F Champ Receives Lifetime Ban, Racism in the FGC/USA, and Other Prevalent Social Discussions

[Lt. Boxy Angelman]

You guys should really be focusing on the 2024 election because democrats are leaving their party in droves to vote for Trump. Turns out most americans don't believe in rioting, looting, and kneeling during the national anthem when all they want to do is watch their sports without all the political nonsense.

I think the only way Biden can win is if the demon-crat party steals the election or if they follow Hillary Clinton's advice and don't concede the election under any circumstances, you know, similar to what she accused Trump of doing, but now she sees no problem with it. Hypocrite much?? Come on Blair, lets go. These people can't handle sanity and truth.

The adults are talking, Shapiro Jr.
You're "I'm the edgelord, pay attention to me" gimmick stopped being funny enough to insult like a month ago.
It's literally just depressing now.

 

[trufenix]

“Marxist” is just a provocative buzzword that has little relevance to the actual social/political positions that most American liberals hold.
At this point, it is used to describe any conservative-contrary viewpoint.
Simply a fad-word, which everyone has a different definition of to suit their argumentative need at the time.
Similar to “narcissist”, or “supportive husband”.
Or “female orgasm”.

nuh uh, female orgasms aren't real bro

 

[trufenix]

What the fuck... dude had his hands up and got fucking spartan kicked in the back

Its called an option select

 

[trufenix]

The adults are talking, Shapiro Jr.
You're "I'm the edgelord, pay attention to me" gimmick stopped being funny enough to insult like a month ago.
It's literally just depressing now.

He actually said DEMONCRAT.

 

[trufenix]

How on Earth does Melania Trump have anything to do with the point he was making or the source he was citing? Who are these prominent liberals? The same ones you told me two months ago were on the same toxic level as Karl Rove, the Fox News talking heads, and the rest of the right-wing/conservative propaganda team, but couldn't provide me an example outside of "the woman who founded BLM is a Marxist"? Stop. We're not doing this "your point/topic is invalid because THESE people said this and that's more important" game.

All of this going in circles shit with you guys is getting so old, but I'mma stay here with my coffee and my handy dandy bullshit-o-meter until I am dust and bones .

Just put him on ignore and keep playing with the rest of us. You literally won't lose a wink of sleep.

 

[M2Dave]

could you elaborate these claims?

First of all, I question the pragmatism of social programs such as "medicare for all" and "free college" that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are proposing in a country with a population of over 330 million people. In contrast, the average population of the Nordic countries, which democratic socialists use as a model, is 5.5 million, Denmark 6 at million, Finland 5.5 at million, Iceland at 0.4 million, Norway at 5.5 million, and Sweden at 10.2 million respectively. Congress is still trying to send millions of Americans their $1,200 stimulus check five months after the CARES Act passed. How the government would manage all these social programs in the third most populous country is a reasonable question to ask.

Second of all, the government would not only have to raise taxes on the wealthy but also on middle-class Americans. Politicians would therefore have the difficult task of convincing most Americans to pay more taxes in order to finance these social programs. And speaking of taxes, I assure you that Americans have a completely different mentality than Europeans in Western and Nordic Europe do.

You still don't seem to understand the difference between Social Democracy and pure Socialism. What anyone is calling 'socialism' or 'marxism' in 2020 isn't the same as what you experienced in Eastern Europe. It's not that hard to understand.

I was not referring to Eastern Europe. I was referring to Germany, where I resided for almost ten years. So I would argue that I am more familiar with democratic socialism than most people in this thread who are blindly embracing Sanders' and AOC's policies.

As far as happiness is concerned, what they have in Scandinavia apparently works for them. What we have in America apparently works for us. I see no reason for major changes.

When voter perception translates into substantive action I'd like to know. When both political parties' highest echelons of power are squarely against a concept, it's hard to imagine voter polls meaning much.

There already exists a major liberal political party in America called the Democratic Party. I assume this party is insufficiently liberal for you. Only Lord knows what is.

 

[KingHippo]

Imagine thinking the Democratic Party's move makers and power brokers are left-wing

 

[kabelfritz]

First of all, I question the pragmatism of social programs such as "medicare for all" and "free college" that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are proposing in a country with a population of over 330 million people. In contrast, the average population of the Nordic countries, which democratic socialists use as a model, is 5.5 million, Denmark 6 at million, Finland 5.5 at million, Iceland at 0.4 million, Norway at 5.5 million, and Sweden at 10.2 million respectively. Congress is still trying to send millions of Americans their $1,200 stimulus check five months after the CARES Act passed. How the government would manage all these social programs in the third most populous country is a reasonable question to ask.

