derangment syndrome

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

I think a lot of it is it gives people a sense of belonging to something. Like you know, the go to could always be, "Nice weather we're having!" or "Boy those Mets are in trouble!" kind of stuff before, right? Now pretty much anyone can chum it up with celebrities and their heroes with stuff like, "YEAH! Trump is SO STUPID and RACIST! I can't wait until impeachment in 3 days!" and everyone is immediately best friends and the high fives never stop coming. It makes sense on a human level.

You kinda just described our entire political system these days.

"Yeah, fvck Trump!" "Yeah, lock her up!"

[Candy Kappa]

Originally Posted by Voltron

I'm looking at you, Roger Stone.

One day he'll get Batman with his army of flightless birds

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Refractive Reflections

...And let me guess, these same individuals who are commenting on Trump's deteriorating mental health are the same individuals who stated Hillary Clinton had a 98% chance of winning the presidency.

The mainstream media can't even decide if Trump's an idiot losing his mind, or an evil genius.

Right on cue:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/30/polit...020/index.html

[Voltron]

Originally Posted by Refractive Reflections

...And let me guess, these same individuals who are commenting on Trump's deteriorating mental health are the same individuals who stated Hillary Clinton had a 98% chance of winning the presidency.

The mainstream media can't even decide if Trump's an idiot losing his mind, or an evil genius.

I dunno. I was always wary of the stats they were putting up, because the confidence seemed Karl Rovish.

Trump ran a fantastic campaign. It would've been difficult for anyone to beat him. He talked a big game, and a lot of the GOP were furious that Obama got two terms. On that ALONE Trump gained a lot of popularity. Then Hillary got the nomination and. . . well, you don't win popularity contests by being unlikable.

As far as his mental faculties go, I don't think Trump is "insane". He does have personality traits that make him unfit for the office, though. How anyone can look at the job he's doing and approve is beyond me.

[Leo656]

A lot of celebrities are Scientologists, too, so... yeah, f*ck what they think.

I always liked Lars Ulrich, because once upon a time during the Iraq debacle, someone asked him what he thought of the war, and George W., and he more or less said, "Nobody should be asking me or any entertainer about stuff like that. Just because we're great at what we do doesn't mean we're political experts or in touch with reality."

Spoken like what a guy who lives half the year on a bus and the other half in a recording studio should say, if he's got even the slightest hint of self-awareness.

These people (celebrities) spend their evenings getting coked up and group-f*cking each other. I care what they think about politics? We're barely even the same species. F*ck outta here with that nonsense.

[Voltron]

I hate hearing this argument.

The current president of the United States was from that culture. He's a reality TV star.

Ronald Reagan was an actor.

If we're going to dismiss the political opinions of celebrities, then we should at least be consistent.

The fact of the matter is that people's opinions count, regardless of who they are. Since we all get to vote, we each have a voice in the discussion, whether we're full of hot air or not.

Listening to celebrities yammer on is pretty underwhelming, since quite a few are out of touch with what most of us would consider average life.

But again, I need to point out that this was the same treatment that Trump received. Twice he ran for POTUS, and twice people belittled his knowledge, criticized his abilities, and doubted his chances to win.

[Leo656]

I don't think all opinions count. At the very least, they're not weighted evenly. An uneducated or uninformed opinion is nothing but hot air. Nobody can tell you to stifle it, but nobody should automatically put any stock in it, either.

For example, ask me my "opinion" about the two teams in the Super Bowl this year. I can make something up just so I have a reply, but the truth is, I don't know. I never knew. I don't know or understand anything about football. You'd be stupid to ask me what I think about it, and even stupider to align yourself with whatever it is that I'd say.

Yes, we all have opinions. Most people just talk to hear themselves, and to sound smart. There are things in which I would say, "You should definitely value my opinion on this, because I know what I'm talking about," and plenty of others where I'd flat-out say that my opinion might get you arrested or deported.

