Facebook Follies of Friends and Families

[Berkut]

You guys are literally making shit up in your head in order to shoehorn him into what you wish he actually was,

That's an interesting thing for you to be accusing others of doing

Yes, the I am rubber you are glue defense is pretty unsurprising from you.

Here is the thing though - I understand why you are going to bat for him. You like his "no bullshit, stand up for my oppressed white demographic" populism.

What motive would I have to despise him, if in fact he was NOT worthy of despite? I am not some hard core Dem like dguller. I am a classic libertarian centrist. The idea of a non-ideological outsider to either party running on a practical, get shit done platform ought to be incredibly appealing to me. And in fact a non-deplorable Trump who would be a true outsider to the DC machine that I despise would be incredibly attractive to me, and would have my vote (certainly over someone as grossly unappealing as Hillary) with ease.

Trump ought to be my nearly perfect candidate from the standpoint of ideology around non-populist topics.

I hate his guts because of his populist and intolerant embrace of the very lowest common denominator of the American electorate. Authoritarianism is dangerous and opposed to what I see as the truly core American values. I despise him because in an effort to convince people like you that he will oppose another party with the hatred and intolerance you guys have been brainwashed into thinking defines your faction, he is actually opposing the very foundation of the American political ideals that both parties ought to treasure and protect.

You can post fat pictures all you like, but every time you do you just reinforce what a shallow commitment you have to those values - that you are happy to embrace an authoritarian populist if it lets you make fun of the hated liberals.

[derspiess]

Berkut troll attempt: failed.

[Berkut]

I suspect I am actually pretty easy to troll. Shrug. Congratulations alt-spicey?

[LaCroix]

Here is the thing though - I understand why you are going to bat for him. You like his "no bullshit, stand up for my oppressed white demographic" populism.

explaining why people like trump means I support trump?

anyway, I think you hate his guts this |----| much in part because of the languish echo chamber during the election. hillary had to win because oh my god if she lost... your opinion of him as president was formed in an environment that demonized trump. so, you have this image of him that you haven't yet shaken off. it is possible this image will prove legit, but there's been enough for me to suggest that it was pretty exaggerated

[grumbler]

It's not that hard to see. He speaks his mind and loudly calls bullshit when he sees it.  No filter.  They absolutely love that, because that's how they act when they're amongst themselves.  It also helps that he is saying what most of them are thinking. 

You guys need to stop assuming that all poor people are natural socialists.

I guess that's what is hard to see:  what makes anyone think that Trump "speaks his mind" and "loudly calls bullshit when he sees it?"  The fact that he claims he is speaking his mind and loudly calling bullshit?  He's a proven serial liar, so why take him at his word?

Trump looks far more like he is speaking what he thinks his listeners want to be on his mind (which is why he is so wildly inconsistent between audiences) and loudly calls bullshit on things he has made up.  He didn't 'see' the "bullshit' of Muslims celebrating in the streets after 9/11, and everyone with even a sliver of intelligence knows that he just made that up because it fit the narrative he thought his audience wanted to hear. 

Maybe we need to stop thinking that people have any critical thinking skills.

[Berkut]

How I talk about Trump on Languish is a reflection of my views on Trump. I am sure Languish has some influence on those views, but they are not primary by any means.

I am quite capable of forming my views on Trump without any assistance from Languish. And I think my views in general in my time on Languish have pretty obviously NOT been aligned with some Languish consensus, if such a thing actually exists.

And no, *I've* explained why people like Trump.

Your going to bat for Trump over and over again and excusing everything he does no matter how egregious is why it is obvious you support Trump.

[derspiess]

Trump looks far more like he is speaking what he thinks his listeners want to be on his mind (which is why he is so wildly inconsistent between audiences) and loudly calls bullshit on things he has made up.  He didn't 'see' the "bullshit' of Muslims celebrating in the streets after 9/11, and everyone with even a sliver of intelligence knows that he just made that up because it fit the narrative he thought his audience wanted to hear. 

That's my point.

[LaCroix]

How I talk about Trump on Languish is a reflection of my views on Trump. I am sure Languish has some influence on those views, but they are not primary by any means.

I am quite capable of forming my views on Trump without any assistance from Languish. And I think my views in general in my time on Languish have pretty obviously NOT been aligned with some Languish consensus, if such a thing actually exists.

And no, *I've* explained why people like Trump.

Your going to bat for Trump over and over again and excusing everything he does no matter how egregious is why it is obvious you support Trump.

I thought about adding (media?) after "languish" re "languish echo chamber," because there were some articles out there that really painted trump in a terrible way -- asserting the worst interpretation of whatever thing he said/did that day. an image of who trump is was certainly created throughout the election. yes, obviously he wasn't innocent in the creation of that image, but that doesn't mean that image is actually true.

[Oexmelin]

your opinion of him as president was formed in an environment that demonized trump. so, you have this image of him that you haven't yet shaken off

My opinion of him as president was pretty much formed in an environment created, maintained, sustained, and embraced by Donald Trump.

[LaCroix]

covered that response, ox

[The Minsky Moment]

anyway, I think you hate his guts this |----| much in part because of the languish echo chamber during the election.

Yeah that's berkut - always hesitant to express his own opinion, waiting to hear what the crowd says. 

[Valmy]

Compared to how people around me talk in lefty Austin I think Languish is positively moderate on Trump

[The Minsky Moment]

an image of who trump is was certainly created throughout the election. yes, obviously he wasn't innocent in the creation of that image, but that doesn't mean that image is actually true.

So where does the truth lie?  Where is the real Donald Trump?  And does it matter whether such a thing exists when he appears content to play his TV persona throughout?

The evidence of our senses strongly suggests there's no there there.

[LaCroix]

Yeah that's berkut - always hesitant to express his own opinion, waiting to hear what the crowd says. 

I don't see how you inferred that from my post

[Oexmelin]

Not really. You simply state that Trump's image is victim of exaggerations - based on what? What are the amazing signs of depth, decency, intellectual mastery from Trump that sustains that amazing insight into the real Trump, that he has spent years camouflaging under the image of an egotistical con artist?