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how to talk to complete idiots, 3 suggestions

Started by Triple Zero, September 26, 2009, 09:10:15 PM

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Captain Utopia

Quote from: Cain on September 27, 2009, 06:12:56 PM
Exactly.  From a purely utilitarian point of view, acting crazy doesn't really impose harsh penalties within the US (and increasingly, European) political systems.  Sure, the GOP went into overdrive in the last election, and still lost, but it took Katrina, Iraq and the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression to actually cast doubt on their chances of victory.  It was a close run thing, at a time when they should have been utterly discredited.
I watched a lot of American news last year - the false equivalence seemed to have no logical foundation other than a knee-jerk attempt at journalistic integrity. The fear and guilt mongers of the GOP seemed to inflict the media with a crippling self-consciousness - I guess that manipulation of fear is what they do best.

I mean. Sarah Palin. Seriously. A healthy media is supposed to ward against such atrocities. Though it did send a message to all the undereducated opinionated people out there that they to could some day make the big leagues if they just had the right attitude.

How to talk to complete idiots - make them feel empowered for buying your brand of stupidity.


Quote from: Cain on September 27, 2009, 06:12:56 PM
In a two party system in particular, you can go as crazy as you like, because eventually the other party will screw up, people will get sick of their corruptness and unjustified sense of entitlement of their positions, something will go wrong and they will be thrown in.  And in the meantime, well, the media knows what sells, and badmouthing the government on the basis of personality politics (as opposed to real issues) is both safe, and yet exciting enough to bring in advertisers.
I haven't followed UK politics much since I left - I recall that the two party system persisted, despite credible alternatives, seemingly due to a fear of "the other party" getting into power - has that changed much? Are there examples of systems with any number of political parties where it doesn't end up the same way?

Cain

No, things haven't changed much.  The Lib Dems are still derided as useless and never able to attain power by people who are usually sympathetic to their policies and disenchanted with the other two main parties.  Last polls had the Lib Dems at 18%, Labour at 24% and the Tories at 44%, IIRC.  And while Labour are useless, its not like the Tories, Cameron's own minority clique aside, are any better.  They're not batshit insane...but they would have refused to bail anyone out over the recession, which would have caused the national economy to collapse, they still hate gays and immigrants and the EU etc.  So the Nasty Party lives on.

Usually multiparty states like Germany and Israel, where they have to rely on coalitions, are a little more complex.  I haven't followed them enough to deduce any general principles about their workings, though.

Jenne

Quote from: DALEKK on September 28, 2009, 03:35:15 PM
I really get pissed of by people who are like " What, you believe in that evolution bulshit. There's no evidence on that. It's just a theory". Yeah, no evidence my ass. Well here's something interensting for you - the bible isn't even based on theories. It's just an old book.

My parents are hardcore christians, who think that if something bad happens to anyone it's because of them not believing in god, so I have given up on telling them, that I don't believe the bible bullshit.

But the thing that pisses me of the most is that they include that bullshit in school. In the "Psychology and Logic" textbook, there are 4 pages explaining that atheists are an ignorant minority refusing to accept the "scientific proof" of the existence of god and then 4 more pages of miracles "prooving" god exists. And thats the school book all high textbook use, because it's the official approved of teh government school book.

Wow, that's scary.  And explains a lot about what's wrong with this bobdamned country of ours.  I escaped that level of fundamentalism in school, though I got it in spades at church growing up.

My husband in talking to his brothers over the weekend described Christian fundamentalists as the "Talibs of the US"...I thought he went a bit far, but he had some good comparisons for his reasoning nonetheless.

LMNO



LMNO

No, DALEKK.

I'm wondering what kind of retards are working that state's board of education.

Cain

DALEKK is in Bulgaria.  I don't really want to stereotype the place, but everything I have seen about the country, Sofia aside, suggests it is kind of the Appalachians of Europe.

I'm guessing if the Bulgarian Orthodox Church isn't the state religion, it at very least has masses of political clout.

Jenne


Junkenstein

Quote from: Cain on September 27, 2009, 06:12:56 PM
Exactly.  From a purely utilitarian point of view, acting crazy doesn't really impose harsh penalties within the US (and increasingly, European) political systems.  Sure, the GOP went into overdrive in the last election, and still lost, but it took Katrina, Iraq and the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression to actually cast doubt on their chances of victory.  It was a close run thing, at a time when they should have been utterly discredited.

And bringing out the nutters to flood the town halls has proven very effective at intimidating others to give their opinions and thus leading the terms of debate.  Acting crazy when it comes to foreign policy is actually seen as being manly and responsible, no matter how many failures it brings about. 

In a two party system in particular, you can go as crazy as you like, because eventually the other party will screw up, people will get sick of their corruptness and unjustified sense of entitlement of their positions, something will go wrong and they will be thrown in.  And in the meantime, well, the media knows what sells, and badmouthing the government on the basis of personality politics (as opposed to real issues) is both safe, and yet exciting enough to bring in advertisers.

Holy fucking prophecy batman.

:lulz: :lulz: :horrormirth:
Nine naked Men just walking down the road will cause a heap of trouble for all concerned.