See what I mean? I know that sounds very elitist, but really, it's incredibly important to consider the source before deciding whether or not someone's opinion actually means anything to the conversation they're presently having.

I mean, Gwyneth Paltrow openly tells women to steam-clean their Hot Pocket, and Jenny McCarthy is an anti-vaxxer. Based on evidence, we should dismiss everything either one of them says out of hand, because they've proven themselves to be dangerously stupid. Or even do the exact opposite of whatever they suggest. But we definitely shouldn't be letting them influence how we vote.
-----------

Aside from that, I feel like we've learned the exact wrong lesson from the events you've cited. Actually, I know we have; People seriously want The Rock to run for President. For one thing, those people probably don't know (or don't want to believe) that he's a Republican, but aside from that, what are his credentials? F*cking "Baywatch"? Giving the British Bulldog a Rock Bottom into dog poop? Those events you mentioned are what got us here, and "here" ain't great, supposedly. If anything, we should be making it all the more difficult to get involved in politics and run for office. The original plan was to prevent any random yahoo from getting the Big Job. As you pointed out, we literally elected THE random yahoo. it's scary to think of where we go from here.

I propose a new rule: If you've ever in your life snorted blow off of a Playmate's ass crack, you're automatically unfit to be a so-called "public servant".

[Voltron]

I was trying to extend an olive branch, since a lot of the people here seem to believe that Trump is doing a great job.

I agree that opinions need to be weighed. This new "all opinions need to be heard" thing is going to get us into some serious trouble.

Trump paid porn stars hush money.

When we look at the choices presented to us in the 2016 election, then by all means Hillary was the better of the two choices. She was, as she touted "so qualified".

Trump is and always has been a self-aggrandizing blowhard. He's had zero experience in government and his businesses have repeatedly gone into bankruptcy. Look at Atlantic City, New Jersey if you need an idea of what Trump's business acumen produces.

Trump insulted John McCain and mocked him for getting captured in Vietnam.

Let's not forget that Trump was very clear his negotiation skills during the campaign. He pointed to his businesses as proof that he was able to get people on board with his ideas. Trump even went on television saying that, if the government shut down, it should be considered the president's fault.

Donald Trump mocked a handicapped reporter and overtly suggested his supporters use violence at his rallies.

Trump then went on to lose in a majority, if not all, the key political negotiations he took part in. North Korea gained legitimacy on the world stage by meeting with a sitting US president, and then they continued to build nuclear facilities. Mexico refused to pay for a wall on the US southern border. Nany Pelosi beat Trump in a standoff over funding when Trump shut down the government to force Americans to pay for a free wall.

Trump approved a disastrous raid in Yemen that lead to the deaths of American soldiers as well as women and children.

He lost to Nancy Pelosi. Let that sink in. The Democrats, famous for their inability to stand up to anything stronger than a stiff breeze, managed to stare Trump down. Now, Trump's only real option here is to declare a state of emergency.

But the problem with that is the fabled Wall is going to be a political nightmare. It's going to cost billions if not trillions to construct, patrol, and maintain. It's going to force American citizens to give up their land to allow it to be built. Perhaps worst of all, it's going to leave some areas of the United States on the wrong side of the Wall.

Trump isn't even building a Wall. It's a series of steel slats. Walls are solid structures with no intermittent gaps.

I understand that a lot of people here support Trump and support the Wall. I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. And, while all appearances are to the contrary, I don't want Trump to fail as a president. Nevertheless, he's either greatly overestimated his abilities to carry out the duties of the office OR he's a liar. There's not much in between the two.

If we're going to say that buffoons don't belong anywhere near politics, then why are we so pro-Trump?

[Leo656]

I'd stop short of declaring myself "Pro-Trump", although his reign of terror has somehow worked out very well for me personally.

I always defer to one of the main rules of Journalism, which is "root for the story". I don't like to get too personally or emotionally involved, I just like seeing things play out.

