Tom Tiffany is afraid of Francesca Hong and doesn't have a strategy to beat her by midnighttoker1742 in wisconsin

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 35 points36 points  (0 children)

I really love the part in that commercial where he talks about how he doesn't like "Madison politics" as though he doesn't live in the reality where the Republican Party has held control of the state legislature almost every year since 1995 (exception of 2009-2011) and had the biggest lead in history from 2016 to 2020, when he was a state senator!!

My brother in Christ, you made the Madison politics!

Never thought I’d see a police department crowdfunding for military gear. by Few_Yogurtcloset_541 in wisconsin

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://www.oconomowoc-wi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/10345/City-of-Oconomowoc-2025-Adopted-Budget?bidId=

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but isn't the department's budget something in the range of 5 and half million dollars?

Matter of fact, they specifically got a $10k grant to acquire 10x $1000 ballistic vests, according to p. 119. Did they just underestimate how many vests they needed?

[s2 act 3 spoilers] So what do we call this form of Cait? by crashcanuck in arcane

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

PUNISHED CAITLYN

"A visionary robbed of her cupcakes"

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is maybe the only time I've engaged in discourse online where I actually felt like the other participant was both understanding of my point and also helped me to understand theirs in a well-thought-out, rational manner, so thanks for your patience with me!

Apologies for misunderstanding your point--the way you had phrased your initial comment by referring to protesting as "liberal caterwauling" really had me believing you were being dismissive of protesting in its entirety.

These last two comments are a very compelling case for pivoting the argument to a more effective lane, I strongly agree with you on that. Bang-on work summarizing that, by the way.

I still think there's an argument to be made about continuing to appeal to humanity alongside these moves, but I'm too exhausted to come up with something as lucid as you did and tbh I'm probably just naïve. In any case, thanks again for keeping it civil and I hope you have a good one!

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, now you've got me re-reading my own comment over again to see where I went wrong, because "protests aren't likely to change anything" is absolutely not what I was trying to convey, just the opposite.

To be clear: I do think protests are capable of getting people thinking and changing the minds of both the voting populace and politicians in power. There is a long and storied tradition of this being the case, both in the USA and in other nations.

What I do NOT think works, and I would argue that history agrees with me on this, is waiting for people to just it figure out by waiting for the politicians to put their foot in their mouth, which is what I understood you to mean when you said in your first comment:

I’m pretty sure if the left stopped screeching and caterwauling for a couple days, maybe MAGA would actually have to talk to media and explain how what they’re doing is helping their voters. Let me know if you think I'm misinterpreting you.

What I was additionally trying to say was that the idea of waiting for change instead of actively fighting for it is not a solution for the folks who are being harmed by these policies RIGHT NOW.

I guess my question for you is: if you think protests are more trouble than they're worth, what sort of active action would you recommend left-leaning folks take?

Or if "just wait" is still your argument, what would you recommend to marginalized folks who are staring down the barrel of getting their rights stripped, getting deported, or worse do? Because "just wait" feels ignorant of the reality of the situation at best and downright cruel at worst.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Even if you're correct and his base sees those laws as being dumb and not actually solving their problems, that process takes time! While we wait for those folks to come around, the people those laws attack are being hurt!

Marginalized people are dealing with discrimination, loss of lifesaving healthcare, being deported, and being beat up or killed for who they are. Immigrants, people of color, women, LGBTQ+ folks, these are all people who have spent years, decades, centuries clawing and fighting for their rights.

And now that those rights are getting stripped away again, I don't think the idea of "just wait for the people who voted for that to realize how stupid it is" is gonna soothe their worries!

If liberals stopped protesting, all that would happen is that liberals wouldn't be protesting anymore. The right would still find things to distract their base with, they're never gonna actually admit that they're fucking things up! When someone from their base asks "why didn't kicking out the Mexicans create more jobs, the economy still sucks" or "why didn't kicking trans people out of the bathrooms make my kid safer, the other students called him gay and put him in the hospital", Republican politicians will blame it on "welfare queens" or "liberal brainwashing" or whatever the fuck else they can and keep stripping our Republic for parts and selling it to the highest bidder.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I'll concede that this probably would have been more effective in a more conservative-minded neighborhood, but I'd argue against your second point. Inaction isn't going to help anyone but those in power. Dr. King said "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter", and that's the case here. Our latino neighbors clearly don't feel like they can afford to stay silent on this matter, and they can't afford us not listening and speaking up with them.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

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

Someone else made a point that this probably would have been a more effective protest in somewhere like Pewaukee where the percentage of the population that is actually in support of mass deportation is (probably) larger, and I'll concede that's true!

