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MadSkillz Destroyer of Worlds Since: Mar, 2013 Relationship Status: I only want you gone
Destroyer of Worlds
#175326: Feb 21st 2017 at 10:31:35 PM

On the Bus with Milo and Lost Boys of America's Far Right.

This is a really good article about Milo and the "Lost Boys" of America's new far right. I recommend that everyone read it especially since it's written from the perspective of a former friend of Milo before he got famous.

It paints them as a group of easily manipulated fragile and immature losers wanting to be heroes that think this whole thing is a game.

Yes, these are little boys playing games with the lives of others. That doesn’t excuse the horror of the game for one second. It makes it worse. Much worse, in fact. They are children who have the privilege of that particular innocence that involves never learning from their mistakes, never taking responsibility, never worrying that their sins will be unforgiven. In the Peter Pan stories, Peter and the Lost Boys remain children by deliberately forgetting all their adventures — including the ones where they hunted all those Indians. These boys will be allowed to forget everything but their own immediate feelings for as long as society allows them, and this society allows straight white boys to dodge personal and emotional responsibility until at least the age of 70. The current man-child president would be Exhibit A, but not every lost boy gets a golden throne. In this culture war, most of them are cannon fodder.

The reason the Lost Boys allow themselves to be stolen away to Neverland is that they want to live somewhere they will never have to grow up. By coincidence, that’s also the reason that a great many people voted to place a spray-tanned authoritarian in the Oval Office. Remember, though, that only Peter rules Neverland. What happens to the Lost Boys in that story if they ever start to build memories and change, if they ever started to become adults? They skipped this bit in the Disney movie, but, in the books, Peter kills them.

edited 21st Feb '17 10:33:36 PM by MadSkillz

Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#175327: Feb 21st 2017 at 10:42:12 PM

[up]That now-deleted "structure of the alt-right" actually covers this: The alt-right gets its talking points from neo-Nazis and the neoreactionary movement (because "Dark Enlightenment" is really pretentious and I am not giving them the satisfaction) at the top, which tend not to be especially photogenic. The next tier down, which is Milo et al., does it because there's money in book contracts or in "shock value".

Not like this will hurt him. There are more than enough insecure idiots whining on the internet about some girl with dyed hair they have never met "friendzoning" them that a Patreon of his is going to be a smashing success. Unless some more ideologically pure militant type has enough of him, he's safe.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
vandro Shop Owner from The little shop that wasn't Since: Jul, 2009
Shop Owner
#175328: Feb 21st 2017 at 11:52:24 PM

On the Laurie Penny analysis: Rather good piece, thought I don't share her idea that the right will be willing to part with their idea that they defend free speech. Far too convenient of a debate weapon. And it saddens me, if you want to stick to free speech as principle, it's your lot to hang around those who use it as their shield of convenience. If you defend the right to speak about witchcraft, you'll end up surrounded by witches.

On the subject in question: I wonder what persona will he have next. I bet on "I took on the media and survived" or somesuch.

TheHandle United Earth from Stockholm Since: Jan, 2012 Relationship Status: YOU'RE TEARING ME APART LISA
United Earth
#175329: Feb 22nd 2017 at 12:53:46 AM

[up][up][up]legacy of Vietnam. Lot of the hippies shat upon returning troops. Troops who now are perched at the top of the military.

I'm told that's a myth.

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
Advarielle Homicidal Editor Since: Aug, 2016
Homicidal Editor
#175330: Feb 22nd 2017 at 2:33:23 AM

So, when do you think that Trump and co. will start trumpeting ([lol]) about stability (TM) imported straight from Asia?

Only an experienced editor who has a name possesses the ability to truly understand my work - What 90% of writers I'm in charge of said.
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#175331: Feb 22nd 2017 at 4:40:21 AM

That article about Yiannopolous' entourage is pretty much exactly what I expected. And it's a real tragedy, honestly. While it does not excuse their actions in any way, I can't help but pity them mostly because I know what it's like to be an awkward, lonely, lost and fragile young man. While they are obviously accountable for their actions, they are also the result of a society where toxic masculinity reigns and men often don't get the proper guidance and emotional support to learn to respect others, much less than themselves, or to properly deal with their emotions in a healthy way. Instead of recognizing that system and rejecting it, it just leads them to double down and try to over-compensate.

edited 22nd Feb '17 5:09:54 AM by Draghinazzo

CenturyEye Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? from I don't know where the Yith sent me this time... Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
#175332: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:09:43 AM

The rising risk of showdown between Trump and Iran

For Iranians with connections in the United States, these are worrying times.

After the ban was announced, BBC Persian received hundreds of messages from anxious Iranians whose lives have been plunged into uncertainty.
They come from all walks of life - research students, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) refugees and grandparents on family visits - and many are worried the story is far from over.
"Last year our family applied to migrate to the US," wrote Bardia, a 16-year-old from the persecuted Bahai religious minority. "Now there's a big hold-up in the process."

