The problem is Trump has been so divisive that it has led to a hardening of positions and rhetoric. With previous Presidents of both parties, there were obviously disagreements but nothing like with Trump. He is uniquely polarizing in my opinion.
Indeed. I don't know whether they were just parroting Trump himself but I've heard plenty of his supporters claim that the fact that his rallies were so well and enthusiastically populated is evidence that he must have won the election. What they can't or won't realise is that for every person who loves Trump, there's someone else who hates him nearly as much. As has been said many, many times, a significant proportion of the votes Joe Biden received were more accurately votes against Trump. To anyone who has actually been paying attention, it's no surprise that Biden got more votes than any other candidate in history because that many people really do want Trump out of office that badly. As a narcissist, Trump cannot allow himself to see that reality. As lovers of authoritarian leadership, his supporters will not.
Don't be disappointed, without going into detail he just used some childish offensive anti-gay slurs against a member
Yeah I figured as much since the post was completely removed and not just edited.. meaning there was literally no substence to the post the mod felt was worth leaving in.... was just curious I guess.
Originally Posted by NeedSomeAnswers
The problem is Trump has been so divisive that it has led to a hardening of positions and rhetoric. With previous Presidents of both parties, there were obviously disagreements but nothing like with Trump. He is uniquely polarizing in my opinion.
It is so bad that this isn't even a divide just between the left and right. If you check out conservative subreddits, it seems pretty split down the middle on those who only consider Trumpers true conservatives, and those who consider the opposite.
The republican party is going to be very split after this. Trump has even started talking about creating his own party, but no idea where that will go.
The republican party is going to be very split after this. Trump has even started talking about creating his own party, but no idea where that will go.
There have been calls on the left to start a People's Party behind the likes of Bernie Sanders. I think that that would be a good thing in principle but the reality is that, if that happened, the left-wing vote would be split and Republicans would likely win many more races. If the right-wing vote was split too, between "traditional" Republicans and Trumpists then is could be an ideal time to create a genuine left-wing party. Of course, centrist Democrats would be calling for unity but unity is code for falling in line behind their centrist ideas and policies. We're seeing some concessions to the growing strength on the left, e.g. Bernie's new position, but they will never give up more than they think they absolutely have to so it will have to be taken from them at some stage.
I agree but I will say that an ad hominem attack and an ad hominem fallacy are two different things. I'm not above calling people stupid if I think they're stupid, as evidenced above, but I generally will explain why I think they're stupid if I do so, as evidenced above. Anyone who claims that Joe Biden is a communist is either genuinely stupid, glaringly dishonest or willfully too far gone to warrant respect. Calling them stupid is accurate in the first case and deserved in the other cases anyway. I don't think that we should say "you're stupid so we shouldn't listen to anything you say". I think we should say "you're stupid because you say stupid things and we shouldn't listen to stupid things". I'm always willing to listen to a genuine point. Anything relating to communism or actual socialism in American politics is not a genuine point. There's a reason that Ben Shapiro, who loves to call Bernie Sanders a socialist, felt the need to make a video pointing out why Scandinavian countries are not socialist. If anyone thinks they are then it's because of the lies that people like him have told about what is and isn't socialism. Bernie Sanders isn't a socialist so to suggest that Joe Biden is a communist is simply mental. Why is it that right-wingers love to make Democrats seem way better than they actually are?
I wouldn't use the word stupid. In this case, it was well earned, but only in the reply which was removed. Up to that point, he was mostly just misguided. One can be intelligent in most areas and blind in one. I know somebody who is very intelligent, but repeated some QAnon nonsense without knowing what it was. If you don't swim in the right waters, you may not know what lurks there. That could be called ignorance rather than stupidity, but that word is too loaded to use in wisdom. People seem less offended by stupid than ignorant, yet a lack of knowledge in some domain is no indication of intelligence.
To Peter's post, yes, this forum definitely skews anti Trump. I don't particularly have a problem with that (I am anti Trump) but what I do have a problem with is that I know we have some reasonable and articulate pro Trump voices on this forum and they clearly feel so pushed out out of the discussion that they've simply disengaged and aren't taking part any more. And who can blame them? Realistically, if they do post good arguments in here, the responses will probably be sneering at best and insulting at worst. We need to do better that that.
The same is, of course, true of right wing forums too. Try posting an anti Trump message on the Donald and see how long you last. If you don't get outright banned you will be called a paedophile and receive death threats.
