I'm trying to think through the various aspects of political philosophy, the various dichotomies ...

jakuboj comments on Mar 17, 2020:

Why? Seems like a pointless academic exercise to me. Leftwingism is a mental deficiency.

govols replies on Mar 17, 2020:

Because not every leftist is the same, or insane.

"Model minority" Asian Americans becoming the "Yellow Peril"

govols comments on Mar 16, 2020:

One of the problems on this one is all of the retroactive offense being taken to previously acceptable language. Many are beginning to refuse to budge any longer. I do understand and take your point, though.

govols replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@Naomi, I know, and agree. I'm trying to think through a political "map" that deals with dimensions beyond left-right, individualism-communitarianism, authoritarian-democratic, humanism+globalism-traditionalism/nationalism, etc. Imma gonna post about it sometime if I can organize the chaos in my head.

"Model minority" Asian Americans becoming the "Yellow Peril"

govols comments on Mar 16, 2020:

One of the problems on this one is all of the retroactive offense being taken to previously acceptable language. Many are beginning to refuse to budge any longer. I do understand and take your point, though.

govols replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@Naomi I agree, but the commentariat has almost forgotten how to persuade, and especially how to plead, and now always throw reactionary accusations toward the rightward general direction.

"Model minority" Asian Americans becoming the "Yellow Peril"

govols comments on Mar 16, 2020:

One of the problems on this one is all of the retroactive offense being taken to previously acceptable language. Many are beginning to refuse to budge any longer. I do understand and take your point, though.

govols replies on Mar 16, 2020:

@Naomi, early into this many to most sources were using Wuhan coronavirus, Chinese coronavirus, etc. It was a very common turn of phrase early on. When the term was perceived to cause less learned people to jump to erroneous ideas about how it spread the media--without any real self-reflection--tried to correct the issue by calling the phrases (and those who still used them)...wait for it...wait for it...RACIST. The tactic is part of why the real and honest concerns are being rejected. Wolf, cried too often, gets us right here where we find ourselves.

Fucked up is hardly adequate to describe the UK

Bay0Wulf comments on Mar 14, 2020:

Seems like “Pearly” there can’t believe a typical kneejerk reaction of Leftists ... Hey, they might think Communism/Socialism is great but they’ve seen enough to know toilet paper becomes a rare commodity. When you’re Full of Sh-t and you KNOW you’re Full of Sh-t, you BUY The Thing ...

govols replies on Mar 14, 2020:

Toilet paper is a psychological symbol for civilization itself. Basically all of socity's efforts exist so that public sanitation can be preserved; toilet paper is the ultimate end toward which all means are aimed.. All that we may shit indoors and not have to drag our asses on the carpet .

An example of the media's hypocrisy

Naomi comments on Mar 13, 2020:

The essence of journalism has been lost, it seesms...:(

govols replies on Mar 13, 2020:

I think they've all become advertisers, for an agenda on one hand and for their own brands on the other.

Is it being too smart or too dumb that makes it possible to think yourself a headache?

Naomi comments on Mar 12, 2020:

I think that a 'thought' produced by thinking may represent the level of intelligence of the owner of that thought, i.e., thinker (e.g. a stupid thought, a smart idea, etc.), but 'thinking' as an action may not be relevant to the level of intelligence.

govols replies on Mar 12, 2020:

@Naomi The subjective salience, maybe. May be.

Is it being too smart or too dumb that makes it possible to think yourself a headache?

Naomi comments on Mar 12, 2020:

I think that a 'thought' produced by thinking may represent the level of intelligence of the owner of that thought, i.e., thinker (e.g. a stupid thought, a smart idea, etc.), but 'thinking' as an action may not be relevant to the level of intelligence.

govols replies on Mar 12, 2020:

So it's a quality v quantity evaluation. I'll buy that. So what causes the headache; intensity or duration?

Is it being too smart or too dumb that makes it possible to think yourself a headache?

Naomi comments on Mar 12, 2020:

Hello. "If you regard yourself as a headache (problem), is that because you're too smart or too dumb?" Is that what you mean in other words?

govols replies on Mar 12, 2020:

I actually removed "into" from between yourself and headache just to cast that double entendre.

Is it being too smart or too dumb that makes it possible to think yourself a headache?

Naomi comments on Mar 12, 2020:

Hello. "If you regard yourself as a headache (problem), is that because you're too smart or too dumb?" Is that what you mean in other words?

govols replies on Mar 12, 2020:

The other way: If one is able to think so hard they become afflicted with a headache, is it because he's too smart or too dumb?

Coronavirus is a huge story, so journalists must apply the highest ethical standards in how they ...

DanielEvans comments on Mar 11, 2020:

There's a cure. Chloroquine and Zn++. South Korea used it most effectively. Italy did not. Similar size countries with roughly equal outbreak numbers. No profit can be made, though. Chloroquine is a cheap generic drug and Zn++ is otc supplement. ■■ Vaccine still needed. ■■ Hopefully ...

govols replies on Mar 11, 2020:

@DanielEvans It's my house beer, too. Good stuff.

