Comments

  • A modest proposal - How Democrats can win elections in the US
    All and all, I think globalization has been bad for American workersT Clark

    Really? In what sense?

    That's a good point. I didn't mention it because I'm not sure any foreign policy position would have much impact on an election here.T Clark

    I thought the same. Yet I considered that maybe those points would be also relevant to the American voter. Since I now understand that they might not be considered, I can't name more proposals or points to convince people to vote for Democrats. What if the donkey (I love the party logo) gives up on 'Indiana' or 'Oklahoma' and they put all the efforts in an industrialised working class like the one of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania?
  • A modest proposal - How Democrats can win elections in the US
    Interesting proposals and points, but all of them are mainly focused on national issues and how to convince American working-class families.

    I wonder if foreign policy is relevant to those eventual voters and motivates them to vote for one or the other.

    There are a lot of examples of that, but it comes to mind three:

    1) Palestine's sovereignty. I guess Democrats are pro-Palestine, but I don't know if it is an important matter amongst the voters

    2) European Union. Democrats see us as friends or pals, at least. Republicans are clearly against us, and they flirt with Russia. Maybe it could motivate the voters that their leader prefers European values—we are not perfect. I know. I know.—rather than Putin's old-school hating style of everything and everyone.

    3) UK. Republicans seem to flirt with Brexit and isolating them even more. This is a terrible idea, and the Western world should be united, not chopped into chunks. A person who believes in a united world should vote Democrat.

    But all of the above is from a foreign policy perspective, and I don't know to what extent this is relevant for the average American voter.
  • With philosophy, poetry and politics on my mind...
    Edit: javi2541997 - I see you have deleted your post. Why?Amity

    Yes, sorry, Amity. After reading my post again, I realised that it wasn't well elaborated. I saw that you didn't reply to my post yet, so I thought I was in time to delate what I wrote before you could read it. 

    But I see I was wrong because you quoted a paragraph of that post in time.

    I tend to be wary about what I write. Maybe too much, and maybe it wasn't a big deal.  :sweat:
  • Climate change denial
    I agree. However, what makes me furious is that future generations would have to 'adapt' to adverse conditions such as scarcity or weather. This is clearly—in my opinion and view—a consequence of climate change and the guilt of our representatives for not taking the correct decisions on time. Yet others—climate change deniers—believe some shite that this is just the fate of our humanity and we are overreacting.

    grow enough food to feed the populationPunshhh

    We started to experience this issue regarding water. When summer comes, there are vast municipalities in Spain where it is impossible to drink potable water! The pits and lagoons are already drought!

    Well, I don't know why I am speaking in the future because we already have zones that became a bloody desert.

  • My Lord! Those Peasants Are Doing 'Spanish Practices!'
    Have heard of the mythical Mondrogon corporation. Americans would do well to learn about work cooperatives in school if wasn't always considered anti-American socialist propaganda.Nils Loc

    Ah, you mean the way the Basque work in Arrasate. Yes, it is excellent, actually. There are other parts of Spain where they work similarly. I mean, without the hierarchical pyramid of power and responsibility. The workers are the same grade, and they solve the problems themselves. If I am not mistaken, Galician dockers do the same. 

    Wonder if Amazon (corporation) workers in anywhere in the world could get away with this, or is the labor monitoring so fine-tuned that it makes the potential for 'Spanish practices' pretty much impossible.Nils Loc

    I would not be 100% sure. Maybe there is a subsidiary in Seville that leaves the cargo stranded, claiming Eastern and Christmas additional payments. Or maybe this happens at Liverpool docks—who can know where the next 'Spanish practices' will be done?

