The Politics Megathread

[crazybars]

@wowfucktron

Wait wtf? Twitter and Parler has a lot of shitty Right leaning people too. I've seen waaaaayyyy too many tweets start
"radical left" then go into cuckoo territory like "shoot them all" or "don't ever negotiate with political traitors" or "lock em all up"

You know, suggesting we do this dickery to other American citizens. Like really? Take a step back, you're telling me to shoot, jail or ignore what my Uncle or 2nd cousin says? Not happening.


Just because reeee everything diversity offensive twitter is so blatantly favored by the Mary Sue's (website) etc doesn't mean the other asshats just disappeared.

 

[wowfucktron]

@crazybars
This is the thing I'm talking about with radicalization. When someone implies one side is worse than the other (both are equally garbage) someone comes along and starts bringing up the extremists of each side. Extremists are not representative of either side. Using social media posts as a looking glass into a voter base is foolish. Social media rewards controversy, controversy gets attention and creates a feedback loop.
This is a tactic BOTH sides use to discredit and derail all possible conversation. It's all so tiresome and it makes me wish the Chinese well on their path to newest global hegemon.

 

[crazybars]

@wowfucktron

I've seen more people who lean left have fits than I've seen people who lean right over political disagreements.

Then you said

When someone implies one side is worse than the other.(both are equally garbage) someone comes along and starts bringing up the extremists of each side.

You did indeed imply the left as a whole was worse
Far left Twitter yes that's fair.

All the Democrats, Libertarians and socialists no.

But frankly after reading the next comment about China eating our ass, sorry
my face is tired. Let's let it go, for the 1st time in forever cause I'm never
gonna let you go, never gonna say goodbye never gonna say do I desert you.
Admit it, I touched your tralala. Cause what is love, baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me
no more!

 

[immortalartisan]

You know I just remembered this but didn’t trump start his term locking children in cages and then deporting them back to countries filled with gang wars? Hold on let me go find the proper statement

“the pens where migrant kids are being held after separation from their parents.”
And
“The Border Patrol, CBS reported, took issue with that description, not because they felt it was inaccurate, but because they were “very uncomfortable” with the implication that the children were being treated like animals.“

im so glad we’re gonna at least getting a new Kind of nightmare

 

[bigtiddyoneesan]

@crazybars
There's an imbalance in how extremism is treated when comparing both sides, however. The fact that the 'default' sources of news (and by extension, opinions) predominantly downplay or ignore one side whilst simultaneously catastrophizing the other results in unchecked chauvinism. 'Two sides of the same coin' is effectively overlooked when it's controversial to land on one side.

 

[2SpiritCherokeePrincess]

@Teddy More Americans are independent (42%) than registered with the 2 major parties. Depending on which state you live in, you may have to be registered as Democrat or Republican to vote in a specific primary. Some progressive independents sometimes register as a Democrat to vote, only to find the party making sure people like Bernie Sanders can't win. https://www.independent.co.uk/voice...gn-wikileaks-emails-revelations-a7154966.html Even this can be weaponized; in 2002 progressive Cynthia McKinney's seat in congress was stolen when Republicans registered as Democrats to vote for Denise Majette--a Republican pretending to be a Democrat. http://www.politicalaffairs.net/georgia-denise-majette-run-upsets-democrats/

Ever notice how some Republicans call all Democrats "socialists" no matter how conservative they actually are? Maybe it's to draw attention away from themselves: https://www.yahoo.com/news/calling-socialist-republicans-real-party-081509236.html The current administration will do anything to slander the left. https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-whistleblower-pressed-exaggerate-leftist-202953426.html

 

[Tamerlane]

She posts boomer memes, so how long until she posts memes like this

 

[wowfucktron]

When I look at these "memes" I have this sinking feeling that the average American thinks fallacies are proper discourse. I know its been like this since 1776 but I feel like it's just been getting worse and worse every year since 1992.

 

[Tamerlane]

@wowfucktron

The thing about good satire is it requires actually understanding your opponent's argument or your opponent's positions.

All the caricatures of trump just depict him as a giant orange dude with small hands and a spray tan but don't do anything to counter his arguments or what he's actually saying. They just depict him as a clown and throw labels onto him.

Take this and compare it to satire around Al Gore, which usually has a much less mean-spirited tone to it, like manbearpig or his depiction in Animaniacs. It's much more clever and subtle with the commentary.

 

[wowfucktron]

@Tamerlane

There are three types of satire:
1) Dark, edgy humor pretending to be parody, usually someone screaming a slur online or throwing dildoes at politicians (how is that not at least sexual harassment?)
2) Jokes which makes you uncomfortable by making you think about touchy subject matter, dark comedies like The Death of Stalin or Welcome to the NHK
3) Post-irony, Stephen Colbert's Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Report is post-ironic humor

Post-irony is rarely pulled off well because it blurs the line between satire and reality and can become really controversial. Memes are always the first two forms of satire. They also follow a viral mentality of spreading because they are easy to understand.