This is really damaging because it means that you won't find a forum (in the broad sense of the word) now that s hosting any actual debate and that means that none of us has any chance of learning from each other. We just sink further into our silos.
As a mod in a left leaning forum I guess I have the privilege of being able to challenge the left leaning membership to be more accepting of those with right leaning views (which does not mean you should not challenge their arguments). To right leaning members, I guess I'd ask you to pay it forward. Carry this message into your own echo chambers and push people to accept those with left wing views (with the same caveats about being able to challenge their arguments in turn).
Separating the man from the argument is important. Failure to do so demonises anyone who disagrees with you.
That is entirely true, and I would encourage people to listen to both sides of the argument and to stay respectful. The last thing I want to be responsbile for is discouraging pro-Trump posts even while I am pretty much anti-Trump myself.
I think that trying to make any of this about Trump is the problem. Trump is gone, so it doesn't matter any longer and we can move beyond this impediment to thought and discussion.
Facing reality for a change will be painful. Reflection has been replaced by galvanic jerking of knees for so long it will be difficult at first.
This could be a problem. Without a demon-on-a-stick to wave a lot of the bigotry, dishonesty, and criminality of the corporate Romney Democrats loses its mask. People have to face hard truths they've tried desperately to conceal from themselves.
But it isn't 1980 any longer, no matter how badly Biden wants it back. An awful lot has changed in the world over 40 years. The candle of globalization has been burnt from both ends and there is nothing left in the middle.
Get ready for even more extremism as fear of popular uprise grows.
Dil, you seem to be spiraling into a bad place. Predicting doom never works out for anybody: If you're right, you're playing Cassandra. If you're wrong, you're a fool.
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Re: The US fragile democracy Exposed
I'm kinda disappointed I didn't get to see the childish post that was removed.
It went beyond Childish.. It was a straight insult directed at JM but, more importantly, the particular insult used was an attack on a subset of people who should feel welcome here. Honestly, I was deeply offended by that and not really on JM's behalf (he's tough enough to cope, I think).
I would have banned them permanently for that
That was my first reaction and I went back and forward on it for about 5 minutes. In the end I went with a temp because they're a fairly new member and I feel like everyone deserves a second chance.
I wouldn't use the word stupid. In this case, it was well earned, but only in the reply which was removed. Up to that point, he was mostly just misguided.
That's where I come at it from. My sister is a bit of a conspiracy nut to the point where she's anti-vax (though she's putting that aside for the Corona vaccine - even she sees the value in this one), has a sneaky suspicion that the whole 9/11 think was a fake and absolutely believes in chem-trails. She's also highly intelligent and a Bernie supporter. (It takes all sorts, I guess). I love talking to her about this sort of stuff because, while she's pretty set in her beliefs, she engages in good faith and is sharp enough to stump me with annoying regularity.
I think that trying to make any of this about Trump is the problem
Trump made it about Trump. And it's going to continue to be about Trump until either he admits that he lost the election and spread conspiracy theories about or he is publicly proven to have lost the election and have spread conspiracy theories about it. Until that time it must continue to be addressed because failure to do so will be taken as proof of their case by those who he's already indoctrinated.
Last edited by FunkyDexter; Jan 20th, 2021 at 12:43 PM.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Hadoop actually sounds more like the way they greet each other in Yorkshire - Inferrd
C++ programmers will dismiss you as a cretinous simpleton for your inability to keep track of pointers chained 6 levels deep and Java programmers will pillory you for buying into the evils of Microsoft. Meanwhile C# programmers will get paid just a little bit more than you for writing exactly the same code and VB6 programmers will continue to whitter on about "footprints". - FunkyDexter
There's just no reason to use garbage like InputBox. - jmcilhinney
The threads I start are Niya and Olaf free zones. No arguing about the benefits of VB6 over .NET here please. Happiness must reign. - yereverluvinuncleber
Yes, it is a shame some don't post in these types of threads anymore but maybe with Trump gone from office some of the political threads will calm down a bit.
The problem is Trump has been so divisive that it has led to a hardening of positions and rhetoric. With previous Presidents of both parties, there were obviously disagreements but nothing like with Trump. He is uniquely polarizing in my opinion.
I'm working on letting him go. Trump being off of twitter helps immensely. I see what Faux news is going to be doing now that he is gone. It has switched to non-stop democrat bashing. It was pretty much that before but in the context of Trump being president. I've read some opinion pieces that Faux news is just as complicit in dividing America as Trump was.
