One of the flaws I think many skeptics share is a love of consistency. If we’ve done any studying of philosophy, or even practiced thinking, we tend to feel that “but you contradicted yourself!” is a winning point.
There’s a trope going around, lately (i.e.: since 2016) that goes something like:
Person A: says something critical of democrats
Person B: (rageflail) If you don’t support democrats you’re setting us up for another Trump, and you’re killing the planet! You’re probably a Bernie Bro!
Last night around 4:00am I woke up briefly, obsessed with an invidious comparison.
Someone over at PZ’s, in a comment, mentioned “confederate flag toilet paper.”
When I was in 9th grade, I was propagandized, and I don’t mind.
We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.
The US and its allies have set up a re-match for the Cuban Missile Crisis, which most people recognize as the time humanity was closest to a full-up nuclear war. Congratulations, American presidents!
Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about the US’ slide into fascism, whether or not Trump is a fascist, etc. It’s interesting, because yes indeed the US is on the cusp of collapsing from a pseudo-democracy into an authoritarian empire, but it also conceals a deeper problem. Namely, that the US has always been more or less fascist. I.e.: “I was fascist, before fascism was even cool.”
My experience with LSD taught me an unsettling thing: it’s so mind-reversing that there is a tendency to proselytize the stuff. It can be transformative, for some, though for me it just made the music fantastic.
Content Warning: Violence, Militarism
This popped up thanks to the youtube imperialism algorithm, or something. It’s nothing I’d have ever thought to look for because, frankly, the idea is so dumb and bad, it’s nothing I’d have ever imagined.