Macron's call to 'cut off' social media during riots sparks backlash in France
Macron's call to 'cut off' social media during riots sparks backlash in France
President Emmanuel Macron's government faced a backlash Wednesday after the centrist leader called for powers to "cut off" social media in case of widespread violence like riots over the past week.
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If I was French and had to pick between Macron's hand-picked successor and Le Pen, I would go insane. Vesting so much power in the presidency can only turn presidents into strongmen.
Sympathy from the U.S., where we'll be told to pick between two fascists once again.
I think the world's nation-states are widely adopting the "lesser-evil" faux-choice strategy these days, right along with the mass spread of neoliberalism and the all-too-ubiquitous open adoption of its bed-buddy fascism. This is by design. Politicians are waking up to the fact that we aren't rebelling (effectively) even as they drop the pretense of democracy. The state has enough power over us at this point that it can get away with just about anything it likes.
There is no reasonable rational analysis where Joe Biden is a fascist lol. He's a neoliberal and I think he sucks, and I truly wish for a different candidate for the Democratic Party. But there is no comparison there between him and the other guy. Not even the same stratosphere.
I think the world's nation-states are widely adopting the "lesser-evil" faux-choice strategy these days. This is by design
Politics has been an exercise in finding compromise from day 1, thousands of years ago. Any, ANY, system of politics that could reasonably exist, will result in candidates that huge percentages of the country aren't happy about. Now, I would LOVE any ranked voting method for this country to minimize this effect. We definitely don't have an amazing system of politics. But "this is by design" is literally untrue unless you believe in some weird conspiracy thing. The US constitution is mega old, most of it's failures are related to that, imo.
There is no reasonable rational analysis where Joe Biden is a fascist
Oh yes, there most definitely is. He has enacted far more fascist policy in his career of politics than Trump has or ever could. Mass incarceration—including concentration camps—the "War On Drugs", union busting and strikebreaking, mass surveillance (e.g. the Patriot Act, which he happily takes credit for), militarization of the police, attacks on journalism and whistleblowers, etc. Biden is most definitely fascist. It's pretty fucking gross of you to practice such denial and apologia, TBH. Putting a donkey and some nice old grampa speeches in front of the policy doesn't change the policy.
He’s a neoliberal
Yes. That too. As is Trump, by the way. Did you not notice how they share plans to privatize social programs like Social Security? Man, if I had a nickel for everyone who believes that a politician subscribing to neoliberal ideology means they can't also subscribe to fascist ideology. Whew! The two liberal (yes, liberal) tendencies are completely complementary, and a ton of neoliberal economics—such as privatization—came straight out of Nazi Germany, as practiced directly by fascists in a fascist government. One manages the policy related to economics and so-called "soft power". The other manages the more direct violence, control, spying, and abuse by the state.
Politics has been an exercise in finding compromise
False. Compromise is simply a tactic. Politics is literally about building and exercising power, and using it to secure and enhance the authority which grants it. "Politics is about compromise" is liberal propaganda that has very little to do with reality. When power relations don't dictate that compromise is necessary, none is used.
We definitely don’t have an amazing system of politics. But “this is by design” is literally untrue unless you believe in some weird conspiracy thing. The US constitution is mega old, most of it’s failures are related to that, imo.
Again, this is completely incorrect. The U.S. constitution is a reactionary document that was literally designed to curtail democracy. There's no conspiracy necessary. "Conspiracy" implies secrecy. The so-called "Founding Fathers" literally documented that that was exactly what they were doing, and what they intended. And those in power regularly admit it as well. All you have to do is look at what they say (quite openly!) when the intended audience isn't the working class. They have their PR guys and the mainstream media to put it into much nicer sounding words when you and I are expected to be paying attention. You should really read more literature by people like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn. When those in power admit what they're doing, and when it very much matches their interests to do it (i.e. preserve their power while ensuring you have none), you should probably believe them.
This whole thing is so deranged it's hard to choose what to highlight, but
Politics is about compromise" is liberal propaganda that has very little to do with reality
Ahh yes, the famous liberal propagandist, Otto Von Bismarck(politics is the art of compromise is derived from his quote "politics is the art of the possible"). I suppose Machiavelli is also a liberal propagandist for writing the Prince in 1512, or any of Jeremy Benthoms works. An entire branch of political philosophy is not propaganda just because you disagree with it.
The viewpoint that politics should be examined from a practical or utilitarian viewpoint is so much older than even the modern concept of Liberal Politics that it's such a clear and intense revelation of your personal obsessive bias against modern liberals. Which is whatever, I'm sick and tired of not having true leftist representitives myself. But c'mon man this whole reply is off the rails.
You should really read more literature by people like Noam Chomsky and Howard Zinn
Yeah, people who has a different viewpoint on political nuance are unread and not properly educated, this is definitely going to fix the problem. If I read rules for radicals again, maybe this time it will finally erase the information in my brain about political history.
deranged
Nice. And no: throwing out names doesn't erase the absolute fucking ignorance of political philosophy you displayed previously, sorry. The point out mentioning Chomsky and Zinn wasn't about "people with different viewpoints". It was literally about the U.S. constitution, the design of the modern system, and your assertion that people who recognize that it is working as intended are wacko conspiracy theorists. Yes, if you've really read those works, you should re-read them and actually pay attention this time.