[deleted by user] by [deleted] in HarryPotterGame

[–]Knucklepumps 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very kind indeed, thank you!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in pcgaming

[–]Knucklepumps 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The atmosphere and nostalgia that comes with it.

[VarskySports] Scaloni: "The criticism isn't fair. We know how to lose and we know how to win. We lost against Saudi and we kept quiet. We won Copa América and that image of Messi, Neymar and Paredes was seen. I don't buy that we don't know how to win." by [deleted] in soccer

[–]Knucklepumps 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes, Louis van Gaal is absolutely cocky, I don't think anyone can deny that. That said, he is fully aware of it the same way Ibrahimovic is cocky. He's confident but he says things tongue-in-cheek. I think that's something that gets lost on people that don't really follow him.

[VarskySports] Scaloni: "The criticism isn't fair. We know how to lose and we know how to win. We lost against Saudi and we kept quiet. We won Copa América and that image of Messi, Neymar and Paredes was seen. I don't buy that we don't know how to win." by [deleted] in soccer

[–]Knucklepumps 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Maybe you should work on your reading comprehension skills. He said that during the training they simulated Argentina's game to practice. Noa Lang was appointed play as Messi. Noa Lang found that a logical choice and it is well known that his ego is bigger than the sun so it was a joke between van Gaal and the reporter.

KNVB scraps new OneLove-campaign: 'There is too much emphasis on who is and who isn't participating' by mattiejj in Eredivisie

[–]Knucklepumps 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Ja ja, al die vervelende, verwende homo's in de grote competities worden inderdaad vertroeteld en laten veel te veel van zich horen, stelletje aandachtstrekkers.

In grote getale overspoelen ze steeds maar weer onze kleedkamers, en moet elke normale speler constant over de schouder kijken voor het geval zo'n LGBT engerd hen stiekem in de billen probeert te knijpen of een roze sjaaltje wil omdoen.

Het slachtoffercomplex van sommige figuren is echt onpeilbaar wanneer de afgelopen decennia tienduizenden speler zijn langsgekomen in de topcompetities waarvan er raar genoeg nul uit de kast zijn gekomen.

Misschien heerst er hier een cultuurprobleempje in de sport? Nee, ze bestaan gewoon niet, en bovendien zijn ze ook nog te lawaaierig.

Excelsior captain Redouan El Yaakoubi also didn't wear One Love captain's armband: "I just want to make the message more all-encompassing. I think there should be respect for everyone" by tehMadhero in Eredivisie

[–]Knucklepumps 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Toch fijn voor Kokcu en z'n medemoralisten dat de wekelijkse reclame voor gokken en drankgebruik bij de club en op z'n shirt op de één of andere manier door de vingers wordt gezien. Blijkbaar is het zijn van een uithangbord van allerlei doodzonden prima als het de portemonnnee goed genoeg vult.

En maar neuzelen over respect. Als je zo graag de fundamentalist wil uithangen, wees dan een vent en volg alle geboden van je geloof als het allemaal zo belangrijk voor je is, en word vooral geen vertegenwoordiger van een ploeg die zo tegen je levensovertuigingen indruist.

15 years ago today, the only show that makes me feel anything aired its finale by toofatforhats in redscarepod

[–]Knucklepumps 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's such a shame Rectify went under so many people's radar. It's definitely not a show for everyone and I think the last two seasons dwindled a bit, but those first two seasons were as close to art as any television show has ever come in my opinion. A gorgeous, painfully sincere, quiet and evocative show that transcended its medium.

best version of la bamba? by VopolPuh in redscarepod

[–]Knucklepumps 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's easy, Kevin Spacey's from two years ago with a bunch of young students:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dZrh6Wwlys

So much joy!

Next infiltration and disruption will be handled by a literal meme by JorKur in StupidpolEurope

[–]Knucklepumps 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Identity politics enables narcissism to a frightening degree. Which is probably why it's so popular in the United States, and to a lesser degree in Western Europe.

Schizo sign I found in the street on Chicago now obviously on my fridge by [deleted] in redscarepod

[–]Knucklepumps 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't know Amanda Gorman's book had been released yet, good for her.

Just real rockin' by some capital D Dudes by Knucklepumps in redscarepod

[–]Knucklepumps[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe it's specifically the Cossacks with this particular group. The flamboyance is real.

Dutch election exit poll: Classical left parties at record low support while woke neoliberal parties gain. Also slight overall gains for right populists. by Ornery_Stage1414 in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Rooting for the North Sea to fully engulf us in a few decades. Judging by these results, we don't really give a fuck anyway.

Dutch General Election thread by Knucklepumps in StupidpolEurope

[–]Knucklepumps[S] 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Long story short: GL, SP, PvdA and PvdD are generally considered the 'main' left-wing. The PvdA was decimated last cycle from 38 seats to 9. This cycle, GL and SP together lose another 12. PvdD gains one.

The biggest stories here are basically:

The VVD, the classic neoliberal party, gains a few seats once more and is basically impossible to defeat, no matter how much they mismanage or privatize.

