American Politics 4.0 - Orangeyou Glad He’s Back?

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Drak

Have you listened to and seen the people interviewed at Trump rallies? Of course it’s stupidity for many. Stupidity, ignorance and lack of an education. Those are the types that fall for the crap they’re being served. The problem is a massive disinformation and propaganda network spewed across multiple platforms with an unchecked internet being the main culprit and a complicit MSM. The more intelligent part of the faction are the sociopathic grifters and cons.

Go look at the stats from that republican poll. You have college educated people believing garbage.

Improving the education system doesn’t solve this problem. It’s the structure and behaviour of media and government that needs to be fixed

[Drak]

Claiming stupidity isn’t the reason is not accurate. A huge portion of the base is in fact, stupid. Go watch some of these folks interviewed.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Drak

Claiming stupidity isn’t the reason is not accurate. A huge portion of the base is in fact, stupid. Go watch some of these folks interviewed.

I’m not saying people aren’t stupid. I agree with you that they are. The current political issues arent caused by their stupidity.

These same people were stupid 20 years ago, the number of stupid people hasn’t really increased. The content people consume and how politicians and media manipulate people is the variable that has changed here.

So if you did a root cause analysis you wouldn’t classify stupidity as a root cause it would be a contributing factor. So not the thing you solve to solve the problem.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Drak

Have you listened to and seen the people interviewed at Trump rallies? Of course it’s stupidity for many. Stupidity, ignorance and lack of an education. Those are the types that fall for the crap they’re being served. The problem is a massive disinformation and propaganda network spewed across multiple platforms with an unchecked internet being the main culprit and a complicit MSM. The more intelligent part of the faction are the sociopathic grifters and cons.

-Lack of intelligence
-Lack of self awareness or self reflection
-Limited ability to empathize with people beyond ingroup members
-Unwavering confidence in that which they've been indoctrinated into, even after presented with contradictory evidence
-Inability to update or audit beliefs to account for new information
-Inability to conceptualize points of view outside of their own (something healthy children develop by a certain age)

[Ped]

Believing everything Trump tells you despite all evidence to the contrary, and not believing something anyone else tells you, is indeed stupidity

[Swift]

Louis Theroux's latest doc on Netflix on the manosphere presents some of this kind of thing. Some of the influencers featured proudly tout themselves as homophobic, racist and anti-semitic and spout the secret Jewish cabal running the world conspiracy stuff. There's a sense that some of them are doing it just to be controversial and make money from clicks, but the disturbing part is just how many young teenage boys run up to them on the street proclaiming them as heroes. It's those impressionable minds being poisoned that's the real scary part.

[Cappy]

Originally Posted by Swift

Louis Theroux's latest doc on Netflix on the manosphere presents some of this kind of thing. Some of the influencers featured proudly tout themselves as homophobic, racist and anti-semitic and spout the secret Jewish cabal running the world conspiracy stuff. There's a sense that some of them are doing it just to be controversial and make money from clicks, but the disturbing part is just how many young teenage boys run up to them on the street proclaiming them as heroes. It's those impressionable minds being poisoned that's the real scary part.

Yeah, its pretty obvious these guys are doing it for the money - some of them, for quite a bit; but watching the doc showed some of their fans/simps coming to talk to them and it was just insane.

Weak men talking tough trying to lead weak men. This whole "alpha" generation is lunacy.

Its like mouthwash. Sell a product that didnt need to exist by inventing a problem.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Swift

Louis Theroux's latest doc on Netflix on the manosphere presents some of this kind of thing. Some of the influencers featured proudly tout themselves as homophobic, racist and anti-semitic and spout the secret Jewish cabal running the world conspiracy stuff. There's a sense that some of them are doing it just to be controversial and make money from clicks, but the disturbing part is just how many young teenage boys run up to them on the street proclaiming them as heroes. It's those impressionable minds being poisoned that's the real scary part.

Have that on my watch list, is it worth the watch?

[Yamer]

Originally Posted by GGG

Go look at the stats from that republican poll. You have college educated people believing garbage.

Improving the education system doesn’t solve this problem. It’s the structure and behaviour of media and government that needs to be fixed

Post-secondary education is not an indicator of intelligence.

