Blarg
You mean to say the average person is a dumb, blind lowest common denominator and the society we live in is unpleasantly corporatist, valuing nothing beyond profit? Odin's beard! I'm in shock.
TLU
-Jaded about being jaded.
And I disagree that somehow "the bad guys" are more generic. Perhaps you're just no longer seeing everything in black and white and allowing the enemy to just be an airhead instead of some monumental thing of evil for you to hate.
Quote from: The Littlest Ubermensch on September 30, 2007, 05:46:18 AM
And I disagree that somehow "the bad guys" are more generic. Perhaps you're just no longer seeing everything in black and white and allowing the enemy to just be an airhead instead of some monumental thing of evil for you to hate.
Bullshit. Nixon WAS a monumental thing of evil. So, to a lesser extent, was Reagan.
What we have now? Pfffft. Claudius. Only this, and nothing more.
this is the Troof.
more and more, i'm thinking the Enlightenment was one of the greatest trolls ever perpetrated on a bunch of unsuspecting dupes.
I agree with TLU, but I might also add that with time the position of power may have shifted and that guy who we think is the head is no longer the real threat. The enemies are his superiors *edited due to wrong wording*. Duh-duh-duh! :eek:
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:27:03 AM
I agree with TLU, but I might also add that with time the position of power may have shifted and that guy who we think is the head is no longer the real threat. The enemies are his superiors *edited due to wrong wording*. Duh-duh-duh! :eek:
HAR HAR HAR!
WRONG AGAIN.
The president is owned by his contributors.
His contributors are corporations (Halliburton, etc).
The corporations are owned by the shareholders.
The shareholders are mostly mutual funds, etc.
The mutual funds are owned by the people that use them for retirement plans.
That's Joe 6 Pack. You and me.
TGRR,
Has met the enemy, and he is us.
We always knew the political system was a setup. But old bad guys like Nixon at least had the decency to throw their own evil into the mix or magnify their superiors' evil. This guy we have now is so transparent they had to take all the makeup talent out of Hollywood just to keep his corpse looking animated on teevee.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on September 30, 2007, 06:31:12 AM
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:27:03 AM
I agree with TLU, but I might also add that with time the position of power may have shifted and that guy who we think is the head is no longer the real threat. The enemies are his superiors *edited due to wrong wording*. Duh-duh-duh! :eek:
HAR HAR HAR!
WRONG AGAIN.
The president is owned by his contributors.
His contributors are corporations (Halliburton, etc).
The corporations are owned by the shareholders.
The shareholders are mostly mutual funds, etc.
The mutual funds are owned by the people that use them for retirement plans.
That's Joe 6 Pack. You and me.
TGRR,
Has met the enemy, and he is us.
Precisely. :lol::emo:
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:35:26 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on September 30, 2007, 06:31:12 AM
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:27:03 AM
I agree with TLU, but I might also add that with time the position of power may have shifted and that guy who we think is the head is no longer the real threat. The enemies are his superiors *edited due to wrong wording*. Duh-duh-duh! :eek:
HAR HAR HAR!
WRONG AGAIN.
The president is owned by his contributors.
His contributors are corporations (Halliburton, etc).
The corporations are owned by the shareholders.
The shareholders are mostly mutual funds, etc.
The mutual funds are owned by the people that use them for retirement plans.
That's Joe 6 Pack. You and me.
TGRR,
Has met the enemy, and he is us.
Precisely. :lol::emo:
This is why my rant was mostly about the People, not the president.
Which TLU chose to ignore.
It's a loop, damnit! A loop! :eek:
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:59:26 AM
It's a loop, damnit! A loop! :eek:
Obviously.
That's why we call it The Machine™ or The Conspiracy of Normality.
This loop's a damn theme these days. It almost seems like it's between Opt Out, or Choose Your Own Adventure? Either way they come to an End. ...?
We are the problem. No one gives a shit about their own personal freedom. Most of us are content to allow the government to tell us what is ok and what is not ok. I hate those bastards for that.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on September 30, 2007, 05:30:07 AM
Indeed, we are kings of creation. Until the power fails...Then, of course, we are simply 2 legged stores of fat for aggressive coyotes.
