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On August 31 2016 22:18 zlefin wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2016 22:12 Godwrath wrote:On August 31 2016 21:56 zlefin wrote:Awww, I didn't make the list of helpful posters  *cry* More bystanders (if there are any) putting in the occasional comment about things being helpful does a lot for keeping up the morale. I suppose we could also use the techniques that are better for convincing people on the other side, but those are a pain to use, and I don't remember them much at all. Well, if it helps, you are on my personal list, since i have a hard time remembering the last time you got genuinely defensive when discussing something, and you actually try to talk, instead of just posting a rebuttal and be done with it. it does help, ty. and I didn't really mind, I should've indicated I was being somewhat, uh, facetious I think would be the right word, or close to it. Basically not serious and humorous. Geez, I start to feel really guilty.
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I know a few Trump supporters and they are well aware of my position on the man. But we have been through two previous elections on opposite sides on the vote and know how to navigate that field. Which is that we don’t talk about it until after words.
The internet in general tends to prize discourse above all things. The opt in nature of discussion puts an expectation that people should just not participate if the discussion bothers them. But that leads to an enviable tactic of attrition and passive aggression in an effort to “win”. We are all guilty of it and it’s a problem in our discussions. But being aware of it helps everyone not take those moments to seriously.
Edit: On the subject of being better informed and more open minded, I find that seeking out politically themed reporting to be a poor way to do that. I gain more insight into how the world works and the politics of those areas from podcasts and stories that are not related to politics in any way. 99% invisible, Reply-All, Vs. Science, The Adam Savage Project and Pop Culture Happy Hour generally keep me better informed about the world than any current event reporting. But that information is gleened over a long period of time, rather than in a single day of reading.
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On August 31 2016 22:05 Biff The Understudy wrote:Show nested quote +On August 31 2016 21:59 RvB wrote:On August 31 2016 21:55 a_flayer wrote:But Kahan would never deny that identity-protective cognition afflicts him too. In fact, recognizing that is core to his strategy of avoiding it. "I’m positive that at any given moment some fraction of the things I believe, I believe for identity-protective purposes," he says. "That gives you a kind of humility."
Recognizing the problem is not the same as fixing it, though. I asked Kahan how he tries to guard against identity protection in his everyday life. The answer, he said, is to try to find disagreement that doesn’t threaten you and your social group — and one way to do that is to consciously seek it out in your group. "I try to find people who I actually think are like me — people I’d like to hang out with — but they don’t believe the things that everyone else like me believes," he says. "If I find some people I identify with, I don’t find them as threatening when they disagree with me." It’s good advice, but it requires, as a prerequisite, a desire to expose yourself to uncomfortable evidence — and a confidence that the knowledge won’t hurt you. That's funny, as I was making myself lunch I was thinking almost this exact same thing: "Maybe I should try to befriend at least 1 person from each religion, political orientation and so forth to get over this." I'm already confronted with too much leftist bs on TL. I can't bear more in real life :p TL is pretty right wing in general I think. At least by european standards. You find VERY few really left wing posters, more centre left/right, or liberals in the american sense. That being said, I have way more patience with right wingers in real life than on TL. Probably because I avoid talking politics with them altogether. And the internet gets the worst out of us. Depends on perspective I guess. What you call centre left or American liberal is still left to me. I can see the difference between for example WhiteDog and other posters but I'd still classify both as left. I guess that's one of the huge flaws with the terms left and right. The fact that christian conservatives, neo nazi's and (classical) liberals are considered right wing shows how bad the term actually is and I guess the same goes for the left. Anyway I'm going off on a tangent.
The reason why I follow these threads on TL is that you meet a lot of different points of view which are reasonably well thought out. Before I went to TL I had literally never met a leftist to seriously discuss anything. I live in a village where people vote for a (christian) party because their parents did. So TL gives me the ability to meet different points of view to my own and that was prerty eye opening for me even.
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Left and right are horrible flawed way to discuss political opinions. The fact that is so heavily enforced in our culture is due to the way news coverage has leaned into it since the 70s in an effort to increase news ratings.
