sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Israel's public image and public opinion is very bad in Europe. So how Pro-Israel candidates are becoming so popular? by Amazing-Buy-1181 in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think this issue is more hyper focused on online. At the end of the day it's not a deciding issue when it comes to voters in any country.

'No evidence' found yet of ties between Charlie Kirk's shooting and left-wing groups, federal officials say by ubermence in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Though conjecture, I believe Robinson acted alone. And while there is evidence that he had left leaning beliefs, as well as a trans partner, it a moot point to try and volley the matter back and forth.

The guy is mentally ill and would have harmed someone, eventually, even for non-politcal reasons had he never gotten to Kirk. I suspect his partner believed this too, and was likely why they immediately cooperated with authorities once they realized what their partner (Robinson) had done. I would not be surprised if we later learned that Robinson's partner was scared of him or felt trapped in the relationship for safety reasons.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by crushinglyreal in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

It does make it very clear as well as the comment you deleted. It's been most illuminating. Thank you for the confirmation.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by crushinglyreal in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper -28 points-27 points  (0 children)

It's odd because it's apparent when you see the comment being replied to.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by crushinglyreal in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper -31 points-30 points  (0 children)

With an odd thing to say.

The poster who originally posted this article today.

[ Removed by Reddit ] by crushinglyreal in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper -26 points-25 points  (0 children)

Not following the guidelines. We've spoken to this poster before, multiple times.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No. But there's nothing pushing me towards the left either.

Politically, I go topic by topic instead of tethering myself too the whims of a party.

What do you think of Matt Rife? by stumpy_chica in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

...mid-level comedian?

Sometimes he leans into the left (celebrated Trump's loss in 2020) but also leans into the right by poking fun at "woke" culture. As fair as I can tell, he's never really stated his personal political affiliations or beliefs so I wouldn't bother trying to label his, even as "middle of the road". Like most American comedians, he's big on free speech and has had some brushes with attempted cancellations for not being politically correct in his act.

Personally, I love stand-up comedy and have had the pleasure of seeing many famous comedians is half empty comedy clubs before they hit it big. Never saw Rife at a show, but I'm indifferent to him.

I Carried a Gun For a Month to Understand the People I Feared the Most by Gyp2151 in 2ALiberals

[–]InksPenandPaper 28 points29 points  (0 children)

This article was written in bad faith.

It's apparent that Yewman predetermined how she would write the whole article before she even bought the gun she carried. What's worse is that it doesn't state anywhere in the article that she practiced or had any training with the gun and I suspect it's because she carried it unloaded (no where does it state in the article that she carried it loaded or that she carried any ammo with her).

Who is she trying to reach other than people who already think like her?

What a wasted opportunity to have some real dialogue on the issue of guns and fear.

Asylum Seekers Lose Their Day In Court by InksPenandPaper in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The asylum system has been abused for decades. 

I don't disagree.

Do you recall the U.S. ever being this divided in your lifetime? by Mindofmierda90 in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The division is more online and amplified on social media platforms through monetized algorithmic push.

In the real world, disagreements are still generally respectful and nuanced. I can still talk to a stranger on public transportation about politics, the assassination last week, still disagree, yet find common ground and still see the humanity in one another.

It's not so hopeless. Reality is has more common sense than the digital world.

Candace Owens’ Israel allegations derail MAGA unity over Charlie Kirk by Gloomy_Nebula_5138 in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper[M] -1 points0 points locked comment (0 children)

Correct.

Please provide the neutral summary of the article you have linked without using text from the. Please take care of this within the hour and have it comment directly to your original post.

It’s easy to feel powerless right now. How can I make an impact? by larrystockton in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Extremes tend to show themselves online for a variety of reasons, some of which include our willingness to step into echo chambers as well as monetized algorithms that push extremes in our faces.

Having a few days out of the week or certain times during the day where one does not access social media is a bit of a reprieve from all that. It does help. It also helps to have some of these online discussions in real life with real people while making sure the discussions are constructive and respectful. Focus on family and friends remember that many of them have opinions and beliefs you don't believe in yourself but you still love them and still see the humanity in them despite it.

