The GOP’s latest ‘woke’ victim will have your head spinning

[Tennesseer]

The GOP’s latest ‘woke’ victim will have your head spinning
Blaming 'woke' ideas has become Republicans' go-to answer, no matter the question.

In the latest edition of The Wall Street Journal’s “Inside View,” columnist Andy Kessler ponders last week’s collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. The autopsy might seem straightforward: The bank was unusually vulnerable to interest rate hikes because most of its holdings were in long-term debt and because its customer base was disproportionately startups and other industries that needed more cash as interest rates rose.

But Kessler suggests another possible cause. "In its proxy statement," he writes, "SVB notes that besides 91% of their board being independent and 45% women, they also have '1 Black,' '1 LGBTQ+' and '2 Veterans.' I’m not saying 12 white men would have avoided this mess, but the company may have been distracted by diversity demands."

“Say ‘woke’ in case of emergency” has become a favorite Republican strategy.

Now, there’s nothing “woke” about woefully inadequate risk management. White men have excelled at that for millennia. But, regardless, as MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle put it, “This has absolutely NOTHING to do with a bank being ‘woke.’”

Missing the point in times of crisis is nothing new for the Journal’s opinion pages. This is the same publication whose editorial board, after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, suggested President George W. Bush should use the tragedy to pass “pro-growth tax cuts.” But in this case, Kessler, far from having the “Inside View,” is merely repeating Republican talking points.

“We see now coming out they were one of the most woke banks,” said Rep. James Comer, R-Ky. Referring to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News: “I mean, this bank, they’re so concerned with DEI and politics and all kinds of stuff. I think that really diverted from them focusing on their core mission.”

“SVB is what happens when you push a leftist/woke ideology and have that take precedent over common sense business practices,” tweeted Donald Trump Jr. (The executive vice president of the Trump Organization did not elaborate nor say whether “common sense business practices” include those that led to his employer’s being convicted of tax fraud.)

This tactic long predates SVB's collapse: “Say ‘woke’ in case of emergency” has become a favorite Republican strategy. At first, denunciations of “wokeism” were mostly used in attempts to oppose gay rights and scrub school curricula of mentions of Black history. But more recently, Republicans have expanded their use of the term. After the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., wondered whether “Norfolk Southern’s DEI policies [were] directing resources away from the important things like greasing wheel bearings.” As Republicans scramble for politically palatable budget cuts, lawmakers such as House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik of New York have tried to target the Defense Department’s “woke agenda.” When a former student shot up a Texas elementary school, Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin blamed “wokeness.” And when Memphis, Tennessee, police fatally beat Tyre Nichols, Trump Jr. was one of the conservatives who blamed Memphis police for hiring “woke DEI candidates” as officers.

Why are conservatives using one word to explain everything from a train derailment to a bank failure to the police wrongly beating a motorist? Because it lets them duck the consequences of their ideas

They could acknowledge that SVB might still be around today but for deregulation signed by former President Donald Trump that was supported almost unanimously by Republicans (and even some Democrats). But it’s easier to blame the “woke agenda.” They could admit that school shootings are more common because of lax gun laws. But it’s easier to blame the “woke agenda.” They could accept that American policing may be in desperate need of reform. But it’s easier to blame the “woke agenda.”

While debate continues over whether SVB has received (or should have received) a bailout, it’s useful to think of the word “woke” as its own bailout — for conservatives. Whether it’s explaining away an inconvenient news development or creating a stopgap reason to oppose a Democrat, criticizing what it calls wokeness is the one-size-fits-all solution for today’s right. An intellectually healthy party would engage with the news, react to the developments, reconsider its priorities when necessary and strengthen its policies as a result.

But it’s easier to rail against an imaginary “woke agenda."

The GOP’s latest ‘woke’ victim will have your head spinning

[djAdvocate]

woke means, essentially, caring.

so, sure, if you don't care, then government in general is wrong.

edit: thoughtful is probably a better adjective.
so, DeSantis is against being thoughtful.
that strikes me as correct.
he is utterly thoughtless.
a complete asshole.
and he resents having to be thoughtful.
it pains him.
which makes him a very tiny person.
and really someone that should not be in charge of anything involving other people.

[happyhoix]

When this first started happening on Friday I recall a lot of GOPers saying we couldn’t let the bank fail, especially after Yellen said they intended to let the bank fail over the weekend.

Then Biden steps in and suddenly we shouldn’t have rescued a woke bank.

Biden will never do anything right, because woke.

