retrospectology

retrospectology , 8 hours ago (edited 6 hours ago)

It's actually illegal to threaten the president. It's not protected speech.

retrospectology , 8 hours ago

Huh, that's fine I guess. Maybe he went to a nice fascist president farm upstate.

retrospectology , 15 hours ago

People who are only moral because of religion are telling on themselves more than anything else.

As a species we have evolved basic morals because it compliments our social evolution as well. Success of the group is success for everyone, there is an evolutionary benefit to being able to instinctively recognize the feelings and desires of others. The exceptions would be people who are empathetically disabled, which is more like a parasitic evolutionary trait than a beneficial one for humanity generally.

We're not all sociopaths because we would never have societies if that were the case, we'd probably be extinct.

retrospectology , 14 hours ago (edited 14 hours ago)

That's a shame. That's not a great way to do blocking, since it allows trolls to continue using your comments as a springboard for their bs.

It really should be a two-way block.

retrospectology , 13 hours ago

"What else besides literally funding a genocide."

Listen to yourself.

retrospectology , 13 hours ago (edited 12 hours ago)

Why on earth would you think democrats would allow for someone better in 2028? Biden's win will prove that they can continue propping up fascist extremists and you'll vote for fascist lite.

You're not describing a strategy, you're describing a slow death.

retrospectology , 13 hours ago (edited 12 hours ago)

It's likely not better though, as the longer we let Dmeocrats play dick-grab with the GOP without actually fighting back tooth and nail (like politician's like Biden are unwilling to do) the more the GOP is able to use their power in a way that's concealed.

The reason RvW had a political effect is because it was shocking and too sudden. What will happen if we keep voting the lesser of two evils is people will get more and more acclimated to having their rights stripped away in small ways, rather than witnessing the horror in a way that's easy to understand.

Even now, in this discussion, it's difficult for you to see the pattern that's occurring from the strategy you're proposing of fear-based voting.

It's uncertain whether a Trump term will allow for the GOP to enact their fascist take-over in full, but continuing to vote for the same milque-toast democrats is 100% a recipe for fascism because they will never reform on their own, and the general public will accept fascism if it comes slowly.
I'm not going to try to tell you how to vote, but just own the consequences when they come and don't try to blame others.

retrospectology , 13 hours ago

I'll take the lack of an argument as a confirmation that you understand what I said is true. Anyone who's been alive for more than a single election has witnessed it, it's pretty undeniable.

retrospectology , 8 hours ago

Quite literally is. Look up the basic process by which US bills are passed, you pretty clearly never have.

retrospectology , 8 hours ago

Fear-based politics are worthless to me. That is the reason the GOP treats the Democrats as prey, not a threat.

retrospectology , 8 hours ago

Literally where we are, right now. The only (slim) chance of getting out is reforming the democratic party and shocking the general public awake.

Your way has been a proven failure, it's not an option.

retrospectology , 1 day ago

They probably don't actually get much. Fascists kind of instinctively back eachother up.

retrospectology , 22 hours ago

Unfortunately this is a big part of why the first big summer counter-offensive by Ukraine stalled; NATO delayed aid by just enough that it guarunteed the war would drag out.

Personally I think it's about money for the industrial military complex. If the war had ended quickly while Ukraine had men, momentum and the initiative it would mean less money for industrialists.

Even US generals like Patreaus were predicting the delay by the Biden admin on F-16s etc. would lead to a massively protracted conflict.

It makes one ashamed that when our country finally does have a righteous cause for our massive military complex our leaders are still playing grab ass trying to make a buck while Ukrainians are fighting to exist. It's one of Biden's (and NATOs) biggest failures.

retrospectology , 2 days ago (edited 1 day ago)

They killed all the people in Gaza who would be keeping track of this kind of thing, there simply isn't any infrastructure left. Gazans are eating hand to mouth because that's all they can do right now (if they're the lucky ones).

retrospectology , 22 hours ago

Just look for the super racist and misogynist AI I'd imagine.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

Combined with how easy it is becoming to create an AI copy of a person's voice you're pretty soon not going to ever be sure if what you're saying or hearing on a phone is actually what's being said or if it's being edited in real time. China's gonna love this shit.

Really hate tech bros who just keep recklessly pushing ahead on this stuff. Absolutely the worst scenario for AI.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

Some quotes from David Ben-Gurion, one of the early zionist founders of Israel:

"A partial Jewish State is not the end, but only the beginning. … I am certain that we well not be prevented from settling in the other parts of the country, either by mutual agreements with our Arab neighbors or by some other means. . . [If the Arabs refuse] we shall have to speak to them in another language. But we shall only have another language if we have a state."

