Page 8 of 19 FirstFirst ... 45678910111218 ... LastLast
Results 281 to 320 of 877

Thread: USA politics following Trump's election

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by falsehope View Post
    Well the connection is that, at the moment, since 2008 wages in USA are constant. And the trade war is going to shrink GDP significantly which might result in projected 6% unemployment by 2019 which will also result in drop in wages, and also because of very possible recession. If the GDP will shrink below certain levels it will cause panic and withdrawal of investments, therefore causing less money in the markets. The point is that wages are kept constant but almost almost and if something will hamper current trends it will collapse and will affect all statistics - unemployment, inflation, investments, wages, it's recession. And this will definitely happen if the trade war will continue, I am not sure how does it calculate but I guess X billions of goods affected means minus 0.1% from GDP. So I guess there would be need to impose tariffs on $500 billion of goods yearly to cause recesion. Most of banks and financial analysts agree but not trump who thinks that "if they can impose tariffs, so can we".
    I don't understand the connections you are making and it only seems to make sense if you go by the economically liberal argument that free trade is good for the economy, protectionism is bad for it. This would be true if every country played by the same rules, but they don't. China doesn't hesitate to resort to protectionism and it gives them an edge. The world isn't a level playing field where economic actors all play by the same rules for the greater benefit of all, even Henry Hazlitt, the author of Economics in one Lesson, argues protectionism is beneficial, but only to certain groups it is intended to help, mainly those who don't export. It hurts others, he argues, mainly those who do export. But free trade also has its winners and losers, and it is those losers of free trade who voted Trump, for the most part.

    The US produces alot more of its GDP from people buying American product than from exporting and importing. Therefore tariffs won't hurt the US economy as much as some might think; they will cause some losses sure, but also will help smaller local producers who don't export or don't export much.

    Look at it this way, if tariffs are so bad why does China do it? You may think Trump is an idiot and you may be right (I'm not a big fan of Trump) but I think he's onto something with his trade policies, I don't think it is nonsense.

    But we will see.
    Last edited by Ave; 07-01-2018 at 02:32 PM. Reason: wording, typos

  2. #2
    Spermatozoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Your most intimate spaces
    TIM
    IEE 379 sx/sp
    Posts
    1,971
    Mentioned
    153 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    The logic behind Trump's tariffs is short term pain, long term gain.

    It is likely that the U.S. economy will undergo a minor recession as a result of them, but we need to look at the bigger picture. The Chinese economy is extremely dependent on exports to the U.S. and I have no doubt that the longer a trade war was to go on, the more leverage the U.S. would have over China. The grand assumption is that if Trump is able to win re-election, with enough time and willpower he may be able to force some political change within China simply by crippling their economy. A truly aggressive and cunning president would not stop there though, he would then invade China at this point, destroy its major cities, completely lay waste to the country so it can never challenge American dominance again. Sow salt in the soil, as the Romans did in Carthage.

  3. #3
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Spermatozoa View Post
    The logic behind Trump's tariffs is short term pain, long term gain.

    It is likely that the U.S. economy will undergo a minor recession as a result of them, but we need to look at the bigger picture. The Chinese economy is extremely dependent on exports to the U.S. and I have no doubt that the longer a trade war was to go on, the more leverage the U.S. would have over China. The grand assumption is that if Trump is able to win re-election, with enough time and willpower he may be able to force some political change within China simply by crippling their economy. A truly aggressive and cunning president would not stop there though, he would then invade China at this point, destroy its major cities, completely lay waste to the country so it can never challenge American dominance again. Sow salt in the soil, as the Romans did in Carthage.
    For some reason I don't think you're joking.

    But really, only a stupid president would do that. We're not living in antiquity anymore.

  4. #4
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    For some reason I don't think you're joking.
    I think Japan already tried this.

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    But really, only a stupid president would do that. We're not living in antiquity anymore.
    Well, Trump and his crew are pretty stupid. Trump just took a prank call on Air Force One from a comedian (Stuttering John) who was impersonating disgraced senator Bob Menendez, and spent half the call congratulating "Menendez" on beating the jail time and the other half discussing policy.



    Stuttering John should have impersonated the head of the Strategic Bomber Command, or Putin, except Trump would have recognized Putin's voice, since it is the last thing Trump hears at night before he goes to sleep. "Donald, we'll let you build a hotel in Moscow, but first you have to do something for us. Just between friends. It's good for business, you know."
    Last edited by Adam Strange; 07-01-2018 at 01:12 PM.