Why are Trump memes usually atrocious and mean natured humor? That's because it appeals to the lowest common denominator. An oversimplified message conveyed via an image and/or slogan is more effective than a news article or news clip which takes time to consume.

The US Military declassified a document two years ago detailing how memes were used to sway the 2016 election in Trump's favor and how to fully utilize them in regards to foreign influence abroad and domestically. The 2020 election was most likely swayed by using overdone memes about Trump and people's burnout via overexposure to said memes. If you clear your data off google and type in the letter r, the first autofill result is r/politics.

TL;DR Meme magic is real and its only going to get worse as tech companies decide to play the role of thought police.

When people say things like reddit, facebook or twitter are "right wing" they usually mean "Those platforms agree with these people I disagree with because they refuse to deplatform them and kick them all off." Those same people will then turn around and ask why echo chambers breed extremism.

 

[immortalartisan]

The world would be better if Germany won ww1 because then the nazis wouldn’t exist

 

[bowser_communist]

so is that streaming thing in the 2nd relief bill gonna fuck us?

 

[immortalartisan]

Anyone wanna discuss that 4chan is more like a political body on the internet then the “internet“ honestly reddit has in my eyes taken it place as an impartial body which is sad as I’m sure we can all agree. I miss the days of old where they just fucked with everyone now it’s just seeming more and more like a genuine cult of personality around the idea of Anonymous. Honestly looking at the archived threads around the sites feels more and more like I’m looking at a chat log for a Terrorist organization of some kind. I know I’m probably gonna be attacked but I just don’t like what conservatives are advocating because the status quo isn’t good

 

[Tamerlane]

The pork barell bills in this country are fucking us over. We have to find a way to hold people accountable

Also, gotta respect Trump vetoing it and asking for more money. Pretty sure everyone agreed with that

 

[Ceildric]

@immortalartisan

I don't visit 4chan but once in a blue moon, so I do not know what the state of the "cult of personality" is over there (though feel like there has been some of that going back at least 5-6 years now). However, I can say you're being ridiculous if you think Reddit of all places is anything like impartial.

Reddit's voting system / popularity contest all but ensured the creation of echo chambers on the site, and over time, with the evolving policies of the people in charge, the site as a whole became more and more of a unified echo chamber. This was most pronounced in the way they repeatedly changed the rules in order to try to prevent r/TheDonald from flourishing and getting attention. And when that still did not work, they just banned it. I have no doubt every other even marginally controversial subreddit feels the mods' boot on their neck, lest the sub deviate from the approved brand of political correctness and left-leaning "common sense".

And as for what conservatives are advocating, show me once in history where those with power gave it away willingly without another source of power pressuring them to do so?

You keep doing what you're doing, you will keep getting what you are getting. Maybe you like keep being a slave bitch, but that's not for everybody. The ruling elite are not even bothering to make a show of being beholden to some objective standard of law anymore.

 

[2SpiritCherokeePrincess]

Trump & his cult members are still trying to steal the election. Some of them are getting in trouble for it though. https://www.yahoo.com/huffpost/fox-...-134208148.html?.tsrc=daily_mail&uh_test=1_04 In fairness one case of dead voting was found, it just wasn't a Democrat who did it. https://www.yahoo.com/news/officials-finally-found-case-dead-225210492.html The Trump campaign is so desperate, there's no telling how far they'll go.

 

[wowfucktron]

Alright, I'm convinced masks are turning into a cult of politics utilized as a passive aggressive vehicle of harassment towards anyone that might've voted for Trump. In my case, I assume the woman who harassed me saw a white guy and thought "he needs an education."

I have a garbage respiratory system and sinus issues so breathing with one sucks and I only leave the house (yes, I wear one) when necessary.

However, today I was doing much needed yard work and this moron who's politics I could've guessed via her dyed hair went out of her way to harass me for not wearing one in my own front yard. The stuff she was accusing me of was almost The Onion/Babylon Bee tier. It was funny until it became unnerving and disturbing when she started to say things like "I hope your family dies of the virus" and "Your kids will be on a plantation."

Anyone else like this stuff is just being hijacked for identity politics nonsense and divisionary garbage?

 

[kenx]

@wowfucktron
Wasn't that always the case? You guys are fucked up with the "us vs. them" mentality.

 

[2SpiritCherokeePrincess]

I need glasses, & sometimes they fog up when I wear a mask. But as long as I don't contract a deadly disease, I can live with it. In the words of Amy Goodman:

 

[immortalartisan]

I have too choose between being able to see and having protection against the varaus^tm. Honestly I think Japanese culture made me think of masks being kinda cool so I was happy to wear them.I will never understand why anyone thought it a good idea to turn the god damn pandemic into a political issue. So anyway how is did joe child man get sworn in and has he done anything yet or just sat around?