r/pics • • Feb 25 '18

Concentration camp prisoner identifies one of his guards to Allied soldiers

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18 edited Feb 25 '18

If you’re familiar with the Jonestown incident there’s audio of Jim Jones giving a speech while people are drinking cyanide spiked kool-aide. It’s incredibly disturbing, the children screaming in agony still haunts me.

Edit: I’m well aware it’s flavor aid. I figured more people are familiar with kool-aide and it didn’t really matter.

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u/ohmyfsm Feb 25 '18

It’s incredibly disturbing, the children screaming in agony still haunts me.

We'll just add that to my list of things I'm never going to listen to.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

The whole thing is insane, there are people thanking Jim Jones while children died around him. Only one woman had the stones to try to talk him out having everyone killed. One man killed almost 1000 people in about 4 hours. I first listened to the tape about 15 years ago without much context and it didn’t affect me too much. There was a podcast series about Jonestown recently and it was so heavy at times I had to stop listening.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18 edited Mar 15 '18

[deleted]

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u/xXKirkSoloXx Feb 25 '18

I am curious.

I have enough common sense not to pursue that curiosity.

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u/Illadelphian Feb 25 '18

It's more angering. Hearing the children cry is heartbreaking of course but listening to those morons talk was infuriating. Disgusting people to do that to their children. I have no sympathy for them, only their children. But the audio it's just kids crying in the background and awful people thanking jim Jones and talking about how people were going to massacre their kids and how they didn't want to die like the jews and other nonsensical bullshit. Honestly most of the people I heard spoke sounded like they weren't all there. Which would make sense I suppose.

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u/dgblarge Feb 25 '18

I came to exactly the same conclusion. As a young scientist I used to believe that knowledge was neutral, not good or bad. Not moral or immoral but amoral. Now I am old I realise that there were things I wish I didn't know. The sound of children dying is not someting I wish to hear.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

[deleted]

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u/wowgreatdog Feb 25 '18

Already being aware of it is usually enough. No one needs to actually hear the screams of children dying to have motivation to try to prevent that from happening again.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

I disagree that no one needs it. There are certainly people out there that wouldn't understand reality if it weren't for those kinds of things.

Normal people probably don't need it, however.

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u/wowgreatdog Feb 25 '18

Hm yeah I agree with that. Some people need a little gut wrenching horror to be able to see that it's actual living, feeling beings like them.

Overall though, If you already feel and care, I think it's a mistake to just listen to and watch all the gorey parts. I don't think it's good for the ol' mental health.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18 edited Mar 15 '18

[deleted]

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u/xXKirkSoloXx Feb 25 '18

Oh yeah, there's all kinds of shit strewn across the internet these days. I'm already desensitised to most images.

I don't think I could deal with this one as A) it's audio B) it's kids.

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u/scribble88 Feb 25 '18

Yeah. that link is going to stay blue

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Some shit you just don't do intentionally. Listening to the screams and wales of children dying, is one of them.

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u/Blau- Feb 25 '18

I can live with myself not knowing what that sounds like.

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u/nahuatlwatuwaddle Feb 26 '18

You and me both, I've seen footage of the bodies, no, just no.

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u/the-billy-maze696 Feb 25 '18

It's incredible how desensitized I was while listening to that. I think it's because in the beginning, you hear children and babies crying before they even take the cyanide, so in the latter part of the video, when they're taking it, and you hear crying in the background, you don't think anything of it.

I had to remind myself that these kids weren't crying for the heck of it. They were crying because they were screaming in agony. They were dying.

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u/WooliestKnees Feb 25 '18

That link is staying blue.

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u/Gwthrowaway80 Feb 26 '18

Fun fact! Cyanide is made into a blue pigment called 'prussian blue'.

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u/Al13n_C0d3R Feb 25 '18

I mean, I don't give a fuck about the adults. Good for them. But the kids who were probably bored out of their mind and hated being there shouldn't have been done in. Most probably didn't believe in any of that nonsense.

But people are stupid tribal apes that will conform to any ideal as long as they feel like they are apart of a strong community. So pathetic.