The Best of Enemies is a documentary on the creation of the “Left vs right” talking pundits with the first of their kind: Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. It is a good watch for those who want to see how our media got to this “left vs right” style of coverage. Because it didn’t evolve out of no place.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_Enemies_(film)
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What does Trump possibly have to gain from going to Mexico? Speaking with a deeply unpopular president on issues that are irreconcilable. As soon as the wall comes up, and who is paying for it, which will happen in the first few minutes, the conversation will be over.
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I read that it's possible Nieto invited both candidates and figured Hillary might show up and Trump wouldn't. I would not be surprised to see him ream Trump for some approval points though, Nieto's ratings are kinda low and that would be a bit of a win.
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On August 31 2016 22:45 Plansix wrote:Left and right are horrible flawed way to discuss political opinions. The fact that is so heavily enforced in our culture is due to the way news coverage has leaned into it since the 70s in an effort to increase news ratings. The Best of Enemies is a documentary on the creation of the “Left vs right” talking pundits with the first of their kind: Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley. It is a good watch for those who want to see how our media got to this “left vs right” style of coverage. Because it didn’t evolve out of no place. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_Enemies_(film)
I hate the left and right classification with a passion.
You can easily be pro-LGBT, anti-abortion, pro-guns, pro-marijuana and anti-immigration at the same time. On the left-right spectrum you'd be both left and right simultaneously. Political opinion is a 20-dimensional field and people are far too quick to flatten it to a single dimension, because it makes it much easier to hate on people with different opinions. "If you aren't on the same side as me, you're a bad person. You have a wrong opinion, so you are on the wrong side."
Left-right classification needs to be banned from all political discussions.
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On August 31 2016 22:57 On_Slaught wrote: What does Trump possibly have to gain from going to Mexico? Speaking with a deeply unpopular president on issues that are irreconcilable. As soon as the wall comes up, and who is paying for it, which will happen in the first few minutes, the conversation will be over. They won't butt heads, expect it to be a vague discussion full of pleasantries and appearing to make progress on the irreconcilable issues to score some 'he's a deal maker' points
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I never really understood the separation of Left vs Right. When I, as a young man, still cared about trying to pick a party to vote for and discussed the matter with the people around me at the time, I found myself facing this polarizing question over and over again. "Do you lean left or right?" I don't want to vote for a left, right or even middle. I want to vote for what makes sense for me. I want to vote for people who I think can make decisions on my behalf based on factual evidence and the most complete information that they can obtain for themselves through the people that work for them, because I can't for the life of me consider all of these things for myself.
For example, I don't think it is wise to decide on which economic (or whatever...) policy to support based on "which way you lean". I understand that these things are often seen as being connected (ie. the left wants to accept immigrants based on the idea that they are suffering and will be better off here, while the right argues that it costs us money and thus we are worse off) but it seems mental to me as a voter to approach any of this in that manner. I can't oversee the action-consequences situation behind these things at all.
I would want to vote for someone who I can trust will approach the problem in the most coherent and comprehensive way possible on my behalf. But not only that, I would want them to keep the rest of the nation in their mind as well (not just me), because if the nation is doing well, then I will feel I will be better off as well. That's why these days I go to the voting booths and hand in a blank note (or as I did in one case, drew a giant middle finger on it because I am just an asshole like that - well, I guess it was for my own amusement, really).
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This remembers me of a quote from Ortega Y Gasset that Whitedog used once and i liked:
To be of the Left or to be of the Right is to choose one of the many ways available to people for being an idiot; both are, actually, forms of moral hemiparesis
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The left vs right dynamic grew directly from TV networks trying to create a way to discuss politics in a manner that was engaging to the general public on a daily basis. All for ratings and ad revenue.
When TV was first invested and regulated by the government, the networks were allowed to use the airwaves for free(the US people as a whole “own” the airwaves and regulate their use). But in return they were required to devote a single section of the day to keeping the public better informed. They could try to make a profit off that section, but they could never totally remove it. That is how modern, broadcast news was created in the US. And it was always when people turned off their TV unless there was something amazing going on. Because most people had read the news paper that morning.
Left vs right is a construct, creative my modern media to turn political discussion into something that comes close to pro-wrestling. The pundits that are up there are not the best in their field, but people who are in show business. The goal of the shows they are on isn’t to make the public better informed, but to entertain.
