There are days when the stupid gets to be too much to bother. This is one of them.
Example: The lead CNN article on the fires in South America still calls the Amazon Rain Forest the "lungs of the planet" and talks about how it produces "20% of the Earth's oxygen." Apparently nobody at CNN managed to pass 7th grade Earth Science.
So Quillette is a "conversative op-ed website" and the Intellectual Dark Web is a "right wing movement"? Saying stuff like that inspires so much confidence in the rest of the article.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:38 am
by MarcusAu
At this stage - wouldn't it be fair to classify the IDW as a (at least slightly) right of centre group?
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 5:38 am
by Service Dog
Yesterday an 18-wheeler pulled-in to Randall's Island (between Manhattan, Bronx & Queens). The trailer sides hinge-up like wings to create a huge platform which can hold 100 people on top. Above that is a circus-tent canopy, another 20 feet higher. I worked on unpacking & stabilizing it & installing the handrails & support trusses. The thing cost $1.2M & belongs to T-Mobile, and is a huge mobile nightclub/VIP area/ land yacht/ promotional thingie. It travels to Aspen & Miami & polo matches & wherever. The company's CEO is an eccentric longhair known for his online cooking show.
This is last year's version, which lacks the roof canopy of this year's model:
MarcusAu wrote: ↑
At this stage - wouldn't it be fair to classify the IDW as a (at least slightly) right of centre group?
Short answer: No
Long answer: The people comprising the IDW have political views all over the map, ranging from Sam Harris and Brett Weinstein, who are pretty far left, to Jonathan Haidt, who is center left, to libertarian Michael Shermer, to conservatives Douglas Murray and Ben Shapiro, to whatever the fuck Jordan Peterson is. And this is the whole point of the IDW: To have a diversity of views.
Now, if you were to try and compute some sort of average, maybe you'd come up with a value that's to the right of center. (Or not.) But when you use that value - and like it or not, this is how it's used, to say stuff along the lines of "Sam Harris is IDW, therefore right scum, therefore ignorable".
To put this another way: It's not the result that's in error, it's the puerile insistence that this sort of scoring has any value.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:22 am
by Driftless
MarcusAu wrote: ↑
Andy Ngo and Quillette part ways...
Long answer: The people comprising the IDW have political views all over the map, ranging from Sam Harris and Brett Weinstein, who are pretty far left, to Jonathan Haidt, who is center left, to libertarian Michael Shermer, to conservatives Douglas Murray and Ben Shapiro, to whatever the fuck Jordan Peterson is. And this is the whole point of the IDW: To have a diversity of views.
Now, if you were to try and compute some sort of average, maybe you'd come up with a value that's to the right of center. (Or not.) But when you use that value - and like it or not, this is how it's used, to say stuff along the lines of "Sam Harris is IDW, therefore right scum, therefore ignorable".
To put this another way: It's not the result that's in error, it's the puerile insistence that this sort of scoring has any value.
Seems a bit unfair - I would have saved the 'whatever the fuck x is' for Dave Rubin or perhaps Joe Rogan. As a group it's hard to find any principles in common for the IDW except that they are prepared to talk to each other, or less charitably to make money off of their commentation.
But as the left has moved...umm...leftward like a herd of skittish antelope - their defining principle now appears to be viewing anyone to the right of them with suspicion at the very least. Any stragglers left behind become de facto right wing.
As usual 'average' appears to be a fairly useless concept - if an objective L-R measure was available the median value would be a better indication of where the IDW is centred.
(Assuming of course that the IDW is still a going concern as a concept, if not group...Things change).
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:42 am
by Bhurzum
Is the 'pit dead?
Foolish mortals...
"That is not dead which can eternal sneer.
And with triggered snowflakes to mock even death may jeer."
I just learned that the Video Music Awards statue-- and the MTV logo character-- is no longer referred to as a "Moon Man"
It's a fucking MOON PERSON now.
Have some fucking respect for alliteration, you artless dolts!
I have a prefab response to this-- if feminists insist we rename everything gender-neutral-- then they can start by re-naming feminism.
Then it occurred to me: it's not just Manholes being renamed Person Holes and Justin Trudeau's "peoplekind"...
all the OTHER intersectional movements have dutifully renamed themselves...
Latinos are now Latinxs or Latin@s Gay is LGBTQ Blacks are Black People Of Color
But feminists get to stay feminist, for pussy pass reasons
Chappelle's Netflix special is pretty good
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 8:41 pm
by MarcusAu
What I heard (and it's too good a story not be be true) - is that the Victorians came up with the phrase Sewer Hole Inspection Terminal to be used in place of 'Manhole'.
