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

CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#267376: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:08:46 AM

I found the whole fast food thing unintentionally hilarious, particularly since it paints a good image of America nowadays with Big Macs on silver plates lit by fancy candles and Trump isn't actually hurting anybody with that, unlike the other things he's been doing...

Edited by CookingCat on Jan 16th 2019 at 2:10:20 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267377: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:09:39 AM

The visual image is somewhat on the nose, yes.

Kind of like that photo of the cheese sandwich at Fyre Festival.

Edited by M84 on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:10:50 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#267378: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:10:11 AM

It is however a substantial topic of discussion, as are many other trivial Trump things. Part of the reason I keep talking about Senate and Mitch is to reduce the weight of trivial and inconsequential topics.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267379: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:12:13 AM

Eh, a few pages' worth of posts here is hardly substantial. By next week we'll be back to talking about Trump's shutdown. Yes, I don't think the shutdown is ending this week.

Disgusted, but not surprised
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#267380: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:12:47 AM

I find the idea that people think we shouldn't talk about Trump's social failures but only Serious Business topics....on a forum devoted to discussing how people make video games and fanfic and web videos....has fallen into the trap of thinking this is little more than the barber shop or water cooler of a bunch of geeks and not a activist site.

We discuss to amuse, reassure, and inform.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#267381: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:13:58 AM

The fact that several pages of discussion have been dedicated to something like that should be a cause for serious introspection here. Aside from the whole “obvious trap” aspect, who the hell cares? It’s not like the football players were offended, the only value in the media has been for the “lol” factor, it’s an utterly nonsense story.

They should have sent a poet.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#267382: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:14:54 AM

Yes.

And?

We're waiting for news about the shutdown.

Edited by CharlesPhipps on Jan 16th 2019 at 2:15:13 AM

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267383: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:16:23 AM

The very fact we're TV Tropes posters means that we tend to overthink things and think in terms of tropes and narratives and symbolism. Some of us fixate on stuff like these burgers on a silver platter because it's just such a fitting visual metaphor for Trump's administration.

It also helps that, aside from the DNC cutting sponsorship to the Womens' March for anti-semitic ties, there isn't much else to discuss.

Edited by M84 on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:17:10 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
CookingCat Since: Jul, 2018
#267384: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:16:48 AM

[up][up], [up] Plus it provides some much-needed levity.

Edited by CookingCat on Jan 16th 2019 at 2:17:03 AM

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267385: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:19:06 AM

Seriously though, what is wrong with the Womens' March? Just how screwed up are the in-office politics that they can't bring themselves to cut ties with a blatant prominent anti-semite?

It's really disheartening how this sort of garbage bled into the movement.

The more one looks into this mess the more one realizes the DNC was completely justified in leaving them in the dust.

Edited by M84 on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:20:06 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
Swanpride Since: Jun, 2013
#267386: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:29:59 AM

The Hamburgers mostly get attention because at least we can laugh about this particular example of Trump's stupidity. There really isn't more to it. I doubt that for example Rachel Maddows will do a segment about Hamburgers.

archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#267387: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:35:33 AM

The “occasionally we laugh” argument would work, if it wasn’t for the dozens upon dozens upon dozens of pages in this very thread dedicated to stuff like that, elevated to the same level as actual discourse, or the fact that it’s not just TV Tropes but left-wing media as a whole doing it.

That the open hypocrisy of this isn’t being recognized is baffling.

They should have sent a poet.
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267388: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:37:30 AM

Unfortunately, everything Trump does and says is news. Even stuff like his most inane tweets.

And in this particular case, I think some of us continued to post about it because we wanted to talk about something light after trying to deal with pessimism and anti-semitism apologia.

Edited by M84 on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:39:47 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#267389: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:39:06 AM

[up][up][up][up] I can think of two reasons:

One, anti-Semetism still yet exists on the Left, and if not fought vigilantly it will promptly leak into a whole host of seemingly unrelated set of activism. As seen here, the organizers clearly didn't give too much of a crap fighting for everyone's rights.

Two, as per the article I previously posted, the NOI has some cred with helping with African American Civil Rights, which makes some African American activists unwilling to seriously criticize it. They in turn are tainted by association, and the NOI gets to delight in making people (rightfully) mad while letting said activists take the downfall. Rinse and repeat.

>On Hamburgers

I found the story more amusing than anything. I personally wouldn't mind a table full of burgers myself, it was the situation calling for more decorum that made it funny. And yes, sometimes there are news stories that are just worth taking a break to laugh for. its pretty much just Bathos.

Edited by AzurePaladin on Jan 16th 2019 at 5:41:11 AM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
archonspeaks Since: Jun, 2013
#267390: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:40:25 AM

Just because something is in the news doesn’t mean that it’s newsworthy, and it certainly doesn’t mean we have to agree with it.

The endless fixation on Trump as a person only hurts the left, but it’s cathartic so apparently nobody cares.

They should have sent a poet.
Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#267391: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:40:48 AM

Soooooooo, anyone up for talking about Kirsten Gillibrand announcing her presidential run?

M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267392: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:41:42 AM

Her previous controversial stances on immigration might lead to problems down the line, but she seems like a decent candidate.

I posted my thoughts about her as a potential candidate a while back, and so far they haven't really changed for better or worse.

I'm not from New York though. Maybe one of our New Yorker posters has more to say about her?