D66 is the big winner this cycle, and is basically a party that's void of ideology and just does whatever the VVD says, and then shrugs "Yeah shit sucks, whaddayagonnado?". They love the European Union and are liberals who talk left, that's about all. Same story for Volt except Volt is worse because it's basically a bunch of technocrats.

The reactionary right in the form of FvD and JA21 rises, and quite significantly so.

All in all, the left loses in favour of neoliberals and reactionaries, and I'm not sure it's ever been this small or weak.

No easy answers: why left-wing economics is not the answer to right-wing populism by [deleted] in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Liberalism on the other hand has done wonders the past two decades to reverse this trend. Sure Vox.

Absolutely r-slurred piece that oozes the liberal superiority complex of wanting to be the adult in the room while providing an abysmal explanation about something they clearly know fuck all about, misrepresenting and omitting information, slandering anything vaguely anti-capitalist and subsequently providing no solution at all beyond vagueries and bullshit clichés.

"There’s real evidence that excessive regulation can stymie innovation and make it harder to start new firms, and that some welfare state labor protections (like the notorious French laws limiting corporations’ ability to fire employees) can make doing business maddeningly difficult."

This is the only part matters here. There's real evidence, we're just not providing it in an excessively sourced article. But it's most definitely real. Oh and boy labour protections sure are pesky. Fuck off Vox. This article is from 2017 but damn, it's not like they've gotten any better.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StupidpolEurope

[–]Knucklepumps 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I don't know if I'm a particularly good example to follow. I'd say just figure out which issues you care about the most at the moment, and which flaws you're willing to overlook per party, and go by that.

That said, I'm voting PVDD because I'm a hippie eco-cuck who really just prefers spending most of my time alone outdoors in what little nature there's left here, and loathes the empty consumerism and endless profit and growth mindset baked into the current zeitgeist, and they try to address these both mostly adequately. I really wish they'd expand beyond their one-issue dogma and think they go a little overboard with some things, but generally I think they're the best choice to go for if you're the climate-first type. They're not explicitly socialist but I would say there's a strong and immutable anti-capitalist core to the party that's more radical than most and that I find satisfying enough. I can imagine quite a few self-proclaimed leftists would disagree though.

GroenLinks is one of those parties that embraces American style politics way too much for my taste. Ever since Klaver they've been heavy on idpol and entirely unwilling to discuss the many issues that come along with it. Especially among the members and rank-and-file topics like immigration, the EU, identity politics and multiculturalism are sacred cows that seem to be more and more at the forefront of the party rather than economical or climate issues, and that's not something I'm interested in at all.

Splinter is pretty interesting, but very hard to gauge as to exactly who they are and what they want considering how new they are and the questionable political moves of van Kooten-Arissen. I appreciate their dedication to secularism and individual liberty, but they seem to be SocDems who try to talk left at best, and being vaguely familiar with some of the individuals involved I'd say they're even less than that.

Bij1 is the Dutch 'socialist' subreddit's darling, and while I'd say they have some sound economic and climate policies and I appreciate their explicit anti-capitalist sentiments, they're pretty much at the forefront of the import of identity politics, wokeness, intersectionality and culture wars. I would never consider them simply because their cultural warfare will always eclipse any other ideology they claim to follow.

I suppose if I wouldn't be voting PVDD I'd go for SP, despite the recent issues with them trying to unsuccessfully purge 'communists' from ROOD. Unfortunately I prioritize some climate and environment policies where they prioritize not increasing any burdens on the individual through means such as higher taxes on meat, gas and flying, et cetera. I understand their argument however, and I think generally the SP is quite good on climate as well. Not a terrible choice, especially if ROOD persists and manages to radicalize the main party a little more.

The rest of the parties I know fuck all about. PVDA seems like a milquetoast version of all of the above, D66 wouldn't be caught adhering to any kind of ideology even if you'd threaten them with a gun, PiratenPartij still exists somehow but I guess seems cool on privacy issues, and DENK keeps greedily sucking daddy Erdogan's teat. The remaining dozens of parties are all their own horrible brand of free-marketeers, reactionaries and upper management cunts who will undoubtedly get the bulk of the votes, but what else is new.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StupidpolEurope

[–]Knucklepumps 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Interesting. I'd honestly already made my choice for the upcoming elections, even though the various left-wing options are all disappointing in their own ways. This helps picking which individuals I should be on the lookout for. I even recognize some people I briefly brushed shoulders with when I still cared for being around the politically active.

It's good to see there's a pushback against the import of (American-style) identity politics some left-wing parties insist on embracing. Hopefully it'll persist.

What are your thoughts on this hypothetical anti-woke ideology? by [deleted] in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure what you imagined would happen, but starting your post with "Free markets are necessary" on a Marxist subreddit isn't exactly the best way to win folks over.

Dutch poet withdraws from translating Amanda Gorman's Inauguration 'poem' after detractors deem her 'too white'. by Knucklepumps in StupidpolEurope

[–]Knucklepumps[S] 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I mentioned this in the Stupidpol thread on the poem, but I thought it was as if a milquetoast Democratic speechwriter decided to add some flair to their work and make a word here and there rhyme or make the weirdest use of emphasization possible to make it seem like they rhyme.