[cnn.com] OK then.

govols comments on Sep 26, 2019:

Odds that your next software update will result in the "OK" emogi being removed from your texting app?

govols replies on Mar 10, 2020:

@JVIP-WTPNN It was just a tossed out flippant remark. If the okay gesture is racist, then surely the emogi can't be tolerated?

Anybody aware of any models of prehistoric, pre-cultural social organization that isn't ...

Naomi comments on Mar 8, 2020:

Hello. Is this the kind of information you're looking for? Archaeologists have found strong evidence that wheat and barley were refined into cereals 23,000 years ago, suggesting that humans were processing grains long before hunter-gatherer societies developed agriculture. ...

govols replies on Mar 8, 2020:

YES! Thanks for the starting point...

This is really awesome. [youtube.com]

iThink comments on Mar 4, 2020:

that song is hypnotic and it makes me think about a period my my life when I would suffer with frequent, almost weekly, migraine headaches. It kind of gives me a headache now. Thank God almighty It has been many years since I had one of those attacks but I will never forget how any stimulus at ...

govols replies on Mar 4, 2020:

I've know a few who've suffered those. I hope your "remission" continues for all your days.

Unite the Right Organizer Says He's 'Rekindling' Ties to VDARE | Right Wing Watch

govols comments on Mar 4, 2020:

The great thing about sites like above is how they provide a clearinghouse for right wing content that's otherwise pretty well filtered from most widely used information spoon-feeders. "Hope not; hate" is another good one, along with SPLC. It's like they're free advertising for right wing ...

govols replies on Mar 4, 2020:

Of course I'm speaking from experience. Critics of center-right to far-right thought are great sources of information.

Do you support Project Blitz?

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

I can't say I support them, but I have no objection to people of faith attempting to form associations and to petition government on behalf of their common interests. It's sort of exactly how our system is designed and intended to function. I'm pretty damned sure a better system could be established...

govols replies on Mar 3, 2020:

@Naomi Sort of. There has in the past existed an "American" identity, but even that was an "in-part" identity largely reccognized better by the rest of the world than by our various sectional ethnicities. Southern, Mid-Western, New Englander, Black Southerner v. White Southerner... we're a damned sectional lot, really.

Do you support Project Blitz?

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

I can't say I support them, but I have no objection to people of faith attempting to form associations and to petition government on behalf of their common interests. It's sort of exactly how our system is designed and intended to function. I'm pretty damned sure a better system could be established...

govols replies on Mar 3, 2020:

@Naomi Well, with that somewhat aside, then... An oddity of America was the sort of colonialism and foundation that occurred. Like, our States, as colonies, were utterly different conceptions and faiths and economic models, etc. I mean, like, by the time of the revolution and following, each was very distinct and had it's on mode of being, though in common each were constitutional republics. It was a unique circumstance in history, really. A crazy aspect about the foundational period was a certain weird mix of almost utterly common "English" heritage, a sisterhood of multiplely sectarian but commonly protestant, and a weird mix of ideas on the virtues of aristocratic v. universalist view of social organization. Anyway...by the time the US was formed America existed as a giant compromise based in part on everybody being involved in their own communities but butting ever more the hell out of the affairs of other communities as they became more different and distant. Our "Union" was sort of a polyamorous marriage among unequals not because we had a basic desire to live together, but because we shared a common set enemies and only enough resources to stand alone by standing together. We didn't begin as a melting pot, but instead spent the blood of generations dreaming up ways to dream that story up. The waves of later immigrants were absorbed mostly because we had a continent to absorb them into through conquest. Crap. Too much. Anyway....

Do you support Project Blitz?

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

I can't say I support them, but I have no objection to people of faith attempting to form associations and to petition government on behalf of their common interests. It's sort of exactly how our system is designed and intended to function. I'm pretty damned sure a better system could be established...

govols replies on Mar 2, 2020:

@Naomi Any idea what dialogue that's from? I haven't read all of Plato, but so far haven't hit on that one.

Anybody aware of any models of prehistoric, pre-cultural social organization that isn't ...

Lt-JW comments on Mar 1, 2020:

There wasn't much else to do, was it? I should imagine our caveman ancestors didn't spend a great deal of time on bio- farming 😉

govols replies on Mar 1, 2020:

Well, I don't know of, and can't find any other ideas of very early societies, but I'm trying to avoid allowing ignorance to become certainty. So, I tossed out a question to the membership to see what pops up.

Islam is not a race! Stating the obvious you are still a racist.

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

There's no such thing as islamophobia and racism has no meaning.

govols replies on Feb 28, 2020:

@Naomi, I don't want to go all post-modern on it, but if I were trying to learn about the history of the idea of race I'd try to start in antiquity, looking toward as early examples as possible from the Chinese, Indian, Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian textual fragments for descriptions among them of outside peoples and cultures. Find the early ideas of how peoples differ before applying modern criticisms of how the observations extended into politics and policy. In other words, find the ideas first, and then survey their deconstructions in the modern age.

Islam is not a race! Stating the obvious you are still a racist.