  5. #5
    Spermatozoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Your most intimate spaces
    TIM
    IEE 379 sx/sp
    Posts
    1,971
    Mentioned
    153 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    For some reason I don't think you're joking.

    But really, only a stupid president would do that. We're not living in antiquity anymore.
    We should seriously consider the possibility that the Chinese are planning large-scale military expansion in second half of the century. They are just waiting for the centrifugal forces undermining Western democracies (primarily immigration, cultural nihilism and a diminishing tax base) to reach a tipping point. My theory is that there will be a civil war in Europe and possibly in America at some point in the near future due to the influx of non-white ethnic groups, national defense will break down, and at this point China (and perhaps Russia) will try to invade.

    The U.S. is still in a position of strength and it should act now.

  6. #6
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,041
    Mentioned
    177 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by Spermatozoa View Post
    We should seriously consider the possibility that the Chinese are planning large-scale military expansion in second half of the century. They are just waiting for the centrifugal forces undermining Western democracies (primarily immigration, cultural nihilism and a diminishing tax base) to reach a tipping point. My theory is that there will be a civil war in Europe and possibly in America at some point in the near future due to the influx of non-white ethnic groups, national defense will break down, and at this point China (and perhaps Russia) will try to invade.

    The U.S. is still in a position of strength and it should act now.
    For some reason I don't think you're joking.

    But really, only a stupid president would do that. We're not living in antiquity anymore.
    The world needs China to be prosperous. They will contribute to developing sustainable living in the future.

  7. #7
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by inumbra View Post
    The world needs China to be prosperous. They will contribute to developing sustainable living in the future.
    I don't understand why people hate China so much.

    That's awesome btw. Eco cities are the future. And they will look so cool.

  8. #8
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,041
    Mentioned
    177 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    I don't understand why people hate China so much.

    That's awesome btw. Eco cities are the future. And they will look so cool.
    Yes. I'm very interested in China's course regarding the environment. Though they are a big polluter now, I think that they will move increasingly towards finding solutions.

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-its-pollution

  9. #9
    Spermatozoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Your most intimate spaces
    TIM
    IEE 379 sx/sp
    Posts
    1,971
    Mentioned
    153 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    I don't understand why people hate China so much.

    That's awesome btw. Eco cities are the future. And they will look so cool.
    I don't hate the Chinese, in fact it is quite the opposite, I have great respect for what they have achieved as a civilization and consider them to be worthy rivals. Nor do I hate the Chinese government or even communism, although equality does not exist anywhere in nature and is impossible to create without state coercion.

    Try not to bring your personal feelings into this. We are merely envisioning the hypothetical arcs by which the future could develop. It is also possible that there may be a massive flu pandenic that overwhelms that part of the world, or a giant meteor may crash into Earth tomorrow rendering this discussion entirely moot. Or maybe something else - there could be an assassination attempt, or even just a series of unrelated, minor circumstances which combine in a way we can't so easily account for, like maybe some car accidents, an earthquake or two...either way, our job is to assess which outcome is most probable, out of all the possibilities that need to be considered.

  10. #10
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    I have these thoughts on my mind, and I feel like putting them here.

    While I am not happy about a Trump presidency, I am glad Hillary Clinton lost the election.

    The Obama administation came up with one of the most frightening legal documents to almost be passed into law. It was called the TPP. Due to China's rising infleunce in the Pacific region, the Obama adminsitration felt it had to respond. It came up with a "trade deal" called Trans-Pacific Partnership, a NAFTA type deal between the US, several Latin American countries, Australia, NZ, I think SK and Japan too. They also came up with an analogous deal between the US and European countries called the TTIP, in order this time to counter the infleunce of Russia in the region.

    In this video, Green Party candidate Jill Stein explains the dangers of TPP:



    The video is propagandistic obviously, with the background music and camera angles trying to be instill fear in the viewer being obvious examples of why, but I think the things she says are accurate.

