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16th April 2020, 06:13 PM | #361 |
post-pre-born
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16th April 2020, 06:19 PM | #362 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Remember when Pence ordered his Coronavirus task staff not to go on CNN?
After that story hit the media, that order was reversed:
Quote:
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16th April 2020, 07:09 PM | #363 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Science is self-correcting. Woo is self-contradicting. |
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16th April 2020, 09:03 PM | #364 |
I lost an avatar bet.
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We went about this all wrong.
At the very beginning, we should have told the president that if the followed the advice of the medical staff, he would receive a $300,000,000 bonus. And then negotiate with various media outlets to throw in things like Time Magazine’s Person-of-the-Year award, network coverage for 3 political rallies of his choice, and 14 column-inches in the Sunday New York Times from the next 12 weeks. We could have saved A LOT of money. |
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I lost an avatar bet to Doghouse Reilly. |
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16th April 2020, 10:01 PM | #365 |
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16th April 2020, 10:21 PM | #366 |
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Perhaps a better first question is... does that poll even exist in the first place? Apparently, there is no such OANN poll. There is, apparently, a poll by a right wing think tank that matches the numbers, but... meh. Right wing think tanks tend not to be anywhere close to as reliable as they like to try to make themselves sound.
I'm mildly surprised that the obvious wasn't pointed out. Chinatown is NOT China. Fits the usual pattern of Make Russia Great Again. |
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So sayeth the crazy little dragon. |
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17th April 2020, 12:02 AM | #367 |
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17th April 2020, 12:04 AM | #368 |
Penultimate Amazing
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17th April 2020, 12:24 AM | #369 |
Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning
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We do these things not because they are easy, but because we thought they were going to be easy. Everything is possible, but not everything is probable. “Perception is real, but the truth is not.” - Imelda Marcos |
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17th April 2020, 01:45 AM | #370 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Trump Tweets
THANK GOD FOR TRUCKERS! |
17th April 2020, 01:47 AM | #371 |
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17th April 2020, 06:24 AM | #372 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Ashley Babbit was a good start. |
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17th April 2020, 06:33 AM | #373 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Quote:
This is the moron's wife discussing the use of the internet:
Quote:
Unbelievable. |
17th April 2020, 06:59 AM | #374 |
Philosopher
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While I was briefly in the office yesterday to collect and mail some checks, a coworker walked past my office and we started talking (at a safe distance). He watches Trump's and Governor Cuomo's press conferences obsessively to stay informed on what's happening. However, I mentioned a few past events. Trump not wanting to remove passengers from a cruise ship because "it will make our numbers go up". "I thought that was the Governor of California." Trump saying he had inherited a bad test that was just developed in January. "Maybe he meant a test for a different coronavirus strain." Trump cutting WHO funding. "This may not be the best time, but if they're showing favoritism to certain countries or helping cover things up, maybe we should put it on hold while they're investigated." |
17th April 2020, 07:20 AM | #375 |
a flimsy character...perfidious and despised
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A word that few seem to use anymore: Propriety, "the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals."
Trump didn't degrade conventionally accepted standards by himself. The degradation is a progression that began with cable television, the proliferation of television stations that didn't have to conform to the standards of the Big 3 networks. The next step was the gutting of the "Equal Time Rule" and the "Fairness Doctrine." This left radio and television stations free to air biased material. Then Rush Limbaugh reached syndication in 1988. Next, the development of the Internet in the early 90's. After that, in 1996, the birth of Fox News. Soon after, the proliferation of cell phones and social media. All of this and other factors, has led to the degradation of accepted standards of behavior and morals in the U.S. Trump himself didn't cause this, he is the product of it and has taken full advantage. 40 years ago, idiots didn't have a worldwide soapbox for their racism, sexism, xenophobia, conspiracy theories, etc. They couldn't spread their hatred widely. Now they have that ability, and the ability to recruit others into their insanity. I can remember a time, at least where I grew up, when people who expressed the kind of views that are now considered normal who have been shunned. Today, almost half the people in this country agree with these views. We've become a nation of fear and loathing. We opened Pandora's box in the name of freedom of speech and ideas, and we can never close it again. |
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Being the victim of genocidal atrocities does not give you free reign to commit your own genocidal atrocities. When Republican politicians were young, they were the kids who watched James Bond movies and said "I want to grow up to be just like [insert name of villain here]." |
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17th April 2020, 07:25 AM | #376 |
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That's all part of his "charm."
