One noteworthy difference between him and classic trolls (if he really is just trolling) is that he's getting plenty of positive attention to go with the negative. Classic trolls don't usually have devoted fans.Jude wrote:He's a classic troll - he probably doesn't believe all that stuff, but thrives on the outrage and negative attention.
Trump's America
Re: Trump's America
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
- Túrin Turambar
- Posts: 6153
- Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2005 9:37 am
- Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Re: Trump's America
As far as I can tell, this is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJhHwspZGcg
To be honest, I think it’s a stretch to say he’s condoning paedophilia. It strikes me as his usual boasting about his sexual exploits. Certainly he’s rejected any suggestion that he has, and as he usually owns his unpopular and objectionable opinions I’m inclined to take his word for it.
Milo is obviously trolling, in that he says outrageous things for a reaction. My view is that Milo would not be as famous as he has become without the safe-space trigger-warning constraints around our public discourse. When a whole swathe of viewpoints are condemned for being racist, sexist, or otherwise not just wrong but outright unacceptable, then someone who does say genuinely outrageous things becomes a bit of a thrill. And the numerous attempts to shut him down, silence him, or deny him a platform simply play into his hands. Someone should just publish his book before it gets some sort of Mein Kampf mystique around it.
ETA: Sam Harris in the first few minutes of this video expresses what's basically my view of Milo.
To be honest, I think it’s a stretch to say he’s condoning paedophilia. It strikes me as his usual boasting about his sexual exploits. Certainly he’s rejected any suggestion that he has, and as he usually owns his unpopular and objectionable opinions I’m inclined to take his word for it.
Milo is obviously trolling, in that he says outrageous things for a reaction. My view is that Milo would not be as famous as he has become without the safe-space trigger-warning constraints around our public discourse. When a whole swathe of viewpoints are condemned for being racist, sexist, or otherwise not just wrong but outright unacceptable, then someone who does say genuinely outrageous things becomes a bit of a thrill. And the numerous attempts to shut him down, silence him, or deny him a platform simply play into his hands. Someone should just publish his book before it gets some sort of Mein Kampf mystique around it.
ETA: Sam Harris in the first few minutes of this video expresses what's basically my view of Milo.
Re: Trump's America
I don't know anything about this person, but watching a short bit of that video, I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as someone welcomed as a speaker at 'conservative' gatherings.
Avatar photo by Richard Lykes, used with permission.
Re: Trump's America
Or are being openly employed for the purpose of trolling.yovargas wrote:Classic trolls don't usually have devoted fans.
We'll, until now. He "resigned" from Breitbart to avoid sullying their reputation. There are so many levels of irony here.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Re: Trump's America
I came across an essay yesterday (can't remember where or I'd link it) by a conservative planning to attend CPAC expressing similar sentiments. It had a "Guys, what are we doing? What have we been doing? Maybe we should give the podium to thinkers instead of professional trolls," vibe to it.Cerin wrote:I don't know anything about this person, but watching a short bit of that video, I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as someone welcomed as a speaker at 'conservative' gatherings.
Milo, like all fallen celebrities, will be gone for a while but he'll return.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
Re: Trump's America
It's because he's explicitly and unrepentantly racist which has led to "liberal thugs" protesting and banning him from colleges, amongst other places. Which gets used by the right as a bullshit "See? Liberals aren't really tolerant and are attacking free speech!" talking point. But of course, if it was somebody from, say, the Black Lives Matter movement getting protests and bans, I doubt these people would be too terribly upset about the "attacks" on their "free speech".Cerin wrote:I don't know anything about this person, but watching a short bit of that video, I certainly wouldn't have pegged him as someone welcomed as a speaker at 'conservative' gatherings.
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
- Primula Baggins
- Living in hope
- Posts: 40005
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
- Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
- Contact:
Re: Trump's America
I know that there are many conservatives who are just as repelled by him as any liberal, although they're not, unfortunately, in charge of the party at this point.
I honestly think the best hope for our country is not to let unprincipled loudmouths like MY succeed in driving a wedge between the decent people in this country, the people who value what binds us together over our differences. All of us are down and out at the moment, and the demagogues and embryo autocrats know that the surest way they can stay on top is to keep us yelling at each other, rather than trying to to do anything effective about the threat they pose.
Democrats and progressives right now are headed down the same road as the Tea Party in Obama's presidency, putting our energy into tarring everyone on the other side with the dirtiest possible brush, regardless of the facts—we're clutching at rumors that turn out not to be true just as they did (and do).
I do think the danger to our country and its values is real. But I think we ought to be focused on the men behind the curtain, who are profiting from Trump's circus—while we're expressing our outrage at the clown they've trotted out for us, they hope to quietly set us back decades socially and fiscally before we can find a foothold to oppose it. Before we even notice how smoothly it's happening. And polarizing the ordinary people so they can't even listen to each other, let alone join forces in any way at all, is part of the strategy.
I honestly think the best hope for our country is not to let unprincipled loudmouths like MY succeed in driving a wedge between the decent people in this country, the people who value what binds us together over our differences. All of us are down and out at the moment, and the demagogues and embryo autocrats know that the surest way they can stay on top is to keep us yelling at each other, rather than trying to to do anything effective about the threat they pose.
Democrats and progressives right now are headed down the same road as the Tea Party in Obama's presidency, putting our energy into tarring everyone on the other side with the dirtiest possible brush, regardless of the facts—we're clutching at rumors that turn out not to be true just as they did (and do).
