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Politics XXXVII (The 12th Prime)


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4 hours ago, Gfted1 said:

Are you saying that your primary concern is you and yours! *GASP* YOU MONSTER!!1uno!1 :lol: :p 

But to be serious, I dont know anyone that carries a gun. Do you carry it on your person? Or vehicle?

In SA at least 30-35 % of adult men I know have licensed and legal  firearms

I dont keep one  but in SA a gun can literally save your life due to our high crime and murder rate 

 

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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2 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

post

 

everybody who ever died 'cause o' their handgun ownership were certain the statistics did not apply to them. each corpse were the exception, until they became a statistic.

and you don't really believe that in a high pressure situation informing a police officer you is armed will significant decrease your odds o' getting shot, do you? is better than cops discovering during a search incident to arrest, but c'mon man.

*shrug*

is one issue we know gd will not budge regarding, and neither will many thousands o' americans each year who will kill selves or others, or be killed by others. is too many gds who would otherwise be alive but for handgun ownership.

so no, you ain't alone in getting all panicky and wanting to carry a weapon to protect yourself and stuff during a time o' crisis. too bad.

HA! Good Fun!

 

 

"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)

"Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)

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4 hours ago, Guard Dog said:

This is my carry weapon: https://www.bondarms.com/bond-arms-handguns/ranger-ii/

Mine is the .45LC/410 version. But I bought the fully rifled barrel upgrade. When at work or other places where carrying is inappropriate I have a lockbox mounted to the floor behind the driver's seat of my truck. Otherwise, front left pocket. It fits perfectly

well that is one reeally ugly gun!

 

I hoped you would trust in czechnology :(

 

https://cz-usa.com/product/cz-75-b-9mm-black-16-rd-mag/

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I'm the enemy, 'cause I like to think, I like to read. I'm into freedom of speech, and freedom of choice. I'm the kinda guy that likes to sit in a greasy spoon and wonder, "Gee, should I have the T-bone steak or the jumbo rack of barbecue ribs with the side-order of gravy fries?" I want high cholesterol! I wanna eat bacon, and butter, and buckets of cheese, okay?! I wanna smoke a Cuban cigar the size of Cincinnati in the non-smoking section! I wanna run naked through the street, with green Jell-O all over my body, reading Playboy magazine. Why? Because I suddenly may feel the need to, okay, pal? I've SEEN the future. Do you know what it is? It's a 47-year-old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing "I'm an Oscar Meyer Wiene"

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Or a Korth ! 😛

Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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I was going to hop in here about a month ago and predict that Trump loses the election.  I didn't believe that the polls were completely accurate.  However, I didn't think the issue with national polling, which wasn't as bad as people thought last presidential cycle, were all that crazy.  The important polling really is the state by state polling, and I know various organizations are trying to get a better handle in key states.  I still think the election is Biden's to lose, and that's mostly because Trump is a sociopath. I'll gladly muddle through the diatribes of Trump hate around here, but I don't believe the crazy stuff Trump does as an individual have made much of a difference.  Before the 'Rona, we were in excellent shape.  My litmus test to see if you're a blind hater or not is if you deny actual data about the state of the economy before the pandemic.  If you talk it down, you're doing so for nakedly partisan reasons.  So, the big reason Trump isn't doing better is because of his personal failings, and they are many.  People's lives were going well and, minus Trump's vexing persona, he would have walked away with re-election. Then the 'Rona came.  He made legitimate policy mistakes that could have hurt him a little, but his incontinent character and multiple... weird statements were the big problem.  The press hates him, and so any stupid mistake is highlighted.  The hydroxychloroquine kefuffle was just silly.  His endorsement was ill advised, but it wasn't earth shattering or even all that important.  On the other hand, his crazy assed question to Birx about sunshine and bleach rightfully drew harsh criticism.  No rational person would hear those comments and not be confused at best.  I mean, what the hell was the guy saying?  Then George Floyd was brutalized by police.   Peaceful protests turn ugly and then the real motives of the left come out.  Defund the police.  White people must kneel and atone for sins they personally did not commit.  Suggesting that all lives matter, including black lives, can lead to consequences in your life and in your job.  This sort of stuff ends up hurting legitimate causes.  It simply does.  This is not a winning message for Democrats, which is probably why they've more or less stepped away from the strategy. 

