2020 US election results

[pietillidie]

All those years developing world-class, uninsurable man boobs, and that's your reward, Stui.

[Pi]

Ah Magoo you've done it again.

https://twitter.com/calebjhull/status/1329536064059535360?s=21&fbclid=IwAR3H_4iqAiL4Vdn0ZHYTBfUfpGd-lJss13sm-BOQrIIJ8-prhJQ1Zmit8l4

[stui magpie]

[David]

Okay fine, have it your way.

https://youtu.be/t8EMx7Y16Vo

[stui magpie]

Yeah, Nah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmxGl5sZz-U

Go to 25 minute mark and watch from there.

And the Ad that started it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOPmVW_HtuY

Shame that Tab cola was a long way down the list of options. Toc Cordials cola was better than Coke or Pepsi.

[Lazza]

[stui magpie]

^

Who?

Just because you don't vote Greens doesn't make you right wing and funnily enough the much quoted demographic of Trump supporters matches that of traditional Labor voters.

[Tannin]

"Me? I'm not right-wing", says the right-winger, proceeding to parrot a standard Trump apologist talking point. Yep.

We believe you.

Riiiight.

[stui magpie]

Believe what works for you, just don't confuse it with fact.

[watt price tully]

"....What we are really dealing with here and uncovering more by the day is the massive influence of communist money through Venezuela, Cuba and likely China and the interference with our elections here in the United States.”

— Sidney Powell, attorney for the Trump campaign, Nov. 19

This is just a snippet of a truly bonkers presentation made by attorneys for the Trump campaign alleging massive fraud in the U.S. voting system.
Powell described a convoluted scheme under which an “algorithm” manipulated by Democrats switched votes from Trump to Biden. But she claimed it broke down because support was so strong for Trump, so Democrats were forced to use a “back door” method to manipulate the vote with mail-in ballots slipped in during the dark of night".

"If this sounds crazy, that’s because it is".

"There is no evidence to support any of these conspiracy theories".

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/19/fact-checking-craziest-news-conference-trump-presidency/


I've found a good use for the Australian SAS soldiers.

[pietillidie]

As we know, South Korea has worked incredibly hard to control the pandemic in what is an extremely high-density urban context. Korean baseball went hard with its Covid control efforts, reflecting the national effort:

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2020/04/06/mlb-nba-nhl-masks-korea-baseball-organization-message/2954374001/

But ignorance knows absolutely no bounds. One genius recruited from overseas decided to undermine both the league and his host country, and detract from his team's efforts to win the series:

http://flexible.img.hani.co.kr/flexible/normal/700/355/imgdb/original/2020/1118/20201118503049.jpg

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/sports/baseball/970488.html

No, it wasn't just about a single photo. And there was no mention of a medical reason or exemption. But there is plenty of Trump nuttery and devotion on display:

https://twitter.com/AAltherr?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

He has apparently since apologised and wisely put his career first:

https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20201118009000315

But putting others first? Not so much of a priority.

Now, ignore this bloke as one individual is neither here nor there. He might have his reasons or otherwise be fine. But imagine dealing with this sort of nonsense at the scale of tens of millions, with Trump and a cacophony of shrieking televangelists across the land conducting the orchestra.

[David]

It is deeply unfortunate that wearing a mask has become such a culture war issue, and it’s undoubtedly contributed to the spread of the virus in the US. But this story above seems like a bit of a storm in a teacup to me – some people genuinely aren’t advised to wear masks for medical reasons, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds COVID-19 protocols in professional sport perplexing: how can it possibly be less of a risk for them to be running around a baseball pitch in close proximity without masks on than standing briefly for the national anthem? I’m not saying such bureaucratic policies are bad – obviously some protection is better than nothing, and obviously you need most individuals to comply for it to work – but this guy seems more likely to become a xenophobic tabloid scapegoat than an actual menace to society.

On a broader note, I think any analysis of this kind of mass delusion needs something deeper than "people are stupid". A better question is: why do they feel so alienated from the mainstream that they no longer trust key institutions and authorities (like public health bodies) and instead listen to used-car salesmen like Trump? I don’t think you can look past neoliberal economics, social atomisation and declining standard of living as key players in all this – and if so, the problem is really being generated from on top, not by the cult adherents below, and the political success of Trump and people like him are symptoms rather than primary causes of the problem.

[pietillidie]

^I mentioned it wasn't just about one photo or incident; the bloke has form. And there's no medical exemption involved, which Korea clearly accommodates and he or the club would surely brandish if he were somehow being treated unfairly. More likely, he's just being a flag-waving fanatic.

Look, one example is neither here nor there. But scale it up to the tens of millions of idiots and you start having real problems, like 250,00 dead and a collapsed economy. And countries doing the right thing, like Korea and Australia, still get smashed because the idiots drag down the world economy with them.

People are clearly susceptible to becoming drooling morons. A loss of sense and sensibility is easily induced and orchestrated at group level, whether be through political rallies or social media. Add day and night of shrill toxic televangelism and you have enough to reduce people to baboons.

Group-level forces are every bit as dangerous as the hierarchical tyranny that comes from extreme wealth differentiation. Both turn people into grunting mobs. Individual wealth actually helps protect against mobs, as long as the wealth gap doesn't blow out such that it becomes oppressive and starts controlling elections. But if the mob and feudal lords join in unholy alliance, as is the case presently, you end up with the worst of both worlds. It's not just about 'neoliberalism'.

[KenH]

[stui magpie]

No problems.

Delvene Delaney was under appreciated. She was up there with Elle in looks, just not in marketing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfam5o20mwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAT-1xmbxEs