this post was submitted on 25 Aug 2026
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Work Reform

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[–] slaacaa@lemmy.world 178 points 2 days ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

US politics as seem by Europeans:

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 60 points 2 days ago (2 children)

except blue is more like "we're strongly opposed to diarrhea forever, but this undercooked fish should be good in the fridge for another few days right?"

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 28 points 2 days ago (4 children)

As a European, to me it looks like blue is a free puppy, like the picture.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago (4 children)

As a European, can you explain why you also keep voting in the diarrhea candidates?

[–] Waffelmeister@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Because we Europeans are almost as fucked in the head as you Americans.

SpoilerIf I had to take a guess what the root cause is, I'd say the problem lies in the difference between the culturally transported image of reality (propaganda, advertisement, algorithmic bubbles etc) and the longing for a life according to human nature (community, good food, sense of belonging and usefulness, spiritual fulfillment etc)

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

I don't, so I can't explain why other people do it.

If I had to guess?

Fear.

[–] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

You know when the powerful countries infiltrate 3rd world countries and trigger overthrowing the government?

This is what currently is happening in US and Europe.

Russia is the main one driving it. They infiltrate, bribe politicians, influence public opinion via social media. If they win they start looting the country for themselves, but also using the funding to help sister parties in other countries to do the same.

This is why they all seem to have very similar views, that also "magically" align with what Kremlin views.

This is very cheap campaign for Russia to destroy the Western world, kill EU and divide Europe.

Every politician and influencer involved in this movement should be tried as traitors that they are.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 0 points 1 day ago (1 children)

This is what currently is happening in US and Europe.

If that's what is happening in the US and Europe, what just happened in Columbia?

[–] takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 1 day ago

Yeah, why trump is paying $1B to Columbian far right president that he helped win?

Same as Orban paid Republicans, same as Polish right wing helped Fidesz.

They all are working together.

[–] parricc@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago (1 children)

American here. The blue option is indeed puppies for everyone. But you're getting the rest wrong because you live in a country with an actual functioning government. Nothing in the picture said the puppies were free. The puppies are shipped in large Priority Mail flat rate boxes for $34. To receive a puppy, you must first submit Form HUD-9473126-K9B with an attached $200 money order. Processing time is 6-9 weeks upon receipt, and delivery is 2-3 weeks. The government is not responsible for the condition of how the puppy arrives. If your puppy gets damaged, additional forms and fees apply to request a replacement.

But I guess it's at least not diarrhea forever.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

lol, yeah.

I'm only saying what it looks like from afar. I bet it's garbage up close, still. 😅

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I still think free undercooked trout is more accurate

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Agree to disagree.

[–] zane@infosec.pub 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Then you need to look closer. They're mostly Republicans but blue.

[–] Kushan@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago (6 children)

Nah, I don't think the "both sides are the same" argument is anything but propaganda at this point when Obama brought in free healthcare and Trump brought in the Gestapo.

Saying this as a European.

[–] lena@gregtech.eu 13 points 1 day ago

Both sides are pretty bad, but one is significantly worse than the other

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 12 points 1 day ago

I don’t think the “both sides are the same” argument is anything but propaganda

That's because you're not the one getting $50M in eye-gouging political ads between Jon Fetterman and Memet Oz, only to see them agree on practically every issue once the election is over.

The biggest gulfs in opinion tend to be internal party schisms. Mamdani, Eric Adams, and Andrew Cuomo duking it out in an ugly NYC Mayoral primary while the Republicans just heckel from the cheap seats. Or Eric Cantor losing his job as Majority Whip to an even more virulent Anti-tax Christian white nationalist.

It's not that Both Sides Are The Same, it's that each side is a fractal kaleidoscope of particular nuanced views. But the consensus that emerges across the national scene tends to be constrained by what corporate sponsors are willing to fund.

Lobbyists write the legislation. Legislators rationalize why they vote for or against it with their campaign jingoisms.

[–] ParlimentOfDoom@piefed.zip 7 points 1 day ago

Obama brought in free healthcare

Well that didn't happen. He brought us a Republican healthcare plan that cemented private insurance into our system and fined people who didn't have any. The public option got dropped because of captured senators refusing to vote on the bill unless it was removed.

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Obama brought in free healthcare

lol no. If anything Obamacare is a textbook example of what I meant - he entered office with a Democrat majority in both Houses and the Supreme Court and a huge public mandate to get it done, and still ended up abandoning all his stated plans for a system where big business interests got their entrenched positions solidified by law.

It would be wrong to call Obama a fascist, but he did less than nothing to dismantle the oligarchy that lead to where we are now.

[–] zane@infosec.pub 0 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The chair of the Democratic party just tried to secretly meet with a known fascist and white supremacist, not to mention constantly votes against universal healthcare, or maybe I should mention previous votes supporting warrantless searches. but okay, go ahead and tell me about when I had free healthcare, because I sure as fuck don't recall that happening.