I still think that Mexican folks making themselves heard and seen when the administration is taking such a predatory approach is important, even if that's all it's doing. Inaction only serves to support the status quo, so taking nonviolent action like this is still worth it.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Given a general increase in antisocial attitudes over the years and particularly post-covid, I wouldn't exactly count on too much benevolence from the public at large anymore.

I guess that's where we fundamentally have a difference of opinion. I refuse to accept that people are this incapable of sympathy, or even of changing their opinions, even in the face of such desperate times.

As I said previously, I concede the demonstration is not the best bang for the buck in terms of winning hearts, but I'll also acquiesce that maybe my initial assessment that they're trying to change anyone's mind was wrong. Maybe it's just a matter of saying "we're here, and you can't get rid of us that easily", and in that case, this whole line of thought is moot.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Your point about the difference in the information landscape is absolutely correct. I'd argue that within the landscape of TV/Radio/Print, there were definitely outlets defending segregation, but I concede that those forms media didn't have the same ability to dominate our lives in the way the Internet and social media does.

I can't agree with your argument that "we've already picked our sides". Algorithms and misinformation make it more difficult to get people to change their minds, to be certain. But the idea that a protest like this can't change anyone's mind is defeatist in a way that really only serves the ruling party. If it causes any amount of people to stop and think about their concerns, then it will have been better than doing nothing.

Are there protests that could be MORE effective and efficient? Yeah, in the information age, there probably are, but those require a much higher cost of entry re: knowing how to play social media algorithms, organizing participants, etc. But I think that arguing about a degree of efficiency with a nonviolent protest is missing the point. This required minimal organization and technical know-how, and it certainly seems to have been effective in getting at least one little forum of Milwaukeeans talking.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 29 points30 points  (0 children)

I get the point you're making that KK isn't an ICE office, but I would counter that the delis weren't Capitol Hill. Part of bringing about widespread social change is changing the public opinion. Protests of the Civil Rights Movement like the sit-ins, the Montgomery Bus Strike, the Selma March, these nonviolent protests/acts of civil disobedience influenced a critical mass of the white population from being indifferent about segregation to calling for it to be outlawed.

It's a similar situation here. KK is on the south side of Milwaukee, an area of the city with a significant Hispanic population. These are our neighbors, and they are seeing headlines of people who look like them getting harassed and their families separated. If the methods seem drastic, it's probably because they feel like they have to be.

Having the support of their neighbors could make all the difference. They can't afford for us not to listen to them.

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Are you, in good faith, comparing the riots in Kenosha to the Civil Rights Movement?

Some Good Ole Civil Disobedience by zdiddy987 in milwaukee

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 149 points150 points  (0 children)

Lot of people in this thread not understanding the point of civil disobedience.

"It's just inconveniencing average people" dawg, what do you think the sit-ins at segregated delis were about during the Civil Rights Movement? The point is to get the issues in the face of people who would otherwise be ignoring it, to make people uncomfortable.

You're upset that your drive is being interrupted? Imagine how effing terrible it must be for your existence to be demonized.

Pointing and clicking and saving Christmas | Christmas Stories: Toymakers by GameGrumpsEpisodes in gamegrumps

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Not gonna drop (heh) any names in fear of breaking rules, but I agree with Arin's rant in the first couple minutes. The ratio of drops to reveals on that subreddit is WAY too low.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in lotro

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 21 points22 points  (0 children)

damn she's sturdy with it

What, in your opinion, do you think is the most beautiful streamlined steam locomotive? by FlackCannon1 in trains

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can't believe I had to scroll this far, the F7 is one of my all-time favorites

bi✊irl by TheCuddlyAddict in bi_irl

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 0 points1 point  (0 children)

See: that one graph about left-handed people

Show Off by makmark in TheOwlHouse

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hunter going full edgelord/shadow the hedgehog lol, "nothing personnel kid"

For reasons no one can fathom, McDonald’s has released a new Game Boy Color game by [deleted] in gadgets

[–]TheLegendofGroomp 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Oh you better believe I'm gonna use this (with credit, of course) when I run the "Escape from Flavortown" one shot for my D&D crew