this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2023
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the_dunk_tank

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It's the dunk tank.

This is where you come to post big-brained hot takes by chuds, libs, or even fellow leftists, and tear them to itty-bitty pieces with precision dunkstrikes.

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I included the response I would have sent, were the thread not locked. This is how coward libs argue. They're calling the well-known study by Purdue demonstrating that the US is a oligarchy a "far left news source", for context.

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[–] footfaults@hexbear.net 78 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You claim the US is a democracy and yet you close the thread and use your mod powers to argue and nobody can reply. Curious

very-intelligent

[–] Finger@hexbear.net 43 points 1 year ago

no more half measures walter

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 67 points 1 year ago (8 children)

Wasn't there a founding father quote where they specifically said they needed to avoid "too much" democracy or else the masses would get empowered and use that against the business owners, or something to that effect?

I am blanking on the specifics of it but perhaps if I throw that out there someone will know what I'm talking about.

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 55 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Madison, federalist 62, excerpts are posted elsewhere here

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Oh lmao I didn't even read down because I didn't expect it to be here so early in the thread.

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Tbf it is extremely egregious, the man in no uncertain terms says if we have too much democracy the people will seize the means

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 35 points 1 year ago

Yeah it's one of the most candid examples of class war being waged by their side.

[–] JoeByeThen@hexbear.net 39 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Probably not what you're looking for, but Hamilyon called Democracy a disease in his final letter.

[–] zifnab25@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's pretty standard loser talk. If Jefferson had had his ass handed to him repeatedly, he likely would have penned similar shit.

[–] GarbageShoot@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Considering Hamilton grounds his support for federalism in his opposition for democracy, I don't think so

[–] zifnab25@hexbear.net 11 points 1 year ago

Liberal democracy has plenty of problems, as evidenced by the failure of the Articles of Confederation.

Opposition to American Democracy in 1776 relative to aristocracy was a matter of margins. And the Jacksonian Democracy that would govern American through the majority of its existence absolutely sucked balls.

[–] RedDawn@hexbear.net 16 points 1 year ago

Yeah, James Madison. Noam Chomsky brings this up frequently and one of his lectures is where I first learned, many years ago now, about the idea that founding fathers set out not to create a democracy but to protect themselves and their wealth from democracy. Runs quite contrary to what we get taught as school children.

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[–] motherfucker@hexbear.net 66 points 1 year ago

Liberalism has always represented minorities. Namely, land owning white men.

[–] culpritus@hexbear.net 58 points 1 year ago

I really hate those authoritarian tankies so much! Now, how else can I abuse my mod powers to piss off more tankies...

wonder-who-thats-for

[–] SunriseParabellum@hexbear.net 53 points 1 year ago (1 children)

we have always been a democracy

You mean like back when only white male landowners (only about 12% of the population) could vote?

[–] SootyChimney@hexbear.net 39 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

10% of voting-age citizens in the US are not allowed to vote (disproportionately minorities). Of the rest, turnout is usually ~55% and the vote for either party is usually around or under half.

So in the absolute best case scenario, the government is put in by 25-30% of the voting age population, the overwhelming majority of whom are wealthy, white and/or old. So not much has changed.

Obviously without mentioning the many other issues, including the two-party system offering effectively zero choice for any voters anyway.

[–] charlie@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm amazed they can put up a curtain with a big sloppily handwritten sign that says "everyone can vote now" and the majority doesn't bother to peek behind that curtain and see the lie.

[–] Assian_Candor@hexbear.net 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Democracy is when you get to choose between old man yelling at cloud and most indicted man in the world who is also old

[–] Fuckass@hexbear.net 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Choosing between guy who wants to use your tax money to send missiles and a guy who wants to use your tax money to fund a golf course

[–] SunriseParabellum@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago

...and send missiles.

[–] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's crazy

Smug liberals stop using ableism to insult their enemies challenge. Difficulty level: I N S A N E maybe-later-honey 🍷 🍷 maybe-later-kiddo

[–] jack@hexbear.net 34 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Thought about calling this out as well, I'm glad you did. This is a extremely naturalized form of ableist discourse (along with insane, stupid, etc) and I know I mess it up sometimes, though I try earnestly to use words that are equally vigorous but not ableist language.

