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+--- Thread: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? (/showthread.php?tid=9344)
People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
The Chains of democracy. As I've said in other threads, what sane "dictator" in the West, bathing in material luxury as we are, would not be benevolent? Especially if being university educated were a prerequisite.
Trump in the USA, Farage next in line for the UK. That good old ignorant xenophobia vote bringing shitty leaders into power in the "free world."
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
We also have the "short termism" problem of 4 year term leaders. Even worse if they're 75 and approaching the grave....global warming? Kick it into the long grass, psycho Trump thinks: "I'll be dead before the shit really hits the fan in any case."
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
On the other hand I'm probably a chronic malcontent. If it's not global warming, it's politics, if it's not politics it's nice guys finishing last, if it's not nice guys finishing last it's that BLM was founded on a lie (there was no evidence of racism in the appalling killing of George Floyd) etc etc etc.
Maybe I should just get with the program and give up on humanity and planet earth in general, like most of the posters here do. I probably have some kind of narcissistic delusion that I/we might be able to make a real positive difference. I'm a stupid child of optimism in that regard...fuck it, it doesn't work. I give up.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Szuchow - 09-29-2025
Why would university education be a shield against being subhuman trash? Ever heard of holder of two doctoral degrees Otto Ohlendorf? Or far more famous dude with a law degree - Vladimir Lenin? Morals don't come from higher education and unlimited power can corrupt best of men (though I doubt that good men would look for such in the first place).
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
ETA, I frequently blame religion for a lot of shit too.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
Eyestalk ablation. I also complain a lot about eyestalk ablation.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - c172 - 09-29-2025
Prop 50 in California is making me feel like an idiot voter, tbh. So much on any ballet is worded so weirdly. I have trouble trusting myself, much less the politicians I sometimes hate.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Gawdzilla Sama - 09-29-2025
"de·moc·ra·cy
/dəˈmäkrəsē/
noun
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives."
If we exclude whole groups of voters we don't have a democracy.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Thumpalumpacus - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 01:49 PM)Dexta Wrote: (there was no evidence of racism in the appalling killing of George Floyd)
Oh, look, another Limey who doesn't know his ass from third-base about American history and policing. I'd invite you to read up on the issue, but you're obviously far too busy shitposting irrelevant complaints to, uh, actually inform yourself.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Deesse23 - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 01:52 PM)Szuchow Wrote: Why would university education be a shield against being subhuman trash? Ever heard of holder of two doctoral degrees Otto Ohlendorf? Or far more famous dude with a law degree - Vladimir Lenin? Morals don't come from higher education and unlimited power can corrupt best of men (though I doubt that good men would look for such in the first place).Dr. Josef Göbbels
Heinrich Himmler
Quote:Himmler's first name, Heinrich, was that of his godfather, Prince Heinrich of Bavaria, a member of the royal family of Bavaria who had been tutored by Himmler's father. He attended a grammar school in Landshut, where his father was deputy principal.
Quote:From 1919 to 1922, he studied agriculture at the Munich Technische Hochschule (now Technical University Munich)TU Munich is the biggest TU in all of Germany as of today, and is considered to be best or follow-up in Europe, or 26th in the world, depending on which ranking you trust. Iow: He went to the german equivalent of Harvard or Yale.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 03:11 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:(09-29-2025, 01:49 PM)Dexta Wrote: (there was no evidence of racism in the appalling killing of George Floyd)
Oh, look, another Limey who doesn't know his ass from third-base about American history and policing. I'd invite you to read up on the issue, but you're obviously far too busy shitposting irrelevant complaints to, uh, actually inform yourself.
That's a racist slur and I've reported it to the mods.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - brewerb - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 04:05 PM)Dexta Wrote:(09-29-2025, 03:11 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Oh, look, another Limey who doesn't know his ass from third-base about American history and policing. I'd invite you to read up on the issue, but you're obviously far too busy shitposting irrelevant complaints to, uh, actually inform yourself.
That's a racist slur and I've reported it to the mods.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - mordant - 09-29-2025
Sometimes in a democracy one does get the subjective feeling of being locked in the asylum with the inmates. It gets worse when a noisy minority manipulates enough people with wishy-washy or poorly-founded convictions into doing dumb things along with them.
It's happening in microcosm in my HOA right now; we're trying to pass a bylaw amendment that will put some brakes on institutional investors buying up homes but there's always that One Guy who emails everyone on his own (open cc at that) and then shits all over it because of [reasons contained in some incoherent Wall of Text] and then someone else senses a kindred spirit and makes the alternate suggestion (I kid you not) that we should add a social director to the board, start a book club, etc. I mean the goddam FLIES buzzing around inside some people's heads, you don't know where to even begin with them. You can't engage with them rationally. Meanwhile too many others are distracted and enough may not even show up to make a quorum, rendering the whole initiative moot anyway.
I think the biggest mistake we made in my recent life was moving into this community. It was all that was available in a limited market at the time but at this point I would rather be stuck back where we used to live than deal with this [sigh]. Similarly in an ideal world we would have just left the country after Trump got re-elected but it's not an ideal world and everything seems to be turning to shit most other places too.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - SYZ - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 04:05 PM)Dexta Wrote:(09-29-2025, 03:11 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Oh, look, another Limey who doesn't know his ass from third-base about American history and policing. I'd invite you to read up on the issue, but you're obviously far too busy shitposting irrelevant complaints to, uh, actually inform yourself.
