Trump as tragicomedy

[jacksonM]

My response was to Jackson's seeming double-standard... and as he's someone we action have to interact with on the forum, I felt it was worth responding.

I'm flattered.

[WiseOne]

And no it really has nothing to do with Trump being a puke, other than being a good way to tell who out there is a hypocrite towards privilege, lying, etc.

Oh it's not that hard to figure out. Simpler test: Is the person a member of Congress?

[jacksonM]

What's wrong with this picture...

The screenshot is from Bing news. Here is the link to the actual story. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/price-of-i ... ive-years/. Do you think it was just a mistake or does any negative story just get a photo of Trump by default?

[Cortopassi]

I guess I forgot myself.

Atari 2600 Adventure! I played it a couple years ago on some simulator. My muscle? memory recalled exactly how/where to move around all the mazes, even after 30 some years.

[moda0306]

What's wrong with this picture...

The screenshot is from Bing news. Here is the link to the actual story. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/price-of-i ... ive-years/. Do you think it was just a mistake or does any negative story just get a photo of Trump by default?

I also noticed they used his "Douche-level-7" face rather than 8-10 (or 5-6 (he doesn't have a 1-4)).

Not only is he not even mentioned in the article, but the timeframe analyzed is 2012 thru 2016. Nothing of 2017 or 2018. No mention of republicans either.

Trump is a complete embarrassment of a human and President, but this isn't his baby.

[Kriegsspiel]

I'd say it's a algo issue (I see stories with headline pics that don't make sense all the time), or else they're blaming it on Trump. No doubt the algo issue is a low priority-fix, since they're probably getting all kinds of clicks from people who assume it's going to bash Trump on his insulin-policy.

Or maybe they're taking a page from those paid clickbait links at the bottom of news stories. You know the ones: "NY State Drivers Should Read This!" and there's a picture of a hot chick seductively leaning on a barn or whatever.

[moda0306]

I'm still of the opinion that standard profit motive interests drive the biases of "thu mediuh" more than "liberal principles." Focusing on Trump in a negative way is wonderful for ratings. It puts eyeballs on screens. Liberals love to read negative things about a man they hate. Conservatives love to hate to love to get incensed at the "tilt" of the coverage.

So Krieg I think you're on to something. It's clickbait score goes up 5x by putting a picture of Trump looking like a massive D-Bag on top of the headline. Put a bottle of insulin up there? Please... we're a corporation, selling audiences to other corporations. Let's get ready to rumble...

[Kriegsspiel]

I'm still of the opinion that standard profit motive interests drive the biases of "thu mediuh" more than "liberal principles." Focusing on Trump in a negative way is wonderful for ratings. It puts eyeballs on screens.

It's clickbait score goes up 5x by putting a picture of Trump looking like a massive D-Bag on top of the headline. Put a bottle of insulin up there? Please... we're a corporation, selling audiences to other corporations. Let's get ready to rumble...

Yup.

Tangentially related, before he became the Stoic philosophy author/guru, Ryan Holiday wrote Trust Me, I'm Lying, about how the media is manipulated, how to spot it, etc. One tactic used is getting a story play at a bottom-feeding blog/outlet with no journalistic integrity, which then gets picked up by bigger outlets who cite the original source. That's a big reason news organizations loooooooooooove Twitter and other social media. Or just emailing news organizations/using their anonymous tips button and lying to them directly. They're pressured to get stories out immediately, so they can't fact check them. They put them out, and then (maybe) put out retractions or modify them afterwards, but "there are no consequences for being wrong" as he says.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZwHMZ4t-_Y

17:40-19:00 he talks about one example where he does that.

So Krieg I think you're on to something.

[Kriegsspiel]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZwHMZ4t-_Y

17:40-19:00 he talks about one example where he does that.

Actually on topic, 43:14 he talks about running ads (for a clothing company) with Sasha Grey naked on them.

Other than those two points, that video wasn't really useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFxwqwhG-ZA
This one describes it.

[moda0306]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZwHMZ4t-_Y

17:40-19:00 he talks about one example where he does that.

Actually on topic, 43:14 he talks about running ads (for a clothing company) with Sasha Grey naked on them.

Other than those two points, that video wasn't really useful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFxwqwhG-ZA
This one describes it.

That reminds me of hearing about Dick Cheney citing a NYT article about the risk of WMD in Iraq. The article was from an "anonymous" leak from the white house... turned out to be part of the lie-machine that Dick Cheney was the tip of the spear on.

As a fan of Game of Thrones, I prefer incestuous relationships to be open and honest... not hidden beneath an informational shell-game.

[dualstow]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZwHMZ4t-_Y

Actually on topic, 43:14 he talks about running ads (for a clothing company) with Sasha Grey naked on them.

Is this someone famous? I assume she's good looking, anyway, and worth seeing naked.

Atari 2600 Adventure! I played it a couple years ago on some simulator. My muscle? memory recalled exactly how/where to move around all the mazes, even after 30 some years.

Bingo! Yes, that is the current profile picture. My wife and I joke that our cat is like the bat in that game. She's constantly stealing things and leaving them someplace else if we don't steal them back. Most recently, a roll of stamps.

[Kriegsspiel]

That reminds me of hearing about Dick Cheney citing a NYT article about the risk of WMD in Iraq. The article was from an "anonymous" leak from the white house... turned out to be part of the lie-machine that Dick Cheney was the tip of the spear on.

As a fan of Game of Thrones, I prefer incestuous relationships to be open and honest... not hidden beneath an informational shell-game.

Yup. I can't remember if he used that as an example in the book. It was in Tucker Carlson's book though.

[Kriegsspiel]

Actually on topic, 43:14 he talks about running ads (for a clothing company) with Sasha Grey naked on them.

