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  1. TopTop #61
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by rossmen: View Post
    Humor is not about judging, that how you lost yours.
    'judging' is too simple.Humor isn't some magic ineffable quality. It can be looked at like literature or poetry. That's not 'judging', that's seeking understanding.
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  3. TopTop #62
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    It really isn't funny to debate whether dem or pub policy is better for the poor, plenty of evidence on both sides. But to poke fun at American politics from all sides? What's not to laugh at?

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by podfish: View Post
    ok, Ray, you sound reasonable. So how can you post some of the images you do? ...
    Last edited by Barry; 01-30-2019 at 10:45 AM.
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  5. TopTop #63
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    I disaggree, humor is a wonderful definition of magic. Of course understanding is part of it. I remember when I was in Mexico city shortly after 9/11. Great place for jokes when I really needed to laugh. Brought them back to the states, no one laughed, but they were really funny!

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by podfish: View Post
    'judging' is too simple.Humor isn't some magic ineffable quality. It can be looked at like literature or poetry. That's not 'judging', that's seeking understanding.
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  7. TopTop #64
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Would I argue with you who is more socalist, Sweden or Venezuela? Now that is funny!!!
    Quote Posted in reply to the post by podfish: View Post
    ...And Sweden's far more socialistic than Venezuela, ...
    Last edited by Barry; 01-30-2019 at 10:51 AM.
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  8. TopTop #65
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Clearly you have no sense of humor, glad you know there is help available.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by pdfender: View Post
    I’m so happy to hear that there are plenty of therapists In Sebastopol. Hope you find yourself a good one.
    But good luck. Nothing will change your spiritual bankruptcy.
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  9. TopTop #66
    ray50sfo
    Guest

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Socialism is essentially theft at gunpoint by a self-appointed group of holier-than-thou maladjusted do-gooder tyrantrs who would rather force you to atone for your "crimes against the proletariat" than examine their own insane urge to have power over others. Would YOU pay 90% of what you make to the government if they didn't have more guns than you and threaten you with imprisonment if you don't comply?

    How many refugees have you let move into your home? Or would you rather force someone else to have them in their backyard? Why can't America take care of it's own poor before importing illegal immigrants?

    Karl Marx said, and I paraphrase, "the purpose of socialism is communism". We all know how that turned out.

    Margaret Thatcher said, "Socialism is great until you run out of other people's money." Like they did in Venezuela. Try getting a Big Mac there :-). (I know, gmo non food, but it makes the point)

    Over 100 Million people murdered by communist / socialist tyrants in the 20th century. No, that's not a Fox talking point, it's documented fact. Let's try that here...Sweden, Sweden, Sweden...the exception doesn't nullify the rule.

    But then we were talking about humor...it's in the eye of the beholder! I should lighten up...

    It seems fitting that those advocating socialism would have reasons why humor directed at them is wrong, while humor directed at patriots who defend human freedom is justified.

    But I digress...this isn't all serious and heavy, it's under the heading of HUMOR. Look it up and have a nice day.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by rossmen: View Post
    Would I argue with you who is more socalist, Sweden or Venezuela? Now that is funny!!!
    Last edited by Barry; 01-30-2019 at 10:51 AM.
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  11. TopTop #67
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    Socialism is essentially theft at gunpoint by a self-appointed group of holier-than-thou maladjusted do-gooder tyrantrs who would rather force you to atone for your "crimes against the proletariat" than examine their own insane urge to have power over others.
    oh, we get to make our own definitions now? How 'bout: "Capitalism is essentially theft at gunpoint by a group of first-to-the-trough thugs who claim by force the proceeds of common goods like water and land?" Somehow I doubt you'd accept that characterization, but it's about as accurate and complete as your definition of socialism.

    And the glib mention of "Why can't America take care of it's own poor before importing illegal immigrants?" as if people who call communitarian actions 'socialism' would support any programs for taking care of the poor? Am I being unfair? got some counter-examples for me?

