America's biggest threat

Unserious.

 

It’s an important line of inquiry. In order to follow it, we must address the philosophical problem of defining the boundaries of what is “progressive”. I don’t actually watch news, but I understand that MSNBC is forthright in their criticism of the right and demonization of Trump. Maybe ABC News is liberal, however we are defining that, but I don’t think they operate so explicitly. The same with Hollywood. Is a Marvel movie really progressive? It seems these movies have diverse characters form teams, so perhaps this acceptance of diversity can be seen as liberal. But at the same time, the marvel heroes engage their enemies with hammers and guns, which hardly seems consistent with modern progressivism.

But even if we leave aside this demarcation problem and just assume that Marvel movies are progressive, we are still left with the difficult problem of causes. Do Marvel movies cause people to become liberal, or do liberal people cause Hollywood to make Marvel movies progressive? These movies are big business, and like all businesses, studios must turn a profit to survive. Why isn’t there a studio driving Marvel bankrupt by starting their own conservative superhero franchise? There is no law against this.

I think it is just too simple to suggest that people are progressive because Disney told them to be. If you really believe people are like that, you couldn’t trust yourself either, because it would mean that you only rail against Disney because someone else told you to do so. The origins and maintenance of our cultures are exceedingly complex.

 

I think Contra had it right in an earlier post. Let’s review:
MIC - Eisenhower warned us
Catholic Church - sold its soul
Protestant Church - glass houses
Banks/Financial industry- screwed the pooch in the 80’s (S&L), and again in 2008 The Great Recession
Washington DC - post COVID would anyone want CDC, NHS or anyone involved handling their health care?
NCAA - now, there’s a trustworthy group.
UN? Please - it’s one big cocktail party for bloviating bureaucrats that do little but protect the status quo.
Media? Bwahaha! Dan Rather was just a symptom.
Higher Ed/Ivies…yeah, no.
Teachers Unions (not the teachers) unions and admin.
Big Tech - working diligently to know and control everything

So, who do you trust? All the “experts” have f’d up either maliciously or by sheer incompetence; yet, we continue to hear the mantra of “trust them”

 

FWIW...Trump is a threat on some level, but not for the reason that they think. His policies were not bad. Many dislike him as a person. He is a manifestation of the moral decay that is championed as progress. However, you can't laugh and mock at the idea of moral decay, and then in the same breath cower in fear of the fruits of that decay. Well, actually you can because that is what they are doing. But I don't have any sympathy for their fear. Every fruit has a root. You can't water a thorn bush, and then get mad that it grew thorns when you gave the thorn bush everything it needed to grow.

If you marginalize and reject Christianity, while stoking a sexual and moral revolution, then Trump is what you get. The culture championed and celebrated by the left gave birth to Trump. Democrats have no one to blame but themselves.

 

The greatest threat to this country may be AI generated deepfakes.

Just wait until grandpa who is well conditioned from decades of watching Fox News tells you he saw a video of Joe Biden saying he will set up death camps for Trump voters.

 

It's easy. If you can understand him, probably a fake.

 

It's the deep state by a mile.

 

Everything is deep state when it comes to MAGA

 

...in da snowglobe.

 

Every time the deranged defeated former president speaks or posts on a social media platform we see or hear examples of the real Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS).

 

There are reports that he would enjoy that so maybe think of something else. lol

 

Marvel superheroes are popular with conservatives. So *was* Disney. But in both of those cases, it's not really about the product, as it is about the political positions championed by their woke spoke folk.

And there's still that incredibly conveniently coincidental vast chorus singing in perfect harmony from sources as diverse as academia...and rock n roll... a family entertainment conglomerate....and one of the world's largest beer manufacturers... big tech....and establishment REPUBLICANS (let alone the other party...).

How incredibly convenient.

All these voices...singing the same tune...in perfect harmony...

Huh.. it's almost like it's orchestrated or something...

 

What about The Swamp. Or The New World Order? Or the Hollywood/Soros Illuminati? Lots to choose from.

 

Or that they are correct in their independently reasoned positions

 

Left an item out: those who fail to worship trump. They are the real threat, right?

 

I said China because of the cyber attack on our infrastructure soon to arrive. Interesting they would do that in an election year other than maybe to cast doubt on the winner. If anything, it will create enough chaos to allow them to invade Taiwan without much of an offense. At its worse, could turn the US into Mad Max if they hit enough of our infrastructure to render our grid dead.

 

That could very well happen but they’ve had that capability for years. What are they waiting for and why would they attack such an important trading partner and big source of hard currency?

 

Sorry to leave you hanging on this. This week has been a blur.

Anyway, yes I think this also an extremely important line of inquiry. Indeed, it appears that are real reasons to suspect that our institutions of knowledge seeking are flawed. And as you imply, it’s a problem that shouldn’t seem to present an obvious answer. Often, you see someone find a flaw in X and then confidently state Y is true, but logically one does not lead to the other. Something like, “Scientists were wrong about margarine, so therefore the Earth is 6,000 years old” is simply bad logic.

The tough truth is that for as bad as academia is, there isn’t an obviously less flawed alternative. It’s not like politicians on either side are bastions of truth seeking. So I certainly support skepticism for these institutions, but I would suggest that this skepticism needs to extend to the alternatives too. Maybe the Supreme Court is biased, but even if so, it doesn’t make Biden any more trustworthy.

 

I think you are making a critical and underrated point that the liberal culture is very hostile to dissenting opinions. That said, I don’t think the right is all that tolerant of ideas they like either, as was evidenced by the treatment of Liz Chaney. In fact, it seems this may be a long-standing feature of American culture. Check out this amazing quote from Alexis de Tocqueville from the second volume of Democracy in America published in 1840:

“I know no country where in general there reigns less independence of mind and true freedom of discussion than in America.” “In America, the majority draws a formidable circle around thought. Within these limits, the writer is free, but woe to him if he dares to go beyond them. It isn’t as if he has to fear an Auto-da-fe, but he is exposed to all types of distasteful things and to everyday personal persecutions.”