I know we have some reasonable and articulate pro Trump voices on this forum and they clearly feel so pushed out out of the discussion that they've simply disengaged and aren't taking part any more.
Some of us may have voiced our opinion to harshly and I'm willing to work on that. But I'm not sure that's the whole reason we're not hearing from them. It seems to me that, especially lately, Trumps actions have made it very hard on them to come up with reasonable debating points. There just isn't any evidence to backup the "Stolen Election" claim.
Maybe now that Biden is president we can get back to debating things where both sides have reasonable points to argue about.
I think that trying to make any of this about Trump is the problem
Trump may not be president but Trump and the violence he has fostered in a large segment of our population hasn't gone away. There will be violent attacks in his name.
I doubt it. My impression, based largely on the fact that he seems to want to criticise Biden for every little thing even before this while pretty much giving Trump a pass, is that he is someone who feels betrayed by the Democratic establishment and is determined to grind an axe over that, where he never expected anything from Republicans in the first place so doesn't feel let down. This mirrors the reaction to Microsoft's actions and non-actions in relation to VB6. It is admittedly based on little information but it seems like a bit of a pattern to me.
I'm thinking this thread is going to be winding down. One sure sign a thread is dying is when ShaggyHiker starts making puns
This probably doesn't fit here but Faux news and Trump were pretty much joined at the hips. Amazon sent President Biden a letter offing to help with the vaccine distribution. Faux news is asking/reporting why they didn't do that for Trump and that just shows how "liberals" hated him. If the hypocrites at that network Just Googled "Trump attacks Amazon" maybe they would understand...
You could argue that public health should take precedence over "personal" feuds. I can see that. I also can see not supporting a president that is trying to put you, and all those employees, out of business. And if Trump was actually trying to handle the pandemic maybe people would pitch in.
Lastly, according to today's reporting there is NO federal vaccination program currently in place. How do you offer to help with something that doesn't exist?
Last edited by TysonLPrice; Jan 21st, 2021 at 07:21 AM.
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Re: The US fragile democracy Exposed
Some of us may have voiced our opinion to harshly and I'm willing to work on that.
Just to be clear, I wasn't aiming that at any particular member or post. Individually I think our membership is excellent at open debate and good at throwing opinions back and forward without getting too personal. I was aiming it more at the general effect of the overwhelming numbers they know they'll be met with. In that circumstance I think we're better if we afford the minority opinion extra space because, otherwise, you risk shutting it down without even realising you're doing it. Weirdly, I ended up defending the position against JM, who I honestly think is one of our members who's best at playing the ball and not the man (though he's known to go a bit Vinnie Jones when people don't check MSDN).
It seems to me that, especially lately, Trumps actions have made it very hard on them to come up with reasonable debating points.
I know where you're coming from with that but I do think there's alot of Trump's tenure that's defensible. I'm very much playing devils advocate here but...
If you're anti immigration, he took that head on
If you see globalisation as a problem, Mr T's got your back
If you felt America was doing more than it's fair share on the world stage, he certainly addressed that
If you felt that the US corporations were over regulated, Trump's your huckleberry.
I don't agree with any of the above but I can certainly see why someone can without being either the village idiot or a swivel-eyed lunatic. I've no doubt there are plenty more talking points a reasonable Trumpist could make (I struggled but that's hardly surprising - it's hard to come up with things you disagree with).
Trouble is without those reasonable voices we're left with... well... Roast, and that leaves the impression that all Trumpists are crazy conspiracy theorists who clearly never looked up "communist" in a dictionary. The few thousand who marched on the Capitol meet that description but the seventy odd million who voted for him? I'm not buying that.
Mind you, I'm a brit and we think that all ferners are at least a little crazy so... maybe. Drink more Tea!
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Hadoop actually sounds more like the way they greet each other in Yorkshire - Inferrd
BDS is real lol "every bit of cynicism has been rewarded."
You would think you guys would have learned from the democrats to not jump on every "apparently" or "allegedly" and wait to actually see.. it makes you look like a fool if you're ultimately proven wrong.
Based on this, it looks like they are trying to push it through ASAP with a possibility of end of next week, although they are worried it will be Feb or March:
You're splitting hairs on the $2000 vs $1400. I always understood is that the total was going to be $2000.