We've become a nation of "kneejerks" who are "too easily offended" and "fake" and "phony" and worst of all... *pause as I build the moral strength required to even say such a vile word....* "DRAMATIC." We need a "think from the gut" no nonsense leader who "speaks his mind" to counter all the damage done by those uppity intellectuals. |
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"If everyone in the room says water is wet and I say it's dry that makes me smart because at least I'm thinking for myself!" - The Proudly Wrong. |
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17th April 2020, 07:27 AM | #377 |
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I watched a movie last night. "Deep Impact". For those of you who haven't seen it, it's one of the "killer asteroid" movies. Not a bad flick, in my opinion. What struck me was that Morgan Freeman plays the president, and he is portrayed as a sort of ideal president. Yes, he was working from a script, so he could be ideal pretty easily. However, he wasn't all that different from every president in my lifetime, until this one. When the scriptwriters put together an image of a perfect president, they took real presidents, and made them a bit better. There was absolutely no trace of Trump in that character.
How did we sink so low, from that ideal of a president, to the current reality? |
17th April 2020, 07:39 AM | #378 |
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I agree with a lot of this.
Quote:
To me, Trump's ideology isn't so incredibly extreme that I find it unacceptable. I don't agree with it, but it doesn't make my skin crawl. It's his attitude, his manners, his general embracing of anti-intellectualism. I contrast Donald Trump with Jack Kennedy sometimes. I feel like Donald Trump is "We are entitled to greatness because we are Americans", where Jack Kennedy was more, "We are obligated to be great, because we are Americans." I don't remember Kennedy, and I'm sure the real Kennedy wasn't as good as the sound bites, but we really need someone like that now. |
17th April 2020, 07:43 AM | #379 |
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One reason is that he ran on the oldest, simplest of political promises: "If you vote for me, I will make your life better," and the people who felt left behind and left out by a changing economy believed him. His clueless opponent told those people "You're a basket of deplorables."
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17th April 2020, 07:43 AM | #380 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Who knew, Governor Lepetomane was real.
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17th April 2020, 07:51 AM | #381 |
Penultimate Amazing
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If they felt she was saying they were a basket of deplorables, it was because they did not fit in the other basket, of those who felt that they hadn't been served well by previous administrations and were looking to improve themselves.
But I'm sure they would have voted for her if not that for that statement, right? |
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Gunter Haas, the 'leading British expert,' was a graphologist who advised couples, based on their handwriting characteristics, if they were compatible for marriage. I would submit that couples idiotic enough to do this are probably quite suitable for each other. It's nice when stupid people find love. - Ludovic Kennedy |
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17th April 2020, 07:52 AM | #382 |
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"If everyone in the room says water is wet and I say it's dry that makes me smart because at least I'm thinking for myself!" - The Proudly Wrong. |
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17th April 2020, 07:52 AM | #383 |
Penultimate Amazing
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When the cameras were off, was Kennedy actually a good man though? I hear what you are saying about the way Trump comes across, and I can empathise with your reaction. But plenty of terrible people know how to put on a suit and can make a good speech about hope and change. They do that because it appeals to the prejudices, fears, desires and expectations of their audience. Is the presentation really that important?
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17th April 2020, 07:57 AM | #384 |
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I didn't say that it wasn't common. There are two key differences between that era and today.
In 1980: 1. There were no national media outlets that portrayed it as normal and acceptable. 2. Many people who had those beliefs knew that those beliefs were unacceptable, and they kept it to themselves. Some, of course, did not, but they were generally portrayed in the media as outliers. In 2020: 1. There are national media outlets that portray it as acceptable, often claiming the false equivalency that it's no different than the beliefs and behavior of liberals. Indeed, many national media outlets claim that these kind of beliefs and behaviors are necessary to "save America." 2. Individuals who harbor these beliefs find their beliefs justified by the large numbers of like-minded individuals on social media. They get the idea that these beliefs are commonplace and acceptable, and that they themselves are not outliers but in fact a majority. I think it's difficult to make a case that America's standards for decency and morality haven't fallen in the last 40 years. They've collapsed almost completely. People are more openly embracing bad standards. |
__________________
Being the victim of genocidal atrocities does not give you free reign to commit your own genocidal atrocities. When Republican politicians were young, they were the kids who watched James Bond movies and said "I want to grow up to be just like [insert name of villain here]." |
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17th April 2020, 08:03 AM | #385 |
... and your little dog too.
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Exactly.