[swamp]

No businesses ever fail when there are white guys in charge. 

[bean29]

I have also been reading a lot about this sitation on Reddit.

I will not claim to understand investing and economics well at all, I defer to people like  DJAdvocate, MPL etc, but My understanding is that the issue is Fractional Reserve Banking.  Peter Thiel withdrew his $$ from the bank and encouraged his friends to do the same.  This started a run on the bank and eventually caused the collapse.


www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/business/svb-collapse-peter-thiel-silicon-valley-

From Reddit, I gleaned that Powell's (The Fed) ratcheting up the interest rates4.5 Basis Points in about 1 year, has caused problems for many banks.  SVB has their funds invested too conservatively.  They were illiquid, not insolvent.  Now from what I understand the FED will take their notes as collateral and hold them to maturity.  They have made all of us bear the losses for the bank.  IDK, we will have to see what happens, but it sounds like it was not the best idea to extend the FDIC guarantee from 250,000 for individuals to everyone, (including institutional investors who are not normally covered by the FDIC guarantee) to all funds anyone had invested there.

When Peter Thiel started the bank run, they were forced to sell their collateral into an adverse market to get funds to give to customers wanting to withdraw their $$.  So, the impression I have is that Powell did the right thing taking the Bank's bonds as collateral and loaning them operating funds, but at the same time they are printing cash and that will cause more inflation.  

[busymom]

Mar 14, 2023 11:01:27 GMT -5 swamp said:

No businesses ever fail when there are white guys in charge. 

   <snort>  They wish!  My Mom lost every dime she saved when her bank failed during the Great Depression.  At least now there's FDIC insurance to protect the average American.

[Opti]

Mar 14, 2023 13:55:51 GMT -5 busymom said:

Mar 14, 2023 11:01:27 GMT -5 swamp said:

No businesses ever fail when there are white guys in charge. 

   <snort>  They wish!  My Mom lost every dime she saved when her bank failed during the Great Depression.  At least now there's FDIC insurance to protect the average American.

March 10 (Reuters) - Greg Becker, the chief executive officer who presided over the collapsed Silicon Valley Bank, joined the company three decades ago as a loan officer.

The executive cut his teeth during the dotcom bubble and later steered the startup-focused lender in the wake of the 2008 global financial crisis. He became president and CEO of SVB Financial Group (SIVB.O) in 2011.

The company's operations abruptly came to a halt on Friday as California banking regulators moved quickly to shut it down in what became the largest bank failure since the financial crisis. Just 24 hours earlier, Becker had personally called clients to assure them their money with the bank was safe.

www.reuters.com/markets/us/who-is-greg-becker-head-failed-silicon-valley-bank-2023-03-10/

[Tennesseer]

[djAdvocate]

Mar 14, 2023 10:57:33 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

When this first started happening on Friday I recall a lot of GOPers saying we couldn’t let the bank fail, especially after Yellen said they intended to let the bank fail over the weekend.

Then Biden steps in and suddenly we shouldn’t have rescued a woke bank.

Biden will never do anything right, because woke.

woke is the new liberal: an infinitely large sack into which the GOP can put all of it's grievances.

ask them what it means, sometime.

[Tennesseer]

Mar 15, 2023 15:45:45 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Conservative blames ‘nasty’ hot mic moment after her awkward ‘woke’ flub goes viral
Story by Brad Reed • Yesterday 1:08 PM

Conservative pundit Bethany Mandel earlier this week found herself going viral when she badly stumbled when asked by a host of The Hill's show "Rising" to provide a concrete definition of "woke."

The question to Mandel came after "Rising" host Briahna Joy Gray listened to the right-winger go on a tirade about "wokeness" and simply asked her to explain what she meant.

After she failed to do so in a coherent fashion, Mandel became the butt of jokes on Twitter, and she responded by trying to explain herself hours later.

"Just before we went on air, Briahna Joy Gray was on a hot mic," Mandel claimed. "I heard her demeaning parenting in general in colorful and nasty terms, stating parents only have kids in order to perpetuate their own narcissism. [Co-host] Robby responded, 'There are some good ones and some bad ones.' As a mom of six, including a newborn, this threw me off just a bit. Not an excuse, just a reality. I’m human!"

Mandel then went on to define "wokeness" as "a radical belief system suggesting that our institutions are built around discrimination, and claiming that all disparity is a result of that discrimination. It seeks a radical redefinition of society in which equality of group result is the endpoint, enforced by an angry mob."