Personally, I disagree with you that general stupidity isn't the root issue. Stupid people are like cockroaches and crocodiles: frustratingly persistent. And yes, terrible people are weaponizing that stupidity to influence these people.

However, the common denominator through time, whether it be the Klan or the Nazis, is stupid and angry people. It's not that these people do not trust institutions. It's because they don't trust the side that was operating those institutions. The grifters and deplorables are definitely responsible for their end, but these people are just...stupid. Stupid enough to believe whatever jelly is squirted into their empty dough heads.

The grifters and deplorables are never going away. They are protected by the 1st amendment. What you can do is educate your populace with a modicum of common sense and media literacy.

[SutterBrother]

Every village used to have an idiot. You would point and laugh at them.

Now, thanks to social media every idiot now has a village, and that village is electing most of the US govt.

Mainly because rural idiot voters have outsized voting impact. North and South Dakota? 4 senators. California? 2. Each senator from Wyoming represents about 284,000 people, while each senator from California represents around 19 million people.

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

-Lack of intelligence
-Lack of self awareness or self reflection
-Limited ability to empathize with people beyond ingroup members
-Unwavering confidence in that which they've been indoctrinated into, even after presented with contradictory evidence
-Inability to update or audit beliefs to account for new information
-Inability to conceptualize points of view outside of their own (something healthy children develop by a certain age)

Another thing that compounds the problem is the fact that people have invested huge amounts of time and emotional energy into believing things that aren't true. For them to now face reality and admit that they've been living a giant lie for years and years, is simply too difficult and painful for most of them to do. Their egos won't allow them to do it. That's what makes it such a difficult problem to solve.

[Fuzz]

The Pentagon is moving a Marine expeditionary unit and more warships to the Middle East, as Iran steps up its attacks in the Strait of Hormuz. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved a request from Centcom for an element of an amphibious ready group and attached Marine expeditionary unit, typically consisting of several warships and 5,000 Marines and sailors, according to three U.S. officials.

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/us-...-war-news-2026


For a not war that is over and completely destroyed the enemy, it's puzzling trying to figure out why just now they choose to send in the Marines.


It's like they hadn't planned this properly, and may be lying about some minor details here and there.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

The sad thing is they wouldn't even be scolded for being fooled, but would actually be commended and embraced for admitting to being incorrect but now seeing the light and wanting to denounce that decision.

The rest of us just want our friends/colleagues/family members back from this f###ing political cult mind virus that has preyed on their fears, lured them with false promises and got them to turn against various moral principles they previously stood for.

Sometimes you get just get duped in life. It happens. Want to prove you're not a complete fool and are intellectually honest and capable? Own up within yourself to the fact that you were roped into something that doesn't actually align with the values you were raised on and admit you took a misstep. Often the hard thing and the right thing are the same. But actually taking that step shows strength that a lot of people don't (yet) have.

I've had friends fall victim to ponzi schemes and throw their hard earned money away to essentially con jobs thinking they were in on a sure thing. I busted their balls a bit when they were caught up in it. But I didn't give them any #### for finally walking away from it because it meant they were finally self-honest about what was going on and they would grow from that lesson, and that's nothing to degrade someone for, cause we're all capable of being led astray now and then.

What's important is getting back on track with being in touch with reality.

[puffnstuff]

A federal judge just blocked DOJ subpoenas targeting Fed Chair Jerome Powell, ruling there is “a mountain of evidence” they were used to pressure Powell to lower interest rates or resign. Trump’s social media posts are featured prominently in the opinion.

[Swift]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Have that on my watch list, is it worth the watch?

I didn't know who any of these guys were, and the extent of what they preach, so it was eye opening to me for sure. I've been watching Theroux do his thing since he first started out in the 90s so I know it's not necessarily his style but I wish he'd gone after some of these dudes a bit harder. One ####### pushes back at him trying to humiliate him on a livestream and Theroux kinda flounders when I wish he'd gone full throated at him. But yes, worth a watch for sure.

[Drak]

Trump sure cares about high gas prices, high groceries, high rent costs and Americans dying for his pedo war.