Non-partisan "Fuck the Status Quo" Thread of Dominance

[Hank Kingsley 20903]

10 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

You guys say the same shit about every GOP president in my lifetime.  Both Bush's and Romney were racists and misogynists.  McCain was going to put black people back in chains.  Your slurs and allegations have lost all meaning.  We don't give a fuck.  It's the same shit no matter who we run.  It will be for the next GOP candidate too.  Boy who cried wolf.

For me, it's been different this time. I don't think Trump is a Republican. He's whatever he needs to be to acquire more power and influence. 

Bush, Romney, McCain...full on Republicans. The concerns were more ideological and represented the GOP.

What scares people about Trump is the belief there is no ideology. He's a total wildcard. I know that's considered a positive by a portion of his supporters, but it's clearly not with people that have been against him, including myself. 

[Hank Kingsley 20903]

4 minutes ago, Macklemore said:

Sex education limited to the basics we were taught or an expanded curriculum including hotly contested culture war topics? I have no issue with the former. 

I think that's a fair question and concern. I would definitely lean on the former as well at first thought. 

 

[Brisketexan 105035]

Just now, Hank Kingsley said:

I think that's a fair question and concern. I would definitely lean on the former as well at first thought. 

 

Problem is, now that the Overton Window has so shifted, "hotly contested culture war topics" include things like "so, you might end up having sex outside of marriage" and "contraception exists and is legal" (ask Clarence Thomas, he's the one who raised it rather stridently).

Buckle up, buttercup.

[troph 24781]

I think I've proven to be a rationale, decent poster but what I and my people are faced with is the stark reality that we will have to physically move, relocate to other places whether we want to or not because of Trump and Republican policies. I'm under no illusion, it's not as bad as pre-Civil Rights era racial discrimination, nor is it on par with the atrocities committed against Native Americans, but it's still gross, shitty and just plain unnecessary. Yet here we are.

So a truce?  Not really.

I'll continue to be rationale and decent though, that's in my DNA.

[Hank Kingsley 20903]

19 minutes ago, Frank Drebin said:

You guys say the same shit about every GOP president in my lifetime.  Both Bush's and Romney were racists and misogynists.  McCain was going to put black people back in chains.  Your slurs and allegations have lost all meaning.  We don't give a fuck.  It's the same shit no matter who we run.  It will be for the next GOP candidate too.  Boy who cried wolf.

Also Frank, I've seen you mention narcissism from Democrats on other threads. 

I've been deeply affected by someone who I fully believe has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It was not diagnosed by Menninger when this person went in for evaluation, but I think they just missed it. I made this discovery on my own through research, and a few years later I can confidently say it's been confirmed through my lived experience with this person. 

All of us exhibit some form of narcissism, there is a spectrum. And at least 6-7 types. My story involves someone who is a covert narcissist. I've seen some scuttlebutt about some loud political protesters on the left exhibiting a form of communal narcissism. I think it's likely there is truth to that. Narcissism in general is clearly on the rise, and it's a deeply harmful disorder that has massive psychological effects on their victims. I don't think it's talked about enough, and I know from personal experience there are not enough therapists and psychologists who are well informed about it or even looking for it. I could start an entire thread regarding this. 

Would you agree with me that Donald Trump exhibits all the forms of a classic overt (and most likely, malignant) narcissist? 

 

[Frank Drebin 5665]

1 minute ago, Hank Kingsley said:

Also Frank, I've seen you mention narcissism from Democrats on other threads. 

I've been deeply affected by someone who I fully believe has Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It was not diagnosed by Menninger when this person went in for evaluation, but I think they just missed it. I made this discovery on my own through research, and a few years later I can confidently say it's been confirmed through my lived experience with this person. 

All of us exhibit some form of narcissism, there is a spectrum. And at least 6-7 types. My story involves someone who is a covert narcissist. I've seen some scuttlebutt about some loud political protesters on the left exhibiting a form of communal narcissism. I think it's likely there is truth to that. Narcissism in general is clearly on the rise, and it's a deeply harmful disorder that has massive psychological effects on their victims. I don't think it's talked about enough, and I know from personal experience there are not enough therapists and psychologists who are well informed about it or even looking for it. I could start an entire thread regarding this. 

