Donald Trump - MAGAtwat news and discussion

[Wilf]

You're probably the best of the new lot tbf.

Yeah, I think I said so in the Secret Forum.

 

[danny la rouge]

But... but... he's evil!!!!!!11!!

An evil twink!

 

[Wilf]

Agreed. And IQ is a dodgy concept anyway, wrapped up in eugenics and all that shit. But that aside, we do need to watch our language. For ableist reasons and more.

Well, if everyone had equal access to the same high quality information. But we don’t. We know that.

I even tried experiments setting up new social media accounts. Not following anything political or new and current affairs. I made a YouTube account, followed the Beatles and Time Team and seemingly neutral stuff like that, and got all these recommendations for Jordan Peterson and that kind of shite. I wrote about it on here. It was appalling.

Imagine you’re not a politico nerd like us, and you get force fed that stuff?

Imagine all you see is US based news?

Imagine all you hear on social media, on Fox, from your friends, etc is how bad Kamala is, how she should be locked up. The opposite of what we know is what they know.

The situation is bad. It’s frustrating, depressing and alarming that Trump has been voted in again. But I’m afraid it’s just lazy to put it down to “stupidity”, unless all you mean by that is “oh ffs!”. If one really means lack of intelligence, then that doesn’t actually answer anything. It opens more questions.

Yeah I think we need to distinguish between 'stupidity' and rationality. From one perspective it might seem irrational to vote for someone like Trump or Johnson. I might say it goes against the material interests of very many of those voters.

But people have a variety of (largely negative) experiences and, as you say, are exposed to a tsunami of self reinforcing messages, linkages, images and the rest. All of that leaves a lot of people having a rationale, actual reasons to vote in certain ways. Or indeed join movements,take certain actions.

Are they wrong? Well yeah, I'd say so and it's so.ething to engage with and oppose. But the key to it is the rationale that has built up - including the role of the established left - not personal stupidity.

 

[danny la rouge]

Yeah I think we need to distinguish between 'stupidity' and rationality. From one perspective it might seem irrational to vote for someone like Trump or Johnson. I might say it goes against the material interests of very many of those voters.

But people have a variety of (largely negative) experiences and, as you say, are exposed to a tsunami of self reinforcing messages, linkages, images and the rest. All of that leaves a lot of people having a rationale, actual reasons to vote in certain ways. Or indeed join movements,take certain actions.

Are they wrong? Well yeah, I'd say so and it's so.ething to engage with and oppose. But the key to it is the rationale that has built up - including the role of the established left - not personal stupidity.

Very well put. Yes.

 

[Wilf]

I think people should move away from characterising all Trump voters as uneducated idiots who are disengaged from politics and voted solely on the culture war. Even amongst that group many are very politically engaged, especially the more religious elements. You might consider it thick to believe in a literal interpretation of the bible as a moral guide but clearly there are and always have been some very intelligent people who are also very religious. And this group used to break left in US politics. Have they just become stupid or is something else going on?

But also many Trump voters will have been upper middle class and tempted by tax cuts which were likely to favour them. Capitalists and aspiring capatalists were no doubt attracted to the thought of less corporation tax. Others, in areas where manufacturing has been devastasted by cheap imports, might think tariffs are a good idea. Low income workers might have been attracted by the pledge to exempt tips, overtime and social security payments from taxation. None of these positions are stupid. Self interested perhaps. A gamble maybe in the case of tariffs. But not stupid.

Unless the left can come up with something that genuinely appeals to voters who are struggling economically and feel abandoned, instead of pointing and sneering and losing, then the rightward drift will continue.

Well put. Only thing Id add is that 'intelligent' people seem just as prone as anyone else to go down the conspiracy rabbit hole.

 

[krtek a houby]

a little paddy about it.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Well put. Only thing Id add is that 'intelligent' people seem just as prone as anyone else to go down the conspiracy rabbit hole.

Yep definitely. Possibly even more so. 'intelligent' is probably the wrong word here but 'intellectual' maybe gets closer: exploring conspiracy theories is an intellectual pursuit.

 

[danny la rouge]

Yep definitely. Possibly even more so. 'intelligent' is probably the wrong word here but 'intellectual' maybe gets closer: exploring conspiracy theories is an intellectual pursuit.