Second of all, the government would not only have to raise taxes on the wealthy but also on middle-class Americans. Politicians would therefore have the difficult task of convincing most Americans to pay more taxes in order to finance these social programs. And speaking of taxes, I assure you that Americans have a completely different mentality than Europeans in Western and Nordic Europe do.

Germany has 82 million inhabitans and the healthcare for all as well as the free university (not completely free but no comparison to the USA) systems are two of the few social institutions that actually work well.

healthcare for all is not tax-based, but financed by a monthly insurance fee of at least 150€ depending on the income (you dont have to participate though, unless youre employed, but treatment might get very expensive then). it is either paid by the person+employer 50/50 or the state in case of unemployment etc.. but then you can go to any doctor or hospital for no additional cost in case of medical problems. heavily regulated, often public insurance companies manage the payment.

university is basically tax-funded.

im sure youre right about the u.s. tax mentality, which leads back to the biggest political problem the u.s.a. have imo, which is the extreme alienation between state and people. but it already IS the middle class who pays the lion share of taxes, in the usa as well as europe, so how and why would you get even more out of them? no, the money has to come from taxing corporations harder, especially in the digital environment, and on a global scale. also the well-meant but dysfunctional obamacare has to be reworked; from what i understand, it enables pharma companies to demand any outrageous price for their products and insurances or states are obliged to pay - while in germany there are regulation mechanisms for medicine prices.

I was not referring to Eastern Europe. I was referring to Germany, where I resided for almost ten years. So I would argue that I am more familiar with democratic socialism than most people in this thread who are blindly embracing Sanders' and AOC's policies.

germany is not socialist, not even democratic socialist, and neither are bernie or aoc, i dont know why they call themselves that. the policies in question are called "social market-economy" and are still market-based, aka they rely on economic growth, competition and maximization of profit, which are the core principles of capitalism. germany (even though its by far not all amazing here), scandinavia, bernie and aoc are just putting an emphasis on having just enough redistribution from top to bottom to cover the absolute basic needs for every citizen and also partly protecting branches crucial to survival like medicine from market mechanisms. it is nothing revolutionary and its also not debatable, its just not being barbaric.

but be sure, we also have a huge amount of politicians, maybe even the majority, who are working on eroding this social security net in the name of company profits.

 

[CrimsonShadow]

I was not referring to Eastern Europe. I was referring to Germany, where I resided for almost ten years. So I would argue that I am more familiar with democratic socialism than most people in this thread who are blindly embracing Sanders' and AOC's policies.

I mean, East Germany essentially was part of Eastern Europe until the wall fell. But yes, it's absolutely nothing like the GDR.

 

[Marlow]

So teenager shoots 3 people and walks pass cops armed with an assault rifle. This is surreal to me, if you told me this a few days ago I would have said that shit only happens in movies or shitty power fantasy daydreams.

Yeah, that one's pretty nuts.

 

[Juggs]

Imagine not being upset over where your taxes go currently, but being absolutely outraged at the thought of your taxes going towards things that actually would be beneficial to a lot of people and our society in general.

 

[Marlow]

I see a lot of "system racism" coming from prominent liberals.

"She can't speak any English"

"Get that illegal alien off the stage"

"Seriously, fuck this bitch"

"FLOTUS is a foreigner"

Actually none of that is systemic racism. Systemic racism is a form of racism that is embedded as normal practice within society or an organization. An example would be black business owners being denied business loans at a higher rate than white business owners.

 

[Lt. Boxy Angelman]

Actually none of that is systemic racism. Systemic racism is a form of racism that is embedded as normal practice within society or an organization. An example would be black business owners being denied business loans at a higher rate than white business owners.

I tried saying that. It didn't work.

In other news: this man has been in office for four years and I still haven't met anyone who can tell me what good he's done for the country without swerving the conversation towards blaming someone else for other problems whose conversations lie elsewhere.

Also, FChamp is a fuckin' doodie.

 

[Marlow]

I tried saying that. It didn't work.

That's unfortunate, because Systemic Racism is basically the whole thing that set off the Black Lives Matter movement, and is pretty much why this whole F Champ thing became such an issue in the first place.

