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Nov 2023 Mod notice:


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

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#326076: Sep 3rd 2020 at 9:47:57 PM

The remainders said third party, followed by not voting.

"About 40 percent of troops surveyed identified as Republican or Libertarian, 16 percent Democrats, and 44 percent independent or another party."

BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
#326077: Sep 3rd 2020 at 10:29:39 PM

I knew that Trump hated McCain, but I didn't know about the rest of the deplorable things he said about other soldiers.

How the hell could anyone like this manchild?

Do not obey in advance.
Eschaton Since: Jul, 2010
#326078: Sep 3rd 2020 at 10:31:52 PM

By saying more deplorable things about people they hate.

BearyScary Since: Sep, 2010 Relationship Status: You spin me right round, baby
Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#326080: Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:01:59 PM

Most of them are just going to believe that the Fake News Lying Mainstream Media is making this up.

Voltron64 Since: Jul, 2016
#326081: Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:14:08 PM

[up][up][up][up] By being just as deplorable as him.

Lazlo74 from A tropical hell-hole Since: May, 2018
#326082: Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:20:37 PM

One thing that got me a bit concerned is how some people I've seen are honest-to-god sociopaths (or misanthropes?) who support whatever horrid nonsense the orange cheeto spews, not for political reasons to "own the libs', mind you, but just because they want to see Trump piss off everyone and the media.

Is nihilist/misanthropic behavior also a common phenomenon in the far-right, or am I just seeing a bunch of trolls supporting an idiot for no particular reason than just to burn the world down? I've heard that the reason why Trump got voted into office in the first place is because of an anti-establishment, populism-driven attitude by Americans who got fed up by whatever the previous administration tried to build up.

Edited by Lazlo74 on Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:21:20 AM

Scaled seeker
Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#326083: Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:25:01 PM

There's a recurring American conservative metaphor about "sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs" (coined by none other than Dave Grossman, who teaches "Killogy" to law enforcement agencies and is one of the gurus of the police militarization and willingness to kill at the drop of a hat we're seeing today), which is a summation of the worldview of the American conservatism movement: people are either helpless fools (sheep), monsters (wolves) or monsters who are on the sheep's side (sheepdogs). It's a worldview that takes as granted that horrible things will be done for the greater good and thus even the good guys are monsters to an extent, just monsters on the side of the angels.

In that worldview, Trump doesn't need to be good (in fact his ruthless and callous nature is evidence that he's a "sheepdog"), just be on their side, fighting for "the sheep".

Not coincidentally, this is also a basic premise of Fascism (that takes as granted that Fascists are horrible thugs, but that they're required to be such to stop whatever boogeyman they're using).

Edited by Gaon on Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:30:27 AM

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
Lazlo74 from A tropical hell-hole Since: May, 2018
#326084: Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:44:16 PM

Is that also why so many conservatives become conspiracy theorists? Because they believe that trust is a sign of weakness and they want to be sheepdogs in a world full of what they perceive as 'sheep' being controlled by the same government they oppose but at the same time support as long as it benefits them and hurts the 'sheep'?

Edited by Lazlo74 on Sep 3rd 2020 at 11:46:28 AM

Scaled seeker
Alycus Since: Apr, 2018
#326085: Sep 4th 2020 at 12:10:12 AM

[up] More or less.

One important thing I've learned over these several years: The powerful do everything possible to portray themselves as the victim, and the powerless as the real threats to society. Conspiracy theories are therefore key to convincing themselves and others that opposition movements that spring up against them are a shadowy evil anarchist Illuminati behind the scenes, and that they themselves are the real underdog heroes standing up to them, thereby justifying all of their actions against their enemies. Republicans do it with minorities and BLM, the CCP does it with Taiwan, Hong Kong protestors, and the Uyghur.

You know what, there's an idea. Next time, instead of a story about protagonists fighting conspiracies, have them fight powerful people who believe in conspiracy theories.

Edited by Alycus on Sep 4th 2020 at 12:14:44 PM

Gaon Smoking Snake from Grim Up North Since: Jun, 2012 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
#326086: Sep 4th 2020 at 12:24:19 AM

Also related to the wolves, sheep and sheepdog metaphor is the idea that basic human decency is either a fiction or a cover-up for something nefarious. Thus when men treat women like human beings is because they're cucks who want women to sleep with them, when someone proposes immigrants receiving human treatment its because they want foreign hordes to defile the land, and on a broader scale whenever any absolute human right is put forward (race/gender equality, healthcare, general charity) it thus must be for some ulterior motive (some kind of communist coup is the most popular). This lends itself well to conspiracy theories.

It's a logic based on the idea humans are all rotten, but at least we, the sheepdogs, admit it.

"All you Fascists bound to lose."
DrunkenNordmann from Exile Since: May, 2015
#326087: Sep 4th 2020 at 12:27:25 AM

[up] So basically, the kind of people who also think Heath Ledger's Joker was right (despite all evidence to the contrary).

