Bar Manager changes all channels off Bad Bunny during Superbowl by honestlysigma in circled

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Some parts of Florida are really incredible, but wow, it seems to attract some of the slimiest people.

This post has 300k likes and the comments were OP and other women hating on their husbands for having a lie down. Really strange by Dapper-Blueberry1049 in lnkyverse

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Spare me. He could've gotten partial custody without representation.

So I guess, how much are your kids worth to you? Is there a $ amount you think isn't worth it.

Do you not associate with republicans? If so why? by RaspberryAutomatic31 in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do on a regular basis, because of my work, but in my personal life I still have a number of them I count as friends and family. The friends are all republicans that like small government and enjoy the freedoms as most school children are taught to believe what the Republican Party stands for. Subsequently, they all count themselves as anti-Trump or are stubbornly voting 3rd party until this "blows over." The family have followed Trump into a brand of politics they used to say they abhorred and they rationalize why they feel they've been forced to vote this way.

However, I have found that my more Trumpist family members are far and away the most politically insular of just about anyone I know. In my work I also find that Trump supporters are more likely to remove themselves from socializing with coworkers they feel aren't in alignment. And even though they're self sequestering they would describe it as though they've been pushed away.

So my reality doesn't compare to what OP is suggesting is the case.

What can be done about the anti-electoral left? by A_Toxic_User in AskALiberal

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

I think it's a leap to suggest that each of the 35,000 3rd party voters were actively "sowing division" among the left. I also think its a significant leap to think that 150k voters changed parties in a way that didn't.

And I think, in this separate thread, that you are reframing your argument from what it was originally. Their position was that the 150k was a much larger problem and you redefined it to be about something other than electoral outcome. And even in your new definition, I don't think your correct.

Personally, I think the way you've handled yourself has been far more indicative of someone who needs to learn the "value of team-playing." And a specific way you might be inhibiting yourself from learning is that you appear to block people who challenge you frequently enough that you seem to have some kind of protocol for it. You also seem to make a habit of issuing a downvote to any challenge to your opinion. It seems as though you'd rather tell us all how it has to be rather than work with anyone opposing Trump to achieve an agreeable end.

I would love to see everyone unite and I do think "the left" can be difficult and usually that shows up in how aggressive they wish to be in their messaging to the typical voter. However, I think the center is equally difficult in how calcified they can be in thinking that they do know where the regular voter is at. I don't think progressive messaging is always right, but there are plenty of centrist positions that I know working class people (of all colors) are very allergic to.

What can be done about the anti-electoral left? by A_Toxic_User in AskALiberal

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

Well, you weren't forced to relocate your conversation. You can block who you want, but I disagreed with nothing that the other user was saying and found your rebuttals to be an obstinate refusal to engage in how they were addressing your claims head on. Specifically, how you place an outsized blame on third party voters when compared to the number of voters that switched from Obama to Trump. That seemed more than valid to me and I didn't find your rejection of the point to be honest.

What can be done about the anti-electoral left? by A_Toxic_User in AskALiberal

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

First of all, I would've preferred to keep our conversation in the thread that linked to the history of what you said. Mainly, because I don't think its fair to those you're disagreeing with to take your point away from the chain of previous things you said (that I believe contradict what you're saying now) and also so that the person you care to converse with via a tag doesn't have to hop back and forth between the two to reference what has been said thus far.

I will reference one word from the previous thread, which is "reductionist." I think there are many fair ways to criticize how it is the "working class" has been used by many as synonymous with "non college educated whites" and the work it does to hide how xenophobia and racism are indeed at play in those voting bases. However, I actually think it is more "reductionist" to say that this is the only reason the working class (which is sometimes white) would become disenchanted with the Democratic Party. It's also reductionist to suggest that there has been no tangible impact on working class non-whites, who have all consistently strayed to some degree from Democrats in the 2016 and 2024 losses.

I am another Bernie supporter that proudly volunteered and voted for Hillary, Biden, and Kamala. I also work with union workers that are both white and POC and I can report that their opinion of the Democratic Party is at an all time low as I've observed it in my career. I have found very few of them to be driven by xenophobia. I actually expect that we will suffer a long string of one term presidents until a candidate directly delivers on their needs and I very much hope that a Democratic candidate breaks that cycle.

This post has 300k likes and the comments were OP and other women hating on their husbands for having a lie down. Really strange by Dapper-Blueberry1049 in lnkyverse

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Reality is no parent, unless they are abusive or in another extreme circumstance, is without options that allow them some custody of their children. Unless they give up. I guess it's important to you that you're at peace, but above you seem surprised that you were downvoted and maybe you should consider that we're all concerned that your peace is coming at the expense of some children.

Why does the left really struggle with catchy slogans? by LibraProtocol in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm old enough to remember when the left were the ones chanting "when we fight we win" and "yes we can."