Now, I'll say that, while in my opinion Trump probably loses the upcoming election, I'm not really sure.  There's no way to trust current polling in this atmosphere.  People are afraid to tell pollsters anything but what they think they should say.  That's always true a little bit for Trump, but I'm telling you that it's gone crazy.  There are people who truthfully said they weren't going to vote for Trump last month who still say it now even though their feelings have shifted.  The problem for Democrats is that they tend to match crazy for crazy with Trump.  I rarely resort to profanity, even in person, but the United States is a complete ****show right now.  This is the one way Trump can actually cause real harm.  He's capricious and crazy in an unsettled time when we need real leadership at the top.

The thing is, we were already heading to where we are as a society.  Trump just got us there faster. He had two things going for him that people like me felt justified all his bad qualities:  he's a disruptor and he defies the relentless march of wokeness in our society.  In my opinion, the quality of disruptor is like any medicine.  It's got a therapeutic range after which it becomes toxic.  With multiple traumas in our society, Trump as disruptor goes from harsh medicine we need into a toxic range that is disturbing to me personally.  At this point, I doubt people like me can jump ship on him because we believe society has become unhinged by wokeness that is unforgiving and unrelenting.  I just hope the medicine doesn't end us all.  You can rest assured of one thing.  People like me aren't a huge number in Trump's corner, but he simply cannot win without us.  In the states he needs to win, he can't lose even the small number of us he has.  If he does, I don't have to hedge my bets.  He simply loses.  His hardcore support is sizeable in this country, but it's not enough to put him over the top.  It's not even close.

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"Not for the sake of much time..."

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1 hour ago, Volourn said:

In most elections in the US, the biggest determinating fact is how many people show up to vote.

And Necromancy, the dead demographic is a big voting bloc.

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I'd say the answer to that question is kind of like the answer to "who's the sucker in this poker game?"*

 

*If you can't tell, it's you. ;)

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OK, I'm just throwing this out there. June 19th 1865 is supposed to be the day when slavery ended. But it's really not. What it really was is the day the last Confederate State Government collapsed. They want to make this a national holiday but that it like calling Cinco de Mayo Mexican Independence day. It isn't. On June 20th 1865 slavery was still legal (if not widely practiced) in Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri. Slavery actually ended on December 6 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified.  Shouldn't that be the date we make a holiday? 

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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19 hours ago, Gromnir said:

everybody who ever died 'cause o' their handgun ownership were certain the statistics did not apply to them. each corpse were the exception, until they became a statistic.

and you don't really believe that in a high pressure situation informing a police officer you is armed will significant decrease your odds o' getting shot, do you? is better than cops discovering during a search incident to arrest, but c'mon man.

*shrug*

is one issue we know gd will not budge regarding, and neither will many thousands o' americans each year who will kill selves or others, or be killed by others. is too many gds who would otherwise be alive but for handgun ownership.

so no, you ain't alone in getting all panicky and wanting to carry a weapon to protect yourself and stuff during a time o' crisis. too bad.

HA! Good Fun!

 

 

It is a requirement of a CC Permit in a number of states. Not saying it's a good idea. A CC is not a right, it is a privilege (whether or not it should be is a different conversation) much like a drivers license. And like a drivers license having it obliges you to certain rules. 

It is no sin to want some agency over your own life and security. There is a popular saying among gun owners "When seconds count the police are only minutes away". I have carried a firearm off and on since I got out of the service. Not everywhere, obviously. And I make it my business to know the carry laws in every state I might drive through. A few years back I worked in Illinois for a week. I left the weapon at home. 