"I don't understand your optimism,' Ben-Gurion declared. 'Why should the Arabs make peace? If I were an Arab leader I would never make terms with Israel. That is natural: THEY THINK we have taken their country. Sure, God promised it to us, but what does that matter to them? Our God is not theirs. We come from Israel, it's true, but two thousand years ago, and what is that to them? There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They only see one thing: we have come here and stolen their country. Why should they accept that?"

"Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves … politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves… The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down, and in their view we want to take away from them their country. … Behind the terrorism [by the Arabs] is a movement, which though primitive is not devoid of idealism and self sacrifice.”

Or one of my favorites from his diary:

"We must do everything to insure they (the Palestinians) never do return.”

It's with that context in mind that the recent genocidal rhetoric from Israeli officials makes more sense:

"In order to preserve the security achievements that our soldiers lost their lives for, we must resettle Gaza with security forces and settlers that will embrace the land with love," Karhi said. He said that "this is the only real way to make the Hamas Nazis pay a price and to defend our nation and country."

Ben-Gvir also spoke at the march, saying that what the protesters are calling for was the "true solution."
[source]

Or when Netanyahu compared the Gazans to "Amalek" an ancient tribe from a story in the Torah that the tribe of Israel genocided. Or when they describe Palestinians as "human animals" etc.

Israel has always been a European colonial project from the very beginning and violence has always one of the primary means of ensuring settlement is possible. One thing many people don't realize is that the Zionist colonial project was in motion long before WWII, as far back as the late 1800s. They saw WWII and the holocaust as an opportunity thus quotes like:

"The Arabs will have to go, but one needs an opportune moment for making it happen, such as a war."
-David Ben-Gurion, 1937

Or after the holocaust:

“If I knew that it was possible to save all the children of Germany by transporting them to England, and only half by transferring them to the Land of Israel, I would choose the latter, for before us lies not only the numbers of these children but the historical reckoning of the people of Israel.”

What we cannot do now is let Zionists argue that "Every nation had genocide in its founding, it's inevitable" because this is happening right now, we are witnessing it. We can't discuss it as if it's some regretable historical fact. The reason we say "never again" is to prepare people for times like what are happening right now. We're all under a moral mandate to stop this from happening.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

No one is denying the holocaust happened. What the actual fuck? God damn that is insidious.

All you're doing is trying to soft-sell the justification that Zionists use for their on-going genocide, you're basically claiming they had no choice but to take land from someone else, which is complete bullshit.

When you compare the rhetoric and methods of the Israeli colonial project to every other crime against humanity committed by Europeans during and preceding that period it's the same game plan because it's the same racist, far-right playbook. The Israeli settlers were Europeans and had zero claim to the region they took over, Ben-Gurion himself even acknowledges that.

They are there now, Israel is not going anywhere, but the fact that they are an actively expanding colonial state has not changed, it does not justify their continued occupation of Palestinian land nor the wholesale slaughter of the people in Gaza. That is what the discussion needs to be centered on.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

You know how in the ancient past there was the dude who ate the toxic mushroom and everyone else was like "Damn!"

That's the role Americans are playing here, pushing the frontiers of what's edible so you don't have to. It's a public service really.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

Oh man! Yeah, I think....I think I can feel I can feel my economic conditions rising!....any minute now...

...oh, no nevermind, was just a fart.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

Aint no snitch.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

If a 5ft trans woman who started transitioning when she was a teen faces off against a 6ft cis volleyball player, should the cis woman be not allowed to compete?

What about cis olympians? They all have natural advantages that make their ability to compete at high levels possible, why are you not calling for them to be banned? Britney Griner is a giant at nearly 7ft, surely she shouldn't be allowed to compete when she has such a innate advantage over your average cis woman, right?

retrospectology , 3 days ago (edited 3 days ago)

It kind of borders on delusion if I'm being honest.

Remember when everyone was completely losing their shit about Laurel Hubbard, the trans powerlifter who had qualified for the olympics? Remember how everyone was claiming she was going to smash records and take the gold etc.?

Now, what did we see in reality? Laurel Hubbard didn't even place. She got beat out by her cis competitors, she broke no records, she fell within the same range of ability as cis women.

Where does this fact leave people's theory about "the men will always win"?

Edit: I see now you were being sarcastic. In any case I'll leave the response as is, since people do think like that. Changed it to be a less pointy, lol.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

No, we saw a trans woman who had radically altered her biological make-up through use of female hormones, train rigorously, and then perform within the same range as cis women, ultimately failing to place and looking at retirement.

And now we see you in denial about that factual reality because you simply can't get over your hate. You're letting your emotions rule your thinking on this.