As Carlin infamously declared, I really don't think of myself as "one'a you's." As in part of the collective "human race". I have no vested interest in seeing it continue, and whether humanity thrives for another few millennia or we blow ourselves up tomorrow, I really don't care, so long as it isn't boring and I, personally, am fairly well-set. I didn't cause the problems and thus am not at all interested in being part of the solution.

I just observe and report. 40 or 50 more years, and absolutely none of this will be my problem anymore. In the meantime, crank up the Def Leppard and enjoy the ride.

[Voltron]

What problems would those be?

Washing your hands of society all together is damn near impossible. I'm not the only one who's dreamed of dropping off the grid, moving to the middle-of-no-where and living in a self-sufficient log cabin.

As for not being part of the solution, I'm not sure what those are, either. They often seem as nebulous and unfeasible as the problems we're solving.

So long as people just take care of their little part of the world, things seem to go OK. And by that, I mean you're not literally throwing your own crap out of windows, burning your plastic trash, or starting fist-fights with the mailman because you're a "sovereign citizen" and refuse to take part in Illuminati socialism.

I find it hard to believe you're *that* detached from society. And if you are, you should call TLC or something and get a reality TV show. Because that would be hilarious to watch.

[Leo656]

It's really more like, since I can't "escape" society I just manipulate it towards my benefit, while still not being interested in participating in it.

To clarify - and to again paraphrase Carlin - I love certain individuals as I meet them, BUT, am openly disdainful of the majority in general. I don't believe life is sacred, I don't believe in the "goodness" or "decency" of humanity, and I think you only need to look at history to realize that it's all a crock. People only behave themselves because they're afraid of punishment, be it from "the law" or the "Big Boss" in the sky. Remove the threat of repercussions, and marvel as society tears itself apart. Which is why, even though it's vulgar, I have to applaud when someone like Trump drops any and all pretense and just says, "Yep. I'm 100% not concerned about anything I can't profit or benefit from." Because at that point, he's the only person in the room who's being honest. I respect that. I don't respect "moral crusaders", because I've seen the kind of skeletons THOSE people have. They're not "good people", they're just trying to buy their way into Heaven. I honestly find that worse.

So, yeah, not a fan of "people", don't really want to have too much in common with them. I do agree that "police your area, don't actively make things worse" is about as "good" as we can be. That's generally what I try to do.

And my life would make for the most boring reality show ever. I can see it now: "Episode 7: Sleeping Until 6pm on Sunday".

[Vegita-San]

Originally Posted by Voltron

INevertheless, he's either greatly overestimated his abilities to carry out the duties of the office OR he's a liar. There's not much in between the two.

If we're going to say that buffoons don't belong anywhere near politics, then why are we so pro-Trump?

again, how is trump different from ANY other politician in Washington? look at what we almost had with hillary. a lying person who sabotaged her own campaign. and all the other idiots running on both the democratic AND republican side looked just as scary. they where just more scary than trump, hence why he had the better chance of winning. i.e. seem as the lesser evil.

the biggest problem with people who support politicians veraciously is that they think ONE is better than all the others. when they really, really arn't. they may be better at HIDING their flaws..but they all kind of suck once they get to a higher level of office.

[Voltron]

Originally Posted by Leo656

Episode 7: Sleeping Until 6pm on Sunday

You're living the dream, brother.

Originally Posted by Vegita-San

again, how is trump different from ANY other politician in Washington?

I understand the general disdain for politicians in general. They've failed us, by and large. A solid number aren't even fit to be in office, I'd say.

The problem with Trump, though, is that he has no idea how the system works.

A big misconception that seems to be pretty common is that government doesn't work because it's lazy. In reality, a lot of the wait with government is the absolute cluster **** of bureaucracy that anyone has to wad through to get anything started, let alone finished.

Think about any time the government contacts you. 99% of the time it's unhappy news. No one wants to work with those guys, even on the best of terms. Government offices are NOTORIOUS for being clogged and backlogged and inefficient.

