Random political thought thread.

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

World’s cartoonists on this week’s events

 

[The Cat]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

This whole "Try that in a small town" stuff really reminds me of the political climate of my high school years. There are a lot of commentators who refer to the inclinations, attitudes, beliefs, values, and social mores of the MAGA crowd as a "new" development for the republican party. These commentators should have spent time during Dubya's first term on AOL chatrooms or other places I'm too embarrassed to mention. Everything, even the cult-like adoration of a "dear leader" was there. Maybe this was "new" in 2003 but it is not "new" in 2023.

Trump created nothing new. He took advantage of something that already existed. Trump himself doesn't even represent something new; there's even an American precedent (Andrew Jackson).

 

[Virtual ghost]

Honestly ?
For USA Trump was something new more in the sense of rhetoric than in content.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Honestly ?
For USA Trump was something new more in the sense of rhetoric than in content.

What was new rhetorically?

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Theory: it's because for many people, things can only be properly scary if they are new.

 

[Virtual ghost]

What was new rhetorically?

The whole "outrage and over the top" thing seems to have come with him. My impression is that before him no one did it at this scale.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

The whole "outrage and over the top" thing seems to have come with him. My impression is that before him no one did it at this scale.

I see your point. He also had his own TV show for many years, which I don't think people give enough credit to. It was relatively popular, pretty hard to compete with that.

I hate movies about demagogues (Face in the Crowd, Network) because they always show the demagogues being defeated in this implausible way. The protagonists are always like "oh we just have to show everyone the truth", and then the demagogue is defeated. I've never seen that work against any politician, ever. I don't consider these movies "topical", I consider them bullshit. Exception to the above: Batman Returns; it's a comic book movie and is never aiming to be "serious" at depicting something the way the other movies are.

People say we're in a post-truth era. It's true, but Trump didn't invent it.

 

[Red Herring]

Theory: it's because for many people, things can only be properly scary if they are new.

It's more the familiarity that makes certain things scary to me.

 

[The Cat]

This whole "Try that in a small town" stuff really reminds me of the political climate of my high school years. There are a lot of commentators who refer to the inclinations, attitudes, beliefs, values, and social mores of the MAGA crowd as a "new" development for the republican party. These commentators should have spent time during Dubya's first term on AOL chatrooms or other places I'm too embarrassed to mention. Everything, even the cult-like adoration of a "dear leader" was there. Maybe this was "new" in 2003 but it is not "new" in 2023.

Trump created nothing new. He took advantage of something that already existed. Trump himself doesn't even represent something new; there's even an American precedent (Andrew Jackson).

There is nothing new under the sun.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I see your point. He also had his own TV show for many years, which I don't think people give enough credit to. It was relatively popular, pretty hard to compete with that.


People say we're in a post-truth era. It's true, but Trump didn't invent it.

He didn't invent it but he is the one that made it totally mainstream. What is probably a much bigger deal than the invention itself.

 

[The Cat]

This would be hilarious if it werent so tragic.
The squares have come full circle.
​

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

He didn't invent it but he is the one that made it totally mainstream. What is probably a much bigger deal than the invention itself.

I remember everyone saying Al Gore claimed to invent the internet (he did not). That seemed pretty mainstream.

 

[The Cat]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

‘Judeo-Christian’ roots will ensure U.S. military AI is used ethically, general says

Oh this is great news. This is like something out of some Dr. Strangelove sequel.

 

[ceecee]

‘Judeo-Christian’ roots will ensure U.S. military AI is used ethically, general says

Oh this is great news. This is like something out of some Dr. Strangelove sequel.

They let anyone take a shit in the opinions section.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

They let anyone take a shit in the opinions section.

I don't know who the author is, but just the arguments mentioned in the piece just sounded like something out of that movie. Stuff like, it's ok if we do it because we're going to do it ethically, and the other side won't.

This is another thing that's really a throwback, and not in a good way.

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

"Don't you think he looks tired?"​