Also, you're not even correct about the age being some massive barrier, Lidia Valentin also competed in olympics at 36, going so far as to weigh in for the subsequent Olympics and only ultimatelt retired due to an injury.

It's irrational to ban people based simply on their status of being trans as trans people vary widely in their physical ability and biological make-up.

retrospectology , 3 days ago (edited 3 days ago)

Yes, the rules that have been in place about transition time have served fine since even before right-wingers politicized trans people's existence.

The irrational part is to try and create blanket bans based solely on the fact that an athlete is trans.

It completely ignores the fact that trans biology falls on a very wide spectrum and is dependent on numerous factors. It doesn't make sense to treat trans athletes as their assigned at birth sex because their biology is literally no longer that of their birth gender. It varies by degrees, but it is no more fair to ban a cis woman for being tall than it is to ban a trans woman for being the same height.

So no, it is not transphobic to have rules and regulations specific to trans athletes when it comes to competitive level sports (whatever experts and committees decide is fair based on actual data) it is transphobic to just outright ban trans people based solely on that status and ignore the biological reality of the individual and whether or not they fall within the range of cis competitors (spoiler, most do).

It's really stupid for people to get this outraged about a tiny percentage of the population, an even smaller percentage of which actually compete at high levels.

retrospectology , 4 days ago

Not sure why he wouldn't, he's just going to ramble over Biden and gish gallop incoherently, while Biden's just going to "come on man" his way through.

I'd rather watch a dog fucking a tire.

retrospectology , 4 days ago (edited 4 days ago)

Literally just has to stop funding to Israel wherever he's able, whether it's using his veto or directing the State Department to delay aid or make disbursement more difficult. He needs to publically condem the genocide like every sane person with two eyes has been able to do for months. No more blocking UN resolutions, no more calling student protestors antisemitic, veto the The Antisemitism Awareness Act etc.

He needs to do what people have been demanding since the very start of the genocide. Do what people were saying when they voted Uncommitted, what students are saying when they protest; stop giving Israel a blank check, stop pretending to criticize them"behind closed doors", stop funding genocide and carrying water for a fascist right-wing government.

He needs to do it now, the longer he delays the more people die, the less likely he is to get people to vote for him.

retrospectology , 4 days ago

Which is why so many people simply cannot put their name in support of Biden and AIPAC democrats.

There's pragmatic politics and then there's supporting actual genocide. For many people that line is something they just won't ever compromise on because it's so unequivocally immoral, there's no justification to actively support it.

Personally if he doesn't reverse course there's no way I'm voting for this. I've lived through one Trump presidency, I'll do it again if I have to and find other ways to resist.

If Democrats can't do better than genocide they can't demand my vote.

retrospectology , 4 days ago

No, who said that? Voting uncommitted is a valid third option when Democrats don't give you someone you can morally vote for.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

No. It is a genocide.

Even Netanyahu admitted it was analagous to the genocide of the Amakelites in the Torah fairy tale.

There is no debate here, it is a genocide and you are a supporter.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

Who said I was voting for Trump?

Biden can easily get my vote, there's literally only one thing he has to do; stop supporting genocide.
It's not rocket science. Don't like the idea of him losing? Then you need to be doing everything in your power to communicate to him that he needs to do a 180 on this issue. People aren't going to vote for him because you try to badger and shame them, didn't work in 2016, won't work now.

retrospectology , 4 days ago

Not what your voting record demonstrates if you've been voting for liberal establishment figures.

Remember a politician's talk < actions and campaign finance.

retrospectology , 4 days ago

It's as meaningless as any words that hang on the notion that there's a "spectrum".

You either you accept what works and fosters human well being and liberty, adjusting your politics accordingly to reality as we learn more about the world, or you're conservative, a fundementally irrational denial of reality.

This is why seemingly different groups like Marxists and neo-nazis end up at the same place ultimately; they're unwilling to give up on failed ideas. It doesn't matter what label one applies, if you're still trying failed ideas after they've produced untold amounts of harm then you're just on one road to fascism or another.

It's a binary, not a spectrum.

retrospectology , 4 days ago

Biden literally supports genocide, so it is reasonable for people to not want to support him even if it comes at a cost to themselves. If you're unable to understand that, even if you disagree, I very much doubt you are aligned with the kind of goals you purport.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

So I'm going to just tell you this; what you're doing above is not convincing anyone.

Given that factual reality, you then have to ask yourself, as someone who probably likes to believe that you're pragmatic and worldly; if your strategy for convincing millions of voters to support Democrats inspite of their increasingly fascist, right-wing tendencies is not working, what are your other practical options for actually helping Biden win.