    And no-one has said anything about the 'humor' being directed at non-right-wing targets being wrong, just that it's not funny. I gave examples why. The only response I get is some amorphous "you just don't get it, you have no sense of humor". I beg to differ. If you can only say "it's funny 'cuz it's funny", it's probably not funny. It may take the humor out of a joke to explain it, but that doesn't mean the explanation was wrong.
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  13. TopTop #68
    wisewomn's Avatar
    wisewomn
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    RE "Over 100 Million people murdered by communist / socialist tyrants in the 20th century."
    Um, as I understand it, Fascists, Nazis, and their cohorts in other conflicts had a pretty good run in the 20th Century as well. And they're still at it in this century.

    And, Ray, "patriots who defend human freedom" depends on your point of view, doesn't it? "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." --Samuel Johnson

    IMO, people who make it into that 90% tax bracket have more wealth than anyone on the planet would ever need in order to live comfortably. In accumulating it, they have deprived not only the planet of a huge chunk of its resources (thereby bringing us to the not-so-pretty pass we're currently in environmentally), they have done so on the backs of and by exploiting the labor of the rest of humanity. Talk about "insane, maladjusted" people.
    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    Socialism is essentially theft at gunpoint by a self-appointed group ...
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  15. TopTop #69
    wisewomn's Avatar
    wisewomn
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Ooooh, touchy, touchy!

    Probably the main reason East German women didn't put the bricks back is that they are busily enjoying their new-found freedoms.

    Interesting, though, that you would conflate building walls with sexual satisfaction. Sounds suspiciously familiar. :-)

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by rossmen: View Post
    This article is pure liberal propaganda, the research behind it is an embarrassment to sociology and the author is walking it back big-time. Just think about it, did east German women try to put the bricks back?
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  17. TopTop #70
    wisewomn's Avatar
    wisewomn
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    In the interests of laying to rest (hopefully here, anyway) some of the Right Wing's favorite tropes about immigration, here is a recent article from The North Bay Bohemian called "Border Myths."

    https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/bo...nt?oid=8031285

    IMO Political cartoons are funniest when they poke fun at actual situations by offering a new or unexpected perspective on them. Promulgating lies and fabrications, which I see frequently in "cartoons" from the Right, just doesn't fall under the category of humor to me. More like propaganda/disinformation.
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  19. TopTop #71
    occihoff's Avatar
    occihoff
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Thank you for that Bohemian article, Wisewomn. In regard to the discussion with our right wing friend Ray, I would point out that virtually none of us really knows directly the truth about any of this. All we know is what we read or see or hear on whatever media we absorb. If Ray, myself, or anyone else wants to dispute information or putative facts about anything--especially anything as remote from our direct personal experience as what's happening in Latin America--they need to hold their points of view with a certain epistemological humility.

    If Ray disagrees with the purported facts presented in that Bohemian article, I think he needs to present his own facts and tell us how he knows them. I'm still waiting for him to tell us, for example, how he knows that the huge number of Americans killed by illegal aliens, as symbolized by the gush of blood pouring through the back door in that Pelosi/Schumer cartoon, is a true fact, as opposed to the putative fact I have heard that the number is not only very small, but less in proportion to the murder rate among US citizens.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by wisewomn: View Post
    ... The North Bay Bohemian called "Border Myths."
    https://www.bohemian.com/northbay/bo...nt?oid=8031285
    ...
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:33 PM.
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  21. TopTop #72
    occihoff's Avatar
    occihoff
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    But couldn't you substitute the word "Capitalism" for "Socialism" in that first paragraph and have it ring just as true? I guess we'd also have to change "do-gooder tyrants" to "greed-crazed tyrants," and "crimes against the proletariat" to "proletarian inferiority."

    If paying 90% of my income to a humanisticaly oriented government still left me with many millions of dollars in my bank account, I would be delighted! That's because I care about the poor and don't feel good about "eating cake" while they starve. And I believe there are other compassionate Zillionaires out there that feel the same.

    If, on the other hand, a huge percentage of my tax money were going to support war and world domination, I would feel terrible.

    As for letting refugees move into my home, I was seriously considering that as an emergency measure for refugees of the great fire in Santa Rosa. But in reality it's never been a question of letting refugees move into our homes. Refugees find their own homes or, frequently, move in with relatives who are already here.