Whatever you might think of me I do have a very firm set of rules for personal conduct that I rigidly adhere to. And I am always cognizant of the responsibility of having a firearm on my person. I'm 6'4" and weight 220 lbs. I carry myself with confidence. I seriously doubt anyone will start trouble with me. I live and spend most of my time in a rural part of a state with relatively low crime. The chances of me ever needing a firearm for defense are infinitesimally small. But, they are not zero. Like I said, it's a fire extinguisher. You will never need it until there is a fire. 

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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8 minutes ago, Guard Dog said:

OK, I'm just throwing this out there. June 19th 1865 is supposed to be the day when slavery ended. But it's really not. What it really was is the day the last Confederate State Government collapsed. They want to make this a national holiday but that it like calling Cinco de Mayo Mexican Independence day. It isn't. On June 20th 1865 slavery was still legal (if not widely practiced) in Delaware, Maryland, and Missouri. Slavery actually ended on December 6 1865 when the 13th Amendment was ratified.  Shouldn't that be the date we make a holiday? 

June 19 is the date General Gordon announced Federal orders (General Orders, Number 3) in Galvaston announcing the freeing of slaves:

The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.

Since the westernmost states' slave owners had been fleeing the Union army to Texas with their slaves, this date is considered the last date where slaves were made aware of their freedom, which became a focal point in Texas that spread nationally. You can read a bit more about the history here where I think Dr. Gates does a good job summarizing the history and importance - https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/what-is-juneteenth/ 

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I cannot - yet I must. How do you calculate that? At what point on the graph do "must" and "cannot" meet? Yet I must - but I cannot! ~ Ro-Man

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1 hour ago, Guard Dog said:

I'm 6'4" and weight 220 lbs. I carry myself with confidence.

While no doubt great around the ladies, I'm sad to say that probably works against you with cops.

You may retain some ability to handle a weapon under stress from your time in the Corps, but perhaps not as much as you think. And in any case, you're more an exception than the norm in that regard, among the CC community. I remember having a fairly sobering experience myself at the firing range when working towards private security certification (never got any use of it, the hours were terrible) shortly after being cut loose from the army. I also remember being downright terrified at how bad other people were. Granted, this isn't the US and it may be different over there. But in my experience unless you impose extremely stringent proficiency requirements, no matter the subject, people are going to be garbage at it. When it's guns we're talking about, that's dangerous.

- When he is best, he is a little worse than a man, and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast.

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1 hour ago, Guard Dog said:

 

It is no sin to want some agency over your own life and security. 

 

which is why we recent had people buying toilet paper enough to last a year and eggs in bulk they had no chance o' consuming before they became dubious fresh. your nervousness and need for agency, on a large scale, leads to toilet paper shortages and literal many thousands o' complete avoidable handgun related deaths a year.

oh, and if you carried around a fire extinguisher in case o' potential fires, or wore a suit o' faraday cage armour in case o' being struck by lightning, people would perhaps chuckle at your paranoia, but that would be the end o' the conversation. sadly, you ain't carrying around a single-purpose tool meant to extinguish fires. you is carrying a single-purpose tool which is designed to serious injure/kill. accident happens and the mess you clean up isn't just foam but is blood. will spend the rest o' your life cleaning up a handgun accident. 

even with best training, mistakes happen, and unlike the pens we mentioned earlier, when an ardent gun wielder has their weapon "sudden go off" or in the dark they accidental shoot the 14-year old in a hoodie, carrying a lethal weapon to protect 'gainst infinitesimal small dangers when the statistic chance o' accidents is far higher, will be small consolation.

gd is concerned 'bout a whole lot and seems like the crazy world is not paying attention to his rational fears. am not gonna convince gd if all the statistics, which in almost any other situation gd would find compelling, don't dent his resolve. gd knows handgun ownership is, by any statistic measure, dangerous and has a disturbing high chance o' leading to accident. regardless, the world is outta control-- just look at the news, right?  gd sees a world gone crazy and the handgun on his person is one o' the few options he possesses to prevent the insanity o' the masses from affecting him in all those ways his imagination tells him is possible and increasing likely. 