That's a racist slur and I've reported it to the mods.
Mate... you really need to lighten up! The world is NOT out
to "get" Dexta. I have a suspicion, reading your comments
on this thread, that you might simply be experiencing a passing
(hopefully) period of depression or anxiety.
I know a lot of us are feeling a degree of helplessness and anger
at the state of the world, and particularly the overtaking of United
States democracy by an authoritarian administration and a corrupt
Supreme Court.
And please don't waste the moderators' time with insignificant
reports. They already have enough on their plates as it is. And
if you do so choose, then you shouldn't post about it here on the
forum.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Thumpalumpacus - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 04:05 PM)Dexta Wrote:(09-29-2025, 03:11 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Oh, look, another Limey who doesn't know his ass from third-base about American history and policing. I'd invite you to read up on the issue, but you're obviously far too busy shitposting irrelevant complaints to, uh, actually inform yourself.
That's a racist slur and I've reported it to the mods.
Oh, dear me. Whatever shall I do?
I notice you utterly avoided engaging my point. Utterly unsurprising considering your vapidity. Crai moar.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 06:37 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:(09-29-2025, 04:05 PM)Dexta Wrote: That's a racist slur and I've reported it to the mods.
Oh, dear me. Whatever shall I do?
I notice you utterly avoided engaging my point. Utterly unsurprising considering your vapidity. Crai moar.
I have read extensively on George Floyd's accidental killing in the immediate aftermath of the event. I am an expert on the topic, basically. I can't be arsed to go into it at length with you right now Thump, but I will say these few things.
Neck kneeling is/was an authorised pacification technique according to the Minneapolis state police handbook, and the arresting officers had been trying for circa 30 mins to force resisting man mountain GF into the back of a police car before resorting to the aforementioned pacification technique.
Toni Timpa had the life crushed out of him by arresting officers while they were LITERALLY LAUGHING and society didn't bat an eyelid. Toni was, of course, not black looking. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tony-timpa-disturbing-video-shows-dallas-officers-joking-as-they-restrain-man-who-died/
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Thumpalumpacus - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 07:11 PM)Dexta Wrote:(09-29-2025, 06:37 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote: Oh, dear me. Whatever shall I do?
I notice you utterly avoided engaging my point. Utterly unsurprising considering your vapidity. Crai moar.
I have read extensively on George Floyd's accidental killing in the immediate aftermath of the event. I am an expert on the topic, basically. I can't be arsed to go into it length with you right now Thump, but I will say these few things.
Neck kneeling is/was an authorised pacification technique according to the Minneapolis state police handbook, and the arresting officers had been trying for circa 30 mins to force resisting man mountain GF into the back of a police car before resorting to the aforementioned pacification technique.
Toni Timpa had the life crushed out of him by arresting officers while they were LITERALLY LAUGHING and society didn't bat an eyelid. Toni was, of course, not black looking. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tony-timpa-disturbing-video-shows-dallas-officers-joking-as-they-restrain-man-who-died/
You entirely missed my point, which, to be fair, is par for your course. The history of American policing of minorities has a long and bloody history, and Floyd's murder was simply synecdoche for that history. Your ignorance of that history is painfully obvious.
I'm white, but as a member of a thoroughly interracial family with black, Hispanic, and Filipino members, I can attest to their personal experiences (and my own experiences as an uninvolved eyewitness to police abuses) with American policing and how it comports with the long and violent history I studied in college. This is why I think the claim you made above is bunkum, and why I think your take on the matter is shallow and uninformed.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
Shove your most expensive guitar up your fundament, indoctrinated Yanky twat. Have a nice day.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
Sorry, I'm going through some stuff at the moment.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
You're white looking Thump, and so am I. It's just skin deep, so please rep it in the language. I'm white looking. In this way we can fight racism.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
They're Chinese looking; they're Indian looking etc etc etc....language is the cure!
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Rizen - 09-29-2025
This was going great until the George Floyd bit. I get anxiety attacks from reading the news too. It's hard to be a smart person in a country full of appallingly stupid bigots who vote against their own self interests as well as those of the country, environment and the planet. You can't fix stupid. I've crafted myself a nice little liberal bubble and I hate when anything pops it.
I will say education is our best hope. Educated people overwhelmingly lean democratic.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Gawdzilla Sama - 09-29-2025
"I find your planet confusing."
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - Dexta - 09-29-2025
(09-29-2025, 08:54 PM)Gawdzilla Sama Wrote: "I find your planet confusing."
I like it, it sounds right, but I'm not sure I really understand it. Your comment, that is...not this planet...I know little of plate tectonics also, however.
RE: People say democracy represents freedom, but where's my freedom from idiot voters? - SYZ - 09-29-2025
The claimed positive tenets of democracy are illusory only,
meant to quieten and subdue the plebeian population at the
pleasure of the billionaire oligarchs and their political mates.
As I've said elsewhere, the first thing to disappear under a
purported democracy is democracy itself.