What is your opinion about your country (or your state in the case of the United States)?

[CravenCoyote]

Australia is nice. Still settling in though. I've only had to murder three redbacks so far, and Red Rooster is pretty good. Just a shame about the rental/housing crisis going on that I'm hoping resolves itself at some point.

[xdarkmasterx]

It's hot down here and smells like sulfur

[ChopBlock223]

It's nice seeing people of all kinds of backgrounds and from all kinds of different places in the world loving Doom. Truly a 'flavor' with universal appeal.

[Halfblind]

 

I'll place this here.

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Halfblind

[LoatharMDPhD]

// Speaking from personal experience...

the state bird of Indiana is putting cheese on everything...

and Illinois' State beverage is classism on the rocks with a twist of extortion...

and Nebraska is just nice... peace and quiet for once...

 

 

here's another bloak named Andrew pontificating ....

 

Edited October 29, 2023 by LoatharMDPhD
link

[Lofwyr]

If you think you know what Germans are thinking, then you problably don't know what Germans are thinking.

Lying straight into the faces of public surveying (especially media) and the like is the absolute norm and done as casually a breathing due to the geopolitical situations.

 

Not I, though. I always tell the truth when interviewed about things like that.

[scalliano]

Things aren't as bad as they used to be -  we still kill each other from time to time, but despite the lack of a functioning government for several years now, we're at least able to focus on the important things in life like not being able to afford basic necessities. I'd call that progress.

[Aaron Blain]

NYC is great, despite what all our far-right propaganda has everyone believing. Some things are a hassle, but many things are incredibly convenient. It's less than a five minute walk to a hardware store, two dollar stores, three grocery stores, etc. I happen to live right by the elevated train, which somehow I can barely hear from my apartment. The trains are incredibly decrepit but still very useful. I gave up my car about two years ago and I only miss it when I want to go on road trips, but you can still get out to some very nice places with a quick train ride.

 

My main complaints are rent (although that's becoming universal in the USA) and the scarcity of good mediterranean food. The Mexican food is also surprisingly mediocre here too. But all the good cheap Caribbean food makes up for it. 

 

Also, I grew up in Ohio, and I miss being able to buy groceries, wine, toiletries and household supplies in the same place. In Brooklyn you often have to make an extra stop for toothpaste or lightbulbs or whatever, which always irritates me.

Edited October 31, 2023 by Aaron Blain

[QuaketallicA]

...

Edited November 1, 2023 by QuaketallicA

[QuaketallicA]

On 10/17/2023 at 3:16 PM, Doomkid said:

LOL this whole post is political so ignore it, I just had to express disagreement. No aggression or anything like that intended.

 

  Hide contents

I mean, if you're gonna call what others say ahistorical, you'll have to back up your own claims as well.

Here's some policies that not only the right, but the mainstream left also has referred to as "far left policy" over the years, sometimes they outright call it "communist" even. You'll only hear policies like the ones to follow from Green-types, Bernie-types, etc and - surprise surprise - they are supported by the vast majority of Americans..

Healthcare for all, supported by over 63% of Americans. Not at all on the cards for mainstream repubs and dems:



Free college, supported by 70-80% of Americans. Once again, not on the cards as of now from the mainstream parties:



I think the idea that left-leaning people reluctantly support democrats rather than "wanting them in there" is best demonstrated by the fact that most of them vote AGAINST republicans, not FOR democrats:
 



Christ, even the average democrat doesn't want more Biden. I prefer him over Trump or whatever, but yeah, I absolutely get that.

The idea that these parties are putting people forth that the American people want leading them is the most ahistorical claim in this thread to me, heh. So forgive the spiel. Most people support the duopoly reluctantly, not out of some strong desire for that to remain the norm forever and ever.

If 3rd parties weren't artificially gimped by literal constant dismissal coupled with intense scrutiny from the mainstream media, who absolutely are constantly performing a financial reach-around with the DNC / RNC respectively - or perhaps if not for the blatant rigging inherently baked into the electoral college as it presently functions - they might be able to achieve some kind of real recognition.

I would prefer the democrats just stop being "centre right" relative to the rest of the first world, then I could vote for them without much worry. However the differences between modern dems and "classical republicans" is way too small these days. The only meaningful difference I see is that modern dems don't hate LGBT people. Their positions on healthcare for all, taxpayer subsidized college, climate change policy, etc are all largely indistinguishable, and represent the will of a tiny fraction of Americans, most of whom are wealthy, rather than the commoners.

