Re: The Bigger, Badder, Even More Serious Thread

[Mrs Figg]

jesus Christ! I cant believe my ears! Sky News under the thrall of that Murdoch reptile is now on a blatant full-on rabid anti-Corbyn campaign, they don't even try to hide it. for the last few days they have had minorities both Muslim and Jewish who have been calling the British government 'institutionally racist' so according to these idiot 'pundits' the Right of government is islamophobic and the Left of government is anti-Semitic. well make your fucking mind up! is it left or right?, or is it everyone?, in which case if one of the most tolerant countries on earth doesn't suit them, why don't they fuck off back to the hell-holes they left and live in real apartheid? jesus I cant believe this fake news shit! They don't give us one iota of proof that Corbyn is racist..oh no that would be a bit difficult, no they prefer insidious innuendo, and lies, twisting the truth for their own sinister purposes. I never thought I would see such blatant bias on a British tv channel, there are dangerous forces at work here. But Murdoch always was an evil c***

[azriel]

Mrs Figg's bustle is clearly ruffled. I agree. but, are we not back to propaganda that usually follows a losing side ? If there's no news then make some up. I have my own views on politics & funnily enough it matches a lot of people that think the same. For me, Id like to see immigrants that are convicted of a crime be deported back to place of origin. As Im sure other Countries would feel similar if it happened in their country. That view may not be popular with some people but, I haven't bricked anyone or burnt their House of God down, & no wish to either.

[Mrs Figg]

Its the blatant lies about Corbyn that gets me angry. they are trying to normalise it. its the old 'crooked Hillary' thing where they say it often enough people start to believe it.

[Lancebloke]

It's all bollocks. I hate politics as both sides are as bad as each other and the media in trying to hide their bias actually create more doubt because you can't overtly see it.

But it has always been like this and always will be like this... Just have to try and look at all sources and do your best to make a decision!

[Pettytyrant101]

{{ Pence is talking space! Says the US will have an orbital station round the moon in place by 2026! Also mentioned zero-gravity in the same breath as laser-printers as 'innovations' of American space companies!!
I actually like this side to Trumps administration- they seem to be chucking money at this. And as I only see Pence giving the major speeches on content of it, starting to think its actually his baby.
Just announced a return to sending US astronauts to space in US rockets launched form US soil. New shuttle?
NASA to return to human exploration of space.

"an exciting future of collaboration" with who exactly?

Interesting, if he is being truthful the driving force behind this is fear of China and Russia weaponising space first- if I was being cynical Id say funding a new shuttle program and lofty goals of manned space stations round the moon is the sugar to sucker the people into thinking good things are going on with all that money promised, when in fact the sour underbelly and real aim is the weaponising of low and mid orbit! It rather sounds like what's really happening is we're entering a race, an arms race, only in space.

Here we go again!!    I didn't even get a whole life time inbetween the ending of the last one and the start of this one!!  }}}}}

[halfwise]

No, the driving force is Trump's starry-eyed sense of America as a company which will do anything he wants. Right now we know enough about space that there's no reason to send men back out there unless we have a damn good reason. The planetary probes are doing quite fine. Come up with a good reason why we need to send humans there, and I'm all ears. Absent that I call it just throwing money after ego.

[Pettytyrant101]

[halfwise]

"Cultural Appropriation" is paying a culture a compliment and being yelled at for it.

But there is such a thing as white male privilege, and white men need to be aware that part of getting the good things in life is due to that and others don't have it.

[Eldy]

Plenty of cases where people are accused of cultural appropriation are kinda ridiculous (General Tso's chicken, probably invented by immigrant chefs in 1970s New York, being one particularly strange example) and, ironically, can end up ignoring the agency of people of color who want to spread and share their culture more widely (eg, many forms of martial arts). That said, I think there remains a worthwhile conversation to be had about how the culture of marginalized groups is often co-opted by the majority while the people who actually came up with it continue to be shut out and discriminated against. Pie mentioned music, and there is a reeeally long history of this, especially in the US but in other countries as well. I'm not saying that I think white artists shouldn't be allowed to work in traditionally black genres, but try to be respectful of your influences and not a racist shit (*coughclaptoncough*).

