tikitaki

Was more to do with the comment I replied to than the original post

Magic sky man scary me no like. Bad man make planet hot because we be naughty.

I used to listen and try to understand when I lived in rural counties in the US. Now all I hear is…

Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Sure, people making death threats to weathermen are nutters. But majority of people living in these areas are not so crazy, even ones that lean Trumpers

The point wasn’t the rare coal town but the perception that pervades the rural areas of this country. It doesn’t have to be coal towns - there are similar stories for all smallish cities across the Rust Belt for example. You’re focusing on a specific when really the point is that fascism grows only in poor economic situations.

These people are legitimately suffering and they are turning to hate as a response. Trust me, you or me could have easily been in their shoes had we been in their position. But just like they have been swayed to hate, I think it’s possible to sway them to socialism as long as you call it something other than socialism.

Zizek has talked about this before where Trump supporters in 2016 were a hair’s breadth away from being Bernie supporters. While a bit of a dramatic statement, there is some truth in this. When the economic situation is unstable, radicalism grows in both directions - left and right. Which is why around the same time period we saw an openly socialist candidate for president in the US receive about 6% of the general vote - while we also saw massive Nazi rallies in New York City.

Everything is connected. We are fighting for the hearts and minds of the same people.

I used to listen and try to understand when I lived in rural counties in the US. Now all I hear is…

Durrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

This patronizing attitude is part of the reason politicians like Trump has become popular. He talks to these people who the “civilized” part of the country is totally ignoring. You care about climate change, and so do I. But what if you live near a coal mine that has slowly been phased out? You see your town which your grandfather lived in slowly rots away. You see America as a failing country - you see stores closing. You see people moving away. People dying from opiate overdose. Unemployment and depression

These people have real and legitimate grievances. Their government has failed them - which is why anti-establishment figures like Trump is such a lightning rod for their energy. Then we go and tell them that we need to make sacrifices for the climate. What are they supposed to think? What more do they have to give?

Ignoring these people and pretending like they don’t matter or are totally irrational is going to help lead to fascism in this country. Any real revolutionary movement will have to incorporate the whole of America. We need these people on our side.

My favorite part

Communities are the lifeblood of the Internet. But on today’s Internet, they are not in charge of their own destiny. Instead, they are controlled by the large platforms that hold all the power online. It is time for a change.

It’s time for a change all right, lol

was in the article i linked

between 2009 and 2019, children being referred for transitioning treatment in the United Kingdom increased 1,000% among biological males and 4,400% among biological females.

i guess it’s too much to expect people to read things

we aren’t seeing a 4000% increase in kids becoming gymnasts

it’s a poignant social topic. instead of attacking my credibility, aiming to represent me as biased, you should try to attack my argument

having said that, i support kids transitioning. i’m more upset about the “wrongthink” mentality where someone can’t even share their opinion without getting pounced on. he isn’t sharing hate speech he’s just talking

You’re not their doctor, they arent your patients, what business is it of yours?

ok, so if you’re not a doctor you can have no opinion on healthcare now? ridiculous statement. i think healthcare should be free. i don’t work in healthcare or health insurance. so am i just supposed to shut the fuck up and know my place?

no, I have my opinion and I’m going to share it and @JasSmith has his opinion and he’s going to share it. that’s the whole point of having discussion boards. the last thing i want is this place to become an echo chamber

i think kids should be able to transition. but it’s also not so simple a conversation when you’re making permanent changes to teenage kids - https://nypost.com/2022/06/18/detransitioned-teens-explain-why-they-regret-changing-genders/

kids are fickle creatures and fads catch on - all of a sudden we see a dramatic rise in kids wanting to transition - like 4400% increase in girls wanting to transition to boys. is it because we are now more accepting as a society or is it social contagion? probably both and it’s a serious topic we need to address if we actually do want the best for the kids. we need to keep ideology out of healthcare and make sure each individual kid is taken care of with whatever is best for them - transitioning is not always the best option. but sometimes it is.