Moral of the story: People do not "actively want" the current crop of mainstream politicians running the country. It's very much the product of reluctance, misinformation, media landscape domination, and other underhanded ways of keeping power with the powerful and out of those who want to more actively represent the will of the American people.

 

 

Democrats are "center right"? Lol, they've taken a sharp turn farther to the left in recent years, and in retaliation, the populist, MAGA wing has hijacked the Republican party. What we need are more centrists to anchor American politics in normalcy and get the more radical, extremist wings of both the parties in check.

 

I don't know where this ludicrous image of Biden as "senile" keeps coming from. Perhaps because Biden spends more time actually getting work done than fighting trolls on Twitter.

 

American elections very often come down to a lesser of two evils. But in 2020, it wasn't just that Trump was scandal-ridden, had a track record of incompetence and lies during the pandemic, was twice impeached and deserved to be removed but got bailed out by McConnel and GOP cronies; such that literally anybody else would've been preferable. Joe Biden actually was demonstrably the most qualified man in America for the position, and I say that as an independent. Has he fucked up since getting in office? Sure, he's not perfect. Yet nobody, not even Republicans, will criticize the easy target that was his disastrous decision to leave Afghanistan, or even the royally botched execution of that inherently flawed policy. 

 

Instead, the biggest complaint of Biden...is ageism? That he's old? For real?

(Yes, because Trump is such a young guy by comparison).

 

Every time this asinine, ageist complaint is raised, I'm reminded of another man who was one of our country's greatest presidents, and who at the time, was the oldest POTUS in history. Another man whose record, while revered, was also far from perfect and had blemishes.

 

 

 

[QuaketallicA]

On 10/18/2023 at 8:29 PM, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Honestly it doesn't even feel like anyone is in office. It's like there's a ghost at the white house. Disregarding any political aspects, he just does not have a presidential personality. He doesn't talk well, he doesn't convey his thoughts in a coherent manner, he doesn't speak with conviction. He is fucking boring. He doesn't give the impression of a powerful man, but at the same time does not come across as a humble man. He's not even capable of holding your attention. I don't think he's a child molesting serial killer or anything like some people seem to believe, but he's a piss-poor example of a leader. A leader should have leadership skills, he has none. I don't know any democrats that actually like Biden. I've never met a person like that. The white house feels vacant.

 

I know this might have been forgotten after 2015, but politics actually isn't supposed to be a reality tv show or a circus. The President should be judged by his actions; how he governs. Not whether he can get tv ratings or how interesting he is to listen to. If politicians did their job right, they should be as boring to watch as C-SPAN. Election battlegrounds are fought on issues of policy and belief, but realistically, the President himself is quite limited in how much he can affect policy changes. Outside of executive action/orders, legislation is the domain of Congress, not the President. What the President is truly judged by is how he responds to the inevitable crises that will arise during his tenure. Bush Jr. campaigned on education reform but his administration is defined by foreign wars. Obama's legacy is in good part his child, the ACA, but perhaps moreso guiding the economy out of the Great Recession, and later on, combating ISIS.

 

When it came to the pandemic, Biden's administration actually followed the science, bought the vaccines before any other nation, and managed an efficient distribution to all Americans to get the pandemic over and the economy back asap. When war broke out in Ukraine, he has been a leading force in financially and militarily supporting Ukraine without escalating the conflict or dragging NATO into a WW3 with Russia. (That might seem like a no-brainer, but many politicians in Congress, mostly Republicans, are actually against continuing to aid Ukraine now. Tucker Carlson even questioned whether Putin was in the wrong.) And Biden is right to support Israel, although I would like a little more concern for civilian casualties and bystanders in Gaza. Israel needs a measured response in the region, with a well-thought out long term agenda, not merely vengeance on Hamas. They should learn from our mistakes after 9/11, and we could condition our aid on these factors.

Edited November 1, 2023 by QuaketallicA

[Pomps]

If it only rained less here 😅

[Captain red pants]

25 minutes ago, QuaketallicA said:

Democrats are "center right"? Lol, they've taken a sharp turn farther to the left in recent years

How so?

