***Official Political Discussion Thread***

[RustyShackleford]

Annoying, I understand. Agree even.

But don't you agree that adults should be able to decipher medical advice from a doctor from a question to doctors about possible treatments from an elected official?

If not, I am really not sure that the elected official is really the cause of the issue.

You really have no damn shame do you.

 

[whywesteppin]

Americans are not exceptionally dumb or uneducated and yet Americans are notorious for ignoring science when it comes to politics.

I believe the reason for this Americans* are so enthrall to both religious and secular worship of wealth and we assume superior expertise in those with money than we do in experts.

When we combine all of the Bezos and Musk stanning with the prosperity gospel and our good old fashioned Protestant work ethic, we get a society where the wealthiest people are presumed to be the smartest. The wealthiest people, in our current system, tend to become wealthy by imposing massive externalities, be that related to human health, the health of the biosphere or the health of social relations and community.

Invariably, doctors, scientists, law professors, criminologists, economists (well, those of us not bought off by a Koch backed think tank at least) and other experts say things like precarious labor arrangement, fossil fuels, opening night clubs during a pandemic, mass urban real estate speculation, militarized police etc. create bad outcomes. What comes next are oil barons, private equity honchos, tech Bros, shipping magnates and all of their allies in media and politics telling the public to not listen to experts. Some times they will dangle the prospect of capital flight over the heads of a frightened and bewildered public but most of the time, the subtext is so strong, wealth makes you right, that it doesn’t need to be said out loud.

A good rule of thumb is that any time a talking head on the TV tells you to either sacrifice your body for something or they tell you to blame people with less wealth and social power than you, ignore them.


*I'm mostly talking bout white but wealth worshipping nihilism is not exclusively a white thing.

Another major component is that people love to think they're smarter than the elites. It probably stems from our culture of individualism and a disdain for norms, but also from our national delusion that you can do anything if you put your mind to it without specifying that being stubborn isn't enough to make you right.

A common trope in film is the clueless scientist. Like in Armageddon, where the conventional thinking and "mumbo-jumbo" of the scientist is the antagonist to the never-read-a-book savior who knows how to drill. Of course, there's some truth to it (the idea that sometimes we get stuck and need to think outside the box), but it's also a lazy person's easy way out of ever having to do any difficult studying or thinking in life.

Which is why Trump pitched HCQ as a miracle cure or wants to push out a vaccine before trials are complete. And suddenly the anti-vaxxers and homeopathic medicine people are like, "now this is medicine I can get behind!"

 

[IATT]

Texas and Florida are blue states?

Spoiler

Unless he means that Texas and Florida are gonna flip.

 

[frink85]

 

[Methodical Management]

Wealth, shown to scale

Wealth inequality in the United States is out of control. Here we visualize the issue in a unique way.

mkorostoff.github.io

If you don't think this is fundamentally immoral, you have no concept of morality.

What made you think he was a medical professional?

Not sure what advice you are talking about.

These are troll replies. Do better.

 

[Upptempo]

If Trump loses The election and refuses to leave office in January, I'm looking into citizenship in other countries before the war begins

 

[cosmiccoffee9]

If Trump loses The election and refuses to leave office in January, I'm looking into citizenship in other countries before the war begins

man, I don´t even want to be on this continent if that **** really pops off...**** that noise.

actually been looking into that little offer from Ghana from earlier this year:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ghana-to-black-americans-come-home-well-help-you-build-a-life-here/2020/07/03/1b11a914-b4e3-11ea-9a1d-d3db1cbe07ce_story.html

The government has negotiated with local chiefs to earmark 500 acres of land near the nation’s center for newcomers, carving out enough space for about 1,500 families. Survey and registration fees are waived for members of the African diaspora.

The effort grew out of a public campaign called the Year of Return, which attracted a record number of tourists to the West African country last year — four centuries after the first slave ship reached Virginia — and aims to convert visitors to residents with special land deals, expatriate guides and easier paths to citizenship.

“We want to remind our kin over there that there is a place you can escape to,” said Akwasi Agyeman, chief executive of the Ghana Tourism Authority. “That is Africa.”

I like the beach and all, but I´ll be working on my permanent suntan in Accra...I´m coo.

 

[Nike Jordan]

He let the cat out of the bag, explicitly today . He is not accepting election results if he loses. Period.

Brace up.

He didn't even accept the results of the 2016 election. Think about that.

 

[yasuke.]

Between this and Eric Prince calling for billion dollar bail for peaceful protesters, it just feels like the calm before the storm. How anyone, Delk included, can't see how dangerous this is, is completely beyond me. It feels like they're setting the stage for November if Trump refuses to leave and folks take to the streets in protest.

