[worry]

While party platforms aren't the most important things in the world -- and the DNC's own was watered down to dissatisfying moderate beige wallpaper -- the RNC's platform has (unanimously) adopted coal as a clean fuel: http://grist.org/ele...-coal-is-clean/

[Silencer]

Kanyemander West, on 12 July 2016 - 06:57 AM, said:

While party platforms aren't the most important things in the world -- and the DNC's own was watered down to dissatisfying moderate beige wallpaper -- the RNC's platform has (unanimously) adopted coal as a clean fuel: http://grist.org/ele...-coal-is-clean/

Welp, as if the shameless lobby-fund-grubbing wasn't a certainty before, it is now.

[worry]

Pence would be cool. I'd like to see Trump destroy a seemingly still viable Republican like Pence, than just prop up the carcass of an already self-destructed career like Christie's or Gingrich's.

[HoosierDaddy]

Pence brings him nothing. Would be a stupid pick.

[worry]

Well, you called it, HD: Pence is a terrible pick, therefore he is the pick.

A quick greatest hits from his op-ed career so far: https://www.buzzfeed...s-from-mike-pen

[Terez]

The conspiracy theory that Trump is a Clinton plant is looking more logical every day.

[Hairshirt]

It looks like he's postponing his pick a day in lieu of the terrorist attack in France. Pence is a terrible choice, if he doesn't get the nom odds are he's going to lose his governor reelection he almost did last time.

[worry]

Starting to get the sense that he doesn't know what he's doing.

[Hairshirt]

I've thought that for awhile but he keeps winning. He pulled close to hillary in some major polls, even passed her in 1. Weird.

[Terez]

Pretty sure worry is being sarcastic af. Of course he doesn't know what he's doing. Unless he's a Clinton plant.

[EmperorMagus]

Congressman Steve King: whites aided civilization more than any 'sub-groups'

This level of discourse is what I encounter on reddit. Hearing it from people making laws (even in the US) is disconcerting. I think this is an obvious example of how Trump's rise has validated the ideas' of racists and white supremacists. And honestly, I have absolutely no idea how I can help combat this ideology on my part.

Engaging people on the internet is entirely useless, as most people are already set on their beliefs and will not change just because of words on a screen (perhaps including me). However, the recent backlash against RL activists and protesters makes me feel as if groups like BLM (while gathering support in their own communities) only serve to alienate the general public (for example the shenanigans BLM Toronto pulled off during the pride parade). So, on a personal level, we are completely useless in fighting the crazy, and there are no societal tools to fight it either. What the hell am I supposed to do?

At this point, I feel like Tool had the right idea after all.
Enema by Tool (NSFW)

[HoosierDaddy]

You are hearing the very vocal minority of the Republicans. It's just that Trump has legitimately organized the most racist aspects of the Republican party and I don't know if he's intended it, but he's riding its wave.

It'd be like if the super left wing took over the Democratic party. You better believe reparations and other things would be on the table.

Their primary failed in producing an electable candidate.

[amphibian]

HoosierDaddy, on 19 July 2016 - 02:41 AM, said:

You are hearing the very vocal minority of the Republicans. It's just that Trump has legitimately organized the most racist aspects of the Republican party and I don't know if he's intended it, but he's riding its wave.

It'd be like if the super left wing took over the Democratic party. You better believe reparations and other things would be on the table.

Their primary failed in producing an electable candidate.

The people espousing these opinions are Congressmen and Governors. That's not a minority of the party - those are powerful participants and shapers of the future of the party.

Iowa is a strange place to live though. The culture there - at least in the Quad Cities region - is very full of white anger at the vanished manufacturing jobs, anger at immigrants, and a willingness to express that anger in public through loud speech and action.

Congressman Steve King is not an outlier in Iowa. He is a representative of the norm.

[worry]

Along with Louis Gohmert he's among the dumbest people in Congress, even among Republicans. But amph is right, King isn't an anomaly, and this wasn't a flub. He's been around a long time -- he was a state senator before becoming a Representative, and predates the Tea Party movement so you can't blame him on them -- he's a dyed in the wool Republican. He's also congratulated UKIP for helping to save "Western Civilization" due to Brexit -- which only makes sense if you consider it safe from brown people, since what other aspect of the EU is divorced from Western Civ?. He's described Mexican immigrants as mostly drug runners with "calves the size of cantaloupes". He displays the Confederate flag on his desk -- again, he's from IOWA which, for non-Americans, was part of the North/Union during the Civil War.

Regarding BLM, my perception is that they're actually doing a lot of good below the surface, even if the surface still seems to be polarized. Racism in America is 500+ years old. BLM is 3 years old. And let me tell you, the response to like the Dallas and Baton Rouge cop shootings -- still fairly bad in some circles, granted -- was as a whole substantially more moderate than it would have been 3 years ago. I think this kind of thing is good news: http://www.kansascit...le90247307.html

It's not all down to BLM of course -- activism is cross-generational, countering transparency has become less possible (though actual progress has been in fits and starts, geographically, and there's plenty of corrupt cops and even forces that haven't caught on yet), and maybe most importantly the public opinion really is shifting. The middle is a behemoth and difficult to shift, but it's starting.