Conservative blames ‘nasty’ hot mic moment after her awkward ‘woke’ flub goes viral

[tbop77]

Woke gives the Republican party of Trump the freedom to become the racist they are without admitting it:


In right-wing mouths, the term "woke" is very slippery, which is necessary for people who both want to be bigots but don't want to be called out for it. Labeling someone or something "woke" allows Republicans to live in a liminal space, communicating a vile belief to their fellow travelers while maintaining that's not what they meant at all.

As an act of very racist revenge, Republicans appropriated the term "woke," turning it into a catch-all insult for anything that annoys them.



The near-infinite flexibility of "woke" as a concept is why it was so useful to Republicans trying to deflect attention from their role in deregulating banks, which likely contributed to the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB).

"Anti-woke" is the catch-all term for all the things Republicans wish they could say but can't. You know what they mean, though, but of course, they will never admit it.

www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/why-the-gop-is-obsessed-with-woke-but-can-t-define-it/ar-AA18Hez2?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=19abbfaefaba4125ad304864826f9c93&ei=68

[happyhoix]

Anti woke is the dog whistle meaning ‘this is why the 50s were so perfect’

[tractor]

Mar 14, 2023 11:01:27 GMT -5 swamp said:

No businesses ever fail when there are white guys in charge. 

Enron must have had at least one Jew on the board, that explains everything 🙄

[Tennesseer]

Ron DeSantis Suffers Blow As Court Rejects 'Dystopian' Anti-Woke Law


A federal court in Florida has denied an attempt to block an injunction issued against Governor Ron DeSantis' flagship "Stop WOKE Act" which prevents it from being implemented at universities.

On Thursday, a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a request from the DeSantis administration to overturn a previous ruling which blocked the Individual Freedom Act, also known as the Stop the Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees Act, being used in higher education institutions.

The legislation is a continuation of DeSantis' battle against the "woke agenda" and education, which has also seen the governor introducing the "Don't Say Gay" bill and banning the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 classes. Critics have accused the Act of violating the First Amendment, as well as having the potential to harm race relations.

DeSantis' hardline education policies have resulted in his stock rising in GOP circles, as well as copycat legislation in other states, with the governor soon expected to announce he is running for president in 2024.

DeSantis' office said they still expect the policy will be fully passed into law.

"The Court did not rule on the merits of our appeal. The appeal is ongoing, and we remain confident that the law is constitutional," Bryan Griffin, DeSantis' press secretary, told Newsweek.

Rest of article here: Ron DeSantis Suffers Blow As Court Rejects 'Dystopian' Anti-Woke Law

[djAdvocate]

Mar 16, 2023 9:06:25 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Mar 15, 2023 15:45:45 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Conservative blames ‘nasty’ hot mic moment after her awkward ‘woke’ flub goes viral
Story by Brad Reed • Yesterday 1:08 PM

Conservative pundit Bethany Mandel earlier this week found herself going viral when she badly stumbled when asked by a host of The Hill's show "Rising" to provide a concrete definition of "woke."

The question to Mandel came after "Rising" host Briahna Joy Gray listened to the right-winger go on a tirade about "wokeness" and simply asked her to explain what she meant.

After she failed to do so in a coherent fashion, Mandel became the butt of jokes on Twitter, and she responded by trying to explain herself hours later.

"Just before we went on air, Briahna Joy Gray was on a hot mic," Mandel claimed. "I heard her demeaning parenting in general in colorful and nasty terms, stating parents only have kids in order to perpetuate their own narcissism. [Co-host] Robby responded, 'There are some good ones and some bad ones.' As a mom of six, including a newborn, this threw me off just a bit. Not an excuse, just a reality. I’m human!"

Mandel then went on to define "wokeness" as "a radical belief system suggesting that our institutions are built around discrimination, and claiming that all disparity is a result of that discrimination. It seeks a radical redefinition of society in which equality of group result is the endpoint, enforced by an angry mob."

Conservative blames ‘nasty’ hot mic moment after her awkward ‘woke’ flub goes viral

nasty?  seriously?  she was being KIND.  far kinder than i would have been.

woke is only complicated if you are making shit up.

[Opti]

Mar 17, 2023 12:20:07 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Mar 16, 2023 9:06:25 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Conservative blames ‘nasty’ hot mic moment after her awkward ‘woke’ flub goes viral
Story by Brad Reed • Yesterday 1:08 PM

Conservative pundit Bethany Mandel earlier this week found herself going viral when she badly stumbled when asked by a host of The Hill's show "Rising" to provide a concrete definition of "woke."

