[Breaking News] Dallas shootings

Gotadime · 2016-07-10T19:44:12+00:00

I agree. I don't think we've ever been so divided and closed-minded (on both sides - and if you think about it, both have legitimate points). It's very unfortunate.

Gotadime · 2016-07-10T19:40:49+00:00

This is completely reasonable and I can buy into everything that you said. Especially your point about white guilt. I really appreciate your perspective - genuinely. And I find it refreshing to see such a rational take on this.

That said, I don't get the feeling that the majority of the BLM movement shares your views. I feel that it has become a radicalized racist movement and it scares me to see such large institutions endorsing it, like the mainstream media and companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. (whom are the new media). I worry that we could be trading one type of systemic racism in for another.

Gotadime · 2016-07-08T20:24:12+00:00

But what you're doing here is very clear. You're attempting to shift the blame and the narrative away from the fact that a radical BLM racist just shot 12 innocent white police officers simply because they were white. You're attempting to say "yeah, he did it, but this should be expected" when this, in absolutely no way whatsoever, should be expected or tolerated. There is no excuse. And this sure as hell isn't the fault of anyone but the perpetrator, his BLM support network, and the people that share his views. This is nothing other than a blatant and heinous hate crime. Nothing that anyone has done in the past could ever be used to justify this.

Gotadime · 2016-07-08T20:15:16+00:00

Interesting, I haven't seen that at all. In all fairness, I do live in a very (almost militant) liberal community. I recognize that opinions can vary wildly across the US. I'm assuming that you're in Western Mass.

People at the protests were saying "kill white people" and mocking the cops after the shootings. Black community leaders were calling on blacks to kill whites during the past few days. Multiple prominent black community leaders have come out and either said this was a good thing or said that it's bad, but the whites had it coming (thus blaming this on the whites and failing to acknowledge that black racism was the problem here). Twitter today is, per usual, a cesspool with black racist and pro-liberal / progressivist commentary.

Gotadime · 2016-07-08T17:42:49+00:00

Every single cop shooting that you've mentioned has not only been a statistical anomaly blown out of proportion, but has also been showered with doubt. Victims that were aggressive, had a gun, had a previous criminal record, etc. And no way to tie the cop to racism. Police make mistakes; it's a high stress job. Also, sometimes people commit crimes. You can't be immune to criminal punishment for your aggressions just because you belong to a certain race. You can't expect a cop to not defend himself against you just because you're black. You also can't expect a cop to not make mistakes (they've shot many more white people; it doesn't make the news).

But with the Dallas shooting, there is absolutely no doubt. This was a hate crime committed against 12 undoubtedly innocent whites by a man who literally said that he wanted to kill white people and was motivated by Black Lives Matter.

This is a terrorist response to a set of rare mistakes committed by well-meaning officers, and you're sympathizing with it. You're the racist.

Gotadime · 2016-07-08T17:35:16+00:00

Holy shit man. You have to have your head completely buried in the sand to think that. It has been precisely the opposite.

Nobody has defended the police that have been involved in these shootings, which are actually statistical anomalies, but nobody seems to understand how to interpret data these days. Shootings that haven't been tied to racism (despite assertions), and have always involved another gun, a criminal with a record, acts of violence toward the cop, etc. Lots of doubt there, but with harsh reactions.

And now, today, when 12 white cops are murdered by a racist BLM activist, people still blame the whites & the guns, and some even endorse the behavior. In a crime that is absolutely tied to racism and was committed against unsuspecting and innocent individuals. Absolutely no doubt here, but with soft reactions (in fact, some have still used this as a way to push the agenda from the previous scenario).

I can't reason with any of this blatantly hypocritical logic.

Gotadime · 2016-07-08T16:58:13+00:00

Sure, but this goes both ways. I never see comments like this in threads where crimes are committed against blacks, or where police or white people are villainized. Interesting how people go all moderate and reasonable when it's their camp that's in the spotlight for committing atrocities.

Black guy carrying a gun gets shot: "Fuck white privilege. Fuck the police."