well, at least we can both agree medicine dan is not looking at same economic numbers and debt totals as is Gromnir and gd. unfortunate a handgun won't save gd from the US economic stoopidity  o' the last decade or two, although the last three years has been particular wanton and capricious. somebody wanna tell us where all the republicans preaching fiscal responsibility has gone? we loved you guys. heck, we were one o' you... though we always thought it were were kinda weird to get lectures 'bout fiscal responsibility and prudence from folks sipping single-malt and smoking $50 cigars at a club with initiation dues o' +$200k. 

HA! Good Fun!

"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)

"Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)

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1 hour ago, HoonDing said:

"'White privledge' and 'racism is white only disease'. LMAO "

 

some races are most racist than others

 

 

not sure if we agree with hoon, but we do know billy taylor's song, penned in 1963, feels powerful and disturbing appropriate today. 1763? 1863? when does it finally change?

am no longer sure what some folks mean by racist or racism. doesn't matter though. we want this song to be a joyful anachronism by 2063. too much to ask? 

HA! Good Fun!

ps

a couple days past we mentioned how little it took to make anything relevant, yes? just had a weird brain hiccup and recalled jeff goldblum did billy taylor's song on his jazz album. coincidental, jeff goldblum were once on sesame street, as bob's brother. minneapolis johnson.

and thus ends yet another Gromnir autism moment.

Edited by Gromnir
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"If there be time to expose through discussion the falsehood and fallacies, to avert the evil by the processes of education, the remedy to be applied is more speech, not enforced silence."Justice Louis Brandeis, Concurring, Whitney v. California, 274 U.S. 357 (1927)

"Im indifferent to almost any murder as long as it doesn't affect me or mine."--Gfted1 (September 30, 2019)

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https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/19/navy-fires-brett-crozier-aircraft-carrier-coronavirus-329716

Crozier's removal upheld.  Seems Milley got the result he wanted, heh.

 

Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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8 minutes ago, Volourn said:

"some races are most racist than others "

 

That's racist.

It's a twist on an Animal Farm line: "All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others."

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How I have existed fills me with horror. For I have failed in everything - spelling, arithmetic, riding, tennis, golf; dancing, singing, acting; wife, mistress, whore, friend. Even cooking. And I do not excuse myself with the usual escape of 'not trying'. I tried with all my heart.

In my dreams, I am not crippled. In my dreams, I dance.

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18 hours ago, 213374U said:

While no doubt great around the ladies, I'm sad to say that probably works against you with cops.

 

Well.... you were half right at least. :lol:

But as for your other point you are of course correct. The inability to handle a firearm, to focus of the process of drawing, hand weld, sight picture, sight alignment, half breath, squeeze, goes a long way to turning someone into one of Gromnir's statistics. I believe it was the British army that started the "by the numbers"drill so common in almost all military services today. I'm certain you remember it well in your own service. Learning to do a thing in a succession of movements or "counts" then drilling by repetition until they are literally second nature. The soldier/Marine does them without even thinking. Police as well I'd imagine. Focusing on the process takes concentration away from the fear/anxiety/nervousness of what is going on around you. That is how a man with a reasonable sense of self preservation can stay focused and do his job in the midst of a battle. Focusing on a practised succession of movements. 

As I said before, carrying a firearm is a big and multi-level responsibility. You have a responsibility to everyone around you to never, ever touch it except in the last extreme of defending life. And then you have a responsibility to use it accurately and unerringly. And that means constant practice. Both at the range and just drawing, ****ing, and dry firing until the actions are second nature. I know of no better way than drill by repetition. If someone is unwilling to do that then I strongly advise they leave their weapon at home.... preferably locked up. 

