US continues to go backward...

[Rob B.]

Just to be clear, you can comment on a meme....understand now?

I thought it was only certain memes.

 

[Vakarian74]

Sounds terrible.

It is when you just keep taking the same screwing year after year just so you wont be a little uncomfortable so you can grow.

 

[Vakarian74]

Sounds terrible.

Being tolerant of intolerance is a crappy thing to do and that's all people like you do.

 

[Vakarian74]

Being tolerant of intolerance is a crappy thing to do and that's all people like you do.

@rob look up the paradox of tolerance.

 

[HacklemanPoke]

Just to be clear, it's ok to interrupt a church service and ICE proceedings, but it's taboo to interrupt the funny political meme thread with a funny meme?

I think I understand now....

Did you post anything when the woman from Magastan who is running for a house seat in Tx went to an LBGTQ afffirming church and in the middle of the service shouted down the pastor telling them they were going to hell?

And just to be clear, I’m asking about the interrupting the service not about telling them they were going to hell? Which news flash and off thread they are not.

 

[Rob B.]

Did you post anything when the woman from Magastan who is running for a house seat in Tx went to an LBGTQ afffirming church and in the middle of the service shouted down the pastor telling them they were going to hell?

And just to be clear, I’m asking about the interrupting the service not about telling them they were going to hell? Which news flash and off thread they are not.

Never heard about it. I don't condone anyone interrupting any religious service. And I'm not affiliated with any religion.

 

[RxCowboy]

Never heard about it. I don't condone anyone interrupting any religious service. And I'm not affiliated with any religion.

It happened, and it was pure performance.

 

[RxCowboy]

Yes, and when they attempted austerity, it went even worse.

Maybe your definition of austerity is different than mine…

 

[RxCowboy]

@rob look up the paradox of tolerance.

This is what you are referring to:

Repressive Tolerance (full text) - Herbert Marcuse Official Website

 

[RxCowboy]

Did you post anything when the woman from Magastan who is running for a house seat in Tx went to an LBGTQ afffirming church and in the middle of the service shouted down the pastor telling them they were going to hell?

And just to be clear, I’m asking about the interrupting the service not about telling them they were going to hell? Which news flash and off thread they are not.

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Why I no longer identify as an evangelical.

 

[cowboyinexile]

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Why I no longer identify as an evangelical.

I can fix her

 

[Polds4OSU]

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[Bowers3]

I appreciate you sharing your experience. I think it is not an easy environment to be "in the middle" in. I also have gone from someone who agreed with the right on some issues and the left on some issues in 2016-2017 to not agreeing with the right on much at all. For what it is worth, I don't agree with establishment dems either. We need a new direction altogether.

For your bolded part it really comes down to that. If one thinks just some of the government's actions are fascist, you are more likely to think that it can just be reformed or things will pass on their own. If you think the government is now fascistic, then active resistance is not just an option, it is a requirement: something that must be done, because one cannot find the middle ground in fascism.

For me, it was learning about the academic definition of fascism and how it has manifested itself in the last 100 years. When going through the signs of fascism, it becomes pretty clear it is the threat that we are facing:

There are many prose examples that match most of these bullet points.

What is your rationale that we do not have a fascist country at this point?

I think it's important to "zoom out" and remember that the United States has been a force for anti-fascism in the world especially during the 20th century. That we are still trying to live up to our founding principles. I think people are scared of the changes they see coming in the second half of this century. Donald Trump (Stephen Miller) conned a lot of people by hitting on those fears. It's not that MAGA doesn't have legitimate concerns, they just elected a wolf in sheep's clothing. I do very much believe we have a fascist executive branch right now.

But a fascist country? No. I believe if you think the US is a fascist country that your bar for fascism is too low. Ask an immigrant. They'll tell you one thing that annoys them most is how ignorant Americans are of how good we have it here.

As for being in "the middle," I just think social media has supercharged division. I've deleted all social media, I haven't "doom scrolled" in months and I can already feel the difference. It's just completely different than reality. So when my liberal friends talk down to conservatives or vice versa, I don't know it just irks me. People only have their opinions of other peoples opinions that have been filtered by an algorithm only meant to confirm beliefs.

 

[Bowers3]

It's gotten so crazy man, and you aren't alone.
View attachment 17545

No matter what side you’re on, we’ve reached a point in our lives where right is always wrong to someone else, and wrong is always right to the other side.
There’s no winning—only noise.
We let the social world consume us. Drain us. Shape us.
We scroll until we’re empty, argue until we’re numb, and share things we haven’t even had time to feel yet.
I remember a time before social media—when we didn’t see everything, didn’t dissect everything, didn’t turn every moment into a headline or a weapon. We weren’t fed lies wrapped as truth, or truth twisted until it fit a narrative. We didn’t hate each other for being red or blue. We were just people.
Somewhere along the way, we tore each other apart.
And it wasn’t one side or the other.
It was all of us.
Not one single person is to blame—and we all know that.
I’m guilty too. I’ve been pulled in, reacted, judged, shared, felt the anger. But at some point, I chose to keep living. If something affects me, I find a way around it instead of letting it own me. I step back. I breathe. I live my life.
I saw this image ( I did not create this image saw it circulating) and it speaks volumes—because we all watched it unfold in real time.
A hundred million different versions.
Jokes. Fingers pointed. Opinions screamed.
Everyone talking… no one listening.
And in the end—what did it solve?
Nothing was healed. Nothing was fixed.
Just more division. More exhaustion. More distance between people who were never meant to be enemies.
Maybe the real problem isn’t the moment we’re arguing about.
Maybe it’s that we’ve forgotten how to be human with each other.

And maybe—just maybe—that’s where the healing has to start.

Good message! Really weird picture aside....

 

[Rob B.]

Good message! Really weird picture aside....

I thought it went hand in hand with the message.

 

[Bowers3]

I thought it went hand in hand with the message.

Yeah well I had nightmares about 3-fingered hands attached to purple-haired lesbians reaching out to me from Hell.

 

[HacklemanPoke]

Did you post anything when the woman from Magastan who is running for a house seat in Tx went to an LBGTQ afffirming church and in the middle of the service shouted down the pastor telling them they were going to hell?

And just to be clear, I’m asking about the interrupting the service not about telling them they were going to hell? Which news flash and off thread they are not.

Not being critical but maybe that says something about your social media algorithms and the news you watch.

 

[steross]

They're not the same thing. Welfare benefits cost the taxpayer. Tax credits do not cost the taxpayer. A tax credit is an amount of your own money that the government is allowing you to keep.

The two are not comparable. I guess I don't understand though.

They aren't the same, but they are not as different as you seem to think. Funding of government vs benefits received are more complex than what you wrote.

 

[Bowers3]

They aren't the same, but they are not as different as you seem to think. Funding of government vs benefits received are more complex than what you wrote.

Bingo. There's a debit for every credit.

Like the people who say "If the government just forgives loans, there's no taxpayer money spent. It's just forgiven."

 

[steross]

Like the people who say "If the government just forgives loans, there's no taxpayer money spent. It's just forgiven."

That would be so cool!!!