Sorry, I originally had 12 but decided to get rid of 2. The first one was "Status Quo", which I merged into "Conditioning." The second was "Religion", but I ditched that because it would be very unfair to yoke them with religious people, or even just Christians, in general, and I couldn't think of a way to reword it to specifically refer to only those kinds of Christians.
Thanks for helping me come up with further reasons, though!
For context I want to make these into little flashcards. I'm thinking something a little bit like https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/.
Thoughts on how good this is as it currently stands, and how I can improve?
1. Conditioning
From cradle to grave, white America is the only America we know. At school, we are made to learn about primarily white events and history. Through history/social studies class, we are drip-fed trivial stories meant to convince us that white men are "good guys". Conservatives are the product of state-sponsored propaganda.
"Because we've always done it this way" are the most dangerous words you'll ever hear. Look at George Floyd. Look at all the school shootings that occur on a seemingly monthly basis. Clearly, the status quo isn't working. The fear of change is holding us back. Conservatives fear change.
2. Blind patriotism
American exceptionalism is dead... and that's a good thing. Conservatives use rose-tinted spectacles to look at our history. They see racism and oppression as a key part of our "glorious past". To criticize progressivism is oblivious to the fact that just because an institution is centuries old, doesn't mean it's fit for purpose in the 21st century. Conservatives are stuck in the past.
3. Cognitive dissonance
Excuses, excuses. "But they do so much for charity", "both sides have the same problems", "but they seem so nice". Supporters of Trump and similar demagogues happily turn a blind eye and make whatever excuses necessary to justify their beliefs. FOX and other conservative pundits have dismissed Trump's racism as "politics". Trump loves his golf clubs full of rich white men, completely denying the decline of the old order. Conservatives are in denial.
4. Pressure to conform
"Soft" conservatives may only support the GOP due to the pressure to conform. Consider the example of a parent who might not want their children to take part in a celebration at school even though everyone else seems to be involved, so the children stay silent.
Another factor is that living/growing up in a conservative community, like a small rural town, can also create pressure to "fit in" and not ask questions. Conservatives are conformists.
5. Ignorance
Ignorance is bliss: many conservatives demonstrate a remarkable inability or refusal to question what they are shown, e.g. they see evangelical pastors posing for photos with homeless/impoverished people but don't wonder or want to think about the context: they're unlikely to have spent over an hour, and then they go back to their million dollar megachurches and sports cars in a jiffy. Pastor Johnny doesn't really care about helping the poor, he just did a PR stunt to improve his image. Conservatives are blissfully ignorant.
6. Servility + low self-esteem
Servility is the tendency to act as if you don't share equal basic rights with every other person, i.e. the government. Conservatives have low self-esteem, believing those with the surname Trump are better human beings. Servility is also a fear response: the fear of being outcast for having different views. Conservatives are fearful.
7. Establishment profiteers
The Establishment describes the dominant social group or "elite", e.g. private schools like Phillips Exeter Academy, the local megachurch, media pundits, business elites, Congress, etc. It is a system of self-preservation and self-enrichment. Those who benefit from it have no reason to undermine it, no matter what the different parts secretly think about the GOP. Conservatives are determined to protect the Establishment.
8. Misconceptions
Conservatives have misconceptions, e.g. they believe conservatism is good for the economy and that Democrats want socialism/communism. They believe white male straight cishet supremacy is part of American identity and that it represents Americans values. They often ignore evidence that challenges their beliefs.
9. Magical thinking
Conservatives only dare to dream of having that much authority, wealth and privilege. They watch FOX and absorb the carefully staged narratives, viewing the Trump family as respectable celebrities. Conservatives find the idea of rich men in suits hopping between DC and Mar-A-Lago romantic. They're dreamers who only see what they want to see.
10. Underestimating the influence of the GOP
"Soft" conservatives and the apathetic don't know enough about the GOP. They believe "we're in the 21st century" and don't know about things like tax havens, filibusters, gerrymandering, media influence, etc. And so, the GOP often subverts the law goes under the radar as Trump refuses to be questioned and conservative media provides lots of distractions.
Better for yourself, worse for the environment.
Which is more important, yourself or the environment?
The easiest and most effective solution would be to just get Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter/X to crack down harder on misinformation.
