Pattern Ghost Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I generally go with "shtuff happens." I have bigger concerns than the temporary anomaly that is the Comrade in Chief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 How do people here who did not vote for Trump or the Republicans, and who look upon the acceleration of hypercapitalism and the rise of fascism throughout the Western world, go about maintaining courage and hope? Are there specific strategies that you use, or philosophies that give you strength? You mean scotch? Fascists deal in fear, they have to sell fear constantly. Not caving to fear, even of real things, is a good start. tkdguy and Kaspar Hauser 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaspar Hauser Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 You mean scotch? Fascists deal in fear, they have to sell fear constantly. Not caving to fear, even of real things, is a good start. How do you go about doing that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 How do you go about doing that? The common responses to fear are fight, flight, or freeze. Doing any of these three simply because one is afraid might get a good result, but might not, because one has no time to think. But, much of what we fear is not so immediate. Choose your response wisely, choose it not because you are afraid, but because it is the best response available to you. If you fight, find how to fight effectively. If you flee, flee because you must. If you stay, stay because you know it is safe to do so. Fear gives us impetus to act, but should not inform our actions. It is an engine, not a steering wheel. Old Man, tkdguy, wcw43921 and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I think of the right's successes were from the left pushing too far. In about 5-10 years the reverse will be the case, rinse and repeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Assuming a balance means that someone will eventually actually be tipping the boat. Each case should be taken as they are. For example, on gun control, the furthest push was during the Reagan era, almost everything else has been a rollback since then. The last ten years has seen CC become a norm far more than it ever was before, so there is no evidence that the left pushed at all on that front as much as the right. On religious rights, there has been no push except to enforce laws already on the book that tax payers should not foot the bill for religious iconography. That's just pushing for enforcement of laws that have been around forever. Not a significant push. On marriage rights and health care overhaul have been the two biggest pushes, the first because there has always been a tendency for constitutional rights and cultural norms to come at odds, and, being a nation of laws, this tends to cause friction that erodes support for the less savory or invasive cultural norms whose proponents have historically enforced by limiting rights. The latter, health care, occured because the previous system was a disaster that was on the verge of causing serious unrest. The reality that the plan that was used was similar to a Republican plan from the nineties suggests that the current narrative is a bit off. I really don't see what push actually occured other than making marriage rights constitutional, and the health care reform largely reminiscent of an earlier Republican model. And marriage rights don't appear to have taken center stage in this election. Immigration is not, and has never been, something the left is the sole arbiter of in politics, all election time lip service aside. War is something all our presidents since Teddy Roosevelt have been knee deep in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clonus Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I think of the right's successes were from the left pushing too far. That's a little vague. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I'm aware that there does seem to be a cycle of social change, backlash, then more change, then more backlash. At this point I think we might progress to a backlash to the backlash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattern Ghost Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 I suspect we'll see a backlash in the midterms, breaking republican control of both chambers I'm not going to venture a guess as to what the intervening two years will bring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starlord Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 The common responses to fear are fight, flight, or freeze. Doing any of these three simply because one is afraid might get a good result, but might not, because one has no time to think. But, much of what we fear is not so immediate. Choose your response wisely, choose it not because you are afraid, but because it is the best response available to you. If you fight, find how to fight effectively. If you flee, flee because you must. If you stay, stay because you know it is safe to do so. Fear gives us impetus to act, but should not inform our actions. It is an engine, not a steering wheel. That would sound perfect if some of the words were mixed up and it was said in Frank Oz's voice. Just sayin'. TheDarkness 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Run like hell. Or run like hell not. There is no try. Lord Liaden 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DasBroot Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 So ... only a fool wouldn't want better relations with the Russians, North Korea will never get a nuclear weapon, Mexico will pay America *back* for the wall, and Meryl Streep is over-rated. Where did that jpg go... ah... here it is... It sure is, Mr Nimoy. It sure is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Well, Meryl Streep is a wee bit overated. Cassandra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Compared to whom? Hepburn? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Actually mostly a joke. THough to be honest, she has started to go through a Beatles/Michael Jordan effect, to where they are gushed over to such an extent, that she could simultaneously be the greatest AND overated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DasBroot Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 It doesn't matter if she's over-rated or not, really - the point is that yet again our president-elect couldn't shrug off having mean things said about him in a highly public forum (without even using his name) without immediately punching back like the most insecure high school boy there ever was. "Did you see Donald in the stairwell last period? He dropped his books and tore his pants picking them up. What a loser." "Those pants were sabotaged in home ec by Becky! She's jealous of my marks and I think she's mad that I won't go out with her - I know she secretly wants me. She's the loser!" Please, Mr President - trade in your paper mache armour for tank quality ceramic composite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaspar Hauser Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 His tweets and petty conflicts are designed to distract attention from issues of grave substance, such as the confirmation hearings of his grossly compromised cabinet appointments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 It doesn't matter if she's over-rated or not, really - the point is that yet again our president-elect couldn't shrug off having mean things said about him in a highly public forum (without even using his name) without immediately punching back like the most insecure high school boy there ever was. "Did you see Donald in the stairwell last period? He dropped his books and tore his pants picking them up. What a loser." "Those pants were sabotaged in home ec by Becky! She's jealous of my marks and I think she's mad that I won't go out with her - I know she secretly wants me. She's the loser!" Please, Mr President - trade in your paper mache armour for tank quality ceramic composite. There are times when I think this is the reason we won't have to face a second Trump term: The White House is the biggest public fishbowl in the country. Everything the president does will be questioned and derided by somebody, and he will be blamed for every perceived ill in the world -- even if he wasn't even born when the incidents in question occurred. Trump is going to have to either develop a much thicker skin or his aides are going to find him under his desk sucking his thumb and whimpering about 'why's everybody always picking on me'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDarkness Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 His tweets and petty conflicts are designed to distract attention from issues of grave substance, such as the confirmation hearings of his grossly compromised cabinet appointments. That may be part of it, but he has never before come off as being able to deal with criticism, so I'm willing to bet that plays its role as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/index.html Uhh...that joint select investigative committee thing sounds like a great idea right about now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Man Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 That article doesn't even mention the evidence that Trump was laundering Russian money for decades. Dude is bought and paid for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cassandra Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 Well, Meryl Streep is a wee bit overated. Regardless of her political opinions, I never believed a single one of her performances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 buzzfeed has a copy of the 35 page memo. This is currently thinly sourced, but I think it obviously needs to be looked into. There's a bit of a mental squick factor. Be warned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megaplayboy Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 Boy, do we live in interesting times. Don't forget the popcorn for the Trump press conference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sociotard Posted January 11, 2017 Report Share Posted January 11, 2017 And, as much as I hate to defend Trump, there is a real chance some of this is fake news. Some of it appears to have origninated as an erotic story on 4chan. Besides, I really don't think Trumptylumkins CAN be blackmailed, just because what is already out is what would normally be blackmail material for a politician. If he had done that stuff in a Russian hotel, he would've been fine with it getting released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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