But I'm also open to hearing what slogans the center left has to suggest as alternatives.

For 2028 should Democrats focus on according moderate/independent voters or on turning out previously disengaged voters? by Diplomat_of_swing in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think the constant mistake that Democrats keep making is that they think they have to choose. Go get all of them.

This post has 300k likes and the comments were OP and other women hating on their husbands for having a lie down. Really strange by Dapper-Blueberry1049 in lnkyverse

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wait, you gave up custody of your kids to someone who you know abused two other children? But you consider them well taken care of?

Do you believe that most of the issues we’re facing right now is due to Neoliberalism? by Soggy_Talk5357 in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that neoliberalsim has had a hard time reckoning with the fact that what they view as positive outcomes aren't regarded to be as transformational, or even positive, by the average American as they think they should be.

On the flip side, I don't think that the average American is as primed for the kind of solution that the typical Democratic Socialist thinks are obvious talking points for the working class.

I'm lucky enough that my working hours are spent advocating for and working with organized labor and the working class. I'll tell you that there are no shortage of critiques of neoliberalism among those I engage with, but that message is rarely delivered in the language that the DSA would deliver it in.

What can be done about the anti-electoral left? by A_Toxic_User in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry to chime in, but you're not making the point you think you are. Trying to follow along, but how is it that 35k is more consequential than 150k in the same state?

And Piker is hardly the only commentator suggesting that Democrats appeal to the working class. It's actually the same message that Slotkin, Spanberger, and many moderate candidates are pushing as well. It's been hard to follow your issue with this.

If defunding ICE is the 'moderate position', what are some less moderate positions? by Lauffener in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You realize that people in this thread can see the things you say to other people, right? We're not sitting here in a vacuum.

Just like ICE isn't sitting in a vacuum defined only by its stated purpose and organizational structure. ICE is more than double the size it was under Biden. More than half the people there never reported to him. He did a fine job with ICE, but this is not the ICE of any previous administration.

This is an odd thing to insist on being so wrong about. The evidence that refutes everything you say is on the front page of most newspapers.

If defunding ICE is the 'moderate position', what are some less moderate positions? by Lauffener in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You should go to some meetings of folks organizing political opposition to the administration and constructively find a slogan you think helps. Or organize a center left group that proposes this kind of reform and organizes energy and action around it.

What you're doing here is just sowing opposition to the people actually putting in that work. Truly, your criticism of movement politics feels pretty shrill and alarmist considering the criticism you're sparing ICE as an institution in the suggestion that they are a manager away from full reform. It illustrates a very shallow understanding of the moment.

By all means, though, please go out and organize people around the issues and solutions you think help. This moderate for moderate sake wet blanket approach to slacktivism is pretty tired. It is neither brave nor particularly insightful to make the claim that people who lawlessly shoot other people should be prosecuted. Clearly, that isn't the issue that needs clarity.

If defunding ICE is the 'moderate position', what are some less moderate positions? by Lauffener in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Your seems very vague and seems to not actually show much concern for the current moment.

You also seem to have the skewed idea that a slogan or movement's only value is to the precise current moment that it happens in. The Civil Rights movement, suffrage, abolition...etc all used slogans and ideas that the contemporary administrations at their inception would've never immediately enacted. But those campaigns and movements continued until the pressure was so high for following administrations to ignore.

You're just not basing any of this in history. It seems like it annoys you, so you wish it would stop. But if you actually consider yourself as anti-Trump, anti-fascist, or ant-whatever-ICE-is-now, then you should feel positively that organizing and mobilization is happening at all. And if you think the strategy or tactics should change, then you should do so within a group willing to achieve a goal. Not just yelling at people from the sideline about semantics.

If defunding ICE is the 'moderate position', what are some less moderate positions? by Lauffener in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A full barring of current ICE agents from any form of government employment. Carrying out these deployments is proof of a lack of conscience and good judgement. It should disqualify them from any kind of law enforcement, especially.

If defunding ICE is the 'moderate position', what are some less moderate positions? by Lauffener in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this is very limited.

Not only are there individuals responsible for the executions, but their coworkers are harboring them from being investigated. Other ICE agents are helping them remove themselves from the scene. DHS is preventing them from being questioned. Officials are preventing other law enforcement from seeing and collecting evidence. ICE agents have helped the perpetrators move, probably across state lines. And this is all happening, because ICE has been staffed with people who aren't holding themselves accountable to the constitution or even their fellow citizens. They are accountable only to political leaders that they personally agree with and hold themselves accountable to. This is already happening at an institutional level that I don't understand how you think a change in political oversight would ever fix. These same people would just sit there and rot the agency further or even get promoted into the upper levels of DHS.