:lulz: or :cry:
I don't know anymore.
But definately :mittens:
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:59:26 AM
It's a loop, damnit! A loop! :eek:
Is it an open loop or a closed loop? If its a closed loop, then we are totally fucked because someone already closed the loop and it didn't work.
If its an open loop, however...then we just have to figure out how to close it. And once we do, its like one of those block towers where you take one block out at just the right place.
Maybe it's open, maybe it's closed. Maybe we can escape it, maybe we can't. How do we know when we're the cause of it? In reference to a Velvet Underground song, freed from one illusion...free to choose another?
I've no clue. :x :?
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on September 30, 2007, 06:41:23 AM
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:35:26 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on September 30, 2007, 06:31:12 AM
Quote from: rabidpigmy on September 30, 2007, 06:27:03 AM
I agree with TLU, but I might also add that with time the position of power may have shifted and that guy who we think is the head is no longer the real threat. The enemies are his superiors *edited due to wrong wording*. Duh-duh-duh! :eek:
HAR HAR HAR!
WRONG AGAIN.
The president is owned by his contributors.
His contributors are corporations (Halliburton, etc).
The corporations are owned by the shareholders.
The shareholders are mostly mutual funds, etc.
The mutual funds are owned by the people that use them for retirement plans.
That's Joe 6 Pack. You and me.
TGRR,
Has met the enemy, and he is us.
Precisely. :lol::emo:
This is why my rant was mostly about the People, not the president.
Which TLU chose to ignore.
Not really. Just decided to look at the part you and the entire rest of the board hadn't already gone over a billion times. I suppose it was just a bad attempt at adding content. Really shouldn't have started an argument over nothing.
Sometimes you have to kick a dead horse to save the villagers pinned underneath it..
(Other times, it just smells funny and that makes you giggle.)
Quote from: vexati0n on October 01, 2007, 05:16:17 AM
Sometimes you have to kick a dead horse to save the villagers pinned underneath it..
(Other times, it just smells funny and that makes you giggle.)
I suppose so. On the other hand, when the amount of material we already have is large and mostly unnoticed, why bother making new stuff unless it's doing something new? Greater distribution of the old material would have just as much of an impact as rehashing old material, with less bandwidth used.
Heh. So I'm a waste of bandwidth.
Sorry I bothered.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on September 30, 2007, 05:30:07 AM
It's that everything seems so goddamn GENERIC now. Even our BAD GUYS, our monsters and criminals and politicians are all vanilla, you know, hollow and plastic. Nixon was a man you could really HATE, for example...as opposed to the airhead we have today.
Agreed there. I mean, I don't really hate said airhead - I feel sorry for all the people that do hate him because they're wasting their time and buying the distraction.
All this politics is public theater. Like the lead character in Thank You For Smoking put it: (paraphrase) "Do we have the best government? Well, we certainly have a very
entertaining government."
QuoteAnd the people. Oh, go ahead and get me started on the people. Most of them don't even know what fucking YEAR it is, anymore...and they don't CARE, so long as the teevee works and the gas station has gas and the grocery store has food. Indeed, we are kings of creation. Until the power fails...Then, of course, we are simply 2 legged stores of fat for aggressive coyotes.
:D
this reminds me: I used to wear a wrist band which said "What Would Coyote Do?"
QuoteLet me say unto you that terms like "dignity" are MEANINGLESS in a society where you can get ARRESTED for saying the WRONG THING to a POLITICIAN. Let me ALSO say that being a GOOD CITIZEN only works if you live in a GOOD SOCIETY.
Rah Rah
Who's the "good guy" in the post apocalyptic shitscape? He's picking through kipple and starving while his mates are mugging people at knifepoint.
What does the "good citizen" do in 1984?
What is "virtue" in a world of criminals-by-necessity?
Bring the fire, TGRR.