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

There's no such thing as islamophobia and racism has no meaning.

govols replies on Feb 28, 2020:

@Naomi A problem with the idea of a "history of the idea of race" is that it begins with the presupposition of race as a social construct right from the get go. If one looks at it through some sort of evolutionary lens it would seem obvious that human populations spread across the continents would adapt to the differing environments into differentiated populations. As societies form, among differing populations, those societies would further select for still further differentiation. Over tens of thousands of years--given environmental differences--social and cultural differences arising from environmental necessity; multilevel selection of differing physical, sociological, and psychological traits being socially and environmentally favored for sexual selection; something very much LIKE the actuality of race became real and present long before any idea of race could ever have been constructed in the first place. Any effort to examine the history of the idea MUST begin with an acceptance that the FACTS existed PRIOR to the attempt to express the idea. The present conversational environment disallows the very notions of evolutionary population differences arising prior to the social construct, and any modern study is therefore dishonest.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone the boy Scouts and property compacts had TOS. Didn't protect shit.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone So why aren't the big internet platforms also subject to imposed and enforced inclusion of political ideas and voices?

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone Hmm... So, private, yet subject to inclusion, eh?

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone Fair enough. Cheers...........

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone So did the boy scouts... And various neighborhoods compacts.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone Do facebook or youtube have any protection or exemption from libel or defamation for the content posted by users?

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone Ever tried to establish an exclusive private association based on race or sex?

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone Are the majors subject to suits for comments made by their users?

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-verizon=ALeKk00Ju6UAOStTo8YXJuyNRFRSApG3Ig%3A1582851946027&ei=amdYXpCmAe2OggfA4r-ICg&q=facebook+and+youtube+platform+v+publisher&oq=Facebook+and+YouTube+platform+v+=mobile-gws-wiz-serp.1.1.33i299l3.1591.13980..16763...0.1..0.400.2303.0j8j3j0j1......0....1.........0i71j0j33i160j33i22i29i30j0i8i13i30.V9y09VREoEQ

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rules Facebook and YouTube are not bound by the First Amendment- ...

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

If every other fucking business is bound by "civil rights laws," why the hell aren't they bound also by the first and most basic enumeration of individual rights laid out in part in the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@DonProvolone No, aren't they protected from liability as platforms rather than publishers?

Do you support Project Blitz?

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

I can't say I support them, but I have no objection to people of faith attempting to form associations and to petition government on behalf of their common interests. It's sort of exactly how our system is designed and intended to function. I'm pretty damned sure a better system could be established...

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@Naomi I'm of a different mind on the matter. I'm not exactly a Christian (or anything else) but I do think a society can and ought to have a generally knowable culture of mores, ethics, and basic public expectations. A healthy culture really ought to be largely conservative in public and largely tolerant in private, while generally open to the difficult conversations that allow for hesitant, thoughtful social progress. Civilization requires a certain amount of both temperance and tolerance. The pace of progress really needs to be slow enough that we don't have the whole, "OK, Boomer" sort of crap from young people toward their own grandparents.

Do you support Project Blitz?

govols comments on Feb 27, 2020:

I can't say I support them, but I have no objection to people of faith attempting to form associations and to petition government on behalf of their common interests. It's sort of exactly how our system is designed and intended to function. I'm pretty damned sure a better system could be established...

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

@Naomi Well, with every industry, union, association of identity, etc., all with their own lobby agencies, collections of Christians might as well, too.

Race is a social construct, its an idea not a fact.

DonProvolone comments on Feb 27, 2020:

We are all the Human race. Like animals. Just like animals, there are strengths and weaknesses within each kind.

govols replies on Feb 27, 2020:

We are all the Human race, but there is variation within and among various populations.

I'm sure everyone who cares about free speech and media bias will come to David Wright's defense any...

Xtra comments on Feb 26, 2020:

It was wrong for ABC to suspend this man. The bigger story is why ABC is suppressing the news. If I'm getting something wrong here please let me know

govols replies on Feb 26, 2020:

Why would they be wrong to suspend him? I'm sure they have a policy regarding dissent against editorial inclinations, especially outside of the network.

Trump Calls For End To Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Rosary_Trace comments on Feb 18, 2020:

Good

govols replies on Feb 18, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles What in the world does that mean? Elaborate,please.

Blame Narratives?

WilyRickWiles comments on Feb 11, 2020:

The left and right have similar criticisms, different scapegoats, and different prescriptions. The current center is that professional managerial class that uses identity politics cynically. A real center would be economically left and socially toward the right (see Bannon, Tucker, and Tulsi), but ...

govols replies on Feb 11, 2020:

The smallest minority is the individual, and I see elements of both the left and the right rejecting individualism in favor of identity clusters.

At ‘Undoing Racism’ workshop, participants told ‘all white people are racist’ | The College ...

shj648 comments on Feb 7, 2020:

This kind of nonsense is going to discredit the universities.

govols replies on Feb 7, 2020:

@Xtra They can and they will. And it's accelerating. If you can set aside revulsion it's also hilarious in a twisted way.

If you watch the State of the Union, what format will you pick?

WilyRickWiles comments on Feb 4, 2020:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99nDUdwLkxA

govols replies on Feb 4, 2020:

Thanks!

Wow... Is this how Christians see atheists in America?

govols comments on Feb 2, 2020:

Imagine being a personalty type that's maybe high in conscientiousness, low to moderate emotional stability, a low to moderate openness to new ideas and experiences. Keeping in mind that a vast amount of American common class culture even still has Christianity pretty deeply embedded right down into...

govols replies on Feb 4, 2020:

@Crikey,I believe I'll just let you think what you wish about me. Or, IOW, whatever...

