Alberta Politics & Government Thread 3.0

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by GGG

Yoho is a troll who does not engage in good faith arguments with anyone. Stick man is the same. There are plenty of right wing people who debate in these threads in good faith. Posters like Yoho detract from this.

I"m pretty sure Yoyo and Schtickman are the same user and is Cory Morgan's wife!

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If your news sources, like Rebel, The Western Standard, and True North purposefully mislead you, and you believe them, then you are in fact brainwashed. It's a fair term to use. If you ignore facts you are presented with and make up your own reality to justify being awful, you are in fact stupid. The terms feel appropriate to use. Or are these people too big of snowflakes to be named exactly what they are? If you don't want to be called stupid, don't be stupid. Seems pretty straight forward.

Exactly. To invalidate the “brainwashing” factor, which is a crude name for a legitimate issue that wraps things like “fake news”/alternative news propaganda and harmful social media algorithms within it just seems… like putting your head in the sand?

Again, we’re talking about people who believe in and share conspiracy theories and “alternative” facts (lies, untruths, blatantly wrong information, whatever you want to call it) as truth. They no longer believe in the concept of true and false. They’ve been brainwashed into an unhealthy distrust of the news (which isn’t the same as media literacy) and an unhealthy distrust of any government, politician, or even regular person that has politic views outside their own. And they also have no concept of it or self awareness, which is why guys like Yoho and iamburger liked Slava’s post, because it’s just another thing telling them “no, you’re not brainwashed, it’s the world around you that’s wrong, everyone is just so cruel and strange!”

It’s fascinating anyway (if you decide not to acknowledge how depressing it is).

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Yamer

In entire agreement with every word of this post, arranged accordingly.

Still irked by someone calling me a fool for engaging with these posters.

I will apologize for calling you a fool. That was out of frustration and uncalled for.

But I'm sorry, you cannot complain that these posters stir #### up if you keep engaging with their crappy low effort, low quality contributions.

Originally Posted by Dion

What happened to scrolling past posts you don't like? It's what I do when I come across posts I don't like. The drama on this site is so over the top.

I.. do? Yamer is a good poster so I have no problem engaging with them. Yoho is on ignore for historically being not posting anything worth engaging with, and thus I scroll past their posts.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...619597?cmp=rss

Conservatives insisted on creating this monster, removing power from local boards. I believe one of the catalysts was to prevent the Calgary Health Board from throwing their weight around, harming rural regions.

The irony is that it's a similar model to how they seem to want a provincial police force to be run as well as it's a way to ensure more provincial government control. Governments that have preached reducing government and red tape but creating heavily centralized, top-heavy bureaucratic machines.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Discuss. Wrong answers only.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1582215353928933379

Boar on the floor.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If your news sources, like Rebel, The Western Standard, and True North purposefully mislead you, and you believe them, then you are in fact brainwashed. It's a fair term to use. If you ignore facts you are presented with and make up your own reality to justify being awful, you are in fact stupid. The terms feel appropriate to use. Or are these people too big of snowflakes to be named exactly what they are? If you don't want to be called stupid, don't be stupid. Seems pretty straight forward.

There are people on both sides of the spectrum who you can label as brainwashed, it is wrong to imply that they only exist on one end. This falls into the religion discussion as well. Having beliefs and living your life a certain way does not automatically mean one is brain washed. And to call them all stupid is simply wrong, sure many of them are but many are extremely well educated. The far right, like all points on the spectrum includes people from all walks of life, with varying backgrounds. To call people stupid because you do not share political beliefs is utterly ignorant.

I believe that no matter what one's beliefs are, or where they land on the political spectrum, we all essentially have the same wants from our governments, our media and overall way of life.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

To call people stupid because you do not share political beliefs is utterly ignorant.

That's not what Fuzz said.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

If you ignore facts you are presented with and make up your own reality to justify being awful, you are in fact stupid.

Rejection of facts to live in a fantasy land != different political beliefs. It is the rejection of provable reality.

[opendoor]

Originally Posted by Slava

Maybe, but I think it goes back to the early 90’s or around that time. I feel like prior to that politicians themselves had a different relationship. They were political opponents, but probably friends away from the limelight. Things slowly got more divisive though. While you could probably see Decore and Klein go for a beer and chat, could you ever see Notley and Smith so that today? Federally, I feel like Broadbent/Turner/Mulroney could do that. There’s no way you’d get Pierre and Justin hanging out today though.

And it’s not just personality issues. It’s a fundamental change in how politics operates now. Everyone is so entrenched in their position that there’s no wiggle room and no compromise.

There's a pretty good reason for that, and the fact that you're equating people like Smith or Poilievre with someone like Mulroney should give you a pretty good clue why.

It's not hard at all to imagine people like O'Toole, Charest, or MacKay having civil and friendly relations with other party leaders, and that's because they're largely centrists. Look at Rona Ambrose. She was the interim leader for the Conservatives after Harper, and then 3 months after she left that position, she was working with the Trudeau government as part of the NAFTA renegotiations. The reasonable members of the different parties have no trouble working together.

The fact that you can't envision Smith having good relations with Notley isn't because of "politics today"; it's because Smith is bat**** crazy and is basically a conspiracy theory ****poster who was handed the job of Premier.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Macman

I don’t think that was the real WS twitter, (not that I actually follow them). If that’s an actual parody, who would even spend their time on something like that?