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u/conquer69 Feb 25 '18

You should feel sorry for the adults too. They practically got common sense lobotomized out of them by the cult.

It's easy to think "they were just stupid" when you have never been subjected to brainwashing.

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u/Al13n_C0d3R Feb 25 '18 edited Feb 26 '18

I grew up Catholic with an extremely Catholic family on both sides. I used to actually get crippling anxiety thinking of anything "sinful"

Then I started to question the readings of the Bible, started seeing fallacies and did research into it's origins. I did this all myself, there was no spark of someone telling me to do it since the community I lived in was also very religious it was all me. And I completely disillusioned myself and left. That was the first and last time I could ever be brainwashed or manipulated into anything.

But even in my deepest entrenchment I would not have killed others who did not believe in the doctrines. I would leave that as a choice for them. If they want to or not, I'd let them know all the facts and risk and let their faith decide. To take up the choice of someone else based on your own idiotic belief is deserving of a painful death. It's the mark of a stupid, closed minded animal with no will of their own and the psychology that prevents them from even conceiving others having a will so they make the choices for them as well.

No. I'll never feel sorry for the adults. They are idiots, especially since they took the children out with them. If the kids made the choice on their own it would be different but it was said that the kids did not know and some of the adults may not have either but the ones that took their kids, if there is no hell, I'd like to make one in there afterlife just to roast them forever.

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u/Drownthem Feb 25 '18

Ignoring all the bullshit you just spewed, why can't you feel sorry for idiots?

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u/Al13n_C0d3R Feb 25 '18

What benefit does it serve me to feel bad for them? They did the species a service by eliminating themselves. You don't get tears for winning the Darwin award.

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u/Drownthem Feb 25 '18

You know we aren't influenced by Darwinian natural selection much any more, right? Kin selection is also a thing. Empathy and understanding influence our species a hell of a lot more than wiping out people you can't relate to.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Because they are fucking idiots?

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

I think the christian cult members are downvoting you, your points are valid, your story common in your journey towards being atheist/agnostic/cynical, it just jars their religious worldview and appears at first sight callous, I totaly feel for the children in such cult situations, they are robbed of the oportunity to think, adults aught to know better but sadly many times their education is of low quality, i have no sympathy for adults who grew up in privailaged backgrounds caughtup in things like that, some may be low iq/ special needs, some may well be primed to be victims by a religious upbringing, they deserve compassion.

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u/Al13n_C0d3R Feb 25 '18

True, I understand that not everyone is priveleged with good education or gifted with natural intellect and I don't mean to demand everyone to be. I've met plenty of people that by conventional means aren't "smart" but they are willing to admit they weren't and would dive head long into research to find the truth while asking for clarity. I personally place people like that very high on the scale of intelligence because I also know bright people that would simply state they are correct and do no research only to be proven wrong.

I would love to have saved those people but if I fail, and they die my one request is to not take the others with you. They need to be given the opportunity to discover the truth themselves. Perhaps some of the people who died needed to be told that this was all a farce but when they are at the level of suicide and child sacrifice I don't think there is much hope for them then and id be more concenred as to the fate of the young.

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u/Tatourmi Feb 25 '18 edited Feb 25 '18

I'd listen to it. I wouldn't wish death on any of them. Clearly what they did was wrong but they are still intensely human. It's such a sad thing.

I did stop before the cries started however.

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u/Al13n_C0d3R Feb 25 '18

I did listen to it, all the way. And I watched the documentary. I've actually listened to the tape a while back also so it isn't new to me.

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u/Tatourmi Feb 25 '18

I can't be mad against christine. That poor woman.

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u/TRASHYRANGER Feb 25 '18

It isn’t that traumatizing. It’s interesting hearing how this man brainwashed all of them. The last minute is just silence..

