sorry, i read my previous comments and they’re pretty aggressive. i am so raw and scared right now and i just want to scream.
the democrats have one path back to power: making a serious commitment to fixing the extreme inequalities that exist between groups: black and white, urban and rural, rich and poor.
the status quo that the democrats built and maintained created the conditions that led to trump. if the democrats were, you know, better, maybe none of this would have happened.
Fair enough. Here is my take on why a person might vote for trump (aside from bigotry, hatred of trans people, etc): I think some people consider a Trump vote a protest vote. The condition of many black people in America has been bad under both democrats and republicans (though for the last several decades, republicans have been demonstrably worse). Institutional racism is real, and people are angry about the status quo. I think many people feel like both democrats and establishment republicans have failed them, and voting for an outsider might be a way to shake up the system. However, as a protest vote, Trump is a poor choice. He is the apotheosis of white privilege. He was born rich. His family business was notorious for discriminating against black people (both under DJT and his father). His own family members have warned the public that Trump is racist towards black people. His comments and actions during his first term are not consistent with a leader who wants to help people of colour. Trump is definitely shaking things up, but it won’t be in a way that benefits anyone but straight white Christians of means.
I agree that alienating and dehumanizing voters can be counterproductive in a democracy. If democrats want to win next time, they have to persuade some portion of non-voting and republican-voting Americans to vote democrat instead. There are many methods of persuasion, though - and not all people are amenable to all forms of persuasion. No one likes to feel foolish, and surely some people who voted for Trump are feeling a bit foolish right now. Pointing out ironic examples like this guy who supported Trump and is gradually learning to regret his decision might have some merit.
The noble savage trope is about the supposed moral and physical superiority of people living in a natural, pre-industrial environment. It simply doesn’t apply. Do I think that people who vote for trump have an invalid perspective? Yes I do. Do they need to adopt my perspective? There are lots of people I don’t agree with who don’t support fascism. I am not such a believer in moral relativism to think that anyone is above criticism for their political opinions.
This has nothing to do with noble savages etc. Trump has said and done many racist things directed at black people. He has provided aid, comfort, and pardons to white supremacists. If you are part of a group that Trump targets and disdains and you still vote for Trump, it doesn’t matter how you justify it (hate for trans people, greed, etc.). It makes no sense for a non-white person to be support a white supremacist. As for white Trump voters - they finally found their hitler.
Canada alone might not win a trade war against the US. Good thing for us that Trump is on a streak for pissing off US allies. I really don’t care how bad Trump tries to make things in Canada, they are not going to get worse than they currently are in the states. Do you really think millions of Canadians would prefer school shootings to 25% tariffs? Will millions of Canadians trade in their health care and human rights for cheap iPhones? US can go fuck itself. Trump can go fuck his own face. I will die before I become a fucking American.
A lot of the bad stuff that happens on the internet is directly related to perceived anonymity. If you want to bully, harass, make bigoted statements, disseminate propaganda, or shill for a corporation, it’s better to be anonymous. If a country gives its citizens the right to free speech and reasonable protections for privacy, a non-anonymous internet is better. Besides, anonymity on the internet is an illusion for about 99% of internet users. All of the big social media companies know who you are - their whole business depends on the data they collect on you, and that data is worth much less if it can’t be associated with an individual. They also have heavy incentives to share that information with the government. Try making an ‘anonymous’ threat against your country’s leader and see if any law-enforcement types decide to visit you.
Sir, do you have the original receipt?
Canada: now Peterson-free!
You may keep him. Please, I insist.
I am a lifelong atheist. I attend a very progressive christian church where I am open about my lack of belief. They seem to accept me, including the minister. I don’t try to convert them and they don’t try to convert me. I started going because I was lonely and I wanted some opportunities to do good. Their whole theology is about helping people and trying to change the world for the better. The two major precepts are “God is love” and “Jesus has no hands but yours.” They don’t talk about sin or redemption. We have a huge rainbow sign that says “All are welcome,” and we actually mean it. The minister talks about Jesus as a teacher, not as a saviour. We raise money and food for the local food bank, and provide community outreach to people, many of whom have disabilities. We sing. We eat cookies and drink absurd amounts of coffee. I suddenly have so many sweet old lady friends, and even a handful of friends my own age.
When my wife was in university, she went on an exchange with a dozen other students to a Chinese university. The program assigned her group a pair of local guides.
The first night, the guides offered to take them out for snake. Everyone refused.
The second night, the guides repeatedly offered everyone snake, saying that there were plenty of local places to get snake. Everyone refused.
The third night, her group had a discussion. They didn’t want to offend their gracious hosts. Snake had to be a popular local delicacy, because the guides repeated their offer daily.
They decided to be adventurous. One of them spoke up: “yes, we would like to try snake…”
The guide said, “what kind of snake do you want? chips? hot dog?”
I turned down a promotion this year for several reasons, one being that i didn’t want to supervise my friends. I didn’t want the awkwardness, and i was afraid my imposter syndrome would get much worse. My friends know too much, haha
Musk has now surpassed Carnegie. You are right about Mansa Musa (for now), but the gap is closing. According to google today, Musk is at $334B, Carnegie peaked at a modest $309B, and Mansa Musa had about $400B, though there are quibbles about personal wealth vs. kingdom’s treasury. If you want to compare Musk and Musa, I think you could reasonably add the GDP of the US to Musk’s fortune, since he is one of the puppeteers behind Trump. All figures adjusted for inflation, by the way.
Haha right you are. It is in his nature, I suppose, to grasp and grasp after already being the richest person in history. In a better world, we would put people like Musk in a nice, humane institution.
Yep. Fortunately for Elon (and, you know, fascism) he doesn’t need it any more. For Elon, it is already ‘Mission Accomplished’. The richest, most thin-skinned losers on Earth already control the biggest economy and the biggest military. What more could that shitstain hope to get out of Twitter?
The cleanup took forever.
My mom started developing dementia about a decade before she died. 5 years after we first noticed the changes, she could barely form a sentence. That is when I mourned her because that is when I lost her. When she finally died I felt mostly relief. I will always miss her but I was happy when her suffering finally ended.
You say ‘politics’ like it is some trivial thing. Politics involves beliefs on personhood, human rights, racism, equity, crime and punishment, and fundamental ideas about morality. I think it is totally appropriate to make judgments about a person’s character based on their politics.
Canada putting up some money in support of trans issues? take that, MAGA!