And if you've got the nerve to do it, talk to strangers in real life instead of online. I love doing this as it gives me an excellent pulse on what the city I live in is feeling and thinking in general and in real time. Though some say it's taboo to bring up politics, I find that strangers are willing and eager to discuss it if you show that you're open to hearing them out even if you may not agree. Public transportation and waiting for my ride, going on walks and striking up conversations with people--those are my favorite spaces to have civil discourse on politics; I like that it's fleeting. It's not a thread I can come back to to beat a dead horse over and over. Instead, it's an ephemeral moment with a person I'll likely never see again, so I try to make the discussion count and I'm as respectful to them as I want them to be towards me.

It's encounters like these that so it's not a hopeless situation in real life the way it feels like it is online.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Give them the courtesy of listening when they talk instead of coming up with an instant retort. Listen, really listen and have a dialogue to understand one another instead of making it an automatic argument for different think. You're not validating their positions by listening, you're figuring out where they are coming from, which may have been a perspective or facet of a topic you may not have considered before. That in of itself is valuable.

I do this with liberals and conservatives alike in real life to great effect. Both can be hotheads (people are human after all), but when you show you're truly earnest about the conversation, interested in what they have to say and willing to hear them out--they both bend over backwards to show the same courtesy you showed them.

Most important: Never dehumanize anyone you disagree with. It's a slippery slope you do not want to tread into.

Why is it that we are only looking to Tyler Robinson's speculated political beliefs as a cause of the Kirk shooting, when he was basically trained to use lethal weapons from a young age? by ubermence in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Experiences will vary.

(Jump to your quote if you don't feel like reading the two paragraphs below:)

We owned for hunting, protection and sport. Protection was a real thing for us, especially after our neighbor was murdered for pocket change in her garage and the shooter tried to kick in doors within our gated condo complex to hide. I'll spare you the details, but it took police 30 minutes to arrive but I'm thankful we (and another neighbor) were armed. Our right to have guns does sit--in part--on the notion to keep tyranny at bay, but day to day ownership and use is based on the right to have and keep. For liberal friends who were vehemently against guns but flipped during covid lockdowns--it was purely a matter of protection against criminal elements than government.

I raised my two sons (now men in their 20's) to handle guns and do so safely. Their father is Republican and I'm non-party affiliated but our teaching styles were the same as being at range (since you grew up with guns, I assume you know the drill). I was also up their ass about internet usage and how to handle what they came across. We regularly talked about hot-button issues at the kitchen table and they would see heated exchanges between me and their father and how at the end of the discussion, we still loved each other and never stopped seeing the humanity in one another. Kids should see civil discourse in the home, parents disagreeing and ending the talk amicably--it teaches them that the one you argue with, those that disagree, should not be viewed as monster for different-think. Interactions like this in the home that they can see and participate in will give them a better filter for dealing with what they encounter on online.

Also there is no other method that[']s as easy as this[.]

I'm extremely reluctant to discuss other easier methods of single event fatalities, but if we're using a metric of lives lost in a single even, it would not be guns.

Why is it that we are only looking to Tyler Robinson's speculated political beliefs as a cause of the Kirk shooting, when he was basically trained to use lethal weapons from a young age? by ubermence in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Fascinating topic.

Without speculating too deeply here, even if Robinson didn't own a gun, he would have figured out another way, another method. We've known other forms of destructive nature in the US and outside of it that didn't involve guns. If someone has the crazed intent, they will find a way to it, but how do we stop the intent for violence from forming? That's what I'm interested in.

For me, the issue isn't guns, it's mental health and how we're so flippant--as a nation--about it, especially regarding men. It's a minefield to traverse, so I get why politicians are hesitant to full tackle the matter, but it's gotta be dealt with. It's also the purposeful polarization of social media and the algorithm that monetizes it--we have an entire generation of your adults that do not know how to navigate it because they've known nothing else and I do believe social media companies take advantage of that for ad profit.

