General News Thread

[Altima of the Gates]

Just like how you boss love to say we're doing well despite the figures? Or maybe the numbers of infected and dead seems minor to you?

People write what they want to and cover some points disadvantage to them to get people to support them.

I think people who try to make the argument "you just dislike Trump because you're of the left" kinda takes out of the equation people have known he was a grifter since even before he got into politics.
And the fact that he so blatantly thumbed his nose at the American people by having a dicl sucking roundtable of CEOs several conferences in a row back in April shows his priorities.
Only a fool would trust him, someone lacking in critical thinking and looking for confirmation for their bias for something else.

[rxrx]

I think people who try to make the argument "you just dislike Trump because you're of the left" kinda takes out of the equation people have known he was a grifter since even before he got into politics.
And the fact that he so blatantly thumbed his nose at the American people by having a dicl sucking roundtable of CEOs several conferences in a row back in April shows his priorities.
Only a fool would trust him, someone lacking in critical thinking and looking for confirmation for their bias for something else.

I guess that's why he is playing the China card: Making people believing that Bidan will let China walk over him while he won't to make them turn a blind eye to the shit he has been pulling.

[Twelveseal]

@Altima: Basically. That, or people who think the damage he causes is an acceptable sacrifice in order to achieve their own goals or harm their enemies.

[LegalLoliLover]

I think people who try to make the argument "you just dislike Trump because you're of the left" kinda takes out of the equation people have known he was a grifter since even before he got into politics.

No different than rxrx saying that Trump is my "boss" just because I despise commie China. In fact, rxrx just inadvertently showed his acceptance of living in a dictatorship. In a dictatorship, such as commie China, your country's leader is your "boss". However, in a democracy, unless you have a federal job (I work for a company who works for the state, FYI), your country's leader is not your "boss". If anything, wasn't there some president who said that the American citizens were his bosses?

[Twelveseal]

See, that's true, but not the whole of it. That's how authoritarian governments operate regardless of ideology. Which is increasingly becoming relevant here in the US and abroad as anti-democratic political movements have been gaining popularity globally. Trump and Co. have been making a lot of noises that raise alarm bells here, particularly in how the coming election may be decided. Calling him a Boss isn't currently accurate... but he seems to very much want it to be and may become the case in short order if things go poorly. It just won't be Communism here. It'll be Fascism. And since China is currently seen as an enemy by the administration, one with nativist overtones and ethnonationalist undertones, a naturalized citizen of Chinese origin such as yourself will likely be a valid target should the administration go further down that path, regardless of how vocally you might oppose the CCP.

Honestly, I'd be worried.

[LegalLoliLover]

No more worried than Arabic Americans should be during all those wars in the middle east. It's just that here commie China can actually put up a fight.

[rxrx]

See, that's true, but not the whole of it. That's how authoritarian governments operate regardless of ideology. Which is increasingly becoming relevant here in the US and abroad as anti-democratic political movements have been gaining popularity globally. Trump and Co. have been making a lot of noises that raise alarm bells here, particularly in how the coming election may be decided. Calling him a Boss isn't currently accurate... but he seems to very much want it to be and may become the case in short order if things go poorly. It just won't be Communism here. It'll be Fascism. And since China is currently seen as an enemy by the administration, one with nativist overtones and ethnonationalist undertones, a naturalized citizen of Chinese origin such as yourself will likely be a valid target should the administration go further down that path, regardless of how vocally you might oppose the CCP.

Honestly, I'd be worried.

Reminds me of the predicament of the Jews in Europe.

[LegalLoliLover]

As of now, it wasn't the feds that were "breaking glass", though.

[Twelveseal]

You know, a lot of those Arabic Americans were, and continue to be, really worried. And also targeted by Right-Wing extremists here. In fact, there was quite a spike in that kind of thing under Trump... Uighurs they ain't, sure. But comfortable? Hmmm...

[LegalLoliLover]

For this argument, I am only looking at government-ordered activities. Again, right-wing extremists and left-wing extremists are ultimately the same thing. The only people who think differently are those already in one of those camps. Just like how all the factions during any warring states period believed themselves just and everyone else traitors and rebels.

