Yeah, I somehow didn’t really get just how many kinds of genius he was until recent years. I always liked his stuff, but I somehow never paid enough attention to get that smidge of countercultury gen-x (He’s a boomer, but we’ll give him an honorary position) “I see your bullshit” attitude that sneaks in from time to time.

Edit: This is another great one. It takes a bit of a left turn or two… https://youtu.be/urglg3WimHA

It’s crazy how they’re completely ignoring any substance of the debate and solely focusing on appearances. It’s almost like that’d favour a populist candidate or something.

I thought Biden seemed a little worse than you did, but I mostly agree with you. There’s no possible thing that could happen now that would make me cast any vote that might assist Trump getting in regardless. BUT, it’s absolutely legitimate that folks should have an opinion about not only the health of the President today, but his likely health at the end of his next term. I think they really amplified it in the post-debate coverage beyond what was reasonable or wise, but I do think it’s a reasonable concern for someone to have.

I think the problem was partly Biden, but that was made much worse by the fact that I don’t think I’ve ever seen Trump sound more coherent.

Yes, he still lied, and yes he’s still Trump. But it wasn’t like the 2020 debate, and it wasn’t like his recent ridiculous rantings about Hannibal Lector, etc… This was the closest thing to a functioning adult I’ve seen Trump look since he entered politics, and meanwhile about the worst I’ve personally seen Biden come off.

I disagree with the meme in OP because Trump voters must be gleeful today. How could they not be? They believe everything he said, so they just saw their guy being the best he can be and Biden being nearly the worst he can be.

However, I also think this is recoverable if Trump returns to form in the next debate, especially if Biden has more spring in his step. Maybe he had a cold? (seriously I wondered if he was under the weather)

It might effectively trigger people like you. Maybe that’s a reflection of your own inability to create wealth for yourself.

I had to stop when you started in with the ad hom like you did against the other guy.

My parting tip to you - if you assume that the only way people could disagree with you is if they are failures in life, that’s a fairly shallow and myopic view.

Challenge yourself to imagine what you could actually do to deserve to be one of those 8 people in the meme. (Try to think more specifically than ‘work really hard.’) You are one of 8 people who collectively hold more wealth than the next 3.6 Billion combined. Many of those 3.6 billion are suffering. What exactly could you have done that makes that a deserving position to be in? And has anyone alive done that thing?

Good day to you.

Microsoft has gone too far:

Just now, with this?

Not only is Welfare not Socialism, but this person has stolen far less from the Workers than Capitalists do every single day.

Why is this so hard to get for people?

Socialism isn’t all bad, but generally wants to redistribute resources to people that might not necessarily deserve it.

Everyone deserves to eat, to have access to clean water, to have a roof over our heads, to have our physical and mental health needs met, and access to a quality education. All these are enablers to become what you define as “deserving” and are also good for society at large.

NO ONE has worked hard enough to deserve a billion dollars, and they certainly don’t deserve it because their parents supposedly did. The hoarding by those people (and IMO anyone in the “hundreds of millions” category) is the reason artificial scarcity of water, food, and healthcare exists, and why secondary education is unobtainable for many, and things like UBI and single-payer healthcare look unsustainable to folks who don’t want to support those measures anyway.

These are people who could continue to live fantastic amazing lifestyles that most of us can only dream about, even if they gave huge sums in taxes to help the common good.

You also seem to suggest that everyone who works hard is deserving. Plenty of hard working people live in poverty, and deserve the things I listed even by the most cold-hearted conservative standard.

Edit - I’m going to pick just ONE thing: UBI

In the past few years, aided no doubt by the economic consequences wrought by the pandemic, centuries of theory have at last been put to the test. A few dozen cities across the country have begun basic-income programs, and the early results have been overwhelmingly positive. In Denver, more than 800 of the city’s most vulnerable residents received monthly stipends of up to $1,000. So far the program has reduced homelessness, increased employment, and bolstered the mental-health outcomes of participants. A similar program in Stockton, California, had similar effects — the unemployment rate among the 125 participants was nearly halved. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania studying the program concluded it could have “profound positive impacts on local public health.”

https://www.businessinsider.com/universal-basic-income-works-red-state-blue-state-2023-10?op=1

https://gizmodo.com/universal-basic-income-has-been-tried-over-and-over-aga-1851255547

https://globalaffairs.org/bluemarble/multiple-countries-have-tested-universal-basic-income-and-it-works

The biggest problem I see - folks hung up on what people “deserve.” I got news for you - no one deserves to be a billionaire. No one.

No idea why they’d think that…

How is it possible to be a member of the pre-civil-rights generation of white people and be so oblivious as to

• DON A SHIRT that says in huge letters “Blacks for Trump”
• Wear it in public
• To an event ostensibly targeted to black people
• Willingly pose for a picture wearing it with no black people in evidence except those laughing at you or giving you the side eye from a distance.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0362153/

She pretty much created her own bad reputation. Not just from this show, but it definitely cemented it. There was also a sex tape scandal, but I think it was wrong to slutshame someone for something like that even back then.

Her main reputation was always vapid, filthy rich, snotty socialite - she was hardly the first, but she might have been the first we got to watch in a seasons-long reality show.

Edited to add - if that stuff was all an intentional move to bring shame on her family for how they mistreated her growing up, I’m now her biggest cheerleader.

Beats me, but I’m not ready to assume literally every black owned media company was late unless CNN explicitly says that, which was NOT explicitly said in the article. The article cites one that was late.

I only have the same article you do. I’m just not the one assuming The Atlanta Black Star is the only black-owned media outlet, or that every black owned media outlet was late.

Context would lead me to think there must be at least ten, or this demand would make little sense. But that’s a lower boundary.

Rep. Meeks also called on CNN to “immediately to credential a minimum of ten Black-owned media outlets

And also, I would imagine that they aren’t doing this bit of not-enough just for The Atlanta Black Star alone:

Hours before the debate, the Biden campaign will host a press briefing for members of Black-owned media.

There very well could be a legitimate thing going on here, but until CNN says “every black owned media outlet turned in their application late” I’m not going to assume that based off a sample size of one.

Fuckin’ A right.

Yep. When I got out of bed this morning I would not have predicted this would be the day I’d have respect or sympathy for Paris Hilton.

All of 'em huh? One single media entity is mentioned in that quote. However:

“This afternoon we learned that CNN has credentialed 800 members of the media for the first presidential debate of the election cycle. Not one represents a Black-owned media outlet."

It’s still an example of the American Christian mentality, even if this example is in Australia. Like Trump supporters are examples of the Nazi mentality even though they aren’t actually–ok bad example there.

It’s this absurd country of “Christian” values, except not the part of caring for others, “fuck that socialism hippie shit, except for Russia, which is cool now because they meddle in our elections…

Yeah, they don’t like that be nice to others, love thy neighbor, turn the other cheek stuff anymore.

And that’s not just a quip: An evangelical leader is warning that conservative Christians are now rejecting the teachings of Jesus as “liberal talking points.”

Unless your fiancee is also a homophobic bigot as a central component to her personality, then she’s probably OK with it.

I don’t support banning memes or the news either, but they aren’t under attack currently.