Doubledee

The point of the comparison is that the two aren't actually alike in scale though. Stubbing your toe and getting shot are both painful but it would be odd if someone with a gunshot wound was loudly complaining about their stubbed toe.

I think it's more likely they're just a USian, they deliberately elect these kinds of governments over and over.

I mean maybe it's just an American values thing but I actually don't think scientists are as bad as Epstein associates.

Yeah it feels intentional and it makes me uncomfortable.

Where's the part where people are making funny quotes about Tiny Man and stuff? I've been scrolling through the thread to see what you were talking about and haven't found it yet.

Edit: I just searched for the tiny man square part of your quote and this post is the only thing that comes up.

Yeah there's really no room for nuance on some of these topics for some reason. You don't accept the line, a line fed to us by a government we ostensibly don't trust about a sanctioned enemy that it has every incentive to make you dislike, and somehow you are questioning objective reality to defend an authoritarian.

I think it's the sheer volume of anti China consent-manufacturing material that does it. Westerners are just bathing in it constantly.

The problem for Ukraine is not one of budgeting. Foreign policy is largely the domain of the president especially since the legislature has given up on war powers and doing anything to restrict the use of force.

Ukraine isn't winning with the resources and backing it currently has, and it was losing ground even when supported by the comparatively enthusiastic Biden admin. Trump (correctly in my view) believes the situation will continue to deteriorate and that Ukraine is best off negotiating an end to the war as soon as it can before the terms get even worse.

Congress can't compel Hegseth to conduct the war in a certain way, what Trump wants is what he is going to get until he leaves more or less. Which means Ukraine needs to hold out until 2029, at which point the damage will be done most likely.

Edit: I know the US isn't fighting the war directly but the use of its intelligence sharing, materiel, and logistical/soft power have been indisposable to the conduct of the war before Trump came back. If he can't be forced to be more generous with these things, which he can't, he can force the war to end and worsen Ukraine's position however much he would like to. A prospect that becomes more and more likely the more irritated he gets with what he perceives as Ukraine not cooperating with his goals.

You don't understand, western nations helped defend one side of the civil war and propped them up as part of a global ideological conflict they wanted to engage in with countries on the other side of the globe from them. Not agreeing to allow their proxy to act with impunity is textbook imperialism.

Imperialism is when you don't concede that a bunch of fascists who fought and lost a civil war and then fortified themselves on an island with the help of foreign powers and violently purged dissenters get to claim to be the government of both your country and other neighboring countries. The more that you spend decades seeking reconciliation diplomatically instead of through military ventures, the more imperialist you are.

For sure, there's an unhealthy internet thing of just hating stuff, I hope it's obvious I'm not doing that. I actually think the books for younger kids are overall better and a lot of the worst stuff could have been avoided if she just stuck to writing fun mysteries for children. She was pretty good at snarky irreverent kid stuff.

The biggest fans in my life hate the epilogue too, so you're in good company there.

It's literally in the book. Harry becomes a wizard CIA agent. They still have slaves at the end. The book ends with Harry wondering if his chattel slave will bring him food. They don't help the muggles, they don't rectify the injustice of their tiered society.

I think the anti fascist angle is a nice thing to get from it but it's not really supported by the text. Riddle is ontologically evil for no reason, he's bad Dumbledore. Dumbledore controls the entire society and can act with impunity. I don't even think all this stuff is intentional. It's just not that deep.

No her issue is with those people because they aren't competent. None of the issues that make the ministry an evil neo liberal monstrosity are fixed by the heroes who enter the government and maintain it. The books suck as political texts.