The CoN for Lefties.

[Doktor Howl]

So, yeah, the CoN owns you, too.  They own you as much as they own the tea party goons and the moral majority.  As the late great Nenslo said, they own the ball AND the ball park.  They can even afford to sell you shirts that say "QUESTION AUTHORITY", because they know you'll only question the authority you already disagree with.

Think about it...When's the last time you read a bill that you sympathized with?  Not the summary, not the news article on the bill, but the actual bill itself?  Say there's a bill that forbids the government from arresting reporters who won't reveal their sources?  This actually happened.  It was The Media Shield Act, signed into law by President Obama.  Now, ignoring the fact that the bill was shady in the first place by virtue of the media already being protected by the 1st amendment, just go read the bill.  Here's the link to the juicy bits.  I'll wait.

http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/legislation/upload/Schumer-Graham-SubstituteALB13660.pdf

Ho ho ho!  So sources are protected unless and until the government is inconvenienced by it.  You just got played.  Again.

Of course, the same thing happens to the right.  How many anti-abortion folks sit down and read the various anti-abortion bills out there?  Yep.  You didn't read shit, and neither did they.  And this is how BOTH "sides" get fucked, by the same people at the same time.  But none of this matters, because nobody will actually question the "side" they agree with, even after they've been shown this crap.

Well done, monkey boy.

[ñͤͣ̄ͦ̌̑͗͊͛͂͗ ̸̨̨̣̺̼̣̜͙͈͕̮̊̈́̈͂͛̽͊ͭ̓͆ͅé ̰̓̓́ͯ́́͞]

I spend three hours a day on my commute to and from work. I spend eight hours at work, one hour for lunch, and an hour preparing food. On the weekend I work on finding more work and working a second job. I have an hour or two to fuck around most days.

I don't have time for the truth.

[Doktor Howl]

Going to flesh this out some more, once I'm at a proper keyboard.

[Aucoq]

I completely agree with that, Dok.  And I look forward to the fleshed out version.

Edit to add:  Is it even possible get people to think like that?  I mean, even if you could somehow get someone to actually read the law itself their programming would be so overwhelming that they would either spin it into something it's not to make it look good or somehow justify it as being good even if there's nothing good about it.  A have a few conservative friends who are very intelligent.  If you present a logical argument without resorting to shit-flinging then they will not only understand what you're saying but also agree with you if you're persuasive enough.  However, the discussion always ends with "I understand how the new Texas abortion law affects women and their rights, and I agree with you that that's bad, but we're saving precious human lives so I still stand behind it!"  On the other end of the political spectrum, I used to have a fanatical Democratic friend.  He was the same way.  If you make a logical, persuasive argument for gun rights then he'll say "shit, you're right."  But just as soon as the next MSNBC or HuffPo article on gun control came out he would go straight back to screaming for gun control laws at the top of his lungs.  Is it even possible for these people to change?

[Doktor Howl]

I completely agree with that, Dok.  And I look forward to the fleshed out version.

Edit to add:  Is it even possible get people to think like that?  I mean, even if you could somehow get someone to actually read the law itself their programming would be so overwhelming that they would either spin it into something it's not to make it look good or somehow justify it as being good even if there's nothing good about it.  A have a few conservative friends who are very intelligent.  If you present a logical argument without resorting to shit-flinging then they will not only understand what you're saying but also agree with you if you're persuasive enough.  However, the discussion always ends with "I understand how the new Texas abortion law affects women and their rights, and I agree with you that that's bad, but we're saving precious human lives so I still stand behind it!"  On the other end of the political spectrum, I used to have a fanatical Democratic friend.  He was the same way.  If you make a logical, persuasive argument for gun rights then he'll say "shit, you're right."  But just as soon as the next MSNBC or HuffPo article on gun control came out he would go straight back to screaming for gun control laws at the top of his lungs.  Is it even possible for these people to change?

Depends on the person.

[Cain]

Yep.  You didn't read shit, and neither did they.

And, interestingly enough, neither did the people voting for it.  Their staffers and aides did, then produced nice little summaries for your elected representatives.

Staffers and aides whose education was often paid for by the same people penning many bills.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yessir, Mister. I picked my team and I root for them, alright. I know my team is on my side because I'm on theirs, and I'll prove it with a bloody fist of you push me, damn right I will.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I completely agree with that, Dok.  And I look forward to the fleshed out version.

Edit to add:  Is it even possible get people to think like that?  I mean, even if you could somehow get someone to actually read the law itself their programming would be so overwhelming that they would either spin it into something it's not to make it look good or somehow justify it as being good even if there's nothing good about it.  A have a few conservative friends who are very intelligent.  If you present a logical argument without resorting to shit-flinging then they will not only understand what you're saying but also agree with you if you're persuasive enough.  However, the discussion always ends with "I understand how the new Texas abortion law affects women and their rights, and I agree with you that that's bad, but we're saving precious human lives so I still stand behind it!"  On the other end of the political spectrum, I used to have a fanatical Democratic friend.  He was the same way.  If you make a logical, persuasive argument for gun rights then he'll say "shit, you're right."  But just as soon as the next MSNBC or HuffPo article on gun control came out he would go straight back to screaming for gun control laws at the top of his lungs.  Is it even possible for these people to change?

Depends on the person.

