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The smug style in American liberalism

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31–40 of 435 posts

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#31
post #20

Well tens of millions of "stupid hicks" are about to lose their health insurance. How is that for a "good fact"? Sorry for being smug.

They effectively lost it with the implementation of Obamacare. The premiums and deductibles are so high that the plans only really protect against catastrophic loss for an obscene monthly cost.

The rate of increase of health care costs has been significantly lower since Obamacare passed than it was before.

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#32
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't get to claim the moral high ground and use the tactics of the opposition at the same time.

The only claim of a moral highground here is implicit in that shitpost of an article.

I replied to a post, not to the article.

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#33
post #4

Yes, liberals in America are all smug and holier-than-thou, unlike their ideological opponents, who really listen to what you have to say and never judge you ahead of time. And, of course, they never pass comment on how a person looks.

You don't get to claim the moral high ground and use the tactics of the opposition at the same time.

It's even more pragmatic than that: regardless of how Republicans act, if your strategy is a losing one you might want to think twice about it.

Clinton largely campaigned on shame and fear, and the midwest felt too left behind to care about that.

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#34
post #29
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the article isn't very good. In essence, it reverses the direction of "holier than thou". However, it raises an excellent point. The United States is not going to get anywhere if half the country looks down on the other half as a bunch of plebs, and in response the "plebs" disdain the elites. (I understand that this is a gross simplification, but I have seen this attitude often enough that it is significant). Fo…

There will be no mutual respect here; the schism that began with Reagan, and widened with W. just ripped wide open today. The only thing coming out of this is going to be deepening resentment, and incredible economic hardship. Ironically, the people who are going to take it most directly in the tuckus, are the people who voted Trump.

If large parts of your community are already on unemployment, disability, and/or heroin, are you focused on the downside risk or looking for anyone willing to even pretend to have a new plan?

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#35
This is definitely the preference falsification election.

Those who know me on HN know that I'm an outspoken proponent of unorthodox ideas. I'm regularly shouted down, called racist/evil/etc, downmodded and flagged on HN. I also get a steady stream of private emails: "I wouldn't say this publicly cause of the bullies, but that .gov link with all the data does seem to support you. I think you might be right, I need to rethink my views." These folks very rarely post here - they are afraid of social and perhaps professional approbrium (ala Brendan Eich and Curtis Yarvin).

Those folks are engaging preference falsification.

Off HN there is a similar manufactured consensus, similar social penalties for expressing the wrong ideas, and similar levels of preference falsification. When pollsters call the preference falsification continues.

Apparently in the privacy of a voting booth, people are willing to express their true beliefs.

Note: I don't support Trump - search my posting history for "open borders" - but I do understand why folks like him. I don't agree with him on basically any policy, but my visceral emotional reaction to his victory is positive: I love the great big "fuck you" to the biased media sneering at him, calling him racist based on "dog whistles" and then writing hit pieces against Ken Bone (let alone the bullying of folks like Tim Hunt, Brendan Eich and Curtis Yarvin).

See also Scott Aaronson who explains this in more detail: http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=2777

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#37
post #29
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the article isn't very good. In essence, it reverses the direction of "holier than thou". However, it raises an excellent point. The United States is not going to get anywhere if half the country looks down on the other half as a bunch of plebs, and in response the "plebs" disdain the elites. (I understand that this is a gross simplification, but I have seen this attitude often enough that it is significant). Fo…

There will be no mutual respect here; the schism that began with Reagan, and widened with W. just ripped wide open today. The only thing coming out of this is going to be deepening resentment, and incredible economic hardship. Ironically, the people who are going to take it most directly in the tuckus, are the people who voted Trump.

I didn't say this election will do anything positive. I just said that we should strive for mutual respect.

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#39

This is definitely the preference falsification election. Those who know me on HN know that I'm an outspoken proponent of unorthodox ideas. I'm regularly shouted down, called racist/evil/etc, downmodded and flagged on HN. I also get a steady stream of private emails: "I wouldn't say this publicly cause of the bullies, but that .gov link with all the data does seem to support you. I think you might be right, I need to…

Regarding the difference between polls and election results: maybe many people are racist, sexist xenophobes and if they tell the preference in public, they get rightfully derided for it. But with the secrecy of the ballot, they can give into their deep desire to kick out the Muslims and the Blacks, kick the females back into the kitchen and make America white again.

Re: The smug style in American liberalism

#40
post #12

As a Brit it has been fascinating to watch the Dems run basically exactly the same campaign Remain ran.

As an American Democrat, I'm not in the least bit embarrassed by our campaign. We ran on 8 years of growth, cutting the deficit, 5% unemployment, tripled stock market, etc. Justly proud of that.

I'm embarrassed for the country by what Republicans ran on and who they elected.

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