Political Hippo Circle Jerk - America, farg YEAH!

[rjs246]

I would seriously like to see those people get sent to some island. Get them outta here.

There's no room for that level of ignorance and stupidity in society.

By and large it isn't their fault that they're stupid and ignorant. They live in a society where "the news" is entertainment, dictated by sensationalism where coverage goes to the highest bidder. They live in a society that doesn't value diversity of views and actively encourages them to exist in an echo chamber of their own thoughts. They live in a society where universal education has fallen on hard times due to never-ending budget cuts and where higher education is only affordable for the wealthy.

We are all complicit in their idiocy. Moving them to an island won't absolve us of our sins.

[Diomedes]

Bah, exterminate the brutes.

I grew up the same society.  And poorer than most of these idiots, too.  Oatmeal three times a day?  Check.

The level of ignorance being decried in these last few posts is willful, not just being a product of our farged up society.  It's people who choose not to think, who are not curious, who have never changed their minds based on new information or experiences, etc.    An island is too good for 'em. 

I say, let them have the South back, peacefully.  Give an open enrollment for a year or so, subsidzie moving, then close the goddamn border and move on. 

Or, just exterminate the brutes. 

[smeags]

Bah, exterminate the brutes.

I grew up the same society.  And poorer than most of these idiots, too.  Oatmeal three times a day?  Check.

The level of ignorance being decried in these last few posts is willful, not just being a product of our farged up society.  It's people who choose not to think, who are not curious, who have never changed their minds based on new information or experiences, etc.    An island is too good for 'em. 

I say, let them have the South back, peacefully.  Give an open enrollment for a year or so, subsidzie moving, then close the goddamn border and move on. 

Or, just exterminate the brutes.

take out that whole yadda yadda yadda part in the middle and this is the POTY.

[rjs246]

It's a slippery slope pre-supposing that people's ignorance is willful. It isn't a big logical leap to insist that people's poverty or life situation in general is willful and that the government shouldn't be tasked with assisting those who have chosen to be lazy and slothful.

I'm sympathetic to the points you're making and I do see a lot of willful ignorance, I just think it's intellectually tricky to argue that one kind of person is willfully ignorant while another is in need of assistance through no fault or will of their own.

[Rome]

I'd say at least 80% of the people in this country hold supernatural beliefs as the guiding forces in their lives while scientific fact is up for debate. 

What Dio said is 100% truth.     The world needs a do over thanks to us. 

[rjs246]

Your hopeless curmudgeonly misanthropy is entertaining but it's also measurably off base. Far less people believe in supernatural dieties now than at any point in human history. Science and reason are unquestionably on the upswing. Violence at every level is lower than it has ever been despite the presence and availability of weapons the likes of which the planet has never seen.

We still have to deal with ignorant horseshtein, yes. But this is as good as humanity has ever had things. So instead of whining like an old cranky titty baby maybe just take a deep breath and be thankful that you aren't scraping by in a jungle somewhere, sacrificing virgins to your titty baby god so he'll provide a cure for your raging herpetic sores.

[Rome]

Well first, Supernatural Dirties are the worst.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/04/americans-faith-in-god-may-be-eroding/

According to this scientific poll, 89% of the people in this country believe in God.  63% with absolute certainty.

Don't farging tell me this country isn't all churched up.  It is, Russell.  Maybe not in whatever liberal utopia you call home these days, but in the Bible Belt and other places where libraries haven't been shuttered, you're damn straight it is.

[rjs246]

I'm not arguing that no one believes in a god. Especially here in farging central Virginia. What I'm saying is that things are moving (measurably, empirically) in the right direction. Anything less than 99.99% religious belief from a population is a very new development in the history of human beings. And a very big reason for hope. You cranky motherfarger.

[rjs246]

Also move out of farging Florida.

[Rome]

The Florida I live in really isn't Florida.  It's like living in Margate or Ventnor.  Most people here are northeastern transplants, but yes, the majority of them still believe in the scary dude in the clouds and without hesitation I can say almost all the natives here are just like the ones in Richmond... bible thumping morons.

I mean, Donald Trump is the presumptive GOP nominee and you have the gall to say that America isn't a hideous place to be?

Jesus Christ, man. 

[rjs246]

First I'm saying that no one believes in God then I'm saying that the US isn't farged. No.

This Trump shtein is farged up no doubt and people still have ass backwards beliefs but if you think that life on earth is worse now for humans than it used to be you have no fargjng clue what you're talking about and THAT is what I was actually saying.

RIF

[Rome]

The world isn't getting better.  It's getting demonstrably & irretrievably worse by the moment.  Sorry, that's my world view and we will just have to agree to disagree here.

[MDS]

youre both right

its getting better in that people are getting smarter, believing less in fairy tales and becoming more open to different types of cultures, races, gender orientations, etc. think of the scientific advancement, increase in atheism/agnostic population and supreme court decisions on marriage equality.

its becoming worse in the sense than a racist orange pinecone is one step away from the most important job in the world and something around 35% of this country has unwavering support for him. these people are more fearful, to the point where an olive skinned man doing math equations on an airplane was thought to be a terrorist. theyre also dumb, anti-intellectuals who believe in every stupid conspiracy theory known to man, specifically that the current president is a secret kenyan muslim. 

if we could just eradicate those folks from the species, we'd be heading in the right direction.

[rjs246]

The world isn't getting better.  It's getting demonstrably & irretrievably worse by the moment.  Sorry, that's my world view and we will just have to agree to disagree here.

Yes I am aware that that is your worldview. It's slathered all over every one of your posts. My point is that you're wrong. You're wrong in a measurable demonstrable way.

But even still, I get it. You are bombarded nonstop with the most horrific news, because that's what generates clicks. You live in a state from which seemingly 90% of humanity's horrific bullshtein seems to emenate. But there is no denying that life is better and safer and healthier than it has ever been. It flies in the face of everything that our corporate overlords want you to believe, but it's a fact.

[ice grillin you]

Early W.Va. numbers show 4 in 10 Sanders backers prefer Trump over Clinton - and Trump over Sanders