Wow... Is this how Christians see atheists in America?

govols comments on Feb 2, 2020:

Imagine being a personalty type that's maybe high in conscientiousness, low to moderate emotional stability, a low to moderate openness to new ideas and experiences. Keeping in mind that a vast amount of American common class culture even still has Christianity pretty deeply embedded right down into...

govols replies on Feb 3, 2020:

@JoeySparks If you took from my comment an impression that I agree with the activist left narrative I seriously failed to express myself.

Wow... Is this how Christians see atheists in America?

govols comments on Feb 2, 2020:

Imagine being a personalty type that's maybe high in conscientiousness, low to moderate emotional stability, a low to moderate openness to new ideas and experiences. Keeping in mind that a vast amount of American common class culture even still has Christianity pretty deeply embedded right down into...

govols replies on Feb 3, 2020:

@JoeySparks, is that toward me?

Why I’m a Liberal Who Fights the Left, Even in the Age of Trump. [areomagazine.com]

govols comments on Jan 28, 2020:

I would really enjoy seeing some liberals like James engage with the actual "right." There are flaws in liberalism, all the way down. There is no "arc of History" bending toward justice. There is no blank slate. There IS a common humanity, but the things we have in common are our universally ...

govols replies on Jan 29, 2020:

@Naomi I would love to travel abroad, but the Empire's airport security and my own modest financial circumstance have conspired to make it unlikely. If it were possible I would do Egypt, Persia, Greece and Ionia (indeed, bits of the whole eastern Mediterranean/western Asia), through eastern Europe, around the Baltic and North Seas, to the English Isles. In a screwed up way, I do and don't aspire to Central and Eastern Asia, for while I know a bit about how the eastern steppe folk made me who I am, the East confounds me, and I'm over fifty. Still, I had a TSA (transportation and security admin) employee ask me to turn down my waste band without raising an untucked T-shirt above the very waste band they were asking me to turn down. That sort of shit is insufferable. All of that aside, what's your idea of the difference between knowledge and facts?

Why I’m a Liberal Who Fights the Left, Even in the Age of Trump. [areomagazine.com]

govols comments on Jan 28, 2020:

I would really enjoy seeing some liberals like James engage with the actual "right." There are flaws in liberalism, all the way down. There is no "arc of History" bending toward justice. There is no blank slate. There IS a common humanity, but the things we have in common are our universally ...

govols replies on Jan 29, 2020:

@Naomi It keeps me functional.

Why I’m a Liberal Who Fights the Left, Even in the Age of Trump. [areomagazine.com]

govols comments on Jan 28, 2020:

I would really enjoy seeing some liberals like James engage with the actual "right." There are flaws in liberalism, all the way down. There is no "arc of History" bending toward justice. There is no blank slate. There IS a common humanity, but the things we have in common are our universally ...

govols replies on Jan 29, 2020:

@Naomi, I'm a child of the American South and have never made a home outside Her. I've lived in three US Census defined metropolitan statistical regions: rural to Atlanta as a small child, the suburbs of a small Appalachian city as a youth through teen, and in the Tennessee Valley since the last bit of high school. I'm far less an American than I am a Southerner in general, and a lowland Appalachian more specifically. I exist under the jurisdiction of the US Empire, but hardly a "Citizen" of influence within it. Yes, I'm natural born and a voter, but the ruling dynamic is so far away from my personal being that I actually DO generally see what the world knows as "America" from an outside perspective.

Why I’m a Liberal Who Fights the Left, Even in the Age of Trump. [areomagazine.com]

govols comments on Jan 28, 2020:

I would really enjoy seeing some liberals like James engage with the actual "right." There are flaws in liberalism, all the way down. There is no "arc of History" bending toward justice. There is no blank slate. There IS a common humanity, but the things we have in common are our universally ...

govols replies on Jan 29, 2020:

@shj648 You and I are a different "we," maybe. The US has been at war its entire existence. Many in the (western, at least) world are precisely not open, but instead consume the world almost exclusively from within small ideological bubbles, and tolerance is something a body builds against poison. Social capital is felt in pat through how many people you can call on to babysit or help you move, and in part by how at home you feel in the most diverse, deviant, or atypical subculture within your overall culture.

Why I’m a Liberal Who Fights the Left, Even in the Age of Trump. [areomagazine.com]

govols comments on Jan 28, 2020:

I would really enjoy seeing some liberals like James engage with the actual "right." There are flaws in liberalism, all the way down. There is no "arc of History" bending toward justice. There is no blank slate. There IS a common humanity, but the things we have in common are our universally ...

govols replies on Jan 29, 2020:

@shj648 I haven't figured it out yet, but everywhere I probe into current reality I find roots in the enlightenment. That much is true. Still, everywhere I dig into current dysphoria within culture, society, humanity at large and communities and individuals writ small, I find roots in exactly the same ideas and institutions that followed seemingly inevitably from the enlightenment. It's like it kicked off changes that began almost linear and in the late 20th century went exponential...to a point that the pace of social "progress" exceeds the rate of human and our institutional assimilation. Material progress is doing pretty well, but social capital seems almost consumed, or at least poorly distributed.