Is this someone famous? I assume she's good looking, anyway, and worth seeing naked.

She was a famous porn star at the time.

[dualstow]

I see-
- I mean I see what you’re saying.

[jacksonM]

What's wrong with this picture...

The screenshot is from Bing news. Here is the link to the actual story. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/price-of-i ... ive-years/. Do you think it was just a mistake or does any negative story just get a photo of Trump by default?

I also noticed they used his "Douche-level-7" face rather than 8-10 (or 5-6 (he doesn't have a 1-4)).

Not only is he not even mentioned in the article, but the timeframe analyzed is 2012 thru 2016. Nothing of 2017 or 2018. No mention of republicans either.

Trump is a complete embarrassment of a human and President, but this isn't his baby.

I was never a big fan of Obama but like they say in the godfather it wasn't personal, just politics. Personally I thought he was a decent person, at least as much as you can say that about any lying-snake-in-the-grass politician. He also represented an amazing success story which should be duly noted in all future textbooks on American history.

Trump derangement syndrome is another phenomenon altogether however. I mean seriously, is he really that bad of a president?

[dualstow]

Trump derangement syndrome is another phenomenon altogether however. I mean seriously, is he really that bad of a president?

I don’t like him, but I would acknowledge that he has done some ok things. The crazy Left will never give him credit, and they will hate some policy decisions merely because of the source. Example: Obama also funded some fencing. Trump is not trying to build a solid 2,000-mile wall.

Unfortunately, I believe Trump helped create the crazy far Left. He’s a polarizer. Still, that seems to be the direction in which the U.S. was going. Maybe it’s a chicken-egg question.

[jacksonM]

Trump derangement syndrome is another phenomenon altogether however. I mean seriously, is he really that bad of a president?

I don’t like him, but I would acknowledge that he has done some ok things. The crazy Left will never give him credit, and they will hate some policy decisions merely because of the source. Example: Obama also funded some fencing. Trump is not trying to build a solid 2,000-mile wall.

Unfortunately, I believe Trump helped create the crazy far Left. He’s a polarizer. Still, that seems to be the direction in which the U.S. was going. Maybe it’s a chicken-egg question.

I don't think Trump sat down one day and said how can I take advantage of what I'm seeing going on in the country right now by being a "polarizer" and getting a majority of the people to vote for me so I can have all the power. It's possible but I doubt it. Same thing with Obama. It's within the realm of possibility that maybe they are both complete psychopaths and this is the way they think but I doubt it. I like to give them both credit for at least being convinced in their own minds that their cause was righteous even if I disagreed with it.

[dualstow]

Oh, I agree with you. Trump’s not smart enough to do that. Cheney is clever enough. No, I think Trump merely speaks his mind.

But, while that’s cool for Jordan Peterson to remind us that there are more important things to do than watch out for feelings(especially those of the easily offended), the President of the United States should make more of an effort to unite. Don’t you think so, too?

[jacksonM]

Oh, I agree with you. Trump’s not smart enough to do that. Cheney is clever enough. No, I think Trump merely speaks his mind.

But, while that’s cool for Jordan Peterson to remind us that there are more important things to do than watch out for feelings(especially those of the easily offended), the President of the United States should make more of an effort to unite. Don’t you think so, too?

Yes. I vote for us all being united.

We can all do better.

[boglerdude]

Trumps just an attention whore who will say anything for cheers. The actual story of his presidency, is why was Hillary forced on us as the only alternative

[dualstow]

Also, JacksonM, don’t take the word of a silly guy on a forum. Look at Kelly and Mattis and all the other Cabinet members and connections to the administration who either quit outright or were fired because they couldn’t work with the President.

Which is more likely: that the parade of people who exited are the problem, or that it’s that one guy?

Are they just part of the swamp? I don’t know. Trump praises them coming in.

[moda0306]

Also, JacksonM, don’t take the word of a silly guy on a forum. Look at Kelly and Mattis and all the other Cabinet members and connections to the administration who either quit outright or were fired because they couldn’t work with the President.

Which is more likely: that the parade of people who exited are the problem, or that it’s that one guy?

Are they just part of the swamp? I don’t know. Trump praises them coming in.

I wish we had clear lines of agreement or disagreement on what consists of "the swamp" or "the deep state" vs what doesn't. Cuz I was 99% sure John Bolton, Rick Perry, Steve Mnuchin, and Jeff Sessions were "the swamp"... just to mention a few.

[Kriegsspiel]

I doubt clear lines of delineation will ever exist for those terms.

But even given that, why would Steve Mnuchin be either one? He worked in finance on Wall Street his whole life as far as I can tell.

[moda0306]

I doubt clear lines of delineation will ever exist for those terms.

But even given that, why would Steve Mnuchin be either one? He worked in finance on Wall Street his whole life as far as I can tell.

Considering his position within Goldman Sachs (which Donald Trump rightly dogged Ted Cruz and Hillary for having connections to), and given the banking system's position within what's corrupt about the government and politics, I'd have to say that Mnuchin definitely occupies a corner of "the swamp." Just one that likes to call itself "the private sector" while sitting atop a system of massive regulatory capture.

Hard to think Mnuchin would have done anything much different than what Geithner did in 2009.

I guess it depends on how much you think cronyism in banking is part of "The Swamp."

[Kriegsspiel]

Rick Perry was a door-to-door salesman, Air Force pilot, and then various elected positions since then.
Jeff Sessions has pretty much been a government lawyer and elected politician: assistant US attorney, state attorney general, Senator, and US attorney general.

I'd say you have a case with John Bolton. His wikipedia page reads like a swamp and deep state dream resume.