Certainly. I think it's a multitude of factors right now that play into the far right's hands. I also feel like a lot of people feel disassociated with societal expectations or deeply unhappy with their lot in society. For generations, people have been told how to behave to succeed in life - career choices, romantic pursuits, gender norms and how to best cater to them, monetary independence - All grandiose, highly ritualized concepts.


But by now, a lot of people have realized that a lot of this is fugazi. People feel like there is something missing in their lives. And this is where organized religion, manosphere self-help gurus, vicious politicians and the like enter the picture. They try to gauge what it is they feel is missing in their lives and hence they adjust their rhetoric to it - promising a more prosperous future - once again enforcing the same tired ideas that made them feel so deprived in the first place - but more forcefully. Easy answers await them.


But in order to seal the deal, a scapegoat has to be declared. Surely, someone must be responsible for this undesirable state of things - it's not the economy that favors only the richest of the rich, it's not the judicial system or corrupt politics. No, it's that darn Woke culture and all them LGBTQIA+-folk, and the feminists and whatnot. The LGBTQIA+ seems to take the absolute brunt of the abuse right now. And instead of realizing that the very same insitutions that instigating their fear and anger right now are the cause of their anguish, people fall for the right's narrative. And instead of realizing, that their problems very much apply to those they are ostracizing right now, too - they fall deeper down the rabbit hole.


I think there needs to be someone able to gauge those people's fears, but who is able to talk to them with compassion and who can avert the conversion of a lot of people to the wrong path. It won't stop the most indoctrinated from continuing on that path, but it might just make a few of those who are merely on the verge and somewhat confused reconsider. And by someone, I don't mean a singular person - but more of an institutional discourse.


But that's just a very utopian idea. I wouldn't know who and how right now. Tbh., the pandemic years have made me pretty cynical towards the dynamics of masses of people. I still cling to ideals of humanism, but it's been a bit tough as of late.


In general: Allies are important. And to end on a more optimistic note: I have a good bit of faith in the current generation. The kids are alright. There are teens right now who care about things that hadn't even been on my radar when I was their age. And there's been a lot of action and positive societal change that benefited a lot from the younger generation's (I'd say up until the Mid-20s) strides.

I think everybody should just chill and enjoy AccuRadio's Marvelous Mrs. Maisel channel:



https://www.accuradio.com/channel/61...53e37a5e6d3ea4

Look, my last post may have come across a bit doomy. I didn't mean it to. But there are a few worrying developments right now and certain patterns that are evident. It needs to be addressed sometimes.

On an optimistic note: I'm out on the streets with my LGBTQIA+ friends at Vienna's annual Pride Parade today. There are 102 groups taking part this year - making it the second biggest event since the inception of Vienna Pride. If last year was any indication, it's gonna be fucking awesome. :)

Come on, I was being facetious. Of course it's a major issue. Human rights worldwide are on the line.

That channel with Mrs. Maisel music is indeed awesome, though. :D

what? hahaha, it was a great post

and please write more

Arnold Schwarzenegger Says He’d ‘Absolutely’ Run for President in 2024

^ That Trump bobblehead is WAY too thin.

here's an interesting article about the state of the american culture wars over gender, as seen through the microcosm of drag nuns at a baseball game...

https://www.economist.com/united-sta...e-culture-wars

it's paywalled, but it might allow a few free readings with registration. or maybe no registration required if the cookies are clear... not sure but check

One of my friends was there! She said she had a great time and got more than a little drunk.

It was a hell lot of fun. Not every day do you get to walk and rickshaw across some of Vienna's most busy (usually congested) junctions undisturbed, while vibing to Siouxsie's "Peek-A-Boo". I took a lot of pictures, put my feet to good use in our "mobile" decked out in spooky and campy Halloween decor and got interviewed by a German queer-themed YouTube channel. All set to great tunes and people by the sidewalk cheering solely because they are happy folks are out there, doing their thing. It's hard to describe, but this abundance of positivity and good vibes is usually hard to come by in Vienna throughout the rest of the year. And yes, it does lend itself to quite a bit of hedonism :D

The ne plus ultra of pathetic:

Marjorie Taylor Greene Calls Boebert a ‘Little Bitch’ on the House Floor

GLORIOUS!

