Random Politics Thread

[Virtual ghost]

I'm hearing you say the Red vs. Blue problem is getting worse ("getting unstable") than it was; am I mistaken in hearing that? That's not what I'm seeing, and that's why I asked what specific sources you're getting this from. And I'm asking from genuine curiosity, not trying to be antagonistic.

I am saying that red-blue divide is not ending and that it is evidently present in overall social mix and media. However your national debts, quality of life, infrastructure and international position are worsening. Therefore if the mainstream politics of either party doesn't do something about that the bubble will eventually burst. And then the red-blue problem with explode completely out of control in violente blame games. Since this is usually how those kinds of situations were solved though out mankinds history.

 

[Red Herring]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Let me guess: you are waiting for election results ?

 

[Red Herring]

Let me guess: you are waiting for election results ?

Obviously. But I am also fascinated both by the photo and the painting on it (which is so badly done on so many levels it reminds me of something hipster college students might ironically hang on the wall of their shared flat). There is so much both in the photo and the painting!

My husband is a history teacher. They do a lot of image analysis in class and he also loved it.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Obviously. But I am also fascinated both by the photo and the painting on it (which is so badly done on so many levels it reminds me of something hipster college students might ironically hang on the wall of their shared flat). There is so much both in the photo and the painting!

My husband is a history teacher. They do a lot of image analysis in class and he also loved it.

In my book the painting tries to make all 3 look physically better than they are.
Any ideas where this was taken ?

 

[Red Herring]

In my book the painting tries to make all 3 look physically better than they are.
Any ideas where this was taken ?

I got it from here: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wlad...mkrise-a-f8414f52-d6f3-436b-af37-216903d668c5
Sadly they don't say where or when it was taken (obviously at some ralley in Russia, going by the woman in the front and the audience in the back)

I think it (unsucessfully) attempts to make them look better, but also more similar to each other, younger and more masculine. It looks like an amateur painter rather than skilled professional work (reminiscent of street painters that do portraits on the spot) but there is also a strong vibe of mid 20th century Soviet propaganda poster (you know, the generic muscular heroic workers pensatively looking at a distance or that famous portrait line of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin). Opposed as the Third Reich and Stalin's Soviet Union were and as much as I reject the horseshoe theory, when it comes to their taste in art both dictatorships were in agreement (also both Maoist China and North Korea share that aesthetic)

 

[Virtual ghost]

I got it from here: https://www.spiegel.de/politik/wlad...mkrise-a-f8414f52-d6f3-436b-af37-216903d668c5
Sadly they don't say where or when it was taken (obviously at some ralley in Russia, going by the woman in the front and the audience in the back)

I think it (unsucessfully) attempts to make them look better, but also more similar to each other, younger and more masculine. It looks like an amateur painter rather than skilled professional work (reminiscent of street painters that do portraits on the spot) but there is also a strong vibe of mid 20th century Soviet propaganda poster (you know, the generic muscular heroic workers pensatively looking at a distance or that famous portrait line of Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin). Opposed as the Third Reich and Stalin's Soviet Union were and as much as I reject the horseshoe theory, when it comes to their taste in art both dictatorships were in agreement (also both Maoist China and North Korea share that aesthetic)

I presumed it was Russia due to her looks, crowd behind and colors around her neck.
Plus there is indeed some Soviet/totalitarian aesthetic. Especially because of those serious angry faces.

 

[Red Herring]

https://www.thelocal.de/20220412/historic-break-church-goers-now-a-minority-in-germany/

‘Historic break’: Church-goers now a minority in Germany​

According to projections by experts, for the first time in centuries, more than 50 percent of the German population no longer belong to a church.

Mind you, this is about registered membership only. Very few members actually attend service. Most are members but only go to church for Christmas or not at all. Many are only registered so that one day they may celebrate a romantic dream wedding in a pretty church.

In a nation of 82 million only 3.3 million attend church on Sundays (mainly the elderly).

 

[Virtual ghost]

Ok, but there is nothing too surprising or new in that. The general trend is known for a while. The whole continent is giving up on religion in general. Alter all this is kinda why in many of those countries the demo-christian parties have imploded and now they are bellow 10% of support. Not to mention that some of those parties have leadership that isn't really religious anymore.

 

[Red Herring]

Ok, but there is nothing too surprising or new in that. The general trend is known for a while. The whole continent is giving up on religion in general. Alter all this is kinda why in many of those countries the demo-christian parties have imploded and now they are bellow 10% of support. Not to mention that some of those parties have leadership that isn't really religious anymore.

The trend is anything but new (even though it has recently accelarated). The point is that for the first time ever the majority is not a member. This had been developing for a long time, but it's still a turning point. A new majority.

 

[Virtual ghost]

The trend is anything but new (even though it has recently accelarated). The point is that for the first time ever the majority is not a member. This had been developing for a long time, but it's still a turning point. A new majority.

