WatDabney

I still… maybe it’s my years working construction, but when I look at RFK Jr. - his mannerisms and gestures and speech patterns and connection (or lack thereof) to reality - I see a tweaker, clear as a bell.

It can be - certainly.

One of the basic dynamics of partisan politics, and one of the main reasons that parties decline, is that people wear a party label as a substitute for more meaningful action.

In this case, people who want to project an image of progressivism without actually doing anything practical to advance the cause adopt (or adopted - more so in the past) the “Democrat” label as a way to signal their progressivism. The fact that they wear the label is then folded into their self -image - they can be proud that they’re progressive, because after all, they’re Democrats, which proves it.

One problem though is that that only works as long as the Democrats are seen to be progressive. If they’re no longer seen that way, then by extension the party faithful are themselves no longer progressive either.

So effectively, a criticism of the party is a criticism of the individual, so they have a vested interest in defending the party from criticism.

Example:

“Republicans are corrupt weasels.”

“Democrats are the same.”

I see only three options there. Either:

1. You understand and admit that they mean “the same” in the sense of “also corrupt weasels.”
2. You’re a liar
3. You’re a moron.

I’m so fucking tired of this argument.

It’s the same fucking bullshit loop every goddamned time. Somebody will say that the two parties are “the same” clearly meaning "the same in [this] particular sense, and then the pedantic assholes will all come swooping in and start nattering on about how that’s completely wrong because they’re not absolutely 100% identical.

Here’s a fucking news flash for all you binaristic pinheads - there are more than two possibilities. We aren’t just limited to “they’re 100% the same” and “they’re not the same at all.” It’s not only possible but certain fact that they ARE the same in many, many ways, and the fact that they’re not the same in ALL ways doesn’t change that.

Anyone who can’t envision more than two diametrically opposed possibilities is a fucking moron, and I’m sick and tired of this argument being driven by fucking morons.

That’s what I’ve used for years now, and I have no problems with them.

I actually have three of them, of varying ages, all of which still work fine. The older ones have simple switch shoulder buttons and the newer ones have analog triggers, and that’s pretty much the only notable change they’ve made over the years.

The only “problem” I’ve run into with them is that the buttons and/or the pad will accumulate dust over time and stop working dependably, so I have to take them apart and clean the contacts every year or two. Which is very easy to do.

It’s tempting - it would be greatvto be able to say something like, “I just want to thank you for being such an insufferable asshole that you were the catalyst that started the process that ended with my mom becoming a Democrat.”

But I assume it would be lost on him. Like both Trump and Musk, I assume he’s determinedly oblivious to the fact that he’s an asshole

My mom is a lifetime Republicsn who up until last year was on a pure reactionary right feed on Facebook. She’s basically turned 180° in just the last few months, and while it started with her immediate gut-level dislike for Vance, it was driven home by her imnediate, gut-level dislike for Musk. It’s now expanded out to criticizing (and laughing at) Trump and the rest of the would-be oligarchs, and she’s moved from Facebook to Reddit and is already trying to decide which Democrats she’s going to vote for.

And while it actually started with Vance, it was almost entirely Musk (or as she referred to him for quite a while - “What’s his name - the asshole co-president”) who accomplished the most to drive her away from the party she’d supported her entire life.

And I assume she’s far from alone.

They’re stuck in a feedback loop of indidcriminate rage – self-affirming, hateful propaganda – cognitive dissonance – sneaking self-doubt – indidcriminate rage…

I don’t think it’s the case that people are rewarded with power, then somehow turn into pstchopathic fuckwads, but that only psychopathic fuckwads are willing and able to do everything it takes to gain that sort of power in the first place.

Think of all the compromises someone has to make and lies they have to tell and asses they have to kiss and backs they have to stab to fight and crawl up the ladder to that sort of position.

No truly sane and stable and honest and empathetic person would or even could do all of that.

Cue the next learned essay about how what Democratic voters really want is centrists in 3, 2, 1…

Musk is that kid in middle school who went out of his way to act smug and edgy in a desperate attempt to impress the other kids but it was all so cringey and irritating that it just made everyone hate him, but he was so dysfunctional that all he could do was try even harder to be smug and edgy, which just made the other kids hate him even more, and 'round and 'round it went until finally somebody decked him and then his mom complained to the administration because the other kids were bullying her baby.

I don’t know this to be the case, but I’ve long assumed that the average age on Hexbear is about 15, and have yet to find any reason to assume otherwise.

And take Nancy Pelosi with you.

I would count it as certain fact that every single society that’s ever hit any sort of national identity crisis point has spawned commentary from people insisting that the “problem” is that young people are no longer being indoctrinated with some set of ideas with which they used to be indoctrinated (and with which the commenter personally agrees), and that that has made it so that they can be and are instead indoctrinated with some other set of ideas (which the commenter personally opposes) instead.

I would say that the rather obvious problem is indoctrination in and of itself, though unfortunately the solution to that problem is almost certainly more evolutionary than societal, and it’s going to take at least one and likely a few more mass die-off events before humanity will have any hope of beating it.

For whatever any of that’s worth, to those of us on the wrong side of that event.

Notice how every time Musk is criticized for being a toxic piece of shit, one of his parents or some other authority figure sticks up for him?

Guaranteed that that’s the way it’s been his entire life, and that’s why he’s never outgrown being a petulant, reckless, self-absorbed, blameshifting teenage edgelord.

Discworld’s fine by me.

I’m calling bullshit on this.

There’s no possible way that Biden or any of his people could let or not let Harris do anything. They had no actual control over her campaign.

The only outsiders who had any control over her campaign were the DNC and the party establishment - the same pieces of shit who torpedoed Sanders in 2016 and 2020,.

I’m 100% certain that this narrative is coming from them, trying to dodge the blame they so richly deserve by pinning it on the senile guy.

Musk never outgrew 8th grade.

He’s still in there, day in and day out, doing everything he can think of to try to get the other kids to think he’s cool, and still just making himself look like that much more of a creepy, pathetic douchebag.

What he meant is that nobody rich and white died.

Nobody else counts.

“I can’t believe I used to like these guys.”