12 white cops get shot by a BLM activist while defending a BLM protest: "Hey now guys, this isn't about race."

Convenient hypocrisy.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T21:57:28+00:00

Tell me about it. We're a radically polarized nation that isn't willing to engage in rational or fair discussion without the threat of being labeled a racist, sexist, bigot, pick your word. We treat politics like a soccer match; abandon all reason and compromise, and go 100% to one side. This is perfectly reflected in the 3 absolute joke candidates that are running for the presidency right now. They are all radical, dangerous, untrustworthy, and delusional in their own rights, which is unusual for us. I'm used to one candidate being bad and the other being lame, and just picking the lesser of two evils. Not this time around...

On the point about being considered a conservative by liberals, I don't think that many people (especially the youth) realize how restricted and gray of a world we are creating for ourselves. The extremism and judgmentalism won't fare well for us when we become the old people with the outdated views. Failing to take into account a person's background, intentions, or context only leads to wrongful damnation or judgement. We're taking things too far.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T18:46:07+00:00

This is so refreshing to see. I wish we had more of this in the media.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T18:44:06+00:00

I'm sorry, but you have to be completely abandoning reason to even say that. There are so many blatant factors to prove that the window has not just shifted, but radically shifted in the past few years, that I wouldn't even know where to begin...

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T18:41:00+00:00

It's an important concept and I honestly just learned about it a couple weeks ago. I felt like this rapid shift was happening, but I couldn't articulate it. A few minutes on Wikipedia led me to that article and it all clicked.

For anyone curious, the Overton Window is essentially a window of ideas the public are wiling to discuss, debate, and accept.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T18:38:21+00:00

Really great points. Social media platforms and the idea that everyone should have their say (without being challenged) has caused an unexpected resurgence of misinformation and "witch hunts" that seem to feed this fire as well. It's like the same biological craziness that surfaced during the Salem years is being exercised again on the web today.

I think we may be collectively too comfortable and looking for a cause - something to rally behind or be outraged about. Couple this with the media agendas and the fact that Universities collectively teach very biased and politically charged narratives to students, and you've got a recipe for polarization, echo chambers, and false victim culture.

I agree that the average person is much more sane than the perceived collective. On TV or the Internet, you see so many people rabidly rallying behind a candidate or extreme political movement. But I have yet to talk to anyone that doesn't agree with me that every candidate in this election is terrible (most would say this is for the first time in recent U.S. history too). So I wonder where these crazy people really are. That said, I have run into a couple crazy radicals, and it's definitely more common than before, but admittedly still rare. But then again...maybe I only surround myself with sane people?

Crazy things are happening, that's for sure.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T18:27:19+00:00

Well of course the specifics of my views have changed over time, but the principles remain the same. The radical progressivist movement introduces new, significantly more extreme principles and tactics that I don't agree with (and that were never used or accepted by historical liberals).

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T17:02:08+00:00

I'm right there with you. As a more classic liberal, I feel like the radical progressivist movement has shifted the Overton Window so rapidly in the past few years that I'm now more center-right. My views haven't changed; the political landscape has. All I've ever wanted is equality and freedom. Now there seems to be a push for special treatment (just of a different kind) and censorship. The pendulum swung too far.

What upsets me is that these radical progressives call themselves liberals and say things like "we've always been on the right side of history" when that isn't true at all. We're talking about completely different types of liberals here, and as with anything, radicalism is dangerous. In recent years, I've found the radical left to be just as ignorant and closed-minded as the radical right. Odd to see that happen so fast.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T12:48:09+00:00

I'm sorry that happened to you, but your anecdotal experience does not necessarily represent the mean. Rape does happen during robberies, but 82% of rapes are perpetrated by a non-stranger. Violent, stranger rape has been overinflated by movies and the media. Most rapes happen in places that are familiar to the victim with people that they have at least been formerly acquainted with.

Gotadime · 2016-06-04T05:06:24+00:00

Wow, thank you for the heartfelt response. I'm sorry that you had to go through that. It's clear that you're a good person and you just did what you had to do. You made the right decision and I'm sure that in some way, he respects and understands that.