[Lofwyr]

(Private people who are not part of government political parties cannot ever say anything political, it is fully opinion until it becomes officially part of politics, don't let their memes take away your opinion and free speech without getting paid or having any power over actual politics while they do get paid and can say anything, and often, depending on where you might be, might even be partially immune to the law. It's too fucked up to let them get away with that even though it has been a very very VERY common thing for ages now, but you're STILL only a politician until you're a politician, otherwise you're just a person, with opinions. Even if your opinions overlap with some parties credoes, that's what parties do, and it's why democracy in the form that has been used in the last 100 years or so is evil. Remember, you cannot VOTE AWAY parties, you can only 'vote them in' but not AWAY. Why? So there's always some stooge bogeyman party to sit like a monkey on the neck of YOUR PERSONAL OPINION to meme it into being policital. YOU CANNOT REMOVE THIS PARTY (usually) you can only decide to not vote for it but you CANNOT REMOVE IT (usually) Even if you NEVER VOTE or are NOT INTERESTED IN POLITICS...

This is not a good arrangement for people... )

 

Edit:
(How many politicians you think have been punished for 'speech' vs regular people, you think? Over all? Do you really really want to play the game of "Sure, leave me open for unpaid character assassination, projection, divide and conquer without the benefits!" game of politicizing your own personal opinion like that? While they laugh? Even if you're on the 'winning side of politics', do you still enjoy being the projected avatar to be attacked of insert-party-here? I don't, you shouldn't either. Embrace opinion. It's what truly is yours.)

Edited November 1, 2023 by Lofwyr

[Captain red pants]

So anyway, it's pretty cool to have nationalized healthcare and infrastructure that's not crumbling before our eyes, but the cost living here sucks and you can get sunburned if you take too long hanging out the washing.

People say we've got crazy wild life but yanks have got bears and lions so I don't know what you think "dangerous" is. I will say that your famous snake does at least give you a rattle to warn you when it wants you to fuck off. Our noodle boi's 'ill just bite you

Oh and sometimes these assholes will ruin your lunch:

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by Captain red pants

[Scuba Steve]

3 hours ago, QuaketallicA said:

Democrats are "center right"? Lol, they've taken a sharp turn farther to the left in recent years, and in retaliation, the populist, MAGA wing has hijacked the Republican party. 

What's the most "leftist" position of a member of the Democratic caucus today, and then please give an example of an issue where the Democratic party has moved dramatically 'left' in recent years.

[RDETalus]

3 hours ago, Scuba Steve said:

What's the most "leftist" position of a member of the Democratic caucus today, and then please give an example of an issue where the Democratic party has moved dramatically 'left' in recent years.

 

Tricky question because there is a huge difference between what politicians say, and what they actually do. We could find videos of many Democrat talking heads having very left positions, but when you look at what is actually accomplished, most of it is still pretty center. The border wall being a good example of this. Democrats seem very open border lately, but their actual policies on it are still mostly status quo from 15+ years ago.

Edited November 1, 2023 by RDETalus

[Scuba Steve]

That's a lot of coded language... 'having very left positions' and 'very open border' aren't actual evidence of political ideology. It's why it's important for people who think the Democratic party is "left" to explain exactly what they mean by "left" and to demonstrate that the party is pursuing those same "left" ideas.

 

What is the most "very left position" a member of the democratic party publicly supports, and what policies is the Democratic Party enacting (or advocating for) that are "left."

[dasho]

There's a lot of energy wasted on arguing about what the "left" hand and the "right" hand are doing, when they are both attached to the same body that is endlessly stamping a boot in your face a la 1984.

[LadyMistDragon]

This thread is moving towards the path of closure now, I'm afraid.

[Aaron Blain]

2 hours ago, LadyMistDragon said:

This thread is moving towards the path of closure now, I'm afraid.

Yeah so anyway NYC tacos are pretty mid, although I'm told the situation is better in Queens.

 

Oh man and don't even get me started on street sweeping. Total scam.

 

Pretty awesome parks, though. Prospect is the best overall but there are good little ones all over the place.

[LadyMistDragon]

I've heard of street sweeping in New York before. Feels like a why bother situation.

[Scuba Steve]

2 hours ago, dasho said:

There's a lot of energy wasted on arguing about what the "left" hand and the "right" hand are doing, when they are both attached to the same body that is endlessly stamping a boot in your face a la 1984.