    Anyway, don't forget to not clock in and out at the same time so no one knows what actual hours are worked. That's outrageous; perfidious, treacherous, sneaky, and two-faced. :naughty:
  • My Lord! Those Peasants Are Doing 'Spanish Practices!'
    Am sure there are very interesting examples of it written down somewhere.Nils Loc

    Sí. :smile:

    In the Royal Mail’s case, there are apparently 92 ‘Spanish practices’, which are said to include workers claiming overtime if mail volumes reach a certain level, or clocking in and out at the same time so no-one knows what actual hours are worked,—this is indeed my favourite :lol:—and additional payments being claimed for Easter and Christmas, even if no overtime is actually worked.
    https://www.personneltoday.com/hr/have-a-rant-spanish-practices-is-an-outdate-phrase/

    The term became infamous in the 1980s as a result of battles between the print unions and management in the newspaper industry in Fleet Street. The Spanish practices included deliberate overmanning; union control over who was hired; demands for cash payments to remake a page as deadlines approached; machine-room employees who claimed wages for workers who didn’t exist; and men who might be absent for whole days while moonlighting at other jobs but who would be covered by unspoken agreements not to notice.
    https://www.worldwidewords.org/topicalwords/tw-spa2.htm


    All of that only happened in the UK. It seems to be a British thing, but with quixotic and Spanish tones. 
  • My Lord! Those Peasants Are Doing 'Spanish Practices!'
    It is interesting that you interpret the slang 'Spanish Practices' as when we point out lazy people or laid-back culture. This is what I expected when I read the headline.
    But, surprisingly, there is another interpretation around on behalf of trade unions or workers. Doing unauthorised working methods with the aim of being listened by the bosses and changing the labour conditions. Hence the example of Royal Mail workers.

    We don't take naps on the company's time! That's why the shops are closed from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m.
  • Currently Reading
    What's some good poetry you've been reading?Jafar

    I mostly read haiku. But I recommend you give a try to Sikelianos' poetry. A wonderful poet. There is a 1996 edition of selected poems that is pretty good.
  • Currently Reading
    It depends, but I also prefer to focus on only the novel I am currently reading. However, if I am also interested in poetry, I do not mind flicking through it at the same time.
  • My Lord! Those Peasants Are Doing 'Spanish Practices!'
    I've said this before - I'm glad you are posting more of your own writings here.T Clark

    I am glad to share my creativity here, and I am pleased that you read what I usually post. :smile:
  • My Lord! Those Peasants Are Doing 'Spanish Practices!'
    It is a British expression that originated in the Elizabethan era. I never knew of this slang until today too. It randomly popped up in my news of BBC and Daily Mail. The rest of the text is written by me. I mean, the exchange between the Lord and the peasants. I considered it funny, and my imagination started to flow.

    For further clarification, I cited two persons using 'Spanish practices' expression in context.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    I wonder where they will locate their Gulag Archipalago?Wayfarer

    Didn't they already have their own gulag since 2002?

    graphic-1370437439-4214417469.gif
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    Could be a nuclear war.frank

    I will never understand that level of destruction. What is the point of dropping nuclear attacks in a territory? Japan suffered the consequences, but they came back fast. After the end of WWII, every conflict should have been resolved diplomatically. We failed regarding this point. Europe is also guilty, absolutely. We just looked the other way, and our passivity is also reportable. I hope I am just overreacting, and the world will not look that bad for the next lustrum, but my expectations are low right now.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    It's understood that Trump will back an Israeli attack on Iran.frank

    He will back a lot of Netanyahu's reckless actions for the next four years.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    As for Israel, you better be thankful the US donor class "supports" it, because it has no friends left and is a pariah state, for good reason.Manuel

    :100: :clap:

    Más alto pero no más claro si quieren.

    One of the main problems on the horizon after US elections is how the artificial state will wipe out Gaza and erase towns and cities in Lebanon, legitimately, because his best friend—Uncle Sam—allows him to do so. :sad:
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    It seems that men need to see a mother model when they vote.Eros1982

    I couldn't have said it better. :up:
  • In Support of Western Supremacy, Nationalism, and Imperialism.
    Are western values beyond criticism?
    And why is liberalism the arbiter of truth?
    Swanty

    Precisely, western values and liberalism are highly criticised and discussed on TPF. It is obvious that you are a new member. Wait, and you will see.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    It is true that Kamala's nomination was awful, and everything happened very fast. But it was that, or continuing with Biden, and the result would have been even worse, honestly.