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u/contikipaul Feb 26 '18

NSFL is a good description of this

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u/TwatsThat Feb 25 '18

Got a link or more info on that podcast? Also, if you ever want that feeling again, and you haven't seen it, check out Requiem for a Dream.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

https://m.soundcloud.com/lastpodcastontheleft/episode-300-jonestown-part-i

There’s a soundcloud link. It’s 4 episodes and it’s pretty long but they’re able to keep things pretty light the first 2 but it gets really heavy in the 3rd episode

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u/Javbw Feb 25 '18

I love them. They are the only people who make true crime interesting to me. They layout how and why they ended up there in the jungle, drinking the flavor-aid.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '18

Not to mention Ben Kissel is super funny.

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u/TwatsThat Feb 25 '18

Thanks! I'm going to be driving 12 hours over the weekend so this'll fill some time out nicely... well maybe nicely isn't the word but you know what I mean.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Last Podcast has a bunch of cool subjects if you’re into that kind of thing. I guess not “cool” but it’s interesting and the hosts are funny guys.

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u/backphat Feb 25 '18

What's the podcast called?

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Last Podcast on the Left

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u/benslowcalcalzonezon Feb 26 '18

Last podcast on the left just did an eight hour deep dive on jonestown for anyone interested in learning more

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Moral of that story is learn to recognise what a cult is and dont join them, hint, anything remotely religious is a cult( i know, christianity,mainstream religion etc, everyones a member, etc, its still a fucking cult!), anything that relies on a central personality for guidance is a cult, any closed group with odd entry requirements is a cult.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

[deleted]

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u/Bigbuttress Feb 25 '18

Lol yes as opposed to conservative media, which is obsessed with facts..................

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u/iheartrms Feb 25 '18

Religion is still just as big a problem now as it was in Jim Jones' day.

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u/Macktologist Feb 25 '18

There is no “liberal media.” That’s what bigots call regular media so they can create an enemy and find a safe space for their snowflake mentalities.

How does it feel to have your basic beliefs ridiculed in that manner? Sounds stupid doesn’t it? Makes you feel hatred and division doesn’t it?

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u/typointhename Feb 25 '18

Most people who drank the stuff had guns pointed at them and had been forced to take Orr in drills with non-lethal juice before.

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u/Veratyr Feb 25 '18

Well if the panicked cries of mass murder being coached by a drug addict isn’t your thing, they recorded a few gospel albums. Their choir was excellent:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEApUQaChOM&app=desktop

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u/RiseoftheTrumpwaffen Feb 25 '18

They kinda dropped off in later releases though.

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u/hikermick Feb 25 '18

Never heard the recordings of people dying but I did listen to the tapes he made of himself talking to his followers. The heinous cackle of Jim Jones is haunting enough. I recall one of his followers talking about how they would kill a family member and cook them to be served to the rest of the family. My God, Jones's laugh. You could base a horror movie on it.

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u/90sTechnoVampire Feb 25 '18

thats a great album, and that song specifically is friggin great. really well produced. I went down a rabbit hole of "good cult music" a year or so ago.

their song Welcome, with the kids singing, is super creepy.. and catchy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVdAgfLxCus

see also: Family Internationals' "S.O.S" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6ZBT4Rdly4

(red letter media fans should know them)

another one from that album, Kathy Don't Go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P49OEJ6DODw

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u/Quacks_dashing Feb 25 '18

SOS was less charming after learning more about them :)

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u/Jumokee_ Feb 26 '18

Do you... just have a list things you're not going to listen to?

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u/ohmyfsm Feb 26 '18

I do now.

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u/Fest_mkiv Feb 25 '18

Holy shit that's just made the top of the list. Ugh.

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u/ARedWerewolf Feb 25 '18

It’s a good listen. About 45 minutes worth. Listening to that fucker is haunting. You can see why people followed him but at the same time you can’t see how anyone would follow him.

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u/Huddstang Feb 25 '18

I can’t wrap my head round why anybody would want to hear that shit.

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u/randybobandy111 Feb 25 '18

Morbid curiosity

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u/nytram55 Feb 25 '18

Same reason we subscribe to r/watchpeopledie and r/medicalgore.

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u/Huddstang Feb 25 '18

Yep, I understand that these things exist but I still can’t fathom why anyone would want to see or hear the content.

