benroyce

benroyce, 5 days ago

@StillIRise1963

even then, it's surprised pikachu face: "what do you mean i'm not invited to the clubhouse? i towed the line on all of your racist, plutocrat bullshit, you mean you're not overlooking that i'm gay? but i'm a rich racist asshole, you have to like me even though i'm gay... right? right?"

https://www.texastribune.org/2022/07/24/texas-log-cabin-republicans/

benroyce, 5 days ago

@StillIRise1963

divide and conquer is one the greatest tactics of hate and fascism: you go after the poor. you go after black people. you go after gay people. you go after trans

and each time there is enough hate in one of those othered groups that you bizarrely pick up support in that group

poor people who hate black people. black people who hate gay people. trans who hate the poor. etc., etc

hate unfortunately works in politics, and long as it does, it's a heavy slog

benroyce, 5 days ago

@futurebird @StillIRise1963

everything in politics is appealing to our greater selves or our lesser selves

tragically, appealing to our lesser selves is something that works way too often

benroyce, 5 days ago

@dgar

these are logic gates

also known as fjords

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @rameshgupta

It's important to have a moral center. But morality has to imply action. If your supposed morality moves you to inaction when you know and don't care that the world will get worse due to your inaction, you're not moral at all. You're privileged and entitled

Alternatively you're a plutocrat/ geopolitical agenda troll/ agent provocateur and you're pushing inaction because you're malicious, acting on fools because you understand the real world effect

#vote

benroyce, 5 days ago

@escarpment @nicholas_saunders @rameshgupta

😆

thanks for your hilariously unaware zealous comment

if we get Trump as president, make sure to tell the fascists taking away our rights that you appreciate their alternative "moral" realities

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @escarpment @rameshgupta

yes. Trump can become president and you're personally f***ed

then all the entitled fools who imagine they have the privilege to not vote can Pikachu face

i'm sure they will find some way to blame others for what they did

it's always someone else's fault. our rights are on the line and they are asked to #vote but they can't sully themselves to matter in social responsibility and solidarity

what's important is maintaining the lie of their innocence

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @escarpment @rameshgupta

i believe, correct me if i am wrong, that ramesh and i are saying voting is important. extremely important in november of this year, considering what is on the line

and i believe that mr. heavy breathing reply guy escarpment finds us to be "moral zealots" for that. which i find hilarious

benroyce, 5 days ago

@escarpment @nicholas_saunders @rameshgupta

then i have nothing but love and respect for you and i embrace you

i would add though, that, considering what trump represents, morality itself is on the line. of course, morality never goes away, but anyone with half a brain understands trump has no moral center, and that absolutely has an effect on society and the world in terrible ways if such a malignant narcissist gains control of the white house again

benroyce, 5 days ago

@Vonskinnback @nicholas_saunders @rameshgupta

It's also a false argument

Some people romanticize #revolution

They falsely believe the only winners of violent revolution are the righteous

More often the winners of revolution are more vicious and society is worse

Nevermind they discount all the suffering and injustice during the armed struggle that is often worse than the injustice that moved them to fight

It's so much easier to just get off your fat ass and #VOTE

benroyce, 5 days ago

@Vonskinnback @nicholas_saunders @rameshgupta

Also while we debate the notion of #voting/ not voting we need to consider two other forms of players here:

#Edgelords

They dont care about anything except watching the world burn. For lulz

#Trolls

Whether of the #domestic #rightwing or #vatnik/ #wumao variety, their point is to play #agentprovocateur, cosplaying #leftwing, and advance their #plutocrat/ #geopolitical agendas by suppressing the vote

#vote!

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @escarpment @rameshgupta

you have a choice between a shit sandwich and a rotten sardine sandwich

if you have the choice to eat neither you're entitled and privileged: you're well fed

if you have no food, you're going to eat the rotten sardine sandwich

not because it's wonderful, but it beats starving

i wish those who are rich or white or powerful stood in responsibility and solidary with those who are trans, or a woman who needs an abortion, etc, and just fucking #vote

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @Vonskinnback @rameshgupta

uh... electing a racist to "break the stranglehold democrats have over the black vote" is the most deranged ridiculous thing i have read in awhile

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @Vonskinnback @rameshgupta

it is possible to call every election a massive crisis and that's melodramatic

but, the possibility of electing trump again is indeed an existential crisis:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025

#vote

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @Vonskinnback @rameshgupta

but why would you risk the gestapo stomping on your face?

if you're voting, i have no problem with you. but if you don't: it's such a small thing to forestall the possibility

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @Vonskinnback @rameshgupta

i am trying to insult you, but you are entitled and privileged. there will be no negative effects to you because you're not a woman who needs an abortion or a trans person, etc

eventually though, after the fascists have consolidated power, it will effect you personally, and you should have the honesty and foresight to acknowledge this

or don't. just say you don't care. in which case, why even comment on the topic? you don't care

benroyce, 5 days ago

@nicholas_saunders @Vonskinnback @rameshgupta you just always vote because it always matters, even if warped by gerrymandering, voter suppression, etc

because everyone who doesn't vote in those places where it does matter, are simply places where it used to not matter. it's just obliviousness and apathy sliding us into hell

voting is a social responsibility. if you lack it, ok, but recognize that you are failing society here

benroyce, 5 days ago

@QasimRashid

give them time

they will go after libraries full bore

they already have to limited effect: libraries are "woke"

benroyce, 6 days ago

@Dutchinvestor

won't happen, and doesn't matter

all you need is a large population there, which China has, a little coordination, complete economic dominance, and corrupt local officials- which, being Russia, is not exactly difficult

then you de facto run the place, pesky national borders be damned

If some Russian Nationalist yells "China owns the Far East!" you pat him on the head, point at the border and say "clearly this is Russia" and smile

then continue on running the whole thing

benroyce, 6 days ago

@Dutchinvestor alternatively, Russia descends into chaos, and, in friendly cooperation with the West, China moves into Sakha to "secure nuclear weapons and provide for the people" or whatever pleasant bs (while Japan takes Sakhalin, usa kamchatka, Finland karelia, norway kola, poland belarus, turkey circassia, Ukraine to the Volga, etc)

The West may then move out later when democracy takes hold

But China simply says "we're still concerned with security" or whatever bs

benroyce, 6 days ago

@brie @Dutchinvestor

YOU WILL LEARN TO SPEAK OF LUKASHENKO WITH HIGH PRAISE!

🤭

benroyce, 6 days ago

@WhiteCatTamer @brie @Dutchinvestor he had to become a despot before he could achieve that rank. these are exacting standards. the Russian military is near supernatural in potency!

benroyce, 6 days ago

@WhiteCatTamer @brie @Dutchinvestor

Such an army did change the tide in the Lord of the Rings. Problem is it changed the tide for those fighting the orcs, not the orcs

benroyce, 6 days ago

@thepoliticalcat or Russia's imperialist brutality during the Boxer Rebellion

benroyce, 5 days ago

@sundogplanets

what a great thread

not only because it's an awesome read

but because it's impactful, no pun intended