 

[M2Dave]

…but it already IS the middle class who pays the lion share of taxes, in the usa as well as Europe…

The U.S. has a progressive tax system as Europe does. According to Tax Foundation, “In 2016, the top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97 percent of all individual income taxes, while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 3 percent. The top 1 percent paid a greater share of individual income taxes (37.3 percent) than the bottom 90 percent combined (30.5 percent).” Taxes are lower in the U.S. than in Europe for the simple fact that there is no socialized healthcare system and free college. Money must be collected from someone in order to pay for these programs, which is why the wealthy as well as the middle class in Western and Nordic European countries pay more taxes than Americans do.

germany is not socialist, not even democratic socialist, and neither are bernie or aoc, i dont know why they call themselves that.

They call themselves democratic socialists because they are democratic socialists. You spend most of your post unnecessarily arguing about semantics. Sanders and AOC specifically use Western and Nordic Europe as an ideal model for their proposed policies.

bernie and aoc are just putting an emphasis on having just enough redistribution from top to bottom to cover the absolute basic needs for every citizen…

Again, the U.S. has a progressive tax system. The majority of federal taxes in America go toward “mandatory spending” which includes social security, Medicare and Medicaid, and benefits for children, veterans, and the disabled. I would like to see less money being spent on defense and security, but to imply that the U.S. system is barbaric toward the needy and the middle class is left-wing propaganda.

Imagine not being upset over where your taxes go currently, but being absolutely outraged at the thought of your taxes going towards things that actually would be beneficial to a lot of people and our society in general.

If you google “What are my federal taxes being spent on?”, the first response you will see is “The three biggest categories of expenditure are major health programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, social security, and defense and security.” Again, I would like to see less money being spend on defense and security. The rest of the money, the majority in fact, goes toward programs that are beneficial “to a lot of people and our society in general”, to use your words.

Unlike the five or six far-left ideologues who are constantly disparaging America while tapping each other’s back, you seem to have an open mind so I encourage you to conduct your own research and come to a conclusion.

 

[Pangolin-man]

I just realized that I made a slight mistake in one of my statements. I want to correct it. The Wobblies, aka The Industrial Workers of the World, membership and foundations could be considered as much anarchist and radical unionist (with a few Marxists GASP! as well) as socialist. It was a mix of ideologies. My mistake.

See how easy it is to say you were wrong? Didn't even hurt!

 

[Lt. Boxy Angelman]

Unlike the five or six far-left ideologues who are constantly disparaging America while tapping each other’s back, you seem to have an open mind so I encourage you to conduct your own research and come to a conclusion.

Still relying on the labels to stick your points.

Remember, kids: if you don't agree with Uncle Dave, you're a far-left Ideologue who can't keep an open mind.

(This is not Fox News. That doesn't work here.)


( )

 

[Pangolin-man]

I also want to follow in Boxy's footsteps and state some of my positions that can be considered conservative.

1. I am Pro Second Amendment. I believe in the right to bear arms. Do I believe there should be more and better regulation? Yes. But, I do believe that individuals should be allowed to own firearms. I do not believe in taking away law-abiding citizens' firearms.

2. As I said before, I am virulently against Identity Politics. With this in mind, I do not believe in mocking the poor on any level. That includes poor white people. I can't stand liberals and leftists who constantly berate and belittle poor white people like its a sport. Calling people white trash and rednecks is not helpful, insulting, and turns off people who might be willing to listen you. Not all poor white people are ignorant or racist. I have been to places like Eastern Kentucky. Poverty is a tragedy for anyone.

3. I can respect conservatives and libertarians who are respectful, acknowledge things like scientific reality, and live in the real world. David Cay Johnston and P.J. O'Rourke are two good examples. Not all conservatives are racist either. However, as I have said before, reasonable conservatives are becoming rarer and rarer in the United States. I may disagree with them but they aren't bigots or imbeciles either.

4. I have a lot of respect for hunters that I have met in my life. Hunters are some of the best environmentalists and conservationists in the country. I do despise trophy hunters, like Trump's mutant sons, who only kill animals for fun. But, I do support hunters who use all of the animal for food. I am obviously a big animal lover but I also realize that nature is a harsh place. I used to take care of a lot of big cats and crocodilians. You can't turn them into vegans. They are obligate carnivores that evolved to eat meat over millions of years. I am most concerned about animal welfare and limited suffering whenever possible. Most of the hunters I have met think the same way. Moreover, hunting is infinitely better than factory farms and the untold suffering that goes on in them.