Patriotic Americans all across the nation are moving to fiercely defend their Second Amendment ...

3percent comments on Jan 27, 2020:

"God given" has always bothered me for some reason. I understand Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but "God given right to guns" just doesn't sound right in my ears. Don't get me wrong, I completely support a man's right to arm himself for protection against other men and the government. ...

govols replies on Jan 27, 2020:

Nature, and Nature's God. The heritage of our ancestry, environment, and the culture from which we're adapted.

Joe Rogan Is Voting For Bernie! - YouTube

govols comments on Jan 21, 2020:

Hell, I'm probably voting for Bernie in the primary.

govols replies on Jan 22, 2020:

@Seriousreason In TN you can vote in either party's primary, and with Trump so likely to win in the state I might as well vote in the Dem's.

I'm fucking livid.

govols comments on Jan 19, 2020:

The last 10 minutes they just bomb the shit out of Boomers, too.

govols replies on Jan 19, 2020:

@purdyday Once they got into it, it was so hope filled and yet horrifying, wasn't it?

Pay attention to what the regressive left is teaching your kids. [twitter.com]

Maatje comments on Jan 17, 2020:

Here is an example of what is in the pipeline for New Zealand Children: https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/01/government-announces-new-climate-change-resourcing-for-intermediate-and-high-schools.html ...

govols replies on Jan 17, 2020:

Settled science is simply science done so, so, wrong. Or engineering?

Why Anti-Semitism Is on the Rise in the United States

govols comments on Jan 17, 2020:

My grandmother Sarah would not have been surprised by the upsurge in anti-Semitism during the past few years. “Scratch a goy, you’ll find an anti-Semite,” Maybe the above opening to the linked article has something to do with it. Live as a tribe, always identifying as "us" to everybody ...

govols replies on Jan 17, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles what the heck do you mean by cosmopolitan solidarity?

It’s the great divide.

WilyRickWiles comments on Jan 16, 2020:

According to Dr. Peterson, the right does this, not the left. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3869771/

govols replies on Jan 16, 2020:

@pbuck0145 I've read it a couple of times and have trouble coming up with an overall finding other than a refutation of previous findings that conservatism might be associated with negative emotion. It seems to find only that any sufficiently emotively arousing stimuli--positive or negative--might enhance any tendencies toward social views that might be considered "conservative." The paper fails to even provide the actual speeches used in the study (as far as I could tell). It gave some methodology for how they were selected and rated, but....

It’s the great divide.

WilyRickWiles comments on Jan 16, 2020:

According to Dr. Peterson, the right does this, not the left. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3869771/

govols replies on Jan 16, 2020:

@pbuck0145 Are you saying the paper is outdated?

The problem is liberalism.

wolfhnd comments on Jan 16, 2020:

Modernity can be thought of as the phase of cultural development in which everything is treated as a mechanical system. As if every social problem could be resolved by some imitation of Newtonian physics. It was within the mechanical view of reality based on natural philosophy that liberalism...

govols replies on Jan 16, 2020:

I will come back to this after I think about it a while.

It’s the great divide.

WilyRickWiles comments on Jan 16, 2020:

According to Dr. Peterson, the right does this, not the left. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3869771/

govols replies on Jan 16, 2020:

What is it you think are the important findings of this paper?

I'm beginning to think that one shouldn't try to read philosophy on a Kindle.

Hedwig50 comments on Jan 16, 2020:

Lol... have you tried audio? How is reading on Kindle on the eyes? I can't seem to get away from books, yet I love listening to Podcast.

govols replies on Jan 16, 2020:

The Kindle does fine, but I'm going to bite the bullet and buy some real books that I can deface, make notes, underline, etc. Audio isn't for my attention span. A phrase will make me stop to think and by the time I regain the audio I'm pages behind.

I see chat boards in some groups.

govols comments on Jan 14, 2020:

I don't function at the velocity of chat. I don't "chat" in real life much, don't read quickly, and never learned to type.

govols replies on Jan 14, 2020:

@DonProvolone Yeah, I hear you. I agree a mass chat might invite more people. If one were active I'd most likely sit in and try to ride along as time allowed.

We must be free to call Jesus gay - spiked (Have you signed the petition?)

govols comments on Jan 14, 2020:

I wonder what protests might erupt if a theological personification of evil was depicted as gay...

govols replies on Jan 14, 2020:

@Naomi Personify fascism and portray him as gay. Personify nationalism or racism and portray her a lesbian.

For some time I have been struggling with the best way to define the terms atheist, theist and ...

govols comments on Jan 12, 2020:

Can you show me an example of any culture in which god(s) isn't normativly assumed to be real?.

govols replies on Jan 14, 2020:

@Crikey No, but seems relevant to the social and cultural condition.

I find it highly interesting how if you mention anything negative about Donald Trump on IDW, ...

Gbrydermd comments on Aug 23, 2019:

I don’t like the amorality of Trump, but his policies have proven exceptional. I still haven’t decided much about him beyond his typically politician egocentric perspective. It is working on the leftists collectively, so I don’t see much else to criticize, politically. We need a strong ...

govols replies on Jan 14, 2020:

I don't like Trump. Period. I like far less many who hate Trump. He pisses off almost ALL of the right people.