Quote from: Professor Cramulus on October 01, 2007, 04:16:05 PM
Agreed there. I mean, I don't really hate said airhead - I feel sorry for all the people that do hate him because they're wasting their time and buying the distraction.
You don't?
Is there anything you do hate?
Quote from: hunter s.durden on October 01, 2007, 09:07:01 PM
Quote from: Professor Cramulus on October 01, 2007, 04:16:05 PM
Agreed there. I mean, I don't really hate said airhead - I feel sorry for all the people that do hate him because they're wasting their time and buying the distraction.
You don't?
Is there anything you do hate?
When I use the word Hate I am usually referring to things I personally interact with. Maybe I'm media-numb and desensitized, but I can't get that worked up about shit I see on the news. Even if it really irks me -- most of the time I reserve my Hate for people and things which I can actually take a swing at.
There are a few hot button issues and larger institutional things that I hate - like Top 40 music and pharmaceutical conglomerates. But I don't Hate them like I Hate, say, my deadbeat ex-flatmate who still owes me a couple hundred bucks, or my neighbor's holier-than-thou drunkard fiance. Bush? Yeah, he sucks proper, but he's just a face on a screen.
Quote from: Professor Cramulus on October 01, 2007, 04:16:05 PM
Bring the fire, TGRR.
Sorry. There is no more fire. We're fresh out.
TGRR,
Retired from ranting.
TGRR retired from ranting? I am crushed.
I hope he returns to ranting. If he doesn't vent his hate, the world will end, and I'm not done playing in it yet.
I am glad to say that my Canadian dual citizenship is set to go through soon.
why on earth would you be glad about that?
srsly, I'm not busting your balls here.
well, OK, I am busting your balls but it's also a serious question. What makes you think that canada (ESPECIALLY B.C.) is any different than America when you get right down to it?
It can only carry out interventionist foreign policies against nations whose militaries are made up of drafted sheep-herders.
:lol:
I actually really agree with the OP.
Everything is fake, plastic, generic. People all dress the same and listen to the same music and get very angry and call you shallow if you point this out. People are convinced they're thinking for themselves when they're really just part of the hollowness. Politicians are definitely more boring. Sportsmen are more boring. Celebrities are more boring, even though they're more a part of our lives than ever.
Even look at our movies. Like, Transformers. How ridiculously bastardised it is compared to the original 80s comic/cartoon. Sure, it was a kids cartoon, doesn't mean you have to scrap the designs and personalities entirely and turn it into a generic big scary monster movie.
Music is all "Indie" nowadays and Shit-Hop. How the fuck is it indie if everything is indie now? Everything is some poor cross between Coldplay and the White Stripes. And some people are really "into" this scene. There's no depth to it!
I can't stand the empty feeling much longer. Especially the one I get when I try to see inside people's heads.
Quote from: East Coast Hustle on October 13, 2007, 03:02:25 AM
why on earth would you be glad about that?
srsly, I'm not busting your balls here.
well, OK, I am busting your balls but it's also a serious question. What makes you think that canada (ESPECIALLY B.C.) is any different than America when you get right down to it?
Because it's a different country.
Duh.
Seriously though, you shouldn't presume that all countries are the same. Every society will have slightly different values. While memes ensure there is a certain amount of sameness, every culture has it's own internal memes. There's no guarantee any one country will have the same values as another.
The problem I have with Canada though is much of what the OP was about; there's something kind of even more generic about it than America is. To me, while they have all the gay rights and all that, it seems like all their activists are the type to wear glasses and suits, which kind of defeats the point since it just encourages image-based discrimination which can bring you back to square one.
Hard to describe exactly what I mean though. Haha. Probably offended someone(which is only a problem if I didn't mean to). Still rather live in Canada than the US.
Quote from: I Am Not A Rhombus on October 14, 2007, 12:56:08 AM
Quote from: East Coast Hustle on October 13, 2007, 03:02:25 AM
why on earth would you be glad about that?
srsly, I'm not busting your balls here.
well, OK, I am busting your balls but it's also a serious question. What makes you think that canada (ESPECIALLY B.C.) is any different than America when you get right down to it?