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"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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17 hours ago, Gromnir said:

well, at least we can both agree medicine dan is not looking at same economic numbers and debt totals as is Gromnir and gd. unfortunate a handgun won't save gd from the US economic stoopidity  o' the last decade or two, although the last three years has been particular wanton and capricious. somebody wanna tell us where all the republicans preaching fiscal responsibility has gone? we loved you guys. heck, we were one o' you... though we always thought it were were kinda weird to get lectures 'bout fiscal responsibility and prudence from folks sipping single-malt and smoking $50 cigars at a club with initiation dues o' +$200k. 

HA! Good Fun!

Nothing will save us from that but ourselves.  There are things we can each do to preserve and protect the money and assets we have. Moving a portion of your investments into assets whose value is not tied to any one currency like physical commodities is a good idea. Income earning investments is a good idea. A reasonable level of self sufficiency is a good idea. Although... some of us do go a bit overboard on that one... 

But above all.... personal debt. Get out and stay out. 

"While it is true you learn with age, the down side is what you often learn is what a damn fool you were before"

Thomas Sowell

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On 6/18/2020 at 10:01 PM, MedicineDan said:

I was going to hop in here about a month ago and predict that Trump loses the election.  I didn't believe that the polls were completely accurate.  However, I didn't think the issue with national polling, which wasn't as bad as people thought last presidential cycle, were all that crazy.  The important polling really is the state by state polling, and I know various organizations are trying to get a better handle in key states.  I still think the election is Biden's to lose, and that's mostly because Trump is a sociopath. I'll gladly muddle through the diatribes of Trump hate around here, but I don't believe the crazy stuff Trump does as an individual have made much of a difference.  Before the 'Rona, we were in excellent shape.  My litmus test to see if you're a blind hater or not is if you deny actual data about the state of the economy before the pandemic.  If you talk it down, you're doing so for nakedly partisan reasons.  So, the big reason Trump isn't doing better is because of his personal failings, and they are many.  People's lives were going well and, minus Trump's vexing persona, he would have walked away with re-election. Then the 'Rona came.  He made legitimate policy mistakes that could have hurt him a little, but his incontinent character and multiple... weird statements were the big problem.  The press hates him, and so any stupid mistake is highlighted.  The hydroxychloroquine kefuffle was just silly.  His endorsement was ill advised, but it wasn't earth shattering or even all that important.  On the other hand, his crazy assed question to Birx about sunshine and bleach rightfully drew harsh criticism.  No rational person would hear those comments and not be confused at best.  I mean, what the hell was the guy saying?  Then George Floyd was brutalized by police.   Peaceful protests turn ugly and then the real motives of the left come out.  Defund the police.  White people must kneel and atone for sins they personally did not commit.  Suggesting that all lives matter, including black lives, can lead to consequences in your life and in your job.  This sort of stuff ends up hurting legitimate causes.  It simply does.  This is not a winning message for Democrats, which is probably why they've more or less stepped away from the strategy. 

Now, I'll say that, while in my opinion Trump probably loses the upcoming election, I'm not really sure.  There's no way to trust current polling in this atmosphere.  People are afraid to tell pollsters anything but what they think they should say.  That's always true a little bit for Trump, but I'm telling you that it's gone crazy.  There are people who truthfully said they weren't going to vote for Trump last month who still say it now even though their feelings have shifted.  The problem for Democrats is that they tend to match crazy for crazy with Trump.  I rarely resort to profanity, even in person, but the United States is a complete ****show right now.  This is the one way Trump can actually cause real harm.  He's capricious and crazy in an unsettled time when we need real leadership at the top.

The thing is, we were already heading to where we are as a society.  Trump just got us there faster. He had two things going for him that people like me felt justified all his bad qualities:  he's a disruptor and he defies the relentless march of wokeness in our society.  In my opinion, the quality of disruptor is like any medicine.  It's got a therapeutic range after which it becomes toxic.  With multiple traumas in our society, Trump as disruptor goes from harsh medicine we need into a toxic range that is disturbing to me personally.  At this point, I doubt people like me can jump ship on him because we believe society has become unhinged by wokeness that is unforgiving and unrelenting.  I just hope the medicine doesn't end us all.  You can rest assured of one thing.  People like me aren't a huge number in Trump's corner, but he simply cannot win without us.  In the states he needs to win, he can't lose even the small number of us he has.  If he does, I don't have to hedge my bets.  He simply loses.  His hardcore support is sizeable in this country, but it's not enough to put him over the top.  It's not even close.

