World In a Nut Shell

[JimmyinSD]

Its amazing how few people see this and understand its a two way street.  We all sit in judgement of each other without recognizing that we too are guilty of many of the same offenses,  but are reassured of our righteousness by our chosen sources of information.

[Zanary]

Hence, my absolute hatred for "echo chamber news outlets". Well, that and their penchants for re-wrapping fiction or near-fiction to garner outrage clickbait.

We have a page on this site with something like 29 pages of links that cement my point.

[badgervike]

I used to say that the hardcore Democrats and hardcore Republicans consisted of 20% each of the population with 60% in between. The two party system would make most people in the middle select the lesser of two evils. When news went from 30 min a day to a 24hr news cycle...that all started to change. Instead of condensing straight news into a small time frame...news organization would have to offer a lot of editorial to fill the time. We also had a massive expansion in Internet news...primarily based on again..that 24 hour news cycle. As you said, you can pretty much customize your news feed today to only give you exactly what you want in terms of news slant. What's you dial that it...there's even more extreme Right or Left sights available..and people's viewpoints have taken on the extremes. Add all of that to a basic lack of civility and entitlement we're seeing in this Country...and it's a toxic mess.

It's funny to watch some of my very Liberal friends come to grips with Biden's dementia / age issues as they are shocked at "how fast it happened". The reality is that he was significantly diminished during the 2020 election but was given duck and cover by a willing MSM..and Covid.

I find that I now have to go to a number of sources of information to try to find the real truth. I so miss Walter Cronkite telling me "that's the way it was" every night...because...that's the way it was.

[JimmyinSD]

You want something interesting to listen too??  Some of you older guys may remember this from your youth.... but holy crap batman!!!  to hell with Nostradamus,  listen to how prophetic Paul Harvey hits the future with this piece.

https://youtu.be/jnPE8u5ONls?si=4AhJQS-4QRNFfWpC

[purplefaithful]

Couldnt agree more...

The media is an amplifier for division and mis-trust in our country. Neither side wants to hear a word of what the other is saying.

Social media makes it even worse. 

We're quick as a society to label right or wrong, woke or racist. You name it, we do it.

All that said, I still believe that the majority of Americans are not fringe left or right - but in the middle

They want safety for their families
Good Education 
Affordable, quality healthcare 
To practice their religion in peace
Respect for first responders
Not being taxed to death

There's probably more I could list that wont rattle the left or right too much... 

[badgervike]

We're quick as a society to label right or wrong, woke or racist. You name it, we do it.

Did you really equate being called woke with being called a racist?

Here's the Wiki definition of woke:

Woke is a political slang adjective derived from African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) originally meaning alertness to racial prejudice and discrimination.[1] Beginning in the 2010s, it came to encompass a broader awareness of social inequalities such as racial injustice, sexism, and denial of LGBT rights.

So...the issue in being called woke is that you care too much about the "oppressed" unlike the hood wearing guys on the other side and their Grand Dragon?

Here's Congresswoman Marcia Fudge with a t-shirt



Seems to me she's quite proud of wokeness.  Funny that I don't see any GOP Congress members with a Stay Racist message as it is apparently the moral equivalency to be callled Woke.

People can disagree with others on policy...that doesn't make them a racist.  That's one of the most hateful things you can call someone.  It continues in spades with Trump.  90 day travel ban from hostile countries during conflict is a racist Muslim travel ban...even though it didn't affect the largest Muslim countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, etc.  Travel ban for China at the beginning of Covid...could only be about racism...not protecting the population.  (Btw...think you probably want to go gentle on the Asian population if you're on the left as they almost single handedly destroy the White privilege narrative).  Sealing the border...yep..no reason to do that either except for racism.

The claims of racism roll easily off the the tongues of those on the left today.  Imagine that from the party of Jim Crow.  

I don't know how we get people to once again have honest and substantiative discussions without this dishonest partisan nonsense. but it will be the continued decline of this great Country if we can't find a way.

[purplefaithful]

It really doesnt matter to me what wikipedia defines woke as or if we find pix of people proudly displaying their support of the notions and wearing it with a badge of honor.

What matters to me is how I feel about it.

And as the parent of a transgender daughter, trust me when I say "woke" cuts my wife and I deep and hard. The whole trans issue (or trans shit as its been referred to in this forum) is incredibly complex, one that parents are not at all trained for. Frankly it scares the crap out of many of us and saddens our lives to see the hate and the marginalization.

All that said Badger, I do enjoy your takes and respect for both sides of the aisle. I suspect we both hope there is more reconciliation vs vitriol for our country tomorrow.

