model produced - but maybe the app is designed to do other things better.

I am so grateful to the 17 of you who have subscribed so far. Thank you!

In the paid subscriber notes below - I share more of my thoughts on the literary merit of this piece (or lack of) and also give the inside scoop on the AI image generator that I use to create the illustrations and images for these posts. It’s free and there are some fun tricks to using it better. Paid subscribers get that - and much much more to follow, so please upgrade if you haven’t already.

Fun fact, my 80 year old mother refers to Meta AI as Meta Al (as in Albert) - it took me some time to figure out who/what she was talking about helping her. I thought it was a person.

In our discord we’ve been having a pretty raucous discussion about how AI is being used as a societal control system - if you have thoughts or concerns about that, you should come join the chat.

So far in this pre-launch series we’ve had my original piece and pieces written by ChatGPT, Deep Seek, CoPilot, Claude, Grok, and now Meta AI. Tomorrow will be the final post of this series and will consist of three pieces including by Google’s Gemini, Poe.ai, and Complexity.ai.

Then, day after tomorrow on May Day (May 1st in the USA) the Indignified Manifesto will be the first official post. For those who have subscribed by that point - there will be a special treat offered and paid subscribers it will be a sweeter treat.

Please take a moment to share and recommend. We are building community here and you and everyone you know are invited to be a part of it. Thank you.

~ CD Familias

---

Indignified by Meta AI

The boy stood tall in the principal's office, his eyes fixed on the paddle resting on the desk. "Why do we have to learn it this way?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity. The principal sneered, "You question authority? You'll learn respect." The paddle cracked against his palms, leaving red welts that stung for days. His father listened to the story, nodded sympathetically, and said, "Life's about adapting, son. Sometimes you gotta swallow your pride." But when the boy asked for help, the father's words were empty, his actions nonexistent.

Years passed, and the boy traded classrooms for barracks. Drill sergeants barked orders, and he followed, but his spirit remained unbroken. "Why do we have to do it this way?" he asked again. This time, the response was a fist to the gut, a reduction in rank, and a stint in the brig for insubordination. He emerged a shadow of his former self, his dignity bruised and battered. His father met him with open arms but empty pockets. "Toughen up, kiddo. The world's not always fair."

The world beyond the military wasn't kind either. Cubicles and paperwork suffocated him. He longed for meaning, for purpose, but found only monotony. The dot-com bubble burst, and his job disappeared. His father counseled patience, promising things would turn around, but they never did. The man put himself through university, earning a cherished degree, only to have the 2008 financial crisis slam the door on his dreams.

Homelessness loomed, but he fought back, becoming a respectable merchant. Landlords, however, had other plans. Illicit eviction notices arrived, and his family was left with nothing. Friends and family shook their heads, whispering about unmet potential. His father offered words of wisdom: "Life's a journey, son. Sometimes you gotta take the hits and keep moving." But the hits kept coming.

A startup company rose from the ashes, investors lined up, and then the pandemic struck. Dreams dissolved, and landlords ended tenancy once more. The final blow landed, and the man stood amidst the wreckage of his life. He looked at his family, his name, his work, and turned his back. With a heavy heart, he walked away, leaving it all behind.

The world watched him disappear, shaking heads in dismay. But the man didn't look back. For the first time, he owned his indignity, wore it like a badge of honor. He understood the weight of the boot on his throat, the crushing pressure of a system designed to break him. And in that moment, he found a strange, twisted freedom.

He walked, nameless and faceless, a ghost of his former self. The world didn't recognize him, didn't care. And he didn't care either. He was free to be whoever he wanted, to live however he chose. The boot still pressed down, but he stood tall, his shoulders squared. He was indignified, and he was proud.

---

Below is commentary for paid subscribers as well as the actual text of the prompt I used to write my original history (not really a story) before feeding it to the AIs. Why not upgrade to paid subscriber today? You’ll find value in it in more ways than one and if you don’t - it will cost you less than a fancy coffee in a big corporate chain…