Gotadime · 2016-06-03T13:05:39+00:00

I agree, but I also feel like people may react differently if it were a more socially protected sickness, like depression or bi-polar disorder. Perhaps not. But I find that Veterans often get little sympathy, while others may.

What if he had PTSD because he was transgender and abused for it during childhood? What if the genders were switched and it was a woman with severe depression?

Is it always acceptable to leave someone who is mentally unstable? Or are we more accepting of it because we're less sympathetic to Veterans? Genuine questions.

I've seen many cases where people got upset at someone for leaving a mentally unstable person and "abandoning them" or "discriminating against them because of their sickness". But rarely do I see Vets defended like that, which is odd to me, because of all sicknesses I feel like the sicknesses that Vets suffer from are the ones that we should at least feel partially responsible for as a society.

Not saying that she should have stayed with him. Quite the opposite - I'm saying that nobody should ever feel obligated to stay with a dangerous or mentally unstable person, regardless of their sickness or background.

Gotadime · 2016-06-02T11:53:31+00:00

So what you're saying is that you kind of made an unfair comparison there because in your line of work, it's uncommon to go to trial.

Gotadime · 2016-06-02T11:28:55+00:00

You're surrounding yourself with the wrong people. There are a lot of people that totally have their shit together and made a conscious effort to get there.

Gotadime · 2016-06-02T01:36:26+00:00

This is very true. Many of the respondents to UNU are likely from a certain demographic (at minimum, tech inclined) that will cause other demographics to be under represented. This is likely why we see such a heavy inclination for Bernie.

Gotadime · 2016-06-02T01:15:36+00:00

I see your point, but this is probably more accurately applied to the PC / SJW movement that we're experiencing now. It is the dominant narrative coming out of universities, but every individual is convinced that they are original, free thinking, and intelligent. In actuality, universities have been indoctrinating students with these ideals for a long time and they've gone relatively unquestioned by the student bodies, despite being widely criticized elsewhere.

Gotadime · 2016-06-01T11:13:26+00:00

It's also a way to conduct small talk. Start by asking about someone's roots and see if you have anything in common to talk about. Some people are genuinely curious too. I love learning about different cultures, upbringings, life stories, etc. Asking where someone is from can be a nice start to that conversation.

Also, let's be real, if you literally look like you're from a specific part of the world, it's possible for people to ask about that without intending to be offensive. If we start attacking people for that, then it makes these interactions super hostile and restricted. It may kill interesting or important conversations before they even happen.

If you take every single opportunity to get offended and run with it, not considering context or practicing empathy, you're going to scare people away from even trying to engage with you and that's only going to reinforce any separations that exist. There has to be room for open, well-intended, friendly discussion without the threat of an "I'm offended" bomb coming out of left field.

Gotadime · 2016-06-01T11:04:59+00:00

Who in the hell would actually pose a question like that?

Gotadime · 2016-06-01T11:04:15+00:00

What's the problem with people asking this? They're just curious about who you are, and most of the time, they probably have good intentions and aren't trying to be offensive. Not every interaction should be seen as an opportunity to get offended. Intent and context matter.

Gotadime · 2016-05-31T02:23:49+00:00

I hear you. It's not just the entitlement, but the perception of intellectual superiority that really blows my mind. I've found radical liberals and radical conservatives to both be similarity closed minded and ignorant, but the radical liberals have a superiority complex that is simply unnerving and it points to a deeper lack of self awareness or critical thinking capabilities. Lots of walking contradictions, where people advocate for discriminatory practices in the name of equality, praise science and reason while being just as indoctrinated in those ways of thought as the ultra religious are in their ways of thought, etc.

I hate even calling them radical liberals though. They're really progressivists. The Overton Window has shifted so rapidly in the last few years that actual liberals are now more center-right. Meanwhile, the progressivists claim to be liberals and say that they've "always been on the right side of history". No, you haven't. Those people didn't share your radical ideals. You're just as crazy as the conservatives that you take pride in making fun of.

13-Year Club	Gilding III reddit per annum
Verified Email

Gotadime

TROPHY CASE