Would you agree with me that Donald Trump exhibits all the forms of a classic overt (and most likely, malignant) narcissist? 

 

He's absolutely a narcissist.  I think many CEO types are.  Or at least have some strong tendencies of that or anti-social traits.

[Sawbonz 27521]

2 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

In 2024 from a mental health standpoint it is easier to just hate both sides and drown out all the bullshit. What I see on this forum is the left being far more attacking to the right than vice versa. That has to change IMO. I wish there was a way to get rid of rep in CR because it makes it rough to have real conversations. I think a lot of the arguments are severe grey area arguments and if you don't have 110% facts to go with your argument the left side in here says your opinion is useless. Sometimes there isn't black and white facts but just realities of situations. 

 

I really think this could be a very productive thread as long as it stays debate form and people don't devolve into the usual stuff it will devolve into. +rep OP

So you see more “attacking” from the left than from the side that is literally killing women?

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

1 minute ago, Sawbonz said:

So you see more “attacking” from the left than from the side that is literally killing women?

I’m talking specifically from users on this forum. 

[troph 24781]

2 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

So you see more “attacking” from the left than from the side that is literally killing women?

I'll leave out the impact the right has on queer folk I think I've made my point there.  all but a few on the right here are trolling the libs, so I don't really understand his comment much either. 

[RPM 26315]

I'll truce just as soon as MAGA does. Something, something, Fuck my feelings.

[G650 14229]

2 hours ago, G650 said:

So in all honesty, I think this is a bit too convenient an excuse in toto. Is it part of it? Yeah, absolutely. But it's not all of it. I fully believe that it's purposeless and ennui that is the real driver. By any metric thinkable, people are better off than 40 years ago. Health outcomes (which are now reversing the past few years because of idiotic choices), you name it. Comfort has never existed for humans at the level it does now. The Cold War went away, existential questions faded. And people were left with a life that closely resembles the people in Wall-E.

 

We used to socially engineer purpose by default, because everything required manpower, social institutions were almost compulsory, you had to have interactions for everything because it couldn't happen online etc..., but now, not so much. People who are intrinsically driven and have a strong sense of self have coped fine, but the other half hasn't.

 

So I have had pretty consistent opinions on our socio political state for awhile now, so I went back and looked at some stuff I wrote on another forum years ago. It's basically a very angry version of what I wrote above, which lashes out a bit with somethings I don't agree with now. But overall, I have felt this way for a very long time. I'm just resigned at this point. The anger is gone.

 

Keep in mind this is from 2016, almost a decade ago

 

Quote

Yes, I can totally blame it. This is the single most fortunate group of people ever to exist on the face of the earth. Fuck every last one of y'all. The ingratitude I see in the world today is so stunning I can't even really come to grips with how it makes me feel. If holding jobs you don't want for less money than you think you deserve makes you lose your mind and blow it all up then I hope for nothing but failure for you. This is what happens when people don't worry about survival anymore, they invent other demons to slay. If anyone popped up and said "hey, lets try and do a better job at this" , then I'm in complete accordance. To speak in cataclysmic terms though, fuck off. You live in your parents basement? Tell me again how terrible that comfortable slice of suburbia is so I can relay it to some kids in a corrugated metal lean-to in the favela. Heath care costs a lot? I'll let the Syrian 8 year old who is missing legs because they just got bombed out know, I'm sure the kid will sympathize.

Politics has been nothing but one big ass pander to the middle class for a century. Democracy and republicanism was beget by whiny bourgeoisie. And now the middle class hasn't even gotten hurt, just minorly inconvenienced, people excuse themselves for being down right base? Hell no. There are soo many people on this planet with real problems, who are so marginalized that they have never had a voice, and sure as shit don't have one now, who are just completely ignored as usual. The guy living in a cardboard box, the kid who's parents live on the street as drug addicts, these are the people worth fighting for, and if anyone gave a flying shit about being angry for them, I'm all in with you. But they aren't, nothing in this election has anything to do with that. It's Joe Shit the Rag Man bitching because he isn't a fucking millionaire yet, and has a bunch of debt because he thinks himself entitled to be a homeowner and drive an Audi and have health coverage just for the simple fact he was born. It's bullshit.