The question to Mandel came after "Rising" host Briahna Joy Gray listened to the right-winger go on a tirade about "wokeness" and simply asked her to explain what she meant.

After she failed to do so in a coherent fashion, Mandel became the butt of jokes on Twitter, and she responded by trying to explain herself hours later.

"Just before we went on air, Briahna Joy Gray was on a hot mic," Mandel claimed. "I heard her demeaning parenting in general in colorful and nasty terms, stating parents only have kids in order to perpetuate their own narcissism. [Co-host] Robby responded, 'There are some good ones and some bad ones.' As a mom of six, including a newborn, this threw me off just a bit. Not an excuse, just a reality. I’m human!"

Mandel then went on to define "wokeness" as "a radical belief system suggesting that our institutions are built around discrimination, and claiming that all disparity is a result of that discrimination. It seeks a radical redefinition of society in which equality of group result is the endpoint, enforced by an angry mob."

Conservative blames ‘nasty’ hot mic moment after her awkward ‘woke’ flub goes viral

nasty?  seriously?  she was being KIND.  far kinder than i would have been.

woke is only complicated if you are making shit up.

I see woke as becoming aware of pervasive racism that one does not live with as an individual but becomes aware how much racism impacts black people in particular and non-whites in general. I don't see it as bigger or any more than that, but conservatives have been working on making it their windmill to tilt at, so they are redefining it in ridiculous ways much like they mangled liberal and finally conceded right to life is only about right to birth, not even survival, being fed, or growing up OK.

Its a very weird thing they've sunk their teeth into because it is true, that many of us, while more aware, don't feel woke or aware of most racism others experience and live with. 

[Opti]

Mar 16, 2023 10:36:26 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Anti woke is the dog whistle meaning ‘this is why the 50s were so perfect’

The 50s weren't perfect and was a weird exception to most decades according to sane historians. Discrimination against women was legal and even though some discrimination based on race was supposed to be illegal I think in practice racism was rampant.

[Spellbound454]

I see woke as being divisive and ultra left wing.

Whereas anti-woke is also divisive and very right wing

You are probably better somewhere in the middle...... they are both two heads of the same dual-headed snake.


Both attract loonies and extremists

[tallguy]

Mar 20, 2023 13:14:46 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

I see woke as being divisive and ultra left wing.

Whereas anti-woke is also divisive and very right wing

You are probably better somewhere in the middle...... they are both two heads of the same dual-headed snake.


Both attract loonies and extremists

Congratulations.  You have been successfully indoctrinated into the, "Words only mean what we say they mean" club.  Right-wing conservatives have demonized the word "woke" in the same way they demonized the word "liberal" along with so many others.  A recent poll indicated that well over 50% of respondents in the U.S. see being woke as a positive attribute.  It means simply to be aware of (and against) social injustices and oppression.  This is of course anathema to social conservatives, who are all about social injustice and oppression.  

There was a meme going around at one point, saying that conservatives seized on the word "woke" because it was too hard to spell "enlightened" or "empathetic."  There have been clips shown where conservatives struggled on air even to define what "woke" means.  Of course they did.  They've been told that it's evil, but they don't even have a real definition for it.    

[dondub]

Mar 20, 2023 13:14:46 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

I see woke as being divisive and ultra left wing.

Whereas anti-woke is also divisive and very right wing

You are probably better somewhere in the middle...... they are both two heads of the same dual-headed snake.


Both attract loonies and extremists

True. I mean how dare Blacks, women, gays, trans, Indigenous, Asians, Hispanics, Jews et al work towards All Men Are Created Equal and expect some cognitive response from those who have always been opposed to that Constitutional tenet. Crazy.😵‍💫

[busymom]

Mar 20, 2023 13:49:02 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Mar 20, 2023 13:14:46 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

I see woke as being divisive and ultra left wing.

Whereas anti-woke is also divisive and very right wing

You are probably better somewhere in the middle...... they are both two heads of the same dual-headed snake.


Both attract loonies and extremists

Congratulations.  You have been successfully indoctrinated into the, "Words only mean what we say they mean" club.  Right-wing conservatives have demonized the word "woke" in the same way they demonized the word "liberal" along with so many others.  A recent poll indicated that well over 50% of respondents in the U.S. see being woke as a positive attribute.  It means simply to be aware of (and against) social injustices and oppression.  This is of course anathema to social conservatives, who are all about social injustice and oppression.  

