Post your asides here

[lightning]

Wait for it . . . here it comes . . .

the predictable and inevitable "Oh, yeah?!? Well, what about <something unrelated>"

[mahagonny]

Promised myself I wasn't gonna go on too much about George Floyd so I redacted and left a

/

I also find Parasail's posts interesting and informative although we aren't always on the same side. I appreciate the trouble to share thoughts.

[ergative]

I'm with your brother on that one.

[Istiblennius]

It's exhausting to experience your worldview, but it must be far more exhausting to be you.

[mahagonny]

speak for yourself.

Ask a simple question like 'why is "black" suddenly capitalized while "white" is not?' and folks run for cover. These are the people who like 'difficult conversations.'

[mahagonny]

Racist arithmetic:

If the police kill three unarmed purple and seven unarmed green people during 2021 and you are an activist protesting police brutality, how many faces appear on your placards?

Three.

[apl68]

Unrelated.


Enough with the Schadenfreude and social Darwinism at the news that more people are now dying of COVID in places where vaccine hesitancy is high.  I live in one of those regions.  These are human beings.  They're my neighbors, black, white, and Hispanic.  They're horribly misguided, for a variety of reasons, most of which have little to do with the mindless adherence to certain political identities that some seem to assume is the problem.  None of this makes them any less human beings.  It's a tragedy that so many of them are taking such needless risks.  Their illnesses and deaths, whatever their age, ethnicity, or religious or political affiliation, are a tragedy.  That fellow human beings are so accustomed to seeing everything through the lens of partisan politics they assume that anybody who refuses the vaccine must be a member of the "wrong" party whom they're happy to see die is a tragedy.

[marshwiggle]

Unrelated.


Enough with the Schadenfreude and social Darwinism at the news that more people are now dying of COVID in places where vaccine hesitancy is high.  I live in one of those regions.  These are human beings.  They're my neighbors, black, white, and Hispanic.  They're horribly misguided, for a variety of reasons, most of which have little to do with the mindless adherence to certain political identities that some seem to assume is the problem.  None of this makes them any less human beings.  It's a tragedy that so many of them are taking such needless risks.  Their illnesses and deaths, whatever their age, ethnicity, or religious or political affiliation, are a tragedy.  That fellow human beings are so accustomed to seeing everything through the lens of partisan politics they assume that anybody who refuses the vaccine must be a member of the "wrong" party whom they're happy to see die is a tragedy.

You have to wonder whether they wouldn't view their upper-middle class peers who voted for the "right" party but didn't want to give their kids normal vaccinations because of the fear of autism (or whatever) with much more sympathy, even though it's the exact same issue of being horribly misguided.

[apl68]

Unrelated.


Enough with the Schadenfreude and social Darwinism at the news that more people are now dying of COVID in places where vaccine hesitancy is high.  I live in one of those regions.  These are human beings.  They're my neighbors, black, white, and Hispanic.  They're horribly misguided, for a variety of reasons, most of which have little to do with the mindless adherence to certain political identities that some seem to assume is the problem.  None of this makes them any less human beings.  It's a tragedy that so many of them are taking such needless risks.  Their illnesses and deaths, whatever their age, ethnicity, or religious or political affiliation, are a tragedy.  That fellow human beings are so accustomed to seeing everything through the lens of partisan politics they assume that anybody who refuses the vaccine must be a member of the "wrong" party whom they're happy to see die is a tragedy.

You have to wonder whether they wouldn't view their upper-middle class peers who voted for the "right" party but didn't want to give their kids normal vaccinations because of the fear of autism (or whatever) with much more sympathy, even though it's the exact same issue of being horribly misguided.

Marshwiggle, you raise a valid point as far as it goes.  But I can't help seeing the irony in your reflexive use of my cri de coeur post about insensitive expressions of political partisanship as a platform for scoring partisan political points, thereby extending an open invitation to turn this into yet another partisan slap-fight.  This habit is very similar to the sort of thing I'm complaining about, even though it's a far less vile example.  Please don't.

[marshwiggle]

Marshwiggle, you raise a valid point as far as it goes.  But I can't help seeing the irony in your reflexive use of my cri de coeur post about insensitive expressions of political partisanship as a platform for scoring partisan political points, thereby extending an open invitation to turn this into yet another partisan slap-fight.  This habit is very similar to the sort of thing I'm complaining about, even though it's a far less vile example.  Please don't.

Sorry. That wasn't my intent. I was trying (and perhaps failing) to give an example of how behaviour that is criticized in one context may be treated with more sympathy in another.

As you say, human beings who suffer, even if due to some of their own failings, deserve some compassion. For a long time, it was the case that people were encouraged to try to see what they have in common with people whom they perceive to be different than themselves, but the rise of identity politics (on both ends of the political spectrum) has turned that upside down and disparaged the idea of trying to see what you have in common. This leads to exactly the lack of compassion that you're talking about.

[ergative]

Unrelated

. . . wow. Just . . . *shakes head* wow.

[little bongo]

Troll Song

No one's forcing you to read me,
(I'm a troll, I'm a troll, I'm a troll)
No one's forcing you to heed me,
(I'm a troll, I'm a troll, I'm a troll)

You're the one denying my Truth,
You're the one jealous of my virility and Youth,
Why not just use the function of scroll...
Oh, I'm a troll, I'm a troll, I'm a troll.

Well, it's not exactly Brecht and Weil, but it's a first draft.

[San Joaquin]

Maybe I should pay attention to the fact that I have repeatedly misread that thread title as "Vacation Nation".

[mamselle]

Maybe I should pay attention to the fact that I have repeatedly misread that thread title as "Vacation Nation".

I had a passing thought along those lines a couple weeks ago, but didn't get around to posting it.

Yes. Agree.

M.

[mahagonny]

Maybe we can just have the government keep printing money forever. Everybody stays home. Yeah, works for me!