[rxrx]

You know, a lot of those Arabic Americans were, and continue to be, really worried. And also targeted by Right-Wing extremists here. In fact, there was quite a spike in that kind of thing under Trump... Uighurs they ain't, sure. But comfortable? Hmmm...

Some believe Western, especially USA being superior and can never do wrong so much that it is a religion, and they are fanatics to these beliefs. It goes so far that they refuse to see what is happening at all.

[Twelveseal]

You know, ordinarily I'd agree with you on this point. Except when the government is accepting members of such groups into positions of power and issuing orders to stand by in presidential debates.

[LegalLoliLover]

Some believe Western, especially USA being superior and can never do wrong

The very fact that I can enjoy YouTube and Twitter proves that the US is at least better than commie China. Bilibili sucks. Weibo sucks. Shots fired.

[rxrx]

You know, ordinarily I'd agree with you on this point. Except when the government is accepting members of such groups into positions of power and issuing orders to stand by in presidential debates.

I find this disturbing and unnerving. This just seems like a recipe for disaster.

[LegalLoliLover]

I find this disturbing and unnerving. This just seems like a recipe for disaster.

IDK, man. The Cultural Revolution should set a pretty high bar for "disturbing and unnerving", so I'll just assume that you're being disingenuous.

You know, ordinarily I'd agree with you on this point. Except when the government is accepting members of such groups into positions of power and issuing orders to stand by in presidential debates.

You mean "stand down"?

[Twelveseal]

I find this disturbing and unnerving. This just seems like a recipe for disaster.

Same. Makes me think of the Nazi's rise and Mao just before the Cultural Revolution. Not perfect parallels, but enough for real concern.

@Lvl: and "Stand by." Also encouraging the "liberation" of Michigan from its elected Governor and her anti-coronavirus measures. Or having a Proud Boy, Roger Stone, as one of his close personal advisers and legal dirty workers.

[rxrx]

Same. Makes me think of the Nazi's rise and Mao just before the Cultural Revolution. Not perfect parallels, but enough for real concern.

We'll see if Trump has enough charisma as Hitler and Mao to keep him in the White House then.

[LegalLoliLover]

You realize even Trump admits that the position of president is not as powerful as he thought that it would be? So long as the US has the same system it always has, there is no cause for concern. The only cause for concern about Trump is that enemy nations, such as China, will exaggerate Trump's power in order to divert the American people's attention back towards their own country and away from foreign threats. With the formation of the Quad, China is actually feeling the pressure and wants those countries to "mind their own business", but like dealing with the witch in this story, you don't pull the nail out, and you don't give any sugar, until the deed has been done:

Which, in this case, means that the PRC is ripped and torn asunder, and its territories redistributed into Mongolia, Taiwan, and an independent Xinjiang. Fuck, toss Japan into that mix.

We'll see if Trump has enough charisma as Hitler and Mao to keep him in the White House then.

Trump and Hitler mastered something that Mao never could. Toilets. Stalin had to build him a custom squatting toilet because the man was never properly potty-trained. Low bar, but one that he clearly couldn't get past.

[Twelveseal]

See, you're saying that there's nothing to fear from Trump so long as the system remains the same. So you're acknowledging that there would be should the system falter or fail. Which is exactly what the state Republican parties and Trump campaign have been talking about causing should it look like Trump will conclusively lose the coming election. To the point of openly trying to rig the courts to favor them. Pennsylvania's Republican chairman openly admitted to considering overturning the popular vote using the legislature's authority to choose electors, and for other states to send rival slates of electors to render the entire state's vote moot. As well as to have discussed this with Trump campaign. We're now talking about the "same system" potentially being thrown out. Trump himself has declared he expects the Supreme Court to decide the election, not the people.

System's not looking too healthy right now.

[LegalLoliLover]

Let's be honest. Both Trump and Biden are either old, crazy, or both. The "power" will actually fall into the hands of their cabinets. Will Biden's cabinet keep the metaphorical nail in China's tree picture? As for electoral votes, hey, I live in RI. I'm already powerless.