Current Vice-Presidential Debate (RANT)

Ali_Roz · 2020-10-08 01:25:00

So, because of this vice presidential debate, the university my youngest sister goes to is closed to students for two weeks, so she's back home (which I don't mind, because I miss her otherwise), and so now my sisters are watching the debate. This means I have to go into a different room and mess around on my school laptop, because the desktop-for-playing-games is in the room where they're watching.

I removed Steam and all my non-Steam games from this laptop when the semester started.

I don't want to be political, but I am absolutely livid that this is still happening, because, what with the audiences and crowds that such an event implies, these events are, in my opinion, GENUINELY BAD FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

But I guess I SHOULDN'T CARE, because all that matters is HAVING A STRONG AND VIGOROUS DEBATE, because apparently the fact that our society is obsessive-compulsive about its political rituals to the extent of self-harm is supposed to be a good thing.

Princess Alice · 2020-10-08 01:28:42

I'm with you. Having gatherings of any kind during the pandemic, masks or no masks, is a recipe for disaster.

Ali_Roz · 2020-10-08 02:20:10

Also, people always cite the Lincoln-Douglas debates as examples of a significant tradition of political debate as a legitimate thing in American history and culture.

First off, comparing current politicians to Abraham Lincoln irks me for reasons of NONE OF YOU ARE WORTHY OF SUCH A COMPARISON, and comparing current politicians to Steven A. Douglas irks me for reasons of "POPULAR SOVERENITY" IS AN ABOMINABLE COMPROMISE THAT SACRIFICES THE RIGHTS OF MAN ON THE ALTAR OF PEACE (even if Douglas believed sincerely that, once it was up to a vote in each state, the states would vote to abolish slavery, it still is a position that sees the pro-slavery vote as a valid vote rather than a crime against the basic dignity of humanity).

Second off, the current level of discourse is brain-meltingly stupid and it feels disingenuous to equate a rhetoric form based in hours-long speeches to our modern meme-dominated sound-byte-driven oratory.

Ali_Roz · 2020-10-08 02:25:18

Third off, nobody wears hats at these debates.

Princess Alice · 2020-10-08 02:27:51

Honestly, I decided to just not watch any of the debates this year. It's not as if there's anything Trump or Pence could say at this point that would possibly make me want to vote for him.

Incidentally, I filled out my ballot yesterday. Now I just need to make sure it gets mailed...

glennmagusharvey · 2020-10-08 02:51:17

I missed most of tonight's debate.

I didn't actually plan on watching any of the debates, but someone turned on the first one while I was in the room and that turned out to be an unexpectedly hilarious trainwreck. Unfortunately, that also caused me to be late with finishing the stuff I was trying to do that evening.

The little bit I saw of tonight's was that it seemed rather boring, like the usual.

Salix Babylonika · 2020-10-08 13:11:57

Mami Tomoe said:
Honestly, I decided to just not watch any of the debates this year. It's not as if there's anything Trump or Pence could say at this point that would possibly make me want to vote for him.

☝

glennmagusharvey · 2020-10-08 15:43:25

I only realized after the fact that I missed the fly who stole the show.

Obā-san · 2020-10-08 15:49:36

I've just done my best to not pay attention to politics, there's only one semi-meaningful way I can interact with it in, I already know how to do that + it's straightforward, best to focus any energies I would be frittering away on worrying about these things on me and mine imho

Anonus · 2020-10-08 16:06:31

as an LGBTQ person of color I can't afford not to care

Salix Babylonika · 2020-10-08 16:08:11

Anonus said:
as an LGBTQ person of color I can't afford not to care

I would urge you to consider what "caring" looks like to you and if it's actually helping you at all.

glennmagusharvey · 2020-10-08 16:24:47

I care about politics but I really don't care to have politics news blared at me all the time. Which sometimes happens at my dinner table.

Like, yes, Trump or one of his allies did something outrageously wrong, this keeps happening, I know, I don't need to have this fact emphasized to me.

I've already become kinda numb to outrage; I just need to know how it'll impact us, I just need to know what we can do about it, and if we can't do anything, I just need to know who to support to undo that, or maybe I can help with that last step since I am very deep in the weeds as far as downballot elections go.

Obā-san · 2020-10-08 16:40:37

pretty much what homura said I mean we're all weirdo outcast fags here ykno?