After seeing the display yesterday from Trump supporters protesting people trying to save their lives, any lingering shred of doubt that I had regarding their motives has evaporated. Despite the BS they’ve been shoveling for the last decade or more, there is no defining or consistent principle that drives these people. They’ve proven themselves hypocrites at every turn. These people are driven by fear and hatred, pure and simple. |
17th April 2020, 08:03 AM | #386 |
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17th April 2020, 08:05 AM | #387 |
Penultimate Amazing
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17th April 2020, 08:06 AM | #388 |
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17th April 2020, 08:08 AM | #389 |
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17th April 2020, 08:15 AM | #390 |
Penultimate Amazing
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It certainly seems much more acceptable to express openly racist opinions than it was back in 1980.
That's not to say that such opinions didn't exist and were merely unexpressed and of course it may be that the issue is that the internet and social media gives a tiny number of racists far better reach than they had back then. 40 years ago it was just a handful of misfits in a pub. Now it's groups of misfits banding together and broadcasting their opinions, which are then picked up by the mainstream press. Maybe people are indeed less racist, some forms of institutional racism have been directly addressed in the UK, but BAME people still seem to suffer disproportionately from educational, financial, and health inequalities in the UK. |
17th April 2020, 08:23 AM | #391 |
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From what I have read of Kennedy, I think he was a good man when the cameras were off. Obviously, I don't know. Famously, he wasn't faithful to his wife, so if that's something that you think matters, that is a flaw, but generally, I don't think he was a bad guy.
Trump is a bad guy, even when the cameras are on. Narcissistic, lying, puts himself above anyone else, and surrounds himself with sycophants, getting rid of anyone who challenges him. Maybe Kennedy was only good when the cameras were rolling, but I'd settle for that. If you can't even be good when you're on stage, there's no hope that you'll be good when no one is looking. |
17th April 2020, 08:38 AM | #392 |
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17th April 2020, 08:45 AM | #393 |
Penultimate Amazing
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I think it goes a little deeper than that "[Kennedy] wasn't faithful to his wife"]. For myself I don't expect psychologically good, normal people to run countries. If one did, they'd be no good at it.
Is your moral judgement of him as a person the most important thing, or the outcomes in terms on enacted policies and their consequences? The former is certainly very entertaining, but is it actually important? You don't think there is a certain kind of honesty in Trumps approach of "saying the quiet part loud"? |
17th April 2020, 08:48 AM | #394 |
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17th April 2020, 09:00 AM | #395 |
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17th April 2020, 09:02 AM | #396 |
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I strongly suspect that is due to who you were hanging around with back then. I can remember teachers behaving in ways/saying things that would have them thrown out of the profession today.
This is certainly true. I think this really depends what you mean. If you are talking about people whose worldview is defined by race, and want to be active about it... then I'm sure it was a relatively small group that probably finds it easier to connect now. The background level of everyday racism though seems to me like it was much more common then. Maybe? The reason we are talking about institutional racism and micro-aggressions now is because actual racism has massively declined. Imagine what would happen if somebody tried to put the Black and White Minstrels on the BBC today? |
17th April 2020, 09:03 AM | #397 |
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"If everyone in the room says water is wet and I say it's dry that makes me smart because at least I'm thinking for myself!" - The Proudly Wrong. |
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17th April 2020, 09:09 AM | #398 |
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Well, certainly presidents are not "normal" or "average".
Quote:
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17th April 2020, 09:18 AM | #399 |
Penultimate Amazing
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Do you mean the people protesting? I imagine some of them are concerned that rights are being infringed with very little thought, and in some cases to very little purpose. Wasn't there a state that was banning drive through Easter services, I think at the same time as drive through liquor stores were still allowed? It's not like there aren't lots of examples of official overreach if its the sort of thing one is interested in. In the UK police were threatening to search peoples shopping baskets in case they bought something non-essential with their essential purchases.
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17th April 2020, 09:20 AM | #400 |
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Have you ever noticed that you never see "Holiday Inn" at Christmas anymore? (In case there are youngster's in the audience, "Holiday Inn" is the movie where the song "White Christmas" appeared, sung by Bing Crosby.
I wondered about that. I figured it was just an old fashioned movie, gone out of style, but there were other oldies that appeared at Christmas. Then I remembered, there's a blackface scene in it. It wouldn't be acceptable today. In general, I absolutely agree that there was a lot more racism then. I'm puzzled that anyone could think any differently. I can remember "****** lover" being used as an insult, among people who were pretty much normal folks. Today, it's censored (as you can no doubt see in the asterisks in the previous sentence.) Remember Archie Bunker? He was portrayed as old fashioned and dimwitted, but he was not portrayed as a bad person, because he was pretty normal. He was portrayed as a good man who was mired in a time of ignorance, but he was not portrayed as a bad man. |
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