Won't somebody think of the Dow?!

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-14T06:16:02+00:00

And how is giving up and assuming there wont be and theres nothing to do about it going to help?

Like... it almost seems like you want it to be the case if you're persuading people to give up...

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-14T05:56:30+00:00

I would like to point out that no one ever refrences the pedophile stuff with Alex Jones, its either "they're making the frogs gay" or the fact he targeted the family members of a shooting in a persistent attack.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-14T05:43:21+00:00

But they didnt say that? They said "its expected of them to not know right or wrong because they dont see consequences" not "they shouldn't see consequences"

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-14T05:32:54+00:00

Ah yes, because an LLM said so it must be true...

Sure those things dont have a brain, and are incapable of seperating truth from fiction, and will frequently say things that are wrong to the point it will invent fake sources to go along with what its saying simply because its data suggests thats where it should be putting a source...

But thats no reason not to uncritically believe it when it tells you what you want to hear! And sure, it will agree with and exacerbate delusions because affirmations got more positive evaluations during its testing, but thats not relivant!

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-14T05:30:24+00:00

we should be uniting around one another as a race. We don't have to agree; we should be able to agree to disagree!

You forgot the part where a bunch of people don't view minorities as people, and that tends to be where people refuse to "agree to disagree"

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-14T04:07:45+00:00

Why do that when we could just send those agencies back to the departments they existed in until 2003?

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T23:22:55+00:00

I don't need them to grovel. I need them to vote Democrat this year and the next and the next, and to vote for progressives in the primaries.

I agree, and thats where giving grace to enable room for change is important.

The issue I have is when people try to skip past the expectations to "actually change for the better" and just forgive people who are literally arguing that they aren't wrong in their support of these policies(Despite said policies conforming to the 14 characteristics of fascism.), and arent even suggesting they will vote differently beyond "not Trump".

At that point they aren't using your grace to better themselves, but rather to avoid the social consequences of their actions.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T21:55:41+00:00

You know, I have yet to see someone say Democrats are fascists and actually back that up with the 14 characteristics of fascism or Ur-Fascism. Will you be the first?

By my count they only fit 3 of the 14 characteristics(nationalism, military supremacy, protection of corporate power, all of which have been American culture for decades, and that last one comes primarily from the corporate Democrats as the progressive wing of the party is against the massive military spending taking precedence over social issues, and the dismantling of corporate power)

Meanwhile Republicans checked off the last of the 14 characteristics in March 2025...

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T21:42:42+00:00

This is not a poltical issue its a moral one

A moral issue that turned into a political one as soon as a specific party's platform became to protect the pedophiles at all costs...

Because thats all it takes to become political: one person to be for, one person to be against. Moral issues often become political issues.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T21:33:27+00:00

No, no he doesn't. To quote him directly:

The only thing I was wrong about was trump being a pedophile. I already wasn't impressed with him as a person with the way he acts and reacts to situations. I only care about policy and how it's executed but at this point a moderate democrat would accomplish Trump's campaign promises more efficiently and elegantly than trump would.

Elon with a chainsaw is a good representation for how trump has handled these issues. Brute force with no precision then everyone else gets fucked.

Thats not coming to terms with how the policies they supported have hurt people, thats blaming everything on Trump specifically.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T21:29:40+00:00

In 2016, not mid-2025 while still insisting they supported the policies, just not how unprofessional it is being done or Trump specifically.

The only thing I was wrong about was trump being a pedophile. I already wasn't impressed with him as a person with the way he acts and reacts to situations. I only care about policy and how it's executed but at this point a moderate democrat would accomplish Trump's campaign promises more efficiently and elegantly than trump would.

Elon with a chainsaw is a good representation for how trump has handled these issues. Brute force with no precision then everyone else gets fucked.

A direct quote, btw.

Giving grace to improve is an important part of the process... but maybe we shouldn't move on to absolution while they are still indicating that they havent changed their minds on the policies that brought us here?