Optimally, there should even be a sort of "social reputation ranking" system in place to disincentivize online misinformation and hate speech by tying it to real-life ramifications. We sort of already have something like that for job applications, and I'm proud of that, but if we could extend the enforcement and implementation of this kind of thing to, say, transportation, real estate, or banking, that would certainly be a commendable step in the right direction. Ranted about the mask and vaccine mandates in 2020? Good luck buying that car.
Too bad an increasing and worrisome number of these platforms are being owned by right-wing shrinks. Heil Spez and Heil Musk.
While on the magnitude of hundreds rather than thousands, we literally just had one whole town burning down, and in the same state as Pearl Harbor, no less. If that's not enough "psychological impact" to wake the masses up, I don't even wish to imagine what will.
Well, we're going to have to have a president who cares strongly about environmental issues asap.
No way that's making it through Congress. It's gonna have to come through an executive order.
Maybe we should start naming ecological disasters, such as forest fires, after conservative politicians.
Fucking carbrains.
I also think it's foolhardy to naively assume that once the older generations start dying off due to old age, things are just automatically going to become better and more progressive without us having to lift a finger. Wrong! I've observed conservative brain rot already starting to infect my peers. And while I'm fortunate and privileged enough to live in a progressive blue state that (relatively speaking) cares about the Earth, unfortunately, very few communities around the globe have such luxury.
I think better trust in government is what we need. But the way things stand, we are so not ready for this. And if democracy doesn't work in getting people to accept and comply with climate regulations that are bound to follow - and at this point that's much more of a "when" than an "if" - leaders maybe shouldn't be afraid to use force.
Hopefully at that point, we can keep a lid on things better than we did during COVID. But who am I kidding.
I like this. It saves resources. And I think we should all start adapting to it.
If unified national and international commitment could achieve monumental progress during crises like the world wars, a similar level of coordinated mobilization is required today. A wartime economic restructuring transitions society at emergency speed off fossil fuels through massive investments, just transition programs, and an enduring rationing of carbon pollution. Government mandates modernize infrastructure, transportation, manufacturing and agriculture along renewable lines while stimulating sustainable jobs and industries.
International cooperation leverages strengths and resources, from research collaborations to emissions pacts holding all nations accountable. Wealthy emitters aid economic transition of frontline nations suffering first from weather extremes. A progressive carbon fee program funds mitigation efforts while incentivizing structural economic changes. Grants assist vulnerable communities relocating from rising seas and intensifying natural disasters.
Prioritizing collectivity and justice transforms sacrifices into liberating progress for all humankind. With science as the commanding general, nonviolent civil disobedience compels stubborn political systems to catalyze transformations long stalled by obstructionism and misinformation. But societal will aligned behind solutions offers hope where bleakness once prevailed.
The problem being, of course, that conservatives and capitalism are ruining everything. Just look at how we fared at COVID. If we can't get the entire population to stay at home and wear masks to protect themselves against a global pandemic, how the heck are we supposed to get them to stay at home and wear masks to protect themselves against climate change?
For centuries, Lahaina has been a significant economic, political and cultural center for Native Hawaiian communities.
“OMG, I have an iPhone!” Yeah, you have an iPhone, so what? You’re the best? You can FaceTime your friends, despite you and your friends probably having, like, 7 other apps to do so? And no UI customizability or jailbreaking?
I’m just unable to understand the Apple/iOS hype. It makes my eyes roll. I’m content with my Samsung and Android, thanks.
Incidents like these expose how dysfunctional and unsustainable our current economic system remains in this catastrophic climate crisis.
Unfortunately, I cannot eat at Five Guy's or Chick-Fil-A because I am allergic to peanuts and they use peanut oil.
The elitist attitudes surrounding Apple products is so unbelievable. "OMG, I have an iPhone!" Yeah, you have an iPhone, so what? You're the best? You can FaceTime your friends, despite you and your friends probably having, like, 7 other apps to do so? And no UI customizability or jailbreaking?
I'm just unable to understand the Apple/iOS hype. It makes my eyes roll. I'm content with my Samsung and Android, thanks.
The California-based burger chain plans to ban face masks on employees in five of the seven states in which it operates, citing the importance of staff "smiles" for customers.
"Landed gentry", remember?
And disallowing... everything good.
It reflects the kind of attitudes that allowed oppressive systems to persist for centuries. I'm as anti-fascist as the next person, but I'm worried that adopting a tribalist mentality will only nurture fascism and shield the privileged from accountability. Giving in to cynicism and analysis paralysis will do little to resolve the ever-worsening environmental catastrophe, and cedes the moral high ground to those prizing individual gain over the greater good.