Because it's a different country.
Duh.
Seriously though, you shouldn't presume that all countries are the same. Every society will have slightly different values. While memes ensure there is a certain amount of sameness, every culture has it's own internal memes. There's no guarantee any one country will have the same values as another.
The problem I have with Canada though is much of what the OP was about; there's something kind of even more generic about it than America is. To me, while they have all the gay rights and all that, it seems like all their activists are the type to wear glasses and suits, which kind of defeats the point since it just encourages image-based discrimination which can bring you back to square one.
Hard to describe exactly what I mean though. Haha. Probably offended someone(which is only a problem if I didn't mean to). Still rather live in Canada than the US.
From what I understand of the situation, America(tm) is being exported. Which is why places like Canada are not much different than the US. I think.
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 14, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Okay.
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 15, 2007, 05:06:18 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 14, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Okay.
Thank you.
Srsly, all of New England is more like other countries than the rest of the USA.
In terms of, like, murder rate per capita.
Quote from: Cainad on October 15, 2007, 07:59:06 AM
Srsly, all of New England is more like other countries than the rest of the USA.
In terms of, like, murder rate per capita.
Well, you can't have everything, can you...
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 18, 2007, 05:12:57 AM
Quote from: Cainad on October 15, 2007, 07:59:06 AM
Srsly, all of New England is more like other countries than the rest of the USA.
In terms of, like, murder rate per capita.
Well, you can't have everything, can you...
As a matter of fact, I knew this one guy who could. Nobody liked him.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 14, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Damn, I missed that memo. Does that mean I can stop handing over my money to the IRS?
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on October 18, 2007, 01:49:13 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 14, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Damn, I missed that memo. Does that mean I can stop handing over my money to the IRS?
Apparently according to a video I watched recently...
Yes. Yes you can.
SRSLY.
No, SRSLY.
Quote from: Lysergic on October 18, 2007, 01:53:44 PM
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on October 18, 2007, 01:49:13 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 14, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Damn, I missed that memo. Does that mean I can stop handing over my money to the IRS?
Apparently according to a video I watched recently...
Yes. Yes you can.
SRSLY.
No, SRSLY.
Dear god, it wasn't the one I suggested, was it? Oh, I'm so embarrassed... :oops:
Quote from: Lysergic on October 18, 2007, 01:53:44 PM
Quote from: Rev. What's-His-Name? on October 18, 2007, 01:49:13 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 14, 2007, 11:05:14 PM
Canada is VERY different from America. Anyone who says otherwise is a retard.
The reason ECH can't see this is that he is laboring under the impression that Maine is part of America. Which it isn't.
So fuck off. All of you.
Damn, I missed that memo. Does that mean I can stop handing over my money to the IRS?
Apparently according to a video I watched recently...
Yes. Yes you can.
SRSLY.
No, SRSLY.
?
Apparently, the IRS has no constitutional right to take your money. Taxes are sort of voluntary. But, they will sue you. You will probably lose, IMO. However there seem to be a couple of precedents that were in favor of the non-taxpayer.
Quote from: rzasthole on October 21, 2007, 09:06:11 PM
Apparently, the IRS has no constitutional right to take your money.
Buncha shit.
The constitution clearly allows the IRS, as demonstrated in article I, sec 8 and amendment XVI.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 22, 2007, 04:16:19 AM
Quote from: rzasthole on October 21, 2007, 09:06:11 PM
Apparently, the IRS has no constitutional right to take your money.
Buncha shit.
The constitution clearly allows the IRS, as demonstrated in article I, sec 8 and amendment XVI.
Yep, 16th amendment.
And good thing too. Can't run a government these days without money.
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
I agree with the OP as well... it's not just the politicans that are plastic though. Every active political pundit, blogger, rant filled Interweb poster, dude at the Bar etc. have become red or blue mannequins. I remember, not even 15 years ago when people could say "Well, Mr. Political Opponent has a good point about X...", now it doesn't matter what political opponent X says, because he's "Wrong" before he opens his damned primary color spewing traphole.