I find it highly interesting how if you mention anything negative about Donald Trump on IDW, ...

jackzimmerman comments on Jan 14, 2020:

While I agree with the original post, the other posts about not voting for the lesser of two evils in imo is not thinking through the situation. Would we use this philosophy in other aspects of our lives? What comes to mind is the utilitarian exampled question of the railroad worker at the track ...

govols replies on Jan 14, 2020:

@jackzimmerman, if a group agrees on the greater good, great. In the US, at least, we don't. Our choice, because we DON"T agree on greater good, is among lesser evils.

For some time I have been struggling with the best way to define the terms atheist, theist and ...

govols comments on Jan 12, 2020:

Can you show me an example of any culture in which god(s) isn't normativly assumed to be real?.

govols replies on Jan 12, 2020:

Can you show me a successful one?

Interesting, no? The moral roots of liberals and conservatives - Jonathan Haidt

dmatic comments on Jan 10, 2020:

He's not that funny.

govols replies on Jan 12, 2020:

@Naomi, if he's a centrist it's only because the scale has shifted so far to the left in so brief a time.

Interesting, no? The moral roots of liberals and conservatives - Jonathan Haidt

dmatic comments on Jan 10, 2020:

He's not that funny.

govols replies on Jan 10, 2020:

@dmatic Check out a conversion with him and John Anderson.

Interesting, no? The moral roots of liberals and conservatives - Jonathan Haidt

GaryWitt comments on Jan 10, 2020:

There are two types of people in this world: those who divide people into two groups and those who do not.

govols replies on Jan 10, 2020:

I divide humans into two groups: one of them is people.

Fact checking on the Internet may not be as reliable as you think [youtube.com]

govols comments on Jan 10, 2020:

The only truth on the internet predates the internet. For every fact you can find its opposite presented. It's quite the prank, really.

govols replies on Jan 10, 2020:

We've all been punked.

Snow man.

coalburned comments on Jan 10, 2020:

The words racism and racist have been so carelessly thrown about that they are almost devoid of their true meaning.

govols replies on Jan 10, 2020:

Not only are they near lost in meaning, many are coming to really not give a crap about the accusation.

“Viva La Vida” (1954) is thought to be Frida Kahlo’s final painting.

govols comments on Jan 9, 2020:

I like it but don't see the "themes of fragility, change and death."

govols replies on Jan 9, 2020:

@GeeMac Dang. Swear to God...I saw a still life in melon suitable for country kitchen/dining room. Same room sort of home. It would take a crap ton of "education" for me to find all of that kind of nuance.

Bouaaaaaaaaaahahahaha.

JobyOneKenobi comments on Jan 9, 2020:

Good. I hope they nail his ass. Wait, I mean I hope he gets actual punishment.

govols replies on Jan 9, 2020:

Oh lord...that hurt.

Police contradict claims spread online exaggerating arson's role in Australian bushfires | Australia...

govols comments on Jan 8, 2020:

So, does this mean arson and inadequate fire prevention practices aren't factors?

govols replies on Jan 8, 2020:

@WilyRickWiles ANY other year, or recent years, compounded? Poor fire prevention practices, extended across several years, would make even "typical" incidences of arson that much more devastating.

Are you a descendent of any of these people?

govols comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Yep, that's some diversity. The outfits are a trip. Of the names I'm aware, the interweb says one might have origins in France and the others appear to be Welsh, English and Scottish. The fact of over half of my clan being rooted in Southern Appalachia suggests possible Scots-Irish for part of ...

govols replies on Jan 8, 2020:

I forgot to mention. I never mock Elizabeth Warren for her problematic 1/1024th: I carry around rumors of Cherokee, too. (Though I've never claimed it on an ethnicity score.)

HighQ's gone, it seems.

Jurecki comments on Jan 8, 2020:

Sometimes it seemed to me a technique for accumulating points. If he did the opposite of what was in the stream he would perturb and get tons of reactions. So sometimes I couldn’t tell if it was genuine or just a strategy to get to the next level.

govols replies on Jan 8, 2020:

@CookieMonster Yea, really. I've used up most of my potential contribution and I'm still well under halfway toward another notch. I could spam post, sure, but there isn't enough value for the effort. I don't think so, anyway. Maybe if I knew what the perqs were....

Just discovered this channel on you tube - think replacementism.

govols comments on Jan 7, 2020:

I know her. Bunny holes....

govols replies on Jan 7, 2020:

I have too

Just discovered this channel on you tube - think replacementism.

govols comments on Jan 7, 2020:

I know her. Bunny holes....

govols replies on Jan 7, 2020:

@FEWI I chase rabbit holes. Her icon is a bunny.

Douglas Murray and Esther O Reilly.

BikerPetehall70 comments on Jan 7, 2020:

Christian atheism is an oxymoron

govols replies on Jan 7, 2020:

@BikerPetehall70 I understand, but whether you want anything to do with religion or not, you're shaped in whole or in part by the "cult" of your culture. It's part of who you are whether you like it or not.

Douglas Murray and Esther O Reilly.

