There’d be motherfuckers on TikTok snorting lines of asbestos

Maybe it’s because I’m not in IT and don’t write code, since an overwhelming number of posts seem to be directed at coders/IT professionals, but most posts on all just aren’t interesting to me.

With hall that filtered, how does anything even show up? I feels like there’s 10 new posts a day, and 7 of them are about American politics. (Obvious exaggeration)

This is a big part of how it’s become so pervasive lately, although the racists have been complaining about the same thing for a very long time. The internet and influencer culture has allowed them to monetize the outrage in ways that weren’t possible before.

You’re not crazy, and it’s not new. The current buzz word is “DEI”, but they’ve been doing the same thing since before any of us were alive. Before DEI it was Woke. Before that it was Critical Race Theory (CRT). Before that it was Social Justice Warriors (SJW). Before that it was Politically Correct (PC). Before that they used terms which are less polite.

In a magical hypothetical world where we could make this happen without it being absurdly cruel to the animals, I’d love to see it.

That’s not a species of animal. That’s the living embodiment of a fundamental force of nature. No mortal, man nor beast, can defeat one.

I think a grizzly bear or a polar bear would take it. Any other bear it’s going to the gorilla.

Yes, it’s 100% immature, which is exactly why you should do it.

My bad. Thanks.

Again, you got that kind of money? I live outside DC, so not close to an international border. In fact, most Americans don’t live somewhere they can travel across the border easily. And with the way the government is denying entry to people with the wrong level of melatonin, I don’t think it’s particularly safe advice to tell people to start crossing the border regularly.

And most people in the US do not fly for vacations. It’s very expensive to fly, and most of us have cars we can take. I’m planning a family vacation later this year to visit my grandparents ~700 miles away. We priced it out and discovered it’s actually cheaper for us to rent an RV and drive than to fly. Flying, especially internationally for a shopping trip, is an extreme luxury for most of us.

Sure. And the US government has the CIA and military to enact that regime change. Plus they have all the cops and military to defend against a popular uprising overthrowing the government.

I’m not saying it can’t be done, but we’re still in the early stages of a popular uprising. That’s what these protests are about. This one on Saturday got, reportedly, ~5 million people on the streets at the same time. That’s ~1.5% of the country’s population. According to the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict, it takes ~3.5% of the population mass mobilizing at the same time to effect political change. That’s ~12 million people. That’s why this wasn’t a 1 and done protest. The next one is already scheduled for April 19. And there will be another after that. And another after that.

Let’s not just aim for 3.5%. Go higher. What can 5% of the country, 17 million people, do if we’re all out in the streets together? Rather than just complain that one single protest didn’t immediately result in widespread political change, why don’t you get out there and join us on the 19th? Bring your friends. Bring your family. Help make a change rather than just complaining that others aren’t doing it for you.

Because that’s realistic advice. You have money for be to buy a plane ticket every time I need groceries? Who’s going to fund everyone moving to another country? You got that kind of money? Because I don’t.

There is no mechanism within American politics to run a new election. If that’s the demand, we first would need to amend the Constitution, which isn’t going to happen, or violently overthrow the government. Just demanding, “run a new election” is as empty a demand as anything else you could imagine.

Since it’s clear we’re talking about the US here, the 1st Amendment clearly states (emphasis added):

Congress shall make no law respecting … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It says nothing about citizens, tourists, foreign nationals, etc. In fact, the amendment only limits what Congress can do (and the Supremacy clause extends this to the states). It doesn’t say “Citizens have the right to free speech.” It says “Congress shall pass no laws abridging the freedom of speech.”

It’s pretty clear that anyone and everyone has the right to free speech and assembly. The right wingers you’re talking about are trying to rewrite the first amendment to justify their fascism.

Honestly, as an individual there really isn’t much you can do with your purchasing power about it.

Next national day of protest in April 19. Find the largest one you are able to attend and join in.

They can secede, with the consent of the other states (meaning an act of the Federal government).

The general theory is that once a state enters into the Union it gains certain privileges and benefits which it would not previously had access to. Things like military protection, federal government investment, the increased power/influence in global politics/economics, etc, etc. Each state is getting things from other states and the federal government at the same time as they’re giving things in return. Since it’s a two-way relationship, it should take both parties to sever that relationship.

It just seems wrong to me, kind of like not allowing divorces.

I’d argue it’s more like requiring alimony after a divorce. When two people are married often one will put their career on hold or de-emphasize it in order to focus on other things to support the marriage (eg stay-at-home parent). When the couple then divorces, the courts recognize that the individual who put their career on hold is now at a sever disadvantage in that they have forgone however many years of experience, advancement, salary, etc. They can’t just jump back into the workforce and expect to get a job as good as if they had been working the whole time. And the other member of the relationship (the one who did not sacrifice their career) got the benefits of having someone to manage the home while they could focus on their career.

So the court acknowledges this disparity in the relationship and will require the higher-paid member of the marriage to pay alimony payments to the other as a way to make up for that economic imbalance between them. The higher earning member of the marriage can’t just divorce and go about their way without having to compensate the other for the years they spent focusing on the family rather than their career.

This is what the secession of a US state would look like in theory. We tried the whole “one side gets unilaterally decides to break up without mediation or compensation to the other” thing. It was the impetus for the bloodiest war in American history. In order to secede “the right way” (ie without bloodshed), a state would have to go to the Federal Government and ask to secede. The government (which is a collection of representatives of the states and people in the states) then debates and decides on terms.

Of course, this has never been done or even tried. I suspect that pretty much every single state (except maybe California) would find that the benefits of staying in the Union far outweigh the benefits of leaving.

What have you been doing?

I am in the streets every chance I can get, and have been for more that 2 decades.

And you’re never going to get people on board if the solution (general strike) doesn’t meet their material needs. If people have to starve and lose their homes while under threat of arrest or more violent action, you need a way to support them or they won’t stick with it. Revolutions are built on mutual aide and community organizing, not empty platitudes and gumption. Or, worse yet, shit posting and cynicism.