    I absolutely agree with your question: "Why can't America take care of its own poor?" But I must point out that left-wingers tend to have much more compassion for the poor than right-wingers. That huge tax break for the rich recently forced into law by the Republican majority in both houses of Congress is an excellent case in point!

    Yes, tyrannical regimes waving the banner of "Communism" have been horrible--yet another example of how an originally humanistic social philosophy gets perverted into its opposite by vicious, power-crazed psychopaths. Much like Christianity, don't you think? But "socialists?!" How many citizens have been murdered by the more or less socialistic governments of Sweden, Norway, Finland, and at least in recent history, Britain, Ireland, France, and Germany? Not to forget Canada! Is blood virtually pouring through their doors? Are their citizens champing at the bit to abolish their National Health Services? Really, in regard to the Western democracys, isn't the US the major holdout?

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    Socialism is essentially theft at gunpoint by ...
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:35 PM.
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  23. TopTop #73
    ray50sfo
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    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Are you saying that the Far Left Cartoons usually seen on this board don't promulgate exaggerations, fabrications, distortions and lies?

    We could deconstruct each lie, implication, hateful viewpoint, etc. of each other's points of view as expressed in these cartoons,,,but I'd rather just laugh, which is the point of these cartoons...

    HUMOR. Just sayin', people get a bit sensitive when their sacred cows, no, I'm not referring to Pelosi, are bludgeoned.

    What? It's ok to trash Trump, but not Pelosi? It's ok to show Trump supporters as idiots but not ok to portray illegal immigrants as people wanting "free stuff"?

    Also, the Bohemian is hardly an impartial source. They are predominantly far left and, because of the paradigm effect, they only see the things that support their preconceived ideas and reject the rest.

    That said, I thought the article was very well written.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by wisewomn: View Post
    ...IMO Political cartoons are funniest when they poke fun at actual situations by offering a new or unexpected perspective on them. Promulgating lies and fabrications, which I see frequently in "cartoons" from the Right, just doesn't fall under the category of humor to me. More like propaganda/disinformation.
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:36 PM.
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  25. TopTop #74
    ray50sfo
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    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    The greatest enemy of socialism is Reality.

    The reality is that human nature will pull certain people toward individualism and success, and others toward laziness and collectivism. The tension between the Makers and the Takers ALWAYS leads to socialism's ultimate collapse.

    Is socialism more morally altruistic than the evil, greedy capitalist warmongering seen in the west?

    GREED? What's more greedy than to take something from someone else something that you haven't earned?

    Capitalism takes place through voluntary transaction. Socialism can only occur at gunpoint.

    You either pay taxes to the government, or they send in scary people with guns to take you away.

    As long as the people having their stuff taken away are in the minority, and the majority feel they will get to benefit from more taken stuff, you'll always be able to win that decision by a popular vote and claim the moral high ground.
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  27. TopTop #75
    ray50sfo
    Guest

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    As for Sweden, it is a complex picture, not just "socialism works there" simple solution for simple minds. The real story is the exact opposite of a "socialist success story".

    The real story is that they cut big government, just like Trump has, because it stifles economic growth.

    They also cut government spending, through an austerity plan. Sweden's debt was cut from 73% of GDP in 1996 to 37% in 2011. In the US, BOTH parties have increased spending and debt exponentially during that period.

    Sweden also reduced it's subsidies for medical and dental care. In 2011 Obamacare called for a whole new class of subsidies. Not apples and apples.

    Sweden does have high taxes, but they tax EVERYONE, not just the rich. They have an essentially flat tax rate. We have a system that taxes the rich at much higher rates. If we want to imitate Sweden's system we need to tax the middle and lower classes MORE.

    In 1994, Sweden began implementing the following measures designed to reverse this trend:
    • Reduce Regulation
    • Reduce Government Spending
    • Reform their Welfare Programs
    • Shrink their Government

    Redistribution of wealth is accomplished by taxation of EVERYONE, not just the rich.