Edited by DrunkenNordmann on Sep 4th 2020 at 9:27:45 PM

We learn from history that we do not learn from history
slimcoder The Head of the Hydra Since: May, 2013
The Head of the Hydra
#326088: Sep 4th 2020 at 12:49:59 AM

God Joker would just laugh at these people for being such suckers.

Edited by slimcoder on Sep 4th 2020 at 12:50:06 PM

"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."
unknowing from somewhere.. Since: Mar, 2014
#326089: Sep 4th 2020 at 1:30:12 AM

Kind, good behavor can only happen to sheep who do the good thing they are supused to(intersting chose of animal here, sheep are very shy and do what they are told), the shepard dog is brutal but good agains the wolves.

It prett much justiy the following of cops: they protect you and therefore should have all the freedoms

"My Name is Bolt, Bolt Crank and I dont care if you believe or not"
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#326090: Sep 4th 2020 at 1:35:01 AM

The sheepdogs metaphor is actually taught to the military and meant to be a point of the idea that the world is full of vicious people and that it is a job to be vicious back to the wolves but not the sheep.

The Nihilism of the Alt-Right is actually even further that they have no interest in protecting the "sheep." They take the attitude of the world being a place where the wolves are to prey on them and that's the natural order.

They're Card-Carrying Villain types.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
WoodyAlien3rd from Persimmon Land (Italy) Since: Oct, 2015 Relationship Status: Omelette du fromage~
#326091: Sep 4th 2020 at 3:57:35 AM

The sheep and sheepdog metaphor was popularized, albeit with much more profanity, by the "dicks, pussies and assholes" speech from Team America: World Police by Trey Parker & Matt Stone. Much cruder (who gets to fuck who), but the basic idea is still the same.

In 2004 everybody laughed at that. But now?

"Effective Altruism" is just another bunch of horsesh*t.
CharlesPhipps Since: Jan, 2001
#326092: Sep 4th 2020 at 4:20:02 AM

It came up in THE FLASH where Plastique has it used against her by the Big Bad to persuade her to kill General Eiling due to the evil he's committed and plans to do to metahumans.

Author of The Rules of Supervillainy, Cthulhu Armageddon, and United States of Monsters.
FinestArts Vampire Mouse of Mars from The North Lands Since: Apr, 2020 Relationship Status: Above such petty unnecessities
Vampire Mouse of Mars
#326093: Sep 4th 2020 at 6:11:33 AM

@Gaon

That is some serious Lex Luthor shit since his main defining issue with Superman is that he can't envision someone with that much power selflessly using it to help people with no ulteior motive since it's not what he'd do.

SpookyMask Since: Jan, 2011
#326094: Sep 4th 2020 at 7:24:03 AM

Meanwhile back in Finnish army service, nobody was really taught to consider enemy as monsters or even think about the enemy tongue Like running gag was that hypothetical "enemy" comes from the west(direction of sweden) because everyone knows real reason we have defense army for :p But conscript aren't taught some sort of philosophy about shooting people, they are just taught to shoot and do their job.

I don't know why but even I find that kind of rhetoric kinda scary since for all the "defend your country" stuff Finnish army didn't really feel like they were bothering to try to indoctrinate an ideology :P

Edited by SpookyMask on Sep 4th 2020 at 5:25:24 PM

HailMuffins Since: May, 2016 Relationship Status: Shipping fictional characters
#326095: Sep 4th 2020 at 7:31:33 AM

[up][up]Some Republicans make even Silver Age supervillains look restrained.

ScubaWolf from South Carolina Since: Feb, 2020
#326096: Sep 4th 2020 at 7:39:28 AM

[up] I remember a picture way back when Trump got into office with the supervilains standing with Trump, only for people to point out how none of them actually would. Even Evil Has Standards was applied, and surprising nobody, Trump broke every villain's standards.

"In a move surprising absolutely no one"
Aszur A nice butterfly from Pagliacci's Since: Apr, 2014 Relationship Status: Don't hug me; I'm scared
A nice butterfly
#326097: Sep 4th 2020 at 7:52:32 AM

[up][up][up]Living in one without an army makes armies even weirder.

It has always been the prerogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes
Demongodofchaos2 Face me now, bitch! from In a Cultivation World (Ancient one) Relationship Status: 700 wives and 300 concubines
ciyinwanderer Since: Dec, 2018
#326099: Sep 4th 2020 at 8:08:14 AM

Correct.

This signature was thumped to preserve the dignity of the moderators.
TitanJump Since: Sep, 2013 Relationship Status: Singularity
#326100: Sep 4th 2020 at 8:08:33 AM

[up][up] He is a wannabe dictator that has let the imaginary power of the presidency get to his (empty) head.

He should be in an insane asylum ala "Arkham" at this point, considering all the mad rambling and raving he is doing on a daily basis now.

Edited by TitanJump on Sep 4th 2020 at 5:08:50 PM


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