Is Mr Trump crazy? (1 Viewer)

Vassago

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A bit unfair that Doc, it was a case of not knowing rather than not thinking, unfortunately the debate was just a collection of sound bites and Cameron's lies about a reformed EU were more obvious than the leavers' .

Brian

Long time, no see! Hope all is well.
 

Orthodox Dave

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"Nobody ever went broke by underestimating the intelligence of the American public." (Or words very close to that.)
You can't generalise like that. Americans are just human beings. One of the problems is the lack of world news reaching many Americans, so no wonder many have a narrow view. This can be dangerous - look at North Korea. It's not the intelligence that's lacking - just the information.
 

Vassago

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It also doesn't help that America is very large when compared to other countries. We have so much news within our own country by that standard. Only so much information can fit into the news at once. It's the same reason why so many Americans don't travel outside the country. Besides the cost being much higher than travel within the country, there is so much to see, so many cultures to experience, so many places to visit, right here within the US.
 

Orthodox Dave

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An honest appraisal, Vassago. We are an island people, so have always looked beyond our borders. The US has given great leadership in many respects. They rescued us at great cost in the two world wars. But having such enormous power, the US president should realise his decisions affect the whole world. I'm worried the incumbent president could make a disastrous snap decision on the spur of the moment. I just hope he is brighter than he seems!
 

Vassago

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I think most people here have the same fear. Two egomaniacs with nuclear weapons and an obvious willingness to use them is scary.
 

Steve R.

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It also reminds me of the movie "Idiocracy" where the world has been "dumbed down" so much that anyone who CAN think immediately becomes wealthy or powerful or both. I actually have trouble watching that movie because I recognize the reality in too many of the scenes and it becomes a very depressing story. It is supposed to be a comedy but it hurts too much for me to laugh.
Kurt Vonnegut was prescient. He wrote a short story: "Harrison Bergeron". Full text of "Harrison Bergeron" here.

And just as an aside; the US has descended into a new (style) era of MCarthysim. In its resurrected form, the progressive left (lead by the media) is denigrating and vilifying conservatives. Any positive expression of conservative values is designated by the left as hate speech. (A recent victim of Orwellian incorrect thinking was James Damore who was fired from Google for writing a (politically incorrect) paper on gender differences.)
 
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The_Doc_Man

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Dave, to be clear: That post by P.T. Barnum is not a blanket accusation but a recognition that among the population of the USA, there are wolves waiting for prey and there are sheep just waiting to be sheared. And it is possible to make money off the sheep. P.T. Barnum is also know for his other quote: "There is a sucker born every minute." His statements are on gullibility in the entertainment industry, but somehow apply to politics as well. These days, politics IS a form of entertainment even if it IS in the "morbid fascination" genre.

Do I think everyone in the world is stupid? No - but there certainly is enough "stupid" to go a long way. And when the masses stop thinking because their heads hurt too much from all the political posturing and alarmist speeches that exaggerate reality, at that point the political bosses have found nirvana. After all, both the UK and USA have, at base, that low-level elections are won by raw numbers in a given district. How the elected representatives act after that depends on the country, but in either situation, an uneducated or uncaring populace is the death-knell for society.
 

Orthodox Dave

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Thanks Doc Man - nothing against Barnum - just wanted to clarify (to us non-Americans) that stupidity is not confined to Americans. It's always tempting to denigrate a group of "others" to make oneself feel better.
there certainly is enough "stupid" to go a long way
Yes - I have a friend in Greece who, with his family, was nearly caught in a wildfire this week. It destroyed dozens of houses and much beautiful woodland. It turns out the fire may have been started deliberately. Your quote above is very apt.
 

AccessBlaster

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Stupidly is not new, only the immediacy in which it's brought to our attention. In the days before the internet the burn and fury were at a slower rate. By the time you got the news, it was old news.
 

Rabbie

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A white supremist, a racist and a climate change denier walked into a bar.

The Barman asked "what would you like Mr Trump"
 

The_Doc_Man

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OUCH, Rabbie. Too true to be good.
 

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