T0rrent01

joined 1 year ago
 

For context I want to make these into little flashcards. I'm thinking something a little bit like https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/.

Thoughts on how good this is as it currently stands, and how I can improve?

1. Conditioning

From cradle to grave, white America is the only America we know. At school, we are made to learn about primarily white events and history. Through history/social studies class, we are drip-fed trivial stories meant to convince us that white men are "good guys". Conservatives are the product of state-sponsored propaganda.

"Because we've always done it this way" are the most dangerous words you'll ever hear. Look at George Floyd. Look at all the school shootings that occur on a seemingly monthly basis. Clearly, the status quo isn't working. The fear of change is holding us back. Conservatives fear change.

2. Blind patriotism

American exceptionalism is dead... and that's a good thing. Conservatives use rose-tinted spectacles to look at our history. They see racism and oppression as a key part of our "glorious past". To criticize progressivism is oblivious to the fact that just because an institution is centuries old, doesn't mean it's fit for purpose in the 21st century. Conservatives are stuck in the past.

3. Cognitive dissonance

Excuses, excuses. "But they do so much for charity", "both sides have the same problems", "but they seem so nice". Supporters of Trump and similar demagogues happily turn a blind eye and make whatever excuses necessary to justify their beliefs. FOX and other conservative pundits have dismissed Trump's racism as "politics". Trump loves his golf clubs full of rich white men, completely denying the decline of the old order. Conservatives are in denial.

4. Pressure to conform

"Soft" conservatives may only support the GOP due to the pressure to conform. Consider the example of a parent who might not want their children to take part in a celebration at school even though everyone else seems to be involved, so the children stay silent.

Another factor is that living/growing up in a conservative community, like a small rural town, can also create pressure to "fit in" and not ask questions. Conservatives are conformists.

5. Ignorance

Ignorance is bliss: many conservatives demonstrate a remarkable inability or refusal to question what they are shown, e.g. they see evangelical pastors posing for photos with homeless/impoverished people but don't wonder or want to think about the context: they're unlikely to have spent over an hour, and then they go back to their million dollar megachurches and sports cars in a jiffy. Pastor Johnny doesn't really care about helping the poor, he just did a PR stunt to improve his image. Conservatives are blissfully ignorant.

6. Servility + low self-esteem

Servility is the tendency to act as if you don't share equal basic rights with every other person, i.e. the government. Conservatives have low self-esteem, believing those with the surname Trump are better human beings. Servility is also a fear response: the fear of being outcast for having different views. Conservatives are fearful.

7. Establishment profiteers

The Establishment describes the dominant social group or "elite", e.g. private schools like Phillips Exeter Academy, the local megachurch, media pundits, business elites, Congress, etc. It is a system of self-preservation and self-enrichment. Those who benefit from it have no reason to undermine it, no matter what the different parts secretly think about the GOP. Conservatives are determined to protect the Establishment.

8. Misconceptions

Conservatives have misconceptions, e.g. they believe conservatism is good for the economy and that Democrats want socialism/communism. They believe white male straight cishet supremacy is part of American identity and that it represents Americans values. They often ignore evidence that challenges their beliefs.

9. Magical thinking

Conservatives only dare to dream of having that much authority, wealth and privilege. They watch FOX and absorb the carefully staged narratives, viewing the Trump family as respectable celebrities. Conservatives find the idea of rich men in suits hopping between DC and Mar-A-Lago romantic. They're dreamers who only see what they want to see.

10. Underestimating the influence of the GOP

"Soft" conservatives and the apathetic don't know enough about the GOP. They believe "we're in the 21st century" and don't know about things like tax havens, filibusters, gerrymandering, media influence, etc. And so, the GOP often subverts the law goes under the radar as Trump refuses to be questioned and conservative media provides lots of distractions.

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

While on the magnitude of hundreds rather than thousands, we literally just had one whole town burning down, and in the same state as Pearl Harbor, no less. If that's not enough "psychological impact" to wake the masses up, I don't even wish to imagine what will.

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well, we're going to have to have a president who cares strongly about environmental issues asap.

No way that's making it through Congress. It's gonna have to come through an executive order.

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Maybe we should start naming ecological disasters, such as forest fires, after conservative politicians.

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I also think it's foolhardy to naively assume that once the older generations start dying off due to old age, things are just automatically going to become better and more progressive without us having to lift a finger. Wrong! I've observed conservative brain rot already starting to infect my peers. And while I'm fortunate and privileged enough to live in a progressive blue state that (relatively speaking) cares about the Earth, unfortunately, very few communities around the globe have such luxury.