The white trash they let into Congress these days, I tell ya...

And just like that, I'm remembering https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QrDOGcZDow but in the context of the memory trigger, no "hero" aspect going on. Just white trash.

Marjorie Taylor Greene On Calling Boebert a "Little Bitch": "She's a Little Bitch"

Oh, the tautology...

HOOOOOOOOOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIITTT RUSSIA WHAAAAAATTT!!!

did this just start or have i been asleep for days??

this could be great news! or terrible, one never knows....


the parallels cannot be ignored, regardless of scale...

The Wagnerians will be staying at Lukashenko's Belarus for now, so no direct confrontation. But yeah, the image of those fuckers shooting and bombing their way to the Kremlin (with "Ride Of The Valkyries" in the background, of course) woulda been... something. :eek::D

I'd have thought you, of all people, would not like the idea of right-wing mercenaries establishing military government.

That's pretty much what Russia is already. Putin has a National Guard relatively similar to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, independent from the Armed Forces and which reports directly to him - that's where most of his grip on power lies, not on the infamous oligarchs (which lately he's been killing, families included, left and right). Speaking of powers, there's no real separation of them - the Duma and the Judiciary are jokes that do what Putin tells them to do. If there is a line at the top of the Kremlin dividing the civilian from the military it's extremely tenuous at the very best.

As for Wagner's chances to succeed in this crazy kamikaze coup attempt that apparently was coming, well, we're talking 25K mercenaries immediately available versus a far bigger National Guard, and that's without counting the Russian army. The point is there was going to be a direct assault on Putin's regime, and fuck him, he deserves it.

And just to underline the obvious: Putin has no legitimacy as a democratically elected leader because Russian elections are bullshit; it's not North Korea, but there's nothing "free and fair" about them.

isn't it great when psychopaths kill each other though?


true to all that. however, hot dog man in charge of nukes would likely be WORSE than poot'n.

ideally for me they'd kill each other dead and then someone saner would take over.

but who knows! the russians don't have a history of freedom whatsoever. they're accustomed to gangsters running the show for centuries. seems to be a hobbesian state of nature over there.

Yeah, that's basically it - I've mostly been tuning out from this one because there's a lot of interrelated storylines going on that I'm not confident enough to try and untangle. Putin getting taken out would probably be a good thing in a vague sense, but it wouldn't actually make much long-term difference from this given scenario, and if anything could just make it worse for bystanders.

The fuck is a legitimate person, anyways? Goddamn you motherfucker, on top of everything else why do you have to be so fucking ODD?!

ETA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieJwU9bFzW4

And they say Biden says dumb things?

From Zakaria's newsletter:

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro barred from running for office for 8 years

See, that's how it's done. Guy who tried to kill democracy can't participate in democracy. Pretty simple. Nothing unthinkable about it. This is what should've happened in the U.S. of A. (the greatest country in the WORLD, you know) in early 2021. Too bad it's the U.S. of A. (the greatest country in the WORLD, you follow).

i don't know about this.

i mean about the mode of operation of other countries applied to the american republic.

maybe it's applicable, maybe it's inapplicable, but i don't know about the brazilian justice system.

i know brazil has a long history of military dictatorships and rewriting constitutions, most recently in 1988. here the constitution and form of government have survived with some amendments for almost 250 years in spite of a bloody civil war. they're not the same systems, and they have their own historical reasons.

and i get that they've had pleasant results in brazil now, but i don't know how they run their shit or, again, if their system is applicable here. nothing to do with "the greatest" strawman arguments. just different political realities.

i'm glad for brazil though. just not sure "how it's done" there. results are one thing, process is another thing altogether.

so "that's what is done" okay sure, bar the tyrant. the how is untranslatable to the united states where we don't have this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_Electoral_Court

Yes. I think you took my words a bit too literally, but then again, I could've worded things better. I'll post a decent reply... when I'm no so thirsty. I need some of that good ol' Coca-Cola again.