So there you have it. Now back to the New World Order/Marxist Wine Mixer over at George Soros' house. (By the way, he makes a fantastic spinach dip!)

 

[kabelfritz]

The U.S. has a progressive tax system as Europe does. According to Tax Foundation, “In 2016, the top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97 percent of all individual income taxes, while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 3 percent. The top 1 percent paid a greater share of individual income taxes (37.3 percent) than the bottom 90 percent combined (30.5 percent).” Taxes are lower in the U.S. than in Europe for the simple fact that there is no socialized healthcare system and free college. Money must be collected from someone in order to pay for these programs, which is why the wealthy as well as the middle class in Western and Nordic European countries pay more taxes than Americans do.

They call themselves democratic socialists because they are democratic socialists. You spend most of your post unnecessarily arguing about semantics. Sanders and AOC specifically use Western and Nordic Europe as an ideal model for their proposed policies.

Again, the U.S. has a progressive tax system. The majority of federal taxes in America go toward “mandatory spending” which includes social security, Medicare and Medicaid, and benefits for children, veterans, and the disabled. I would like to see less money being spent on defense and security, but to imply that the U.S. system is barbaric toward the needy and the middle class is left-wing propaganda.

1. as i said, the german healthcare system is not tax-based but insurance-based, the insurance is just not linked to the employer like in the u.s. but to the actual person. thats also why someone does not lose health insurance whe he/she loses the job, maybe even because of a long illness.

2. the word is "social market economy". is it so hard to understand that you're an alien in europe just like in the u.s. when you demand "socialism", even "democratic socialism"? the 2 are neither the same thing nor is it irrelevant how the politics are called - the voter reaction might completely differ when you mix up the words, as socialism is clearly a red flag word and politicians label themselves with it probably to provoke.

3. tbh, especially the numbers below show me nothing but bizarre income gaps which cant possibly be legitimated by anything, especially not merits. they mean the top 1% have an unbelievable amount of money while the bottom 50% (!) barely have enough to even pay taxes. how are they ever gonna get out of their misery when they cant even afford college or get bankrupted by illness? those numbers are just more proof that capitalism benefits those who already have capital, while the rest stays small as ever.

• The share of reported income earned by the top 1 percent of taxpayers fell slightly to 19.7 percent in 2016. Their share of federal individual income taxes fell slightly, to 37.3 percent.
• In 2016, the top 50 percent of all taxpayers paid 97 percent of all individual income taxes, while the bottom 50 percent paid the remaining 3 percent.
• The top 1 percent paid a greater share of individual income taxes (37.3 percent) than the bottom 90 percent combined (30.5 percent).
• The top 1 percent of taxpayers paid a 26.9 percent individual income tax rate, which is more than seven times higher than taxpayers in the bottom 50 percent (3.7 percent).

4. as you only pick the three sentences of my post against which you think you have a point, i'll take it you agree with the rest.

 

[Onryoki]

I wish being a decent human being wasn’t decided on which side of politics someone is at. Both the left and the right need to look on their stances and ask themselves critical questions. Some policies are outdated and some of these new ones are just irrelevant. The left and the media should stop demonising the right. And the right should stop acting as if everybody on the left lacks critical thinking skills and logic.

 

[RoboCop]

I wish being a decent human being wasn’t decided on which side of politics someone is at. Both the left and the right need to look on their stances and ask themselves critical questions. Some policies are outdated and some of these new ones are just irrelevant. The left and the media should stop demonising the right. And the right should stop acting as if everybody on the left lacks critical thinking skills and logic.

I'm sorry, but anyone spouting this "both sides" nonsense simply isn't paying attention. I'm sure it's annoying for you when your social media gets clogged up by people trying to stop the spread of facism. But that's what one side is doing while the other side is trying to undermine our democratic institutions, voting system, and our system of checks and balances. One side is trying to get unemployed people Covid assistance while the other side is selling beans and trying to make it impossible to sue corporations (that was literally the sticking point and reason we didn't get a second round of Covid relief).

"The left and the media should stop demonising the right." Jesus Tittyfucking Christ, no. Again, this is not a "both sides are the same" situation. One side is made up of anti-science cult members who are causing as much damage as possible while their leaders rob everyone (both sides) blind. The other side is trying to fight all that nonsense. I'm not saying there aren't shitty, ignorant, misguided liberals out there causing damage, because there certainly are. But they're the exception because our entire party isn't based around ignorance, gaslighting, violence, voter suppression, and theft.