Instead of wasting energy on Schadenfreude, I believe it's more productive for us to come together as a species, set aside our differences, and reorganize our social and economic structures for the common benefit. Although it might sound demanding, anyone can help, and we can go a long way just by working together. Small daily choices will aggregate into powerful movements, but only if enough of us opt for sustainability over excess, demand accountability from corporations and governments, and upend the industrial capitalist machine that created this crisis.
The progress may seem glacial, intermittent, or stagnant. But this should not be rationale to give up! Besides, let's celebrate the positives, and look towards how far we've come - more people than ever, especially those most directly impacted by climate change, such as Gen Alpha and/or the Global South - are recognizing the danger we're headed for, and momentum for a just transition is building. Bottom line: the battle isn't hopeless, but if we make it hopeless, it will. Stay strong, warrior.
"It's pretty much over?" Hey, I don't mean to sound like I'm putting you down, but this kind of defeatist rhetoric isn't exactly helpful. After all, it reflects the kind of attitudes that allowed oppressive systems to persist for centuries. I'm as anti-fascist as you, but I'm worried that adopting a tribalist mentality will only nurture fascism and shield the privileged from accountability. Giving in to cynicism and analysis paralysis will do little to resolve the ever-worsening environmental catastrophe, and cedes the moral high ground to those prizing individual gain over the greater good.
Instead of wasting energy on Schadenfreude, I believe it's more productive for us to come together as a species, set aside our differences, and reorganize our social and economic structures for the common benefit. Although it might sound demanding, anyone can help, and we can go a long way just by working together. Small daily choices will aggregate into powerful movements, but only if enough of us opt for sustainability over excess, demand accountability from corporations and governments, and upend the industrial capitalist machine that created this crisis.
The progress may seem glacial, intermittent, or stagnant. But this should not be rationale to give up! Besides, let's celebrate the positives, and look towards how far we've come - more people than ever, especially those most directly impacted by climate change, such as Gen Alpha and/or the Global South - are recognizing the danger we're headed for, and momentum for a just transition is building. Bottom line: the battle isn't hopeless, but if we make it hopeless, it will. Stay strong, warrior.
> Today I’m introducing a groundbreaking bill - the National Strategy for Social Connection Act.
> It creates a federal office to combat the growing epidemic of American loneliness, develops anti-loneliness strategies, and fosters best practices to promote social connection.
https://twitter.com/ChrisMurphyCT/status/1681350024200962053
And people still say she's "politically neutral"? BS.
Using the former verbiage implies that members of the Blind and Deaf community are "imperfect" and therefore cannot serve as valuable, functioning members of society. This cannot be farther from the case. They are not "lacking", they simply perceive the world differently, and therefore we should treat them as such - human beings just like us, who just take in the world a different way. With decency and respect.
Identify as a woman.
Also another problem would be that some languages are more character-efficient than others. E.g. Chinese vs English vs Navajo.
A map of the risk for anti-trans laws. For Pride, America feels like it has cleaved into two countries - one which targets transgender people everywhere, and one that has taken huge protective steps.
Me personally? I've become much less tolerant of sexist humor. Back in the day, cracking a joke at women's expense was pretty common when I was a teen. As I've matured and become aware to the horrific extent of toxicity and bigotry pervading all tiers of our individualistic society, I've come to see how exclusionarly and objectifying that sort of 'humor' really is, and I regret it deeply.
Ever notice how the reddest states are also the southernmost?
For four days in a row, the planet reached its hottest day ever recorded as regions all over the world endure dangerous heat.
Heat is the number-one weather-related killer in the world, with more than 600 people dying from heat-related illnesses every year in the U.S.
It actually loaded on my end but it doesn't show up on my userpage.
How will I know if it got deleted? Does Lemmy have autodeletion like many Reddit subs do?
(Archive link: https://web.archive.org/web/20230703194939/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/climate-fellowship-action-plan-yukon-1.6893124)
Call me a worry wart, but after seeing the damage sustained to Fury 325 at Carowinds on TikTok just now, I'm convinced roller coasters ain't it. Like damn, the track was sagging and the pillars were swaying.
I can only see two posts on the front page. (Neither of which are mine.)
At first Adam Smith couldn’t believe his calculations. Then it sank in.
Please let me know when we get there! We can do this!
We shall overcome!