But since President Trump moved into the White House it is not just Iranians with travel plans who are feeling unsettled.
Across the country people are asking themselves if he will really deliver on his promise to "rip up" the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and "triple-up" sanctions.
For someone used to rallying his supporters with denunciations of the "Great Satan", Mr Khamenei clearly feels on familiar ground responding to tougher rhetoric from Washington.
"We appreciate Trump! Because he largely did the job for us in revealing true face of America," he Tweeted recently.

One person for whom Mr Trump's ascendancy is less welcome is President Hassan Rouhani.
He is standing for re-election in May, and the accelerating war of words between Washington and Tehran casts a long shadow over his two biggest achievements - securing the nuclear deal and improving relations with the US.
As the election campaign gets under way Mr Rouhani's hardline opponents will seek to use the Trump administration's actions to undermine him.

whether the hardliners will succeed is open to question.
Even if the tangible benefits of the end of sanctions have yet to be widely felt in Iran, the prospect of the country returning to the international stage and opening up for business has given hope to millions of ordinary voters.
It is clear they do not want to see these achievements reversed.
Since Mr Trump's travel ban thousands of young Iranians have taken to Twitter using the hashtag #Love Beyond Flags to reach out to Americans.
And among the traditional anti-American slogans on display at the annual rally to commemorate the Revolution in Tehran last week there were some in English with a rather different message: "Americans are welcome and invited to Iran".

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#175333: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:12:47 AM

Too bad this understanding only seems to be aiming at young, white men.

Many black/latino gangbangers and Muslim terrorists are lonely, sexually desperate young men, who were even worse off. Where's their sympathy? Because unlike the alt-right, they're sure not doing it literally for the lulz

edited 22nd Feb '17 6:16:43 AM by NoName999

Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#175334: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:17:06 AM

[up] They surely have.

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
CaptainCapsase from Orbiting Sagittarius A* Since: Jan, 2015
#175335: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:19:11 AM

[up][up] Many of these people are victims of abuse, are of low economic standing, and generally have rather shitty lives, hence the attraction to a radical ideology. People of minority backgrounds of similar economic standings frequently have it even worse, but for someone with a life that's already in the dumps, an appeal to worse problems is likely to fall on deaf ears, and that's something that democrats should keep in mind when campaigning in places that have been hit hard by economic shifts caused by globalization.

edited 22nd Feb '17 6:21:58 AM by CaptainCapsase

Krieger22 Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018 from Malaysia Since: Mar, 2014 Relationship Status: I'm in love with my car
Causing freakouts over sourcing since 2018
#175336: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:20:29 AM

That would work if the alt-right wasn't composed of men suffering from existential angst from watching Fight Club and had the moral sail over their heads.

I have disagreed with her a lot, but comparing her to republicans and propagandists of dictatorships is really low. - An idiot
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#175337: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:26:25 AM

I agree that the lack of a similar sympathy and understanding for minority people in similarly radicalized situations is pretty telling of our societal problems, although that's another can of worms entirely.

[up] A lot of the internet beyond the alt-right seems to have missed the point of Fight Club, knowingly or not. They seem to think Tyler Durden was actually supposed to be right about anything.

edited 22nd Feb '17 6:36:10 AM by Draghinazzo

CenturyEye Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign? from I don't know where the Yith sent me this time... Since: Jan, 2017 Relationship Status: Having tea with Cthulhu
Tell Me, Have You Seen the Yellow Sign?
#175338: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:31:57 AM

Profiling the enemy aside, the AJC at least is showing new self-awareness... note 
Looking behind a poll that shows – gasp! – a Democrat leading in Sixth District

Oh, dear. My heavens. Good gosh. A poll of the Sixth District congressional race shows Democrat Jon Ossoff in the lead, doing better than Republican Karen Handel. Wait, wait — we’re not doing this right. Better:
Ossoff at 32 percent! Handel at 25 percent! Bob Gray at 11 percent! Democrats are marching, spreading chaos and mayhem, and there’s nothing Republicans can do but panic!

Or, if you’re the Handel campaign, put out a fund-raising email:
“National Democrats have placed a large target on Karen’s campaign, and the poll numbers show they’re going all-in against Karen. Will you step up right now to fight back against Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies?”

The poll that Handel cites was conducted by Clout Research of Dublin, Ohio. It first appeared on Monday at zpolitics.com. You can find the questions and crosstabs by clicking here.
We’re not saying the poll was rigged. But we are saying that if you wanted to rig a poll to portray all Republicans in the race as underdogs and thus in desperate need of campaign cash, this would be one way to do it.

