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Comments
I was a total 'undesirable'.
;biggrin
Trump clarifies his comments, claiming he was referring generally to crime in Sweden and its being committed by immigrants, not to a specific terror attack. He got his information about rising crime rates and who committed the crime from
a state department briefingsomething he saw on TV.So (a) he got the wrong end of the stick while watching TV. (b) He didn't bother to even check if what he thought he heard was what was said. (c) He took the information presented in he TV programme at face value and didn't get it fact-checked.
He 'announced' it to bolster his argument that immigrants from 'the Muslim world' are criminals and terrorists.
Now his supporters are claiming Sweden is covering up immigrant crimes, and that he's right. Despite Sweden denying it. ;doh
Is half of America on the Wacky Backy ?
Any chance of Orwell's War or the worlds being newsread on Fox? ;yercoat
What it may lead to is a reappraisal of democracy for as I have always said Democracy is not all it's made out to be as it becomes a lever for which information providers to further their agenda, whilst this has been recognised by many since it's inception what has changed is that democracy is being skewed even more lately as social media means everyone can become an information provider without any checks and balances with regard truth, opinion and downright propaganda. Some parties are becoming expert at using this new window fully and I read recently that many fake news stories were emanating from Macadonia, almost like a headquarters for a behind the scenes organisation or figure (bit like wapping when the sun moved I guess). The longer it takes us to bring into the open and be brave enough to say we have a problem with democracy here due to the above the longer we will have issues such as Donald Trump.
An interesting one is Russia, if you actually look into it there is a lot of propaganda going both ways its almost impossible to tell what is fact and fiction because both sides just pile on stories that doubt one another.
He hates the media so much and doesn't trust them to report the truth, but sees something on TV and takes it at face value?
Either he is a massive liar, or a massive idiot. Maybe both, actually.
Fox News, being quite right wing, probably gets his ;ok more than other outlets.
Talking of Russia try Sunday's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver". Really, really funny (if a little bit sweary.....
Nothing wrong with democracy. It`s the current system of democracy, its representatives, and more importantly who they represent, I.E. the billionaires and the movers and shakers of Capitalism, that is the problem. The tendency is to want less democracy. To be ruled over by "those that really know", the experts, the professionals, people that have made something of themselves, who understand how big business and international relations work, you know, people like Trump and Blair. Our system of democracy is a sham, it doesn`t matter who you have in charge, Trump, Obama, Blair, Farage etc etc etc, they are all working for the same people, not us, but themselves and the tiny tiny minority who are perceived to make the World tick. In my view we need more democracy, not less. Centralised power, in any way shape or form, and however dressed up, fails. We pay people to mess up our lives and take us into wars, it almost seems too absurd to be true. I think our current way of doing things is wrong, I think people have recognised that our current way of doing things is wrong, the unfortunate consequence, given that there are no REAL alternatives, is this lurch to the right. The populist parties have identified "with the masses" and people have fallen for it. The idea that the billionaire Trump and his bunch of billionaire chums are the answer is bonkers. They are part of the problem , not the solution. Since the latest collapse of Capitalism ordinary people have had it tough. Who to blame??? The banks, the system, the "leaders of the free World", oligarchs, large multinationals, corrupt officials, greed??? No, lets blame immigrants, foreigners. Trump may last four years, Le Pen may win in France, that Dutch freak with the hair may win in Holland. To be honest I don`t think it really matters, after Trump we may have Hilary, or perhaps Michelle Obama, but we will still have a power system controlled by the few for the few. The Trump and Brexit results have got the mainstream worried, people have actually questioned peoples intelligence and their ability to process information. The current elites have seriously questioned whether the majority of people should have any say in what happens to their lives at all, if it is a mistake to let people vote. That is the scary thing, not Trump or Brexit. But the idea that "the masses" can no longer "cope". What their alternative is I have no idea. But I should imagine it allies itself pretty much with what Trump is currently doing, running things how he sees fit. Hardly progressive. We do need an alternative, but not one that excludes the masses but one that includes the masses. I know that my beliefs are not popular and seem way more scary than the status quo. But for an alternative way of doing things, that doesn`t include the "A" word, (but is pretty close to a society that I would like to see) I stumbled upon this site over the weekend. I think that the current crop of politicians that aren`t allied to the "hard right" should start looking at REAL alternatives to our current sham.
http://www.participatoryeconomics.info/introduction/
I agree there are no real alternatives because the benevolent dictator is a bit like a unicorn and we have tried that through our monarchy of old which didn't work out well. I think democracy needs reigning in through control of the information in as best way possible (which might not be too effective). What I find hard at present is the relentless call of 'will of the people' as if democracy is infallible. Essentially if the wrong information or fake news is put in to the machine a result comes out that may not be in the national or global interest and I feel this happened with Trump. The problem is you cannot scrutinise why someone voted and to suggest someone voted with only the most cursory nod to red top headlines and pub chat is again and should not be able to vote without first considering the issue properly due to it's implication and seriousness is again something you are not really allowed to say.
I would ideally like everyone who votes to have spent time researching, weighing and measuring the information from which an informed view can be taken, so that whatever that view is it is worthy of being counted. The information needs controlling so fake news is eradicated and opinion is not dressed up as fact.
This is why in theory we have parliaments and congress, lords and senate as we select these people to do the weighing of information for us and pay them to take the time to do it. But that's was what happened with Trump, he won the republican nomination and then the public vote, yet appears completely out of his depth.
I really don't know what the answer is but I am saddened by the direction headed, the thought of Le Pen, Farage (he will be back ) and Wilders being mainstream politicians with large support bases would have been unthinkable not so long ago.
Like you, I haven`t got a clue what the answers are, but I don`t see politicians from the main parties offering any real alternatives which is why I think people should be looking at alternatives outside of traditional politics. The problem is, and this is where the media play their part, anyone who suggests anything a little different to the current perceived norms is generally shot down and vilified, and that goes for anyone who is labelled as extreme left or extreme right.
I lost trust in traditional politicians and traditional solutions years ago. And nothing I have seen from the current crop of politicians and World leaders will convince me otherwise. All as mad as a box of frogs. And as Yeold says above, dangerous.
"Not whether we accomplish Anarchism today, tomorrow, or within ten centuries, but that we walk towards Anarchism today, tomorrow and always."
Did you see the Ikea one?
Suze, 1 Allen key. ;lol
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/02/21/riots-erupt-in-swedens-capital-just-days-after-trump-comments/?utm_term=.46e701061156