 

[Upptempo]

man, I don´t even want to be on this continent if that **** really pops off...**** that noise.

actually been looking into that little offer from Ghana from earlier this year:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/ghana-to-black-americans-come-home-well-help-you-build-a-life-here/2020/07/03/1b11a914-b4e3-11ea-9a1d-d3db1cbe07ce_story.html

I like the beach and all, but I´ll be working on my permanent suntan in Accra...I´m coo.

I'd move to Mexico. I can drive so I'll put all my stuff into a truck, drive to some $600 a month apartment, drop my stuff off, drive the truck back, grab my whip and drive back and live my life making tacos for tourists. Plus most people speak english so not any language adjustment

 

[IATT]

 

[wavycrocket]

My homeboy was out there that day. He said that **** was WILD. And this a ***** that done been in jail, streets, tough times and injustice etc with law enforcement.

That **** still bother me.

 

[marikomorose]

Between this and Eric Prince calling for billion dollar bail for peaceful protesters, it just feels like the calm before the storm. How anyone, Delk included, can't see how dangerous this is, is completely beyond me. It feels like they're setting the stage for November if Trump refuses to leave and folks take to the streets in protest.

eh, a civil war is overdue if u ask me. it's fairly surprising that one didn't happen in the 60's or early 70's.

 

[cosmiccoffee9]

I'd move to Mexico. I can drive so I'll put all my stuff into a truck, drive to some $600 a month apartment, drop my stuff off, drive the truck back, grab my whip and drive back and live my life making tacos for tourists. Plus most people speak english so not any language adjustment

yeah that´s where I am now, it´s definitely a great place to regroup...can´t imagine riding this bs out up north.

only reason I would leave MX is if the fire spreads, you know how closely these two nations are tied together.

hell, it´s the pretty only place an American CAN go at this moment in time, but that´s another conversation.

 

[frink85]

This morning: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/16/cdc...ore-protection-than-coronavirus-vaccine-.html

“We have clear scientific evidence they work, and they are our best defense,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said. “I might even go so far as to say that this face mask is more guaranteed to protect me against Covid than when I take a Covid vaccine.”

Few hours later: https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/politics/donald-trump-coronavirus-masks-health-experts/index.html

The President told reporters Redfield was "confused" when he said that.
"I think he made a mistake when he said that. It's just incorrect information," Trump said.
The President also said Redfield's comments to Congress about masks possibly being more effective than a vaccine were incorrect and that Redfield may have misunderstood the question.
"Maybe he misunderstood it," Trump said, later adding, "As far as the masks are concerned, I hope that the vaccine is going to be a lot more beneficial than the masks."

Soon after that:

 

[aepps20]

Damn I didn't know Big Mama kicked Zel out again

aepps20 you gonna have to let him sleep on your couch for a couple weeks until this blows over.

I DON'T HAVE THE ROOM.

 

[Upptempo]

yeah that´s where I am now, it´s definitely a great place to regroup...can´t imagine riding this bs out up north.

only reason I would leave MX is if the fire spreads, you know how closely these two nations are tied together.

hell, it´s the pretty only place an American CAN go at this moment in time, but that´s another conversation.

How long have you been there? I've visited Mexico twice and loved it there. The people are always chill and the food is on point. Even when I went to the non tourist areas nobody even looks your way

 

[whywesteppin]

This is so hilarious to me.

Hilarious that we have a mentally unstable fraud who is masquerading as a scientific expert at tRump's behest:

Regardless of whether people listen to don's medical advice, the real danger is that he is installing puppets and putting pressure on normally trustworthy agencies (CDC, FDA, HHS) to put out disinformation on covid-19 so that it makes trump look better.

 

[cosmiccoffee9]

How long have you been there? I've visited Mexico twice and loved it there. The people are always chill and the food is on point. Even when I went to the non tourist areas nobody even looks your way

almost 5 years, on and off...as soon as guy gained a major party nomination I knew it was toilet time in the US.

the people are always chill and the food is on point, but it seems like you already knew that.

Vallarta is cool for what it is, Guadalajara gives you more of that city vibe, CDMX is a little surreal.

as long as you don´t come around showing your ***, you´re pretty much good...come on down while you can!

 

[IATT]

 

[IATT]

 

[IATT]

 

[yasuke.]

 

[nawghtyhare]

 

[dwalk31]

These are troll replies. Do better.

Any thoughts on the posts I replied to?

Someone literally asked me if I ingested cleaning agents.

Apologies for responding in kind.