The way I look at it, allowing threads like this to exist at all involves bending the rules, and I appreciate that it has been allowed in moderation because the topic is interesting and relevant, but it has to remain civil, and it's nice that it's contained in one or two threads which are easily avoided for those not interested. It would totally ruin the forum if it spread everywhere and took over.
The way I look at it, allowing threads like this to exist at all involves bending the rules, and I appreciate that it has been allowed in moderation because the topic is interesting and relevant, but it has to remain civil, and it's nice that it's contained in one or two threads which are easily avoided for those not interested. It would totally ruin the forum if it spread everywhere and took over.Yup. These kinds of threads should be few and far between, if allowed at all. I used to be fairly active on physicsforums and their strict ban on politics and religion was always appreciated. There are a lot of other forums you can go to if you want to argue about that stuff.
It seems right wing to me, because I've seen similar populist ideas by conservatives and right wing politicians over here. Typically blaming the state, state media, education etc of being too liberal or "leftist". I don't have an explanation for that connection, because I didn't make such a connection. I didn't know that anyone did such a connection to begin with.
I don't think the arrest warrant on Putin is useless. Maybe for the US, because the US haven't recognized the ICC, but 123 other countries have. So at least it has an important symbolic meaning. The ICC has judged several important cases and put war criminals in prison. I don't know if that will ever happen to Putin, but now at least Russia appeasers in Europe will have a harder time licking Putin's *ss, so to speak. It will be much harder to shake his hand without moving to some Arab country afterwards (yes, there are already examples of politicians who did this when Russia started their full scale invasion).
It seems right wing to me, because I've seen similar populist ideas by conservatives and right wing politicians over here. Typically blaming the state, state media, education etc of being too liberal or "leftist". I don't have an explanation for that connection, because I didn't make such a connection. I didn't know that anyone did such a connection to begin with.
I don't think the arrest warrant on Putin is useless. Maybe for the US, because the US haven't recognized the ICC, but 123 other countries have. So at least it has an important symbolic meaning. The ICC has judged several important cases and put war criminals in prison. I don't know if that will ever happen to Putin, but now at least Russia appeasers in Europe will have a harder time licking Putin's *ss, so to speak. It will be much harder to shake his hand without moving to some Arab country afterwards (yes, there are already examples of politicians who did this when Russia started their full scale invasion).
I've seen populists drink water, I also drink water, does that make me populist? If a group you don't like comes up with an idea that doesn't mean the idea is wrong. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't, but it's worth exploring. If you think that idea is wrong then please offer an alternate theory, if nobody ever discusses it further than "that's nuttery" then it will never be solved.
Symbolic meaning is useless, it does nothing except making some people feel good like they are doing something. I take no issue with somebody arresting Putin, but I just don't see how that warrant is going to lead to that. I'd never heard of ICC until today, it doesn't seem they have much in the way of teeth.
You say "symbolic meaning is useless", & yet in the USA, people regularly "salute the flag".
They don't, unless they are a bit unhinged, revere a piece of cloth---it is a symbol.
Australians & New Zealanders commemorate Anzac Day every year, but logically, it is just another day of the year.
King Charles III will be crowned in Winchester Abbey, with all the pomp & ceremony that entails---why? he is already King; it doesn't make him any more so.
All just "symbolic meaning".
Doesn't the number of different contributors show that there is still interest in whatever this thread is about. It's not like it's just two people arguing the toss. So perhaps better to leave this one running to contain whatever it is here than have it drift into other threads? So long as it's all even-tempered, what's the problem?
We get that you're bored of it now but you can always drop out, you know. There's an ignore thread feature to make it easy! I'm sure someone will let you know if ever your moderation skills were required to kill it off.
Ok, any more Putin posts get deleted.
Please stick to the topic.
Unfortunately it's going off the rails again. The problem with deleting posts is that you piss people off and they can potentially leave the forum in a huff. Yet I don't want to have to say "Please keep it on topic" every page. And I don't want to lock it. So
Is the following post, political at all? "...actual post - pasted in here..."
The post contains some political elements, specifically discussing populism, the arrest of Putin, and the International Criminal Court (ICC). However, the overall tone and content of the post do not seem to be overtly political. The author is encouraging discussion and exploration of ideas, rather than advocating for a specific political agenda. The post seems to focus more on logical reasoning and critical thinking than on partisan politics.
