Smuel's good morning extravaganza

I think it's cute how we're talking like there's going to be an another election. That's not how these things tend to go.

Whatever legislative or realpolitik deterrents for tyranny still exist, will soon be swept away.

If you hadn't noticed, the social contract and the various ideals of the Enlightenment, have already been deliberately eroded.

We are already quite caged, domesticated and outgunned enough to be properly corralled for a thousand year reich but, honestly, these fuckers will be happy for most of us to simply die.

Good morning.

 

Man, the amount of hyperbole and craziness I've read in the past few days has been off the charts. The world isn't gonna end, and even if it does, the crazy powers behind it were gonna do it regardless of who got elected.

Good evening anyway though.

 

?

 

I read that like "Hey guys don't worry everything's gonna be fine unless WE'RE FUCKING DOOMED ANYWAY!!!..."

 

The amount of hand-wringing going on is laughable. People trying to outdo one another with angsty, tear-soaked stories of breaking the news of Trump's victory to their children, or talking about how scared they are like fear is something to be proud of.

U.S. politics is like a tug-of-war: red team on one side of the rope, blue team on the other. Both teams are roughly equal in size, but for some time now, the blue team has been much more vocal. They slap each other on the back and loudly congratulate each other on how progressive they are, while decrying the social norms of a few short years ago as backward and unacceptable. Eventually, they got so loud that their own voices were the only ones they could hear. They mistakenly assumed that the red team had diminished, that the last bastions of conservatism were on the cusp of being swept into irrelevance. And they are shocked, SHOCKED, when they give the rope a pull and it doesn't budge, because roughly half of Americans are still holding onto the other side. The blue team thought they were moving the rope, but now they realize they were simply moving themselves further down the rope.

 

I think that seems to be about the size of it, literally the Democrats shouldn't be surprised they lost when they nominated seemingly the worst possible candidate to go against a populist like Trump who was being received favourably by the masses. Even putting a pin in her whole email scandal, she still has had a chequered past and is a career politician who does paid speeches for massive corporations that many see as shitting on the little guy - from a certain perspective (and seemingly a perspective that gained ground in America) she was the sneering elite incarnate. It annoys me that internally in America and probably externally around the globe, people are viewing a vote for Trump as a vote for hate and for sexism when really I don't think it's about that at all. I think a different female Democrat nominee could have won, it's just that Hillary Clinton is so damn unlikeable. The Democrat delegates only have themselves to blame for nominating a terrible candidate vs. Trump - and then being surprised when she lost when their nomination was a mile away from popular sentiment.

The flip side is, Trump is a complete fucking nob. While voting for a populist candidate or idea happens when people feel like their voice isn't being heard, it's irritating that the populist candidate happens to be a total arsehole on a personal level - and it is hard to say they would be a good president when they lack a basic level self control. Part of me wonders whether Trump acted like such a nob on purpose, to play up his personal integrity brought about by being candid in the face of people who are emotionally closeted like Clinton and the other Republican candidates during the nomination process - when you see his restrained sincere acceptance speech it does make you wonder. The other part of me thinks he really is that much of an idiot. I guess if the former case is true, he really has played America like a fiddle. Then again, the British public fell for much of the same during the Brexit vote - so I guess I should leave my stones where they are and polish the windows of my glass house.

Good morning.

 

As I recall, there was a fair amount of this when Obama was elected too. It just seems to be the fashion for all sides nowadays.

 

Yeah, fear sure is funny.

(And just to be clear, the third and fourth images depict acts of violence by anti-Trump protesters.)

 

I condemn violence in any form, and wish that those people had expressed themselves through posting on internet forums, like normal people.

Good morning.

 

Violence is never the answer. Good morning.

 

How naive.

 

Fuck. I wish there was a sarcasm meter or something. Senseless violence is not right, but it makes you feel better.

 

When I'm not going to call the violence depicted above laughable, I think the American reaction certainly is ridiculous. Trump is only in for 4 years, and the Senate can just land-lock him like they did Obama if he tries anything particularly Trump-y (trumpy should be a new 2017 dictionary defined adjective in my opinion). While Congress is Republican dominated, I think there has been enough dissension in the Republican ranks that he could easily see himself in the same situation.

