The All Things Political Topic

[Gorth]

Just wondering if we're getting close to the point where US presidential elections justifies its own thread?

[Malcador]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2024/08/22/trump-attacks-highly-overrated-jewish-governor-shapiro-before-claiming-to-be-best-friend-jewish-people-ever-had/

Interesting tactic, I guess.

[BruceVC]

https://ballotpedia.org/Presidential_debate_(September_10,_2024)

This is a little bit of  old news but its confirmed, Trump and Harris in a presidential debate  on 10 September 

Im going to be watching this one especially after the disastrous last one for the  Dems and Bidens terrible performance 

 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Lmao

[Bartimaeus]

I first wrote "I've seen healthier looking ghouls in Fallout", but looking at him again gives me pause on just memeing. I'm reminded of when Trump caught Covid for the first time and he made a televised public appearance outside of the hospital he was staying at, visibly struggling to breathe, yet still posturing because of course. Just...stop, I don't want to feel even the slightest amount of pity for you, especially when you're still being a right bastard. This guy is going to die live on television before he'd willingly slink into the shadows, away from the spotlights.

[LadyCrimson]

21 hours ago, Gorth said:

Just wondering if we're getting close to the point where US presidential elections justifies its own thread?

Splitting off a political thing now and then - 2024 US Election - if/as it becomes a prominent subject for weeks/months ... nothing wrong with that imo.

[Gorth]

2 hours ago, LadyCrimson said:

Splitting off a political thing now and then - 2024 US Election - if/as it becomes a prominent subject for weeks/months ... nothing wrong with that imo.

Yeah, so said, so done

 

Guys, created a new thread for all things related to the 2024 US presidential election. Please divert posts related to subject to this thread:

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/8/29/brazils-top-court-threatens-to-ban-elon-musks-x

Brazil threatens to ban Twitter, another great example of a BRICS member demonstrating its  belief  in " making the world a fairer and better place  by giving the global South a seat at the table "  

 

[Malcador]

Getting rid of Twitter would make the world nicer.

Edited August 30 by Malcador

[uuuhhii]

1 hour ago, Malcador said:

Getting rid of Twitter would make the world nicer.

 

twitter used to be useful for game dev or other creator to communicate with their fan

now it is useless

[BruceVC]

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg4yg0k976lo 

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/al-qaeda-branch-says-it-killed-300-fighters-not-civilians-burkina-faso-attack-2024-08-29/  

 

300 civilians have been killed  in a single attack  by insurgents in Burkina Fuso and Russia is pulling out  some Wagner troops to deploy them to Kursk

This is another example of the   failure   around security in this region.  The  French were kicked  out and Wagner was bought in to address the insurgency, the Russian military deployment has been an epic failure and the insurgency has got  worse  since the French left in Niger, Mali  and Burkina Fuso

But the worse  thing about it is the military generals will  continue to stay in power, presiding over failed  states with no future or voice for the citizens because the institutions of Democracy dont exist anymore because these  countries are  ruled  by military Juntas who cant even deliver on there  primary mandate which was about security and stabilizing there  countries

 

But hey at  least rent  a crowd mobs can burn French flags and wave Russian ones, thats something I guess ?

[BruceVC]

16 hours ago, Malcador said:

Getting rid of Twitter would make the world nicer.

Yes  great idea,  ban Twitter  because you dont like what some  people  say 

Like these admired and prestigious bastions of  freedom and human rights 

 

 China
- North Korea
- Iran
- Russia
- Turkmenistan
- Myanmar
- Venezuela

 

[HoonDing]

There are still people of xitter rather than AI bots?

 

The internet was great before 2005, the advent of antisocial media.

[Malcador]

11 hours ago, BruceVC said:

Yes  great idea,  ban Twitter  because you dont like what some  people  say 

Like these admired and prestigious bastions of  freedom and human rights 

 

 China
- North Korea
- Iran
- Russia
- Turkmenistan
- Myanmar
- Venezuela

 

Putting aside a facetious remark, it's also because the site is just garbage and cancerous to thought. And isn't the sole representation of free speech.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

On 8/30/2024 at 9:38 AM, Malcador said:

Getting rid of Twitter would make the world nicer.

Actually I think Trump is a good model here, make Twitter a containment like whatever Trump's Twitter fork is called and let them spiral in their own containment box. Let them spend hours posting instead of bothering others.

[BruceVC]

11 hours ago, Malcador said:

Putting aside a facetious remark, it's also because the site is just garbage and cancerous to thought. And isn't the sole representation of free speech.

But thats  not  what the post  was about, it was about the banning  of Twitter  in Brazil and this is a  decision that  most authoritarian  and one-party states  take when they decide  to control the flow of information and specifically criticism of the state

Its about the regression of basic freedoms  as  you can see  from the list of countries  that bans Twitter.  You perfectly entitled  to think Twitter is  garbage but it   is often used  constructively,  for example   it functions in many  non-first  countries as a  way for people to  galvanize and organize protest in a legitimate way,  its a medium of freedom of speech and banning it  is never a good  idea because  why would any government feel the need  to ban it?

