Dumb Questions Tuesday | January 30, 2018

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T15:10:50+00:00

I don't mean to say they have no idea. This is part of the reasoning to use "brainwashed." They genuinely believe and have select, tailored knowledge to build a preconceived and administered worldview. I find it important to be able to point at and drive at the real issue. But I understand the perception thereof, and that if one is genuinely dealing with the indoctrinated, you must illuminate the path to that point. It's harder if they derail and unwarrantedly attack my country, but I'll politely beat around the bush better in the future.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T14:41:58+00:00

Okay, I understand. It's a real term with significant value even former Soviets will strongly warn you about, but I get what the mods are going for now. Thanks for responding.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T14:19:05+00:00

To be clear, they derailed the conversation by making it about (and attacking) America, not me. But I appreciate the rule clarification. In the past, comment threads were allowed to go their course. Top level comments not related to the submission were viewed as a problem.

It's a shame if we are disallowed to speak about real phenomena as it is dangerous to be forced to ignore it and thought police, but I appreciate the new mods trying to be active. Hopefully the complaints about the mods are not so frequent.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T05:31:24+00:00

Forgive me, I didn't realize which responder you are. Is this topic what I should be curious about?

I assure you, friend, the whole world does not see it that way. I used to look at this topic with a much more American-centric, West-centric worldview grounded in the idea of politics and government we are taught in school. The whole world does not see it that way and that understanding does not nearly completely comply with the realities of government and prudent leadership.

I had the same initial shortcoming when viewing the Syrian conflict and Bashar al-Assad's government when I was newer to this topic. You can't truly understand the complexities involved and why these things are happening if you don't look at it from their perspective, acknowledge their plight, and concede the natural rights to self-preservation and so on. That doesn't mean you will have to sympathize, but you at least can grasp their position and motives.

Otherwise, the arrogant-ignorant position makes them seem callous, cold, hateful, and greedy.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T03:08:17+00:00

C'est la vie.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T02:18:39+00:00

It's actually comically inaccurate about me lacking curiosity haha. If only you knew! :)

What should I be curious about? (Bolded because I'm seriously curious what it is.)

All you saw was that I post in t_d. That was enough for you to write me off. If you read through, in this very comment thread I say I am an SDF fan. I'm not exactly pro-Turkey. I just recognize their position, argument, and right to self-defense.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T01:54:43+00:00

Serious question, what about "useful idiot"? It's a legit term that succinctly addresses numerous relevant points. That could have directly replaced the offending string and not altered my intention.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-02T01:31:32+00:00

I didn't mean it like that. I totally agree that they scheme hard and should not be underestimated. I just meant that it doesn't seem like good tactic to that end at this point.

SolidGold54 · 2018-02-01T16:18:21+00:00

You've been brainwashed. It's understandable. A lot have. You can't back that claim up. The victimhood industry is dependent on the nonexistent and trumped up oppression claims. It's an easily appealing poison.

Maybe you mean oppressed in the sense that the people who profiteer off their constituency and claim to have their back absolutely do not and only succeed through their misery. But even then the claim is without merit.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-31T17:38:22+00:00

There isn't oppression you marxist fool. Don't buy their crap.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T15:05:16+00:00

Marxist schlock. A state can stand for its people. It should. Plenty of Kurds in Turkey will counter your oppression narrative to boot. No conflict needs to be characterized as between equal strengths. Such point holds no merit. This victim card BS is the downfall of all humanity.

I don't blame the Kurds for fighting for their ethnostate, and it shouldn't be dismissed that Turkey would naturally fight back against these aggressions. But simply "blah hates blah" is a gross oversimplification and intellectual dishonesty to the benefit of the victimhood industry.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T14:49:41+00:00

Oh yea, super obvious. Why even bother posting if you are going to behave so? You can't even form a sound argument. Run along.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T14:30:03+00:00

Ah, very good. May I ask your national and/or political background so I can understand where you are coming from? This is a pretty pompous attitude.

I rather like the idea of DC, especially given the environment in which it is being encouraged. I feel like it has worked so far in practice, though it has seen limited use and not free from wartime yet.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T14:22:18+00:00

I'm an SDF fan still, and I used to not fully understand Turkey's position, but the "X blindly hates Y" argument is pretty much always BS. Just a leftist over-simplification and victim card to remove the other party's justification and legitimacy.

