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Edited by Mrph1 on Nov 30th 2023 at 11:03:59 AM

StarOutlaw Since: Nov, 2010
#160126: Dec 2nd 2016 at 7:58:24 PM

There's always the non-violent way of protesting, which historically has worked. You can't go around starting a fight, but you sure as hell better stand firm and not break. It might not always work though. I remember reading about Gandhi once saying that non-violent protests wouldn't work on the Nazis; the reason it worked for Gandhi in India is because it relied on the goodness of people back in Britain to get angry about all the violence against peaceful people. The Nazis were too far gone for that. I'm glad at least more than half of America gives a shit about minorities.

I guess I metaphorically want to give white supremacy a big middle finger and say "Fuck you. You want to have a white nation? You already lost that war 150 years ago. You better be willing to die for your bullshit because the rest of us are willing to die and kill to protect the rights granted to ALL citizens in this nation, just like we did with you traitors long ago. We aren't going to show you assholes any mercy. I will not share this country with the likes of you, so either quit being a bigot or fuck off to Europe where your people came from."

Really, non-white people have been hurt by white "immigrants" far more that white people ever will be by immigrants. Bunch of hypocrites.

edited 2nd Dec '16 8:10:03 PM by StarOutlaw

AmbarSonofDeshar Since: Jan, 2010
#160127: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:00:45 PM

I will once again quote Dara O'Briain on the subject of opinions being equal. "My arse. Bloke who's a professor of dentistry for forty years does not get into a debate with some idjit who removes his teeth with a piece of string and a door."

Ramidel Since: Jan, 2001
#160128: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:09:16 PM

Unfortunately, in politics, the latter has the authority of the former, and the only way to break this is to impose restrictions on democracy.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#160129: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:10:06 PM

I'm currently in Taiwan, so I'm pretty worried about this crap. The last thing we need here is Trump provoking the CCP and emboldening the Taiwanese president. She's enough of a hard-liner against mainland China as it is.

edited 2nd Dec '16 8:11:26 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
JulianLapostat Since: Feb, 2014
#160130: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:11:10 PM

Trump came to power as a brand. That brand included a non-fiction book that was ghost-written by someone else, it involved casinos (on which he lost money), boardgames, planes, steaks, and then that reality TV show which in retrospect built his Cult of Personality as a serious respectable businessman. The reality TV The Apprentice was about this narrative of a businessman being this great people person, dealmaker and also being in the right when he fires someone, which is always made into this big dramatic incident.

So this isn't news media and its essentially a kind of intellectual property enterprise. And its analogous to how franchises around other IP build and sustain themselves. And the Trump IP got him into the white house which has never happened.

It's an entirely new development in the history of democracy. In the Roman Republic, someone who is Trump-esque is Marcus Licinus Crassus, real estate tycoon who largely got his property and wealth by shady and criminal means and the association of his word Crassus with the unrelated English word "crass" is fitting and fortuitous. That guy had a weak ego because being rich did not by itself get him respect, martial honor was needed and he kept trying to find a victory that would get him the Roman Triumph and ultimately got killed by the Parthians. According to legend, the Parthians poured molten gold down his throat.

pwiegle Cape Malleum Majorem from Nowhere Special Since: Sep, 2015 Relationship Status: Singularity
Cape Malleum Majorem
#160131: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:12:53 PM

"All opinions are not equal. Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated, and well supported in logic and argument than others." — Douglas Adams.

Equal airtime should not be given, for example, to the Flat Earth Society, or the North American Man/Boy Love Association, for obvious reasons.

edited 2nd Dec '16 8:19:30 PM by pwiegle

This Space Intentionally Left Blank.
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#160132: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:22:45 PM

In the Roman Republic, someone who is Trump-esque is Marcus Licinus Crassus, real estate tycoon who largely got his property and wealth by shady and criminal means and the association of his word Crassus with the unrelated English word "crass" is fitting and fortuitous. That guy had a weak ego because being rich did not by itself get him respect, martial honor was needed and he kept trying to find a victory that would get him the Roman Triumph and ultimately got killed by the Parthians. According to legend, the Parthians poured molten gold down his throat.
Considering where the Parthian Empire was based, that comparison may prove even more prescient.

JulianLapostat Since: Feb, 2014
#160133: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:26:13 PM

See here's the thing, people have a right to say that they don't believe in evolution, but they have no right to force schools and institutions to teach that opinion. That's abusing freedom of speech. You are telling schools and institutions not to teach what has been part of the scientific consensus for more than a hundred years. Something that even the Catholic Church has supported (how could it not, Fr. Gregor Mendel is one of the pillars of the Modern Evolutionary Synthesis).

And why should schools and institutions not accept this scientific consensus, its how all educational institutions have operated.