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Tim canova is a good example of the poor leadership Bernie has shown throughout his attempt at a revolution. Canova turned out to be inexperienced, inept and just a generally poor candidate. He lacked crucial understanding and ended up getting blown up in the midst of DWS' worst events. Bernie endorsed Tim and didn't make sure Tim was someone that could and would win. Tim helped spread the Bernie message, kind of. For a bit. But he ultimately lost and now it is business as usual.
In the end, what happened? Tim made a stink and caused some trouble, but ultimately, nothing happened. Tim will not have a lasting impact. This is not the first time I have found myself reflecting on something principled, yet ultimately fruitless pertaining to Bernie. Bernie focused too much on principle and never had the sense to make sure his movement was successful.
I hope "Our Revolution" is able to do something different, but as long as Weaver in involved, I don't see that happening.
On August 31 2016 22:59 ticklishmusic wrote: I read that it's possible Nieto invited both candidates and figured Hillary might show up and Trump wouldn't. I would not be surprised to see him ream Trump for some approval points though, Nieto's ratings are kinda low and that would be a bit of a win.
Is there any situation where Trump can benefit? I am having a hard time believing Nieto would say or do anything remotely favorable towards Trump. Trump isn't very popular in Mexico. With Nieto's ratings being what they are, he is in a position where he needs to desperately fight for approval. Publicly shitting on Trump seems like a great idea for him.
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if nieto shits on trump, that'll be good for trump, as his people take umbrage when he is attacked. It also fits into the trump plan of dominating the news cycle all the time. I still think Trump is a publicity-eating demon.
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Trump has a 2% favorable rating in Mexico. Not very popular is a bit of an understatement
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On August 31 2016 23:25 zlefin wrote: if nieto shits on trump, that'll be good for trump, as his people take umbrage when he is attacked. It also fits into the trump plan of dominating the news cycle all the time. I still think Trump is a publicity-eating demon.
Still, it would be master negotiator and tactician Donald Trump walking right into a reaming by the Mexican president... maybe he tweets something dumb, directly insulting a foreign head of state would be a new occurrence at the very least
On August 31 2016 23:31 Nevuk wrote: Trump has a 2% favorable rating in Mexico. Not very popular is a bit of an understatement
Trumps' ratings among Latinos in the us is about 20-30%. He's 10x more popular among those who know him!
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If the folks in Mexico are smart, they will make this the most non-event possible. Just talk with Trump and let him try to grab the headlines with his own brand of dumb. We will see if that is what they do.
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On August 31 2016 23:25 zlefin wrote: if nieto shits on trump, that'll be good for trump, as his people take umbrage when he is attacked. It also fits into the trump plan of dominating the news cycle all the time. I still think Trump is a publicity-eating demon. Given his reactions to even the mildest criticism, I don't see Trump ever willingly subject himself to that even if it were a politically smart decision. I expect this to be very tame.
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What if Nieto deports Trump?
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United Kingdom13775 Posts
On August 31 2016 23:16 Mohdoo wrote: Tim canova is a good example of the poor leadership Bernie has shown throughout his attempt at a revolution. Canova turned out to be inexperienced, inept and just a generally poor candidate. He lacked crucial understanding and ended up getting blown up in the midst of DWS' worst events. Bernie endorsed Tim and didn't make sure Tim was someone that could and would win. Tim helped spread the Bernie message, kind of. For a bit. But he ultimately lost and now it is business as usual.
In the end, what happened? Tim made a stink and caused some trouble, but ultimately, nothing happened. Tim will not have a lasting impact. This is not the first time I have found myself reflecting on something principled, yet ultimately fruitless pertaining to Bernie. Bernie focused too much on principle and never had the sense to make sure his movement was successful.
I hope "Our Revolution" is able to do something different, but as long as Weaver in involved, I don't see that happening.
Honestly, after looking into that district, I didn't see Medusa losing her primary. She's a star example of "hated by the country, loved by the district that elects her" that makes Congress such a poisonous institution these days. But I could definitely see that she was pretty well-liked and very involved within her own district and would be brutally hard to actually unseat.
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