There are 18 candidates, including five Democrats and 11 Republicans. The Clout Research poll listed only six candidates – not just by name, but by party: See what happened? Clout Research did what the Georgia Democratic party itself only dreams it could do – funnel all Democratic votes into the arms of a single candidate. Thus boosting his total.

Look with century eyes... With our backs to the arch And the wreck of our kind We will stare straight ahead For the rest of our lives
NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#175339: Feb 22nd 2017 at 6:36:55 AM

[up][up]Hell it's not even race. The actual out and proud Nazis? The skinheads? They most likely come from broken homes and have self esteem issues as well. They sure as hell deserve more empathy than the alt right, who apparently views the entire thing as a video game and that they're biggest problem seems to be.... having less charisma than someone who clips their toenails over your dinner

[up]Hopefully this anger that the left is feeling can last until 2020.

edited 22nd Feb '17 6:38:27 AM by NoName999

theLibrarian Since: Jul, 2009
#175340: Feb 22nd 2017 at 7:04:18 AM

Indeed. The Republicans have really screwed the pooch this election. Come 2018 there'll hopefully be a lot of states switching Congressmen and governors.

edited 22nd Feb '17 7:05:09 AM by theLibrarian

nightwyrm_zero Since: Apr, 2010
#175341: Feb 22nd 2017 at 7:16:00 AM

So the younger alt-rights are a bunch of Kylo Rens. *facepalm*

Zendervai Since: Oct, 2009
#175342: Feb 22nd 2017 at 7:20:44 AM

Hey, there was one thing Tyler Durden was right about! Don't tick off the people who serve you food. Basically everything else was garbage though.

sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#175343: Feb 22nd 2017 at 7:27:25 AM

I learned that lesson from Animaniacs and growing up with a mom who was a waitress

Luigisan98 A wandering user from Venezuelan Muscat Since: Oct, 2013 Relationship Status: I <3 love!
A wandering user
#175344: Feb 22nd 2017 at 7:33:37 AM

[up][up][up] And the young dems Reys?

The only good fanboy, is a redeemed fanboy.
DingoWalley1 Asgore Adopts Noelle Since: Feb, 2014 Relationship Status: Can't buy me love
Asgore Adopts Noelle
#175345: Feb 22nd 2017 at 7:54:19 AM

I say if Jon Ossoff has the best chance of taking Georgia, then the best thing is for the other 4 Democrats to drop out and throw complete (or near complete) support at Ossoff. Sure, that may slightly backfire if something Ossoff did that was bad surfaces, but it's the best chance the Georgian Democrats have, and I think it's worth it to go with this plan.

NoName999 Since: May, 2011
#175346: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:00:27 AM

So naturally, the economic justice warriors will boycott this person if he so much as even say "hi" to a rich person, not vote which will make him lose, and then cry about how a socialist could have easily won Georgia.

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#175347: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:33:36 AM

If there's anything the Democrats can learn from the Republicans, its that ideological purity and inflexibility are not the way to go. Trump abandoned decades of Republican orthodoxy in terms of foreign policy, trade, dogwhistels and more. And he won.

I'm not say that the left should find the first charismatic demagogue and take them even if they are a rapist/bigot/utterly unqualified for the position. But they do need to learn to accept imperfect candidates. If these fringers force left-wing policies on the national party, they'll lose races where they might have an option of winning. And having both parties embrace trade and foreign policy voodoo is bad for just about everyone.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
TacticalFox88 from USA Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Dating the Doctor
#175348: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:44:07 AM

One of my main issues with the left, aside from the idiotic purity testing bullshit, is that they conflate "Left/progressive stance" with "practical and workable in reality." That annoys the hell out of me.

There's a reason politics generally favors centrists or moderates.

New Survey coming this weekend!
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#175349: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:51:27 AM

The problem with the hard left is that they let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Being progressive is preferable; I'm personally tired of consummate milquetoast centrists who basically believe in nothing. I want a genuine progressive who'll stand by their beliefs, but I don't need them to be at the avant-garde of leftist political thought for them to be an acceptable candidate.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Draghinazzo (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
#175350: Feb 22nd 2017 at 8:55:43 AM

That's actually one of the core problems with the Republican party. They simply can't accept the fact that eventually things have to change for one reason or another. A nation's social mores, economic situation, and relationships with other countries are in a constant state of change and no matter what you prefer you have to accept that maybe the way you're doing things isn't working anymore.

Instead of being a proper conservative party and seeking to make a compromise with the democrats to implement change in a controlled and principled way, they instead are petulant reactionaries who would rather let America crumble rather than live in an America that is in any way different from what they envision.

If the Republicans were willing to return the favor, the Democrats compromising wouldn't be that big of a problem.

edited 22nd Feb '17 8:59:45 AM by Draghinazzo


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