And that's all the way up to the highest level. Executive orders that instantly create new policy are a unicorn in this case. Everything else is negotiating with Congress, or haggling with the private sector, setting up meticulous and boring agreements with foreign powers. Why anyone would want to be the president is beyond me.

From the beginning, Trump talked a big game. And it was hard not to get excited when listening to him. He was going to force the government to do stuff for a change. And not just small potatoes, either.

He was going to:

1. Build a wall for free.
2. Give us all great, cheap healthcare.
3. Defeat ISIS in 30 days.


And none of that has happened. Not because he didn't try, either. He asked Mexico for money, he tried to negotiate on healthcare, and he fired missiles into Syria. He took action on his promises, but they just aren't feasible.


Contrast this with Hillary.

She didn't sabotage her own campaign. She's just unlikable, which is a problem when you need to win a popularity contest to be president.

Hillary knows how the system works. She's been working in it all her life. It wouldn't be a fun time with her, since the entire country was tired of "politics-as-usual", but it would have been a stable and functioning presidency, if uneventful.

As for lies, that does seem to plague a lot of politicians. However, Trump lies consistently and about things that don't even matter. He buddies up to authoritarian strong men and attends meetings ALONE with Vladmir Putin. Bear in mind, Putin does NOT attend those meetings alone.

Everything about this guy is shady as ****. He's a noted conman and almost everything he touches turns to crap.

Hillary, at the very least, sees things through to the end. Hell, she's married to a guy who bangs interns and she didn't leave him.

And that's not the worst of it.

Hillary sucks, but there were so many better candidates on either side. John Kasich and Jeb Bush were both FAR better choices than Trump could ever hope to be. They weren't as exciting, no. But politics, by definition, is boring. It's a bunch of old men talking about taxes. No one ever gets excited for that.

In the end, we've got what we've got and there's little to do but see where time takes us. Still, I'd much rather we pick someone a bit more experienced and cultured for the next POTUS, and not some doofus who fires off third grade insults, misspellings and all, on twitter.

[Leo656]

My biggest problem with Hillary has always been, she willingly stayed attached to a violent serial rapist - "allegedly" - so she could ride his name into the White House and subsequently the history books. All the victims whom she dismissed, laughed at or openly worked to bury and discredit, all fodder for her aspirations. And even before that, one of her most infamously high-profile cases as a lawyer was in defending a man who - again, "allegedly" - raped a 12 or 13 year old girl, in which she went above and beyond the call of duty to say the least. She's the most anti-woman "woman" alive. But she positions herself as a champion of women. And other women consistently fall in behind her, knowing full well all the details of who and what she is. Because "uterus", I guess? As if that excuses the fact that she's actively worked to silence and discredit rape survivors while playing off of her famous husband so she would profit big time from it.

She's a vile, vile creature, that one is. Trump, I look at and see a snake, behaving in a snakelike fashion. Hillary is like one of those things from "V" wearing a skin suit so it can pass as People.

I don't know. I think we're still better off. Neither one of them deserves any kind of power, but... I'm less comfortable with it in someone like Hillary's hands, and not just because she's a woman. I'm pretty sure Trump is "just" mostly stupid and self-serving while Hillary, to me, radiates Evil.

People have an aura. Hers is radioactive. I'unno, I can't find much good to say about her and never could. Other than, "At one point in the early 90s she was almost kinda hot for like 5 minutes." That's about all I got.

[Refractive Reflections]

Originally Posted by Voltron

I hate hearing this argument.

The current president of the United States was from that culture. He's a reality TV star.

Ronald Reagan was an actor.

If we're going to dismiss the political opinions of celebrities, then we should at least be consistent.

The fact of the matter is that people's opinions count, regardless of who they are. Since we all get to vote, we each have a voice in the discussion, whether we're full of hot air or not.

Listening to celebrities yammer on is pretty underwhelming, since quite a few are out of touch with what most of us would consider average life.

But again, I need to point out that this was the same treatment that Trump received. Twice he ran for POTUS, and twice people belittled his knowledge, criticized his abilities, and doubted his chances to win.