    The TPP was basically a Declaration of Independance for multinationals, Jill Stein calls it "corporate nationhood" but it's really corporate supernationhood since it allows for corporations to sue governments, including for potential damages to their profits in the future! What? It overrides the constitution, local government, fragilizes bank account privacy and internet privacy since I remember right it allowed ISPs to block certain sites among other things (this has been done with end of net neutrality though, at least in the US, not in Europe since the TTIP didn't pass). If a corporation decides to sue a government, the trial will be judged by three judges appointed by the world bank and the hearing held in secret. Hell, the deals were kept secret because of what outrage they would cause if people knew their contents.

    The TPP never got passed under Obama, the next president would decide. Hillary Clinton said she was against TPP, but she would have passed it. The Clintons are political chameleons like that. There were two candidates who were firmly against it, Trump and Stein. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson kept changing his mind based upon what people around him advised him, I think he would have signed it.

    So yeah. Not to be a fearmongerer here. But actually there is no more reason to be afraid. These "trade deals" have been binned by Trump. And I think that this single action is really positive, and a reason to be glad we got Trump rather than Clinton given both choices to me were bad anyways.

    Yeah, Trump's immigration policy sucks, and I don't support him but I think his winning was the lesser evil if it had to be a choice between him and Hillary (which it was).

    So yeah, that is seeing things through a single issue. But regardless of what Democrats thought of Obama, I can assure you, if you are center Left you would not liked living in a world where there is TPP.
    Last edited by Ave; 07-02-2018 at 08:25 PM.

  11. #11
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    I don't like living in the world as it is, but I agree that the TPP would have made things worse.

    The major problem is that neither the Republican nor the Demoratic legislators listen to anyone who is not rich. They all ignore their constituencies, and vote according to the wishes of the organized rich. Which are the corporations.

    https://www.russellsage.org/sites/al...els%20EIPR.pdf

  12. #12
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    That is true.

  13. #13
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    When the Rich Cry Foul!

    The US Chamber of Commerce is not the small town organization that it was in the early 1900's. It's present conservative leader, Tom Donohue, transformed it into one of the most rabidly anti-labor conservative organizations out there. Up to now, they've been pretty supportive of Trump, but since business got their big tax breaks and the stock market has flattened out with the expectation that there will be no new gifts to business in the near term and they see the orange-faced driver of the Republican Clown Car crash into things as he makes his way down the street, they're starting to sing a different tune.

    Trump's economic idiocies now aren't just aimed at poor immigrants or the poor citizens at the bottom of the income ladder. Nope, now they are beginning to affect the rich. And here is a link to the result: it is the front page of the Chamber of Commerce's website. https://www.uschamber.com/tariffs
    Last edited by Adam Strange; 07-04-2018 at 12:19 AM.

  14. #14
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,041
    Mentioned
    177 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Here's an example of the kind of thing that scares me:

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer...ntroversy.html

    It's like you can't examine ideas - this is like the thought police. There is only one dogma and anything outside of it is increasingly persecuted.

    I mean, the criticisms of the article are fine--it should be open to criticism--and perhaps indeed some of the terms/ideas need to be re-worked. But the witch hunt that follows is the sort of free-floating "hate" basically that scares me. Things like this make me want to hide far, far away from human society. And the hate is a product of a binary between what is increasingly two sides only, with no other perspectives, no middle ground, no anything: you are either with us or against us and those against us can just die.

    Another article: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2...ot-your-enemy/

    And another one: https://panampost.com/ben-jackson/20...?cn-reloaded=1

    The issue is that BOTH positions are right. There is increasing censorship of speech and ideas such that one can't examine ideas in discussion unless they can do so according to the One Dogma. But the issues the One Dogma addresses are real issues that need to be addressed that do indeed reflect real injustices.
    Last edited by marooned; 07-06-2018 at 05:24 PM.

  15. #15
    Spermatozoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Your most intimate spaces
    TIM
    IEE 379 sx/sp
    Posts
    1,971
    Mentioned
    153 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by inumbra View Post
    Here's an example of the kind of thing that scares me:

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer...ntroversy.html

    It's like you can't examine ideas - this is like the thought police. There is only one dogma and anything outside of it is increasingly persecuted.

    I mean, the criticisms of the article are fine--it should be open to criticism--and perhaps indeed some of the terms/ideas need to be re-worked. But the witch hunt that follows is the sort of free-floating "hate" basically that scares me. Things like this make me want to hide far, far away from human society. And the hate is a product of a binary between what is increasingly two sides only, with no other perspectives, no middle ground, no anything: you are either with us or against us and those against us can just die.