And remember, this might involve changing your politics, or getting off the fence and actually doing something etc.

In any case, it's a rhetorical question, since I'll be blocking you. Think about it though, think about 2016 and how badly your political strategy failed this country then. Consider changing.

retrospectology , 3 days ago (edited 3 days ago)

What? Biden is the one playing chicken with our democracy, all he has to do is not give the middle finger to people who want him to stop funding a genocide. It's not like anyone is even expecting him to fight for healthcare or climate change or anything, literally just the very bare minimum of not sending money and arms to kill children and people would stomach voting for him. But no, you won't even compromise on that.

You honestly sound like you don't actually believe in the democratic process at all "Vote how I want you to or you don't deserve a vote."

No wonder you guys and the Republicans go together like hand and glove.

retrospectology , 3 days ago

You people are rotten and need to be cut out of the process before you kill us all

retrospectology , 5 days ago

It's not that people see it in Trump, they don't see it in the corporate Dem-GOP establishment alliance.

retrospectology , 6 days ago (edited 6 days ago)

This is why you should never let a tankie tell you that China has no imperialist colonial ambitions. Debt colonialism is still colonialism.

Best thing for countries trapped in these debt traps would be to just seize the infrastructure and send the chinese workers home.

retrospectology , 6 days ago

Diaper lick or go broke.

The Republican version of "kissing the ring"

retrospectology , 6 days ago

The worst thing about the driveless car fad is that you can opt out of riding in them but none of us can opt of being run down by them.

I'm beginning to despise tech bros more and more every day.

retrospectology , 7 days ago

Tepid words and rhetorical nonsense simply isn't going to be enough. These idiots know what they need to be doing and what they need to be pressuring Biden to do.

Dems have until November, that's not long, we don't have time for them to beat around the bush and experiment with half-measures and political tricks.

retrospectology , 5 days ago

Yup, and all the politicians playing make-believe and making a big show of scratching their heads like they just don't understand what's causing inflation has just emboldened them. We're still living with the price gouging from the pandemic.

I'm surprised they're not still trying to claim it's from the stimulus checks lol.

retrospectology , 7 days ago

Not all of them are paid, some are just useful idiots.

retrospectology , 7 days ago

Found the tankie, lol.

retrospectology , 7 days ago

First they helped fund a literal genocide, and I did not speak out—

Because it wasn't my realtives being killed by US bombs and I was afraid that standing up and doing the right thing would have costs for me personally.

retrospectology , 7 days ago

Who said do nothing? I'm saying your suggestion of continually rewarding corporate dems with power has failed.

If your political strategy has brought us to the point where we're literally condoning genocide with our vote then it's a failure. You understand that, right? If the Chosen One the Dem establishment has forced on us is nevk and neck with Donald Trump then that establishment is a failure and continuing to reward them with power for these pied piper bullshit strategies is not going to lead to progress.

They've been doing it for forty years and all we've gotten for it is a tightening noose around our freedoms as they jerk off to corporate lobby money and insider trading, playing grab ass with fascists.

That's your "progress".

retrospectology , 7 days ago

It's literally the only way you can can communicate that you will not play the game they've rigged. And yes, that has an influence whether you are willing to admit it or not.

Because here's what's going to happen if Biden gets his next term; Democrats will take that as a signal that they can be complicit in literal genocide and voters will still vote for them as long as they keep propping up worse options on the otherside. And so they will keep propping up a worse option and acting with complete disregard to their base.

You are not going to "turn things around" at some point in the vague future, there is not going to be "slow, generational progress", there's going to continue to be a choice between Fascist and Fascist Lite because Fascist Lite understands they do not need to change anything about how they're doing things in order to win elections.

Is it a terrible and costly choice to call the Dems on their game of chicken? Yup. But that's where your politics have put us. It's degraded our democracy to the point that our only remaining choice to stop the vehicle from going off a cliff is to veer it into a tree.

We could've hit the brakes earlier, there were plenty of opportunities and warning signs where the road was going, but people like you kept saying "oh no, pressing the brakes isn't viable, the corporate media told me that brakes are extremist. Just keep going this next mile and then we can slow down a little after. Just go around this one last bend and it'll turn into a U-turn."

Your politics don't work and the threats and condescension have simply lost the effect, I cannot emphasize this enough; it's not a viable political tactic any longer. If you think it's that important that Biden win then you need to be doing everything you can to influence him to radically change his behavior, not sitting here trying to convince other people to deny what they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and play make-believe with you that "just a little genocide" is ok for Democrats to support. Enough of the trolley problem bullshit, no one is buying it.