Europe, Boring Until it's Not

[TheReal_ND]

[C-Mag]

And yes, C-Mag is also reasonable, although I disagree with the value he puts on the threat of islamism.

Blame Will Durant.

[SuburbanFarmer]

Bye bye MHF.

Sad to see you go. You're one of the reasonable ones.

And yes, C-Mag is also reasonable, although I disagree with the value he puts on the threat of islamism.

As long as Grumpycatface, ssu, Bjørn, C-Mag and Hastur stays, this will still be a good place though, so I hope you come back.

Hell, even Nukedog and DSL/StA has some great things to say, whenever they put effort in it.

Well thanks, man. Didn't think I had any friends left around here.

[StCapps]

Those recently fleeing the forum due to "the forum degenerating" are among those most responsible for the degeneration of conversation around these parts. They can have reasonable conversations with others if they wanted to, but they've gotten lazy and are resorting to scapegoat those they disagree with, to the point where they are censoring themselves and blaming the scapegoat for that development. What a bunch of pussies.

[Martin Hash]

It's the Echo-Chamber Effect working right before your eyes: self-segregate into online groups that reflect your own values. We didn't leave, they left.

p.s. I'm a liberal, what the hell are they?

[Speaker to Animals]

It's the Echo-Chamber Effect working right before your eyes: self-segregate into online groups that reflect your own values. We didn't leave, they left.

p.s. I'm a liberal, what the hell are they?

That was exactly my thoughts on this tantrum. He accuses us of being an echo chamber and then runs off to some never-trump cuckold forum where nobody will challenge his opinion.

It's these leftists who want the echo chamber. I see it in their media, on facebook, in forums, and in real life. They don't like opposing ideas one bit.

What's weird is that the left used to be the ones who wanted free speech and open dialog about issues.

[StCapps]

At this point they might as well leave if they are just going to play the victim and pretend those that disagree with them are the ones shutting down the conversation. They used to debate, but now they have become lazy ideologues and if they aren't going to debate in good faith anymore, then they aren't adding anything anyway.

[Speaker to Animals]

At this point they might as well leave if they are just going to play the victim and pretend those that disagree with them are the ones shutting down the conversation. They used to debate, but now they have become lazy ideologues and if they aren't going to debate in good faith anymore, then they aren't adding anything anyway.

Honest to God, that's all they have been doing for over a year now anyway.

Kath does nothing but show up every now and again to hurl insults. Then she storms off declaring the forum to be too "hostile". Sure.

[StCapps]

At this point they might as well leave if they are just going to play the victim and pretend those that disagree with them are the ones shutting down the conversation. They used to debate, but now they have become lazy ideologues and if they aren't going to debate in good faith anymore, then they aren't adding anything anyway.

Honest to God, that's all they have been doing for over a year now anyway.

Kath does nothing but show up every now and again to hurl insults. Then she storms off declaring the forum to be too "hostile". Sure.

The RAnothony playbook, the similarity in the sheer laziness of their argument tactics is unmistakable. The only major difference is Kath isn't a full blown Obamabot.

[Speaker to Animals]

I am starting to think the need for an echo chamber and the animosity towards free speech and discourse happens to the group who has control of government and society for a long time. It's a kind of psychological mechanism whereby people want to maintain that stranglehold by declaring opposing ideas as out of bounds or somehow unacceptable to even express.

From the end of the second world war until the end of the 1960s, that stranglehold was enjoyed by the right. They were the ones trying to stamp out the ideas of the left, perpetrating the earlier red scare conspiracy theories, etc. The left were the ones fighting for freedom of speech and whatnot.

From the late sixties until sometime in the 1970s, there seemed to have been a battle period where nobody had control. But really by the 1980s the left had control of the thing, even if they couldn't control the White House. By the Obama administration, they were basically off the hook with this McCarthyism and hostility towards "political incorrectness".

But it's cool to be the counterculture. It's also cool to fight for open discourse and freedom of speech. That alone might be what makes it possible for political currents to shift like they do right when one side seems the most in control.

This time around the shift came suddenly from their perspective (even though one should have seen it coming for years) and they still are totally shocked and unable to cope with it. Hence the tantrums and the increasing irrational conspiracy theories. They also seemed to have lost the ability bully people into silence or fear of expressing those opposing ideas. That really pisses them off, so they declare everything is hostile or whatever, and they retreat further into their little dens.

Sadly, this will happen whatever to coalition Trump is building at some point if they can even overcome the resistance (not even Reagan could do that).