The Atlas Asylum of absurd/ignorant posts IX

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I know lots of people have a fetish for him, but as an Italian who knows the actual knowledge level of English in my country, this put me off completely:

Rome would be my other place to live, English is a universal language in Italy due to Vatican. Australia would be nice. If I hit the jackpot

Your first mistake is thinking that olawakandi's posts are actually intended to mean anything, much less something absurd or ignorant.

Do you mean he just random selects word to put together? Because indeed that seems a very plausible explanation for the phrase "English is a universal language in Italy due to Vatican".

If OC says English is a universal language in Italy due to Vatican, it's a universal language in Italy due to Vatican.  No need to question it or put too much thought into it.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I know lots of people have a fetish for him, but as an Italian who knows the actual knowledge level of English in my country, this put me off completely:

Rome would be my other place to live, English is a universal language in Italy due to Vatican. Australia would be nice. If I hit the jackpot

Your first mistake is thinking that olawakandi's posts are actually intended to mean anything, much less something absurd or ignorant.

Do you mean he just random selects word to put together? Because indeed that seems a very plausible explanation for the phrase "English is a universal language in Italy due to Vatican".

If OC says English is a universal language in Italy due to Vatican, it's a universal language in Italy due to Vatican.  No need to question it or put too much thought into it.

This is getting out of control

There's no need to be upset about it.  Hopefully, one day you will obtain the percipience necessary to fully appreciate the substance behind what this man is saying, what it all means, and what you can learn from it.  You would be surprised how different things become when you look inward, rather than outward.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

At long last, the highly-coveted thread that officially marked the beginning of Atlas Fantasy Elections!

Fun fact: The R-SD guy in that thread is currently the Attorney General of South Dakota!

At first I didn't believe you so I looked it up and yeah, that's definitely him. No idea who else "jravnsbo" could be. Shame he isn't here now, I always like actual politicians on Atlas.

So, are there any posts of his that we could leak to take him down in a future South Dakota election?

That's a perfectly defensible post, given 90% of the posters here at any one point should not be running for elected office.

Badger ran for office, Sanchez would have run for office hadn't Trump been President, Moun was a State Rep, Torie ran for office.

Nathan was also a town councilor for a short time and Potus recently defeated an incumbent Republican in a WV statehouse primary.

Mike Assad ran against Frank LoBiondo in the NJ-02 GOP primary in 2014 and lost.

And then there's, of course, Darryl Perry, who ran in the 2016 Libertarian presidential convention (years after announcing his intention to on this forum, no less!) and is currently that party's nominee for NH-Gov.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I never went for the "all people in WV are racist hicks" meme, and for obvious reasons I think that making fun of white people in poverty is no more justified than making fun of black people in poverty, but it does bug me thinking about all those counties that swung McCain, some of which voted for Kerry.

Yes, the deaths of ancestral Dems have something to do with it, but some of these states and counties swung so Republican that I struggle to come up with a better explanation for it, especially since Hillary Clinton was leading McCain in polls, often by heavy margins, in West Virginia and Arkansas.

The policy differences between Obama and Clinton were so minimal that it's almost inconceivable that these areas would be so willing to vote for Clinton over McCain but not Obama.

And no, obviously the racial animus in Appalachia doesn't erase the more subtle racism often found up North, but I can't for the life of me explain swings so heavy without factoring in race - especially since multiple studies confirmed that the major factors for Obama-Trump voters were conservative attitudes on race and immigration.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

If Hennepin County (or some other county I move to) ever adopts 24 hour early voting I'm totally going to go to a hardcore/emo show (in a post-Covid election) and then vote right afterwards.

I hope you go to the polls dressed like a 2005-era emo.

We have to keep Hot Topic alive somehow.

I HAVE NEVER SHOPPED AT HOT TOPIC IN MY LIFE.

Are you one of those dudes who insists that there's a difference between emo and goth even though no one else can tell them apart?

Isn't the basic difference emos are sad and goths are apathetic?