BikerPetehall70 comments on Jan 7, 2020:

Christian atheism is an oxymoron

govols replies on Jan 7, 2020:

To the extent that common cultural reality descriptions are narrated through religions, the general acceptance of those ideas shape the culture, which shapes the people reared within it. The "rules" and institutions that hold cultures together are ingrained in its individuals, and mine are largely shaped by Christianity. The depths of my "belief" might be shallow, but I'm quite thoroughly a product of a Christian culture. I understand what he's trying to express.

Douglas Murray and Esther O Reilly.

BikerPetehall70 comments on Jan 7, 2020:

Christian atheism is an oxymoron

govols replies on Jan 7, 2020:

It makes perfect sense to me, but then, I'm not an anti-theist. I've always considered myself at minimum a cultural Christian of the possibly-vaguely believing Protestant sort. It's so much a part of the communities in which I've existed that it's embedded into me as well. I can (and at times, have) reject God but I get away from the fact that the faith remains within me.

Is religion adaptive?

govols comments on Jan 6, 2020:

This is too convoluted a topic without some discussion of terms and ideas. Because of the Theory of Evolution, "adapt" carries so many variations of meaning. Religion, in and of itself, does no such thing. Religiosity might be an evolutionarily adaptive trait among humans. A given belief system ...

govols replies on Jan 7, 2020:

@Naomi, thank you for an outstanding article. He's hitting on some stuff that relates here, to this topic, but also to the tribal/national, nationalist/globalist sorts of topics, too. Because "group selection" allows for non-selfish altruism if it advantages the one group over a competing near-by group, it's bangs a drum for the more "local," rather than "global" model. If all of us are "within group," none of us feel a group selective pressure urge/need to sacrifice on behalf of "our group." Humans can't be "one group" and still retain altruistic rather than selfish "in-group" preference...unless we have to unite against a competing group of aliens, maybe.

Is religion adaptive?

govols comments on Jan 6, 2020:

I have an idea that religion, in as much as it provides a center around which society revolves, is adaptive. I'm not sure "religion," per se, is necessary, but it serves ***some*** function that seems to me to be very much necessary to the overall cohesiveness of a culture. I have, also, an idea ...

govols replies on Jan 6, 2020:

@Naomi, what's your meaning for religion? Are you thinking more about the belief systems, or the believers?

Is religion adaptive?

AndrewInVail comments on Jan 6, 2020:

In order to remain relevant in constantly adaptive western culture, it has to be. At least at the margins. Out of curiosity, what was your first language? I wouldn't have guessed, if you hadn't told me. Your command of English can easily pass for native speaker in text.

govols replies on Jan 6, 2020:

@Naomi:"Incidentally, my first language... it's a secret." So I figured that one correctly...does it have anything to do with preferring others not to make assumptions from the knowledge?

Stories involving tractor trailer accidents are gonna seem to increase greatly...🔮

James comments on Jan 5, 2020:

What gives?

govols replies on Jan 5, 2020:

Every transportation mishap will be more widely reported, pushing the need for AI piloted trucks to reduce high way fatalities.

[zerohedge.

govols comments on Jan 2, 2020:

This actually might be positive, in a twisted way.

govols replies on Jan 2, 2020:

@RCGibb Somebody is going to manage Africa's resources. All indications are that it isn't going to be Africans. Who?

[zerohedge.

govols comments on Jan 2, 2020:

This actually might be positive, in a twisted way.

govols replies on Jan 2, 2020:

@RCGibb Would a Chinese hand snuff the expected African population explosion?

Bouaaaaaaaaahahahahaha. [youtu.be]

govols comments on Dec 29, 2019:

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/transgender-man-gives-birth-non-21177808

govols replies on Dec 29, 2019:

@Halligan yep. All in.

Asking for My Pronouns is Offensive - YouTube

govols comments on Dec 28, 2019:

It's a trap. In using the power/oppression "theory"--even as a tool against itself--is to give the "theory" credibility.

govols replies on Dec 29, 2019:

@purdyday I don't disagree that there is a power play at work, and have no problem with pointing it out. What I take issue with is that by making it ONLY a power play, defending against it by theorizing yet anther power play, perpetuates and further embeds the underlying privilege theory into culture. We've got to find ways to dismantle this applied oppression theory besides using it in self defense. It needs to be trashed entirely rather than just turned back on itself.

Asking for My Pronouns is Offensive - YouTube

govols comments on Dec 28, 2019:

It's a trap. In using the power/oppression "theory"--even as a tool against itself--is to give the "theory" credibility.

govols replies on Dec 28, 2019:

@purdyday I'm saying that the whole idea of socio-cultural interactions as necessarily and exclusively manifestations of self-perpetuating dominance hierarchies is a bullshit, un-testable, unsubstantiated "truth-claim" that is itself used to fabricate and rationalize the very claims of oppression that the gender non-duality "theory" asserts. To argue that the pronoun request is an exercise of power is to affirm the idea that every human interaction is a play for power and dominance. It's a trap.