However, based on the video you posted, you're getting your news from sources very eager to attack the Dems, so it is no wonder you're getting more radicalized... You literally live in your echo chamber.
I actually spend most of my day on
r/AskConservatives/
r/Conservative/
r/NeutralPolitics/
r/conservatives/
r/tuesday/
But keep believing that if it makes you feel better. I don't post videos of people so completely biased that they're red in the face when making their comments, or from people who doctor their videos to try and help their point.
Most of all, I don't see that evidence and keep watching those people.
Even this extreme level of censorship and propaganda doesn't mean people go on blindly consuming it. Even trying to spin words like "right" out of shape doesn't fly. In reality Biden is to the right of Ronald Reagan. We saw this when he was hugging Bush for the cameras yesterday.
I don't see Reagan in that picture, not to the right or left of Biden.
I was expecting bitter and hyperbolic paranoia, but that post either went so far out it almost came back in again, or it was talking about something totally different.
Even this extreme level of censorship and propaganda doesn't mean people go on blindly consuming it. Even trying to spin words like "right" out of shape doesn't fly. In reality Biden is to the right of Ronald Reagan. We saw this when he was hugging Bush for the cameras yesterday.
It appears that Trump beat the Devil and goes home with the golden fiddle again.
It's kind of funny though to see the losers try to spin this as a victory. Perhaps they'll wait 6 months before starting a 3rd impeachment circus? Midterm election runs are already ramping up.
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Re: The US fragile democracy Exposed
It appears that Trump beat the Devil and goes home with the golden fiddle again.
That was never in doubt but neither was it the point. The point was to put Republican Senators on record.
It's hard to imagine anyone outside of Trump's most rabid base being anything other than disgusted by Rand Paul doodling and Josh Hawley putting his feet up while footage of Capitol police officers being battered was played. It's a safe bet that the Republican Party has lost the middle.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Hadoop actually sounds more like the way they greet each other in Yorkshire - Inferrd
It's a safe bet that the Republican Party has lost the middle.
What you call "the middle" would be more properly referred to as "the right." The corporatists, globalists, and warmongers. But they will be welcomed with open arms by the Biden crowd they are more naturally aligned with.
The workers, populists, and the censored and downtrodden more generally are not as likely to throw in with Turtle Mitch and the gang as they drift further right into Bidenism. Who can say whether both US "lefts" can overcome the propaganda and join in common cause against the failing duopoly?
Time is not on the side of the old guard no matter how fitful its senility may be. The Bretton Woods II global Order is on its last legs already anyway.
I don't buy into this guy's worship for George H. W. Bush one bit, but he goes on to make excellent points. If things unfold as he suggests the US may for in for a huge "peace dividend" and a period of domestic prosperity rivaling the 1950s. Good luck everyone else, left to their own devices for the first time in 70 years.
C++ programmers will dismiss you as a cretinous simpleton for your inability to keep track of pointers chained 6 levels deep and Java programmers will pillory you for buying into the evils of Microsoft. Meanwhile C# programmers will get paid just a little bit more than you for writing exactly the same code and VB6 programmers will continue to whitter on about "footprints". - FunkyDexter
There's just no reason to use garbage like InputBox. - jmcilhinney
The threads I start are Niya and Olaf free zones. No arguing about the benefits of VB6 over .NET here please. Happiness must reign. - yereverluvinuncleber
An obscure body in the SK system. The inhabitants call it Earth
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Re: The US fragile democracy Exposed
What you call "the middle" would be more properly referred to as "the right."
It's the middle of the Overton window but, yeah, your window is substantially to the right of ours.
But they will be welcomed with open arms by the Biden crowd they are more naturally aligned with.
I think there's still a great deal of "fear of socialism" that might prevent that, or at least act as a break on it. But overall I think you're right. If you're centre-right in the US right now then the Dems are a more natural home than the Reps. I'd be curious to hear from any Non-Trumpy Rep members what they think about that.