No, you can be a very cheerful emo or a very passionate goth.

These are subcultures, not personality types.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

For the same reason some Jews voted for Hitler (it's true, look it up).

For the same reason some ethnic Albanians supported Slobodan Miloscevic.

And the same reason there were blacks who supported the Confederacy.

There will always be House Slaves and Uncle Toms.  

Quite frankly, it is now a mainstream view of how Democrat Party sees Trump's/GOP's non-white voters.

Considering that Trumpers are doing everything in their power to throw out all black people votes, it is the correct view. 

I'm an authority on the subject. 

I'm the official white spokesperson of all black people.   

10/10 troll, would rage again

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

A lot going on in this thread. All I can conclude is that the straights are not okay.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

No men are attractive.

And I’m not saying that as some kind of “toxic masculinity” thing. I genuinely just don’t understand how anyone can look at a man and think “Yeah, that’s hot!”

Reminds me of this Seinfeld quote:

“The female body is a work of art. The male body is utilitarian, it’s for gettin’ around, like a Jeep.“

This is an incredibly "straight guy" thing to say.

You can think what you want, but I honest to god believe this and always have. I just don’t get it. Not complaining that like half the population finds men attractive, but I fundamentally do not understand why.

What is possibly wrong with this? I don’t like dick either. I am not attracted to men or women with dicks.

Yeah, Dick is kind of an asshole. I never understood the fascination with him or his inclination to send unsolicited selfies to unsuspecting women.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Republican voter suppression is a conspiracy theory on the level of Qanon.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

As the article makes clear, this kid's problems originate outside the classroom.  Schools are critical points for delivering kids help they often can't get anywhere else, but they can't assume sole responsibility for rearing the next generation.  At some point, we have to concede that our culture of individuality and dependence has ruined tens of millions of lives.  We need a return to the Victorian concept of poverty as a moral failing of those languishing in it and understand our collective responsibility not to provide for them but to instruct them in how to live more virtuous lives. 

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

The most idiotic post I've read on this forum... this week:

Great news! Unions are terrible doesn't matter how much you pay union workers they'll always demand more.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

The most idiotic post I've read on this forum... this week:

Great news! Unions are terrible doesn't matter how much you pay union workers they'll always demand more.

It's true and I have an example. The BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) union here in the Bay Area went on strike a few years ago and the local news investigated and discovered that BART janitors were making six figures a year and train operators made like 200K+. Yet these people still went on strike and demanded more money. There was no actual rationale for them going on strike they just wanted more money despite the fact that workers there are highly paid.

As long as the lion's share of the wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few wealthy individuals and corporate conglomerates, I really couldn't give a sh!t.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

"Emo" is occasionally used as a derogatory euphemism for "f****t", and given the rest of his post it's pretty obvious what he meant.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

As for gender equality - the US has a worse pay gap; doesn't even have maternity leave, let alone paternity leave; has never had a women head of state (and we all know how the last woman to stand for that position got treated); and has fewer women in its parliament than basically every western european country. These are all pretty concrete things that I think you have to accept suggest that the US is a broadly more conservative country when it comes to gender equality. (and you know, the fact that Switzerland, which was until recently incredibly bad on this issue is now ahead on every one of these measures is perhaps something that is worth paying attention to)

If I may veer off topic a bit: how are you defining "pay gap" in the context of gender? Is Switzerland doing something to equalize incomes irrespective of hours worked or job types? I am genuinely curious how you go about that, because any country that allows you to work in whatever field you want is bound to have pay disparities. A job that pays well is not necessarily going to be your dream job, and what that dream job is varies by individual. I contend that the lack of women in STEM, for example, comes down to difference in preferences, because it has already been illegal for half a century for employers to pay women less for the exact same job as men. So to get a non-American's perspective on this would be helpful to me.

I agree with everything else and have always supported generous maternity/paternity leave, but that's not necessarily a gender issue if everyone gets the same time off. And on the flip side, perhaps Switzerland likes seeing women in power more than Americans, and even American women, do. (That is not a good or desirable thing, but I am curious how you reconcile policy with culture in these respects.)

