Political Discussion Thread (With Rules)

[Hermit]

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62836057

 

Looks like her majesty is under medical supervision.

 

And the entire family is gathering?

 

 

 

[death tribble]

Nothing to worry about just yet.

[Cygnia]

Time for a Corgi Coup!

[IndianaJoe3]

19 hours ago, Pariah said:

NIMBY much?

 

Town After Town, Residents Are Fighting Affordable Housing in Connecticut

 

Yeah, this happens. Sometimes the location isn't appropriate. One proposed development in Berlin CT would have put a high-density development into a borderline-rural area. OTOH, there's an apartment complex being built on the site of a former motel on the Berlin Turnpike, which is much more suitable.

[BNakagawa]

 

 

[Pattern Ghost]

Condolences to our friends over in the UK and Canada.*

 

 

*and Australia. 😃

 

Sorry, Seeker fans, was trying to remember if you were also still under the monarchy and forgot to come back and fix it.

[Bazza]

*redacted*

[death tribble]

I hate to do this to Pattern Ghost but try amending it to UK and the Commonwealth, or Commonwealth of Nations, and you'll have a catch all for everyone.

[csyphrett]

22 hours ago, IndianaJoe3 said:

 

Yeah, this happens. Sometimes the location isn't appropriate. One proposed development in Berlin CT would have put a high-density development into a borderline-rural area. OTOH, there's an apartment complex being built on the site of a former motel on the Berlin Turnpike, which is much more suitable.

I have to agree with Joe. There are two proposed places being fought by residents since one appears to be at the end of a development with no way to get to a main street except through the development and the other is supposed to be right at the entrance of another development behind a shopping mall.

 

There was another development nixed by Clemmons. The spot was in the same area as others already there close to the shopping strip on Clemmons Rd/Stratford Rd

CES 

[Starlord]

[Ragitsu]

Two wrongs don't make a right?

[Pattern Ghost]

25 minutes ago, Ragitsu said:

Two wrongs don't make a right?

 

But three rights make a left.

[unclevlad]

23 minutes ago, Ragitsu said:

Two wrongs don't make a right?

 

The issue is the basis for the objection, and its highly subjective application.

 

As a counter, tho, one can argue many of these took place before it was even a consideration, particularly during the heyday of the Hollywood star system.  And figure, too:  multiple centuries of Christian iconography present Christ as white.  So...it's not as simple as the tweet presents.  It never is.

[Ragitsu]

It would have been far more interesting to explore an already extant and distinct "ethnic" people native to Middle Earth, such as the Haradrim or the Easterlings; hell, it could have been a great opportunity to show more nuance to their cultures.

[Ragitsu]

33 minutes ago, Pattern Ghost said:

 

But three rights make a left.

 

Of course: even traditionally conservative families still occasionally churn out liberal/Democratic/progressive/et cetera sons and daughters.

[tkdguy]

1 hour ago, Starlord said:

 

At least one Tolkien scholar says that elves, dwarves, etc. don't all have to be fair-skinned.

 

Are All Tolkien Elves Fair-skinned?

 

Is It True There is Racism in The Lord of the Rings?

[unclevlad]

1 hour ago, Ragitsu said:

It would have been far more interesting to explore an already extant and distinct "ethnic" people native to Middle Earth, such as the Haradrim or the Easterlings; hell, it could have been a great opportunity to show more nuance to their cultures.

 

I suppose so, but on the flip side...who cares about em?  That's not meant to be personal.  It's just that there's no fan connection to them.  Expanding on them is something world-building geeks like (yeah, I count myself), but the majority want to start from something familiar.

Plus, here's the background info on the Haradrim:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Haradrim

 

Dark skinned, barbaric, warlike, oppressed periodically, evil.  What kind of picture does THAT paint?  And what kind of reaction would be generated?  

[Lord Liaden]

2 hours ago, Pattern Ghost said:

 

But three rights make a left.

 

John Lennon was asked by a television reporter at the end of the Beatles' first tour of the United States, "How did you find America?" Lennon replied: "I turned left at Greenland." 

[Starlord]

[Old Man]

1 hour ago, unclevlad said:

 

I suppose so, but on the flip side...who cares about em?  That's not meant to be personal.  It's just that there's no fan connection to them.  Expanding on them is something world-building geeks like (yeah, I count myself), but the majority want to start from something familiar.

Plus, here's the background info on the Haradrim:
https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Haradrim

 

Dark skinned, barbaric, warlike, oppressed periodically, evil.  What kind of picture does THAT paint?  And what kind of reaction would be generated?  

The Haradrim were “evil” due to spending millennia under the corrupting influence of Morgoth and Sauron. I dimly recall that in the Fourth Age they were supposed to become much more peaceful, having finally been freed from the corruption. Can’t remember where I read that though. 
 

 

[Ragitsu]

Surely, not all of them turned to evil.

[BNakagawa]

2 hours ago, Starlord said:

[Starlord]

1 hour ago, Ragitsu said:

Surely, not all of them turned to evil.

 

They did, but don't call them Shirley.

[L. Marcus]

2 hours ago, Old Man said:

The Haradrim were “evil” due to spending millennia under the corrupting influence of Morgoth and Sauron. I dimly recall that in the Fourth Age they were supposed to become much more peaceful, having finally been freed from the corruption. Can’t remember where I read that though. 
 

 

The Appendices, I believe, possibly in The Tale of Arwen and Aragorn.

[unclevlad]

Tolkien Gateway noted there were some who didn't, but by and large, they did.  The influence of Morgoth first, then Sauron, covered most of the First and Second Ages.  And Numenor wasn't exactly coming in as liberators.  2 Wizards worked in the East.  Apparently, late in life, Tolkien changed the story with these:

https://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Blue_Wizards#Later_writings

 

But still, it's a lot like the French Resistance under Nazi occupation...for millenia.  Not sure there's a story there to draw a large crowd, particularly since there was no major event connected to it to serve as a point of reference/calling card.  (As in "many Bothans died to get us this information.")  If we constrast this with, say, the Second Age and the story they're laying out in The Rings of Power...there's a lot of spectacularly cool stuff to do, before things fall apart.  I still have mixed feelings about watching it, but I'm more inclined to watch Second Age stuff than First Age.  First Age is just disaster after disaster once Ungoliant poisons the Trees.  (And it's probably too idyllic to be interesting before that, IIRC.)