Be a better human being today, Pommer, old boy!

iluvatar5150 said:

That’s a cop out. I’m perfectly willing to put aside my dislike of him and have a serious discussion about his merits. In fact, to that very end, I’ve asked several TrumpFans (possibly including yourself, though I can’t recall exactly and am not going to bother searching now) to articulate specific things he’s done to bring about the alleged success he’s had (usually in the context of improving the economy) and I’ve yet to find a single TrumpFan who could make anything close to a reasonable argument. Some didn’t even try, insisting, as you did, that we won’t listen as they ran away to make some other inane argument.


No, I think there are a couple things at play here. 1.) IME, TrumpFans by and large just don’t know what they’re talking about with regards to the details of specific topics and aren’t capable of doing the research required to develop an informed, unbiased opinion. When technical aspects of their positions are challenged, IME, they’re typically unable to form a coherent rebuttal and/or adjust their perspective accordingly.


2.) A really staggering number of them are more than willing to engage in a dishonest form of psychological manipulation called gaslighting wherein they tell us falsehoods about the things right in front of our face. You did this in your NYT gunboat thread; other regulars here do it frequently as well. Gaslighting is not an effective strategy for convincing those who can see through it.


I can’t speak for others, but I am ALWAYS willing to listen to a reasonable argument. That’s the whole reason I come here. However, your side has frequently -almost universally- failed to put up anything remotely resembling reasonable. That’s not my biases; that’s your side’s deficiencies. At least with me, you’re always welcome to take another stab at it, but weak arguments and dishonesty won’t cut it.

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PLEASE REMEMBER THAT “THE OTHER SIDE IS PEOPLE” Mostly good, honest and reliable people.

IF YOU THINK that you’re on the side you’re on because it’s the “better way to think”, then you’re still not getting it.

We say, “Our core values are all the same”, but we have diverged about the “best way forward”.

We have no “political middle” anywhere, to “hash things out” just constant bickering between the extremes. We’re all “on edge” or short tempered these days, that’s ANOTHER reason why a PANDEMIC IS to be avoided at ALL COSTS. The survivors of the plague are always left scarred, always. Always.

But we are also composed of DNA which is the only KNOWN source of LIFE on this planet. It became that by dominating and making all other “possible sources of life” EXTINCT, [ pure speculation GOES HERE], then it began to compete with itself.

In these times, we must consider that being composed of DNA may explain why POLITICAL POLARIZATION occurs and why it’s so DANGEROUS.

Looking at evolution positively, it’s an “engine of life”, as LITERALLY “the force of NATURE”, it is absolutely HUMAN to appreciate THAT.
Use whatever means you are comfortable with express that as “worship” or awe of the natural forces which nobody really KNOWS HOW “THINGS STARTED UP”, if you need a God to pin that Medal on, great! Really I’m happy for you, you got SOMEWHERE to unburden that MASSIVE DOSE OF SHEER AWE that WE ARE THE ONLY CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE UNIVERSE THAT. WE. KNOW. OF.

The “dark-side” of evolution, is, of course, the fact that it is an EXTINCTION MACHINE as well. Eventually a strand of DNA different from Homo sapiens sapiens will become the dominate “life”.

Therefore it might be a bit more important to take great pains to suffer at the hands of “THE OTHER SIDE” because if we cannot be BETTER than “JUST WHAT’S IN OUR DNA” (A supposedly “Christian doctrine”, am I correct?) then we’re going to lose to a, [to quote the President] “cunning enemy”; some hotshot strand of RNA that has a taste for human bloood! Coming to a forest near YOU!

FORTUNATELY: We know that the SARS-CoV-2 virus isn’t going to be “the one”, but we really need for us and our progeny to NOT be the LAST generation.

I’m hopeful that as the “first-wave” ebbs, the “kids” (36 and younger) will step up and remind us that if we don’t stick together then there will be NO MORE HUMANS. EVER.

Some people are expecting that Day.
Hoping for it.
WORKING FOR IT.
Hoping to be “lucky enough” to “see the Lord Return!”, even though there is literally HELL to go through to get there.
Please think MORE about your religion,

I know it’s hard, but you really need TO DO IT.

And yes, I do believe that Christianity has some sort of “happy ending”, (for the ‘right people’), AND also has something even worse than annihilation for the ‘not-right people’, eternal-torment!

Imagine bickering with friends and family about “who believes WHAT?” for literally DECADES?
The thing is...it’s what got us here.
But using the same strategy after it ceases to function is INSANITY.

You know what “they” say, “when you’re on top!, there’s nowhere to go but DOWN”.

So, we are at a crossroads “Are we better than just what’s in our DNA?”
Is this going to be the PINNACLE of the Homo sapiens sapiens DNA?
Or might TODAY be the “Last Day ‘on top’”?

A good many people in America think that they are the “last ‘pure’ people” anyways so, yeah, “what do we have to lose!?”
They’re hankering for a fight, just like our DNA says to do.

Please give yourself a break today and remember that God probably expects you to bat about .300, (.400? Well Done good and faithful servant.)

Please know that I know I’m never going to get any better than a solid .286. A few of you are well into the .330’s, nobody whom I know is a .400. NOBODY.


If we know that we are WRONG 60%
(Or, okay, I’ve give one of you “saints” a .700.)
Would any of YOU think that maybe 30% of your political views “don’t make sense”, but you support those views because it’s very important to “SOMEBODY on my side, so I defend it on that rather than digging down and going by ‘ruling principles’ rather than ‘political expediency’.”?

Think “pro-choice Catholic” v. “Weak social safety-net Evangelical”, both are valid political views that can take real courage to hold, in the chosen subgroup, (at least based on their subgroups’ “ruling principles”).
So, “Good job”!


We’re ALL part of the Problem, that IS “THE PROBLEM” N O W


Please be a better human being today.


If I’ve repeated myself over mansplained too much Yeah, the Bible does that, like hundreds of times, to drive THE POINT HOME

iluvatar5150 said:

But when somebody starts gaslighting me, they’re no longer good, decent, or honest. Then they become a manipulative liar. When somebody refuses to substantiate their claims and/or repeatedly listens to sources that are obviously low quality and sensational, I question their intellect, regardless of their political persuasion.

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Well I understand but when they do do that then I must (speaking just for myself), allow them to “win” (have the last word), and move on. It’s already apparent that such folk are not going to be swayed by any arguments that I may come at them with; it’ll just be an exercise in futility for me to continue to do so.

I’m not so prolific as some, here, but that may be because I delete about 70% of my replies before foisting them on you good people.