As a passing thought, I like the reference to surrealism. The facticity of things at one level can obscure the fact of them at another. A clock or watch finds itself a symbol for the abstract concept of time, but materially it's a construction dependent on material and spatial contingencies and only arbitrarily related to its symbol. The fact of time is then both represented and obscured by its concrete symbolization. Art can bring these things together by deconstructing the concrete facticity in a way that frees the symbolic within. E.g. Dali's surrealist representations of clocks and watches as flowing and ubiquitous allow the symbolic to "leak through" the concrete, unifying both into a greater whole that's psychologically enriching.

Them doing something about / commenting on an issue you consider trivial (transgender rights) is not evidence that they do nothing about things almost everyone would consider important.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/

Your childish smear though is evidence of your lack of intellectual seriousness, something which, oddly, you don't realize you are putting on full display with posts like this. Maybe focus on that.

Absolutely. I think I've made clear before there are no morals to be found on any side. I can understand Americans having practical reasons to prefer one over the other though.

Just another slimy politician doing what’s best for himself. — praxis

Probably the worst thing about him is the fusion of antisemitism (e.g. his veiled suggestion that the Jews and Chinese got together to launch COVID), his staunch support for Israel's war on Gaza, and a central pillar of his platform being that he's anti-war. The hypocrisy / opportunism combo there is audacious even for an American politician.

It's a betting market, so it's sentiment based. I think Harris will still win but just barely.

This is typical "journalism" of today, from DW: — ssu

I like that as a generalizable example of how consumerist media kills reality in favour of sellable fictions.

They got RFK's endorsement though. According to polymarket, they are (very slight) favourites to win now.

I'm not too interested in the gory details but the political shifts that are being experienced are symptomatic of social fractures that may signal the inherent unsustainability of neoliberalism and the delusion of the "end of history" paradigm. I'm not sure that leads anywhere good in the short term.

:up:

It’s been that way for a while. It’s the establishment vs. the outsiders. — NOS4A2

There's some truth in that, but it doesn't make the outsiders the "good guys". Stephanie Grisham was right when she said Trump has no morals. She just left out the bit about her and the Democrats also having no morals.

I find the left to be mostly a conga-line of hectoring fuck-sticks. — Tom Storm

If I had to pick a side, it would be the left, but I still find the remark amusing as it reminds me of the classic Viz insult "Go piss up a rope, fuckstick!".

As a rule I don't follow politics. I detest it. — Tom Storm

It mostly boils down to who can tell the best lies. Not too edifying as a spectator sport for sure.

Given Stephanie Grisham's record--including her previous defence for Trump calling Never-Trumpers "human scum"--it seems highly unlikely she is doing anything other than using the DNC as a free advertising platform for her book. Wealthy establishment conservatives, like those on the Lincoln project, I guess, realize Trump threatens instability and the Democratic same ol' works better for them. I doubt any of the objectors are concerned with actual corruption or lack of morality as there is no morality to be found anywhere in American politics and corruption is systematic and desirable for both parties.

Thank you. :smile:

Please stop double-posting this kind of stuff in this and the election thread.

It's not clear to me what happened. You're complaining you have been falsely accused of being @keystone?

:strong:

I doubt they will see that it is in their interests, as one of the big two. — unenlightened

If the same percentage-wise results occurred in Ireland which has a more proportional system, the largest party would be facing a forced coalition now. If I recall correctly, at least 45% is realistically required for a majority and no one party has achieved that in decades.

So, no they won't.

It cannot be stable to have a minority of 34% of a turnout of 60% which I think comes out to a government with just 20% of the electorate supporting, and some of that a reluctant "they can't be worse than the last lot" support. With a little help from a hostile and scandal-hungry press, that support can vanish almost overnight. — unenlightened

That's just what I was thinking earlier. Beyond the hype, only one in five actually voted for Labour. And the Rupert Murdoch party winning again is hardly going to be transformative. If it were, his press would quickly decide they're no longer his party and that would probably be the end of them.

The narrative that Trump will be granted evil superpowers if he wins is out there now and not going to be vanquished by facts.

I'm not trying to look inside your heart here. I'm just saying, if you know how not to sound sinister and threatening, please take that route. If not, take your chances. We haven't been able to disentangle your semi-incoherent explanations.

Any Republican celebrating this is going to look comically misguided if the upcoming and inevitable Dem fear strategy works and their people turn out in droves to vote against the Trump monster regardless of whatever personal state Biden is in.

It's the conservative right who fear Reform. The better Reform do, the better for Labour*, because it's largely conservative votes they're taking. That's clear based on any understanding of the first past the post system, which tends to offer disproportionate benefits to the most popular party.

*Although, calling Labour "leftists" is a bit of a joke.

Anyhow, if someone is making this up, it'll be Conservative headquarters who are quaking in their boots right now.

Anyhow, the ruling is a gift to the Dems. The focus moves from Biden's ineptitude to Trump's potential tyranny. Might even save them.

You can be sure the Dem press will be licking its lips at this.

It should be understood that you don't get to be President by having any moral standards at all. So, Trump declaring openly he doesn't is, yes, meaningless.

law and order is no stranger to me. In fact, it's something of a religion of mine. Heh. — Outlander

Good. You won't mind being banned if we deem you go too far then.

It's been reported. But as you pointed out, it's difficult to know what to make of that.

and, oh, let's wish you good fortune, your current existence will end, quickfully, friend. — Outlander

This thread is intended for people to talk about their intense annoyances. If that makes you murderously upset, please go elsewhere.

The poor employees have to endure the literal torture of being force fed this drek 8 hours a day. It is cruel as fuck. — hypericin

In the enlightened future, this type of auditory abuse may be considered like smoking and banned.

Death metal eh? — hypericin

Officially grindcore, but pretty close.

I'm mostly an old school guy, — hypericin

Same here. Came across "Full of Hell" quite recently.

been playing this one quite a bit lately: — hypericin

Solid stuff. :death:

Yes, for me ambient music, particularly pop, disrupts my intuitive feeling for a place, replacing it with a candied consumerised cadence that I find repulsive and emotionally disruptive. I need my intuitive feel for a place to feel like I properly am myself.

...I am a princess. Do not put a pea under my mattress, bitch. :smile:

Just kidding. Just thought that'd be funny to someone. Somewhere — Outlander

I did laugh. I feel like it's the artist, not philosopher, in me whose stomach turns at such auditory assaults. But that may be conceit.

Vicious and awful. Though sadly unsurprising.

I may be pretty extreme though. E.g. If I could get a free meal at the most expensive restaurant in the world, I definitely wouldn't take it if I had to listen to ambient pop music or someone at the next table with their phone on a video or whatever.

Shitty ass modern pop (that is, modern pop)
People blarting their shitty ass modern pop in public places (Beach, park) or next door, implicitly demanding I either enjoy or endure their shitty ass modern pop, or gtfo — hypericin

:up: I don't go out without earphones. I listen to stuff like the following which is a very effective blocker and (to me) is also good music.

A most egregious abuse of grammar. Requests cannot ''literally'' flood ...unless they are somehow presented in liquid form. :chin:

Biden could have been sucked into a black hole at any point of his presidency and it would have made close to zero difference in how the country is (mis)led. I am happy the Dems are in turmoil. They fully deserve that and more. But there is no new problem and no new solution.

Who is the real president... ?!?

The Earth is under attack! :scream: ...

Jill has gone for a weekend at Bernie's!! :fire: :rage: :death:

Start a new topic if you will but stay relevant here, please.

:clap:

Exactly.