    I think it is important to do self-criticism, but on the other hand, I think we should look at what the people really have as values. They voted against a system. Donald Trump is charged with multiple felonies, but surprisingly, people decided to believe that the problem is the judiciary system and not him. Let's see what happens in the next four years. Time passed by more quickly than we thought. But, in my opinion, the key would be to switch the mindset of the people and help them to believe and respect the system again.
  • In Support of Western Supremacy, Nationalism, and Imperialism.
    I've seen plenty of secular bigotry and xenephobia here.Swanty

    I don't think it is actually secular bigotry. It is just that we are in a philosophy forum, and philosophy itself has always confronted religion.

    There are threads on Christianity. I can't remember if there is any regarding Islam. I took part in them with my deepest respectful behaviour. I even discovered Kazantzakis thanks to Alkis Piskas. My image of Jesus changed to better, but religion still has complex features to my understanding. If you want to start a thread about a religious topic, I don't think you would have issues. But be open to receiving criticism!
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    We had some people here (in the Philosophy Forum) who argued that only stupids can vote for Donald Trump. I told them that though I am an immigrant myself, I would never call stupid someone who voted for him.Eros1982

    The U.S. elections seemed to be an IQ test, and look at the results. Now it depends on the way each of us sees it. Are we entitled to call more than 73 million voters crackpots? There are more voters for Trump than citizens in my country.

    Within those 73 million voters, there are women, Latinos, and probably LGTBQ too. What if those voted against Kamala because of a sexist bias? 

    Latinos are very sexist; that's 100% accurate. 

    I see that feminism is not strong enough as it is in Europe.

    I will not understand if Trump obtained some LGTBIQ votes. That would be reckless and crazy, but are they stupid? No, I don't think so.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    What I always understood enfant terrible as this: One whose startlingly unconventional behavior, work, or thought embarrasses or disturbs others.

    It is up to each of us to interpret whether it is good or bad. :smile:
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    If Donald Trump is a metaphor for something, what is that something? I mean to you,frank

    Good question.

    I would say Trump is a metaphor for Enfant terrible, but in an American context.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    It is interesting to read your testimony because the brief information that arrived here told basically otherwise. Republicans—or Trump supporters, specifically—were the ones who went against the other. We didn't have a great live follow-up American election because the press was covering the flood disasters in Valencia. But most of the time it seemed that Democrats were labelled as chill people who voted against a liar and felon.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    But most of all the behavior of his opposition pushed me to support him.NOS4A2

    It is difficult to experience and perceive all of that when I don't live in the USA. Do you imply that their opponents play dirty to poisoning the people? I thought the main point of voting for Trump was economic features, but I wasn't aware that the attitude of Democrats was also a reason.
  • Bannings
    In what thread did this happen?ssu

    The mods already warned him in this thread: https://thephilosophyforum.com/discussion/15408/rules/latest/comment

    But Lionino couldn't control himself, and I will miss him. I had good and interesting exchanges. It is difficult to meet an Iberian neighbour on the Internet, by the way.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    American education system delivers yet againBanno

    "Just watch, once Trump increases the price of all imported goods on the consumer end, inflation will go down. That’s math or something. I think.”

    Another aspect of the American education system that will be able to hold strong under Trump is their time honoured tradition of school shootings.