My next door neighbor is voting Trump. He is a non college degree holder, who works on ship engines ( No small thinks to those evil trade deals), has a wonderful family, and manages (without a college degree) to be the owner of a half fucking million dollar house. Yeah, he has the right to be angry...

I have another longtime friend. Says Trump gonna make us win again. Because America is losing so much. Those Chinese with their $7,000 median income while getting cancer from the air they breath are really showing us. And those Arabs, we gotta get tough with them, because bombing the entire region into glass bits the past half century way too weak. They are sure winning a lot... And stop them Mexicans from leaving the country by building a wall, because obviously everyone knows there is a net out flow of Mexicans right now, right? This friend also happens to run a successful business and own several houses. Also can't give single example of a Trump policy proposal to accomplish this winning. But he knows we are losing so he is gonna get behind a candidate who's main philosophy is "get darkie".

If you are middle class in a western democracy, you are an incredibly fortunate person. Bad things happen to anyone, cancer, accident, etc. You take out these things and you have a happy healthy family, a roof over your head and food in your belly, there is no excuse not to wake up everyday in amazement at how lucky you are. Anyone that doesn't, I have no respect for.

 

[Sawbonz 27521]

5 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I’m talking specifically from users on this forum. 

And?

[The Hot Dog Buffet 1291]

1 hour ago, Pancho said:

 

The research shows that an increase in sex education in schools plus access to things like birth control and condoms (through things like planned parenthood and other outlets) lead to a direct decrease in abortions in America.

 

Republicans took sex education out of schools and are going after planned parenthood because of *checks notes* abortion. 

 

So the very thing they want—less abortions—they are fighting all of the tools to lead to that because….

Well, they also want more teen pregnancies.

[aggie08 21481]

30 minutes ago, troph said:

I think I've proven to be a rationale, decent poster but what I and my people are faced with is the stark reality that we will have to physically move, relocate to other places whether we want to or not because of Trump and Republican policies. I'm under no illusion, it's not as bad as pre-Civil Rights era racial discrimination, nor is it on par with the atrocities committed against Native Americans, but it's still gross, shitty and just plain unnecessary. Yet here we are.

So a truce?  Not really.

I'll continue to be rationale and decent though, that's in my DNA.

You don't owe a truce to damn near anyone after an entire political party has targeted your community to torment and punish to make THE tentpole culture war in America.

Edited November 7 by aggie08

[turtlepond 176]

I'm conservative.  My wife is Jewish, and conservative.  Conflating all conservatives as Nazis and garbage too out any chance of me coming to the table in the sake of Truce.

[safe sex 11696]

If you sit at a table of nine conservatives and one Nazi, you're at a table with ten Nazis.

[Sawbonz 27521]

Texas State campus yesterday. My daughter at UT said there were men standing on the drag in front of the Co-op calling the female students whores and they shouldn’t be allowed to vote, were made for breeding, etc. 

Trump being elected emboldens these freaks. My HS daughter said some of the boys have already gotten more aggressive and sexually hostile since yesterday. These are all kids who live in million dollar plus homes. Fuck a truce. 

[turtlepond 176]

Just now, safe sex said:

If you sit at a table of nine conservatives and one Nazi, you're at a table with ten Nazis.

That didn't take long to affirm my stance.  

[safe sex 11696]

Why the fuck else would you sit at a table with a Nazi?

Edited November 7 by safe sex

[G650 14229]

1 minute ago, Sawbonz said:

Texas State campus yesterday. My daughter at UT said there were men standing on the drag in front of the Co-op calling the female students whores and they shouldn’t be allowed to vote, were made for breeding, etc. 

Trump being elected emboldens these freaks. My HS daughter said some of the boys have already gotten more aggressive and sexually hostile since yesterday. These are all kids who live in million dollar plus homes. Fuck a truce. 

 

[Deej 76748]

1 minute ago, safe sex said:

Why the fuck else would you sit at a table with a Nazi?

Because you did Nazi that coming?

[bolverk 29644]

14 minutes ago, turtlepond said:

I'm conservative.  My wife is Jewish, and conservative.  Conflating all conservatives as Nazis and garbage too out any chance of me coming to the table in the sake of Truce.

