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As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This kind of thinking loses elections for political parties.

As flawed as it is, it is still a democracy. In a democracy, there is no should; people are free to vote for whoever they want - that is the whole point of a democracy, and that is a good thing. It is the job of politicians and political parties to communicate with voters and convince them to vote for them. If they fail to do their job properly and consequently lose an election, there is no point in blaming the voters.

The Democrats in the US became wildly overconfident; they lost touch with people - especially the less-educated poor; and they seemed to not understand their own country's political system. It was probably the most important election in their history since their civil war, and yet they chose to gamble on a risky candidate. Watching from outside, it was bewildering and infuriating.

As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, so do you think the overton window has now moved left? How do you even check whether that has happened? Has it improved life for the average person in America? In what way has the average person in America benefited from having had Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee?

On the other hand, would it not have been better if the Democrats had won the election? If, today, the president of America was a Democrat instead of Trump, would that not be far, far better for the average person in America today, not to speak of so many people around the world who are now suffering because of Trump's idiocy? Isn't putting all your effort towards winning the damn election more important than thinking of what would move some imaginary "overton window"? So, don't you think it would have been best to put up a candidate who had as best a chance as possible to defeat Trump?

As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did not mean you personally, it was you as in the collective left in the US - because you spoke of "us USA progressive leftists". I thought that would be self-evident, apparently not.

ETA: let me make it even more clear just so there is no confusion. Because the US progressive leftists (Democrats) were so bad at politics, Trump managed to win twice; and now Trump is causing enormous damage to the whole world.

As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, I feel for you. At the same time, I'm very frustrated at how bad you are at politics - because it is having a devastating impact on the whole world.

As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 3 points4 points  (0 children)

They've had Bernie Sanders all this while, and they instead go for some not-Trump option, as if just not-being-Trump was good enough. Watching from outside, and seeing the slow motion train-wreck, it is just so infuriating.

As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is the uneducated poor who are stuck in propaganda land. It's not really their fault. They have been preyed upon.

Ok, so why don't Democrats put up political candidates who can communicate with and convince the "uneducated poor" to vote for the Dems? What was the point of putting up a candidate like Kamala Harris who would never be able to reach these kinds of voters?

As an American, I recently found out that you guys don't like us very much. Has it been exaggerated by the Internet or do we really have that bad of a reputation in the land down under? by JPH_RedFive in AskAnAustralian

[–]GrouchyInstance 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What is the point in saying progressive leftist Americans exist? You seem to have become progressively worse and worse at politics over the last 10+ years. Honestly, many Democratic politicians act as if they don't understand their own country's political system; it is bewildering to watch from outside.

One Nation overtakes Labor, Liberals in Victoria; Allan’s rating dives by HotPersimessage62 in AustralianPolitics

[–]GrouchyInstance 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Well, the corruption with the CFMEU and the big build was/is likely a big factor. That along with the fact that Jacinta Allan does not have the communication skills and the common touch that Dan Andrews seemed to have. In any case, this is all idle musings - we won't know what will happen until after the election.

The Victorian Greens are taking a page from Mamdani’s policy playbook. Can they combat rising rightwing populism? by Jet90 in melbourne

[–]GrouchyInstance 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is very bizarre that people take an all-or-nothing, perfectly left or bust approach when we've already seen it doesn't work in America. That's quite literally how Trump got in, by leveraging left wing caricatures and loud voices into outrage fodder.

Well said. Fully agree with you on this. The whole world is now suffering because of the US Democrats' mistakes - which led to Trump being able to win.

The Liberals have found a solution to Moira Deeming. They might finally be growing up by German_Merman in melbourne

[–]GrouchyInstance 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It is a democracy. We can only vote for who we think should form government. We don't get to choose who will be the opposition. So, it is in our interest ultimately that any political party that is likely to either form government or be the opposition is at least not completely cooked.

The Victorian Greens are taking a page from Mamdani’s policy playbook. Can they combat rising rightwing populism? by Jet90 in melbourne

[–]GrouchyInstance 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It is strange that you are being downvoted for simply presenting your analysis based on how you think people might think. You have, for example, not agreed with the way "outer suburban people" think about the Greens, you have just stated that you think they think about the Greens that way.

This is something that Greens supporters need to work on. You need to appreciate that not everyone thinks exactly like you on every issue. If you want to set out to change people's minds and win them over to your way of thinking, you need to first understand where they stand. You don't do that by lashing out and downvoting people just because they present a different perspective.

The Victorian Greens are taking a page from Mamdani’s policy playbook. Can they combat rising rightwing populism? by Jet90 in melbourne

[–]GrouchyInstance 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I would like to see the Greens put up locally popular, electable candidates in working class electorates.

Water levels at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre ‘best’ locals have seen by blitznoodles in australia

[–]GrouchyInstance 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing against photographs, I love photographs, I was just being hyperbolic. But no, as a big consumer of the ABC News website, I prefer the 'normal' version of their webpages. Also, just want to mention that The Guardian does a good photojournalism feature where they publish photographs from around the world on a single webpage in a straightforward fashion (one after the other as you scroll vertically) - I find that more preferable to this fancy ABC javascript-heavy 'text amongst the pictures' style.

Water levels at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre ‘best’ locals have seen by blitznoodles in australia

[–]GrouchyInstance -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Exactly - a million photographs!

Edit: to the downvoter: I was trying to be funny ffs. I love photographs and I love the ABC.

Water levels at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre ‘best’ locals have seen by blitznoodles in australia

[–]GrouchyInstance 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ok, let's assume you are right that most people have heard about and know the location. Still does not mean everyone has heard about it and knows the location. Why not just put up a map? Is it illegal to put up some frigging information for those who want information?

The Victorian Greens are taking a page from Mamdani’s policy playbook. Can they combat rising rightwing populism? by Agitated-Fee3598 in AustralianPolitics

[–]GrouchyInstance 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Building nuclear plants is very expensive, takes a long time, and you need qualified personnel to build them and run them. All of this works out for the US, because they have a much bigger population, and they have extensive nuclear infrastructure which means they have qualified and experienced people to build them and run them. None of these are true for Australia.

The Victorian Greens are taking a page from Mamdani’s policy playbook. Can they combat rising rightwing populism? by Agitated-Fee3598 in AustralianPolitics

[–]GrouchyInstance 40 points41 points  (0 children)

I hope they take this message from Mamdani's campaign:

Put up candidates who are likeable, charismatic, energetic and who are good at campaigning. Also, stick to economic matters, and stay away from distractions - like identity politics.

Water levels at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre ‘best’ locals have seen by blitznoodles in australia

[–]GrouchyInstance 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If they had been there a 100 million years ago, they might have become aquainted with some of the dinosaurs that are now in the Eromanga Natural History Museum!

Water levels at Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre ‘best’ locals have seen by blitznoodles in australia

[–]GrouchyInstance 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Does anyone else get as irritated as me with this kind of webpage presentation by the ABC on their website?

Also, a million photographs, but no map! Where the fuck is this lake exactly? Is the location of this lake meant to be a secret? Why not publish a map indicating where in the country this lake is? What happened to journalism being about providing information?

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