    Personal income is taxed at a rate of 61.85 percent, plus a 7 percent social security tax rate for employees. On top of these taxes, Sweden also has a 25 percent consumption tax. For these sacrifices of financial freedom, this is what Sweden offers their citizens in benefits:
    • Pension
    • Health care
    • Unemployment Insurance
    • Education through Ph.D. Level
    • Child Day Care
    • Very generous leaves of absence from work with benefits including: education up to 6 months, starting your own company up to 6 months off, parental leave up to 16 months with 80 percent of your pay during time off
    • 16 public holidays (10 of these holidays are Christian-based, even though just five percent of the population are regular church attendees).
    Proponents of socialism mostly want to tax "other people", not themselves. Fanning resentment of the rich is a manipulative tool used to enforce mob rule bullying of those who have earned more money, mostly through providing more service to more people than the poor.

    True, there are those who have gained their riches through dishonest means, but they are mainly politicians. How did Nancy Pelosi achieve a 120 million net worth on a Congressperson's salary?

    Most of the "rich" people I know have worked hard, sacrificed leisure and delayed gratification for many years to get to where they are. Is it "fair" to take more of their earnings and give them to others who have not produced or sacrificed?

    If you want to hold Sweden up as a model of "socialism works" you need to look at the whole picture and ask yourself is you, yourself, are willing to pay that level of taxes.

    Namaste'
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  29. TopTop #76
    ray50sfo
    Guest

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    P.S. the Nazi's were the National SOCIALIST Party, remember?...they started with the same rhetoric we're hearing today in this country about resenting the rich, social justice, etc..

    Then when they got power, they executed the useful idiots who supported them, and anyone else who they believed posed a threat to their power.

    Just the way the Establishment Corporate Democrat Mainstream Media-Hollywood complex is attacking Trump, who isn't engaged in foreign conquest, but in restoring the damage done to America by all the Globalist puppet presidents starting with Bush #1 through Obama.
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  31. TopTop #77
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    P.S. the Nazi's were the National SOCIALIST Party, remember?...they started with the same rhetoric we're hearing today in this country about resenting the rich, social justice, etc..

    Then when they got power, they executed the useful idiots who supported them, and anyone else who they believed posed a threat to their power.

    Just the way the Establishment Corporate Democrat Mainstream Media-Hollywood complex is attacking Trump, who isn't engaged in foreign conquest, but in restoring the damage done to America by all the Globalist puppet presidents starting with Bush #1 through Obama.
    yeah, it's "just the way". I hardly see a difference.

    There are a few huge flaws in where your logic takes you. You make zero accommodation for the way 'society' (not coincidentally, the root of the term "socialism") co-operates for the common good. We're prairie dogs, not badgers.

    You also accept the concept of 'earned' way too easily. Wealth is accumulated in lots of ways, and few of them really reflect any moral value -- and the right-wing concept of 'earned' is steeped in moralism. Work is seen as a moral value, and there's a naive conflation of accumulating money with work. Any casual analysis can see that's not remotely true. The idea gets tortured to explain that somehow Trump and Zuckerberg are really working hard, they're morally superior and deserving of what they 'earn' because, uh, they're smarter? better? deserving of inherited wealth? Somehow dealing with this economic distortion is labeled 'theft'. That's about as well reasoned as is using home economics as a model for how a nation deals with its economy. But the right falls into that fallacy too -- think how often deficit spending is seen as equivalent to accumulating credit-card debt.

    The reality is that we do mostly share our moral values, but for many, they don't have this fetishization of independence and self-reliance. It's a sick fetish for several reasons: first, it's not really lived by the people ho hold the fetish most. It's easily seen that those living in red states, with lots of government support, either still believe they're totally self reliant, or feel inadequate because they're getting some community support. "Keep your government hands off my medicare!" is the cry from that group.

    The earth's wealth was there before us, and those who monopolized it early have little moral claim to depriving their fellow citizens from accessing it. Sure, those who've developed it and made it more valuable deserve an extra sip off the top, but they often act Aesop's dog in the manger, denying others the benefit of it mostly because they just can. My favorite foil, Zuckerberg, stumbled into an area that someone in my field was going to stumble into anyway, but there's a huge advantage in being first. And he's lucky enough to get the volume multiplier. Ford had to acquire materials, build plants, hire people, and get a sizeable amount of money from his customers. Zuck has something that scales to zillions of people for free, doesn't take many people to produce, and takes so little from each person that most of the earth's population can pay him a bit. A kindergarten teacher has less than a couple of dozen kids, few if any of whom have any wealth of their own. So her earnings pale to his, or Henry's. Maybe that's fair, but to the multiple that it is??