Let me ask you, how do you feel about Trump echoing the language of Nazis by calling his political opponents "vermin" and saying that immigrants are "poisoning the blood" of America? 

[TexEx15 17509]

1 hour ago, Frank Drebin said:

You guys say the same shit about every GOP president in my lifetime.  Both Bush's and Romney were racists and misogynists.  McCain was going to put black people back in chains.  Your slurs and allegations have lost all meaning.  We don't give a fuck.  It's the same shit no matter who we run.  It will be for the next GOP candidate too.  Boy who cried wolf.

You guys…. You don’t know shit about me. Frankly I didn’t care about politics until Trump infected the country I love and served. So miss me with that bullshit. Also, you acting like Trump is comparable at all to them proves my point about a lack of good faith discussions. You can’t even admit Trump is a piece of shit.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10226]

1 hour ago, TexEx15 said:

Before I’m willing to move on to good faith policy discussions, I need everyone who voted for Trump to admit one thing. You have sold out and abandoned any character or integrity you may have once had. There are a lot of folks that will claim the lesser of two evils blah blah blah. Bullshit. You didn’t like Harris for whatever reason. That’s fine. Just know you also flushed your character when you pulled that lever for Trump. You have forever lost any moral high ground you might have thought you had in exchange for attaching yourself to that POS. Look normal elections are about policy. This one was much more than that and that’s why it stings the way it does.

SO, if you are willing to admit you traded your integrity and character for a “win” then we can start talking about a truce and healing. Until then you are as oblivious as you were the minute you cast your vote.

Thanks for stopping by and giving insight to your view, sorry you won't be able to contribute.

20 minutes ago, safe sex said:

If you sit at a table of nine conservatives and one Nazi, you're at a table with ten Nazis.

Does that apply if you live in a country led by a Nazi?

[BurntOrange&White 39930]

23 minutes ago, safe sex said:

If you sit at a table of nine democrats and one Communist, you're at a table with ten Communist.

Did I do it correctly?

[SydneyCarton 48051]

3 hours ago, BurntEyes said:

Oh.. food prices are a great example of just that reality. So.. why aren't we talking about it? 

 

3 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Because lobbying is legal

Yup. Came to post becuase those companies lobby, but BO&W beat me to it. 

[gsoda3 3245]

1 hour ago, Hank Kingsley said:

My question to Republican friends on here...care to chime in on this? If you want fewer abortions in this country, do you agree with the above being one of the acceptable solutions? 

 

I'll go.

 

I did not vote for Trump.  I could vote for a penitent felon, but not one who refuses responsibility and accountability.  I can't vote for someone who treats others the way he does.  I think his tariffs are shortsighted and frankly disastrous.  I can't wrap my head around the idea of a President who considers Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin as friends. I would like to see complete nationalized healthcare as a backstop available to every citizen.  I want our President to value different cultures and be the figurehead of a country who embraces those looking for a safe haven.  

 

I did not vote for Kamala.  I cannot vote for a candidate who would make abortion legal.  I believe in individual rights of freedom- that we are created in the image of God and part of that image includes the freedom and dignity of choice.  I believe in protecting and speaking up for those who are destitute, needy, and without voice.  I believe God the creator knits us in the womb, that life begins at conception, and that He views miscarriages and failed pregnancies as deaths.  When individual rights clash with protecting the innocent I look to Jesus's example of how He gave up His right as God in Heaven to come live on earth to unjustly suffered and die at the hands of his creation to save not the innocent but the guilty.  He models how personal rights give way to protect life. 

 

To answer your question, yes I am on board with those measures.  There's a far cry between handing out contraceptives at the door with a wink and a high-five and making them available while teaching responsibility and dignity.  That needs to happen within the context of the home, but schools need to share responsibility in education because it's obviously not happening in every home.

 

 

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

He was.

The Gospel is garbage.  Platitudes that the supposed champions of, "Christians," disdain at an "oil and water don't mix" level.

Let me give you a snippet of the rational perspective on that.  At our church, each Sunday a member has come forward and shared their "faith story."  They've ranged in topic, from how you came to faith, how you practice it, what it has meant to you.  I thought about what mine would be.  And it kept coming back to "service," and how that's been ingrained in me and my family.  How my son called me a couple of days after the war in Ukraine started, and how he was going to go help (and he ended up staying in Berlin, feeding fleeing families).  How we loaded up a truck and trailer of supplies and went to Houston to help after Harvey, before the water had even all receded.  How that had been ingrained in me by my education in faith over my life.

