feralkid
Lifer
- Jan 28, 2002
- 16,854
- 4,966
- 136
SMOGZINN
Lifer
- Jun 17, 2005
- 14,359
- 4,640
- 136
A number of us are quite well versed in American and World history. You see, what you have here is a group of people that pretty much follow, mostly United States, politics pretty closely and talk about it with each other on a daily basis, and if you look over to your left you will see that a number of us have been doing so for decades.
Now we welcome opposing views, but only if they are willing to actually debate them. That means you need to explain your ideas and back them up by explaining your reasoning. You can't expect us to know what you believe unless you tell us.
If your opinions, or views of events, of personal truths, or whatever you want to call them, are unpopular, and they almost certainly will be to someone, you are likely to experience some ad hominem attacks. Some people will call you names, and make some unpleasant comparisons of your genitals and have ideas on what you should be doing with them, all that is allowed here, it is best to ignore the personal jabs. But as long as you debate fairly your arguments will be listed to and considered by many of us.
Please understand that you are not likely to change many minds, because we have almost certainly already seen your arguments and debated them before, because, once again, been doing this for decades, but you are welcome to make them as long as you are willing to back them up with some reason.
I love how all mainstream media--who at least is somewhat held to journalistic rules and penalties for avoiding them, like having actual sources--is lying and all part of a vast conspiracy, while random people on youtube and other social media have pierced the veil to get at the truth. And while MSM is all about making money--and this is not untrue--the youtubers aren't...hint, snake oil has been a thing probably going back to the caves we used to live in. Clicking that like and subscribe and eyeballing those vids is how they make a living. Who knows if they believe one word of what they say.
This is my coworker to a T. And some of the zany stuff he believes is just bonkers. 5G vaccines put out by Bill Gates to kill people level of bananas. This from a middle aged intelligent data engineer.
Like the doctors various purveyors hire to tell you about "toxins" and colon cleansing--iow, utter made-up bullshit with no scientific basis-- because the medical establishment won't tell you the truth--they want you sick!
Something tells me these agnostic sources of info that don't support either party *just might* lean a certain way despite the rhetoric.
This is my coworker to a T. And some of the zany stuff he believes is just bonkers. 5G vaccines put out by Bill Gates to kill people level of bananas. This from a middle aged intelligent data engineer.
Like the doctors various purveyors hire to tell you about "toxins" and colon cleansing--iow, utter made-up bullshit with no scientific basis-- because the medical establishment won't tell you the truth--they want you sick!
Something tells me these agnostic sources of info that don't support either party *just might* lean a certain way despite the rhetoric.
sandorski
No Lifer
- Oct 10, 1999
- 70,779
- 6,338
- 126
You can't understand it, I won't explain it, you all pwnt. [/Noob]
soundforbjt
Lifer
- Feb 15, 2002
- 17,788
- 6,041
- 136
This is the real far right, what you dopey americans think is far right is way off.
You don't even know the difference, that's how dumb you are.
You must be one of them thicko american leftys.
ch33zw1z
Lifer
- Nov 4, 2004
- 39,749
- 20,323
- 146
you won’t know until you explain what you qualify the far right as
This forum would be far better off and have more actual discussion if you just ignored obvious trolls. There was absolutely no intent to engage on issues with this one, so on the list it goes and move on. Unfortunately there is just page after page of weird one-sided content (particularly with brandon bull or whatever the name is) as people snipe back and forth with these basement dwellers...one reason I don't hang here that much. I guess that's a way to have fun for a lot of you.
IMO have a take and back it up without such juvenile zingers as "thicko American leftys" (sic) and you'll stick around, champ.
IMO have a take and back it up without such juvenile zingers as "thicko American leftys" (sic) and you'll stick around, champ.
ch33zw1z
Lifer
- Nov 4, 2004
- 39,749
- 20,323
- 146
Pens1566
Lifer
- Oct 11, 2005
- 13,732
- 11,351
- 136
You guys really need to learn to not respond to obvious trolls. Guessing alt account/returning banned member, which I'm pretty sure is 95% of those accounts.
KMFJD
Lifer
- Aug 11, 2005
- 32,626
- 52,020
- 136
- Oct 9, 1999
- 46,865
- 10,651
- 147
For me, this article nails the fat fuck insurrectionists cosplaying patriotic heroes.