That's the reason why the rest of America mocks the bi-costal elites. They sanctimoniously lecture to the rest of America that we need no walls, and to ban most/all firearms, and that we should seriously restrict our lives to prevent global climate change, yet their whole lifestyle is hypocritical when they live in walled communities and homes, have armed security guards, and use private planes and energy nonchalantly.

So it's okay for the American middle class, poor, and homeless to be exposed to border crime (i.e. violent drug cartels and human trafficking), to have no way of protecting themselves (especially for women, who on average, have less physical strength than men), and be susceptible to the economic harm of the Paris (Climate Change) Agreement even though it's loophole is simply just outsourcing those Western emissions to China (is it no wonder that so many companies are for environmentalism when it disguises their underlying job outsourcing motives)?

[Leo656]

I like you, you silly bitch, come see my room.

[Refractive Reflections]

This meme says it all about the mainstream media setting the narrative as to what is "outrageous" or "alarming", and worth their time reporting/reacting toward. It's NSFW, and disturbing, but reinforces the point.

Spoiler:

Meme from: https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/...ng_hate_crime/
11-Year Old Drag Kid Dances in NYC gay club as patrons toss money: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/11...s-toss-money-a

....And where is the mainstream media's moral outrage here?

[BartAllen]

Originally Posted by Refractive Reflections

This meme says it all about the mainstream media setting the narrative as to what is "outrageous" or "alarming", and worth their time reporting/reacting toward. It's NSFW, and disturbing, but reinforces the point.

Spoiler:

https://i.redd.it/j3exnoy78sb21.jpg
Meme from: https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/...ng_hate_crime/
11-Year Old Drag Kid Dances in NYC gay club as patrons toss money: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/11...s-toss-money-a

....And where is the mainstream media's moral outrage here?

I feel so bad for that child. The way the media twisted that occurrence really speaks to the fact that the media is broken.


Trump doing bad things in other countries is pretty much par for course when it comes to Presidents of the United States. He is only doing what Obama, Bush and a litany of other presidents that preceded him.

If you're outraged by Trump's actions and not Obama's or Bush's then you're obviously not applying the same metric when it comes to judging the president.

[Voltron]

If you don't see the difference between a wall around a house and a 2,000 mile long impossible money sink, then I don't know how else to explain it to you.

We've been outsourcing jobs for decades. If the Paris Climate Agreement expedited that, then that just begs the question: why haven't these captains of industry saved us yet? Why are you making excuses for billionaires who've been bleeding this country dry and running it into the ground? They're the ones who fill "The Swamp" we all hate so much, but when they decide to cut and run for cheap child labor and lax environmental laws, I just hear applause.

Also, can we get some news sources that aren't so slanted they're practically vertical? I'm not wandering around slapping up TYT videos or some other hyper liberal ********, at least have the courage to look at a centrist opinion.

[IndigoErth]

My question is... why isn't the issue and need for walls resting at least partly in the hands of the states who actually have those borders? If anyone knows the places where additional barriers could be helpful (and/or creating more patrol jobs) it would be those states and the local law enforcement/patrols that oversee that territory. Why are talks not happening with those states, and if they could genuinely use additional fencing in certain spots, then split the cost between state and some additional federal funding to help.

That I could get behind, helping out those states where genuinely needed at present, if the states themselves are going to be partly responsible. (Not so much Trump's envisioned monument to himself.)

Because at the end of the day it isn't entirely unlike most coastal states needing to protect their own exterior borders too, just for different reasons. Beach replenishment is a vital yearly thing to protect people and communities, as well as part of the economy when it comes to beach towns that pull in a lot. And I think for most (all?) replenishment is paid partly by both state and federal. (Although federal funds for this are supposedly shrinking... ) I could get behind doing it similarly, if the costs are split and there is an intelligent strategy. Not just slapping a wall from one side of the other without any plan and including where geography or other reasons make it unneeded, because that's like building sand dunes around towns that don't need them, just in case, rather than building them where they are.