    The other weird thing about the right is how uncritical of these memes they get from Fox they are. Almost any libtard knows that the Euro states tax everyone heavily, and also support free market businesses. They know that's part of the picture when they point at the benefits such countries offer their citizens. They also know it's not an unbridled success story, and that government health care, (for one example), has its ups and downs and takes constant tweaking.

    But damn, the right just tosses out one hyperbolic critique and then walks away from the problem. 'Crisis at the border'? 'moochers getting free stuff'? even 'medicare for all costs too much'? So that means we ignore the human suffering that drives the immigrants, the fate of poor children and families (and yeah, even winos and psychos), and the one that bugs me the most, the health care needs of other humans in our own cities that can't be met? The Republicans have never made solving any of those problems a priority in any way that was noticed by the people suffering from them. Sure, trickle-up might do it, somehow if all the money goes to those at the top they may act like Gates or Buffet and share it. But I haven't seen it yet.

    So yeah, Ray, that's why so many in this county find the selfish and uncaring policies of Trump and the rest of the Republicans, really for the last century with few exceptions, kind of abhorrent.

    Man, one of the longest wacco posts EVER I bet!
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:40 PM.
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  33. TopTop #78
    ray50sfo
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    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Nice post. For contrast, this may be one of the shortest wacco posts :-)

    Glad you've decided the proper way for the whole of humanity to conduct itself.
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  34. TopTop #79
    ray50sfo
    Guest

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Meanwhile, in Mexico;

    In case you are not following real news,

    Federal prosecutors, while cross examining the witness and relatives of El Chapo, uncovered that the recent past President of Mexico, Enrique Pena Nieto, took over $100 million in bribes from the cartel.

    He is now naming names of US Politicians who were also taking bribes, and immediately the Feds are trying to seal the testimony from the public.

    I wonder which American politicians were/are taking bribes from the cartel?

    Could it be the same ones fighting to not have a border wall?

    How do so many of them become multi millionaires on their senate and congressional salaries?
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  36. TopTop #80
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    Nice post. For contrast, this may be one of the shortest wacco posts :-)
    Glad you've decided the proper way for the whole of humanity to conduct itself.
    so what conduct do I recommend that you disagree with?? and exactly what conduct do I recommend, anyway? I didn't see that part of my own post, I guess.

    You've yet to directly respond to anything any of the other posters have said; you've just offered more generalities. There are several specific things from several of us. For example, I've explained why some of the cartoons you've posted don't work - wanna tell me why I'm wrong on any of them?
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  38. TopTop #81
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    I wonder which American politicians were/are taking bribes from the cartel?

    Could it be the same ones fighting to not have a border wall?

    How do so many of them become multi millionaires on their senate and congressional salaries?
    uh, maybe? If they're not, if instead it's the usual suspects on the Repub side, do you have some inference to draw about them? If you show me any corrupt dems, I'll be happy to condemn them too. How 'bout (yea, whattaboutism..) the private prison industry and border guards union? Does that have any Trumpy connection? and just as important, would any Foxy people care?? Us libtards would care a lot to find out which of our socialist representatives actually are supporting cartels.
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  40. TopTop #82
    occihoff's Avatar
    occihoff
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Ray, instead of generalizations, please give some specific examples of Far Left Cartoons on this board that present fabrications, distortions and lies. As for exaggerations, well of course!

    Also, what do you think is factually incorrect about that Bohemian article?

