General News Thread

[Mattias]

Probably a loss of any international clout the US ever had. Trump's pissed off everyone, but right now if Biden got in they could play it off as a fluke and recover most of their pre-Trump respect. But if they double down, it'll all vanish and no one will ever take them seriously. Why sign a treaty, if they keep electing people who break them? Why ask for help preventing your ideological gangs from running rampant when they run away the minute a totalitarian leader flatters them for five minutes?

Plus most of the country dying from the totally-a-hoax-wait-it's-real-just-overblown-wait-it's-a-plague-we-didn't-take-seriously-so-I-guess-we'll-blame-China thing.

[mAc Chaos]

I'm sympathetic to the idea of breaking down the responsibilities of the police and having them focus on things they're actually suited to deal with.

But I don't see where you're supposed to go next if you just get rid of the police altogether. The laws won't enforce themselvees.

[Spinach]

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

[LegalLoliLover]

I'm sympathetic to the idea of breaking down the responsibilities of the police and having them focus on things they're actually suited to deal with.

But I don't see where you're supposed to go next if you just get rid of the police altogether. The laws won't enforce themselvees.

People who want to get rid of the police altogether are also the same lot who want others to make "unplanned donations".

Did you ever decide to start applying logic to what you're saying?

Always.

[Deathhappens]

Probably a loss of any international clout the US ever had. Trump's pissed off everyone, but right now if Biden got in they could play it off as a fluke and recover most of their pre-Trump respect. But if they double down, it'll all vanish and no one will ever take them seriously. Why sign a treaty, if they keep electing people who break them? Why ask for help preventing your ideological gangs from running rampant when they run away the minute a totalitarian leader flatters them for five minutes?

Plus most of the country dying from the totally-a-hoax-wait-it's-real-just-overblown-wait-it's-a-plague-we-didn't-take-seriously-so-I-guess-we'll-blame-China thing.

Considering they take "Diplomacy flows from the barrel of a gun" seriously, and accordingly have a preponderance of barrels in all sorts of exotic shapes and sizes, I doubt the US is about to lose their international clout any time soon. Respectability, sure, but I think the last planks of that particular boat sailed some time ago.

[Twelveseal]

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

POLICE BUDGET INTO TRANSIT BUDGET

MAKE AMERICA CHOOCHOO AGAIN

Considering we hail from the same state, I feel this so damn much.

You could say we're retraining the popo.

[AsGryffynn]

What did you think of the speech?

It confirms that Biden is essentially going to put the USA on autopilot. What happens afterwards will be interesting.

[Tobias]

El presidente telling a room full of black activists including Martin Luther king the third that he “listens to black people more then anyone in this room” is the trumpiest thing I have heard in a week that was filled with trumpisms

[SpoonyViking]

You realize I was commenting on the optics of the slogan right?

Not sure why "cut the police's inflated budget and reinvest it into social programs" would be bad optics unless the recipient refused to spend more than 0.02% of a second thinking about what's being said - or worse, deliberately twisted it in the worse way possible ("they want to fire all police officers and let ANARCHY RUN FREE"). Hence my comment: the stereotypical - some might say typical - Biden voter (as in, one who's genuinely excited to vote for Biden, instead of someone who, to paraphrase Mattias, only hopes to stanch the bleeding) is someone who doesn't really want to think deeply about social issues, they just want things to go back to what was considered normal and foist off all politics to "those in charge" *, without realising (or perhaps caring) that their "normal" was actually "very screwed-up" for a great number of people.

* I've seen this phenomenon called the "President Mom political fantasy". Seems like a very apt name.

[Tobias]

Again though, I made no comment on the actual concept. Actually I more or less agree with it. However the slogan “defund the police” is idiotic because it allows political opponents to intentionally misattribute your position to the most zany fringe levels of THEY HATE COPS aND WAnT AnARCY111!!!!oneoneELEVENTY!!!!”

that is not, for the most part, the actual premise. The actual premise at least as I understand it is that police as an organization have been to deified and allowed to much latitude in their ability to do a job that admittedly is after all, needed and nessasary, and their excesses and far to broad freedoms need to be drawn back.

that is a reasonable position. But rallying behind the slogan “defund the police” is both ideological and political malpractice

[SpoonyViking]

However the slogan “defund the police” is idiotic because it allows political opponents to intentionally misattribute your position to the most zany fringe levels of THEY HATE COPS aND WAnT AnARCY111!!!!oneoneELEVENTY!!!!”

Would it have been different with any other slogan, though?

[Twelveseal]

Potentially. Defund the Police is rather vague and easily exploited. That said, any slogan would have been a target, regardless. It's just a matter of how easy the shots would have been.

[Tobias]

Would it have been different with any other slogan, though?

Yes, of course.

don’t get me wrong the aforementioned political opponents would have done the same no matter what slogan was used, but their attempts would not have been either as easy, or as successful had a less poorly worded slogan been used.

thats the point of a slogan after all, its intended to frame your message in a short sentence. If you choose a poor sentence, That can be turned against you.

[Wallacia]

don't let all this talk sway you from the fact that whenever there are russians and whoever borders russia, gets destabilized unless you are finland, but gotta sacrifice your nato ticket for the last one.

- georgia
- romania/moldova
- ukraine
- potentially belarus.

and you know what all those countries have in common? ex soviet countries, have neo soviet parties in them, borders russia, and russians trying to live there and crimea stlyle those countries

[OverMaster]

Obviously, it's a case by case thorny and complicated issue, because not all cops are power abusers who will retreat into their tents when they aren't allowed to abuse, and not all citizens are self righteous pricks who don't want anyone to enforce them, but then will demand for others to be enforced upon.

Not like that will ever stop either side from generalizing and assuming either instance as a constant for the sakes of their respective social stances, of course.

[Wallacia]

seems morocco may get into a civil war in the near future. their king is apparently targeted by some Berber assassins for being...arab?

[mAc Chaos]

Yeah, defund the police wasn't that great. It's been asked to me by confused people at various dinners multiple times why you would want to get rid of the police, during the BLM marches, with me having to give an explanation ten times as long about what it actually means.

Plus for these slogans there's always a group that takes it literally and actually does want to.

[Wallacia]

undestandable, though the issue is not getting rid of police itself, but rather, what's the alternative? Because I don't think an anarchistic order system ever worked since Stone Age. and neither do I think the world read yet for a transition to a cybersecurity system connected to your bodies with your security at the expense of your privacy, unless somehow, compromised? tho i may be jumping my steps a bit since this kind of stuff won't be happening in the near future for sure.

also, i find it unexpectedly hilarious how no one has yet mentioned over how deficient police is at preventing crime rather than solving it rather than how biased it can be at its work.

[Kamera]

yeah, defund/abolish the police is kinda lame and pointless. the correct approach is abolish the state.

[Wallacia]

why have a state when you can have the empire of humanity