Random political thought thread.

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

World’s cartoonists on this week’s events

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Johnson says he expects to take up Ukraine aid with Democratic votes

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Republicans are worried as the Ohio Senate primary breaks out into an all-out brawl


Divisive primaries always bring problems into the general election.

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Matt Gaetz campaigns against fellow House Republican, despite leadership pleas not to

 

[Virtual ghost]

Pence won’t endorse Trump

 

[Virtual ghost]

Republicans are worried as the Ohio Senate primary breaks out into an all-out brawl


Divisive primaries always bring problems into the general election.

Trump rallies for Moreno during final days of heated Ohio Senate GOP primary

In other words this is the race that is quite likely to determine the control of the senate in November.

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Is it weird to be a leftist with a cynical/pessimistic attitude towards human nature/society?

 

[SensEye]

Is it weird to be a leftist with a cynical/pessimistic attitude towards human nature/society?

I would say yes. If one thinks the general populace are idiots (an accurate assessment in my view) one usually doesn't think incompetence should be rewarded. Yet free handouts are generally the bastion of the left.

 

[The Cat]

Is it weird to be a leftist with a cynical/pessimistic attitude towards human nature/society?

Not Online for sure. Easiest thing to manipulate in the world apart from an alt righter with a book allergy.

 

[The Cat]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I would say yes. If one thinks the general populace are idiots (an accurate assessment in my view) one usually doesn't think incompetence should be rewarded. Yet free handouts are generally the bastion of the left.

There are a few reasons I can think of off the top of my head that would explain how someone with a dim view of people could believe in handouts.

1. People deserve security by virtue of being people, and their competence has nothing to do with it. There should be a social basis for security by something other than the boom and bust of the market.
2. Disability shouldn't be regarded as equivalent to a crime (akin to vagrancy) simply because it might come into question with capitalist notions of productivity.
3. Society is better off if people have handouts; for instance, if they have a steady income, it is probably less likely that they will rob others.
4. An extension of the above: this would probably reduce extremism. I have a cousin who I think is a smart guy, but he got into InfoWars and RT and we can all imagine what happened next. I think if my cousin had a stipend, maybe he'd stop blaming everything on Mexicans and perhaps not even vote for Donald Trump at all.

Not Online for sure. Easiest thing to manipulate in the world apart from an alt righter with a book allergy.

People can also be manipulated by optimism and upbeat feelings.

I'd say the alt-righters are optimists in some sense. Driven by hate, probably, but I imagine they think the world they want to see is a likely possibility. I doubt they are cynics in either sense of the word.

My emotional constitution is not usually driven by optimism. It has happened to me at times, but it often means something else is wrong (trust me, it's not good). I also don't want to take the leap of faith and land on the other side surrounded by bags of flaming turds instead of the Holy Grail.

Sometimes, I have encountered a compelling individual or vision that has given me positive feelings. For instance, I related to "not me, us". I liked the implication of individuals at state, city, and local levels (perhaps even outside of government) being involved in change. I liked the deemphasis of "me"; this wasn't about venerating a charismatic figure. I wish I could have been in my early twenties for that; it would have been great.

 

[The Cat]

There are a few reasons I can think of off the top of my head that would explain how someone with a dim view of people could believe in handouts.

1. People deserve security by virtue of being people, and their competence has nothing to do with it. There should be a social basis for security by something other than the boom and bust of the market.
2. Disability shouldn't be regarded as equivalent to a crime simply because it might come into question with capitalist notions of productivity.
3. Society is better off if people have handouts; for instance, if they have a steady income, it is probably less likely that they will rob others.
4. An extension of the above: this would probably reduce extremism. I have a cousin who I think is a smart guy, but he got into InfoWars and RT and we can all imagine what happened next. I think if my cousin had a stipend, maybe he'd stop blaming everything on Mexicans and perhaps not even vote for Donald Trump at all.

People can also be manipulated by optimism and upbeat feelings.

I'd say the alt-righters are optimists in some sense. Driven by hate, probably, but I imagine they think the world they want to see is a likely possibility. I doubt they are cynics in either sense of the word.

My emotional constitution is not usually driven by optimism. It has happened to me at times, but it often means something else is wrong (trust me, it's not good). I also don't want to take the leap of faith and land on the other side surrounded by bags of flaming turds instead of the Holy Grail.

Sometimes, I have encountered a compelling individual or vision that has given me positive feelings. For instance, I related to "not me, us". I liked the implication of individuals at state, city, and local levels (perhaps even outside of government) being involved in change. I liked the deemphasis of "me"; this wasn't about venerating a charismatic figure. I wish I could have been in my early twenties for that; it would have been great.

Us implies the communal existence with other humans. No man is an island. No Island is an island either, everything is connected to everything else.