I think better trust in government is what we need. But the way things stand, we are so not ready for this. And if democracy doesn't work in getting people to accept and comply with climate regulations that are bound to follow - and at this point that's much more of a "when" than an "if" - leaders maybe shouldn't be afraid to use force.

Hopefully at that point, we can keep a lid on things better than we did during COVID. But who am I kidding.

 

If unified national and international commitment could achieve monumental progress during crises like the world wars, a similar level of coordinated mobilization is required today. A wartime economic restructuring transitions society at emergency speed off fossil fuels through massive investments, just transition programs, and an enduring rationing of carbon pollution. Government mandates modernize infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture along renewable lines while stimulating sustainable jobs and industries.

International cooperation leverages strengths and resources, from research collaborations to emissions pacts holding all nations accountable. Wealthy emitters aid economic transition of frontline nations suffering first from weather extremes. A progressive carbon fee program funds mitigation efforts while incentivizing structural economic changes. Grants assist vulnerable communities relocating from rising seas and intensifying natural disasters.

Prioritizing collectivity and justice transforms sacrifices into liberating progress for all humankind. With science as the commanding general, nonviolent civil disobedience compels stubborn political systems to catalyze transformations long stalled by obstructionism and misinformation. But societal will aligned behind solutions offers hope where bleakness once prevailed.

The problem being, of course, that conservatives and capitalism are ruining everything. Just look at how we fared at COVID. If we can't get the entire population to stay at home and wear masks to protect themselves against a global pandemic, how the heck are we supposed to get them to stay at home and wear masks to protect themselves against climate change?

 

“OMG, I have an iPhone!” Yeah, you have an iPhone, so what? You’re the best? You can FaceTime your friends, despite you and your friends probably having, like, 7 other apps to do so? And no UI customizability or jailbreaking?

I’m just unable to understand the Apple/iOS hype. It makes my eyes roll. I’m content with my Samsung and Android, thanks.

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

The elitist attitudes surrounding Apple products is so unbelievable. "OMG, I have an iPhone!" Yeah, you have an iPhone, so what? You're the best? You can FaceTime your friends, despite you and your friends probably having, like, 7 other apps to do so? And no UI customizability or jailbreaking?

I'm just unable to understand the Apple/iOS hype. It makes my eyes roll. I'm content with my Samsung and Android, thanks.

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

See, this is why we need more diverse representation in the media now. Manchildren always whine about "diversity ruining everything" when it's really a truer reflection of America's evolving demographics.

 

Me personally? I've become much less tolerant of sexist humor. Back in the day, cracking a joke at women's expense was pretty common when I was a teen. As I've matured and become aware to the horrific extent of toxicity and bigotry pervading all tiers of our individualistic society, I've come to see how exclusionarly and objectifying that sort of 'humor' really is, and I regret it deeply.

 

So YouTube has a lot of problems, there's no denying that. Frivolous and selective (not to mention automated) copyright enforcement, bureaucratic termination appeal system, COPPA idiocy, the whole clusterfuck that is monetization, etc?

In contrast, Odysee is this open-source video platform that fixes many of these problems. It took of, like, I dunno, a year ago? Thing is, it's still very inactive and dead. A lot of YouTubers have pined for a massive exodus from YouTube, which might sound familiar for many of us Lemmings here. Yet, the majority of them can't seem to let it go, since YouTube/Google pretty much exercises a monopoly on the online video sharing industry.

What worries me is that Reddit alternatives, such as Lemmy, Mastodon, or kbin, could see a similar fate to YouTube alternatives like Odysee or BitChute. I'd love to see people quit Reddit en masse and hopefully find a "safe harbor" some place like here, but I'm hearing about realistic concerns regarding even the viability of this site's databases, so I feel like the actual outcome will be more of a small dent than a massive crater.

Which is exactly what Huffman wants and he knows it.

Ugh, I hate this awful corporate creativity-stifling timeline.

 

This new normal of near-constant wildfire smoke annoys me as much as the next person. But it serves as a reminder that we share one fragile atmosphere that we're collectively screwing up. Fruitless to waste all this energy pointing fingers like children when we should be joining hands to fix this. It's like nature's warning signal.

Whether it be wildfire smoke, a global pandemic, or heat waves, nature know no geopolitical borders. So maybe instead of squabbling over whose smoke is whose, we could acknowledge that we're all in this smoldering mess together. We only have one planet to live on, and we only have one atmosphere to breathe from.

(just food for thought)

[–] T0rrent01@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Not just fewer kids. But fewer conservatives too.

Gosh, I love it here.