From The New York Times:

(continues...)

(cont'd)

i did exploit a turn of words in the idiom to point out an actual difference in government institutions, but it wasn't just a rhetorical gimmick, i tried to make an honest point that i think truly matters.

the brazilian process cannot be replicated in the usa context, the "how" absolutely matters, as (among other things) we lack a judicial devoted solely to elections and we have a house of representatives enthralled by a maniac.

note that bolsonaro may be under investigation etc etc but he's not in jail for any crimes. he's presently only in "electoral jail" for 8 years (pending appeal).

but ultimately the corruption of the republican party by trumpers is what's really to blame here. but then again, no fourth separate power to appeal to.

brazil has a lot more parties, but... they were illegal until... 1979 or something? i wouldn't make the tradeoff.

i hope the system eventually works here. but the system is the system... and it's very slow to change for many historical and ideological reasons.

i do remember uncle joe saying firmly in some recentish interview (2nd quarter maybe? ) THERE WILL BE NO RECESSION.

i mean everyone saw a recession coming for a long time but he said no.

independent of what he said, the pent-up demand has kept things going, and there has been more stimulus at some local levels. plus wages have risen.

at the same time, the loosening of supply has a disinflationary effect. more money in the economy is only inflationary when supply can't match. otherwise no problem.

i've seen consumer prices fall, for sure. not fall to cheap, just fall back to "normal" (if there is such a thing).

my worry with this situation is that the wall street consensus (just saw it on bloomberg last week) is that for them there "must" be a recession and unemployment in order to bring inflation down. their ideology does not give a fuck. their first reflex is tamping down the wage-price spiral, workers be damned, like cattle to the slaughter. fucking alix steel talking tough like she's not just a journalist.

the progressives on the other hand will only accept full employment with high wages, inflation be damned... in their dreamworld with no tradeoffs.

but a soft landing can be accomplished. it is very fucking hard though. but the powell fed seems to have employment foremost in their agenda, unlike tough-talking journalists.

last year(?) when lizzie warren tried to scold powell for raising rates, powell shut her up swiftly by reminding her of the consequences of runaway inflation for all. eta: found it: https://youtu.be/hrJj8sydGFU

the fed could have raised rates more aggressively, and they still will probably keep raising rates, but they are being extremely careful to do so, and their more recent pause was telling.

here's hoping for a soft landing and another 4 years of democrats in power. they are not perfect, but fuck, the alternative is a true nightmare.

holy shit! i didn't know the nanny had a real voice

https://youtu.be/J4SAPOX7R5M

very good speech. i don't know the technical details actually. but wow, she surprised me, in a very good way.

anyway, unanimous vote for strike!

i don't know how this will play out in an age of replayable everything, but it will be interesting to watch

Not her first time:

https://wapo.st/3ru5lpK

;):)

hahahaha!

great

Wow, 1-2 punch today (DOJ & Michigan), and that's on top of Georgia's Supreme Court ruling yesterday...

We all know he's an idiot and a clown. But he's also evil as all fuck. This is horrifying:

Inside the DeSantis Doc That Showtime Didn’t Want You to See

Vice put together an in-depth documentary exploring DeSantis’ time at Guantanamo Bay. Showtime suddenly shelved the documentary one day after DeSantis declared for president.

ETA: The authenticity of the documentary's transcript has been "independently confirmed" by The Daily Beast, which "quotes it here at length in the interest of transparency, as well as out of consideration for the segment’s journalistic merit and value to the public discourse".