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New York, 11:37 PM
Fri Dec 18
54 posts in the last 24 hours
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Sigh. Now I'm really confused. #polls
10/16/09
We can't talk about race because it's day-1 ingrained in our heads at school that Racism Is Bad. But we aren't taught (or can't comprehend) WHY racism is bad, so we treat it like some sort of radioactive substance. Then, when presented with data that supports racist conclusions, no response seems viable. Look at the argument surrounding "The Bell Curve" - we've been having that same debate since America decided it was post-race. This leads to the sort of "OH GOD MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE" ranting you get when you accuse racists of being racist, because they only hate "n's" which is not racist. Which is completely racist!
That said, you (and the MSM, this isn't an Assault On Pareene) have to stop packaging racism accusations with policy counterarguments. Why? Because even though I agree that racism informs many Conservative positions, the extent to which they do so is impossible to measure. Vitriol isn't evidence that Obama has ushered in an era of more angry debate - people were calling Bush a Nazi over Iraq in 2004, and YouTube is there to prove it. You're advancing a subjective argument heavily influenced by your broader anti-Conservative agenda, which makes the racism accusations seem like a hollow bludgeon designed to justify policies that many Conservatives are willing to debate on their merits. And that's something I haven't seen you do in a little while. #polls
10/16/09
10/16/09
Much like the people who just randomly shouted about how Bush was a "nazi" were not particularly well-informed in political discourse either.
I feel like you want to keep playing this card, that everyone is being unfair by pointing out that there is a large, frothing group of crazy people heavily influencing debate in the country right now, because most conservatives actually do have some ability to articulate their opinions in a way that has a bearing on actual intellectual thought, but who is accusing you personally otherwise? You're lumping yourself in with these people by continually pretending that they have a policy debate that is being ignored by the media!
10/16/09
I think the issue is that I view these as marginalized strawmen that the MSM/Pareene attack in lieu of speaking more clearly about some of the legitimate issues with various reform initiatives.
(It's entirely possible that the core problem is that I misjudge the clout of these people. Most likely my mind formed this view as a personal defense mechanism that enables me to leave my house and operate in society without freaking out completely. ) #polls
10/17/09
They keep saying they're going to come up with ideas for real reform (cut taxes/tort reform/yawn) if you just give them time, and we're supposed to forget that Republicans ran the entire show from 2003 until 2007? No, sorry, not going to happen. Mainstream Republicans time and again have proven themselves willing to manipulate America's racial fears. And they're doing it once again. Fuck 'em.
10/17/09
Add: there's a huge difference between scattered Leftist ranters Godwining on YouTube versus an entire news network, an entire political party and their associated think tanks and PR efforts trying to prove a Muslim sleeper agent wants to kill your grandma.
For that to happen, the entire Dem establishment, the networks AND CNN would have to have been attacking Bush for eight years, when the reverse is sadly (for our nation) true.
For the sake of decorum, I'll let go of the fact that their President lost the first time around, except for the SC vote, and thus even what the some of the hippy ranters said had some basis in fact. #polls
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is there anyone who thinks that focus groups are free-thinking, unbiased atmospheres any more? i don't doubt carville's findings, but the universe of willing participants tends to be rather small, and very familiar--perhaps too familiar.
i can't argue with michael moore's point that white/american people are a paranoid lot, by and large.
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So - is American wingnuttery on the rise? Or are we just seeing more of it because of the Intertubes? I've no doubt that there are lots of American whackos out there. But is every highway bypass a Rob Zombie movie populated by Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter creeps? Or are they merely the most visible? #polls
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No, I think that would be Lenin. #polls
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