Thanks for taking the time to make this post, as usual I find you make important points using sensitivity, reasonableness and valid criticism of both sides which always helps. Most people on this forum wouldn't take so much time to make an important observation of the state of the USA but its not because they dont care ...its just they have shared there views in others ways so dont think because no one responds its pointless making detailed posts or some people have a negative view of Trump due to real comments and to be fair its not going to change 

For me I always try to read detailed posts on any forum if the issue is real or there is different views on the topic which often happens in politics because what  I learnt specifically from this forum and members views was the importance of lived experience and or anecdotal stories that helped me understand certain sentiments that I had never come across from family or work colleagues who live in the USA  but share my views on the importance of the free market and how it works globally.

Now we may be technically correct but you cannot ignore perceptions that majority or many citizens feel and once I understood what some people were meaning it has sometimes changed my view in a good way and that is something I always appreciate because a subject like Trumps legacy and or successes does matter for several reasons so nuance and context are part of this view. So your post raises this type of introspection

Why is this important to any non-American you may ask, its sometimes gets raised by our American members in a polite way that it seems unusual so many people would be so concerned or have a certain opinion on the USA but they dont live in the USA...yet this would differ from person to person who is not American but for  me and others the sustainability and influence of the USA is of critical importance to what I believe will lead to a better world for all,the USA is defined by both ideologically and its mostly positive  objectives it has made in the world 

So in other words a world where the USA collapses or  is not able to intervene globally would create a much darker and uncertain future for the whole world on numerous levels....there is no viable alternative to the world as the USA provides a real role as "world leader " despite some of Trumps bizarre foreign policy decisions he has not broken the real important connections 

I am going to make the next part of my point in another post as its fairly detailed and  I would to respond to some of your points, I only realized this after the Trump victory where I was absolutely stunned and shocked that he somehow won despite real " data " to the contrary but the reality is those of us who had valid concerns to Trumps general comments and lack of normal political decorum did not understand the real reasons Trump connected with many Americans who have both real and irrational concerns around where the country was going. I can honestly say we were manipulated by his abrasive words only and not what he also stood for which was real and pertinent to many people 

And Trump created this confusion because he acted in a certain way that was just unheard of in any Democracy, it worked for him and vindicated the strategy some of his  clever advisors  suggested as he won the election but it also added to the normal  political dichotomy that exists in all countries  and people become more partisan and read certain things into the Trump victory that was more about perceptions of what it really meant to the future of the USA ....for example you could see this on both the left and right. I will cover this more in my more detailed post but Trumps victory was immediately seen as irrefutable proof of the so called " end " of liberal Democracies by the likes of Nigel Farage who associated this with the same reasons as the BREXIT vote and that the EU was about to collapse due to rise of more anti-EU poltical parties ...yet the reasons people in these countries voted for both outcomes are very different and dont mean the idea of successful and economically strong Western Democracies suddenly become false 

In the example of the EU despite populist parties attempting to change the acceptable views of governing parties they mostly lost in local EU country elections. Also the real reasons for the creation of most of these populist parties was based on valid concerns by citizens who had real issues around the immigration policy of the EU and how it tried to force all countries to accept refugees from mostly Muslim countries who had failed governments ....there is nothing wrong with diversity but not at the expense of how citizens feel undermines there ability to meaningfully participate in what defines being a citizen and it created a perception that suddenly you had to just accept tens of thousands of refugees from countries that have real issues but not because of the EU. And then there was unreasonable concerns but not uncommon that the immigration idea would lead to the " Islamification " of Europe  is never going to happen because fundamentally the majority of refugees were leaving Muslim countries because of the absolute failure of economic transformation and because of internal wars  ...these people are not going to expect Sharia law in normal Democracies because there countries have failed them so why expect other countries that dont believe that to become like them?