    And please respond to the questions I have raised in my posts! I have probably wasted too much of my precious time typing these questions, but it has all been in the hope of getting some real communication with you. At least you dealt with Sweden, and I thank you!
    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    Are you saying that the Far Left Cartoons usually seen on this board don't promulgate exaggerations, fabrications, distortions and lies?...
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:42 PM.
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  42. TopTop #83
    occihoff's Avatar
    occihoff
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    This cant about illegal immigrants to the US wanting "free stuff" drives me crazy! It ignores the terrible persecution at the hands of armed gangs, the ineffective and even malign governments, the hopeless poverty, and the suffering endured by malnourished men, women, and children as they plod so many hundreds of miles to get to our supposed bastion of freedom and compassion, only to get clobbered on the border by our wall of governmental inhumanity!

    When my maternal grandparents came here on the boat from their poor and beleaguered Jewish stedel in Russia, desperately seeking a better life for themselves and their children, they were uplifted by the welcoming sight of our Statue Of Liberty. "Give us your poor, forgotten, etc..." Remember that? They worked hard, mastered broken English, and ended up putting their three sons through college. (Although their three daughters--including my mother--had to raise their own tuition!)

    Maybe we should replace the Statue Of Liberty with the statue of an armed guard saying "Get the hell out of here if you're not white, European, Christian, and fairly rich!"
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:43 PM.
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  44. TopTop #84
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by occihoff: View Post
    This cant about illegal immigrants to the US wanting "free stuff" drives me crazy!
    me too. But I don't see it applied just to immigrants. You're right, though, I do hear "if I was illegal I'd get free healthcare/food/childcare" as if being illegal was an advantage.

    But in general, I hear them express concern that undeserving people of all types want free stuff - college education, etc. I think it's tied up in the over-emphasis on self-reliance people have, and their weird identification of self-worth with control of money. Personally, I'd be happier if I never handled money again in my life. Lots of the best things in life don't come about as result of a cash transaction. But some people don't value things if they don't pay for them, and value them more if they pay more. I see it, and kind of get it, even if it seems kind of lizard-brain primitive to me.

    This fixation on money hurts their thinking in lots of ways -- it makes people identify with really rich people who in fact have no relationship to money in the way their admirers do. They don't spend it on things, they control things with their wealth. But somehow a lot of people think these uber-wealthy share their world view, regardless of evidence to the contrary. I don't think many of them have ever had any contact with that world. (and yes, I've had enough for at least a slightly educated opinion...)
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 01:35 PM.
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  46. TopTop #85
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    The best sex in former east Germany was probably right after the wall came down. All that pent up energy released!

    Then the grinding reality of capitalism as the country reunited, having to pay for everything. Perhaps the authors premise that the golden age of east german women's sexual satisfaction was in the socialist construction of gender equality is influenced by the heady days of liberation?

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by wisewomn: View Post
    ...Probably the main reason East German women didn't put the bricks back is that they are busily enjoying their new-found freedoms....
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:44 PM.
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  48. TopTop #86
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Yes I agree, this whole discussion of political humor has gotten way too serious. I find politics in the us fundamentally funny, because there is virtual consensus between the two parties yet they pretend difference. I find this kind of hypocrisy hilarious. And then we elect a funny looking, crass talking showman clown as leader! Who says the same bs, yet politic followers think it's different!

    Please don't understand me as cynical. I love both people and our politics and find it all endlessly facinating and entertaining.

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by ray50sfo: View Post
    ...But then we were talking about humor...it's in the eye of the beholder! I should lighten up...

    It seems fitting that those advocating socialism would have reasons why humor directed at them is wrong, while humor directed at patriots who defend human freedom is justified.

    But I digress...this isn't all serious and heavy, it's under the heading of HUMOR. Look it up and have a nice day.
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:45 PM.
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  50. TopTop #87
    rossmen
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    The point, podfish, is that your explanation of a joke denies your sense of humor of it, because it is so judgemental. For example the trump pelosi stare down joke. Easy to diss as misogynistic, but... does Nancy do botox? Never occurred to me before and it sure looks like it. And she deserved the ribbing for her lame moral high ground stance, she is an accomplished pol, a true sausage grinder. And trump, although of course the funnier looking of the two, deserved credit for sticking to his signature issue, whatever you or I think of it. You're a smart guy, why not use some of your subtlety to laugh?