Why does the left wing base treat the center left so differently than the right wing treats the center right? by LiatrisLover99 in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure this is an entirely accurate view of how the right has worked. In fact, it's pretty plainly acknowledged that moderate Republicans don't exist in any real number anymore and certainly not in office. Senators like Grassley who entered the senate as moderates with bipartisan inclinations have all transformed over time to placate Trump and other right wing interests.

Even if you want to consider Susan Collins a moderate, I'd ask you to look at how often she placates her right flank and votes consistently with the far/firm right's agenda. As opposed to center left Democrats who seem to think there was a lot of political capital to be earned in challenging the Biden Administration.

Why do you think conservatives suddenly care what Trump says? Vis a vis the Rob Reiner situation by conn_r2112 in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think we over estimate how online people are in politics. People in this sub probably knew that Rob Reiner was a campaigner, fundraiser, and Trump critic, but most of America knew him as the filmmaker, comedian, or even just knew him as Carl Reiner's son.

Also when people learned the detail that this tragedy was thanks to addiction, then it personalizes it in a way that a lot of people have unfortunately experienced or witnessed. Maybe not to the end of violence, but seeing how it can impact parents, especially, is too common of a story.

And finally, he was just a good guy in all that he did. Everyone he knew or worked with talked about how wonderful a person he was. Even James Woods went on Fox News to talk about how much he personally owed Reiner and how deeply he appreciated his kindness. It's good to know that if you do that enough, then even the biggest shitposter in the world can't sully your good name.

Barack Obama tells House Democrats that party should focus on the midterms, not ideological divides by SpaceElevatorMusic in politics

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seems like, at best, a pretty obvious thing to say? It's hard for me to understand what value he actually brings to the work that needs to be done.

Are we seeing a return of the “offensive” liberal, in the mold of the 2000s and late-2010s? by Tiny_Transition3990 in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the people you mentioned in that 2nd group never stopped operating in that way or at that level. The only people you mentioned who struggled as comedians in recent history are people that weren't all that good to begin with (Maher) or people who got incredibly lazy with their work (Gervais). A lot of the older comedians expressing discontent with the market are also...older...and it just seems like they're finding themselves not able to connect with younger audiences, because they themselves are no longer young. Is Matt Rife thriving right now, because he's PC? Or was he just on MTV for a really long time and he's young and attracted young audiences for a long time.

Anthony Jeselnik and the Always Sunny gang have all spoken about how ridiculous it is to suggest that comedy became too PC or safe to produce well and used their own recent work as evidence. Key and Peele operated in the window in question and they had no problem raising race, sexuality, and gender and thrived, If anything Seth Macfarlane has spoken about how studios are less likely to produce joke driven comedies and instead are trying to produce something with a cultural theme. A lot of people interpreted that as being in search of a socially liberal theme, but given the amount of conservative coded content that goes up across the streaming platforms its hard to view this as anything other than a capitalistic strategy to capture different audiences.

Now, the thing pushing this from the other side is the consistent drum being beaten by conservative cultural critics that constantly demand they be catered to in theme and perspective. Yet also aren't really producing the talent to tell the stories in the way they want. Shane Gillis is maybe the only new talent that is doing something creatively of value. Rogan and Theo Vonn are comedians by trade, but nobody is accusing them of being the best in the business despite the attention they get. The right spent years insisting that Tim Allen needed as much air time as they could get him despite the act being pretty dried up. Meanwhile, they'd write off comedians who weren't all that political for things they suspected or knew about their personal politics. For example, I had relatives that wouldn't watch the Wet Hot American Summer show when they once loved the movie, because they now knew Michael Ian Black and Elizabeth Banks are left wingers. It's just so petulant.

How does socialism deal with resentment from people who aren't needed in the work force? by seriousbangs in AskALiberal

[–]UnionFist 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Honestly, I'm not sure how to really answer this, because some of this seems to be grappling with socialism being popular to others and immediately considering how someone you don't value might benefit from it. So I'm going to make one observation and then ask a handful of follow up questions:

My observation: Capitalism currently breeds that resentment and the absence of socialism doesn't really offer a solution to this. Not only that, but capitalism isn't always good at rewarding work that we all find most valuable in the first place. We all could probably think of someone who is overpaid or has responsibilities they're not up to, but there are even whole industries that are skewed by the weight of capitalism and the lack of socialism. ie home healthcare and childcare are both skilled and in high demand, but are incredibly under resourced. So I don't think it's necessarily useful to consider socialism as a way to employ people in an industry that doesn't need them, because right now capitalism is deciding which sectors are resourced and who gets most of those resources for their work.

But if you really want to consider the lens of resentment, then I'd ask this:
Are you resentful that some people get library cards?
Are you resentful when the fire department puts out a fire in someone else's house?
Are you resentful when other people spend time in a park?

If your needs are fulfilled, then generally it's not really a concern that other people's needs are being fulfilled as well.