I do think the danger to our country and its values is real. But I think we ought to be focused on the men behind the curtain, who are profiting from Trump's circus—while we're expressing our outrage at the clown they've trotted out for us, they hope to quietly set us back decades socially and fiscally before we can find a foothold to oppose it. Before we even notice how smoothly it's happening. And polarizing the ordinary people so they can't even listen to each other, let alone join forces in any way at all, is part of the strategy.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Re: Trump's America
Kansas man accused of fatally shooting Indian engineer after shouting 'get out of my country'
A Kansas man is accused of shooting and killing an Indian immigrant engineer he thought was Middle Eastern and wounding two others after shouting "get out of my country" and opening fire.
Adam Purinton was arrested after fleeing Austin's Bar and Grill, a suburban Kansas City restaurant that was packed Wednesday night when he allegedly blasted off several rounds at 7:15 p.m.
If there was anything that depressed him more than his own cynicism, it was that quite often it still wasn't as cynical as real life.
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
- Impenitent
- Throw me a rope.
- Posts: 7261
- Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:13 am
- Location: Deep in Oz
Re: Trump's America
I'm sorry. I realky don't know what to say. Such terrible things are happening.
Posting on phone via Tapatalk
Posting on phone via Tapatalk
Mornings wouldn't suck so badly if they came later in the day.
Re: Trump's America
'You just said "your getting shorter": you've obviously been drinking too much ent-draught and not enough Prim's.' - Jude
- Voronwë the Faithful
- At the intersection of here and now
- Posts: 46166
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
- Contact:
Re: Trump's America
An old friend on Trump and the media:
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
- Impenitent
- Throw me a rope.
- Posts: 7261
- Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:13 am
- Location: Deep in Oz
Re: Trump's America
The only good outcome of Trump's election in that it's forced John Stewart out of retirement.
Posting on phone via Tapatalk
Posting on phone via Tapatalk
Mornings wouldn't suck so badly if they came later in the day.
- Voronwë the Faithful
- At the intersection of here and now
- Posts: 46166
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
- Contact:
Re: Trump's America
I don't think an occasional appearance on his buddy Colbert's show counts as coming out of retirement. But I'll take what I can get.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
- Impenitent
- Throw me a rope.
- Posts: 7261
- Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:13 am
- Location: Deep in Oz
Re: Trump's America
He's appeared much more often than I could have hoped for.
Posting on phone via Tapatalk
Posting on phone via Tapatalk
Mornings wouldn't suck so badly if they came later in the day.
- Voronwë the Faithful
- At the intersection of here and now
- Posts: 46166
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
- Contact:
Re: Trump's America
Trump's recent speech to Congress
- Attachments
-
- 17021942_1431484603585966_6084844408083935235_n.png (310.18 KiB) Viewed 6749 times
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
- Primula Baggins
- Living in hope
- Posts: 40005
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:43 am
- Location: Sailing the luminiferous aether
- Contact:
Re: Trump's America
Oh, I am so happy! Now Sauron can be our friend.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
Re: Trump's America
I can't believe that Obama personally wiretapped Trump tower after he literally founded Isis!!!
I wanna love somebody but I don't know how
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
I wanna throw my body in the river and drown
-The Decemberists
Re: Trump's America
I'm not sure what Trump thinks he's going to achieve. It's been out for months that there may have been FISA warrants directed against a server in Trump Tower and members of the campaign. Does he really want to see those rumors publically substantiated?
I'm also very distressed to learn that another Indian was shot for being Indian. In his own driveway in a suburb of Seattle no less. Welcome to Trump's America, peeps. The violent white terrorist types are feeling very emboldened now. If you wanna be safe, don't be brown.
I'm also very distressed to learn that another Indian was shot for being Indian. In his own driveway in a suburb of Seattle no less. Welcome to Trump's America, peeps. The violent white terrorist types are feeling very emboldened now. If you wanna be safe, don't be brown.
When you can do nothing what can you do?
- Voronwë the Faithful
- At the intersection of here and now
- Posts: 46166
- Joined: Mon Nov 21, 2005 1:41 am
- Contact:
Re: Trump's America
Ah, but there is proof!yovargas wrote:I can't believe that Obama personally wiretapped Trump tower after he literally founded Isis!!!
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
- Impenitent
- Throw me a rope.
- Posts: 7261
- Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 12:13 am
- Location: Deep in Oz
Re: Trump's America
So, apparently while the great Obama Wire Tap distraction was going on, these Bills have been introduced:
1. HR 861 Terminate the Environmental Protection Agency
2. HR 610 Vouchers for Public Education
3. HR 899 Terminate the Department of Education
4. HJR 69 Repeal Rule Protecting Wildlife
5. HR 370 Repeal Affordable Care Act
6. HR 354 Defund Planned Parenthood
7. HR 785 National Right to Work (this one ends unions)
8. HR 83 Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Bill
9. HR 147 Criminalizing Abortion (“Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act”)
10. HR 808 Sanctions against Iran
How many will pass?
1. HR 861 Terminate the Environmental Protection Agency
2. HR 610 Vouchers for Public Education
3. HR 899 Terminate the Department of Education
4. HJR 69 Repeal Rule Protecting Wildlife
5. HR 370 Repeal Affordable Care Act
6. HR 354 Defund Planned Parenthood
7. HR 785 National Right to Work (this one ends unions)
8. HR 83 Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Bill
9. HR 147 Criminalizing Abortion (“Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act”)
10. HR 808 Sanctions against Iran
How many will pass?
Mornings wouldn't suck so badly if they came later in the day.