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Personally, I’d support State Atheism if only I knew that it wouldn’t inevitably lead to authoritarianism and the creation of religious martyrs. The last thing we need is to help religions recruit through giving them valid grievances against an atheist power structure. Instead, there should be a concerted effort in our cultural institutions to invalidate, discredit, and disempower all religions and “faith based” viewpoints, while simultaneously promoting atheism and its liberatory effects.

The only morally acceptable supernatural/religious viewpoints, in my opinion, are nature-oriented ones. But, historically, even those have proven problematic.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Putting aside that the post is false, this comparison is so peak Atlas:

I obviously wouldn’t go that far, but the fact that we are even considering deifying someone like George Floyd is a disturbing sign.

What is disturbing is that conservatives have such hatred and animosity towards a dead person who didn't personally harm them.

“What is disturbing is that young Jews have such hatred and animosity towards a dead person who didn’t personally harm them.”

Don’t think I have to name said dead person for you to understand how stupid of a line this is.

Not to mention, conservatives don’t “hate” George Floyd, they just don’t think he should be honored.

Hitler wanted the Jews exterminated.

And George Floyd threatened to murder a pregnant woman and her child. So let’s not pretend either were particularly good people.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Putting aside that the post is false, this comparison is so peak Atlas:

I obviously wouldn’t go that far, but the fact that we are even considering deifying someone like George Floyd is a disturbing sign.

What is disturbing is that conservatives have such hatred and animosity towards a dead person who didn't personally harm them.

“What is disturbing is that young Jews have such hatred and animosity towards a dead person who didn’t personally harm them.”

Don’t think I have to name said dead person for you to understand how stupid of a line this is.

Not to mention, conservatives don’t “hate” George Floyd, they just don’t think he should be honored.

Hitler wanted the Jews exterminated.

And George Floyd threatened to murder a pregnant woman and her child. So let’s not pretend either were particularly good people.

I recant the pregnant part, but the rest is true.

George Floyd never instigated a genocide, to my knowledge.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Putting aside that the post is false, this comparison is so peak Atlas:

I obviously wouldn’t go that far, but the fact that we are even considering deifying someone like George Floyd is a disturbing sign.

What is disturbing is that conservatives have such hatred and animosity towards a dead person who didn't personally harm them.

“What is disturbing is that young Jews have such hatred and animosity towards a dead person who didn’t personally harm them.”

Don’t think I have to name said dead person for you to understand how stupid of a line this is.

Not to mention, conservatives don’t “hate” George Floyd, they just don’t think he should be honored.

Hitler wanted the Jews exterminated.

And George Floyd threatened to murder a pregnant woman and her child. So let’s not pretend either were particularly good people.

I recant the pregnant part, but the rest is true.

George Floyd never instigated a genocide, to my knowledge.

Here is a brief distillation of that exchange:

Argument: "Nobody should have animosity towards a dead person who didn't personally harm them."

Counterargument: "Does that mean that modern Jews shouldn't hate Hitler?"

There are only two possible responses to this counterargument: "Yes, that means Jews shouldn't hate Hitler," or "No, you're right, my reasoning wasn't very intelligent." The OP should pick one, because he is the one who painted himself into a corner with such a silly post. And please don't get mad at Reckoning for taking a bad argument to its logical conclusion. While the Hitler references are getting old, he is simply applying the same logic in another context. Saying "Buh-but it's Hitler so it's not the same!" isn't a counter to his point.

He compared conservatives' animosity toward George Floyd to the hatred Jews have towards Hitler. If you don't see how ridiculous this is, I cannot help you.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

aha, your claim that “it’s deeply disturbing that conservatives have developed an intense hatred toward a random guy who got murdered by cops” failed to consider literally every possible scenario — what about Hitler?? It is, therefore, not a universally applicable maxim and has been destroyed by logic.