Last point before my larger post is I can absolutely understand why many Americans voted for Trump, its not if I personally agree but rather based on other realities I will discuss later. But several years later Trump has delivered on certain things like making the USA economy stronger  and restoring a  sense of global respect around how some countries feel about America but he also will fall short on what he use to say as a fact is now not true ....his initial rejection of the virus impact and how it can spread was shared by many world leaders primarily  as the world has never dealt with this type of pandemic that needed the global economy to shut down...so it was almost impossible to ever justify why you would ever need to do this as it has created real and additional economic problems for all countries and that cannot be ignored. But Trump did initially reject concerns about how the virus could harm the USA and unfortunately that is on him as he publicly expressed what many of us assumed would happen....the Chinese will deal with this virus like all other examples of viruses that did originate from there animal markets

But intrinsically Trump  has always relied and believed that his general views will be vindicated by the actual policy success and I have to agree he did make the USA even economically stronger which was how he and his informed advisors could justify all the other controversial comments and at times blatant statements that are untrue, so comments like " his assessment of the number of supporters who attended his first  gathering was the most people who have ever attended any gathering in the USA "

This may seem trivial but it created a constant negative view and was repeated by Trump around his view of the facts or rather the absurd usage of " alternative facts " which is anathema to a normal debate based on the actual truth. This added to the general anti-Trump sentiment yet his supporters didnt concern themselves with his cavalier way of stating the reality because for many of them they are more understandably concerned with the outcomes and not the actual theater or how Trump still frames things. Also which didnt help is how many Americans dismiss certain comments as example of media bias and or propaganda. 

 

This is a more uniquely USA reality where many people just ignore any commentary that doesn't support there view and this leads to real perceptions that exist  within the  USA that are not always correct and when it is proven something is wrong, but not always wrong, this seems to then undermine what people believe is the truth or rather is what people used to believe is a valid political position 

 

My suggestion to how to address this unnecessary negative view of what is real is use common sense on all issues raised by the left or right because both sides can be right and wrong in different examples. 

Trump really believes in the importance of legacy but the virus has come along and unfortunately wiped out his greatest success story, the strength of the economy. He deserved to win the election in 2020 because this was a salient and positive story but now you are probably right and that will effect peoples views because his grandstanding at times becomes almost impossible to ignore when the economy has been so adversely impacted. And the real risk with how Trump achieved political success is you assume the real success will be what people remember....and normally that could easily  be believed by any Trump supporter as a reason to vote for him again but now it becomes much more difficult to be convinced by many citizens

If I was a Trump supporter I would still vote for him because the virus impact is not his fault ...you can still have faith in him if you think about the importance of getting the economy stronger does mater which I assume it does ?   

 

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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19 hours ago, HoonDing said:

"'White privledge' and 'racism is white only disease'. LMAO "

 

some races are most racist than others

 

 

I hate it when you think so negatively about yourself, you mustn't ever let other people tell you what you thinking when they make a generalization about something you cannot generalize about. You cant accurately make a convincing argument when you say things like " one race is more racist than another race "......ironically that is an unintentionally racist statement, easy to accidentally perpetuate the racism you are concerned about ...and I know how these things concern you :brows:

But in the interest of making a good example, lets take your own reality which you obviously will agree with. If I remember correctly you live in the Netherlands but you from Japan or another Asian country. Either way its not an unusual country to live in, I dont consider Japan or the Netherlands places that are notorious for being " structural racist "  examples ...so already you concern is mitigated....unless you do think you racist but that would your view and not about your race 

 

"Abashed the devil stood and felt how awful goodness is and saw Virtue in her shape how lovely: and pined his loss”

John Milton 

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” -  George Bernard Shaw

"What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead" - Nelson Mandela

 

 

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