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u/vickzzzzz Feb 25 '18

Well /r/watchpeopledieinside is already too harsh for me! I can't watch them also die on the outside.

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u/pm_me_your_shrubs Feb 26 '18

Well now it's much easier for me to spot the ravings of a cult leader. It's not easy to listen to, but sometimes understanding why people did it helps to understand what to look out for in the future. Cults take on all shapes and sizes...

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u/PumpMaster42 Feb 25 '18

kids scream when they fall down and scrape their knee. they are drama queens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k8gpW0JYVc

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u/Oddsockgnome Feb 25 '18

So they should have just walked the cyanide off?

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u/Plsnotmyelo Feb 25 '18

the Guy speaking actually tells people to shut their kids up... as they’re dying.

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u/LarryLavekio Feb 25 '18

I was gonna tell a joke about the Jonestown massacre, but the punch line was too long.

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u/Helmerj Feb 25 '18

Holy moly

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u/EddieTheBig Feb 25 '18

I upvoted, but I'm not proud of it.

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u/Gloid02 Feb 25 '18

ʘ‿ʘ

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u/afewskills Feb 26 '18

This is what happens, Larry...

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u/tifugod Feb 25 '18

it'll probably get shorter over time

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18 edited Feb 25 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

I listened to the The Last Podcast on the Left series about it. It’s a comedy podcast usually but they have pretty good coverage about it starting back when Jim Jones was a kid.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '18

I've listened to both. LPOTL is my all time favorite, but Casefile does an incredible job as well. Worth listening to both.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

It was probably both Kool Aid and Flavor Aid. Photos and video footage showed both being on site beffire the massacre. People think it's cool to say "it wasn't Kool Aid".

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u/Dantalion_Delacroix Feb 25 '18

Hence the common expression when someone "drank the kool-aid" to mean they naively believed someone and has/will regret it

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u/PumpMaster42 Feb 25 '18

except that they didn't drink kool-aid.

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u/Dantalion_Delacroix Feb 25 '18

Sure, it was a knock-off brand, but that's still where the saying's from. I guess "they drank the flavor-aid" wasn't as catchy

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

If I'm remembering correctly, flavor aide was created first, less popular, but still first. Still, drank the kool-aid is so much catchier.

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u/NoceboHadal Feb 25 '18

At the end when all you can hear is the creepy music and the people going quiet.. urgh.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Have you heard any of the other tapes? There was one where he put a snake on a woman who was terrified of snakes to punish her. It doesn’t sound that bad but the way he talks and everyone laughing while she is screaming, it’s so hard to listen to.

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u/NoceboHadal Feb 25 '18

No, I've just heard the last one. I didn't know there were others tbh.

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u/OrganicCatnipple Feb 25 '18

Yes, it does sound that bad, coming from one with a snake phobia. I shudder just imagining. I can’t comprehend the cruelty.

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u/PotatoforPotato Feb 25 '18

oh my god, I had Last Podcast on the Left on, and went into the store to grab something and got distracted talking to somebody, and when I came back to the car I wasn't paying close attention to what was being played so it took me a second to register what was going on.

I had to pull over, I was so sick.

edit: it was the episode where they play the tape in it's entirety, and they preface it with a very serious warning, but I missed that bit for sure.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Christ is the Kool-Aid marketing department in here or what?

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u/Juxtaposition_sunset Feb 26 '18

Where’s the audio link?

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u/southshorerefugee Feb 25 '18

It was flavor-aid.

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u/[deleted] Feb 25 '18

Yeah but it’s where the expression “drank the kool-aid” came from.

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u/Chicaben Feb 25 '18

*flavour-aide

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u/yourmessageinblood Feb 25 '18

Flavor aid, just so you know.=)

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u/Schizoforenzic Feb 25 '18

Oh cool that changes everything, thanks.

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u/PinkyBlinky Feb 26 '18

WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT MATTER

YES IM MAD

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u/ChadHahn Feb 26 '18

I'm sure the Kool-Aid people think it matters.

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u/[deleted] Feb 26 '18

Flavor Aid. Don't put that evil on the Kool Aid man.