    Another article: https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2...ot-your-enemy/

    And another one: https://panampost.com/ben-jackson/20...?cn-reloaded=1

    The issue is that BOTH positions are right. There is increasing censorship of speech and ideas such that one can't examine ideas in discussion unless they can do so according to the One Dogma. But the issues the One Dogma addresses are real issues that need to be addressed that do indeed reflect real injustices.
    As I see it, the issue is that our political discourse has become dominated by zero-sum conflicts over who we find offensive and dangerous, as opposed to more abstract discussions around policy. This change has made the personal political and therefore removed the distance between someone's ideas and their character as a person. You should be able to dissect an ideology, examine its premises and determine whether it is logically sound. But people now make political choices based on identity rather than ideas. This is because we live in a multiracial society (which you support), and a majority voting bloc is now impossible to assemble without appeals to identity. So people have no incentive to open their minds. A totem pole of victimhood with common enemies, as well as immigration (which adds fuel to the fire) is now necessary for the left at least to win elections, and this means political opponents are not only are incorrect to them but oppressive and a moral evil.
    Last edited by Spermatozoa; 07-09-2018 at 03:23 AM.

  16. #16
    Moderator xerx's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Miniluv
    Posts
    8,001
    Mentioned
    224 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    actually the United States has always been a multiracial society (bleeding-heart Liberals didn't cause slavery)

  17. #17
    Spermatozoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Your most intimate spaces
    TIM
    IEE 379 sx/sp
    Posts
    1,971
    Mentioned
    153 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by xerx View Post
    actually the United States has always been a multiracial society (bleeding-heart Liberals didn't cause slavery)
    Almost every society around the world has had slaves at some point in time. If you want to use slavery as a moral yardstick to assess the comparative value of civilisations, the question you should be asking is which societies led the move to abolish slavery, and which societies still practice it today.

  18. #18
    Moderator xerx's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Miniluv
    Posts
    8,001
    Mentioned
    224 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    I wasn't discussing the morality of slavery. I only meant that the United States has always been multi-cultural / multi-ethnic, with Africans (and indigenous peoples to be sure) having played a prominent role from nearly its inception as an agricultural colony. If you're of German / Finnish / Swedish / etc. immigrant descent, then a descendant of African slavery is likely to be more indigenous than you are.

    Quote Originally Posted by Spermatozoa View Post
    Almost every society around the world has had slaves at some point in time. If you want to use slavery as a moral yardstick to assess the comparative value of civilisations, the question you should be asking is which societies led the move to abolish slavery, and which societies still practice it today.
    If you're going to be "brutally fair", then also consider the fact that the intensity and scale of Western European chattel slavery dwarfed pretty much anything else that came before. Preindustrial societies like Medieval Europe, the Roman Empire, and Dar al-Islam practiced slavery (or serfdom, which is only marginally better), but they never had (except in a few cases) the industrial-scale plantation economies to justify reducing sentient beings to pure capital goods in order extract every last ounce of value from them.
    Last edited by xerx; 07-09-2018 at 07:36 PM.

  19. #19
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Multi-racial is not a problem, multi-cultural does create some problems though.

    The ancient Egyptians didn't stay a civilization for 3,000 years with multi-culuralism, it was in fact quit the opposite: a unified culture. Yes, different nomes (provinces) had their own gods and versions of the gods, but under the pharoah society was unified and so was culture. The Egyptians were xenophobic since not Egyptian meant less than human, but anyone could become Egyptian simply by adopting Egyptian customs and traditions regardless of race.

    America has not always been multi-cultural but it has always been a melting pot. People of different countires come to America to become American, yes they retain an attachment to their culture of origin too, for example they can be Irish American or Chinese American or Mexican American, but there is a common thread - "American".

  20. #20
    Spermatozoa's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2017
    Location
    Your most intimate spaces
    TIM
    IEE 379 sx/sp
    Posts
    1,971
    Mentioned
    153 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Avebury View Post
    Multi-racial is not a problem, multi-cultural does create some problems though.

    The ancient Egyptians didn't stay a civilization for 3,000 years with multi-culuralism, it was in fact quit the opposite: a unified culture. Yes, different nomes (provinces) had their own gods and versions of the gods, but under the pharoah society was unified and so was culture. The Egyptians were xenophobic since not Egyptian meant less than human, but anyone could become Egyptian simply by adopting Egyptian customs and traditions regardless of race.