But looking at that rationally.....for what?  Ukraine will fall.  Those people are fucked.  Houston?  There will be more, and worse hurricanes.  There will not be resources to help the victims -- the private sector will not be interested and will be sheltered from any obligations, and the government....well, fuck that socialist shit.  Those are the outcomes we've chosen. Why in the blue fuck have I or my family spent ANY of our energy fighting against the things that humanity so desperately wants?  That's how we want it to be.  So.....let people have what they want, and get out of their way.

Jesus was a sucker.  Don't be a sucker.

 

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

 

 

[wildcat09 29337]

57 minutes ago, troph said:

I think I've proven to be a rationale, decent poster but what I and my people are faced with is the stark reality that we will have to physically move, relocate to other places whether we want to or not because of Trump and Republican policies. I'm under no illusion, it's not as bad as pre-Civil Rights era racial discrimination, nor is it on par with the atrocities committed against Native Americans, but it's still gross, shitty and just plain unnecessary. Yet here we are.

So a truce?  Not really.

I'll continue to be rationale and decent though, that's in my DNA.

On that subject, I was reading something from Jamelle Bouie yesterday where he noted that Andrew Jackson publicly presented the trail of tears as a benevolent necessity. The modern GOP doesn't even bother to try to sell their new trail of tears as humane. That uh, doesn't bode well.  

[wildcat09 29337]

33 minutes ago, turtlepond said:

I'm conservative.  My wife is Jewish, and conservative.  Conflating all conservatives as Nazis and garbage too out any chance of me coming to the table in the sake of Truce.

Hitler had Jewish supporters too. 

[turtlepond 176]

1 minute ago, wildcat09 said:

Hitler had Jewish supporters too. 

The American Communist Party was founded in 1919 by leftists.  Does that make Communism more acceptable?

[wildcat09 29337]

5 minutes ago, turtlepond said:

The American Communist Party was founded in 1919 by leftists.  Does that make Communism more acceptable?

My point was that implicitly arguing you and your wife can't be nazis because she's Jewish is a category error. Israel is fucking full of Jewish nazis today.

[Guadaloopy 10954]

3 hours ago, Hank Kingsley said:

you'll see a video of some dude name Mark fucking a girl named Kelly in the ass.

To be fair, this would result in fewer abortions.

[Sawbonz 27521]

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

Problem is, now that the Overton Window has so shifted, "hotly contested culture war topics" include things like "so, you might end up having sex outside of marriage" and "contraception exists and is legal" (ask Clarence Thomas, he's the one who raised it rather stridently).

Buckle up, buttercup.

Y’all realize Icono sucked a lot of cocks (for free apparently, not in exchange for drugs as was previously assumed) 

But he has issues with sex education courses that include education on safe homosexual sex acts. 

[The Hot Dog Buffet 1291]

25 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Did I do it correctly?

If it's 1950, you did.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

2 hours ago, Hank Kingsley said:

Can we all agree that it's absolutely ridiculous that Congresspeople can own/trade stocks while in office? WHAT THE FUCK???

I know Pelosi is a god to diehard Dems, and I can appreciate that she plays the political game very well. But how the fuck can people sit there and read articles about her buying NVIDIA stock and not find that shit 100% unacceptable. It's a huge issue within both parties. 

I've said for a while now that we should significantly increase the salaries of people in Congress with the caveat that they dump any stocks before taking office. Pay Senators 500k a year. Give'em a million, I don't give a shit. The increased $$$ is peanuts, and I think it's good to incentive thoughtful and ambitious people to enter government instead of just heading to the private sector.  I'm good with them being very secure financially. Just eliminate their ability to be influenced or paid off by corporations and other entities.  FUCK. 

I agree on them having to divest all of their stocks before entering Congress.  I had to do that as a member of a Public Accounting firm. Hell, if a bank was audited by our firm, I could not even have a checking account with them. Independence in appearance and in fact. That being said, we had a 401K plan, and if that plan held stock, that was fine as it was independently managed. Congress should have the same guardrails.

