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#441 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 4,901
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I think "Black Lives Matter" is far more self-explanatory than "Defund the Police".
I would have gone with "Reform the Police", not that we can go back on it anymore. |
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#442 |
Дэлво Δελϝο דֶלְבֹֿ देल्वो
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: North Tonawanda, NY
Posts: 9,302
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The fact that there's even this kind of debate to be had about it makes it an objectively bad slogan. A good slogan needs to be perfectly clear. If it's not clear, it's not good. It's a knife with no edge, an oven with no heat, a shower with no water...
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#443 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 28,300
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Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get to me. . |
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#444 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 50,334
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"It's not what you say, but who you say it, that oftens makes or breaks a case".
The older I get, the more I find this to be true. Porlbme is too many ideologues fall in love with their own rhetoric,regardless of whather it hurts or harms theri cause. I think "reform the police"iw a perfectly good slogan, and describes what needs to be done. |
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Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty. Robert Heinlein. |
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#445 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 4,901
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#446 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,430
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Except that people have made that argument, over and over again. And here we are. The school officer was moved to the school system from the PD - and he's still beating kids and hauling them off to jail based on some rumor. The police had a good strong community outreach program, midnight basketball, and so on...and it gets cut again after a year. Quite a few major PDs have great civilian review boards - that they're allowed to completely ignore without penalty. As far as I've heard, Ferguson MO's police still function to rob black residents and transfer the money to white residents, and their own new police station. Baltimore's PD doesn't have the manpower to even bother doing detective work for most murders - but they sure had the manpower to round up every high school kid that went through Mondawmin's transit hub, stop them from going home, and then shoot them with rubber bullets because they wouldn't go home - a move that sparked major riots
The simple truth is, mere "reforming" has failed in many towns and cities, for specific local reasons. Some places need their PDs cleared out and rebuilt from the ground up, and many more are spending far too much with nothing to show for it. But it's common in both cases for police to suck up massive amounts of funding that are better spent elsewhere, and with city budgets strapped every year...that means that they're the ones that need to see their budgets cut. The main problem with "Defund the Police" is that it's vague as far as protest chants go - but that doesn't mean that it's a bad solution to an ongoing problem in many cities and towns. And of course, it won't win over everyone - no slogan will, which is why I pointed to Cheeto Benito as an obvious example of the sort of person it wouldn't persuade. Personally, I'm of the belief that overt white supremacists like him are not a majority in the US at the moment, and are not really threatening to become a majority in the near future. But protestors aren't trying to persuade his ilk, they're trying to persuade the people who watch one video after the next of police walking up and slugging some random person, or showing up to some march like they're ready for war, and saying "You know, that seems like a waste of time and money." |
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#447 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 4,901
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But it's not just the overt racists and Blue Line No Matter What types who recoil from the slogan.
It's also regular people, maybe a little rougher around the edges, the first to interject "not all cops" in the uproar following every major incident, but aware enough of police brutality and lack of accountability to agree with at least some change. I think when they hear "Defund the Police" they tune out. "We still need police; imagine if there was no police. Who are you going to call?" |
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#448 |
Maledictorian
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 14,680
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Everyone who has a problem with 'Defund the Police' never got peppersprayed by them.
Everyone who wonders how they are going to call the police when they need them never actually called the police when they needed them. |
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So what are you going to do about it, huh? What would an intellectual do? What would Plato do? |
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#449 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,430
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And those are the people who the protestors are going to talk to going forward. The question is whether or not the actual activists will be heard, or the people who turn everything into "no more police ever" - whether wealthy pseudo-anarchists or white supremacists.
The claim that the slogan should speak for itself with no followup (and many people who favor the slogan make this mistake, to be clear) is wrong in that slogans, fundamentally, will *always* be short and punchy phrases that symbolize a deeper argument. "Change we need" always meant "expand reasonable health care access, slow climate change, etc." "Build the Wall" always meant "restrict immigration from black and brown-majority countries and ensure that the US is a white majority country, as we currently define 'white'" "Build Back Better" has always meant "repair the cultural and political damage that Dolt 45 and his sycophants have wreaked on our country by shoring up and expanding on what Obama did", and so forth. |
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#450 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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No. Tara Reade showed up after Biden had won the primaries. No other candidate was still running. Dishonestly pretending that "oh, this was just primary stuff" is revisionist history.
No, again. When discussing American politicians, using the American definitions of their politics is accurate and proper. Using other country's definitions is...dishonest at best in this context. Yes, given that Tara Reade didn't pop up until Biden had won the primaries, it was most definitely not during the primaries. And using the actions of the majority of progressives to represent progressives as a group is accurate, whether or not you and one other guy happened to not take those actions yourself. |
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#451 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Rochester, NY
Posts: 5,263
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I mainly saw it as a reference to things like local Sheriff's departments that have nothing better to spend their money on than military surplus APCs and grenade launchers, creating a police force that looks more like an occupying army than a group meant to protect and serve. |
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#452 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Sorth Dakonsin
Posts: 24,891
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Science is self-correcting. Woo is self-contradicting. |
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#453 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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Living in Georgia, I'm bombarded with political ads right now about how the 2 Democratic Senator candidates are "anti-police," so my problem with "Defund the Police" is how easy it was for the right wing to demonize that slogan. I think something like "Demilitarize the Police" would have been better.