As long as they are not banning 'manholes' in general - as it could really mess with my daily routine.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Wed Aug 28, 2019 9:00 pm
by Keating
Service Dog wrote: ↑
I just learned that the Video Music Awards statue-- and the MTV logo character-- is no longer referred to as a "Moon Man"
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:30 am
by Tigzy
Lsuoma wrote: ↑
So what do the Brits think of Bojo's move?
He's better then Trump at the old 4D Chess, that's for sure.
I'm quite amused at how Corbyn's Labour and the rest were getting a wet-on at the idea of an imminent general election on the basis of BoJo coming out with a slew of new iniatives almost as soon as he took office. Turns out he was setting up a pretext for a Queen's Speech (admittedly, a long overdue one) which would require another short recess of Parliament between Sept and the end of Oct, leaving the Remain squad very little time to pass any new legislation. Ho ho.
Which Brits? I know what the collection of old white geezers and comfy academics at WEIT think: https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.co ... /#comments.
The world is going to end when the UK "crashes disastrously" out of Europe! Apparently nobody voted for "no deal" Brexit and nobody understood the implications before voting. Pretty rich coming from people who absolutely RAMMED HOME the scare scenarios and stressed that a leave vote would mean leaving all of the EU institutions in their remain terror campaign. The UK elite have had an iron grip on the media message and the political and social direction of the nation for too long and they are not taking the insolence of the proles very well. The media classes are melting down in a similar way to their US counterparts over Adolf Johnson. I'm in an uncharacteristically optimistic mood over this and hoping that the UK at least has a chance of negotiating with Yerp now that the knife is out of the government's back. The only way the UK was ever going to get a real deal was if Brexit was certain and the no deal scenario was on the table, two conditions the arseholes have managed to avoid to this point.
Lsuoma wrote: ↑
So what do the Brits think of Bojo's move?
He's better then Trump at the old 4D Chess, that's for sure.
I'm quite amused at how Corbyn's Labour and the rest were getting a wet-on at the idea of an imminent general election on the basis of BoJo coming out with a slew of new iniatives almost as soon as he took office. Turns out he was setting up a pretext for a Queen's Speech (admittedly, a long overdue one) which would require another short recess of Parliament between Sept and the end of Oct, leaving the Remain squad very little time to pass any new legislation. Ho ho.
I don't like Johnson (snigger), and I don't agree with Brexiting, but boy it has been good fun to see him fuck over Corbyn, and all those smug white middle-class people with their little EU flags.
I know it's petty and stupid, and the future is fucked just for a bit of a giggle, but there it is.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 11:22 am
by screwtape
Lsuoma wrote: ↑
So what do the Brits think of Bojo's move?
Anything that makes Saul Sorrell-Till's head explode at WEIT is a wholly good thing in my book.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 3:34 pm
by Bhurzum
Yet another hot chick who can melt faces with ease. If you can't endure the whole track (pearl before swine, y'fecker!), check out the "tap" solo at 03:35... :clap:
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:30 pm
by KiwiInOz
Bhurzum wrote: ↑
Yet another hot chick who can melt faces with ease. If you can't endure the whole track (pearl before swine, y'fecker!), check out the "tap" solo at 03:35... :clap:
Which Brits? I know what the collection of old white geezers and comfy academics at WEIT think: https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.co ... /#comments.
The world is going to end when the UK "crashes disastrously" out of Europe! Apparently nobody voted for "no deal" Brexit and nobody understood the implications before voting. Pretty rich coming from people who absolutely RAMMED HOME the scare scenarios and stressed that a leave vote would mean leaving all of the EU institutions in their remain terror campaign. The UK elite have had an iron grip on the media message and the political and social direction of the nation for too long and they are not taking the insolence of the proles very well. The media classes are melting down in a similar way to their US counterparts over Adolf Johnson. I'm in an uncharacteristically optimistic mood over this and hoping that the UK at least has a chance of negotiating with Yerp now that the knife is out of the government's back. The only way the UK was ever going to get a real deal was if Brexit was certain and the no deal scenario was on the table, two conditions the arseholes have managed to avoid to this point.
I'm in full agreement with this and the next two posts. Thanks.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:25 pm
by Service Dog
Here's another look-back at the legacy of 'Koch Brother' David Koch... the link goes to a listenable discussion podcast
in particular, he ran for vice-president in 1980 on a platform of...
-legalizing drugs,
-full legal acceptance of gays and lesbians,
-ending penalties for victimless crimes,
-abolition of the CIA and FBI in the wake of the Church Commission findings of widespread [Deep State] abuse
his millions in donations to political activism were dwarfed by the hundreds of millions he donated to scientific research (especially cancer)
and donations in the arts
I think the Democrats should be ashamed of how they demonize him.
in particular, he ran for vice-president in 1980 on a platform of...
