Yep. I think it was CNN that helped refine the "shout show". I remember a book written in the mid 00's by someone that was involved with that and trying to make up for it.

Of course a lot of daytime television did the same thing, although I don't know how much influence they have these days...but anyway, a forum in which points are awarded to the person that shouts the loudest, and gets the last word in, or some sick burn is apparently the way a lot of people think debate is conducted.

Those of us that are not letting logical fallacies guide all of our thought processes know this for the sham it is, but unfortunately, critical thinking is not something encouraged at all levels in our society. I honestly think being able to spot logical fallacies is something every high school graduate should have, and a real liberal media, if we actually had one, would constantly reiterate and reinforce.

Unfortunately, way too many people view Gish Gallop style "debates" to be the only way to have a debate. Shouting someone else down is viewed as "powerful" and the sign of a real leader or something.

It probably works for more than a few gomers - "oh look at Beetlebert, owning the libz by turning the tables on that biased, unfair moderator!!!111"

LOL, the magabrains just hate it when they don't have a platform that just lets them lie and lie and lie.

The notion that someone can push back, even if ever so gently, triggers them endlessly. Beetlebert is such a snowflake.

Yes, I should have included that explicit reference in this post, too. I referenced it elsewhere on this thread. I fully expect more states to do this kind of performative lunacy (well, it's performative on one level, but it's also about the lobbying I'd wager). I know Florida and Alabama outright banned it (apparently Tennessee was considering it) and that Iowa signed something to prohibit schools from buying it.

And that's just lab-grown meat. The nonsense over almond, soy, oat, etc., and whether it can be allowed to be called milk is another.

And that's not even getting into the attitudes that prevail even in an age where everyone has the power of Internet search at their fingertips when it comes to nutrition. I cannot tell you how many people get looks of concern when they learn I'm vegetarian - they seem to genuinely believe I'm putting my life at risk (lol) by not consuming massive amounts of meat. Almost always, they proceed to ask how I get my protein (sigh). This level of ignorance cannot be a mere accident, but I do think the tide is slowly, very slowly, turning.

But in that same conversation if you tell people that even though you are not strictly vegan, you don't try to "make up" for being vegetarian by consuming toxic amounts of dairy and eggs, again, it's not uncommon to get lectured by someone with Dunning Kruger's on how this is not a diet that can sustain health (again, lol).

That only applies to POC, non-xtians, liberals, people smarter than the average winger, uppity women, gayz that are not in the closet, etc...

LOL, ISWYDT! 🤣

Estimates seem to be 83% of the country lives in an urban area. It's expect to be 90% by 2050. The dipshits still seem to think that flyover regions somehow contain multitudes and constitute a majority.

What people in cities? The people that carried out the trial on Felonius Lump?

Also, just where the fuck does Higbie live? Most Americans live in metro areas; is he one of the 17% that don't?

As more and more people wake up to the effects of Big Ag and start asking questions about things like (real) nutrition as well as climate change and fossil fuel usage, and as things like vat grown meat come online, more people pick up veg*nism, I fully expect more ridiculous "culture war" stuff being ratcheted up by the unhinged far right. They've already tie up so much of their identity in things like eating way, way, way too much meat and consuming way too much dairy.

I expect their behavior to only get worse. And of course, it will be well-funded. The average wanna-be-macho magabrain idiot won't know that they are just pawns on the chessboard. The magabrain men especially think that they'll become women if they stop eating meat.

Time to throw Ronald McDonald in prison.

FFS, stop letting him get away with everything.

Was he accused of anything other than a silly prank photo where he was pretending to grope a woman?

The ridiculous amount of propaganda about the benefits of consuming way too much dairy being forced onto school children is a great example of regulatory capture.

I mean, if given the stark choice of drinking soda or drinking milk (or, lol, chocolate milk), it's probably better to drink milk. But that's not really much of a choice...and our health system is groaning under this kind of thing. This is like back in the 50s when doctors would tell you that smoking is GOOD for you, and they could even say it in advertisements.

But this is like the McDonald's plan of advertising - get them while they're young and you have a customer for life. Even better if they are a captive audience like in public schools.

Milk does not promote strong bones.

It's really sad the way so many Americans even still hold so many goofy ideas about nutrition.

The number of people that believe there is some kind of protein (and fat) deficiency going on in America, I tell ya....it's to the point where even some menus now tell you how many grams of protein are in this or that, as if protein is some kind of superfood. All it makes me think of is all the tools saying "it's got electrolytes!" in Idiocracy.

And when it comes to things like milk (and steak. or hamburgers, etc.) things get positively ridiculous. I bet it gets a whole lot dumber for as long as Republicans have any semblance of power in any state in this country. Two states have banned vat grown meat, because of "wokeness" <- well, that is what they tell their dumbass supporters, but it's probably due to lobbyist money. Some people want to regulate what is called "milk", giving the same kind of reasons (stick it to the "soy boys").

...but I'll allow it if they could all just go to one of those.

Wasn't Ronald McDonald telling them to not hold their head down when putting them in the car and "not be so nice"? Or does that only apply to someone peacefully protesting one of Ronald McDonald's Nuremberg rallies?

I wish they'd capture the reactions of these twerps when the "deep state" comes knocking on their door.

We've needed some of that deep state to be monitoring and disrupting maga terrorist cells for some time now. I'd really like to see some of that.

But DHS gave an honest assessment of the real domestic terrorist threat (the right wing) at the tail end of the Dumbya regime, and the Republicans freaked the hell out about it.

I remember sooooo many Republicans/cons at the time that were losing their mud over it. Red-faced, yelling, they would honestly say that he should be in front of a firing squad. They'd say this kind of thing out loud.

I remember asking one I knew quite well more about this - asking what law he broke, asking if it was actually illegal to get a blowjob from someone not your wife. Their response: "But it should be illegal!!!" They were so angry at this point that they were beet red, and it was pretty much the end of the conversation - they were essentially speechless.

All the cons were, and still are, apoplectic over Clinton getting some head from someone not his wife. Just ask some old con you know.

For some weird reason, they don't seem to remember or care about Newt doing the exact same thing. And now, of course, they could GAF about Ronald McDonald banging a porn star, paying her off and covering that up, violating many actual laws.