I know this has passed by, but....do you not do humour?

If people can't poke fun at themselves, we are really in deep trouble.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by TorqueDog

That's not what Fuzz said.
Rejection of facts to live in a fantasy land != different political beliefs. It is the rejection of provable reality.

This is typical of how they think, though. Their opinion has an equivalent on the "other side" and those critiquing them are in the wrong, because it's an "opinion" or "viewpoint" and everyone is entitled to that. But if you have come to those views through information that is false, then your opinion and viewpoint can in fact be wrong. It can also be stupid, ignorant, harmful, selfish and many other things. But they will play this victim card to justify their reliance on whatever narrative they have been indoctrinated to sell.

It's even more baffling when posters who are not brainwashed idiots come to their defense by claiming there is an equivalence we need to respect. There is not.

[Macman]

I don’t think it (WS parody) is funny and neither is it. It’s indistinguishable from the real WS. That tweet that was posted could have been from the real WS and people thought it was. People don’t know what’s real anymore and that’s part of the problem.

And I get political satire and think it can be funny. This Hour and Leno used to be good at it too and without being a hater like some are now.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by Macman

I don’t think it (WS parody) is funny and neither is it. It’s indistinguishable from the real WS. That tweet that was posted could have been from the real WS and people thought it was. People don’t know what’s real anymore and that’s part of the problem.

And I get political satire and think it can be funny. This Hour and Leno used to be good at it too and without being a hater like some are now.

Ok? I don't find most of the pitchbot (CBC, Reuters, BBC, etc) funny, but I do find some of the WS postings funny.

FYI it says right on their page "Western Standard Pitchbot
@WesternStd
Satire and parody. Below the real Western Standard."


BUT, doesn't it say more if you think its actually real?

[surferguy]

Originally Posted by Macman

I don’t think it (WS parody) is funny and neither is it. It’s indistinguishable from the real WS. That tweet that was posted could have been from the real WS and people thought it was. People don’t know what’s real anymore and that’s part of the problem.

And I get political satire and think it can be funny. This Hour and Leno used to be good at it too and without being a hater like some are now.

The fact that you cannot distinguish this account from the real account should make you consider the news presented by the real account.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This is typical of how they think, though. Their opinion has an equivalent on the "other side" and those critiquing them are in the wrong, because it's an "opinion" or "viewpoint" and everyone is entitled to that. But if you have come to those views through information that is false, then your opinion and viewpoint can in fact be wrong. It can also be stupid, ignorant, harmful, selfish and many other things. But they will play this victim card to justify their reliance on whatever narrative they have been indoctrinated to sell.

It's even more baffling when posters who are not brainwashed idiots come to their defense by claiming there is an equivalence we need to respect. There is not.

Your labeling is beyond ridiculous.

[timun]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Again, we’re talking about people who believe in and share conspiracy theories and “alternative” facts (lies, untruths, blatantly wrong information, whatever you want to call it) as truth. They no longer believe in the concept of true and false. They’ve been brainwashed into an unhealthy distrust of the news (which isn’t the same as media literacy) and an unhealthy distrust of any government, politician, or even regular person that has politic views outside their own. And they also have no concept of it or self awareness, which is why guys like Yoho and iamburger liked Slava’s post, because it’s just another thing telling them “no, you’re not brainwashed, it’s the world around you that’s wrong, everyone is just so cruel and strange!”

It’s fascinating anyway (if you decide not to acknowledge how depressing it is).

Fostering distrust in all media is a classic fascist propaganda tactic. The Nazis called it the "lying press".

[Macman]

Originally Posted by surferguy

The fact that you cannot distinguish this account from the real account should make you consider the news presented by the real account.

But that’s the point, how can you make fun of something that’s already out there and doing it on its own without even trying? I think most people know about the WS and Rebel because they pop up on mainstream platforms now and again but pretty easy not to take seriously let alone create a parody account out of, to me at least.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

Your labeling is beyond ridiculous.

And so is your inability to call a spade a spade.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

If we're being totally fair, there are many things that the most left leaning posters on the board would swear up and down is totally right, but couldn't rationally justify if their lives depended on it, usually having to do with moral positions on specific events or issues.

But the difference with stuff like COVID is that while there was initially a dearth of information about it, there isn't anymore - there's a lot of settled science and it's basically a done deal for anyone who hasn't completely lost the plot. The issue is done and over and not worth talking about. If you're someone who is still worried about covid and vaccines, that fact alone indicates that there is at least some label that you're not going to like that is entirely appropriate to apply to you.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

And so is your inability to call a spade a spade.

No, I just have no reason to cast judgement on others.

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

This is typical of how they think, though. Their opinion has an equivalent on the "other side" and those critiquing them are in the wrong, because it's an "opinion" or "viewpoint" and everyone is entitled to that. But if you have come to those views through information that is false, then your opinion and viewpoint can in fact be wrong. It can also be stupid, ignorant, harmful, selfish and many other things. But they will play this victim card to justify their reliance on whatever narrative they have been indoctrinated to sell.

It's even more baffling when posters who are not brainwashed idiots come to their defense by claiming there is an equivalence we need to respect. There is not.

The fact you can't perceive that the same phenomenon occurs on both sides of the spectrum is indicative of your own bias. For every Western Standard there is a PressProgress. People are increasingly uncomfortable with confronting viewpoints that challenge their own beliefs and consequently gravitate towards unreliable sources that reinforce their views.