-legalizing drugs,
-full legal acceptance of gays and lesbians,
-ending penalties for victimless crimes,
-abolition of the CIA and FBI in the wake of the Church Commission findings of widespread [Deep State] abuse
his millions in donations to political activism were dwarfed by the hundreds of millions he donated to scientific research (especially cancer)
and donations in the arts
I think the Democrats should be ashamed of how they demonize him.
Maybe I can parlay this into a pro/anti libertarianism discussion and spice this place up a bit:
Libertarians drive both the left and right nuts since they're something of a chimera, sharing aspects of the stereotypical left and right. They appeal to the left for the reasons you mention, and others, but then they're pro-business to the point of anarchism, anti-conservation, anti-welfare state, public service, and of course anti-taxation.
In the end, though they represent things each wing adore, that wing itself contains and endorses those things. On the flip side, they represent things that set each wing's heads on fire. In sum, there's something there for both the left and right to hate.
In my experience, left-libertarians (those wooed by leftist aspects of libertarianism) eventually abandon libertarianism and become typical leftists. Right-libertarians abandon libertarianism and become nationalists. See our good buddy Theodore Beale (Vox Day).
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:18 am
by Hunt
That's basically it. Since left- and right-libertarians are entirely different animals, there is no common ground. You're never going to get Noam Chomsky and David Koch (were he alive) to agree on how government power should be wielded.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:49 am
by InfraRedBucket
Boris & brexit?
Well this Brit thinks it's an almighty cock up - This is more about trying to keep the Tory party from imploding at the polls
-if you think Johnson and Rees Mogg et aren't also elites protecting their interests I've a bridge to sell you.
This is also a conflict between direct democracy and representative democracy - the problem is there are both right
Crash out of the EU? Fine in theory , lance the boil. Discharge the "mandate" of the referendum.
Problem is you have the same issues of the borders (for which UK has so far provided no workable alternative so no deal til that sorted,
plus the money owed. Try negotiating as a third country without any clout -
and US won't give you a deal which wont get stuck in debate in Congress - and not just on the Irish issue.
oh and WTO isnt the panacea either.
Lsuoma wrote: ↑
So what do the Brits think of Bojo's move?
Anything that makes Saul Sorrell-Till's head explode at WEIT is a wholly good thing in my book.
So I'm not the only one then. He informed us the other day that the BBC had not succumbed to hyperpartisanship.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 4:33 am
by screwtape
I've taken to avoiding the comments at WEIT on any political post, as he infests them like a bedbug. No ability to listen to an opposing view, and a quick descent into personal attacks when he meets those who disagree with him. It's like Caine has been reincarnated; a rigid but brittle self-righteousness is not a pretty face to show the world.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 5:12 am
by BoxNDox
Service Dog wrote: ↑
Here's another look-back at the legacy of 'Koch Brother' David Koch... the link goes to a listenable discussion podcast
in particular, he ran for vice-president in 1980 on a platform of...
-legalizing drugs,
-full legal acceptance of gays and lesbians,
-ending penalties for victimless crimes,
-abolition of the CIA and FBI in the wake of the Church Commission findings of widespread [Deep State] abuse
his millions in donations to political activism were dwarfed by the hundreds of millions he donated to scientific research (especially cancer)
and donations in the arts
I think the Democrats should be ashamed of how they demonize him.
I listened to the podcast. It's disingenuous in the extreme, in that the words "climate change" appear nowhere in it.
The Koch brothers have funded all sorts of climate change denialism, and as such bear significant responsibility for the US public's widespread refusal to accept that climate change is real.
It's one thing to say that all of the proposals the progressives have made to combat climate change are pointless at best, unworkable at worst. It's quite another to outright deny that climate change is happening. The former should lead to discussion of alternatives (at least it would if the progressives weren't also absolutists in their own right), the latter... not so much.
Like it or not, this is going to be their legacy, especially some years down the road when the shit really hits the fan. All of the money given to the arts, all of the legitimate science they supported, the support for cancer research, etc. will be forgotten.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:48 am
by Tigzy
InfraRedBucket wrote: ↑
Try negotiating as a third country without any clout -
and US won't give you a deal which wont get stuck in debate in Congress - and not just on the Irish issue.
So what? An FTA with the US would be nice, but it's not essential. The US is presently the UK's biggest export market, despite the fact there's no trade deal between the UK (as per being part of the EU) and the US.
and WTO isnt the panacea either
Again, so what? Once more - FTAs are nice but not essential. Plenty of trade goes on between countries without them. Sure, there'll be hit for the UK should we lose access to the EU internal market, but the lack of an effective FTA with the EU is no more a long-term problem than the UKs present lack of one with the US. Don't get me wrong, I'm hardly going 'wahey!' at the effective loss of free-trade with the EU. But it's certainly not going to be the unmitigated disaster some seem to think it is - at least in the long term. Short term- well, who knows. But I'm up for seeing it through in any case.