Besides, the parties and political ideologies here in the States have become shells for idiots. Who would have thought that Conservatives would be involved in Nation Building? Who would have thought that Liberals would be holding protests where they cheer for thuggish Theocrats that kill gays, women and anyone who disagrees with their Religious Bullshit? Hell, last year I saw a protest by an anarchy group. Anarchists that were upset because the government was going to pull funding for a damned library. What anarchists demand government handouts for libraries? It's like a libertarian protesting tax cuts.
I think that the problem, in part, lies with the media and the Internet. 50 years ago, the goo'old old boy at your local bar would rant about the government, but he wasn't deluded into thinking that he was a Pol-Sci major. Now, any redneck with the ability to string letters into something resembling words thinks he has all the knowledge necessary to KNOW the right solution. 50 years ago, the drunk, pub based, political commentator used his beliefs on what he thought government Should Do (aka, his personal political philosophy) while it may have been dumb, it was consistent and made sense in some sense. Now, their political views are parroted lines from Hannity, Rush, DailyKOS, Huffington and the RNC/DNC... which are more closely aligned with what sells, what spins, what line is catchy and what hook pulls in the n00bs, than any sort of political philosophy or consistency.
Quote from: Ratatosk on October 22, 2007, 05:29:33 PM
I agree with the OP as well... it's not just the politicans that are plastic though. Every active political pundit, blogger, rant filled Interweb poster, dude at the Bar etc. have become red or blue mannequins. I remember, not even 15 years ago when people could say "Well, Mr. Political Opponent has a good point about X...", now it doesn't matter what political opponent X says, because he's "Wrong" before he opens his damned primary color spewing traphole.
Besides, the parties and political ideologies here in the States have become shells for idiots. Who would have thought that Conservatives would be involved in Nation Building? Who would have thought that Liberals would be holding protests where they cheer for thuggish Theocrats that kill gays, women and anyone who disagrees with their Religious Bullshit? Hell, last year I saw a protest by an anarchy group. Anarchists that were upset because the government was going to pull funding for a damned library. What anarchists demand government handouts for libraries? It's like a libertarian protesting tax cuts.
I think that the problem, in part, lies with the media and the Internet. 50 years ago, the goo'old old boy at your local bar would rant about the government, but he wasn't deluded into thinking that he was a Pol-Sci major. Now, any redneck with the ability to string letters into something resembling words thinks he has all the knowledge necessary to KNOW the right solution. 50 years ago, the drunk, pub based, political commentator used his beliefs on what he thought government Should Do (aka, his personal political philosophy) while it may have been dumb, it was consistent and made sense in some sense. Now, their political views are parroted lines from Hannity, Rush, DailyKOS, Huffington and the RNC/DNC... which are more closely aligned with what sells, what spins, what line is catchy and what hook pulls in the n00bs, than any sort of political philosophy or consistency.
:lulz:
Also, it doesn't help that America has such a low voter turnout. Every moderate, reasonable person who doesn't vote hands that vote over to the politically-charged screwballs who do vote. The lack of a strong centrist voter group is essentially Viagra for the political wangs of the radicals.
Quote from: Cainad on October 22, 2007, 06:56:01 PM
Quote from: Ratatosk on October 22, 2007, 05:29:33 PM
I agree with the OP as well... it's not just the politicans that are plastic though. Every active political pundit, blogger, rant filled Interweb poster, dude at the Bar etc. have become red or blue mannequins. I remember, not even 15 years ago when people could say "Well, Mr. Political Opponent has a good point about X...", now it doesn't matter what political opponent X says, because he's "Wrong" before he opens his damned primary color spewing traphole.
Besides, the parties and political ideologies here in the States have become shells for idiots. Who would have thought that Conservatives would be involved in Nation Building? Who would have thought that Liberals would be holding protests where they cheer for thuggish Theocrats that kill gays, women and anyone who disagrees with their Religious Bullshit? Hell, last year I saw a protest by an anarchy group. Anarchists that were upset because the government was going to pull funding for a damned library. What anarchists demand government handouts for libraries? It's like a libertarian protesting tax cuts.