I know a guy with a masters in engineering. So you’d think an analytical kind of thinker. Well, that’s probably the problem. He’s not a Trumpite (yet anyway), but jeez does he go down some rabbit holes.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I know a guy with a masters in engineering. So you’d think an analytical kind of thinker. Well, that’s probably the problem. He’s not a Trumpite (yet anyway), but jeez does he go down some rabbit holes.

This is something I've had to think long and hard about. Sadly I haven't reached any amazing conclusions, other than that, rather than an indication of some intellectual disability, it is all too often a manifestation of mental illness. It can take down the cleverest among us.

 

[krtek a houby]

Some of the cleverest people I've met over the years have displayed some very dubious tendencies in terms of politics and behaviour.

 

[danny la rouge]

They say (on what authority I don’t know) that Enoch Powell was clever. A Nazi and a nonce. But, you know, clever.

Intelligence is overrated. I’d take an honest fool any day.

 

[two sheds]

Yep I've met three or four incredibly intelligent people, and I decided some time ago just because someone is intelligent it doesn't mean they're right. They often have a misplaced and arrogant certainty because they've been told all their lives how clever they are.

 

[Serge Forward]

And let's not forget MENSA, that well know club for twats who happen to be good at a dubious test.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Fucking hell. I didn't know that about Powell. Grim reading.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's mentor was a violent paedophile and a racist with deranged views about the lack of intelligence of women. - Village Magazine

 

[danny la rouge]

Yeah, sorry to have made you look for that.

 

[Dystopiary]

An evil twink!

There you go, twinkjacketing yourself.

 

[breadandcircuse]

Fucking hell. I didn't know that about Powell. Grim reading.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson's mentor was a violent paedophile and a racist with deranged views about the lack of intelligence of women. - Village Magazine

Me neither, well I knew of his far right crap, but not the paedophilia or the lack of intelligence of women.

 

[hitmouse]

Oh, I’ve rage posted like the best of us.

I remember years and years ago there was quite a funny article on "How to Tell If a Canadian is Mad At You", eg:

They are behaving towards you exactly as they always have, yet you somehow feel strangely guilty.
Your weekly batch of homemade cookies only came with chocolate chips, instead of both chocolate and butterscotch, like normal.
They do not make sure your hearts line up when you hug.
They smile politely and say “It’s certainly possible” or worse, “I can see that.”
Tells you less frequently, perhaps only on a daily basis, how much your friendship means to them.
When you mention a book you loved as a child but could never remember the title of offhandedly in a conversation, they do not track it down and buy it for you, but merely tell you the name.
They burn down the White House.

I imagine "How to Tell if Danny is Rage Posting" is quite similar.

 

[emanymton]

And let's not forget MENSA, that well know club for twats who happen to be good at a dubious test.

MENSA people aren't clever, just good at rearranging blocks and shit.

 

[Serge Forward]

MENSA people aren't clever, just good at rearranging blocks and shit.

Ooh... I used to quite like The Krypton Factor on telly.

 

[emanymton]

Never considered the origin of that turn of phrase before, in fact don't think I've ever used it before, I won't use it again.

But you don't have to be such a passive aggressive wanker about it. Seriously I don't know what it is with you recently but you have become a real tiresome dick a lot of the time.

 

[emanymton]

Ooh... I used to quite like The Krypton Factor on telly.

I usd to watch that with me mum as a little kid. Think I liked the aircraft landing part the best back then.

 

[Serge Forward]

They had to land an aircraft?!?! Was that an army obstacle course add-on?

 

[emanymton]

They had to land an aircraft?!?! Was that an army obstacle course add-on?

Simulated

 

[Serge Forward]

Simulated

Ahh... I remember!

 

[emanymton]

Ahh... I remember!

I think most of them crashed so good thing really.

 

[HeAthen]

They say (on what authority I don’t know) that Enoch Powell was clever. A Nazi and a nonce. But, you know, clever.

Intelligence is overrated. I’d take an honest fool any day.

Peter Mandellson. Definitely an evil cunt, definitely not stupid (no matter what one of Trumps lot says).

 

[stavros]

Bernie's latest rant about Trump and Musk:

 

[Wilf]

And let's not forget MENSA, that well know club for twats who happen to be good at a dubious test.

Yep, try the My Year in Mensa podcast by Jamie Loftus. A hideous organisation.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Bernie's latest rant about Trump and Musk:

He'd have taken Trump if he'd ever been allowed the Dem nomination.