And the only reason it works is because these individuals have some power and money to get their voices heard and taken seriously. The same applies to garbage like these "religious freedom" laws in response to LGBT. And now this climate change denial. This whole disrespect for intellectual labor but glorification of intellectual property.

JulianLapostat Since: Feb, 2014
#160134: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:29:37 PM
Thumped: This post was thumped by the Stick of Off-Topic Thumping. Stay on topic, please.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#160135: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:39:12 PM

Kind of odd that Taiwan's president is being so chummy with the guy who is putting the nail in the coffin for TPP, a deal that would have benefited Taiwan immensely.

Disgusted, but not surprised
JulianLapostat Since: Feb, 2014
#160136: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:40:34 PM

There's no evidence that she's being chummy...she just got a call from the guy, what should she do, leave him on hold.

Her platform and social policies are entirely different from Trump's.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#160137: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:43:59 PM

I just hope no one in the Taiwanese gov't is crazy enough to take this one call as a sign that the USA is ready to officially recognize them over the CCP.

Disgusted, but not surprised
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#160138: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:45:04 PM

Of all the ways to end 2016...the Taiwanese government demanding to be recognized instead of the status quo.

Fuck me

New Survey coming this weekend!
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#160139: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:46:16 PM

[up] If that happens, there won't be a Taiwan. sad

Disgusted, but not surprised
AngelusNox Warder of the damned from The guard of the gates of oblivion Since: Dec, 2014 Relationship Status: Married to the job
Warder of the damned
#160140: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:46:55 PM

The delusion is real.

Inter arma enim silent leges
JulianLapostat Since: Feb, 2014
#160141: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:48:04 PM

Most likely she'd use this as an angle to get Trump to walkback on TPP. Man's a flip-flopper, so it should be possible to get him to walk back on that.

It's not like Trump voters would care about it.

FluffyMcChicken My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare from where the floating lights gleam Since: Jun, 2014 Relationship Status: In another castle
My Hair Provides Affordable Healthcare
#160142: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:54:16 PM

As a Taiwanese-American, is it at least understandable for my family to regard this as the very first positive thing he's done?

It's about time China faced the karma mirror for all of their island building.

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#160143: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:55:40 PM

[up] As a Taiwanese-American, I consider this a cause for alarm. With one stupid phonecall, Trump just dragged Taiwan into his little pissing match with China.

edited 2nd Dec '16 8:56:06 PM by M84

Disgusted, but not surprised
LeGarcon Blowout soon fellow Stalker from Skadovsk Since: Aug, 2013 Relationship Status: Gay for Big Boss
Blowout soon fellow Stalker
#160144: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:55:59 PM

It's less that he's doing it and more that he's doing it in a way that'll end up with Taiwan becoming a parking lot.

Oh really when?
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#160145: Dec 2nd 2016 at 8:56:43 PM

[up] We'll be lucky if there's enough of Taiwan left to build a parking lot.

Disgusted, but not surprised
RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#160146: Dec 2nd 2016 at 9:07:47 PM

Trump basically just bumbled his fat ass backwards into one of the thornier political issues in East Asia (and there are a lot) because someone there is still stupid enough to want to build something Trump-branded. I hope the Taiwanese don't take this to mean that the US has their back, because that can go one of two ways - Trump ignores Taiwan while China squishes them, or we actually get into a trade war.

It's been fun.
JulianLapostat Since: Feb, 2014
#160147: Dec 2nd 2016 at 9:09:41 PM

Taiwanese weren't born yesterday. There will obviously be some amount of CYA on their side now. And some spin or the other.

And the Taiwanese like everybody else in the world knows that they should never trust the USA, and that's when Obama was in charge.

edited 2nd Dec '16 9:09:51 PM by JulianLapostat

tricksterson Never Trust from Behind you with an icepick Since: Apr, 2009 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Never Trust
#160148: Dec 2nd 2016 at 9:13:26 PM

@Julian Lapostat: Wasn't Crassus also the man who crushed Spartacus' rebellion?

Trump delenda est
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#160149: Dec 2nd 2016 at 9:31:04 PM

Secretary of Economic Development in Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, says Trump is 'Telling the Truth' about 'Saving Jobs'. I don't know what to make of this, considering that, while yes, Trump saved some jobs, there are still plenty of jobs going to Mexico, and more then what were saved for the price Indiana has to pay.

Either she knows something we don't, doesn't actually understand what the deal entailed, or Mexico has a plan to combat this kind of Corporate Welfare and is just biding its time.

RedSavant Since: Jan, 2001
#160150: Dec 2nd 2016 at 9:33:21 PM
Thumped: This post was thumped by the Stick of Off-Topic Thumping. Stay on topic, please.
It's been fun.

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