    :rofl:

    C61-BBAAB-D707-4-D33-B14-E-BEBA6-AACAFB0-1536x2048.jpg
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    Latino sexism maybe.frank

    It was sexism, frank, indeed. But it is very surprising when Latino countries such as Argentina had Cristina Kirchner or Eva Perón; in Honduras, Xiomara Castro is the President, etc. It is mind-blowing that they prefer to vote for a man who is clearly against Hispanic culture rather than a woman. As I said yesterday, I didn't think the sexism was that severe.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    It seemed clear to me at least a year out.AmadeusD

    Now it seems that 'It seemed clear to most people at least a year out' since he won Pennsylvania twelve hours ago.  :roll:
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    A defeat for the US establishment is a win for the rest of the world.Tzeentch

    Nah, hold your machiavellian ass. If you truly think they will get destroyed by their own idiosyncrasy, well, that is unlikely to happen.
  • Donald Trump (All General Trump Conversations Here)
    It is official. He just won Wisconsin.

    Ready for Trump 2.0.?

    @NOS4A2, how do you feel right now after defending him for four straight years?
  • What should the EU do when Trump wins the next election?
    At least last time he visited my country where he met Putin, so he know where my country is.ssu

    :lol:

    That's a relief. I believe he doesn't know to pin the Iberian Peninsula in an European map, but he filtered with Morocco back in the day... so we have to be cautious from now on.

    Oh, wait. My country will do anything—as always—and they will keep having Rota and Morón bases.
  • What should the EU do when Trump wins the next election?
    What's next for us?

    • EU military as the highest priority
    • EU military as the highest priority
    • EU military as the highest priority
    • EU military as the highest priority
    • EU military as the highest priority

    The Luxembourg prime minister also said he wants a permanent seat for the EU on the UN Security Council.

    It is now or never, mates. We can't trust Trump's behaviour towards European interests. It is time to stay together more than ever, leaving aside our differences. No more cracks among us.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    Dude took all the swing states. Wtf?frank

    Yeah, it is crazy. Surprisingly, he beat the odds.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    I would not call it misogyny. It is just that most of your fellow compatriots might not feel good—or comfortable—about having a woman in the White House, as well as that we don't feel comfortable if we turn into a republic. These factors tend to be intrinsic in the soul and mindset of every nation more than we thought.

    Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016 though.Baden

    True! And still...
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    But I don't understand why people think Trump does anything for them.Manuel

    The average American doesn't want to be ruled by a woman. I never expected their sexism to be that severe.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    My point is that democracy isn't in danger... it's in some ways already dead. And people need to realize this in order to rebuild it.Christoffer

    I agree. But a large number of Americans think otherwise. I was watching the news, and experts on this matter said Trump supporters really believe that if Kamala wins, American democracy and security are in danger, when they are already flawed, as are most of the Western countries. Maybe spreading fear in the eventual lack of national security and individual freedom is a successful political strategy. I can't imagine the individual rights and freedom of people like Elon Musk and WASP families at risk, but surprisingly, millions of voters do.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    Actually, why does anyone ever think that their elected president is going to fix their life?Christoffer

    They do not vote wishing their lives would be fixed but saved. The political slogans have mottos such as 'democracy is in danger' 'save America', 'Israel or Palestine existence', and the delicate topic of abortion and pro-life. One side of the voters thinks that if their opponents win, their lives are at risk. So do the others otherwise.
  • US Election 2024 (All general discussion)
    Roevember is here! :fire: :party: :hearts:180 Proof

    Are you nervous?

    Do you think there will be surprises in the so-called swing states?
  • Climate change denial
    This is a case where blaming climate change exclusively is a problem.frank

    Consider, please, that I don't blame climate change exclusively. But I disagree with "Agree-to-Disagree" on the way he approached Valencia's floods. I think the latter is a good example of how we could blame climate change mostly. I don't get why it is hard to accept. I wanted to share the charts and the last-week catastrophe because I thought it could be seen as a good example of climate change. The 2020 chart said that Valencia had a risk of increasing the sea level by 10% by floods, and it is astonishing how that graphic nailed what would happen four years later. That's all.