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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   2534 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for March 22, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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(CW tangent, but too low effort for the main thread)

Just had an epiphany. Reddit's /r/politics must be what it's like to live in an authoritarian state with total state capture of the media and institutions. For the past two months, all the headlines I scroll past cast continuous doom for the GOP. From how the House keeps on losing members, to how law experts keep on finding Trump doomed, to how Biden is ahead in key polls.

On the one hand, I don't doubt there is plenty of factual basis to many of these headlines, but a Straussian (what is it called when you have to read between the lines, but not because the author intends?) interpretation is that the "state" feels vulnerable, and like a strongman, it lashes out when it feels insecure. It reminds me of the "tired of winning" meme--if the left is constantly winning on every front, then surely there will be no more news to report? People often criticize China for faking its stats. That seems plausible, but it also seems like its GDP figures must not be too off, because if you boast 10% YoY for twenty years and it's actually 7%, at some point the gap in reality becomes too large even for true believers.

Now, if Dems sweep Congress and the Presidency in November, then all this is justified. But right now GOP winning the presidency is a coin toss and the Senate 75% per prediction markets, which makes the resolute true belief of the community seem unhealthy. I guess I can reconcile it from the lens of religion--if all you require is faith, then perhaps the community sleeps more soundly the more one-sided headlines they see day-in-day-out. And if rapture/apocalypse doesn't come, just move the date forward another four years.

This is not too low effort, and please do not put culture war stuff in the friday fun thread.

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