Both parties are beholden to the wealthy, capital class... but no one being honest with themselves can look at the two major parties in the United States and think they're even remotely equally "bad." The Democratic party—at least nationally—is feckless and weak and perfectly content with the status quo of doing nothing to address the material conditions of the country and the growing inequality while occasionally offering performative virtue-signaling gestures towards marginalized groups. The Republican party no longer believes in Democracy. They will never again believe elections can be won by their opponents—70% of Republican voters do not believe Joe Biden was legitimately elected—and will take every step necessary to disenfranchise voters to prevent future "fraud." They are a minoritarian death cult held together by the interests of the same capital class as the Democrats, but also Christian fundamentalists and white supremacists. They are actively hostile towards marginalized groups and, currently, if you're a trans American, they want you dead.

 

If you don't want to vote for Democrats, sure, fine. Nationally, they have done very little to earn your vote and, as of late, are actively driving young people and Muslim Americans away from the party due to their unwavering stance on Israel... but there are plenty of strategic, coalition reasons to vote for Democrats. There are literally no reasons to vote for the modern Republican party unless you want fascism.

[dasho]

5 minutes ago, Scuba Steve said:

Both parties are beholden to the wealthy, capital class... but no one being honest with themselves can look at the two major parties in the United States and think they're even remotely equally "bad." The Democratic party—at least nationally—is feckless and weak and perfectly content with the status quo of doing nothing to address the material conditions of the country and the growing inequality while occasionally offering performative virtue-signaling gestures towards marginalized groups. The Republican party no longer believes in Democracy. They will never again believe elections can be won by their opponents—70% of Republican voters do not believe Joe Biden was legitimately elected—and will take every step necessary to disenfranchise voters to prevent future "fraud." They are a minoritarian death cult held together by the interests of the same capital class as the Democrats, but also Christian fundamentalists and white supremacists. They are actively hostile towards marginalized groups and, currently, if you're a trans American, they want you dead.

 

If you don't want to vote for Democrats, sure, fine. Nationally, they have done very little to earn your vote and, as of late, are actively driving young people and Muslim Americans away from the party due to their unwavering stance on Israel... but there are plenty of strategic, coalition reasons to vote for Democrats. There are literally no reasons to vote for the modern Republican party unless you want fascism.

What I am saying is that the constant bickering and hyperbole is tertiary to the fact that your vote doesn't truly matter.

[DankMetal]

I always thought that this thread would be locked at some point, you can't talk about countries without mentioning politics. I'm suprised that this topic is still open, but i'm pretty sure it will be closed really soon.

[Scuba Steve]

In the strictest sense, sure. Elections aren't won by "a vote" (blah blah I'm sure there's one or two anecdotes), which is why it's not about "voting" it's really about engagement and advocacy. Your vote itself might not mean much, but canvassing for a candidate, volunteering to work for their campaign and registering voters is how you win elections. I was even more cynical and bitter until last year when all the hard work of volunteers paid off and we helped flip all three branches of the Minnesota government to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and they immediately enacted three decades worth of progressive policy in a single session. We now have paid family leave, paid sick leave, debt-free college for families <80k/yr, legal marijuana, strengthened abortion rights, expanded voting access and automatic registration... what they were able to accomplish was incredible, it actually restored my faith in the state Democratic-aligned party... and it was all made possible by twenty years of active, progressive volunteerism.

Edited November 1, 2023 by Scuba Steve

[dasho]

On a smaller scale, that may be true; I am alluding to the larger power structures, political "dynasties", lifetime-incumbent politicians, the constant cycle of "We have a majority in Congress/The Executive Branch/etc, but somehow the pesky other side still manages to stalemate us for 4-8 years, better luck next time!" (this is followed by "we need your fundraising help to beat (tyrannical other side here) in the future!"), that sort of thing.

Edited November 2, 2023 by dasho

[Mr. Freeze]

Two people arguing with a reddit-tier level of understanding of the political process has been the acid to my eyeballs I never wanted. Good lord. 

[Scuba Steve]

I'm the chair of the local county party who also ran for public office, advised other campaigns, and does work for the statewide party as well as lobbying on behalf of our local union at the State Capital. Yes. Reddit-level understanding.

[dasho]

36 minutes ago, Mr. Freeze said:

Two people arguing with a reddit-tier level of understanding of the political process has been the acid to my eyeballs I never wanted. Good lord.