Goldtent TA Paradise

Worth Reading

1. Karl says:

   August 23, 2020 - 1:26 pm at 1:26 pm

   Fairly recently someone made a comment on ZH something like this (very approximately): “I may be a lifelong Democrat, but since I have been called ‘racist’ so many times, over and over, I’m voting for Trump.”

   It is good to hash out differences honestly rather than sleazily hide them, but one sensibly does not want to alienate people one might want as potential allies. Consider the comment above the other way around when you attack opinions of those who disagree with you, or those persons themselves. It is only the most stubbornly strong-willed who will continue to listen to you after you continue to attack them. (I have a hard time myself with this precept. It’s hard to follow.)

2. Karl says:

   August 23, 2020 - 1:42 pm at 1:42 pm

   Note that Mike Whitney would be pleased to call himself a Marxist and a leftist (way different way of looking at things than mine though). Note that he has been kicked off various left-leaning sites for attacking TDS, also for attacking cornyvirus dogma.

   While you’re at it, if you want, check the far-left off-guardian for https://off-guardian.org/2020/08/23/this-week-in-the-guardian-14 for an attack that you might enjoy on extreme TDS. You don’t really have to read more than headlines. Just skip down to where they reproduce where the Guardian lauds the PM of NZ for postponing elections because of The Plague and then reproduce where the Guardian do how Orange Man Bad because he *might* postpone elections. Off-guardian is not pro-trump. They are just pointing out hypocrisy honestly.

   Do you really want to make enemies of these people or the people who read them?

   I go now to a hard left site I do not like too too much because it gives apologetics for any anti-US/UK regime, Moon of Alabama, but is useful to read. A commenter, who I think tends to be left-libertarian, a Swiss Francophone with a jittery disjointed style has just written in response to another comment,

   >>>When the USA declines, it will become more religious, you stated. (“USA IV”) I’m not sure (historic trends are religion down and 2015-2020 was already pretty terrible for many US citizens), but ok, why not. A Christian fundamentalist army (your post), who knows, maybe. We have the horrible pre-cursor, the war on terror, against Muslims, aka, maj. muslim countries that did not genuflect automatically to US hegemony, echoes to the Crusades, all that.

   However to be hopeful, returning to religion (not just xtian ..) by a consequent part of population, might provide some kind of social glue that would embrace precepts and ways-of-doing of a more caring kind. Combined with some form of ‘localism’ (community organisation, a sharing economy within some smaller space, necessarily being vague here) that all might do quite well.

   > Yes, very hopey-hopey, and along several rather perhaps illusory but at present popular socio-pol memes, which is part of the point – they might catch on.

   Many religions imho are more worthy of adherence than the acute tribalism of Dem. identity politics, the ‘wokeness’ you mention (it is really just another form of exploitation) to give but one example. Racist ‘nazi’ type preppers are another.. and as for US oligarchs, they are in a class of their own, corrupted banking, science, media control, etc.

   Best hope for the US is …some states break away from the Federation and try to organise for themselves to have a better, less ambitious, more egalitarian, less rule by mafia corps, life. I mention this because activists in the US should be looking in that direction – and not praying for Tulsi or lauding AOC….<<<

   I take this just because I happen to see it. From about as extreme left as you can get. For decentralization, not hostile to religion, against even leftish politicians, in favor of secessionism, tolerant of those who might be falsely accused of 'naziism'. I know from prior comments she must be well versed in Marx. You want to rail against "leftists", Marx, etc? There's lots of room for dialogue.

3. KenS says:

   August 23, 2020 - 3:05 pm at 3:05 pm

   From the time of FDR until the 1980’s, the Democratic party represented the working class. In the 80’s, the Democrats began supporting (and expecting votes from) the welfare crowd. The Republican party from FDR’s time represented the richer crowd. In the 80’s, the Democrats abandoned the working class and the Republicans started standing for them.