    America has not always been multi-cultural but it has always been a melting pot. People of different countires come to America to become American, yes they retain an attachment to their culture of origin too, for example they can be Irish American or Chinese American or Mexican American, but there is a common thread - "American".

    You see, this is where I disagree. The culture we have today is very different to what it was even a generation ago. Cultural forces are incorporeal so highly malleable and evolve at a rapid rate. Dramatic changes won't necessarily undermine a society in an irreversible manner, as revolutions throughout history attest. Race being biological evolves much more slowly (100,000s of years, as opposed to mere minutes). For all intents and purposes we can consider it to be a fixed trait. Also, culture flows downstream from people, much as politics flows downstream from culture. This is why the demographic composition of a country needs to be tightly monitored if you want political stability. The Chinese nation, whom you mentioned earlier, understand this very well - it is why they have a very strict immigration policy.

    My rule of thumb is to keep visible minorities below 10% and have a single race dominate society (this prevents the identity-based politics we see now) but to also encourage multiple cultural movements (ideas, philosophies etc) to compete with each other so that people are challenged intellectually and innovate, which communists are always afraid to allow. Your melting-pot scenario was only possible because the above conditions were being met.
    Last edited by Spermatozoa; 07-09-2018 at 11:36 AM.

  21. #21

    Join Date
    Apr 2018
    Posts
    2,181
    Mentioned
    58 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Random facebook thread comment-->

    The deep stupid comments of River Durmon & Chad Nouvet and others ignoring or defending this as "Old" are indicative of the complete denial of all Trump supporters to the long history of the Trump perfidy.

    In NYC from the 1970 on, Trump was considered a cheap joke, a crass charlatan and little baby Wiseguy wannabe.


    I grew up in NYC and I met Trump several times in 1988 while working on celebrity events as a manager for Glorious Foods (the premier catering company at the time)


    Now this is a time (1985) when Trump’s primary mentor (and agent of organized crime collusion) had been, disbarred attorney Roy Cohen Jr. (mob lawyer and architect of Mccarthyism)


    Trump used the Mob (thru Cohen) to control unions and force out long time (upper west side) residence, in the way of his eyesore development “Trump Place” which he had been trying to do since the 70s. In the end he failed and ended up selling out to foreign investors who finished the development (all in the public record)


    During those years he was often in the press at hot NYC night clubs doing blow and groping eastern European teens girls who were trying to be Paulina Porizkova


    He was and still is a prostitute banging criminal, who dodges taxes, creditors, and contractor's unpaid bills.


    His continued failures are why he went to the mob and then to Russia for investors and buyers for his real estate projects. (all in the public record, look up the owners in all of his developments)


    They got to launder money and he got to put his (changed) fake name onto the buildings which even back then had the same vulgar inelegance, straight out of a Russian oligarchs comic book fantasy… fucking gold toilets says it all.

  22. #22
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,041
    Mentioned
    177 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    An exciting article i found today: https://www.mrctv.org/blog/social-ps...-masculinities

    My favorite part is imposing the notion of 'rape culture' on dogs. It's kind of ironic coming from someone who is against oppression--the continuing oppression of "man" over "beast" is evident everywhere, and the very way dogs have been bred is in a way in which they must be as docile and adaptable to humans as possible. Humans didn't like their nature, and so this became this. Anyway, there is endless fodder for SJWs in dog breeds and what has been done to them genetically--one could even go so far as to calling spaying and neutering oppression/violation. It's kind of hypocrisy to use dogs as examples of human rape culture in a paper like this. Male dogs aren't very analogous to male humans in a lot of ways. Although I'm not an expert, dogs/wolves don't seem to care about biological sex in terms of dominance. Where's the canine rapey patriarchy? I guess you can apply it along dominance lines (do dominant dogs hump non-dominant dogs as a show of their dominance, to keep those non-dominant dogs down?). But that analysis doesn't seem to be here.

  23. #23
    Bertrand's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    5,896
    Mentioned
    486 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    deliberate obtuseness is usually rational according to the domain of human relationships, you just have to see who they have in mind when supporting one position or another

  24. #24
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,041
    Mentioned
    177 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Another fun article: http://www.fayobserver.com/news/2018...ct-2-candidate

    Are our races "political parties" now?