Some excerpts:
"I am struck not by the grandiosity of the militias, but by their smallness. Rhodes is a disbarred lawyer who managed to shoot himself in the eye. Kelly Meggs, the leader of the state Oath Keeper chapter who was also found guilty of seditious conspiracy, was a Florida car dealer, a detail so perfectly clichéd that Hollywood would never have dared script it."
[...]
"... in the end, it was a rebellion about nothing. Or, more precisely, it was a rebellion born in affluence and boredom and a desperate search for meaning in otherwise ordinary lives."
[...]
"I have long been haunted by the writer Eric Hoffer’s 1951 warning that the most dangerous people in a society are not the poor and desperate but the well-off and bored..."
Some excerpts:
"I am struck not by the grandiosity of the militias, but by their smallness. Rhodes is a disbarred lawyer who managed to shoot himself in the eye. Kelly Meggs, the leader of the state Oath Keeper chapter who was also found guilty of seditious conspiracy, was a Florida car dealer, a detail so perfectly clichéd that Hollywood would never have dared script it."
[...]
"... in the end, it was a rebellion about nothing. Or, more precisely, it was a rebellion born in affluence and boredom and a desperate search for meaning in otherwise ordinary lives."
[...]
"I have long been haunted by the writer Eric Hoffer’s 1951 warning that the most dangerous people in a society are not the poor and desperate but the well-off and bored..."
ivwshane
Lifer
- May 15, 2000
- 33,509
- 17,003
- 136
Rhodes very much reminds me of the 12 monkeys. I deranged man with a seemingly normal background who managed to get others to follow him and his cause.
What’s more interesting is that this dynamic seems common throughout history. My question would be; are followers of such types also crazy or off or is there some other psychological reasoning people become attracted to crazy people?
Some other examples:
Trump
Manson
Jim Jones
What is the common thread between cults?
Pohemi
Lifer
- Oct 2, 2004
- 10,876
- 16,959
- 146
Don't forget ol' L. Ron Hubbard.
I don't know that Hubbard was deranged though. Possibly, but I think as a prolific but mostly failed sci-fi writer, he saw how malleable people could be in searching for meaning, and saw opportunity to gain money and a cult following by writing his grandest fiction of his life. I think he was more likely a swindler than a lunatic.
IronWing
No Lifer
- Jul 20, 2001
- 72,823
- 33,852
- 136
L. Ron is a special case. He told people exactly what he was doing and they followed him anyway. “I’m inventing a religion in which I will take as much of your money and self worth as possible.” “Where do I sign up?”Don't forget ol' L. Ron Hubbard.
I don't know that Hubbard was deranged though. Possibly, but I think as a prolific but mostly failed sci-fi writer, he saw how malleable people could be in searching for meaning, and saw opportunity to gain money and a cult following by writing his grandest fiction of his life. I think he was more likely a swindler than a lunatic.
George Tenney, key man in Jan 6 insurrection asks for leniency... waking up to reality.
Pohemi
Lifer
- Oct 2, 2004
- 10,876
- 16,959
- 146
Based on the end of the article...no sympathy.
After reading part of his letter of admission and blame, I thought okay, maybe there's a chance he realized how wrong his decisions and beliefs were.
Nope. He was still celebrating the riot after the fact, and continuing to claim and spread false and even ridiculous rumors. His letter admitting his stupidity, is because he knows that his stupidity was obvious, and no secret. It's kind of a, "well, duh!" It's a ploy for leniency now that he's been convicted and held accountable.
He's also throwing Trump and the media under the bus for his actions. I would agree that they were partly to blame, but people didn't have guns to their heads demanding their cultish fealty. That was their own choice.
Hope he gets the 4 years the prosecution asked for. It's the least he deserves in my opinion, but I also expect it will be less.
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Weirdly they're actually perfect evidence of what they're claiming, that human minds are actually quite programmable and not that terribly difficult to manipulate. They're also not wrong that a lot of that is due to the schooling system, which for a long time was about teaching information to be regurgitated and less about teaching how to learn and think. Which is why its so hard to get people to change, but also why to them its such a powerful thing to find out that plenty of the stuff they were taught isn't absolutely right. Only they didn't actually learn to think for themselves they just found someone to follow and believe instead so they're just eschewing one rote system for another whilst still being incapable of, or choosing to not learn how to actually learn and vet information, so they just end up regurgitating all the nonsense of their new messiah(s). That, I believe, largely comes from the amount of religious indoctrination prevalent.
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