U.S. Politics: Trump of the Will

[TrueMetis]

16 minutes ago, ummester said:

Variation within a given culture is a totally different thing to forced multiculturalism/diversity.

How do you define a culture? I personally think, at the least, a culture needs shared language and belief/values. Traditionally cultural beliefs/values are derived from theology - but they do not have to be, a culture can be defined as secular and English speaking, for instance.

Cool I'll take that definition, but by said incredibly broad definition I, for example, share far more of my culture with various asian, africa, arabic, etc immigrants than I do with anyone who's highly religious. Like by the definition of culture you gave, Canada's only multicultural in the sense that not everyone speaks a single language. Which is something of an unexpected take from you given that it means increased immigration would actual help preserve this culture, since the biggest threat to things like secular government tend to be white right wing radicals while immigrants tend to value secularism very highly.

I guess I owe you an apology because the way you spoke I assumed you would be anti-immigration. Was not anticipating you would in fact be highly for it.

[Jace, Extat]

26 minutes ago, ThinkerX said:

You are automatically assuming said hackers would be either Russians, or acting in support of conservative causes.

There are other hacker groups out there, many with a left or anarchic slant.  Remember the ones who sometimes wear the funky masks?  They probably possess the requisite skill...

Those types of anti-social freakshows are more like to hack Kamala Harris, the REAL THREAT. 

Again, I find the idea of McConnell being attacked by a coordinated effort utterly unbelievable. And if he was to lose his seat? The governor would cry foul and initiate another vote whether there was hacking or not.

[DanteGabriel]

5 hours ago, DMC said:

I'm fine with either.

He can meet whatever fate he deserves AFTER his trial, hopefully after he's sold out all his sex criminal buddies.

 

3 hours ago, Fragile Bird said:

 

What I saw on Fb said the real Donald Trump, but hey, maybe it was faked. Maybe the Russians did it. 

I saw it on Facebook in the feed by Bloom County's creator, Berkeley Breathed. He created it. There's even a follow-up strip where Opus responds to being mocked by Trump.

(ETA: A lot of Bloom County readers were fooled, it seems. But the insults are classic Breathed.)

 

[DMC]

24 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

He can meet whatever fate he deserves AFTER his trial, hopefully after he's sold out all his sex criminal buddies.

Man I've never gotten so many notifications based on a four word joke.  But yes, obviously I want them to get him to talk first.

[Jace, Extat]

I mean y'all realize that if he squeals he'll probably get off with probation and a complimentary 12 year old right? I mean, I'm not a lawyer or nothing, but judges seem to find it hard to believe rich people are anything but victims.

[Martell Spy]

13 minutes ago, Jace, Basilissa said:

I mean y'all realize that if he squeals he'll probably get off with probation and a complimentary 12 year old right? I mean, I'm not a lawyer or nothing, but judges seem to find it hard to believe rich people are anything but victims.

Well, he's looking a lot like Supreme Court material. Or maybe Senator from Alabama.

[Zorral]

2 hours ago, ummester said:

as cultures are always singular.

That's a totally ridiculous statement, and any anthropologist will tell you.  First of all culture is not a countable noun, i.e. singular.  As for instance, this book will tell you, 

"Cultures are plural, not singular."

[Martell Spy]

So, do you have to choose between Open Borders and locking kids in cages and denying them toothbrushes? Is that really the only 2 choices available?

[KingintheNorth4]

Lol

 

 

[Zorral]

The Great Hack -- Netflix.  Taking a pause, while fellow watcher gets another glass of wine.

We all need to watch this.

[Jace, Extat]

 

36 minutes ago, Martell Spy said:

So, do you have to choose between Open Borders and locking kids in cages and denying them toothbrushes? Is that really the only 2 choices available?

Apparently, lest you be called a racist for daring to suggest that unpopular policy positions may be disadvantageous to Democratic ambitions.

 

[HoodedCrow]

One thing I love about the English language is that it is a culturally diverse language, always evolving and developed from many different linguistic origins. All languages are fair game, and modern language can be added, neologisms can be fun, such as Fubar, scuba, or tl;dr.

But the spelling, Oy vey.

[Jace, Extat]

19 minutes ago, Triskele said:

Hey, Jace - I guess you're not aware, but migrants are a vulnerable population.  The only reason you can be saying the words you're saying is because you don't know this, so I need to let you know.  

I guess I just live in a bubble of privilige and am incapable of empathy by not electing for unattainable failures that serve no one as opposed to more modest but achievable societal gains. 

I'll take everything or nothing please, with a side order of lifelong confusion at the inevitable impossibility of reality to conform to my dictations. Y'know, like I think I'm better than everyone else and all those stupid sheeple would realize they really want X if I could just ram it down their stupid fucking sheeple throats. It's not like being an unreasonable dickhead at all, trust me.

[Jace, Extat]

6 minutes ago, Triskele said:

This is actually the definition of Bayesian analysis. 

As you please, I just call it outrage porn. 