    Why is identity politics about perpetuating the same injustices that have occurred in the past (but in reverse) rather than about ending ALL of these injustices.

    Sigh. All we're doing is setting ourselves up for a repeat of history.

    The other thing that kind of amuses me is that I think I'm tending towards not wanting to vote at all because no one represents my interests. No one represents the kind of world I wish we could create. They can all go fuck themselves.
    Last edited by marooned; 07-16-2018 at 04:53 PM.

  25. #25
    Banned
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    TIM
    /
    Posts
    7,041
    Mentioned
    177 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer...cism-made.html

    This topic frustrates me as well. Though I vote democrats primarily because of class-based issues and issues about equality, I really don't believe the generic left cares at all about the working class (it is defined primarily by white upper middle class people and minorities). Identity politics, as taught, are about race, sex, sexual orientation and gender; they are not about class. And anyone white who is working class is considered having invalid concerns. Their economic status and issues are seen as irrelevant next to their white privilege. Thanks to identity politics, class IS race now. They are inseparable. If you are black working class, the thing keeping you down is that you are black (your class is irrelevant next to racism). If you are white working class, um, you're white. You have no problems. I think things are much more about class than a lot of people see. And just because race is more significant for a racial minority in terms of their problems in society, that doesn't mean that the same is true of those in the racial majority.

    It's just mystifying how the very kinds of thinkers who authored this identity politics discourse in universities can't apparently see its implications.

    Anyway, I used to feel unity with anyone in my social class. But now I feel utterly alone, politically.

    And it's so annoying, because it's like all one has to do is mention class AND race. There is this idea of "intersectionality." If one is in a minority race + working class they are even MORE disadvantaged. It's standard addition. Ugh. It doesn't have to mean only class matters and race doesn't when that's obviously false. It doesn't have to be one or the other.
    Last edited by marooned; 07-16-2018 at 11:57 PM.

  26. #26
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    I’m looking at the reports of Trump’s performance at Helsinki, and even the conservative news outlets are critical of him. Now that the rich have their tax cut, Trump’s erratic behavior is now (but not before the tax cut) grounds for him to be replaced by the more tractable Pence.

  27. #27
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    While I liked my time in America and often wished to go back after coming back to Belgium, I'm kinda glad I'm not there now.

    No offense or anything, but it just looks really tense, with identity politics, taboo debates(like the gun debate which gets really heated, I mean it always has been but now it's just pure degeneracy), immigrants not welcome (at least by alot of people), etc.
    Last edited by Ave; 07-17-2018 at 10:37 AM.
    Join my Enneagram Discord: https://discord.gg/ND4jCAcs

  28. #28
    Haikus Computer Loser's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    1,430
    Mentioned
    96 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Oh u guyz r silly

  29. #29
    Hacking your soul since the beginning of time Hitta's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    In your mom's uterus
    Posts
    4,087
    Mentioned
    200 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    The should make completing Dark Souls III a requirement for entering into politics.
    Model X Will Save Us!

    *randomwarelinkremoved

    jessica129:scrotums r hot

    :" hitting cap makes me envision cervix smashing"

  30. #30
    Dauphin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    North Carolina
    TIM
    EIE
    Posts
    946
    Mentioned
    23 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    The new mindset among the left is apparently that anything to the right of the Democratic Party (or its equivalent in other countries) is Nazism, and they seem to be perfectly fine with the fact that this does nothing but push people in the center further to the right.
    It's pure psychosis and toxicity. Even the mildest disagreement with left-wing identity politics will lead to doxxing and public humiliation now.

  31. #31
    Bertrand's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    5,896
    Mentioned
    486 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    honestly the left in america has been pushed so far to the center, at this point everything to the right of it is kind of fascist

  32. #32
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Bertrand View Post
    honestly the left in america has been pushed so far to the center, at this point everything to the right of it is kind of fascist
    Wtf does this even mean.

    People are not pushed far to the center they are pushed far from the center, the whole idea of having a center is that anything to the right or left of it is more radical. You're saying the left is in the center (which makes no sense because if they were, would they still be the left?), and anything to the right of the center, which is technically still the right, is not anymore fascist than it ever has been.