I think that the problem, in part, lies with the media and the Internet. 50 years ago, the goo'old old boy at your local bar would rant about the government, but he wasn't deluded into thinking that he was a Pol-Sci major. Now, any redneck with the ability to string letters into something resembling words thinks he has all the knowledge necessary to KNOW the right solution. 50 years ago, the drunk, pub based, political commentator used his beliefs on what he thought government Should Do (aka, his personal political philosophy) while it may have been dumb, it was consistent and made sense in some sense. Now, their political views are parroted lines from Hannity, Rush, DailyKOS, Huffington and the RNC/DNC... which are more closely aligned with what sells, what spins, what line is catchy and what hook pulls in the n00bs, than any sort of political philosophy or consistency.
:lulz:
Also, it doesn't help that America has such a low voter turnout. Every moderate, reasonable person who doesn't vote hands that vote over to the politically-charged screwballs who do vote. The lack of a strong centrist voter group is essentially Viagra for the political wangs of the radicals.
TROOF
With only two parties, our democracy is a half-wit at best.
I have to admit, as an outside with little intimate knowledge of American politics before 1998 (such as media reaction etc) the polarization of America has always come across as somewhat shocking. I wondered if 9/11 had anything to do with it, but as far as I can tell, it just made pre-existing trends worse.
Such a political climate already puts authoritarian factions at an advantage (as liberalism is based on a tendency to debate and compromise, which could be seen as a form of betrayal) and makes for exceptionally irrational policy, such as the complete reversal of opinion about the Iraq war. Firstly it was a god given mission in all but name, and now its an uncontinuable evil. I suspect many more topics will face such about faces in the next few years, with little or any actual relation to the reality of the situation.
Honestly, what happened after 9/11 can be chalked up to PR and public perception. The Democrats are scared shitless at the prospect of the American public thinking they are anti-troops or anti-homeland security, or anything like that. That's why many of them went along with the Iraq War.
And yeah, it was pretty polarized before 1998 as well. I mean, really, why should anyone get their panties in a bunch about a President getting some consentual action from an intern? I could see if the intern turned out to be a Russian spy and gave up some state secrets or something, but that just goes to show how ascerbic that divide was. And as much as Rush and Hannity rail against the left, and Rachael Maddow and Randi Rhoads rail against the right. They'd both be shit out of luck if all of a sudden everyone got along.
It seems that after we "won" the cold war, we had no "them", so we turned upon ourselves.
Then, when a new, smudgier "them" showed up, we were too lost in our infighting to rally together.
House Committee on UnAmerican Activities?
NeoCon papers dating from the "B Team" era and 80s?
I've always found the "need an enemy" explanation too pat. These people were around when there was a big threat, and they were dicks then, too.
Yeah, but it used to be mainly "just business", apart from some jackasses.
There's that old story about Reagan and Tip O'Neill, where Tip said, "here's where we plot against you, sir," and Reagan said, "Oh, no. Not after 6:00. After Six, we're all friends here."
It seems as if it's now gotten personal.
I agree. I think the partisanship has become more personal. And the cable news and talk shows only fan the flames. And that's only because Americans buy what they are sold. They buy the "You're with us or against us." bullshit. And as long as they buy it, it will be sold. And I honestly can't see that changing in the near future.
Quote from: Cain on October 22, 2007, 08:10:21 PM
I have to admit, as an outside with little intimate knowledge of American politics before 1998 (such as media reaction etc) the polarization of America has always come across as somewhat shocking. I wondered if 9/11 had anything to do with it, but as far as I can tell, it just made pre-existing trends worse.
Such a political climate already puts authoritarian factions at an advantage (as liberalism is based on a tendency to debate and compromise, which could be seen as a form of betrayal) and makes for exceptionally irrational policy, such as the complete reversal of opinion about the Iraq war. Firstly it was a god given mission in all but name, and now its an uncontinuable evil. I suspect many more topics will face such about faces in the next few years, with little or any actual relation to the reality of the situation.