However, I disagree on the salary. Can you imagine paying Lauren Boebert or MTG 500k to 1M a year? Seriously? They get tons of vacation, budget for offices and staffers, and DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING USEFUL. And you want to pay them more? Nevermind the sweetheart retirement package Congress gets.  But we can work with that.

There should be minimum education/experience requirements to be a member of congress or a Senator. I say set the salary at 250K, with adjustments keyed to inflation. You also get an apartment paid for, but you MUST MAINTAIN A HOME IN YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DISCTRICT OR STATE (i.e. the apartment could be 1 or 2 bedrooms...only larger if family lives with you full time and is enrolled in school). If the government shuts down (i.e. you do not do your job), you do not get paid for that time, and you do not get a catch up when it comes back in session (this might make Congress more willing to actually do their job rather than performative bullshit).

And here is the kicker, while in Congress, you are on Medicare, and your retirement is Social Security. You should have to deal with what normal Americans have to deal with. If you want to pay for better medical coverage, you can do so OUT OF YOUR OWN POCKET. If you want a better retirement, you should invest in the Congress approved 401K.

Align the lawmakers with the vast majority of the people that THEY WORK FOR. 

[Brisketexan 105035]

24 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 

Perfection.  American Christianity in a nutshell: "no need to worry about how things are here on earth among our fellow humans, all will be good in heaven."  Completely ignoring the multiple entreaties to bring forth the kindom (not kingdom) here on earth.  PERFECTION.

If you follow gospel, even 1%, we're supposed to make life on this earth better, here and now, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Turns out, that was stupid bullshit.  The Gospel is propaganda, meant to be ignored.  Don't take my word for it, take the word of American Christians.

[SydneyCarton 48051]

56 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Texas State campus yesterday. My daughter at UT said there were men standing on the drag in front of the Co-op calling the female students whores and they shouldn’t be allowed to vote, were made for breeding, etc. 

Trump being elected emboldens these freaks. My HS daughter said some of the boys have already gotten more aggressive and sexually hostile since yesterday. These are all kids who live in million dollar plus homes. Fuck a truce. 

 

 

OP has been deleted, comments visible, but the title said it all. It took exactly one day for hate to and cruelty towards others to continue to be normalized, and most dangerously, by America's young people. 

 

 

This was on day one. This is my biggest concern. What does this world look like for my kid?

Edited November 7 by SydneyCarton

[DigglerontheHoof 21167]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

 

 

OP has been deleted, comments visible, but the title said it all. It took exactly one day for hate to and cruelty towards others to continue to be normalized, and most dangerously, by America's young people. 

 

 

This was after one day. 

Stop it.  You're giving Johnny Sack a hardon. 

[David Dennison 18837]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

This was on day one. This is my biggest concern. What does this world look like for my kid?

It will be uglier. Just like it was the first time around. A lot of people like Trump because he gives them permission to be shitty.

 

[Brisketexan 105035]

55 minutes ago, Sawbonz said:

Texas State campus yesterday. My daughter at UT said there were men standing on the drag in front of the Co-op calling the female students whores and they shouldn’t be allowed to vote, were made for breeding, etc. 

Trump being elected emboldens these freaks. My HS daughter said some of the boys have already gotten more aggressive and sexually hostile since yesterday. These are all kids who live in million dollar plus homes. Fuck a truce. 

Oh.....we've barely scratched the surface of what is to come.

And remember, this is what the Trumpists on here WANT AND SUPPORT.  They will lie, and tell you they don't.  But 1) they saw and knew, loud and clear, that this is what Trumpism is and brings, and 2) they voted for it, eyes wide open.

36 minutes ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Thanks for stopping by and giving insight to your view, sorry you won't be able to contribute.

Does that apply if you live in a country led by a Nazi?

Yes.  We are all complicit.

Which is why it is so much more convenient and healthy to shed all baggage of morality and ethics.  Yes, I am a member of a nazi/fascist society.  And I choose to embrace it.  Lots of people got quite rich/did quite well under fascist regimes.  No reason I shouldn't be one of them.  Make enough money to make your life here good, AND to give you an escape hatch if it all blows up.  That's what the German "industrialists" who ended up in Argentina did.  They were smart.  I admire them and their pragmatism.  