And let me be clear, I like to queue up a ranting madman on my YouTube to take a shit all over BioWare myself. But you gotta keep that shit in perspective or it'll stink up your house.

[Centrist Simon Steele]

3 hours ago, Martell Spy said:

So, do you have to choose between Open Borders and locking kids in cages and denying them toothbrushes? Is that really the only 2 choices available?

EVEN if it is (the only choice)...then you choose open borders every time, right? ...right?

[Centrist Simon Steele]

1 hour ago, Triskele said:

Double post sans apology.

Vanity Fair article here (limited clicks*) on GOP insiders saying that Kamala Harris is making them afraid.  This is a good example of my hypothetical from upthread.   I still probably have Warren as my #1, but if things evolve and someone else like Harris looks strongest I can be persuaded, big time.  

*I really hate how much the internet has moved to limited free articles in recent years.  I have a NYT subscription, but that's like it.  So all of these times I'm trying to give y'all fair warning I'm in the same boat, and I just try to be selective with many of the other outlets.  

I'm not saying this is a thing you should ever use (lol?), but Firefox has an addon that gets you around paywalls.

[Varysblackfyre321]

9 hours ago, ummester said:

Traditionally cultural beliefs/values are derived from theology -

Meh it’s little more the the reverse. Theology is largely initially made up in accommodation to the values already present in a society most of the time before it’s outsourced to other groups in has its own metamorphosis as it has to appeal to other groups’ sensibilities. For example if there is an already present view in community of it only being natural for males to be in charge, its probably not that much of a coincidence if a god that is said to be the master of the universe in a religion is a male and one that has very “masculine” traits or more aptly traits males think men should have in society or strive to have.

Of course there are values that are adopted amongst a population once a religion is.

For example homophobia  wasn’t as a big a problem for Rome before Christianity took over the empire. 

9 hours ago, ummester said:

The flip side is also true, diversity can bee seen as a euphemism for cultural destruction. Multiculturalism is, in itself, an oxymoron - as cultures are always singular

Mostly by racists who thinks their race not being the clear majority/a monopoly of power in society, is in it itself a bad thing.

It’d be bad in it of itself if America would have non-whites as the majority because non-whites would inevitably “destroy” America’s culture. Indirectly discounting non-whites Americans as real Americans.

 

9 hours ago, ummester said:

- but they do not have to be, a culture can be defined as secular and English speaking, for instance.

Yeah this is really could not apply to many  segments of the US.

The South, and large pockets of the Midwest in the US generally is not in favor of anything secular.  There’s a reason why throwing people in cages for having gay sex was something over  a dozen states actively did until SCOTUS said stop it in 2003. And there’s a reason why many of these states still have on their state books laws that say same-sexual activity could get you locked up-and would happily reengage locking up people for having any sexual activities with the same gender the second they could. Disgusting, immoral, and a violation of basic human rights and only the worst sort of homophobe would think otherwise-but readily justified by many homophobic bigots  in these states through simply invoking they need to do it because god says homosexuality is bad. And, would proudly still have  Christianity to be a prominent place in public Schools if not legally barred from doing just that. Like in biology class instead of learning about  human Evolution, the kids should be told of Adam and Eve and proceed to be instructed pray to the Christian god.

If Secularism is a defining characteristic of “Western culture” 

 Than many states could be said to have their own distinct culture that can’t be placed under the same general umbrella. Because there is no value in it there.

 

[Isalie]

On 7/25/2019 at 5:12 AM, Triskele said:

Was an observation.  Was.  Now it is shave and a haircut territory for the woke.  

Heh, seeing how this forum ate the manhole over calling Ted Cruzs face punchable, this seems pretty reasonable

[Varysblackfyre321]

16 hours ago, ummester said:

Or perhaps it;s just because the West, by and large, is over globalism and progressivism. There is no need to make it about color, or ethnicity - it is culture, pure and simple. Western culture is the greatest the world has ever known (in this Epoch) and destroying it because corporations require suppressed global wages is just not acceptable.

What exact values do the majority of Immigrants coming to/have come to the US have that would pose a threat to any prominent ideal in “Western” culture? 

Most are Christian: https://www.pewforum.org/2013/05/17/the-religious-affiliation-of-us-immigrants/

Most, come from countries that don’t really have less secular governments than the US at the very least. 

Plenty, come from countries that have a Democratic model government(at least in theory), or at least pretend to be Democratic so they’re not geared to be anti-Democratic. 

[ummester]

7 hours ago, Zorral said:

That's a totally ridiculous statement, and any anthropologist will tell you.  First of all culture is not a countable noun, i.e. singular.  As for instance, this book will tell you, 

"Cultures are plural, not singular."

A culture is singular.

Explain this, if every human culture was to become equally multicultural, where would the diversity be? Cultural diversity only exists because cultures (plural) are unique and singular - mixing them all together into a super culture destroys the diversity each originally had. Over time, removing diversity and competition leads to total stagnation.