To me the main issue is flaming liberals are still seeing the Trump vote as a prejudiced vote. I guess that is on Trump - he certainly didn't do practically anything to debunk that he wasn't a prejudiced douche. However if he had been explaining himself and apologising at every turn he would have lost much of the vote, because he was playing his forthrightness as a placeholder for integrity and honesty, so that's why I think he let it stand.

The trouble is, I don't think most Americans who voted Trump for those kind of reasons are intelligent enough to realise that was the case. This isn't me playing to the "Americans are super-dumb, lol" international trope that people irritatingly love to engage in - as I think people of all nations are all equally capable of making that vote. Trump - if he did manipulate voters, which to me he did to an extent - I don't think really cares for the divisive issues that have made his ascent to power famous. However people don't realise that, so as an afterthought he's tidily divided society.

It hits a lot of the same notes as Brexit in overall style, but the difference is that shitty populist vote is a populist vote that is permanent and has irrevocably has changed the course of a nation (even with the High Court ruling, I think it's far-fetched to think anything would change). At least if Trump fucks up, some damage control can be done.

But after getting off track, I think liberals on the whole see their progressiveness as a synonym for morality and intelligence - which I don't necessarily think it is. If it was then maybe they wouldn't be howling and gnashing their teeth like they currently are, because many of them think that purely a Trump vote was the prejudice vote - when even a reasonable proportion black and latino people (at least, considering Trump's offensive invective) voted for him on the basis that he will be bringing about more blue collar work. The fact liberal Americans are now thinking there world is ending, when he's only running the country for a short time, is pretty stupid.

I guess me and wayne have obviously traded words on this forum (and by that I mean, I acted like a complete dick), but if someone was going to take the diehard ostensibly liberal stance (rather than the general stance that of course he's a bad man) of "OMG Trump is a bad man!!!!!!" - it had to be wayne right? That's not necessarily a bad thing, being so staunchly liberal and progressive I would say is overall a good thing. And I do get that his response had more levels, as he was commenting on the overall atmosphere of division and mentioning even the Democrats are acting violent, but it did read more or less like a condemnation of what Japes was saying. For the record, I'd say I'm also liberal and progressive, but I have realistic expectations of society - and I don't think a lot of the issues made by the liberal and progressive crowd are necessarily worthy of being made an issue over (not referring to the current issue).

And I guess I guess, that sound like an aggressive callout of wayne, but it's honestly not. I have a real interest in the protest crowd, the crowd that would be motivated to post shocking images rather than talk about things to win arguments - I'm interested in a nice well rounded picture, of which both you and Japes (as well as pretty much all of you) are a part of.

As a closing point to this massive post, I'll say this thread is not my chosen thread to talk about all this in - I would I have rather a new thread had been started to talk about the election. It's derailing our great efforts at a good morning, and essentially this is not the thread I would have voted to choose if we voted for a thread to talk about Trump, in fact I would have voted for pretty much any other thread. #thisisnotthethreadiwouldhavechosentotalkabouttrumpinifavotehadbeenmadeaboutwhatthreadweshouldtalkabouttrumpin

Good morning.

 

#notmythread?

Good evening.

 

Good afternoon.

#makethisthreadgoodmorningagain

 

Not sure where you're getting that, since I never said any of it. Are you saying that I'm one of the protest crowd? In fact, I agree with pretty much everything else you said. My point was simply that there is a bunch of bad shit going on, and I'm finding it hard to see the funny side of what looks to me like some fairly legitimate reasons to wring some hands. For example: Nazi graffiti, beatings, and lighting stuff on fire.

 

Now something completely different; Anyone of you is going to watch the "Supermoon"?

Good Morning.

 

I guess I'm reading too much into your response then, as I thought it was more or less a counter-point to what Japes was saying - or in some way legitimising people's protestation. Maybe I'm too hard-wired into the days when Crypton would shitpost animal welfare images and videos, an issue he did feel strongly over. My mistake, and apologies, and...

Good morning.

PS Yes I am very excited for a slightly larger than normal moon, what a momentous occasion. Good mooning.

 

Why would anyone be excited at the prospect of Arthgon pulling his pants down?

Good morning.