BoxNDox wrote: ↑
The Koch brothers have funded all sorts of climate change denialism, and as such bear significant responsibility for the US public's widespread refusal to accept that climate change is real.
It's one thing to say that all of the proposals the progressives have made to combat climate change are pointless at best, unworkable at worst. It's quite another to outright deny that climate change is happening. The former should lead to discussion of alternatives (at least it would if the progressives weren't also absolutists in their own right), the latter... not so much.
That's part of the standard vilification of the Koch brothers, but like everything else, it doesn't withstand scrutiny. What evidence do you have that they funded the 'it's a hoax' brand denialism vs. the type of criticism that you say is understandable and salutary? Of course, they helped fund a broad range of libertarian and conservative think tanks and publications, nearly all of which had a climate change position that could minimally be labelled anti-alarmist. Let's take 3 of the largest: Cato, Heritage Foundation, and Heartland Institute. It's in the standard climate alarmist playbook to denigrate any organization that opposes the alarmist narrative as an anti-science denier, but I take it that's not what you're doing.
Cato, in fact, takes no issue with anthropogenic warming, and the first line in their position abstract is:"Global warming is indeed real, and human activity has been a contributor since 1975. " Nearly all their published work on the subject is analysis and critiques of proposed solutions, especially from a cost/benefit standpoint.
Heritage and Heartland are more aggressive on the PR side, but focus on anti-alarmism rather than denial. Personally, while I would characterize myself primarily as an anti-alarmist, I think their high confidence that the consequences of global warming will be small and manageable isn't justified by the current state of the evidence. But neither organization is objectively denialist (both assert anthropogenic CO2 has a warming signal), and their output is completely legitimate discourse on the issue.
It's understandable not to like someone who funds promoters of ideas you don't like, but quite another to celebrate their death and claim they were attempting to usurp American democracy, which many on the left have done.
BoxNDox wrote: ↑
Like it or not, this is going to be their legacy, especially some years down the road when the shit really hits the fan. All of the money given to the arts, all of the legitimate science they supported, the support for cancer research, etc. will be forgotten.
On the other hand, if the shit doesn't hit the fan, and in 2050 we have another 0.2 deg C of warming with no increase in extreme weather events and minimal sea level change, should they then be celebrated as having saved the world economy an enormous amount of money? Not likely, in that even if that happened, the alarmist case, which is rapidly becoming unfalsifiable, will be patched to have reasons why catastrophic consequences are still in the pipeline.
I slowly come to identify among the far left a 'First World Guilt', akin to White Guilt. Under this delusion, climate change may only be addressed by drastically reducing consumption of the 'developed' nations, to allow the rest to 'develop' -- that is, for their populations to continue to explode as their standard of living rises to meet our plummeting one. This delusion is also partly behind the left's desire to import ever more immigrants.
I should surely like to see Atanu's face if he were to find himself standing amongst one trillion other humans on this planet. A photograph would do, as I wouldn't want to be there in person.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:52 am
by Driftless
Matt Cavanaugh wrote: ↑
My passing remark on Malthus at WEIT has drawn out of the woodwork a strange alliance of libertarian climate change deniers and lefty pollyannas:
I slowly come to identify among the far left a 'First World Guilt', akin to White Guilt. Under this delusion, climate change may only be addressed by drastically reducing consumption of the 'developed' nations, to allow the rest to 'develop' -- that is, for their populations to continue to explode as their standard of living rises to meet our plummeting one. This delusion is also partly behind the left's desire to import ever more immigrants.
Not what I would have expected at WEIT. For one thing, no one blamed Trump.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 1:31 pm
by CommanderTuvok
Some drama breaking in "Gamergate" world. Again!
Apparently, Zoe Quinn accused some developer of some sort of sexual shenanigans a few days ago. Today, that developer died (appears to be suicide), and ZQ has just deleted her Twitter account.
Re: You is all a bunch of poofs!
Posted: Sat Aug 31, 2019 2:26 pm
by Driftless
CommanderTuvok wrote: ↑
Some drama breaking in "Gamergate" world. Again!
Apparently, Zoe Quinn accused some developer of some sort of sexual shenanigans a few days ago. Today, that developer died (appears to be suicide), and ZQ has just deleted her Twitter account.
I'm not a gamer but became aware of gamergate through Internet Aristocrat. I'm fascinated by the type of people who make themselves the center of attention in these sorts of things (like elevatorgate). I would not have thought there would be something that would make someone like that delete their twitter account.
