Not registering to vote

[Luna Bliss]

On 10/13/2020 at 10:43 PM, Chroma Starlight said:

I mean, I get why people do this. I do. But at some point they as individuals and society collectively do actually need to do the hard work of either talking to one another or surrendering and holding their peace. I have been consistently disturbed by this entire solution to dealing with disagreement. I have yet to see it resolve a single thing in the long run, but it does dissociate the world, sometimes with incredibly harmful results. So far I haven't seen more than someone double-posting a new music video I had just shared because, I assume, they had ignored me, and the fact we posted that video means we're probably allies, but someone fed them this poison meme that they should ignore to solve any discomfort they may feel within, and now they're isolating themselves from potential friends and allies. Who thought this brilliant darkness up? Is this how the Tower of Babel fell, too? I can contemplate that as this person commits faux pas and don't even know it because of their inability to deal with realpolitik. There's some kind of symmetry there, but to be honest, I don't think it's worth the risk to ever ignore someone. Just tell them why they're wrong and how with no further intent than to inform them of how they've failed to consider the pluralistic aspects of our world.

I can agree that blocking another is not the best or ideal solution, but sometimes it's necessary. Really, it's a good basic definition of the self and what is healthy for that self -- what we choose to either let into our lives or refuse admittance. Sometimes when others can't control their anger and are calling you names it's best to just to hang up the phone. 'Blocking' means different things to different people, and I think we need to consider these meanings before judging whether 'blocking' in and of itself is wrong on a personal level.

Regarding your posting troubles on the music threads, I hope nobody is doing this maliciously. Could be they are just trying to annoy you, but it could be likely they are 'drunk-posting'.  I doubt it would be due to them having you on 'block' -- I mean how likely could it be, out of all the music video choices, they'd  randomly choose what you just posted.   Anyway, my motto is.... never assume malicious intent when stupidity is more likely the cause!    

Edited October 15, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Chroma Starlight]

35 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:

I can agree that blocking another is not the best or ideal solution, but sometimes it's necessary. Really, it's a good basic definition of the self and what is healthy for that self -- what we choose to either let into our lives or refuse admittance. Sometimes when others can't control their anger and calling you names it's best to just to hang up the phone. 'Blocking' means different things to different people, and I think we need to consider these meanings before judging whether 'blocking' in and of itself is wrong on a personal level.

Regarding your posting troubles on the music threads, I hope nobody is doing this maliciously. Could be they are just trying to annoy you, but it could be likely they are 'drunk-posting'.  I doubt it would be due to them having you on 'block' -- I mean how likely could it be, out of all the music video choices, they'd  randomly choose what you just posted.   Anyway, my motto is.... never assume malicious intent when stupidity if more likely the cause!    

Anger is just a lower frequency energy that flows more from the mind than from the heart. But if you focus on the anger and ignore the source or reason for that emotion, and create barriers for yourself to ever understand or close that gap, you've created the environment likely to nurture apartheid, and you express the idea that they're somehow less than human because they've suffering injury or injustice (real or perceived) and feel pain as a result. Any answer that is not love is the wrong answer.

The music double post thing was never a big deal, it was just that I'd be upset if I started a thread and someone who was ignoring me came on it to start microaggressions. It was illustrative of another point. But I'm happy to talk about it if people are that interested, maybe it illuminates the idea that there could be other forms of art at play between the notes.

That motto rings hollow on a macro scale in the shadow of the illiberal occupied US Federal government. Belief in the farce of incompetence when that amount of money is at stake? Perhaps the problem is me and is that I just don't have enough credulity remaining within me. By making increasingly apparent lies and promoting false worldviews since Colin Powell's white vial held up before the United Nations justifying the invasion and occupation of Iraq on the basis of chemical or nuclear weapons threats that never actually existed, they have made themselves utterly non-credible to us citizens and to all the world.

The moment anyone in their hierarchy goes against the money, they're sidelined. Everything is willful, intents are being realized, very little said about it is truthful, trusted voices in journalism who should know better culpably participate in the building of a world constructed with unsound bricks and untrue memes. As far as individuals are concerned, though, you're right; most harm in the world emerges from ignorance, not malice. Though malice can also promote ignorance, so it's not always black and white.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Chroma Starlight

[Luna Bliss]

5 minutes ago, Chroma Starlight said:

Anger is just a lower frequency energy that flows more from the mind than from the heart. But if you focus on the anger and ignore the source or reason for that emotion, and create barriers for yourself to ever understand or close that gap, you've created the environment likely to nurture apartheid, and you express the idea that they're somehow less than human because they've suffering injury or injustice (real or perceived) and feel pain as a result. Any answer that is not love is the wrong answer.