[–] silent_water@hexbear.net 29 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm trying to use brain worms to convey the notion that someone's mind is rotten from propaganda, as a way to substitute this language, but I don't always get it right, as yet.

[–] UlyssesT@hexbear.net 23 points 1 year ago

It helps me to remember that the main difference between edgelord discourse and better discourse is that pointing out choices of bad takes and bad ideology is a lot more structurally damning than "heh, you were born under less than ideal conditions." smuglord

[–] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 19 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The one I struggle with most is lame

My brain suggests I use it all the time and I can never find a word that fits the meaning I want but without the connotation

[–] jack@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

weakass and pathetic could cover most uses probably, or loser shit

[–] AOCapitulator@hexbear.net 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I want it in the context of a very mild bummer, like the resturaunt you wanted to go to was closed "aww, ****!"

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[–] robinn2@hexbear.net 41 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Mod abuse 😊

We've always been a democracy even when the president owned hundreds of slaves or when the U.S. served as the inspiration for Nazi Germany or when the U.S. was engaging in directly massacring indigenous people and stealing their land (goes closer to the present than you think) or when black people were deprived of basic rights and segregated (oh wait that's still happening in Chicago). "If we don't fix the flaws in our democratic institutions" maybe stfu? Nobody gives a shit about whatever "democracy" allows you to massacre millions across the globe and coup popular leaders for your ruling class' business interests. Maybe Amerika is fundamentally flawed and every U.S. politician should be shot (maybe).

"I am well aware we're circling the fascism drain"

Bit of an understatement

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[–] Fuckass@hexbear.net 37 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

This is just completely delusional. The narrative that the US is flawed and was violent in the past, but now is democratic is wrong but still understandable. But the idea that the US has always been democratic is just jesse-wtf

i also know that the modern neoliberalism movement started by Regan and Thatcher is how we got here.

It seems that he hates democracy. How can we be sure he isn’t a putler bot?

[–] sicklemode@hexbear.net 13 points 1 year ago

This is just completely delusional. The narrative that the US is flawed and was violent in the past, but now is democratic is wrong but still understandable. But the idea that the US has always been democratic is just jesse-wtf

Here is my response on the US ever being a legitimate, or democratic country: President of Socialist Party of Zambia: Human development is not sustainable on basis of plunder

[–] Zoift@hexbear.net 31 points 1 year ago

Lmao. Unless the last word is "disengage" we're not done posting yet.

[–] Posadas@hexbear.net 31 points 1 year ago

196?

More like 1984

[–] SuperZutsuki@hexbear.net 30 points 1 year ago

Well, democracy is literally communism so you should be happy that you're living in Mao Biden's communist utopia biden-leftist

[–] betelgeuse@hexbear.net 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Democratic Republics tend to descend into fascist states. It's not a coincidence. The system you're trying to save is why we have fascism.

I had forgotten just how much some people have absolutely no historical knowledge about anything but are completely convinced they know everything. Fucking read The Constitution. You don't have to be an academic to understand what this shit was and is.

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[–] barrbaric@hexbear.net 29 points 1 year ago
[–] iridaniotter@hexbear.net 28 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Purdue? The guys that tell me how to cite works in my academic essays??

[–] Fuckass@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No, Purdue, the far left tankie terrorist institution hell bent on “destroying all KKKraKKKers” in the west

[–] heartheartbreak@hexbear.net 25 points 1 year ago

When words mean things but you don't give a shit because you are being drowned in ideology and you think swallowing will give you more room to breathe

[–] Tachanka@hexbear.net 24 points 1 year ago

we have always been a democracy

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

CW: Cartoon violence

[–] MCU_H8ER2@hexbear.net 22 points 1 year ago

You can't even directly vote for the president here.

[–] Flinch@hexbear.net 19 points 1 year ago

this is truly, the Fediverse fedposting

[–] nekahat@hexbear.net 14 points 1 year ago

Left is only as far as you are to it.

[–] a_talking_is2@hexbear.net 13 points 1 year ago

You know, i'm starting to think that nobody to right of Lenin even know what the word "democracy" means.

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