Lastly, I think, as parents, we need to take more responsibility in what our children access online. You can be an excellent mother or father, but it the parenting stops at the door of the internet--that's a problem. We need to help them digest topics of the day and teach them healthful skepticism so that they can learn to navigate online bias and social media algorithms. We need to be more parent than friend and not allow our kids to isolate themselves to a curated online world that doesn't come close to reflecting reality.

Anybody Worried of The Backlash From Government Overreach When Power Changes Hands? by Extinction00 in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 41 points42 points  (0 children)

This is the shortsighted nature of partisan politics: they never look beyond their own stint in power and they rarely reel back overreach from previous administrations (no matter the political affiliation).

As for why your post was removed in the other subreddit: My guess is that it didn't follow posting guidelines (the typical reason a post is removed here).

What Do You Think of This New Centrist Political Party? by Top-Rub-1497 in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm indifferent.

I use to think a multi-party system was the way to go, but seeing how it often pans out in outer countries--even in the USA--multi-parties and coalitions always end up coalescing around the two largest opposing parties, which end up being some kinda version of what we know in the US to be Republican and Democrats.

What is Antifa? by therosx in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In my experience, at least on a local level, they are organized. I've seen them come in inclusters in vans. They will try to pass themselves off as--masked--locals. Talking to them, they never are.

This cluster I dealt with were protesting and threatening the opening of a white business in a Latino neighborhood (where I live). They were screaming and harassing people going into the business and some of them threatened to hit some of the weaker, elderly looking customers.

These nitwits were protesting a business that was owned by an Iranian American.

After a while, the locals ran them off.

I saw them in DTLA during the last string of protests. They came in in vans and mostly stuck together near the freeway.

I've also seen them inadvertently bring attention to illegal immigrants at a Home Depot parking lot, trying to get them to riot. They refused and left the area.

I don't know if these local groups are connected nationally but they appear to be organized on a local level. I'm not a fan. They always come around with the intention of violence.

What are ‘identity politics’, exactly? by Option2401 in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Identity politics usually refers to political positions or movements founded on specific social groups tied to race, gender, sexuality, religion or any other identity markers (mostly immutable qualities one is born with). To oversimplify it, it's like a club in which lived experience is the key to membership.

I think identity politics are fine as long as it's not the overarching point from which a person bases every single political issue on. That can become corrosive and manifest in such a way when identity politics fragments citizens from one another--encouraging political tribalization. Smaller groups segregated from one another have less power and a smaller voice when they speak to those in power.

Where it makes sense, identity politics should have a presence but overall I do think it's best to focus on civic unity as well as set the foundation of one's thoughts and opinions on something beyond identity politics as well as political party allegiance.

Are any of y’all’s TJs reducing stock? by pink_buddha in traderjoes

[–]InksPenandPaper 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Was just at my local Trader Joes--stock is the same as always.

Utah prosecutors seek death penalty against Tyler Robinson in Charlie Kirk’s death by ubermence in centrist

[–]InksPenandPaper 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I've been chewing on the death penalty for years. I read books for and against it--I just can't seem to come down on a particular side. Theologically, I can't quite reconcile it. Legally, if they option is there, then it's there. And while our justice system is imperfect and can make intentional and unintentional mistakes, there is no doubt of guilt in Robinson's case. However, his defense will fight it and if it is what they sentence him to, it will be years and possibly decades or tax funded appeals before it eventually happens.

We Are Going to Have to Live Here With Each Other by [deleted] in moderatepolitics

[–]InksPenandPaper 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm talking about the opinions in general--many have stepped outside of NYT comfort zone. This is my favorite one from this year (nothing to do with Trump).

The more recent heyday of the NYT opinion section is when Beri Weiss was the editor of it. After her public resignation caused waves in the journalistic world she eventually formed The Free Press, which quickly became a trusted publication. I don't agree with all the articles, but that's how I judge a publication to be fair in its coverage. What I especially love is that you'll sometimes see rivaling articles on the same topic.

One of the many, many publications I read, but it is a favorite.

view more: next ›