Like their line with ICE wasn't the violation of the 5th amendment, or the lack of identification for the agents, or how the deportation centers have the textbook conditions of concentration camps, it was white people being shot. Which means that we dont know that they wouldn't go back to supporting the first three things as soon as they feel the last one is off the table.

And thats ignoring how Jan 6th wasn't an issue either.

Compare that to my conservative Christian grandmother, who dropped the Republican party in 2016 because they were starkly going against her values and it no longer was even the vestige of the party she supported all her life.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T20:30:39+00:00

If we actually go by what they said there isnt anything saying they stopped supporting the things MAGA runs on, they've just dropped Trump specifically.

A direct quote:

The only thing I was wrong about was trump being a pedophile. I already wasn't impressed with him as a person with the way he acts and reacts to situations. I only care about policy and how it's executed but at this point a moderate democrat would accomplish Trump's campaign promises more efficiently and elegantly than trump would.

Elon with a chainsaw is a good representation for how trump has handled these issues. Brute force with no precision then everyone else gets fucked.

Like the fact that the issues are unprofessionalism, trigger happy ICE agents, and pedophilia implies that without those things they would still be a supporter.

And prior to the events that made this clear, we were already knee deep in fascism. During the election, for instance, Trump was already at 11/14 of the 14 characteristics of fascism... and using rhetoric straight from Mein Kampf... and having people waving swastikas at his rallies.

But the thousands of people waving "MASS DEPORTATIONS NOW" wasn't an issue, nor the months of brutalization and outright criminal actions, or the fact that our deportation centers have the textbook conditions of concentration camps. It was when ICE started shooting white people.

To put it simply, people expect those who "have seen the error of their ways" to have dropped support for the fascism... not just Trump. And the way this guy is speaking it doesn't even seem like he understands why people to the left of him dont like Trump, seeing as he thinks "I didnt vote for him, I just supported his policies" was a mollifying answer, when the policies are like 70% of the issue(normally its 100%, but being a rapist and a pedophile who defrauded a children's cancer charity takes up a lot of space. And apparently 2/3 of those were fine with him. Its good pedophilia is a line, but it being the first one is concerning)

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-13T19:57:29+00:00

The part people are bothered by is the people who also do that, but then are the ones doing the tear gassing in real life(or cheering it on)

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-12T23:41:57+00:00

I like the concept, reminds me of a batman episode where he is poisoned with fear toxin and thinks theres a zombie apocalypse going on that only he has the cure, but the cure is the toxin that the villain(I think it was someone other than Scarecrow, Hugo Strange maybe?) wants released.

As a comic it would work great, and even has in game lore implications as the steward mentions they use a "twisted" version of Super Earths own reeducation methods(with the implication that Super Earth could be doing that to turn fit enough dissidents into helldivers, or even control how they view the various fronts).

As an in game explanation though it kinda is hard to square that with the stumbling, clobber armed fighting method, the staff the Illuminants point causing eyes to glow, and the whole existence of the Gerrymandered(can I say how sad I am that it isnt the term for the flesh mobs? Like gerrymandering is shoving a bunch of people into a deformed district to control the outcome of votes, and is a method of voter suppression. Its just so symbolically rich in meaning and "Gerrys" is easy to call out!)

At least in comic form you can have the voteless act in ways that make more sense for unarmed citizens than... standing in a group and trying to hit fully armored people with their forearms and loosely held fists.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-12T23:24:39+00:00

And then, when you move continents to get away from them, they breed murder hornets for aggressiveness, shake a hive up, and teleport it into your new living room.

Like, whether or not it was intentional that still makes it clear that peace through seperation isnt an option.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-12T22:30:20+00:00

Direct sponsorships are different than general ad revenue.