The most vocal criticisms of the notion of privilege that I see/hear tend to come across as willfully ignorant of what academics and social activists actually mean when they use the term, but since Pie didn't elaborate I can't say if that's the case for him.

[Bluebottle]

Essential reading, I fear.

Chances are, by now, your country has some, if not all, of the following. First off, you probably have some kind of local internet troll problem, like the MAGAsphere in the US, the Netto-uyoku in Japan, Fujitrolls in Peru, or AK-trolls in Turkey. Your trolls will probably have been radicalized online via some kind of community for young men like Gamergate, Jeuxvideo.com ("videogames.com") in France, ForoCoches ("Cars Forum") in Spain, Ilbe Storehouse in South Korea, 2chan in Japan, or banter Facebook pages in the UK.

Then far-right influencers start appearing, aided by algorithms recommending content that increases user watch time. They will use Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to transmit and amplify content and organize harassment and intimidation campaigns. If these influencers become sophisticated enough, they will try to organize protests or rallies. The mini fascist comic cons they organize will be livestreamed and operate as an augmented reality game for the people watching at home. Violence and doxxing will follow them.

Some of these trolls and influencers will create more sophisticated far-right groups within the larger movement, like the Proud Boys, Generation Identity, or Movimento Brasil Livre. Or some will reinvigorate older, more established far-right or nationalist institutions like the Nordic Resistance Movement, the Football Lads Alliance, United Patriots Front, or PEGIDA.

While a far-right community is building in your country, a fake news blitz is usually raging online. It could be a rumor-based culture of misinformation, like the localized hoaxes that circulate in countries like India, Myanmar, or Brazil. Or it could be the more traditional “fake news” or hyperpartisan propaganda we see in predominantly English-speaking countries like the US, Australia, or the UK.

Typically, large right-wing news channels or conservative tabloids will then take these stories going viral on Facebook and repackage them for older, mainstream audiences. Depending on your country’s media landscape, the far-right trolls and influencers may try to hijack this social-media-to-newspaper-to-television pipeline. Which then creates more content to screenshot, meme, and share. It’s a feedback loop.

Populist leaders and the legions of influencers riding their wave know they can create filter bubbles inside of platforms like Facebook or YouTube that promise a safer time, one that never existed in the first place, before the protests, the violence, the cascading crises, and endless news cycles. Donald Trump wants to Make American Great Again; Bolsonaro wants to bring back Brazil’s military dictatorship; Shinzo Abe wants to recapture Japan’s imperial past; Germany’s AFD performed the best with older East German voters longing for the days of authoritarianism. All of these leaders promise to close borders, to make things safe. Which will, of course, usually exacerbate the problems they’re promising to disappear. Another feedback loop.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-facebook-elections

[azriel]

https://www.facebook.com/nuova.telegenova/videos/759138554418930/

What is going on in the world ? Every day there is sad news of horrific flooding, Earthquakes, Landslides, Tsunami's, Every day I could find something to post here. Mother Nature is fighting back I say. I try to check vids out for dates etc & all seem pretty legit.

[Pettytyrant101]

{{Good luck American hobbits in your midterms- whoever you are voting for just go out and vote, democracy is all we've got so use it!  }}}

[Pettytyrant101]

{{Thought that was avery good speech by Macron, a timely reminder of the perils of Trumps rhetoric on Armistice Day-

"Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism. In saying ‘Our interests first, whatever happens to the others,’ you erase the most precious thing a nation can have, that which makes it live, that which causes it to be great and that which is most important: Its moral values.
I know there are old demons which are coming back to the surface, they are ready to wreak chaos and death. History sometimes threatens to take its sinister course once again."

And likewise Merkel had some pointed comments in her speech about the need for cooperation and multilateral cooperation warning that a "lack of communication and unwillingness to compromise can have deadly consequences."

Best thing mind you about Macrons speech in particular was Trump's stony face listening to it in his earpiece. Wonder if he learned anything from today, or history, or the potential global firestorm he is playing with? }}

[halfwise]

I'll need to dig that video up. Good of him to push back.