As far as actually lowering the police budget/reallocating it to areas that would work better, I'm always amazed that people never bat an eye at our Fire Departments having to use raffles and bake sales to raise money, yet are always ready to show up. If they can have expensive equipment and be ready to show up to protect the public on a shoe string budget, why can't the police? |
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#454 |
Maledictorian
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 14,680
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Police Unions
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So what are you going to do about it, huh? What would an intellectual do? What would Plato do? |
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#455 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Apr 2018
Location: Massachusetts, USA
Posts: 8,014
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Well said, better than what I was stumbling towards.
These politicians coming out to complain about the exact phrasing is an exercise in futility. Street activists aren't political operatives that respond to top down orders from the party. Centrists complaining about these slogans may as well be howling at the moon to stop rising or for the wind to stop blowing. I'm not saying that these politicians should adopt the language of these street protests verbatim, but they should probably have a response beyond outright disavowal. The "law and order" crowd will never care no matter how much they pander or distance themselves. Consider that the right will smear any democrat as an extremist anyway. It's strange seeing these comments from Obama as if messaging actually matters that much. We all remember the ACA, a moderate and compromise reform of our failing health system, was smeared as full communism and death panels. Trying to sit on the fence seems like a fool's errand. Even if your proposal is actually moderate, the right will whip up its base to make sure the issue is fully polarized. Failing to likewise mobilize an enthusiastic base is a mistake. If the language of the street protests is too extreme, that's fine. It's a politicians job to create messaging. I just don't really see how whining and doing nothing to wield this popular energy, even in a modified form, is good policy. If "reform the police" is a better message, then they should advocate it rather than just crying about BLM chants. |
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Gobble gobble |
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#456 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 3,986
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#457 |
Orthogonal Vector
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 50,461
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Like the Keene NH police who made defending the pumpkin festival the reason they needed an APC but when the students from the UNH started to riot there did they break out the riot control gear? Of course not those are good white kids rioting you can't use the same techniques you use against those criminal blacks on them.
As for defund the police as a slogan, I see the issues, but I also don't see what is better. Reform has been tried and the police can simply ignore it like they can ignore laws against choke holds. Maybe Rebuild the Police? Make the Police Accountable? Not sure what actually send the message of changing from toothless review boards as a reform to actually doing something that will hold the police accountable when they beat up someone for fun. |
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Sufficiently advanced Woo is indistinguishable from Parody "There shall be no *poofing* in science" Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Force ***** on reasons back" Ben Franklin |
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#458 |
Orthogonal Vector
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 50,461
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__________________
Sufficiently advanced Woo is indistinguishable from Parody "There shall be no *poofing* in science" Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Force ***** on reasons back" Ben Franklin |
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#459 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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You will never find that slogan.
If "the police are brutalizing innocent people" isn't actually upsetting a person, the slogan isn't the problem. If our democracy has so many of such people in it, nothing will get done to change police brutalizing innocent people, finger-wagging anyone still talking about it for failing to be appealing enough is just a brazen display of cruel indifference. |
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#460 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 50,334
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I see we have a left wing echo chamber going on here.
Point is Defund the Police is a stupid slogan that scares all but the already coverted off. So find a better slogan to use. Of course I detect contempt for anybody who is not far to the left as the members of the Echo CHamber. |
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Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty. Robert Heinlein. |
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#461 |
Penultimate Amazing
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Sacramento
Posts: 50,334
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__________________
Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay - and claims a halo for his dishonesty. Robert Heinlein. |
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#462 |
Orthogonal Vector
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 50,461
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__________________
Sufficiently advanced Woo is indistinguishable from Parody "There shall be no *poofing* in science" Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Force ***** on reasons back" Ben Franklin |
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#463 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,333
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No, the problem is those hicks from the sticks don't want to hear it. there's no reason to continue pretending "All Lives Matter" was a genuine response.
Quote:
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#464 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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Do you really believe finding some magical combination of words will make the racist scales fall from their eyes?
Do you tell a battered spouse "well if you just talk to them more politely/meekly/"properly" maybe things will change? No, that's obviously horrible and deepens the victimization. Also rape victims should dress modestly. ETA: this is why impotent, spineless centrist/moderates will simply be a prelude to the next Trump. |
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#465 |
Illuminator
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 3,986
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Spineless centrists like this guy? Obama: You lose people with 'snappy' slogans like 'defund the police' |
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#466 |
Crazy Little Green Dragon
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: East Coast, US
Posts: 7,458
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*takes a deep breath, looks up Tara Reade again and checks dates* Ahh. Tara Reade was that lady. Yeah, I was conflating her actions with one of Bernie's surrogates that acted badly. My apologies for that. Still, my comments were not far off the mark at all, though, when it comes to the sexual crimes accusation.