No point in fighting against something that can't be defeated and won't be stopped.  If you can get that sweet, cushy, government contract to build internment camps....you should get it.  There's money to made in the chaos, gents.

[RPM 26315]

3 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Turns out, that was stupid bullshit.  The Gospel is propaganda, meant to be ignored.  Don't take my word for it, take the word of American Christians.

Hence, my disassociation with organized religion. 

[SydneyCarton 48051]

1 minute ago, David Dennison said:

It will be uglier. Just like it was the first time around. A lot of people like Trump because he gives them permission to be shitty.

 

I'm aware. But in the spirit of a "truce" thead, I could tell you what would go a long way for me, at leat on this forum; answering direct questions. Every time I've been invovled any encounter like this, we see people with opposing view show up to threadshit, or "debate" and inevitably they are asked very simple, often Yes/No questions. And they can't won't answer them. They defleft, or they say "look up the data themsleves." It's almost as if they know they have an indefensible position, or they know their answer will make them look like shit, so they won't answer. Just smirk and slink away. 

I can't work with someone who I can't even have a conversation with, in any regard.

"Biden policies are fucking insane!!!"
"Which policies and why do you think that?"
"YOU KNOW WHICH ONES!"

I'm team G650. 

[DigglerontheHoof 21167]

1 minute ago, Brisketexan said:

 

Yes.  We are all complicit.

 

This.  When the Allies started liberating concentration camps in WWII, Ike and the other generals made the citizens who lived in the towns that supported their respective camps tour the facilities to look and smell the horror the NAZIs brought.  

They didn't parse them by was in the NAZI party or who frowned upon what they did.  They ALL were included b/c they ALL bore responsibility.

Whatever becomes of America, we are all responsible. 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

[Brisketexan 105035]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

I'm aware. But in the spirit of a "truce" thead, I could tell you what would go a long way for me, at leat on this forum; answering direct questions. Every time I've been invovled any encounter like this, we see people with opposing view show up to threadshit, or "debate" and inevitably they are asked very simple, often Yes/No questions. And they can't won't answer them. They defleft, or they say "look up the data themsleves." It's almost as if they know they have an indefensible position, or they know their answer will make them look like shit, so they won't answer. Just smirk and slink away. 

I can't work with someone who I can't even have a conversation with, in any regard.

"Biden policies are fucking insane!!!"
"Which policies and why do you think that?"
"YOU KNOW WHICH ONES!"

I'm team G650. 

This.  The Trumpists here won't even sincerely denounce the behavior we see above and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, they won't call it out when they see it.

You won't see a bunch of Trumpist say racist shit, and then another Trumpist with them say "dude, not cool - that's not what we're about."  Why?  Because.....that's EXACTLY what "they're about."

[gsoda3 3245]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Perfection.  American Christianity in a nutshell: "no need to worry about how things are here on earth among our fellow humans, all will be good in heaven."  Completely ignoring the multiple entreaties to bring forth the kindom (not kingdom) here on earth.  PERFECTION.

If you follow gospel, even 1%, we're supposed to make life on this earth better for others, here and now, and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

 

Added the bold.  This is truth.  

 

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

How long have I been on the Ledge?  Yeah.  Don't doubt my commitment to a position.

Here's your quick answer on our electoral position, based on Pew research.  This is the #1 question that drove the voting divide:

Would you say that most of the time people try to help others or just look out for themselves? Do you think most people would try to take advantage of you if they got the chance or would try to be fair no matter what? 

People more likely to answer that question "yes/would take advantage of you" were significantly more inclined to vote Trumpish.  And the second part is clear as well -- they THINK that of others, because that's how THEY view the world.  

They've won.  We have defined our ethos, stated plainly above: 1) Just look out for yourself.  2) Take advantage of others if you get the chance.

We might as well engrave those on all the monuments.  The are who we are.  Those are our DEFINING beliefs.  Don't take my word for it.  That's what the American people actually said, and they voted accordingly.  Accept the will of the people, amigos.  Don't fight against the tide.  Ride the wave. 

 

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

You should stop that.

That is energy, time, money, and resources that you could dedicate to what is important. To the ONLY thing that is important: you and yours.