Edit: dont even get me started on Israel. Calling these fuckers left leaning is an insult to pretty much every actually left leaning group in the US.

[–] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

The chair of the Democratic party just tried to secretly meet with a known fascist and white supremacist,

I'm not sure if this is ignorance or propaganda, but Ken Martin is the chair of the DNC, not Hakeem Jeffries. The neolibs are making as much noise as they can so low info voters continue to think they control the DNC, but in reality they lost that control in 2024.

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it -2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

The Obama administration also put children in wire fence cages.

Trump is the worst because his predecessors were bad.

And we aren't even talking about foreign policy, we're talking about what has been going on on American soil.

There's is a thread that goes from Bill Clinton ~~creating~~ using the meme of the welfare queen to DOGE.

[–] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

There’s is a thread that goes from Bill Clinton creating the meme of the welfare queen to DOGE.

That was famously Ronald Reagan. Not sure why anyone would pay attention to anything else you say after fucking that up that bad.

[–] darthelmet@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Yeah he got that wrong, but I think this still highlights the dynamic at play. Regan pushed the horrible cultural narrative around welfare, but then he was followed by Clinton saying he was going to “end welfare as we know it.” Softer language than Regan, but pushing in the same policy direction, enabled by Regan’s earlier propaganda, and in the act of making it bipartisan, he normalized it as a position that we’ve been stuck with ever since.

[–] 100_kg_90_de_belin@feddit.it -2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I may have fumbled that reference, but Bill Clinton managed to make a bipartisan effort to reduce welfare work.

JFC, Bill Clinton signed the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act because he wanted to look tough on crime, but Trump is the big bad boogeyman that came out of nowhere.

Cut me some fucking slack and stop looking at Democrats through rose-tinted glasses, for Christ's sake.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

Right, but we are seeing it from over here, so...

[–] stickyprimer@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Is that a “both sides” argument?

[–] skisnow@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 day ago

No, it’s a “ratchet effect” argument. Dems are opposed to fascism in principle, but have shown no interest in stopping the root causes that lead to it.

[–] PlaidBaron@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Not just Europeans. Pretty much every other country in the world with a functioning government.

[–] Gaslov@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Maybe even alien civilizations look down with disgust!

[–] stickyprimer@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

I’m sure Europeans everywhere are offended at you referring to their colonies like that.

[–] FE80@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Both pictures should be the guy on the shitter, but label the blue side "Diarrhea Forever Apologists".

[–] explodicle@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 day ago

Forever? How dare you! We just need diarrhea for this one most important election of our lifetimes. I refuse to acknowledge anything beyond a single iteration.

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Is it because instead of trying to improve the lives of people in a meaningful way. They think giving everyone a puppy will be the solution?

While not once realising that 350 million puppies is going to require some serious imports, quarantines, vacinations, construction of holding facilities (i guess they could repurpose their concentration camps), employees to oversee the puppies while in quarantine, vets to administer vacines. Janitors and cleaners to maintain the premises.

So... instead of just giving everyone universal healthcare. They'll spend twice as much on puppies. That sure does sound like the US in a nutshell

[–] Rooster326@programming.dev 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

70% of Americans support universal healthcare

This is not a Red vs Blue issue.

This is a class warfare issue

https://resisth8.com/gov-politics/universal-healthcare-for-all/

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 day ago

I never said it was a red v blue thing. Just that neither will give it to you. One will try to give you something else because the want you to think you might get it. While the other will just tell you up front to get lost

[–] teuniac_@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I totally get the point. But to be fair, the US has such a high GDP that it could afford all of this. But, it would require taxing the wealthy a bit more.

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Or they could have just sat home and not blow up their entire arsenal in Iran. While selling those weapons to EU that is buying them to donate to Ukraine.

That alone would have been enough. Without even increasing taxes on anything

[–] teuniac_@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Those are all really good ideas. And on top of that I'd also suggest taxing the wealthy a bit more.

[–] Atomic@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

And on top of that I'd suggest taxing corporations. Instead of doing the opposite, giving them tax exemptions

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Puppy is right, not really a solution, good PR, and not diarrhea forever. And in the comments, you can even begin to guess who would be claiming that they are not a real solution so you should vote against free puppies and vote for diarrhea forever to shake up the system.

You know, so they offer something better next time even though next time everyone's toilet and sewer system is going to be backed up and in need of dire repair by then as well because and also, everyone is suffering from diarrhea forever now so much that everyone would just be happy to not be suffering from diarrhea forever now, forget about the free puppies.

Regrettably this is sold as "The government steals your money to buy immigrants puppies" vs "Your freedom to choose which self-regulating corporation's food you buy--free market in action!"

And more regrettably people believe it against all evidence.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 2 days ago

us outsourced thier diarrhea from a farm in the south of the us.