To be clear, Bernie's official concession happened *after* Tara Reade showed up. April 3 versus April 8, though I'll agree that much of the Tara Reade saga happened after Bernie had officially conceded - as is pretty much is to be expected when it comes to material like that, which once presented, progressives will push to get as fair a hearing as possible. Going further about the actual progressive response to Tara Reade, since clearly, you weren't in much of a position to judge such - broadly speaking, it was a bit guarded. Certainly, some jumped on the claims hard, especially among the more... vocal of Bernie advocates at the very beginning, and they were far more vocal than the people who were simply waiting for more information, of course. I'll agree that progressives didn't have so many people that automatically fought for Biden, though, before having solid ground to work from. More broadly, though, there was certainly willingness to be open-minded and give the claims a fair hearing, albeit distinctly guarded because of the high likelihood that it was little more than yet another Republican rat******* political ploy and tempered with the knowledge that Trump was pretty definitively worse, even if true. The whole "Believe Women" slogan from the #MeToo movement was invoked, of course, though usually by those who were trying to create the appearance of hypocrisy, given the disparity between the direct meaning of the slogan and the larger concepts that it was being used as an oversimplification of to invoke. As distinct problems with Tara Reade's story arose, they were jumped on, of course, and *most* progressives were fine with having decent cause to not worry so much about the choice that they already knew that they'd be making for Biden already, given the alternative, as the Tara Reade story played out. There, that's a much more in depth look at the Tara Reade topic than it really deserves by this point. As for those other accusations? Biden being senile and demented? Those claims are overwhelmingly from the right, in general. There was some expressed concern about senility in the primaries, but very little in the general, as far as I saw. A more general and nebulous mental decline, on the other hand? Biden very likely is experiencing some, in keeping with his age, much as I (and probably most other progressives, though that topic is not one that I saw actually raised much) still rate his likely currently a bit diminished self from his prime as still being far, far above Trump at Trump's prime, even before getting to Trump's mental decline. On a separate note, it's probably worth pointing out that when you complain about social media campaigns, it's pretty much guaranteed that the right-wing and their bots will be amplifying anything negative about anyone they consider a political threat and working to create more if they think they can, and that, for example, Facebook's algorithm was altered a fair while ago to strongly favor right-wing propaganda. Other countries? I'm talking about using a somewhat objective scale, as I said. Using the fundamentally nebulous and constantly shifting state of any one country's current politics will inevitably be quite inaccurate and manipulable. While it is proper for some specific uses, its usual use in reality has been distinctly improper and misleading. To be clear, I can easily imagine scenarios about how you might have come to such a perception, especially given your behavior so far, but it's simply not very accurate. |
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So sayeth the crazy little dragon. |
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#467 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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#468 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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Do you think Obama saying that made any of the racists who hate him like him better?
Are they ready to have a dialog with him about sensible improvements, etc? Obama is actually a great example supporting my position. Doesnt matter how far he "compromised" (or outright surrendered), he still only to got the same abusive vitriol. But sure, "this time will be different." The bigoted backwards bumblefucks will see reason. Just as soon as we recite the magic incantation. |
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#469 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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#470 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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#471 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 5,524
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The man with one watch knows what time it is, the man with two watches is never sure. |
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#472 |
Orthogonal Vector
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 50,461
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__________________
Sufficiently advanced Woo is indistinguishable from Parody "There shall be no *poofing* in science" Paul C. Anagnostopoulos Force ***** on reasons back" Ben Franklin |
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#473 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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I'm not implying anything?
How about you not hurl insults and then bait me into talking about the validity of the insult. In other words, stop acting like a God damn conservative. ETA: Let's discuss the topic. Which was *glances at notes* ah yes, phrasing things so others will be more receptive (LOL!) Yeah. Work on that. |
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#474 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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I appreciate the concession that your people and timelines were a bit jumbled. Bernie certainly dropped out earlier this time than in 2016, but he had no hope of winning well before he conceded in early April.
While it is true that right wing propaganda is more easily spread, the progressives that I know, both here, on FB and in real life, all pushed that stuff at least as hard as the right did. I don't see how using current American political descriptions to describe American politics and the people who push them is inacurate. I do see that claiming American progressives in the scope of the current American political landscape should not be described as the far left is inaccurate. We will have to disagree. |
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#475 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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Accurately describing actions taken by progressives is not hurling insults at you. If you choose to be insulted by such actions, take it up with those who do them, not me for pointing them out.
If your beef is with those actually hurling insults, take it up with Delvo, Suburban Turkey, Bernie Sanders, et al. When the progressives can deign to start working with the majority of the Dems without insulting them, then you'll have room to whine about insults returned. |
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#476 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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#477 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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#478 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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#479 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Georgia, USA
Posts: 8,350
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#480 |
Philosopher
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 5,367
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