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by podfish: View Post
    ...And no-one has said anything about the 'humor' being directed at non-right-wing targets being wrong, just that it's not funny. I gave examples why. The only response I get is some amorphous "you just don't get it, you have no sense of humor". I beg to differ. If you can only say "it's funny 'cuz it's funny", it's probably not funny. It may take the humor out of a joke to explain it, but that doesn't mean the explanation was wrong.
    Last edited by Barry; 02-01-2019 at 12:48 PM.
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  51. TopTop #88
    podfish's Avatar
    podfish
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    Quote Posted in reply to the post by rossmen: View Post
    The point, podfish, is that your explanation of a joke denies your sense of humor of it, because it is so judgemental. ...
    no, that's not the point to draw from the post.

    Think of beer. Sure, I suppose I could enjoy a cold Coors -- but it's not really beer. There's a lot of good beer out there and it's easy to explain why Coors doesn't qualify. Doesn't mean some people don't enjoy Coors and dislike real beer but it also doesn't mean I have to concede that it's just a matter of taste.
    .. and knowing why Pliny is good beer doesn't detract from enjoying it (assuming I get to try some someday!)
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  53. TopTop #89
    occihoff's Avatar
    occihoff
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    I take your point, rossmen. People can get caught up in the struggle to be RIGHT. At the same time, the issues we are debating are truly matters of life and death. I daresay we waccovians, while we may or may not be prosperous by middle class American standards, are rich as Croesus compared to the people all over the world and even in our own country who are being clobbered by desperate poverty! I realize that you are well aware of this. So the arguments between Leftists and Rightists has tremendous real world implications.

    I think what we are hearing from Ray and other right-wingers boils down to a belief that in general people who make a lot of money really deserve it because they are smarter and work harder for it, and they resent having so much of it taken away--basically stolen--by Big Daddy and given to lower class people who are just too lazy and inferior to earn their own keep. Their conception of socialism is using Big Government to rob the successful, superior people, to transfer their wealth to the masses of inferior failures.

    This attitude, of course, overlooks the fact that the vast majority of people work very hard, every day, at jobs like office work, teaching, manufacturing, nursing, street cleaning, etc, etc, etc. And given the out of control rising costs of housing, childcare, etc, many of these workers are struggling to make ends meet. At the same time, many other people are making vast incomes through investment, successful businesses, high-end professional work, and--like Donald Trump--inherited wealth combined with ruthless and shady dealing.

    I thank Ray for studying up and giving his analysis of the Swedish governmental system. Even with all the problems he enumerates, I have to say that for all the benefits that Swedes accrue through their high taxes it sounds to me like a pretty good deal!

    And I think that the ultimate question Ray needs to tackle is: do the citizens of Sweden, and all the other countries that have a democratic socialist government, wish they could trade in their system for ours?


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by rossmen: View Post
    Yes I agree, this whole discussion of political humor has gotten way too serious. I find politics in the us fundamentally funny, because there is virtual consensus between the two parties yet they pretend difference. I find this kind of hypocrisy hilarious. And then we elect a funny looking, crass talking showman clown as leader! Who says the same bs, yet politic followers think it's different!

    Please don't understand me as cynical. I love both people and our politics and find it all endlessly facinating and entertaining.
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  55. TopTop #90
    occihoff's Avatar
    occihoff
     

    Re: Best of Political Humor - January 2019 - Discussion

    I'm sorry, rossmen, I appreciate your posts, but putting a woman or anyone down for worrying about their looks is just too much for me.

    As for Pelosi's "lame moral high ground stance," whatever the deficits of the Democratic Party, I say at this point we're damn lucky to have such an "accomplished pol, a true sausage grinder" back in power!


    Quote Posted in reply to the post by rossmen: View Post
    The point, podfish, is that your explanation of a joke denies your sense of humor of it, because it is so judgemental. For example the trump pelosi stare down joke. Easy to diss as misogynistic, but... does Nancy do botox? Never occurred to me before and it sure looks like it. And she deserved the ribbing for her lame moral high ground stance, she is an accomplished pol, a true sausage grinder. And trump, although of course the funnier looking of the two, deserved credit for sticking to his signature issue, whatever you or I think of it. You're a smart guy, why not use some of your subtlety to laugh?
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