    If your statement had been "the left in America has been pushed so far the right that anything to the right of it is fascist" that would have been logical - it's not true - but it is logical.
    Last edited by Ave; 08-19-2018 at 02:57 PM.

  33. #33
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    To me, Omarosa looks ESI and so does Katy Tur.

    Given the fact that

    "The main program of Dreiser is to reveal all the existing negative ethical qualities and tendencies and to fight for their removal, exclusion, and elimination to the point of their complete eradication. In light of this, what constitutes acceptable relations for Dreiser are relations in which he sees the smallest potential for trouble for his himself, his close ones, and his community.",

    our reality show President may be in trouble.

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/vi..._came_out.html

    Katy Tur looks like she's got so many questions about what Trump did, and Omarosa has already made up her mind about the guy. Lol.

  34. #34
    if it isn't Mr. Nice Guy Ave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    6,146
    Mentioned
    247 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    I think a truer statement would actually be "the right has been pushed so far to the right, and the left so far to the left, that American politics is becoming more polarized".

  35. #35
    Bertrand's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    5,896
    Mentioned
    486 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default

    a good example is obama care, which was previously considered a republican plan, but once obama got behind it, politics dictated they had to oppose it, thus the set point moved right, and the left found themselves defending a historically more right wing position. what was once the conservative option became the librul one and the entire push/pull shifted to the right. it is to say little more than even our democrats are not very left compared to the left around the world and the left itself in america in time. i would agree that increased polarization is the mechanism that accomplished this, but on the whole america is drifting right. even leftist "victories" such as gay marriage are partial solutions and a little late, compared to the global perspective. if all you look at is local i.e.: national politics without a broader philosophical or global view, there is no objective left or right there is only opposition to the tribe, which is itself a slide into a right wing mindset. in other words, the entire perspective the US is being sucked into is a kind of right wing mindset, not just on the substantive issues but on how it frames the development of those issues. this is precisely what is powering polarization, it escalates division and hostility, by increasingly narrowing its point of view, without a shred of self awareness. republicans think this is their ticket to success, by encouraging things like the tea party, which are a clear example of this dynamic at work, but I think it will ultimately serve as a historical example of how not to run a country, because its fundamentally a kind of tantrum to bring people's attention to a class of people feeling ignored for too long, not really a wellspring of sound policy in of itself.. in this case it may be that the right wing ends up promoting the most progressive developments in american politics since the civil rights movement, but first we need a shift to the right to demonstrate why that path is something of a dead end, which is what we're seeing right now unfold. on the other hand I saw an article the other day about how China is suffering from the trade war with the US and thought maybe Trump does have something to teach the left going forward in terms of executive policy, which is its okay to sometimes play hardball with our "allies." I guess we'll see what becomes of the China situation too
    Last edited by Bertrand; 08-19-2018 at 06:55 PM.

  36. #36

    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    TIM
    ILI - C
    Posts
    1,804
    Mentioned
    114 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default

    Nikki Haley resigned. Interesting.

  37. #37
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Looks like Trump still has 1% of the vote.

    https://www.langerresearch.com/wp-co...3Trump2020.pdf

    (28% as opposed to 27%.)

    See this :http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com/2005/10...ification.html
    for an explanation for the 27%

  38. #38
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

  39. #39
    Adam Strange's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2015
    Location
    Midwest, USA
    TIM
    ENTJ-1Te 8w7 sx/so
    Posts
    16,842
    Mentioned
    1603 Post(s)
    Tagged
    2 Thread(s)

    Default

    Another damned Welfare cheater. Where is Ronald Raygun or Donald Trump when you need someone to publicize this stuff?:

    https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/23/us/ar...ard/index.html

    .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..................................................

    Oh, wait. This guy isn't a minority. Nevermind.

    I'm guessing that this guy is ILE, from the Rick and Morty episode alone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evYxx8qjZFs
    Last edited by Adam Strange; 05-24-2019 at 01:51 PM.

  40. #40
    Raver's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    TIM
    Ne-IEE 6w7 sp/sx
    Posts
    4,899
    Mentioned
    221 Post(s)
    Tagged
    3 Thread(s)

    Default

    “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” Randy Pausch

    Ne-IEE
    6w7 sp/sx
    6w7-9w1-4w5

Page 8 of 19 FirstFirst ... 45678910111218 ... LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •