Why is this Administration so intent on self-harm?

[Indus]

If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.

Explains why Trump keeps Kanye away from him!

 

[fskimospy]

It makes sense for other reasons too. Americans today are too stupid to create a functional democracy. They have been so brainwashed to buy things that are useless meaningless based on artificially created feelings of inadequacy that the inadequacies have become real. People in general can’t think for themselves or have any common sense about what is best for them. Ask your doctor if a fountain of youth Trump pill will cure all your ills. Be a part of the happy crowd.

Happiness is freedom from the bewildering complexity of choice and just doing what you are told.

The implication here would be that there’s some time in the past when Americans were smarter and yeah, that seems dubious to me.

 

[Indus]

The implication here would be that there’s some time in the past when Americans were smarter and yeah, that seems dubious to me.

Maybe they were not smarter.. but there was actual respect for the smart people because in less than a decade they put a man on the moon.

But we had to revert to the norm after Reaganomics worked it's course over 44 years.

 

[Moonbeam]

The implication here would be that there’s some time in the past when Americans were smarter and yeah, that seems dubious to me.

I did not mean smarter in terms of IQ or education or raw intelligence. I meant smarter in the sense that their common sense was less impaired by external psychological manipulation of the kind intended to induce a sense of inadequacy absent the ownership of things. People today are open sewers for propaganda and psychological manipulation. Your existence is bought and sold by knowing what products you can be induced to buy.

People used to depend on and owe allegiance to their families as a matter of course. They had a sense of duty to each other. Today people are far more self centered concerned about image on social media. Once you had to become a somebody with knowledge or skill to be heard by the outside world. Now any idiot can vomit and become viral as they say. “Look at me. Look at me.” No thanks.

It seems odd to me that a country that had all the information available to see who Trump is and voted for him anyway isn’t stupider than our country any time in our prior history. Only now has the mentality of the country degenerated to the degree he could win elections.

 

[fskimospy]

I did not mean smarter in terms of IQ or education or raw intelligence. I meant smarter in the sense that their common sense was less impaired by external psychological manipulation of the kind intended to induce a sense of inadequacy absent the ownership of things. People today are open sewers for propaganda and psychological manipulation. Your existence is bought and sold by knowing what products you can be induced to buy.

People used to depend on and owe allegiance to their families as a matter of course. They had a sense of duty to each other. Today people are far more self centered concerned about image on social media. Once you had to become a somebody with knowledge or skill to be heard by the outside world. Now any idiot can vomit and become viral as they say. “Look at me. Look at me.” No thanks.

It seems odd to me that a country that had all the information available to see who Trump is and voted for him anyway isn’t stupider than our country any time in our prior history. Only now has the mentality of the country degenerated to the degree he could win elections.

None of the sentiments put forth by Trumpkins are particularly new in American politics.

I would agree that America is less family centric today than it was in the past but I don't think that necessarily equates to less civic virtue or an electorally dumber populace.

To me it is essentially that the parties lost control of their electorates. In the past the 'smoke filled rooms' prevented real crazies from being nominated.

 

[IronWing]

None of the sentiments put forth by Trumpkins are particularly new in American politics.

I would agree that America is less family centric today than it was in the past but I don't think that necessarily equates to less civic virtue or an electorally dumber populace.

To me it is essentially that the parties lost control of their electorates. In the past the 'smoke filled rooms' prevented real crazies from being nominated.

Hence my opinion that primaries are a terrible way for parties to select candidates.

 

[Jaskalas]

This is a perfect example of the inability to think. Using force and subjugation is exactly what those cave men are thinking. You have just self identified as living in a different cave. You are what you eat. You become what you fear. Listening to you people will wind up murderers or among the dead.

There can be worlds of difference between imagined and real imminent threat.

You shriek in horror that the solution to violence from others... is violence from us.
Do you believe that about guns, are you disarmed and unable to defend yourself?
Because that appears to be your direct line of reasoning and advocacy here.

That one cannot strike back when harmed.

Hah, if only that was reality. Instead, in the real world, America engaged in WAR after Pearl Harbor. We should have done it sooner. But the fact is hope and prayers did not end World War 2.

 

[hal2kilo]

The implication here would be that there’s some time in the past when Americans were smarter and yeah, that seems dubious to me.

It's the algorithms of social media.

 

[nakedfrog]

It's the algorithms of social media.

I mean, stack that on top of media deregulation in the 90s and oligarch-run propaganda networks and that's how we get here.
My partner's parents didn't really start to get radicalized until they moved, started attending a new church with a MAGA preacher, and stopped listening to NPR because they couldn't get it on the radio anymore (yeah, her dad is tech savvy and they could have just streamed it, but didn't). And when they discuss things that are wrong in a vacuum, detached from specific politicians and policies, they tend to favor non-GOP policies. Her dad waxes about the beauty of nature out there and how SOME people don't want to protect it, it's fascinating to me how he does the mental gymnastics to twist that into support for the GOP. They don't really use social media at all.

 

[fskimospy]

It's the algorithms of social media.

I 100% agree that social media is a major contributing factor to the insane turn politics have taken in the last 20 years or so. That being said, American politics was already getting squirrely in the 90's. Fox News really mainstreamed right wing talk radio and having a multi billion dollar broadcast network doing 24/7 hard right propaganda was a big part too.

 

[Moonbeam]

None of the sentiments put forth by Trumpkins are particularly new in American politics.

I would agree that America is less family centric today than it was in the past but I don't think that necessarily equates to less civic virtue or an electorally dumber populace.

To me it is essentially that the parties lost control of their electorates. In the past the 'smoke filled rooms' prevented real crazies from being nominated.

For me the important philosophical or whatever category the question is best categorized as is that we live in a culture that has given us what we see. For me that means that our past has made possible our present and what is now is a country full of psychologically deranged people. Nothing in our cultures wisdom prevented this from happening. My question is whether a different system could produce different results and, if so, is there a way to move toward such a system, can we change who we have become. Is it possible for humans to create a culture that produces people who are immune to programming, who are conscious, awake, and real. Take into account that when I use words like conscious, awake, and real, I and anyone reading may not really know what that means or if they exist. What I know is that everything that I was taught is sacred did not stick and that lead to a strange experience.

What I see is that everybody knows things I do not know and because I don't know I also know they don't know either. I attribute that to the fact that what I know, that I don't know, cost me everything I ever valued and I think others are just unwilling to pay that price. I tried to resist with everything I had but my Mother told me to be honest.

 

[Moonbeam]

You shriek in horror that the solution to violence from others... is violence from us.
Do you believe that about guns, are you disarmed and unable to defend yourself?
Because that appears to be your direct line of reasoning and advocacy here.

That one cannot strike back when harmed.

Hah, if only that was reality. Instead, in the real world, America engaged in WAR after Pearl Harbor. We should have done it sooner. But the fact is hope and prayers did not end World War 2.

I think it's more that I am aware that I am a monster and you are not. The result is that I am more aware that the way I think is how monsters think. And since I don't really like being a monster and can see how I am, I can also see what it takes to counter my monstrous monster tendencies.

You are unaware that your thinking is monstrous, that you are psychologically deranged, and so you love the monster within you and worship it's kind of thinking. You constantly confuse imminent threat, something you have likely never really personally faced, with the imaginary threats you invent to rationalize the morality of sicking that monster in you on. You are what you fear. If I thought like you it's you I would want to end. You are dangerous to others. You are just looking to vent, someone to blame for the inner mess you are in.

I believe in self defense not psychotic paranoia and the invention of imaginary imminent threats. My guess is that you live rather comfortably with all the imaginary dangers existing only in your head.

 

[APU_Fusion]

Surprise. Traitor Trump pauses tariffs except China for 90 days. This after all his admin lackeys screamed they were necessary. Such blatant incompetence. I’m shocked … not shocked

 

[Moonbeam]

I 100% agree that social media is a major contributing factor to the insane turn politics have taken in the last 20 years or so. That being said, American politics was already getting squirrely in the 90's. Fox News really mainstreamed right wing talk radio and having a multi billion dollar broadcast network doing 24/7 hard right propaganda was a big part too.

It's just capitalism in action, making a profit is everything and there's no better way to make money than selling something self haters can use to tell themselves they are OK. The business schools and the brightest of the ambitious figured this all out, the Harvard School of Business, as one example.

 

[fskimospy]

It's just capitalism in action, making a profit is everything and there's no better way to make money than selling something self haters can use to tell themselves they are OK. The business schools and the brightest of the ambitious figured this all out, the Harvard School of Business, as one example.

I agree, but there are policy responses there if we wanted to make them.

It will always be sad and a waste to me that for a good 10+ year period all our best and brightest minds were turned towards tuning algorithms to make us mad at each other.

 

[Pens1566]

Surprise. Traitor Trump pauses tariffs except China for 90 days. This after all his admin lackeys screamed they were necessary. Such blatant incompetence. I’m shocked … not shocked

I still think there is/was some massive short play involved. Not that anyone will ever investigate it ...

 

[brycejones]

I still think there is/was some massive short play involved. Not that anyone will ever investigate it ...

In the name of "improving efficiency" that team at the SEC was DOGED.

The good news is stock grifts are going to be so much more "efficient" now that they don't have to worry about being caught.

 

[NWRMidnight]

Surprise. Traitor Trump pauses tariffs except China for 90 days. This after all his admin lackeys screamed they were necessary. Such blatant incompetence. I’m shocked … not shocked

That may not be fully true. He paused all recipical tarrifs, except China, which he raised to 125%, which I suspect China is going to fire back with the same increase. The 10% tarrifs across the board are not paused from what I have read.

 

[hal2kilo]

It's just capitalism in action, making a profit is everything and there's no better way to make money than selling something self haters can use to tell themselves they are OK. The business schools and the brightest of the ambitious figured this all out, the Harvard School of Business, as one example.

Hell, all of the baseball players have a patch on their sleeve cuffs selling something now. I guess there just wasn't enough money from television, gates receipts, and $18 dollar beers. What I'm surprised at is that we are not required to wear a patch on our sleeves so we can pay off our debts.

I wish edits could transfer to quotes somehow. Oye.

 

[Moonbeam]

I agree, but there are policy responses there if we wanted to make them.

It will always be sad and a waste to me that for a good 10+ year period all our best and brightest minds were turned towards tuning algorithms to make us mad at each other.

Yup, I think there are flaws in our culture, I think also, ego motivated, that lead to a failure to raise our kids with ‘what should we call it?’ moral character.

 

[Moonbeam]

Hell, all of the baseball players have a patch on their sleeve cuffs selling something now. I guess there just wasn't enough money from television, gates receipts, and $18 dollar beers. What I'm surprised at is that we are not required to wear a patch on our sleeves to we can pay off our depts.

I saw something once about earning money from painting adds on your car. Don’t know how that went

 

[Jaskalas]

I 100% agree that social media is a major contributing factor to the insane turn politics have taken in the last 20 years or so. That being said, American politics was already getting squirrely in the 90's. Fox News really mainstreamed right wing talk radio and having a multi billion dollar broadcast network doing 24/7 hard right propaganda was a big part too.

Fox News and its ilk started the fire.
Social Media was a container ship of nitrogen fertilizer. (Think Beirut.) A new container ship each day, every day. An inferno to scorch the very heavens.

 

[Jaskalas]

I think it's more that I am aware that I am a monster and you are not.

When did I say that I was not?
Though, I do admit that IF it was in my power... the nation we build would allow political dissent and the Bill of Rights largely intact. Minus a few safeguards against alt-realities spreading like wildfire.
I do not imagine they will offer us the same deal.

Such a notion WOULD make me different from MAGA. I would see our people adhere to the scientific principle. Not throw it away for Cheeto Jesus.
The meaning, or virtue of that, I don't care. I leave that to others who see fit to judge. Not that it will matter. No one would have time for that in the midst of total war.

 

[SteveGrabowski]

He's not harming himself; he's harming us.

 

[Jaskalas]

He's not harming himself; he's harming us.

Yes... that's what the topic is saying. America is self harming.