I like to keep the serenity prayer in mind, "the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Anonus · 2020-10-08 17:18:22

Homura Akemi said:

Anonus said:
as an LGBTQ person of color I can't afford not to care
I would urge you to consider what "caring" looks like to you and if it's actually helping you at all.

the thing about the Trump presidency is that typing his name into Google and scanning the headlines for his latest outrage felt, in and of itself, like fulfilling a civic duty

it's slacktivism, I know...and it's so draining

Anonus · 2020-10-08 17:18:51

also I hang out with a loooot of radicals

Crystal · 2020-10-08 17:32:07

radicals

I feel, it's important to at times regularly consider how the degree of extremity or lack thereof is not necessarily a 1:1 ratio of activism, and at that, meaningful work which by God I cannot call doomscrolling (which is really emotional self-harm with a shiny gilded coat).

Salix Babylonika · 2020-10-08 17:40:50

Anonus said:

Homura Akemi said:

Anonus said:
as an LGBTQ person of color I can't afford not to care
I would urge you to consider what "caring" looks like to you and if it's actually helping you at all.
the thing about the Trump presidency is that typing his name into Google and scanning the headlines for his latest outrage felt, in and of itself, like fulfilling a civic duty

it's slacktivism, I know...and it's so draining

well, it's not, it's emotional self-harm.

Rin Kokonoe said:
pretty much what homura said I mean we're all weirdo outcast fags here ykno?

I like to keep the serenity prayer in mind, "the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

ah fuck I'm Homura now *resets the timeline*

Crystal · 2020-10-08 17:47:56

reset the world until we get perfect rng

glennmagusharvey · 2020-10-08 19:33:19

savestate abuse FTW

Princess Alice · 2020-10-08 20:04:23

I somehow managed to strike a balance where I can hear about any particularly big news as it happens without letting myself get bogged down in doomscrolling every last bit of "and here's what the Trump administration did to screw people over this week!"

I do consider myself pretty radical—I am an anarchist, after all—but I don't do a lot of activism, largely because I'm so traumatized by my past encounters with the police to ever attend a protest. I guess the cops kind of won, if you look at it that way. *sigh*

Anonus · 2020-10-08 21:55:30

_ said:
radicals
I feel, it's important to at times regularly consider how the degree of extremity or lack thereof is not necessarily a 1:1 ratio of activism, and at that, meaningful work which by God I cannot call doomscrolling (which is really emotional self-harm with a shiny gilded coat).

oh the radicals i hang out with don't seem to be into doomscrolling

Salix Babylonika · 2020-10-08 22:21:52

I don't even know how to respond to that

Princess Alice · 2020-10-08 22:29:15

Me or Lexi?

Salix Babylonika · 2020-10-08 22:34:35

Lexi

Anonus · 2020-10-08 22:38:52

what's the problem?

Ali_Roz · 2020-10-08 23:28:55

It's not that I don't care about the politics, it's that that caring is superseded by my caring about the fact that people are going to die because these gatherings are happening during a pandemic.

And certainly neither Pence nor Harris will be taking responsibility for such, and neither will the broadcast networks who profit from the event, and the financial gain to the University from ticket sales is almost certainly going to be offset by further shutdowns and economic losses to Salt Lake as a whole (not so much from the event itself, as from the fact that many of the students will be coming back after two weeks of being elsewhere).

I also resent the idea that these things are acceptable collateral damage not worth talking about or considering (though, to be fair, I must concede that Salt Lake City and the University of Utah have not been as responsible about traveling and gatherings as they ought to have been, so perhaps to have concern about this and not, for example, restaurants or student parties, is myopic and focusing on motes rather than beams, especially considering that presumably everybody at the debate had masks on).

Anonus · 2020-10-09 01:44:43

They don’t seem to think that just not having them is a good idea

The bourgeoisie has been desperate to get back to normal and have the money machines up and running again since, like, the third week into this, because they’re impatient softies with no concept of the long haul

glennmagusharvey · 2020-10-09 03:51:37

For what it's worth, I've heard that the Commission on Presidential Debates decided unilaterally that the second debate would be held remotely, at which point Trump backed out of it, and apparently it's going to get replaced by Biden talking with the voters.

Ali_Roz · 2020-10-10 01:41:58

Anonus said:
bourgeoisie

Communist terminology? In MY thread? It's more likely than you think.

(Note: this is a jokepost, in reference to a meme. The word bourgeoisie, in its earliest senses, simply means those who dwell in a town/burg/borough, and did not originate with communism.)

Princess Alice · 2020-10-10 05:32:18

You might be surprised at how many people in the Heapsphere consider themselves communists of some kind.

Ali_Roz · 2020-10-11 02:02:11

Naw, I mean, I always knew that when it came down to it, I'd be on the other side from most, if not all, of you guys.

Current Vice-Presidential Debate (RANT)

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