I can agree with that on a cosmic level.  However, we have to take into account that many others are functioning at a more unconscious level, and so attempting to bring patterns into consciousness would open up a Pandora's box not appropriate for a forum.

Like I implied before, there are many reasons one might feel the need to block another.  If it's to punish another or assert that the other has no value then I agree it's not the best option.  But if it's to minimize chaos either for the self or whole and solutions would be unlikely then it's a wise decision.  The latter is not a lack of love but instead an action attempting to creating a more loving and balanced environment.

[Luna Bliss]

13 minutes ago, Chroma Starlight said:

That motto rings hollow in the shadow of the illiberal occupied US Federal government. Belief in the farce of incompetence when that amount of money is at stake defies all credulity. The moment they went against the money, they'd be sidelined. Everything is willful, very little said about it is truthful, trusted voices in journalism who should know better culpably participate in the building of a world constructed with unsound bricks and untrue memes.

The motto was meant to be applied to people who post on the internet -- not to what's happening politically in our collapsing world..

[Rowan Amore]

Priceless.

[Luna Bliss]

23 minutes ago, Chroma Starlight said:

As far as individuals are concerned, though, you're right; most harm in the world emerges from ignorance, not malice. Though malice can also promote ignorance, so it's not always black and white.

Still watching the confirmation hearing for Amy Cony Barrett atm, as I listen to these senators speaking I'm having trouble knowing just which it is, or in what proportion! lol

 

[Garnet Psaltery]

So does anyone care what the topic was actually about or shall I just put up an 'Abandon All Hope' sign?  It's so drowned in irrelevance now that the mods won't touch it.

[Rowan Amore]

Since nothing relevant has been posted in 5 hours, I'd say abandon hope all ye who enter here.

[Gatogateau]

Don't take it personally, Garnet, most threads start coming apart after about the 3rd page, so this one has "done good."

I say: Cat pictures!

 

[Sassy Kenin]

Abandon Cat is not amused!

Edited October 15, 2020 by Sassy Kenin

[Eddy Vortex]

How you vote comes down to how much you want to watch the world burn.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Eddy Vortex

[Gatogateau]

ON TOPIC-ISH!

I was already registered to vote, so that was a moot point. I already commented upon why I don't think "here's how to register" is a political statement. (OK, it is, a little, but not political-political.)

Yup, it was easy. A straight, downballot, single party vote. Check, check, check. Of course it was GOP... Except for the one 3rd party candidate who was endorsed by my peeps at the KKK.

(serious sarcasm there: a notice for the sarcasm impaired)

But still ... cats:

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Gatogateau

[Arielle Popstar]

On 10/12/2020 at 1:54 PM, Luna Bliss said:

Ceka I don't like either party either -- for ages the Democrats have thrown the poor people, the underdogs, under the bus. But for this election, the Democrats are providing more protections for the underdogs you're claiming to care about -- in the form of continued health insurance.  Why isn't this enough to vote for them?  No party will ever be perfect, but one party, in this election, will save lives.

A common definition for insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. An extension of that would be trusting/voting for the same person (party) over and over again expecting them to do differently than what they have in the past. By your own admission one would have to be insane to again trust the US democratic party to actually follow up on what has hitherto been nothing but empty promises.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Arielle Popstar
spelling

[Gatogateau]

Interesting (to me), GiGi has more people on her block list than Seicher does. ? Here I thought the biped was the grumpety one. Just a screenshot from this thread...

[Rowan Amore]

[Chroma Starlight]

1 hour ago, Arielle Popstar said:

A common definition for insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. An extension of that would be trusting/voting for the same person (party) over and over again expecting them to do differently than what they have in the past. By your own admission one would have to be insane to again the trust the US democratic party to actually follow up on what has hitherto been nothing but empty promises.

I have health insurance right now because of efforts to deliver on those promises in spite of all that energy and money directed at negating them. The coverage just started two weeks ago, just in time actually to make sure there was no gap in coverage. That's pretty important to me, especially now that a sneeze might send me to the ICU, nevermind that I may just also depend upon medicine and access to healthcare for some pretty important things that are inseparably essential to my wellness the rest of my life.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Chroma Starlight

[Garnet Psaltery]

I give up.  I already said more than once that my topic was not a complaint about there being a political blog post per se.