There was a meme going around at one point, saying that conservatives seized on the word "woke" because it was too hard to spell "enlightened" or "empathetic."  There have been clips shown where conservatives struggled on air even to define what "woke" means.  Of course they did.  They've been told that it's evil, but they don't even have a real definition for it.    

     Don't forget what the conservatives have done to the term "feminist".  Check out how conservatives portray it, compared to the actual definition in a dictionary.  I consider myself to be a feminist, but if I stood up on a stage to announce it, I'd be tarred & feathered by any MAGA's in the room.  

[Spellbound454]

  It means simply to be aware of (and against) social injustices and oppression. This is of course anathema to social conservatives, who are all about social injustice and oppression.

It might have done in the beginning... who wouldn't want less social injustice and oppression...... but its been somewhat hijacked by the insidious far left

ie
Treating anyone who doesn't agree as an aberration. 
Silencing other viewpoints.
Self righteousness ... only feeling "safe" when its your own views which are being expressed.
Distain for due process.... If you think someone is guilty then they are.
Guilt by identity... ie Privileged white man, without any right of reply or discussion.
Reduction and targetting of Police... and law and order.

I'm a Liberal and this isn't it...... Like I said you need to be somewhere in the middle.

If anything, the far right aren't as much of a threat because they aren't articulate enough.


So what do you want?...... Intolerance or Bigotry

Take your bloody pick!

Two heads of the same snake.

[NastyWoman]

Mar 20, 2023 14:32:54 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

  It means simply to be aware of (and against) social injustices and oppression. This is of course anathema to social conservatives, who are all about social injustice and oppression.

It might have done in the beginning... who wouldn't want less social injustice and oppression...... but its been somewhat hijacked by the insidious far left

ie
Treating anyone who doesn't agree as an aberration. 
Silencing other viewpoints.
Self righteousness ... only feeling "safe" when its your own views which are being expressed.
Distain for due process.... If you think someone is guilty then they are.
Guilt by identity... ie Privileged white man, without any right of reply or discussion.
Reduction and targetting of Police... and law and order.

I'm a Liberal and this isn't it...... Like I said you need to be somewhere in the middle.

If anything, the far right aren't as much of a threat because they aren't articulate enough.


So what do you want?...... Intolerance or Bigotry

Take your bloody pick!

Two heads of the same snake.

No it hasn't. What HAS happened that a growing group of people are saying enough with all this appeasement already. We need to not only recognize the problems that exist in society but do the actual work to fix them even if that means you/I/we all feel uncomfortable. We have to acknowledge that those who want to either stop, slow down to a crawl, reverse needed changes tend to be NOT the ones who are paying the price for our (in)actions. 

For example, when we ignore or deny the inequitable treatment of POC by the police the problem will not go away by itself. Yet as a Caucasian mother of Caucasian sons I am not paying the price for that inaction. I am NOT the one who lies awake wondering whether my sons are safe from those who are supposed to protect all of us. 

I could write pages of examples as they exist for every systemic injustice but I am certain you can come up with them without my help. Yes, rejecting appeasement is uncomfortable and it can be divisive but it is necessary. There will be no "peace for our time" if we ignore this.

[Tiny]

Mar 20, 2023 14:32:54 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

  It means simply to be aware of (and against) social injustices and oppression. This is of course anathema to social conservatives, who are all about social injustice and oppression.

It might have done in the beginning... who wouldn't want less social injustice and oppression...... but its been somewhat hijacked by the insidious far left

ie
Treating anyone who doesn't agree as an aberration. 
Silencing other viewpoints.
Self righteousness ... only feeling "safe" when its your own views which are being expressed.
Distain for due process.... If you think someone is guilty then they are.
Guilt by identity... ie Privileged white man, without any right of reply or discussion.
Reduction and targetting of Police... and law and order.

I'm a Liberal and this isn't it...... Like I said you need to be somewhere in the middle.

If anything, the far right aren't as much of a threat because they aren't articulate enough.


So what do you want?...... Intolerance or Bigotry

Take your bloody pick!

Two heads of the same snake.

Are you saying that if we as a society want to stop silencing some viewpoints - we have to stop silencing ALL viewpoints?   

if we as a society stop stifling LGBTQ+ people  we have to stop stifling the neo Nazi people in American society?    

If stifling neo Nazi people makes me a bigot -   then sure I'm a bigot.   

I don't see LGBTQ+ people as wanting to limit my rights or freedoms.   I see neo Nazi people as wanting to limit my rights and freedoms. 

Same goes for the majority of the Pro gun people in America. 