[BruceVC]

https://apnews.com/article/brazil-musk-x-suspended-de-moraes-46c9d5c5c895e17d9adfac43e6ac20fd

Further   updates  on the Brazil  Twitter  ban,  this part  summarizes  the issue for  me

"I’ve used VPNs a lot in authoritarian countries like China to continue accessing news sites and social networks,” Maurício Santoro, a political science professor at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, said on the platform before its shutdown. “It never occurred to me that this type of tool would be banned in Brazil. It’s dystopian.”

 

[uuuhhii]

14 hours ago, HoonDing said:

There are still people of xitter rather than AI bots?

 

The internet was great before 2005, the advent of antisocial media.

 

when most site was filled with virus popup ad and finding resource for stuff require slid down 20 minute to hour long rabbit hole

and speed is 200k at best

truly the golden age of Internet

[BruceVC]

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/young-men-failing-nyu-prof-120743112.html 

https://www.profgalloway.com/boys-to-men/ 

 

This insight from Scott   Galloway raises  some very real societal  realities in the US around how young men are  marginalized  and discriminated   against both overtly  and covertly in society.  This would  also apply  to  countries  outside the USA 

To summarize his view 

"New York University professor Scott Galloway appeared on “The View” on Thursday, arguing that young men are experiencing a social crisis that is going unnoticed by most of society.

Globally, the cohort that has ascended the fastest is women. There are more women now seeking tertiary education globally than men. The number of women elected to parliaments around the world has doubled in the last 20 years. That’s an enormous mark of our achievement globally. In the United States, there is no cohort that has fallen further faster than young men,” argued Galloway, a professor of marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business. “Four times more likely to kill themselves, three times more likely to be addicted, 12 times more likely to be incarcerated. And because of the advantage that I received as a white heterosexual male and my father received, we have a lack of empathy for them. One out of three men under the age of 30 hasn’t had sex in the last year.”

 

Its not  an attack on women and gender equality which matters.  Its  an observation on how many modern societies  have abounded  the importance  of also supporting young men

 

The first link  is a  summary of his views  and the second link is a  much more detailed  analysis of this problem

I would  encourage everyone to  read  both links to understand the concerns he is raising 

[Malcador]

12 hours ago, BruceVC said:

But thats  not  what the post  was about, it was about the banning  of Twitter  in Brazil and this is a  decision that  most authoritarian  and one-party states  take when they decide  to control the flow of information and specifically criticism of the state

Its about the regression of basic freedoms  as  you can see  from the list of countries  that bans Twitter.  You perfectly entitled  to think Twitter is  garbage but it   is often used  constructively,  for example   it functions in many  non-first  countries as a  way for people to  galvanize and organize protest in a legitimate way,  its a medium of freedom of speech and banning it  is never a good  idea because  why would any government feel the need  to ban it?

Well, again was a facetious remark. Oh well. I suppose it could have a chilling effect so to speak on speech, but from your other article seems Brazilians are adapting and using the multitude of other social media apps, including some not run by a manchild. 

[Bartimaeus]

I'm apparently voting for the same people that former vice president Dick Cheney will be voting for this upcoming election. I really want off this timeline.

Edited September 6 by Bartimaeus
Decensored post because the word filters are dumb

[majestic]

On 9/6/2024 at 11:38 PM, Bartimaeus said:

I'm apparently voting for the same people that former vice president Dick Cheney will be voting for this upcoming election. I really want off this timeline.

 

 

[BruceVC]

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-09-24-south-africa-is-in-a-new-era-an-era-of-great-promise-ramaphosa-tells-un-general-assembly/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=first_thing

Its the 79th session of  UNGS and as usual most world leaders demonstrate the annoying habit of inconsistency around outrage and what advice they have for the UN

Our president used the  opportunity to specifically mention " “International law cannot be applied selectively, no one state is more equal than any other,” he declared. " in regards to the current Israeli vs Palestinian conflict but predictably left out the same vociferous condemnation of Russia and how it has violated International law with its invasion of Ukraine

Another unconvincing clarion call is this view that the UNSC (United Nation Security Council ) needs " structural reforms so it becomes more effective " and when you ask activists what they want they suggest its objectives like  an African country should become a permanent member of the UNSC or they abandon the veto of the UNSC permanent members

 

Neither of those ideas makes sense or is likely to be implemented. The African continent is rife with wars, conflicts and military coups so why would any African country becoming a permanent member of the UNSC ensure the world will have less wars and less conflict ? If the African Union fails to do anything about conflict in its own area of responsibility how is it going to make any meaningful difference at the UN as a permanent member?

 

And then the 5 permanent members will never agree to abandon the UNSC  veto because the  veto actually ensures we dont have additional geopolitical tension  where the superpowers are expected to act because the UNSC has voted on action through a majority vote on any resolution

So the  UNSC veto despite being frustrating at times helps prevent greater wars and tension between the superpowers of the world

 

For me the UNSC works fine, it has its limits and shortfalls but it passes more resolutions that it fails to pass

 

And the UN outside of the UNSC does more good work globally than bad especially around humanitarian work during famines and natural disasters . The world would be much worse off without the UN and particularly countries that arent first world

But Im interested if you think what changes the UNSC  should undergo, maybe you think the entire UN should be abandoned?

 

[ShadySands]

A dirty NYC cop???

I never would have thought 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

43 minutes ago, ShadySands said:

A dirty NYC cop???

I never would have thought 

Eric Adams may be giving Rudy G a run for his money as the craziest and most corrupt NYC mayor.