The people who are still on the right hopefully do lack critical thinking skills, because otherwise that makes them enemies of the US, racists, facists, and every other terrible thing they claim not to be. My 76 year old father is a lifelong Reblublican. His only news source is Fox News (who literally argued that they shouldn't be held to the same level as other media sources because they're not a "real news" station, their words). There are plenty of people like him out there, and as frustrating as it is, I feel sorry for them. No media organization is perfect, but most at least try to tell the truth and cover real events. Hannity, Carlson, and most of the others on Fox News don't host news; they host opinion pieces disguised as news. Look it up; that was literally the core of their legal defence. It is a literal propaganda network.

So, no, both sides are not the same. We're looking at the possibility of our entire democratic system coming to an end. We're looking at a president who may refuse to leave office if he loses. We're looking at police allowing armed militias to participate in quelling peaceful protests. We're looking at people with so little respect for their country and countrymen that they won't even wear a mask when they go out in public to help curb a deadly pandemic. And it's all, all, coming from one half of the political landscape.

Why does any of this matter? Why do us lefties get so worked up over all of this? The right is always talking about how great America is (it's literally their slogan...), but what makes us great is how different we are from these authoritarian countries like China. We can mock our leaders, we can protest, and we have rights than cannot be stripped away. Ironically, the most patriotic and nationalistic people are the ones who are leading us straight down that road toward authoratarianism. The right cheered when unidentified thugs started hauling protestors off in unmarked vans. They cheered when armed civilians shot and threatened peaceful protesters. They cheer when people they disagree with are treated as if they have fewer rights. But it's only a matter of time before they find themselves as a part of one of these groups that gets treated unfairly. If you side with the exclusionary party, you'll eventually find that it's a zero-sum game and that you will inevitably become grouped into one of the excluded categories.

 

[Lt. Boxy Angelman]

I'm sorry, but anyone spouting this "both sides" nonsense simply isn't paying attention. I'm sure it's annoying for you when your social media gets clogged up by people trying to stop the spread of facism. But that's what one side is doing while the other side is trying to undermine our democratic institutions, voting system, and our system of checks and balances. One side is trying to get unemployed people Covid assistance while the other side is selling beans and trying to make it impossible to sue corporations (that was literally the sticking point and reason we didn't get a second round of Covid relief).

"The left and the media should stop demonising the right." Jesus Tittyfucking Christ, no. Again, this is not a "both sides are the same" situation. One side is made up of anti-science cult members who are causing as much damage as possible while their leaders rob everyone (both sides) blind. The other side is trying to fight all that nonsense. I'm not saying there aren't shitty, ignrorant, misguided liberals out there causing damage, because there certainly are. But they're the exception because our entire party isn't based around ignorance, gaslighting, violence, voter suppression, and theft.

The people who are still on the right hopefully do lack critical thinking skills, because otherwise that makes them enemies of the US, racists, facists, and every other terrible thing they claim not to be. My 76 year old father is a lifelong Reblublican. His only news source is Fox News (who literally argued that they shouldn't be held to the same level as other media sources because they're not a "real news" station, their words). There are plenty of people like him out there, and as frustrating as it is, I feel sorry for them. No media organization is perfect, but most at least try to tell the truth and cover real events. Hannity, Carlson, and most of the others on Fox News don't host news; they host opinion pieces disguised as news. Look it up; that was literally the core of their legal defence. It is a literal propaganda network.

So, no, both sides are not the same. We're looking at the possibility of our entire democratic system coming to an end. We're looking at a president who may refuse to leave office if he loses. We're looking at police allowing armed militias to participate in quelling peaceful protests. We're looking at people with so little respect for their country and countrymen that they won't even wear a mask when they go out in public to help curb a deadly pandemic. And it's all, all, coming from one half of the political landscape.

Why does any of this matter? Why do us lefties get so worked up over all of this? The right is always talking about how great America is (it's literally their slogan...), but what makes us great is how different we are from these authoritarian countries like China. We can mock our leaders, we can protest, and we have rights than cannot be stripped away. Ironically, the most patriotic and nationalistic people are the ones who are leading us straight down that road toward authoratarianism. The right cheered when unidentified thugs started hauling protestors off in unmarked vans. They cheered when armed civilians shot and threatened peaceful protesters. They cheer when people they disagree with are treated as if they have fewer rights. But it's only a matter of time before they find themselves as a part of one of these groups that gets treated unfairly. If you side with the exclusionary party, you'll eventually find that it's a zero-sum game and that you will inevitably become grouped into one of the excluded categories.