The correct response to this kind of “counterargument” is “that’s real stupid bro.”

Huh. It never occurred to me that some people might just not care about being hypocrites.

Well, let this be a learning experience. Most people are perfectly comfortable applying different standards of moral judgment to an unemployed truck driver and Adolf Hitler. Understanding and appreciating this fact will help you engage better with others.

If someone espouses a principle, they should be willing to apply that principle equally to any given situation. If they cannot do that, then that is indicative of poor critical thinking skills.

And I don't think people hold Hitler to "a different standard of moral judgement" than anyone else.

Maybe you don't. Most sane people do.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

aha, your claim that “it’s deeply disturbing that conservatives have developed an intense hatred toward a random guy who got murdered by cops” failed to consider literally every possible scenario — what about Hitler?? It is, therefore, not a universally applicable maxim and has been destroyed by logic.

The correct response to this kind of “counterargument” is “that’s real stupid bro.”

Huh. It never occurred to me that some people might just not care about being hypocrites.

Well, let this be a learning experience. Most people are perfectly comfortable applying different standards of moral judgment to an unemployed truck driver and Adolf Hitler. Understanding and appreciating this fact will help you engage better with others.

If someone espouses a principle, they should be willing to apply that principle equally to any given situation. If they cannot do that, then that is indicative of poor critical thinking skills.

And I don't think people hold Hitler to "a different standard of moral judgement" than anyone else.

Maybe you don't. Most sane people do.

What are you even talking about? Can't you hold everyone to the same moral standard and then conclude from there that Hitler is a bad person? Why would you needYou  to assess him any differently from how you'd assess anyone else?

You don't assess any criminals, even serial killers, as you do for a government or military leader who engaged in genocide.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

For Christ's sake. If you really view the world as something to be judged solely between black and white rather than shades of grey, go get your eyes checked. I refuse to believe this is the case for any rationally-minded person.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

For Christ's sake. If you really view the world as something to be judged solely between black and white rather than shades of grey, go get your eyes checked. I refuse to believe this is the case for any rationally-minded person.

I don’t really get what this has to do with the topic at hand. For reference, I only started reading at the point when judging Hitler “by a different moral standard” was brought up. I have now looked back at the origin of this, and TheReckoning was of course being a third-rate provocateur, but that doesn’t change the substance of the subsequent debate.

Perhaps I'm just out-Godwin'd now. The frequent comparison of "thing I dislike" or "person I dislike" to Hitler has minimized what he and actual Nazis did/are doing. There is a reason it should be limited to extreme circumstances.

But yes, the origin of this topic was TheReckoning's misuse of analogies. George Floyd wasn't a saint but neither does he deserve the (often inaccurate) character assassination from the media and the right. Floyd, if anything, paid for the robbery he had attempted years ago. And he did it over 9 minutes and 29 seconds.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Meclazine on drug addicts:

All you can do is round them up, put them on a convict boat and ship.them half way around the world and forget about them for 250 years.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Franco shoots and rapes his way across Andalusia to destroy judeo-bolshevism.

Wow, says blue avatar, i think this man is two points two high on the y axis of the political conpass!!

If you bothered to read this thread, you’d know I was talking about authoritarianism compared to Trump. Both are authoritarians, Franco indisputably moreso, but Franco was also more competent, and cared about his population more.

Also, Lincoln arguably shot and raped his way through the Southern United States.

Also, “Judeo-Bolshevism”? Really?

Yes really Franco absolutely believes that Jews and Masons were behind international communism. Franco’s competency is arguably a bad thing, as he competently  implemented a fascist regime.

Also your little lost cause thing was noticed.

In what way was Franco’s war tactics different than Lincoln’s?

Also, Franco dropped fascism after WW2, realizing what it did in Germany and Italy, and didn’t persecute the Jews anymore than any other European regime.

I feel like you’re salty towards me because I said I didn’t think you were too special of a poster. No hard feelings, dude.

Education sucks in this country.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Ah, so somebody said Hitler was left-wing again. *drink*