[Ceka Cianci]

[Arielle Popstar]

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/jul/12/dead-cat-gets-voter-registration-application-mail/

[Luna Bliss]

13 hours ago, Arielle Popstar said:

On 10/12/2020 at 12:54 PM, Luna Bliss said:

Ceka I don't like either party either -- for ages the Democrats have thrown the poor people, the underdogs, under the bus. But for this election, the Democrats are providing more protections for the underdogs you're claiming to care about -- in the form of continued health insurance.  Why isn't this enough to vote for them?  No party will ever be perfect, but one party, in this election, will save lives.

A common definition for insanity is trying the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. An extension of that would be trusting/voting for the same person (party) over and over again expecting them to do differently than what they have in the past. By your own admission one would have to be insane to again trust the US democratic party to actually follow up on what has hitherto been nothing but empty promises.

The Democrats have not done enough to protect the underdogs -- the poor and the working class -- but they did deliver big time when they created Obamacare (ACA - Affordable Care Act) during the Obama-Biden term. When I say they threw the underdogs under the bus I'm saying they haven't done enough to protect the poor, but I'm not claiming at all that they only have empty promises as you are assuming.

I'm also speaking directly to Ceka at the point you quoted, and assuming her concerns are the loss of manufacturing jobs in her area of the country (or in adjacent states). I agree this hollowing out of the middle-class is an important issue, as those who had decent middle-class jobs were forced into poverty as neo-liberalism increasingly gained ascendance when factories were allowed to close jobs and relocate overseas. Enough of those forced into poverty due to job loss detached from the Democrats who are supposed to support the working class, and they placed their hopes in Trump -- this is likely the primary reason Trump won.

Anyway, this hollowing out of the middle-class is an ongoing pattern stretching back 50 years or more, and has increased as neo-liberalism gained traction under both parties. I expected the Democrats, who typically stand for the underdogs, to do something about it. As I said, they haven't done enough, but they've done a lot of good things I shouldn't ignore. They've made progress in providing affordable health insurance for millions of Americans -- this has saved lives as 30,000 people each year in the US die from lack of affordable health insurance. It didn't go far enough in that it didn't cover everyone, but Biden's plan with a public option will not leave out any poor person, while allowing those who prefer their current health insurance plan to keep it.

As I've stated before, I'd be dead without the ACA as I surely couldn't have afforded insurance costing $800.00 to $1300.00 monthly and was allowed to pay an amount based on my yearly income. ACA paid for an expensive medication that saved my life.

We also shouldn't forget the social gains the Democrats pushed through -- marriage equality for the LGBTQ community, protections for the Trans community, the Violence Against Women Act, continued support for Affirmative Action, abortion rights for women, and much much more. Truly they are the party that believes in rights for all and not just the wealthy, white, straight male. I just want more from them.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Luna Bliss

[Ceka Cianci]

A Democrat and a Republican walk into a bar..

The bartender say's.. Damn,That had to hurt!

[Rowan Amore]

[Kyrie Deka]

I keep reading thread last pages, then forgetting what the thread title I clicked in to was about.  Until the election, all roads lead to this discussion, and I sure do get that. Dear God let's take care of social problems, color it grey, show some humanity and compassion and be freakin superstar human beings already i say. People hurting and needing that now, two decades ago, 2021, are purple.

[Luna Bliss]

9 minutes ago, Kyrie Deka said:

I keep reading thread last pages, then forgetting what the thread title I clicked in to was about.  Until the election, all roads lead to this discussion, and I sure do get that. Dear God let's take care of social problems, color it grey, show some humanity and compassion and be freakin superstar human beings already i say. People hurting and needing that now, two decades ago, 2021, are purple.

Well, reading History we see that when the wealthy squeeze the poor and working class too far a revolt occurs. I think we've reached that point. I don't believe in the holiness of the Democrat party of course, but I think they finally have some leverage with these wealthy people trying to take too much  --  it's obvious from the chaos here that no more can be taken.  It's unfortunate that it takes a revolution to allow more for the lower echelons of society as chaos and death is always a part of it.

[Luna Bliss]

13 hours ago, Chroma Starlight said:

I have health insurance right now

You've alluded to the transnational wealthy that pull the strings. I've been reading about other 1st world countries that managed to resist to a degree.  For example, they have health care and affordable education in these other countries at least.  Why do you think the US was not able to resist as well? Do you have any idea?  Is the cause our strange type of government so much more fractured than these other countries, or our overly-individualistic mindset so prevalent from the beginning years when the country formed?  Anything else you can point to?

I've been reading about how these other (mostly) European countries, having experienced fascism, were intent on never experiencing it again, and so developed programs (health care, education, extended maternity leave times, and more) which kept their people happier (happy people are less likely to succumb to autocracy).

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Luna Bliss