The post appears to be political in nature, as it discusses education policies, curriculum changes, and social issues, such as inclusivity and cancel culture. It also makes references to Marxist-Leninist ideology and cultural relativism, which are political ideologies. Additionally, it mentions the overrepresentation of immigrants in sex crimes and street gangs, which can be a sensitive and politicized topic.
All of your explanations for this alleged connection look like right-wing nuttery to me.
I couldn't care less about conservative conspiracy theories right now.
Mr Addams is either a victim or he is not, & we have had plenty of posts on both sides, but if we try somehow analysing the cause/s of his situation, the problem is it is difficult to stick to that topic when is it blends seamlessly into so many related ones.
Ok, any more Putin posts get deleted.
Please stick to the topic.
Dave, the original topic is pretty much exhausted.
Mr Addams is either a victim or he is not, & we have had plenty of posts on both sides, but if we try somehow analysing the cause/s of his situation, the problem is it is difficult to stick to that topic when is it blends seamlessly into so many related ones.
It is the same with Scott Adams. He calculated the risk and decided it would be more lucrative to move to a subscription based model where he was in complete control.
Please stick to the topic.
Please stick to the topic.Once again, Dave, I seem to have been a part of the derailment.
Not thru any action of my own, though, this time. It is just that what I described in #504 a bit over a week ago as a pattern happening often in Finland, repeated here on your forum a few hours ago, causing the derailment.
I have to admit, as a tactic to get people to silence themselves, it does work. It definitely decreases my willingness to engage anyone on this general subject in the future. Not because of fear of cancellation, but just out of sheer disgust.
It seems that whereas others hear hoofbeats & say "Just horses", you think "Unicorns" & post great slabs of text to try to batter people into agreement with you.
When they maintain their disagreement, you accuse them of cancelling you.
When they maintain their disagreement, you accuse them of cancelling you.
You [...] try to batter people into agreement with you.
It seems that whereas others hear hoofbeats & say "Just horses", you think "Unicorns" & post great slabs of text to try to batter people into agreement with you.
When they maintain their disagreement, you accuse them of cancelling you.
Where did he say anything about anyone cancelling him?
Mr Addams is either a victim or he is not, & we have had plenty of posts on both sides, but if we try somehow analysing the cause/s of his situation, the problem is it is difficult to stick to that topic when is it blends seamlessly into so many related ones.
No need to analyse any of this, if you actually listen to him (which most people have not), he states repeatedly that he is not a victim, he's not complaining about what happened to him, and yes what he said was racists and that's the entire point of it. After the dust has settled it's clearly a political cancellation from the left. No one on the right/conserative side of politics has cancelled him, no black people have cancelled him, it was ultimately a political takedown because he has influence in politics. He knowingly offered up an opportunity to the political left to cancel him and they took it. They would have been dumb not to. That's politics.
Quoting him directly:
It is so weird how proponents of the cancel culture are so willing to police others, but refuse to control their own impulses.
Quoting him directly:In #504 I wrote "Anyone speaking against the "progressivist activist group", is a transphobic racist X, regardless of the actual topic.".
And, like clockwork, JohanH starts blathering about "conservative conspiracy theories" and X and Trump and so on, proving my point perfectly –– and derailing the thread. Probably hoped to get the thread locked, too.
Then, I re-referred to that name-calling as an effective tactic to get people to stay silent. This is not cancelling, just another aspect of the same worldview. Even when they know they cannot cancel someone, they can still label and call others names,
bullying others so they'll stop talking out of disgust,
not any kind of fear. The need to stop other people from speaking, and yet others from listening, to the Bad Ideas must be strong indeed.
Why are you so keen to stop this discussion? Has some of the posts made you think, and you find the cognitive dissonance brewing in yourself so uncomfortable, you feel an overriding need to badger Dave repeatedly hoping he'll close the thread, hopefully quelling those bad thoughts in yourself?
It is so weird how proponents of the cancel culture are so willing to police others, but refuse to control their own impulses.
Unfortunately it's going off the rails again. The problem with deleting posts is that you piss people off and they can potentially leave the forum in a huff. Yet I don't want to have to say "Please keep it on topic" every page. And I don't want to lock it. So
It’s frustrating — and thus tempting to respond to — to see so many conservative opinions and misrepresentations presented as fact, rather than opinion. But as soon as anyone attempts to debate the point, “it’s politics” (even though the original statements were, too…) and you tell us to stop, but then yourself go right back to reiterating the conservative claim/opinion.