It has been getting steadily worse since Nixon. The Republican faithful took the Nixon takedown personally. It doesn't matter what facts, audio tapes and talk radio hosts come forward... they will always believe that Nixon was taken down by a left-wing conspiracy. Then, with the rise of the 'Moral Majority' and crowd in the past 20 or so years, we got a whole new kinda crazy added which just polarized stuff even more. Top that off with fornication in the Oval Office and BAM! On the left, they, I think forsaw a New World Order with Bill Clinton and presumed that they would be in power for a long time. Instead they had the 2000 election with Gore losing (or winning or whatever) to an ... well... to an idiot. Claims of 'stolen' aside, they never recovered and have, since then seen everything that Bush does as EVIL.
If I believed in conspiracies, I'd believe that a conspiracy sometime in the 20th century decided that the best way to control a country was to make it hate itself.
Quote from: Ratatosk on October 22, 2007, 09:03:52 PM
It has been getting steadily worse since Nixon Ford pardoned Nixon.
Fixed.
TGRR,
Still hates you.
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 22, 2007, 06:51:21 AM
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
Stop making Libertarians cry.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 03:06:24 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 22, 2007, 06:51:21 AM
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
Stop making Libertarians cry.
I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 23, 2007, 04:52:25 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 03:06:24 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 22, 2007, 06:51:21 AM
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
Stop making Libertarians cry.
I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.
They're going to put you in a cage one day.
Old people will mock you, and children will poke you through the bars with sticks.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 05:04:23 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 23, 2007, 04:52:25 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 03:06:24 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 22, 2007, 06:51:21 AM
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
Stop making Libertarians cry.
I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.
They're going to put you in a cage one day.
Old people will mock you, and children will poke you through the bars with sticks.
And I'll roar and piss on them, and generally give them the show of their lives, cause I have the last laugh, that we are killing ourselves, and as the stench builds I'll be long insane, no clear mind left, and will laugh as we all discover the truth and start screaming.
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 23, 2007, 05:07:58 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 05:04:23 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 23, 2007, 04:52:25 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 03:06:24 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 22, 2007, 06:51:21 AM
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
Stop making Libertarians cry.
I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.
They're going to put you in a cage one day.
Old people will mock you, and children will poke you through the bars with sticks.
And I'll roar and piss on them, and generally give them the show of their lives, cause I have the last laugh, that we are killing ourselves, and as the stench builds I'll be long insane, no clear mind left, and will laugh as we all discover the truth and start screaming.
Also, when TGRR finally loses it, you'll be more or less safe within your cage.
Quote from: Cainad on October 23, 2007, 05:10:04 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 23, 2007, 05:07:58 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 05:04:23 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 23, 2007, 04:52:25 AM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 03:06:24 AM
Quote from: Buddhist_Monk_Wannabe on October 22, 2007, 06:51:21 AM
Not that I support the current government, but its true you need money to run a state, and it has to come from somewhere.
Stop making Libertarians cry.
I like making libertarians cry, just like I like making radical fundies cry, or anarchists, or religious nuts, or any person who decides to jump on a bandwagon and support a philosophy just because everyone else is doing it and you have to do SOMETHING, join a political party, even though no single philosophy that lays down the rules can ever have all the answers.
They're going to put you in a cage one day.
Old people will mock you, and children will poke you through the bars with sticks.
And I'll roar and piss on them, and generally give them the show of their lives, cause I have the last laugh, that we are killing ourselves, and as the stench builds I'll be long insane, no clear mind left, and will laugh as we all discover the truth and start screaming.
Also, when TGRR finally loses it, you'll be more or less safe within your cage.
:argh!:
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on October 23, 2007, 05:04:23 AMThey're going to put you in a cage one day.
Old people will mock you, and children will poke you through the bars with sticks.
someone better build a cage for him...he can't have mine!