Ok, but for me these are formalities. Genuinely religious people are a minority for quite some time at this point. The fact that this is changing even in the books aren't the real news. After all it is enough to see the map and you will notice that in EU there is not a single right wing government to the west of Austria. And even to the east of Austria they are loosing ground. This is simply a change of generations at work.

 

[Kephalos]

The bill also defines marriage as “between one man and one woman.” So, along with protecting old creeps’ right to marry kids half their age, you also got a dash of homophobia to the bill. Ugh.

Tennessee’s Child Marriage Bill Should Be A #MaskOff Moment For You

Don’t be surprised when other child marriage bills start hitting your state.

medium.com

Thankfully, the Talibanization of Tennessee has been stopped in part. Legalizing (heterosexual) child marriage is not going to pass this time, but Tennessistan is still trying to ban same-sex marriage (etheir between legal adults or not). Too bad for Tomullah bin Leatherwood.

Would a Proposed Tennessee Law 'Legalize Child Marriage'?

House Bill 0233 was a GOP attempt to give legal recognition to exclusively heterosexual, "common law" marriages.

www.snopes.com

 

[Kingu Kurimuzon]

I think Trump will have a falling out with the GOP and run as an independent in 2024. He will lose, but may split the Republican vote, unless De Santis can successfully steal the majority of Trump's supporters. Barring the entrance of any high profile independents who might siphon progressive votes from Biden, this is the democrats' election to lose. So let's start taking bets on how they will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time around.

 

[Virtual ghost]

I think Trump will have a falling out with the GOP and run as an independent in 2024. He will lose, but may split the Republican vote, unless De Santis can successfully steal the majority of Trump's supporters. Barring the entrance of any high profile independents who might siphon progressive votes from Biden, this is the democrats' election to lose. So let's start taking bets on how they will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory this time around.

If we ignore standard problems they will mess up in economy and in parallel they will lose too many latinos. Which will realize that in the bottom line they are conservatives if we ignore the skin color. Also perhaps it is better to suffer a clear defeat in 2022 and then have clear new start with fresh blue candidate and new energy in 2024.


That is how I would place my bets. But at the current rate of things only God can know how the world will look like in late 2024. There is just too many factors in this equation and all of them are possible game changers.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

 

[Virtual ghost]

The move of Musk is an interesting one. Especially since EU just made a bunch of pretty strict laws about what should be illegal content on the internet. What almost surely leads into conflict with Musk. Especially since there is one internet, if you erase a post that is global.


The most gentle solution to this is retreat of Twitter from EU or it's complete ban. Either way this smells like drama.

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

CRITICS SAY SONG IS RADIO HIT BECAUSE OF DISNEY CONNECTION

Among radio broadcasters across the country, Hilary Duff’s sugary pop tune “I Can’t Wait” has fallen completely flat. A single station — in Albuquerque, N.M. — h…

www.orlandosentinel.com

The 1996 Telecommunications Act eliminated restrictions on broadcast mergers.

Waiting for conservatives to accept personal responsibility for assisting Disney in expanding it's media empire. What is the current conservative position on the 96 telecommunications act?

Only two Republicans didn't sign the bill and one of them was RINO John McCain. Have things changed because of conservative frustration with Disney?

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

That bill made it possible for companies in New York and LA to own pretty much every radio station.

For instance, this Nebraska company went out of business after the bill was passed:

Metropolitan Fiber Systems - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I realize radio is old-fashioned (I never listen to it; it doesn't help that it's mostly homogenized crap, thanks in part to the bill mentioned earlier), and Disney has kind of lost interest in the radio game. So let's look at another example of how conservative policies generally support these companies becoming more powerful (under the assumption, I suppose, that the positions and influence of these companies would never undermine their own positions or influence).

Major antitrust ruling clears the way for movie studios to own theaters

The repeal of the Paramount Decrees could be an opportunity for Netflix and Disney

www.polygon.com

President Trump’s Justice Department terminating the Paramount Consent Decrees means that studios could once again own major theater chains. This opens up the possibility of a major merger or acquisition in the near future, especially for studios like Disney, which obeyed the decree, despite the fact that it was founded after the decrees were enacted and thus not technically bound by them, but also already take up much of the U.S. box office in a normal year.

But in general, my point is this:

When only a few companies (pretty much always based out of New York or LA) own all the media, they pretty much have carte blanche to set agenda, which might mean turning the entire media landscape into a giant pep-rally for a Middle-Eastern quagmire, or it might mean what some might call "shoving ideas that support the destruction of the American family down our throats".

Impossible to vote with your dollars/eyeballs/ears and watch something else when most of what is out there is produced by these few companies, isn't it?

 

[Virtual ghost]

If we ignore standard problems they will mess up in economy and in parallel they will lose too many latinos. Which will realize that in the bottom line they are conservatives if we ignore the skin color.

A decent piece on that one.