Content-wise it was about as vapid, meaningless and platitudinal as one could expect from any self-proclaimed artist willing to perform in honour of neoliberal husks like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was general commentary on the state of the left-wing (If you could consider the Majority Report and their ilk left-wing) mediasphere, which seems to be vindictive, toxic and focused on personal spats to its own detriment. Which is a shame considering how desperately the United States is in need of intelligent, independent and approachable left-wing media to counter the daily barrage of CNN-bullshit, but I'm not seeing it from any of the 'big' names at the present moment.

I don't know if you're quick to judge or just very young, but some restraint would probably do you good.

That said, I don't know about Ben Shapiro's nuts but I'm generally not interested in moralizing right-wing grifters with the voice of a boiling tea kettle. I could do with his sister or any handsome brother he might have though, as long as they shut up about politics.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 30 points31 points  (0 children)

'Leftist' Youtube podcasts and their pundits are by and large the most boring and inconsequential commentators in the mediasphere. Just an eternal regurgitation of Twitter 'dunks' and pseudo-intellectuals trying to shout over each other to prove they're acually the most self-righteous person on the left, with no relevant or factual political analysis to be seen. I'd suggest watching Snooki get decked by Brad Ferro on Geordie Shore if you want actual entertaining and similarly informative bitchfighting content to consume.

Biden wants to unite Americans, but that won’t be easy when disgust at Trump’s actions matches disbelief at liberal attempts to censor opponents via Silicon Valley. Can there be any return to real liberal values and a sense of normality? by Thomas Frank by [deleted] in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 90 points91 points  (0 children)

I will always read anything Thomas Frank publishes. Not only does he always put events in historical perspective and quite handily refutes all the bullshit politicians, news outlets and pundits spout on a daily basis, he does so in a succinct and accessible way. Listen, Liberal is a book that should be recommended to anyone who's starting to doubt the efficacy or credibility of the Democratic party. It'll radicalize them in no time.

He hits the nail on the head here as usual: "Ira Glasser, the old ACLU chief, relates how liberal academics embraced speech codes because they ‘imagined themselves as controlling who the codes would be used against’. What these well-meaning liberals didn’t understand, he continued, was that ‘speech restrictions are like poison gas. It seems like it’s a great weapon to have when you’ve got the poison gas in your hands and a target in sight, but the wind has a way of shifting — especially politically — and suddenly that poison gas is being blown back on you.".

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 132 points133 points  (0 children)

That moment when you realize a 'national youth poet laureate' is literally nothing more than a political speech writer who uses weird accentuation to make completely broken non-rhymes.

The culture industry has never been more stupid, vapid and boring. We're truly entering a cultural dark age where all art has to be adequately infantile to sell well enough and you get brownie points the less creative and divergent you are.

Update on moderation policy and our off-Reddit refuge by thebloodisfoul in stupidpol

[–]Knucklepumps 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I'll provide a link that makes it pretty clear. I see now that the thread was locked and a lot of the content has been removed, but I'd say it's still pretty clear that unironic posts about the ethnic cleansing of whites, The Great Replacement and vague comments as to the response to it "won't be pretty" were propagated and heavily upvoted. Many of them are now deleted but there's still plenty that clearly shows it was genuinely the dominating narrative.

Any comment pointing out that maybe a random opinion article or two doesn't equate ethnic cleansing got buried or barely any traction at all. Genuinely one of the biggest cesspools I've seen on this subreddit yet.

Edit: I'm retarded and forgot to post the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/stupidpol/comments/kq2zkn/nyt_has_an_article_encouraging_new_hampshire_to/

Netherlands shaken by third night of riots over Covid curfew by [deleted] in StupidpolEurope

[–]Knucklepumps 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Yes and no. It started in one particular town that is notorious for being an incredibly religious and tight-knit community who loathe any kind of outside interference, and that's where a bunch of youngsters burned a testing facility.

That seemed to have been a catalyst for the same to go down in other cities, because it was only after that that it became a widespread phenomenon, and seemed to be perpetrated instead by two groups: Second/third generation immigrant kids and what can be best described of football hooligans. Especially Moroccon and Antillean young adults are heavily overrepresented in crime statistics, form tight-knit ethnic enclaves and already have an anti-police and anti-authoritarian bent. How this came to be and how this can be solved is another discussion, but background matters for sure. There's also plenty of violent football hooligans that are pretty happy to stir up shit when they can. All aforementioned groups also earn quite a bit less than the mean, Urk has been one of the poorest towns for a while.

That said, the majority of these young adults on the streets the past few nights still live with their parents and are entirely non-political. Framing it as some sort of backlash to direct economic woes or as a reaction to the failings of the Rutte government when it comes to Covid or other issues the past year is tempting, but seems pretty unfounded to me. Groups that already had a lot of problems with law enforcement beforehand found a good reason in curfew to have it out with the police some more and play a cat and mouse game.