It is possible. But I'm sad to say, it takes an even stronger meme.

And I'm not sure we're ever really going to grow as a species until we become a little more meme-resistant.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

While I still identify as liberal and leftist, this forum has made me gradually more uncomfortable with any sort of political identification. Clearly I'm going to lean in those directions regardless, but I'm not going to be so fast to go "hell yeah, preach it brother!"

Discordianism is a skeptical religion/philosophy/joke

[Pæs]

So, what? You stopped following lamestream media and now you rely on the Colbert and Stewart for the news? Guess what, Slappy? You just got served political satire as a PRODUCT. There's a whole business behind pumping yuks at your masters through the tube into your ready and willing eyeholes. There's a conveyor belt and a formula to SELLING you your daily dose of contempt for those in power.

There are graphs and board meetings and shareholders. There are marketers talking at the watercooler about how to SELL SHIT to your demographic. Did you think to question that while you were thinking for yourself about questioning authority like Leary TOLD YOU TO?

They could sell you T-Shirts making fun of Santorum and Comedy Central would make money for MTV who would make money for Viacom who would use it to fuck you with "This YouTube video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Viacom. PS: Good luck fighting this one!" on the podcast you shot to urge the sheeple to wake up.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

I completely agree with that, Dok.  And I look forward to the fleshed out version.

Edit to add:  Is it even possible get people to think like that?  I mean, even if you could somehow get someone to actually read the law itself their programming would be so overwhelming that they would either spin it into something it's not to make it look good or somehow justify it as being good even if there's nothing good about it.  A have a few conservative friends who are very intelligent.  If you present a logical argument without resorting to shit-flinging then they will not only understand what you're saying but also agree with you if you're persuasive enough.  However, the discussion always ends with "I understand how the new Texas abortion law affects women and their rights, and I agree with you that that's bad, but we're saving precious human lives so I still stand behind it!"  On the other end of the political spectrum, I used to have a fanatical Democratic friend.  He was the same way.  If you make a logical, persuasive argument for gun rights then he'll say "shit, you're right."  But just as soon as the next MSNBC or HuffPo article on gun control came out he would go straight back to screaming for gun control laws at the top of his lungs.  Is it even possible for these people to change?

Depends on the person.

It is possible. But I'm sad to say, it takes an even stronger meme.

And I'm not sure we're ever really going to grow as a species until we become a little more meme-resistant.

I think that's a good part of it.

People for all of their bluster about freedom and individuality are still programmed, you know by evolution, to submit to the group, and to hate any other groups.

I can't think of a trick right now. I can't think of that stronger meme.

[McGrupp]

I love this. It's an incredibly accurate description of who I was a few years ago. Of course now it's still a partially accurate one but still. 

I genuinely believe that back in the day I would have voted for a pile of mashed potatoes if it ran against Bush.

[Reginald Ret]

So, what? You stopped following lamestream media and now you rely on the Colbert and Stewart for the news? Guess what, Slappy? You just got served political satire as a PRODUCT. There's a whole business behind pumping yuks at your masters through the tube into your ready and willing eyeholes. There's a conveyor belt and a formula to SELLING you your daily dose of contempt for those in power.

There are graphs and board meetings and shareholders. There are marketers talking at the watercooler about how to SELL SHIT to your demographic. Did you think to question that while you were thinking for yourself about questioning authority like Leary TOLD YOU TO?

They could sell you T-Shirts making fun of Santorum and Comedy Central would make money for MTV who would make money for Viacom who would use it to fuck you with "This YouTube video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Viacom. PS: Good luck fighting this one!" on the podcast you shot to urge the sheeple to wake up.

Hot damn. You are on a roll!

[P3nT4gR4m]

Fuck yeah! I always saw politics as just another spectator sport. More like pro wrestling than football, tho. All the matches are scripted fantasies and here's me, stuck in the middle of a Macho Man Randy Savage fan and a Steve Austin supporter, arguing over which one is best at hitting people with a fold-up chair. AS IF IT WAS FUCKING REAL!!!

Sometimes I find myself slipping up. Someone will pass a law I find myself agreeing with... a siren goes off in my head "IT'S A LAW, DUMBASS. IT'S A BUNCH OF PRICKS YOU'VE NEVER MET BEFORE, TELLING YOU HOW TO BEHAVE. YOU GOING TO BUY INTO BULLSHIT LIKE THAT? FUCK NO!"

Patiently waiting for the rest of the world to get a fucking grip but not holding my breath

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

So, what? You stopped following lamestream media and now you rely on the Colbert and Stewart for the news? Guess what, Slappy? You just got served political satire as a PRODUCT. There's a whole business behind pumping yuks at your masters through the tube into your ready and willing eyeholes. There's a conveyor belt and a formula to SELLING you your daily dose of contempt for those in power.

There are graphs and board meetings and shareholders. There are marketers talking at the watercooler about how to SELL SHIT to your demographic. Did you think to question that while you were thinking for yourself about questioning authority like Leary TOLD YOU TO?

They could sell you T-Shirts making fun of Santorum and Comedy Central would make money for MTV who would make money for Viacom who would use it to fuck you with "This YouTube video is no longer available due to a copyright claim by Viacom. PS: Good luck fighting this one!" on the podcast you shot to urge the sheeple to wake up.

THIS, SO VERY VERY MUCH THIS!!!