[Pettytyrant101]

[halfwise]

A side by side comparison of Trump's face the whole time would be nice. I did notice he didn't applaud.

[Pettytyrant101]

{{Whatever the merits of the Russia investigation, got to admit Putin is a sly old devil for stirring the chaos, he knew exactly what he was doing by giving a very momentary but clear, thumbs up to Trump, surprised he didnt throw a wink in there too! }}

[halfwise]

I don't think Putin expected Trump to win either, he just wanted to keep Clinton out. But he got a far better deal than he expected with Trump - easily manipulated if you are willing to swallow your pride to cater to his.

[Pettytyrant101]

{{Now Merkel is backing Macron's calls for a European Army.
I said ages ago this was the inevetable outcome of Trumps policies- that he would isolate the Us and others would simply start cutting the US out the loop.
The main stumbling block to a European Army and its biggest naysayer has always been the UK- but with us out of the way I see no reason it wont go ahead in the long term.

Trump response- that it is insulting and EU nations should stump up more for NATO is not going to help- from a Euro perspective why involve America at all now? They have proved unreliable on the International stage, Americas word means nothing any more as Trump has simply ripped up international treaties and obligations as he pleases and for short term political gain to rally his base. There is no reaosn to assume nay new treaties or obligations signed into wont be likewise chucked right back out when Trump changes his mind or throws a 4 years olds tantrum.
Also in terms of strategy and military outlook for Europe, Russia presents the most immediate aggressive potential threat, and I dont think Europe trusts Trump on Putin after his arse licking, Putin excusing last joint press conference.

And whilst Trump will eventually be gone- he has shown Europe it happened once might happen again- so best we dont involve America as much as possible.
And not sure why Trump is complaining about it- this is the obvious and inevitable outcome of his positions- as I predicted months ago and Im hardly a political expert- so god knows how his own advisors in the US couldn't see this coming. }}

[Pettytyrant101]

{{I assume Fox is representative of what the interests the right in US politics. With that assumption in mind I think a couple of stories in the last couple of days rather exemplify whats wrong with the thinking of those on the religious right in the US.
There was a big climate report- basically says its going to get worse, its man made. It made headlines on Fox yesterday but then quickly got moved to their side bar of headlines, and by next day gone entirely from the front page. A serious scientific report drawing very serious conclusions about very real things.

Yesterday this wonderfully titled story appeared on their main news page instead- 'Did a mysterious extinction event precede Adam and Eve' neatly combining something scientific sounding with a fairy-story and acting as if they are both on the same footing.

That report needless to say is still up on the main page in the side bar, whilst the actual real climate change story is long gone.

I suppose this preference of the right to prefer fiction over reality explains why they seem to lap up tales of immigrant caravans full of criminals, diseases and jihadists coming to get them, and why they need to build a big wall to keep America Safe (ironically from immigrants, the very people who, if it ever really was, made America Great in the first place!).

The irony of course is that the report has nothing to do with Bible, gods or Adam and Eve- it's a proper scientific paper basically its on about species bottle-necking every so often due to being culled by natural events, the few survivors of the event then go on to be the 'ancestors' of everyone else that follows when the population reestablishes (assuming it does). And rather brilliantly the Fox piece acknowledges this-

'Many religious commentators misunderstand this study to mean that species abruptly came into being only recently. To be clear: according to evolutionary biologists, species developed gradually over many millions of years.'

But then in a brilliant bit of what I assume is twisting science to pander to its religious right-wing audience the very nexty paragraph begins-

'That said, Stoeckle and Thaler’s study does line up with the Bible'

and no, it really, really doesn't! }}

[Pettytyrant101]

{{This really makes my crabbit crabbit!!!
For two reasons. First I never thought I'd ever be saying anything to defend this particular person. And because the official response is crabbit inducing given the attitudes betrayed by the actions.

So what the buggery is this crabbit rant on about you might be inclined to ask yourself?
Former leader of the right-wing English Defence League Tommy Robinson.
Now the views expressed by this fellow in the past were never going to sit well with me, but fortunately this isn't really about those views.
He would argue he is painted as a right wing extremist by a liberal elite media, and they would claim he is a racist who hides it in a suit and a smile.
And in this case attitudes are important.