[worry]

On the other hand, every last one of these people might be trolling us: http://gawker.com/me...iche-1783889522

[EmperorMagus]

Kanyemander West, on 19 July 2016 - 05:12 AM, said:

Along with Louis Gohmert he's among the dumbest people in Congress, even among Republicans. But amph is right, King isn't an anomaly, and this wasn't a flub. He's been around a long time -- he was a state senator before becoming a Representative, and predates the Tea Party movement so you can't blame him on them -- he's a dyed in the wool Republican. He's also congratulated UKIP for helping to save "Western Civilization" due to Brexit -- which only makes sense if you consider it safe from brown people, since what other aspect of the EU is divorced from Western Civ?. He's described Mexican immigrants as mostly drug runners with "calves the size of cantaloupes". He displays the Confederate flag on his desk -- again, he's from IOWA which, for non-Americans, was part of the North/Union during the Civil War.

Regarding BLM, my perception is that they're actually doing a lot of good below the surface, even if the surface still seems to be polarized. Racism in America is 500+ years old. BLM is 3 years old. And let me tell you, the response to like the Dallas and Baton Rouge cop shootings -- still fairly bad in some circles, granted -- was as a whole substantially more moderate than it would have been 3 years ago. I think this kind of thing is good news: http://www.kansascit...le90247307.html

It's not all down to BLM of course -- activism is cross-generational, countering transparency has become less possible (though actual progress has been in fits and starts, geographically, and there's plenty of corrupt cops and even forces that haven't caught on yet), and maybe most importantly the public opinion really is shifting. The middle is a behemoth and difficult to shift, but it's starting.

I don't agree with your assertion regarding the public opinion. Especially when it concerns xenophobia, case in point being brexit and Trump. Furthermore, I constantly hear the victim blaming regarding black people shot by the police (online and in person), and I do not feel like it has reduced since Ferguson at all. However, it's really not possible to accurately measure public opinion regarding police shootings, so I can't fairly argue for it one way or another.

The stereotyping and fear mongering regarding Muslims sometimes scares me. I've previously mentioned that I'm from Iran and I live in Canada. I'm not a practicing Muslim (I don't pray, keep halal, go to mosques). I can say that I don't even remotely like the religion. But the way people talk about "muslims" (and btw the muz-lim pronunciation is so weird, it's actually pronounced mos-lem) sometimes make me worry about my safety. Because how do you figure out whether someone is a muslim or not when you're in a lynch crowd? Is there going to be anything other than their skin color and perhaps their place of birth to help you hang the right person? (exaggerating here, but you get the point)

I don't think there is anything more important to having a civilized society than all citizens being equal before the rule of law, and I do not feel confident that the stewards responsible for keeping the rule of law are going to abide by it if this cycle of marginalization-act of terror-backlash-marginalization continues on for another fifteen years. and I don't see how I can help change it personally.

[Cause]

I see people freaking out that Melanie Trump plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech. I actually find the reaction bizarre since in reality her speech writer probably plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech writer. There is something bizarre about that.

[Terez]

Sure, it was the speech writer, but it says something that they can't find a competent and loyal speechwriter. The speech actually had a Rickroll in the middle of it, for crying out loud. And besides, she said publicly that she was going to write the speech herself. It's definitely embarrassing for Trump, not that he is capable of sinking much lower than where he already sits.

[Tapper]

Terez, on 19 July 2016 - 10:18 AM, said:

Sure, it was the speech writer, but it says something that they can't find a competent and loyal speechwriter. The speech actually had a Rickroll in the middle of it, for crying out loud. And besides, she said publicly that she was going to write the speech herself. It's definitely embarrassing for Trump, not that he is capable of sinking much lower than where he already sits.

Regarding her saying she'd write it herself - who could believe Melania actually would be allowed to read out a self-written speech?
The way they handled it is going to blow this up bigger than it would have been had they admitted it does 'look alike' (without of course using the term plagiarism). Admit that, throw a random small fry on the PR-team under the bus and move on, and damage would have been limited.

[worry]

I liked Carson. He was livelier than usual, plus he was alone on stage so he had to tell the audience to stop eating into his time (your favorite thing of his, I know). Plus he was the only one in both days with the balls to imply Hillary Clinton is a Satan-worshiper.

And it was Trump Jr. who gave me the LOLs, because his whole speech was about how his dad is actually a blue collar worker who helped his workers "pour sheet-rock", and it's the Dems who actually mostly support "aristocrats". He's got his father's gift for inventing whatever narrative makes him feel best at the time.

Christie just kinda made me feel bad. 10 minutes of call and response a la Nickelodeon's Kids Court. Luckily a high percentage of the audience had their hearing aids turned on by then. Ultimately I would put the odds at 50/50 that he actually thinks that's how the Attorney General conducts business.