Edited by M84 on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:43:39 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
AzurePaladin She/Her Pronouns from Forest of Magic Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Mu
She/Her Pronouns
#267393: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:52:02 AM

[up] Not really a whole lot to add, I guess. Remember, she comes from Upstate NY, or at least that's her constituency. She used to skew more Right Wing, but has swung to the other end of the party in recent years. She still does things I don't necessarily approve of, like meeting with Wall Street execs while prepping her run, but honestly that's likely not going to be as big of a sticking point for y'all than it is for me.

Due note that on policy, regardless of meetings or whatnot, she is one of the most Liberal/Left. Expect her past record to be brought up by purists, though.

538's Clare Malone goes into more detail here.

Edit: Also, she gets points in my book for standing up to Senator Franken.

Double Edit: [down][down] This is what I get for not double checking. Thank you and fixed!

Edited by AzurePaladin on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:27:43 AM

The awful things he says and does are burned into our cultural consciousness like a CRT display left on the same picture too long. -Fighteer
M84 Oh, bother. from Our little blue planet Since: Jun, 2010 Relationship Status: Chocolate!
Oh, bother.
#267394: Jan 16th 2019 at 2:54:03 AM

If it came down to it I'd vote for her over Sanders in the primaries, that's for sure.

It helps that Wall Street ties aren't a dealbreaker for me. Probably because I've got family who used to work on Wall Street and now work at UBS.

Edited by M84 on Jan 16th 2019 at 6:54:57 PM

Disgusted, but not surprised
singularityshot Since: Dec, 2012
#267395: Jan 16th 2019 at 3:24:55 AM

[up][up] Just want to point out on that link about Kirsten Gillibrand that while it may be on FiveThirtyEight and therefore published by Nate Silver, the byline is Clare Malone, their senior political writer.

Edited by singularityshot on Jan 16th 2019 at 11:25:16 AM

PushoverMediaCritic I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out. from the Italy of America Since: Jul, 2015 Relationship Status: watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
I'm sorry Tien, but I must go all out.
#267396: Jan 16th 2019 at 3:25:18 AM

One, anti-Semitism still yet exists on the Left, and if not fought vigilantly it will promptly leak into a whole host of seemingly unrelated set of activism.

Can confirm. Am Jew. Oddly enough, though, anti-Semitism in the left doesn't usually take the form of the viscerally Nazi-esque anti-Semitism that The Woman's March is soaked in. Like, that guy isn't just a blatant anti-Semite, he's an aggressive and open anti-Semite who openly endorses anti-Semitism and talks about how the Jews are a threat.

No, typical left-wing anti-Semitism usually comes from a more well-meaning place (but still offensive). Basically, if you admit to being Jewish/Hebrew in left-wing spaces, it's not uncommon to be mobbed by people demanding to know what your stance is on Isreal, aggressively checking your "progressive card" just based on your religion/ethnicity.

As an example, remember those Jewish LGBT+ people who were kicked out of a Pride Parade? They were kicked out very aggressively just because their rainbow flags had Stars of David on them and the other people at the parade just assumed that they were supporters of Isreal. While the flag of Isreal does have a Star of David on it, the Star of David itself is just a Jewish religious symbol, no different than if the flag had a cross on it to symbolize pride in being an LGBT+ Christian.

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#267397: Jan 16th 2019 at 3:27:20 AM

Wall Street might be a dealbreaker for other voters in the primary and also general election, especially if there are other candidates with a cleaner record such as Warren, O'Rourke, Klobuchar and Harris. Also, in terms of electability...how did she perform in 2018 vis-a-vis partisan lean and national environment?

That some donors don't like her for having pushed out Franken is probably an advantage rather than a disadvantage for Gillibrand IMO, though.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Hylarn (Don’t ask)
#267398: Jan 16th 2019 at 3:36:42 AM

On Gillibrand, I like her (current) policy stances for the most part, but I'm worried that she's really not very charismatic? Like, it's obvious when she's reciting lines, and she doesn't handle going off script well. And I'm not sure about the "we should be nice to each other" platform it looks like she'll be running on, but I'm not sure how much of that is my misanthropic tendencies talking

So, yeah, I don't mind her, but I'm not sure how well she'll do

SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#267399: Jan 16th 2019 at 4:42:16 AM

Since some people keep worrying about Tulsi Gabbard: This political history about her indicates to me that The (Sanderite) Left has little appetite on Gabbard, with many of her harshest critics coming from there. That in 2015 she attacked Obama for not being aggressive enough against ISIS to the point of sounding like a bomb-them-all-and-screw-Obama Republican presidential candidate isn't going to impress anyone else in the party either.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Silasw A procrastination in of itself from A handcart to hell (4 Score & 7 Years Ago) Relationship Status: And they all lived happily ever after <3
A procrastination in of itself
#267400: Jan 16th 2019 at 5:00:16 AM

Obama has issues with being dovish on some areas of foreign policy, he was far to light on Russia, Assad, ISIS and Gadafii, while being far to hard on Yemeni and Pakistani civilians.

Now he got cred with the isolationist ‘left’ (there’s nothing socialist about isolationism) for much of that, but that’s not a good thing.

As for Gillibrand, I expect that’s she’s getting criticism from the Sanders people and I’m shocked, shocked I say, who’d have thought they’d take issue with a female senator from New York.

Edited by Silasw on Jan 16th 2019 at 1:01:19 PM

“And the Bunny nails it!” ~ Gabrael “If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we.” ~ Cyran

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