I will happily use a bathroom with guys in drag or transwomen  they don't really make me feel unsafe - I'm not really all that keen to share bathroom with a woman openly displaying a gun/rifle.   I'm sure I have used a restroom with a woman with a concealed weapon.... and I don't really like to think about that (cause maybe she's afraid of her ex hubby/boyfriend and when he shows up to kill her - I MIGHT BE IN THE CROSSFIRE and I really don't want to have to think about that....   cause why else would a woman carry a gun in public other than she's expecting to shoot it out with someone(s). ) 

I might feel a little uncomfortable sharing a public bathroom with a neo Nazi woman... she might think I'm a little too uppity and be verbally unpleasant to me or some other source of violence.    I don't need that. from a stranger. 

[tallguy]

Just ran across this.  Seems appropriate.

On Mr. Rogers' birthday, a question: Would today's GOP try to ban him for being woke?

[Spellbound454]

 There will be no "peace for our time" if we ignore this.

Don't shoot the messenger

Its your Country which is fracturing..... not mine. So much for peace in our time.

We've had Wokeism here... and whilst it seemed great in the early stages...... it all got a bit too "Orwellian Nightmare" for our liking when it was hijacked by the extreme left (which it most definitely has been) with ideals that many people found unpalatable. Fascism dressed up as inclusivity.

I'm a Liberal..... I believe in individualism and accountability. ie ..... Everyone is equal, we all have the right to be treated fairly and equally with justice based on the way we live our lives.
I have been championing equality of opportunity for many years, so that those who have less privilege can gain access to the more affluent career paths.... but its not for free and you have to work hard.

 NOT the one who lies awake wondering whether my sons are safe from those who are supposed to protect all of us.

You have police brutality (which we probably don't have) and it it the job of the judiciary to bring it to account.... absolutely.

but just remember it is the goal of the far left to abolish the police.... so before throwing the baby out with the bath water
just consider what you are going to do if there is a felony.... and no police to respond to your call.

Is that really what you want?

[Spellbound454]

 If stifling neo Nazi people makes me a bigot - then sure I'm a bigot.

Well no..... Far left-intolerance, far right-bigotry.

Trouble is that anyone who doesn't agree with Wokeism ......is labelled a Nazi.

Convenient that, for silencing other opinions and making sure that yours are the only views which are allowed to be expressed. Dont you think?

[NastyWoman]

Mar 20, 2023 16:28:26 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

 There will be no "peace for our time" if we ignore this.

Don't shoot the messenger

Its your Country which is fracturing..... not mine. So much for peace in our time.

We've had Wokeism here... and whilst it seemed great in the early stages...... it all got a bit too "Orwellian Nightmare" for our liking when it was hijacked by the extreme left (which it most definitely has been) with ideals that many people found unpalatable. Fascism dressed up as inclusivity.

I'm a Liberal..... I believe in individualism and accountability. ie ..... Everyone is equal, we all have the right to be treated fairly and equally with justice based on the way we live our lives.
I have been championing equality of opportunity for many years, so that those who have less privilege can gain access to the more affluent career paths.... but its not for free and you have to work hard.

 NOT the one who lies awake wondering whether my sons are safe from those who are supposed to protect all of us.

You have police brutality (which we probably don't have) and it it the job of the judiciary to bring it to account.... absolutely.

but just remember it is the goal of the far left to abolish the police.... so before throwing the baby out with the bath water
just consider what you are going to do if there is a felony.... and no police to respond to your call.

Is that really what you want?

Actually even though I live in the US for "my country" you crossed the wrong pond - you have to jump the puddle on the other side to get there   . Now just because you elect not to see it you (as well as my country) do have the same problems minus the gun culture as they have here. And yes, unless those problems are solved rather than ignored/swept under the rug they will come  back to bite us. There will be no peace if we refuse to address reality. Being comfortable under a status quo does not mean equality. 

[Spellbound454]

How is labelling people who don't agree "Nazis"... going to help?

There may be some dodgy characters being emboldened on the far right....... but the vast majority of people in the Southern States are not extremists.... they are just people.

If you want greater gun controls... then do it.

[pulmonarymd]

Since you are not an American, you should stop now. I lived in the southern US for 7 years. I am far more acquainted with it than you are. They call the civil war “The WR of Northern Aggression.” Memorial Day is not a holiday in many areas. Bumper stickers saying “Save the South, buy a Yankee a train ticket” were ubiquitous. Once you left the Urban areas, you step backed into the 1950’s. Just like I do not know the UK, you know little about the US