The Coming Collapse

Yet he isn't the first to do two thirds of the things you listed. Is he a fool & an asswipe? Fuck yes. Is he anythin' new? Fuck no. This president will pass just like they all done before & nothin' that actually matters will have changed

There is such a thing as bowin' out graceful like kiddo. It's alright if you've no worthwhile things to contribute. We understand.

 

FYI, fraggle thinks that the Democrats and Republicans are both right wing parties. Just wanted you to know what you're dealing with here.

 

I just think they're all a bunch of dumbasses

 

Oh FFS of course the Democrats are left of the Republicans.
But if the Democrats were in Europe or Canada or Australia, they would be to the right.

Of course, this is too complicated for you and also requires knowledge of the outside world.

 

Drum roll please

 

I don't see that rehearsal and production detracts from the authenticity... People singing around the campfire is great but it's never going to be The Wall... or a full Orchestra.. They just aren't comparable and I would miss the astounding musical achievements we would not recreate around a campfire

 

More people knew how to sing before radios and recorded music was invented

 

So are you a trump supporter or no? I'm getting mixed signals.

 

Its all relative of course, but he's not wrong. Both the Democratic party and Republican party have been steadily moving further to the right over the years

 

Perhaps we could drag a piano out by the fire for a fuller sound?

 

we used the piano for the firewood

 

damnit.

well, that's rock n roll for ya

 

Yes that thought lessens my worry : )

 

Beat (or whoever you are right now)

But the greatest impact on person’s life is going to be whom they are born - two people with equal capabilities are born one into advantage and the other into disadvantage the one born into advantage is more likely to fulfil their capabilities than the other.

Ok so you believe in a 100% inheritance tax. Even so those brought up in advantage are still going to be advantaged over those who are not.

Which is a lot easier to do when one is advantaged.

Including wealth, so you favour progressive taxation with a high top end tax bracket?

I agree

But wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t feel so frightened?

What?

So you want a well-funded universal healthcare system?

Inequality can have a very big impact on the amount of life and liberty you might get and your ability to gain happiness.

 

In a very real sense, all humans are dumbasses, but have redeeming qualities. Politicians, if not dumbasses themselves, depend on the support of dumbasses for a living, which is one reason why they have such unsavory reputations. Callin' them all dumbasses is easy, but the problem is some are far worse than others, and downright dangerous. Nixon and Trump are in a class by themselves in that regard. Retreatin' to the country and playin' Marlboro man is within your rights, but seems kinda ostrich like. And ostriches with their head in the sand and their asses in the air don't make the best political analysts.

 

Domestically Nixon is a moderate compared to Trump.

 

Smart right wingers are rare, but when they happen, it's always because they've managed to convince themselves that their side has all the answers instead of looking at what actually works or is needed. A lot of left wingers fall prey to the same mentality... but at least they do so with a sense of compassion for the weak.

Regardless of the facts, people will often go to great lengths to avoid being self-critical... especially when you know someone is going to interpret that as a weakness. But to be honest I've found the biggest problem is that people like tumblingdice and the ostrich guy will simply mock you and call you and everyone else a dumbass without even bothering to ask themselves if they truly understand what you mean. They latch onto anything that they can make fun of and ignore or not understand any valid point you might be making.

It's not just meaningless online debates either. Why think critically about what the media is telling them when they can simply dismiss the media as the enemy? Why weigh the pros and cons of socialism when you can talk about Stalin and National Socialism and dismiss it as the enemy? It's not a complex situation with many grey areas, it's simply useless, futile, stupid. Then you can just relax and be mentally lazy about everything.

The best arguments are the result of people trusting science, academics, scholars and yes, reputable journalists for the necessary information... arguing against their strongest points to get at the truth, not constantly looking for cheap wins that you think will lend weight to your sweeping dismissals... but all I ever run into on the other side is the latter. Just getting to the point where they can represent my own argument honestly is a struggle.

It's the same mentality that makes Trump's easy answers so appealing... the thrill of blaming the obvious scapegoats, the simplicity of violence and fear, the refreshing directness of tactless vulgarity and racism, the comraderie that results from us and them, the pride that results from othering and dehumanizing what you don't understand. It's an escape from reality, just like removing yourself from the conversation is. It all holds tremendous appeal for anyone feeling worn down by the complexity of modern life.

I can't fault someone who doesn't participate in something they feel is evil... what's bad is when they DO participate in the most half-assed way possible.

 

This is pretty much all that needs to be said. It's a crying shame what's happening to McCain--not just that he's dying, but that he has become the punching bag for establishment Republicans for actually going back to the GOP's progressive roots.

It's too little too late, but McCain is what the Republican Party needs now more than ever. Real RINOs are calling him the RINO. I hope younger Republicans--both candidates and voters--will see through the bullshit.

 

See, I disagree. I think they are both moving farther left. No, Bernie didn't get the nomination, but he was embraced by many Democrats and labeled himself a socialist. Ocasio-Cortez's win in NY also signals a shift farther left.

The difference is, Democrats want to emulate, I guess, say, the Scandinavian countries. The Republicans, meanwhile, are going so far left they're going to end up behind the Democrats. We have a president who wants to ban immigrants, requires sworn loyalty, wants to silence the press, wants the authority silence all critics and dissent, and wants his own military parade. Anyone who supports Trump is really supporting someone who wants to remake the US in the image of North Korea.

 

You have a strange idea of the "Left". Kind of taking all the worst aspects of the failed totalitarian state and ignoring the progressive possibilities of a socialist democracy.