[Zanary]

The extremists need to be reined in, by all parties involved. As has been pointed out by many people many times, the internet has given everyone a voice...with no editors to cut down on inaccuracies, redundancies, full-on manipulations, propaganda, etc. So, we're all swimming in oceans of digital s**t.

I don't have any trans kids, but two of my oldest, dearest, closest friends do...and seeing everything they've dealt with, still deal with, and balancing that with my own beliefs/convictions and what I can try to find in anything like neutral scientific sources, is brutally wearing on the heart and mind.

I love the kids, I've known them their whole lives, held them as babies. That's unchanging. I've known their characters, and those of their parents forever...so, none of the psycho-babble matters in comparison. At the same time, I believe in keeping women's sports reserved for "biological" women...so some subjects get pretty dicey.

Joys of 21st century adulting!

Right now, I'm most suspicious of anyone demanding their group of Americans hate another, and that their figurehead(s) receive special treatment. Sadly, the usual suspects and the usual fan clubs apply.

[badgervike]

It really doesnt matter to me what wikipedia defines woke as or if we find pix of people proudly displaying their support of the notions and wearing it with a badge of honor.

What matters to me is how I feel about it.

And as the parent of a transgender daughter, trust me when I say "woke" cuts my wife and I deep and hard. The whole trans issue (or trans shit as its been referred to in this forum) is incredibly complex, one that parents are not at all trained for. Frankly it scares the crap out of many of us and saddens our lives to see the hate and the marginalization.

All that said Badger, I do enjoy your takes and respect for both sides of the aisle. I suspect we both hope there is more reconciliation vs vitriol for our country tomorrow.

I wasn't aware of that PF.  That's a tough journey.  Good luck to all of you!  I used to volunteer at a homeless shelter in Madison and certainly know a handful that have taken that journey.  I'd recommend some resources but I've been out of the game for 4 years so you could probably school me.

My sincere hope is that she is treated with respect and grace as she faces the many challenges in front of her as I would hope for the same for everyone else.

I think most of the Trans "shit" discussed on this forum centers around athletics and the nonsense that goes on in schools without parent's knowledge or consent.  Parents are responsible for their children...period.

As I would hope for respect and grace for your daughter, I would expect the same from the Trans community and their supporters regarding Women's sports.  Girls / Women deserve the opportunity to compete fairly against other girls / women.  Trans girls who transition after puberty simply are stronger than girls / women and have an inherent advantage.. particularly those that only identify as a women like that kid in Washington state that won the girls high school championship and told the girls they needed to work harder.  I also have issues with biological males in locker room / shower situations as should all parents.  

I moved to Madison in 1994 as a VP for a large tech company and had my first experience with a Trans person.  One of the male engineers that had been with the company for 20 years had begun the transition to female.  Madison is a very liberal community so that by itself wasn't that big a deal.  The issue was the company had an onsite health club with a gym, racketball courts and mens and womens locker rooms.  The transitioning engineer was an active user of the health club and wanted to use the Women's locker rooms.  There were a lot of female employees that threatened to sue if the company allowed that to happen.  A Madison civil rights attorney took up the case pro bono.  I was put in charge of trying to resolve the situation (along with our attorneys).  We offered to eliminate the office for the health facility and build a unisex, individual shower facility to accommodate this individual as well as any other that were uncomfortable with showering in communal type showers.  It was also wheelchair accessible (yea...in a health club).  The civil rights attorney was having no part of the accommodation.  We were stuck in the middle with no way out.  We eventually were forced to close the facility.  Btw - The engineer left the company shortly after we closed the facility due to backlash from other employees about the loss of the health club (which was a big benefit to many of the employees). We had already sold the equipment and begun to repurpose the space so no turning back. The Civil Rights attorney never saw a camera he didn't like which meant we were also interviewed very regularly on local news. Everybody knew that we had worked to accommodate.

Bottom line is I hope the best for your daughter.  Hopefully, you've raised her to be strong...she'll need it.  Good luck my friend.

[purplefaithful]

You are correct, its been one hell of a journey. i've found myself needing to council a # of parents/peers regarding their families/kids along the way and still do today. 

Super tricky to navigate and as a parent when they are younger? Tough, tough, tough. 

With my daughter now 31, we are further down the road than many. Even with my experience and perspective, I would have a hard time today navigating that 13-18 year old range. After that? They are adult and make their own call. As a dad or mom, how do you discern whats real vs a fad/phase as they grow and mature???

Sadly too many parents cant navigate those waters or just turn their backs on these kids. Thats the recipe for tragedies. 

Appreciate the well wishes, she is resilient, beautiful and lives in LA. An artist whose kindness truly is a gift for many around her.

SKOL