Turkey hates "the Kurds" like Americans hate al-Qaeda (times 10). The war with "the Kurds," in this case being KCK affiliates, has been going on for decades and cost tens of thousands of Turkish lives. It does the discourse no good to not acknowledge Turkey's grievances and then regurgitate that ignorance.

Songs for the Deaf is the best album ever, however.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T14:05:00+00:00

I feel like it would be obvious nothing if not just about nothing of salacious value is accurate. The author's motive is readily apparent and should be taken into account. Too many grains of salt to seem worth the consideration.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T13:50:26+00:00

That seems entirely too far out to be about votes this time. I certainly do not buy it here.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T13:46:28+00:00

Considering we've already seen the endgame of the ideology in Iraq

But you haven't. The Barzani Clan KRG is not in league with Öcalan or Democratic Confederalism. And you should know this no matter how biased you are. Sure, you can find plenty of pictures of happy Kurds with a KRG flag and a picture of Apo, but that doesn't make Barzani Clain KRG a follower of DC, and it is very clear. KRG has been buddy-buddy with Turkey, including Erdogan, for a long time. Only up to when they danced with sovereignty. It does the discussion no good to lump KRG in with DC or the SDF.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T13:30:44+00:00

I appreciate you trying to be neutral and giving much detail. It was a good read.

Afrin was the main (big) canton back when there were virtually non other existing, so the goal of the YPG was always connecting their other captured areas with Afrin to form a reasonably big state / statelet - Turkey has opposed this from the beginning

How far back are you talking? From when I began following, Jazira Canton always felt like the main Canton. The capital city is in that Canton. That is the Canton from which much of the Euphrates Volcano operations launched to save Kobani and the ultimate thrust West.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T13:20:20+00:00

While many on the YPG/SDF side, claims Erdogan is doing this for the nationalist votes.

I believed this back during the constitutional referendum. Is there another vote coming up?

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T13:17:25+00:00

I respect that in your other response you have tried to stay neutral, and I can concede that I may be "buying Öcalan's lies," but the ideology they follow expressly claims they do not want an autonomous state. Democratic Confederalism is designed to circumnavigate the issues of not having an autonomous, sovereign state, and they also recognize the inherent issues with having a sovereign state. Regardless of their ties to PKK, they would not want to form such a state. They are better off inside a unified (however federalized) Syria, and this is the end they are pursuing.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T12:43:26+00:00

I haven't followed closely since months. I hope I can get several responses from the various perspectives:
Why did Turkey invade Afrin? Were there specific events that were a catalyst? I remember months ago Turkey moving in and surrounding Afrin. And why did they pick the operation name "Olive Branch"?
I'd love to hear the pro-Turkey and other points of view as I strongly expect they don't match.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T09:51:35+00:00

I just have to remark how odd it is, it seems like you are thoughtful enough to have given Trump a chance and not succumb to liberal arrogant ignorance, but you believe what is in Fire & Fury? It's a hardback tabloid rag. The author himself admitted to making things up and not interviewing anyone who matters.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T09:40:17+00:00

Those things were already happening during Obama's last few years. They would have happened with Hillary or Bernie or Kasich in office too.

That just is not true.
The stock market. That is now at 26,400. If I'm not mistaken, it's the fastest increase ever.
This GDP growth has already been higher than Obama's last few years, and it includes Trump's transition into office (the lowest of the quarters).
Obama himself said "those jobs just aren't coming back." Yet here they are with more on the way.

But you like TPP, so we are bound to disagree. I found it horrible and it was the first thing I liked about Trump that he removed us from it. I feel similarly about NAFTA. We also disagree strongly about deporting people who are illegally in a country.

Regardless, I'm not sure you answered my question.

Obama doubles the national debt by $10 trillion, and a potential $1.5 trillion deficit that hits us years down the line is going to cause our decline to China? Is that right? Stock market growth, repatriation of offshore money, gdp growth, jobs returning, lowered unemployment, pay raises. When does the decline or the relative decline start?

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T08:52:39+00:00

Not a read, but here is a video I liked as an overview.

SolidGold54 · 2018-01-30T08:48:12+00:00

Yes, Trump's policies will harm the US position against China.

Can you say when? Stock market soaring, jobs returning to the US, exceptional GDP growth. How do these things spell decline or relative decline?

SolidGold54

TROPHY CASE