You see the BBC has a long running flagship current affairs program called Panorama. Its broke major news and scandals and uncovered corruption and the like for decades as its mainstay.
And they have apiece coming up on said Tommy Robinson, which I assume is not very flattering.

And this is where it gets interesting and more crabbit inducing than having to defend this guy, but Robinson, via some mates managed to undercover record John Sweeney, the lead Panorama investigative reporter.

First here is Sweeney being confronted by Robinson with the recordings describing there being a white working class male in the Panorama Green Room (where guests etc wait before being called to the studio)-



Just to clarify as Tommy's interviewing style of angry yelling isn't helpful- the BBC guy thinks a white, working class male as exotic an item as a creature from the Amazonian or an alien from space, and took some of his mates down to the green room with him just to see this bizarre creature. And then goes on to equate the working class intellect with the two words 'fuck off', as some sort of brutish expression of our state of being.

And as this attitude was not bad enough here is the same Mr Sweeney at a lunch where they are happily sampling various wines and laughing at how its all on expenses. Just to be clear the BBC is funded through the License Fee which is essentially  a mandatory tax everyone has to pay if they own or watch a TV or computer capable of receiving TV, and the brunt of which is obviously paid by the majority, who are working class or working poor in the UK, and as the rate is a flat one same for all across incomes it is proportionately a much larger slice of a working class income than a middle or upper class income.



Forgetting Mr Robinson, his personal views, or his crusade against the BBC, it does betray an attitude, prevalent at the BBC that everyone has long known is there but haven't had much in the way of solid proof to back up.  But the BBC is and always has been disproportionately made up of people from certain classes, and at its upper echelons, certain Universities. Its attitude to the working class, as betrayed here, is all too common in the tone of their content, or the manner in which they approach everything, from their disdain for popular entertainment forms to bias towards establishment in their news coverage.  

So today Mr Robinson and his followers held a rally outside the BBC where they included these recordings in a large screen presentation.
If you go to the BBC news page and scroll down and if your lucky and its still there you might find their reporting of this.
They reiterate Mr Robinsons right-wing credentials and go on to say in regards to a particular negative attitude to the working class, and the white male in particular-

"The BBC strongly rejects any suggestion that our journalism is 'faked' or biased.
Any programme we broadcast will adhere to the BBC's strict editorial guidelines."

However when it comes to responding to the videos of Mr Sweeney and his disdain for the working class and the working atmosphere of this being common it betrays, they fail to mention in their reporting either the content of the videos, the accusations made in the video, or to quote anything Mr Sweeney says in them.
Instead they thought this a suitable response-

"Some of the footage which has been released was recorded without our knowledge during this investigation and John Sweeney made some offensive and inappropriate remarks, for which he apologises."

Before immediately going on to say their investigations of Mr Robinson will not be deterred by this.

And in that one statement they confirm everything about the attitudes at the BBC which the videos reveal so starkly.  Its disgraceful on at least two levels- first it confirms the attitudes of Sweeney by offering no explanation, no further action, no investigations, just a simple, oh were sorry for that. And as a piece of journalism on their news pages its shockingly biased in that it omits anything Mr Sweeney said, or the contents of the videos and focuses throughout the article solely upon Mr Robinson's prior history and affiliations.}}}

[Mrs Figg]

well its no surprise that the BBC is run by the middle-class for the middle-classes. its always been like that. they used to take this piss out of Channel 4 for being for the oiks. The BBC was always going to detest the Tommy Robinsons of the world. you only have to watch QT to hear the Tory middle class bias.

[Pettytyrant101]

[halfwise]

Shooting in New Zealand mosque.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/multiple-dead-reported-shooting-attack-zealand-mosque-024735764--abc-news-topstories.html

[Prime minister] Arden made reference to the nationalities of the victims, saying, "Many of those directly involved might be immigrants, refugees who chose to be here. They are us. The person who has done this, is not."

I wish we could hear such thoughts from our present leadership, sadly that isn't even imaginable.

[Pettytyrant101]