I'm not sure what affect that would have on the gravity of the Dems. They're a Centrist (arguably moderately Right) party right now but the Bernie movement has been acting as a strong pull Left. Add in a strong Right pull factor and it could be interesting to watch.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter - Winston Churchill
Hadoop actually sounds more like the way they greet each other in Yorkshire - Inferrd
To show you how the polarisation of views and how charges of inciting hatred have affected normal speech - I posted this on facebook as a comic quote to my friends, from the book "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K Jerome:
"Where it is really the owners that are to blame, they ought to be shown up. The selfishness of the riparian proprietor grows with every year. If these men had their way they would close the river Thames altogether. They actually do this along the minor tributary streams and in the backwaters. They drive posts into the bed of the stream, and draw chains across from bank to bank, and nail huge notice-boards on every tree. The sight of those notice-boards rouses every evil instinct in my nature. I feel I want to tear each one down, and hammer it over the head of the man who put it up, until I have killed him, and then I would bury him, and put the board up over the grave as a tombstone.
I mentioned these feelings of mine to Harris, and he said he had them worse than that. He said he not only felt he wanted to kill the man who caused the board to be put up, but that he should like to slaughter the whole of his family and all his friends and relations, and then burn down his house. This seemed to me to be going too far, and I said so to Harris; but he answered:
“Not a bit of it. Serve ’em all jolly well right, and I’d go and sing comic songs on the ruins.”
I was vexed to hear Harris go on in this blood-thirsty strain. We never ought to allow our instincts of justice to degenerate into mere vindictiveness. It was a long while before I could get Harris to take a more Christian view of the subject, but I succeeded at last, and he promised me that he would spare the friends and relations at all events, and would not sing comic songs on the ruins."
-oOo-
After posting that Facebook took umbrage at me for "inciting hate speech" and threatened to ban me if I submitted one more post like that... Even a review of the ruling led to no change as to the outcome. Certainly no quotes from Jerome K Jerome, they are a little inflammatory it would seem.
Last edited by yereverluvinuncleber; Feb 15th, 2021 at 09:13 AM.
And what are you suggesting as an alternative? That "the Biden crowd" reject them?
The Biden crowd of politicians are Republicans. They've merely been "wearing Democrat clothing" for 40 years.
Remember who your "center" really is:
Largely suburban, largely female, heir to and first in line for every policy of preference ever enacted to correct wrongs done based on identity. They want the cheap imported goods created on the backs of slave labor and the environment around the world, while holding their bags wide open to scoop the largesse intended for the exploited here at home. Well, them and the eunuchs carrying their purses for them.
You know, the sort of people with their noses in the air sniffing over their shoulders toward people of the "Rust Belt," "Corn Prairies," "Cattle Ranges," "Fish Boats," and "Coal Fields" as they climb into their Teslas with a tiny doggie in the crook of one elbow heading out for a chocolate ice cream brunch.
This is the second tier of profiteers of a policy of globalization maintained by global militarization and the first tier of profiteers of policies of "inclusion" at home.
Oh, and "Now Juan, better move that rose bed where I told you to. If it isn't done by Thursday I'm calling Immigration!"
To show you how the polarisation of views and how charges of inciting hatred have affected normal speech - I posted this on facebook as a comic quote to my friends, from the book "Three Men in a Boat" by Jerome K Jerome:
"Where it is really the owners that are to blame, they ought to be shown up. The selfishness of the riparian proprietor grows with every year. If these men had their way they would close the river Thames altogether. They actually do this along the minor tributary streams and in the backwaters. They drive posts into the bed of the stream, and draw chains across from bank to bank, and nail huge notice-boards on every tree. The sight of those notice-boards rouses every evil instinct in my nature. I feel I want to tear each one down, and hammer it over the head of the man who put it up, until I have killed him, and then I would bury him, and put the board up over the grave as a tombstone.
I mentioned these feelings of mine to Harris, and he said he had them worse than that. He said he not only felt he wanted to kill the man who caused the board to be put up, but that he should like to slaughter the whole of his family and all his friends and relations, and then burn down his house. This seemed to me to be going too far, and I said so to Harris; but he answered:
“Not a bit of it. Serve ’em all jolly well right, and I’d go and sing comic songs on the ruins.”
I was vexed to hear Harris go on in this blood-thirsty strain. We never ought to allow our instincts of justice to degenerate into mere vindictiveness. It was a long while before I could get Harris to take a more Christian view of the subject, but I succeeded at last, and he promised me that he would spare the friends and relations at all events, and would not sing comic songs on the ruins."
-oOo-
After posting that Facebook took umbrage at me for "inciting hate speech" and threatened to ban me if I submitted one more post like that... Even a review of the ruling led to no change as to the outcome. Certainly no quotes from Jerome K Jerome, they are a little inflammatory it would seem.