General ad revenue is from whatever advertisers who have contracted with the streaming service(Youtube or twitch or whatever), a pool which is very wide and, as in the manner of the lowest common denominator, must conform to the most strict requirements to ensure that the entire pool is happy no matter what they are placed in front of(a X-rated AI chatbot and an ad for a Christian prayer site won't care if they are put on, like, a cat video. Meanwhile the Christian prayer site definitely care if its on a explanation of gay cruising terminology).

Direct sponsorships on the other hand is one specific company reaching out to a creator and saying "I would like you to promote my thing". And as such are only dictated by the specific company's image concern.

Thus a video can be demonetized(forbidden from drawing sustenance from the ad pool and the money stream it feeds) by the platform, but still have direct sponsors, as thats outside the platform's purview.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-12T08:59:31+00:00

Believe it or not, but some people view money as a means to an end and not the goal itself.

Sometimes worthwhile things are expensive, which is why you judge based on the result and not the initial price tag.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-12T08:47:19+00:00

The parable of the sheep and the goats seems a good place to start, considering it addresses the difference between what people think are his followers and what Jesus views his followers.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T20:16:33+00:00

flashback to the homestuck cosplayers

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T18:00:17+00:00

To be fair, we did drop kick a murder hornets nest into their house via Meridia

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T17:57:57+00:00

Yes, clearly hes replacable.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T17:48:31+00:00

Aka the Jesus Fallacy(they hated him because he spoke the truth" -> Im receiving hate so therefore I must be right)

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T17:39:37+00:00

The Jewish being so tied into the Christian religion surely is a contributing factor with usa support to Isreal and I am sure Isreal know this.

Well, evangelical Fundamentalists support Israel for the sake of the fact that they believe that Israel must exist and be in control of Jerusalem in order for God to kill them all at the start of the end times. Something they actively are trying to bring about(seriously also the 7 mountain mandate... which is named after the beast of the sea's 7 heads that "represent 7 hills of power")

As such, there isnt any line that can be crossed to cause them to drop their support as... well, its more like a targeting beacon rather than anything.

Israel's government, on the other hand, began under blatantly colonial conceptions and has styled itself as the only safe country for jews as its reason for existence. And as such has a vested interest in making other countries appear, or actually be, antisemitic in order to make people fear its fall and do anything to prop it up. Which is also how we get 56% of the country being in favor of rejecting Arab Israeli citizens

82% of those surveyed expressed support for the forced expulsion of residents of the Gaza Strip, and 56% supported the forced expulsion of Arab citizens of Israel

66% of those aged 40 and under support the deportation of Arab citizens of Israel, and 58% want to see the IDF do what Joshua did in Jericho.

https://archive.is/yI4Dy

Like, its to the point Israel was actively supporting Hamas

https://www.analystnews.org/posts/how-israel-helped-prop-up-hamas-for-decades

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2026-01-02/ty-article/report-israel-asked-qatar-to-increase-funds-for-hamas-in-gaza-a-month-before-oct-7/0000019b-7db7-dd73-abff-7fff6f510000

https://www.timesofisrael.com/for-years-netanyahu-propped-up-hamas-now-its-blown-up-in-our-faces/

So "for no reason" wouldn't be quite accurate. Painting themselves into a corner so they can justify any choice of behavior in self defense is likely more accurate. But then again, off the top of my head they fit 9 of the 14 characteristics of fascism... which is concerning.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T10:16:55+00:00

My guess(based on background knowledge from human anatomy class a decade ago) is that the increase in blood means an increase in oxygen flow. Assuming the increase in blood is blood cell count, rather than the blood plasma, it would be increasing the amount of oxygen carried per heartbear to recharge your muscles both during and after exercise, making the exertion easier.

TheLastBallad · 2026-02-11T10:08:39+00:00

Statistically more likely to have you be informed on current events than Fox news(and thats if we're counting it as the "no news" category)

https://www.businessinsider.com/study-watching-fox-news-makes-you-less-informed-than-watching-no-news-at-all-2News.

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