I've been right about this shit for a long, long time, and you know I have been.  So listen to me now.  Do everything for your family.  And nothing for anyone else.

 

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

The person I will see will have more money to do nice things with my wife.  Good vacations.  Great meals.  Giving advantages to our kids.

I'm going to feel great.  I'll be unburdened by giving a shit about anyone else.  It already feels quite liberating.

Who gives a shit?  It doesn't matter anymore.  Truth is whatever I say it is.  The ship of "can we agree on the truth" has sailed, been blown to bits, and rests in shards at the bottom of the marianas trench.

 

You're beaten down from knowing the truth, living it, and being hurt by it.  Don't look for validation from the world or from those you're physically serving.  Jesus didn't.  Seek contentment in all situations - you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.  

 

[bolverk 29644]

1 minute ago, SydneyCarton said:

I'm aware. But in the spirit of a "truce" thead, I could tell you what would go a long way for me, at leat on this forum; answering direct questions. Every time I've been invovled any encounter like this, we see people with opposing view show up to threadshit, or "debate" and inevitably they are asked very simple, often Yes/No questions. And they can't won't answer them. They defleft, or they say "look up the data themsleves." It's almost as if they know they have an indefensible position, or they know their answer will make them look like shit, so they won't answer. Just smirk and slink away. 

I can't work with someone who I can't even have a conversation with, in any regard.

"Biden policies are fucking insane!!!"
"Which policies and why do you think that?"
"YOU KNOW WHICH ONES!"

I'm team G650. 

Yep. One quick example is the question I posed to the Turtle Pond guy about Trump using Nazi language. It was totally ignored.

How am I to hold a truce with someone who refuses to repudiate that language?

[Brisketexan 105035]

Just now, DigglerontheHoof said:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

The good news is....evil has triumphed!  The clock ran out.  So, no need to do anything now.  It's post-game.  Now's the time to hit the showers, then go to the scrip club and snort a few lines.  So, no more need to worry about whether you're a good man or not.  The score is locked.

[bolverk 29644]

1 minute ago, gsoda3 said:

Added the bold.  This is truth. 

You're beaten down from knowing the truth, living it, and being hurt by it.  Don't look for validation from the world or from those you're physically serving.  Jesus didn't.  Seek contentment in all situations - you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.  

 

Can I get you to expound upon these thoughts? Are you saying that women should just resign themselves to death instead of seeking medical help when things go awry during pregnancy? Like, yes, I know that this pregnancy is going to kill me, but "C'est la vie!" or "God works in mysterious ways."

Quote

I believe God the creator knits us in the womb, that life begins at conception, and that He views miscarriages and failed pregnancies as deaths.  When individual rights clash with protecting the innocent I look to Jesus's example of how He gave up His right as God in Heaven to come live on earth to unjustly suffered and die at the hands of his creation to save not the innocent but the guilty.  He models how personal rights give way to protect life. 

 

[Guadaloopy 10954]

Man, I can't even call a truce with myself. 

I am a straight married white male Christian veteran with income in the top 2%.   I'm personally going to be just fine during a second Trump administration.  But there are SOOOOO many people who I know and love and count as true friends who are truly afraid of what is next.  There are millions of people who I don't know, but do care about who are truly afraid of what is coming down the pike.  The complacent and comfortable me is at war with the me that cares about other people.

As a Christian, it appalls me to see so many fellow "Christians" turning a blind eye to the marginalized and the "least of these."  The part of me that wants to love and show grace to them is at war with the part of me that is just plain angry at what they do.

My Dad is a county judge in Texas who takes his daily job and duties very seriously, but he also posts videos of the county-sanctioned Trump Truck parades flying "Fuck Kamala" flags.  I'm proud of the work he does, but I am deeply ashamed of the messaging he buys into and repeats.  My Mom is the Republican Party precinct chair.  She actively works at a grass roots level to get more Republicans elected.  I love her, but damn if I am not constantly conflicted any time I interact with her.  The part of me that loves my family is at war with the part of me who can't stand the way that their lives have been taken over by politics.

I'm not ready to call a truce and give up the struggle, though.  Not even for a minute.

[safe sex 11696]

nvm

Edited November 7 by safe sex