Individual rights are the most important rights.

govols comments on Dec 27, 2019:

The individual right to make voluntary associations is in conflict with the individual right to join such an association where the existing members prefer to exclude some individuals. Which individuals win?

govols replies on Dec 27, 2019:

@Tdonald Then the right of individuals to form exclusionary associations is greater than an individual right to be included. A collection of individuals who can be identified by their association among themselves not shared with others. The identity conveys rights of exclusivity that outsiders are denied. It's a conflict within the ideal of individualism.

Is this true, I mean did she really say it?

MaskedRiderChris comments on Dec 24, 2019:

Either way, I like it. @Govols, can you provide us with evidence that this is not true? Asking with respect.

govols replies on Dec 24, 2019:

The only evidence I can provide is that I could find no evidence that it is true. I searched a phrase from the quote and didn't find it anywhere except Snopes.

Are you in favour of ethnonationalism (ethnic-nationalism)?

govols comments on Dec 19, 2019:

Is the concept of "nation" a socio-normative reality? If so, is it built around a deep historical shared populational experience? Isn't something like that a basic definition of "ethnicity?" To the extent that governmental structures arise from such social customs, isn't that the ethno-national ...

govols replies on Dec 23, 2019:

@Naomi have you seen similar essays in public access sites. The article linked requires membership, but I'd rather enjoy seeing the rest of the presentation.

Are you in favour of ethnonationalism (ethnic-nationalism)?

govols comments on Dec 19, 2019:

Is the concept of "nation" a socio-normative reality? If so, is it built around a deep historical shared populational experience? Isn't something like that a basic definition of "ethnicity?" To the extent that governmental structures arise from such social customs, isn't that the ethno-national ...

govols replies on Dec 21, 2019:

@Naomi Thank you, and likewise. See you in a few days........

Are you in favour of ethnonationalism (ethnic-nationalism)?

govols comments on Dec 19, 2019:

Is the concept of "nation" a socio-normative reality? If so, is it built around a deep historical shared populational experience? Isn't something like that a basic definition of "ethnicity?" To the extent that governmental structures arise from such social customs, isn't that the ethno-national ...

govols replies on Dec 20, 2019:

@Naomi I'll have to spend some time with your link to give it some justice. It might take me a few days,given Christmas. Merry Christmas, and a blessed and prosperous new year to you and yours!

Not only is the Black Woman in the video astoundingly IGNORANT, she is an unhinged, Criminally ...

govols comments on Dec 17, 2019:

"Step up, and shut people up. There is no room for hate...." Yep. I've heard that before. And the question ever remains...who defines hate and tolerable speech on this day?

govols replies on Dec 17, 2019:

@JustinOSmith did the video demonstrate a violent...anything?

Not only is the Black Woman in the video astoundingly IGNORANT, she is an unhinged, Criminally ...

govols comments on Dec 17, 2019:

"Step up, and shut people up. There is no room for hate...." Yep. I've heard that before. And the question ever remains...who defines hate and tolerable speech on this day?

govols replies on Dec 17, 2019:

@RCGibb yes, there is.

Not only is the Black Woman in the video astoundingly IGNORANT, she is an unhinged, Criminally ...

govols comments on Dec 17, 2019:

"Step up, and shut people up. There is no room for hate...." Yep. I've heard that before. And the question ever remains...who defines hate and tolerable speech on this day?

govols replies on Dec 17, 2019:

@RCGibb I don't know. One sided report. Video footage is missing where important behaviors were conducted. No way of knowing, given this single representation.

I cannot comprehend how anyone today can justify hatred of another ethnicity.

govols comments on Dec 16, 2019:

Well, pick a Western cultural or social issue that you consider to be important. Examine it for any deficiencies that you can identify as such might be measured from a traditionalist perspective. Dig into the origins until you find where things began to "come apart," or, in other words, where things...

govols replies on Dec 17, 2019:

@Naomi, there's always a lens, but you can often choose the frames.

A Third of America’s Economy Is Concentrated in Just 31 Counties

govols comments on Dec 16, 2019:

I wonder where a third of America's happiness is concentrated. Or a third of its virtue. Or a third of its value.

govols replies on Dec 16, 2019:

@WilyRickWiles I no longer wear tags.

I cannot comprehend how anyone today can justify hatred of another ethnicity.

govols comments on Dec 16, 2019:

Well, pick a Western cultural or social issue that you consider to be important. Examine it for any deficiencies that you can identify as such might be measured from a traditionalist perspective. Dig into the origins until you find where things began to "come apart," or, in other words, where things...

govols replies on Dec 16, 2019:

@Facci I said not a thing about domination, nor implied such a claim. I was intending only that if one enjoys or is inclined toward rabbit holes, that one is pretty damned vastly documented. I have no judgement on merit to add.

Politically speaking, there are two types of people; thinkers and feelers.

SpikeTalon comments on Dec 16, 2019:

General Washington once believed that the instant we start associating with political parties is the instant the country would become divided, he was right...

govols replies on Dec 16, 2019:

He was right, and guilty.

Johnson in, Corbyn out. For better or worse, time to move on.

timon_phocas comments on Dec 12, 2019:

Interesting. Let's see what kind of Brexit he can get you.

govols replies on Dec 12, 2019:

@pbuck0145, time for a public Brexit campaign from the commons. Stir up support for a real and meaningful effort toward a real and meaningful exit.