I applaud this post.

Pretending Fox News is a real news network is like pretending the WWE is real. All mainstream media is bought and paid for by the wealthy, but no one does the job of being the televised obedient lapdog of their base quite like they do. Even fucking OAN will give you the occasional story about global events in parts of the world you rarely ever hear about where you'll learn a thing or two. There is no equal to the irreversible damage the Fox talking heads have done to the country since after 9/11.

Now this is the part where the two or three Trumpers try and turn my statement on its head and make it about ANTIFA and Rachel Maddow or something similar. Let me save you the trouble: shut the fuck up. I am tired of hearing and reading people defend this trash like there's ANYTHING to be proud of. You love feeling like you're sticking it to society by rooting for the villain. Just admit it. Stop pretending there's any good in what's being advocated in a Trump future.

 

[KingHippo]

Love to pretend like there is any Democrat congressperson, incompetent as their leadership is, who would send out Nazi propaganda like this

 

[Lt. Boxy Angelman]

Love to pretend like there is any Democrat congressperson, incompetent as their leadership is, who would send out Nazi propaganda like this

View attachment 17384

Let's see if we get a rebuttal from the "BU-BU-BUT THE LEFT IS JUST AS BAD AS THE RIGHT!!" team on this one.

I cannot fucking wait to hear it.

 

[Onryoki]

I'm sorry, but anyone spouting this "both sides" nonsense simply isn't paying attention. I'm sure it's annoying for you when your social media gets clogged up by people trying to stop the spread of facism. But that's what one side is doing while the other side is trying to undermine our democratic institutions, voting system, and our system of checks and balances. One side is trying to get unemployed people Covid assistance while the other side is selling beans and trying to make it impossible to sue corporations (that was literally the sticking point and reason we didn't get a second round of Covid relief).

"The left and the media should stop demonising the right." Jesus Tittyfucking Christ, no. Again, this is not a "both sides are the same" situation. One side is made up of anti-science cult members who are causing as much damage as possible while their leaders rob everyone (both sides) blind. The other side is trying to fight all that nonsense. I'm not saying there aren't shitty, ignorant, misguided liberals out there causing damage, because there certainly are. But they're the exception because our entire party isn't based around ignorance, gaslighting, violence, voter suppression, and theft.

The people who are still on the right hopefully do lack critical thinking skills, because otherwise that makes them enemies of the US, racists, facists, and every other terrible thing they claim not to be. My 76 year old father is a lifelong Reblublican. His only news source is Fox News (who literally argued that they shouldn't be held to the same level as other media sources because they're not a "real news" station, their words). There are plenty of people like him out there, and as frustrating as it is, I feel sorry for them. No media organization is perfect, but most at least try to tell the truth and cover real events. Hannity, Carlson, and most of the others on Fox News don't host news; they host opinion pieces disguised as news. Look it up; that was literally the core of their legal defence. It is a literal propaganda network.

So, no, both sides are not the same. We're looking at the possibility of our entire democratic system coming to an end. We're looking at a president who may refuse to leave office if he loses. We're looking at police allowing armed militias to participate in quelling peaceful protests. We're looking at people with so little respect for their country and countrymen that they won't even wear a mask when they go out in public to help curb a deadly pandemic. And it's all, all, coming from one half of the political landscape.

Why does any of this matter? Why do us lefties get so worked up over all of this? The right is always talking about how great America is (it's literally their slogan...), but what makes us great is how different we are from these authoritarian countries like China. We can mock our leaders, we can protest, and we have rights than cannot be stripped away. Ironically, the most patriotic and nationalistic people are the ones who are leading us straight down that road toward authoratarianism. The right cheered when unidentified thugs started hauling protestors off in unmarked vans. They cheered when armed civilians shot and threatened peaceful protesters. They cheer when people they disagree with are treated as if they have fewer rights. But it's only a matter of time before they find themselves as a part of one of these groups that gets treated unfairly. If you side with the exclusionary party, you'll eventually find that it's a zero-sum game and that you will inevitably become grouped into one of the excluded categories.

I’m not arguing they’re the same. I’m arguing that both sides have pros and cons and that they should look critically at theirselves. Personally I think almost everybody is a fucking idiot these days and that the world is getting more ridiculous with each day passing.