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One of the many tragedies of Donald Trump’s electoral college victory is that it has given Dilbert creator and Dunning-Kruger poster boy Scott Adams an even more inflated belief in his own personal brilliance.
Adams, you see, was one of the first to predict Trump’s political success, and now he feels the need to share every dumb thought he has about the man with the world.
Adams’ latest Trump brainstorm: Maybe Russia did us all a yuuuge favor by subverting our democracy to boot Trump, did you ever think of that?
“One way to look at the recent election in the United States is that Russia (allegedly) subverted our democratic process to ensure that Trump would win,” Adams wrote on his blog yesterday.
Another way to look at the election is that Russia did a big favor for the American public by preventing Clinton from becoming president.
DID HE JUST BLOW YOUR MIND??!!1
So why would it be so great for Russia to have secretly conspired to knock Hillary out of the race? Because that silly woman actually thought of the country that secretly subverted our democracy to boost the chances of an easily manipulable geopolitical naif as some sort of enemy!
Clinton saw Russia as an adversary. I confess my ignorance on this topic – and maybe you can set me straight in the comments – because I can’t think of any reason Russia and the United States should be considered natural enemies. Both countries want to defeat ISIS. Both countries want peace and prosperity. Neither claims ownership of any of the other’s territory. I see the prospect of good relations with Russia as a way to make some money for both countries and defeat ISIS too. That doesn’t seem so bad.
I mean, sure, I guess I can see that. I mean, Russia is an autocratic kleptocracy run by a guy whose enemies have a strange way of finding themselves dead, and Putin kind of wants to take over neighboring countries and undermine NATO and subvert democracy all over Europe by supporting far-right parties, but, hey, maybe we’ve been too quick to see these things as bad things!
Oh, sure, Adams acknowledges,
If Russia did interfere with our elections in a meaningful way, obviously that is a hole we need to plug. But this is an unusual situation because their alleged actions look more like the work of a sneaky ally than an enemy. The likely outcome of their alleged hacking is that we’ll have better relations with a major superpower and a better chance of defeating ISIS.
THANKS, SNEAKY ALLY!
“One trick of persuasion that I have sometimes used involves treating an adversary like a friend until they turn into a friend,” Adams goes on to note.
I’ve never seen it done on a country-to-country basis, but it works great in person. If you tell someone you are on their side, and you act that way, it is hard for them to keep you on the enemy list. I don’t know if this method of persuasion works for countries, but this is the perfect place to test it.
Huh. I seem to remember a country called Russia doing that with a country called Germany. How did that work out for them?
Oh, right. But hey, when has history ever repeated itself? Never, probably!
Russia and the United States have more interests in common than in conflict. In this particular case, Trump can change the frame from adversary to ally if he chooses to do so. And that would probably have the effect of making all parties act that way.
So, hey, Putin, keep messing with our democracy! Obviously you’ve got our best interests at heart! Some dude who does a comic says so!
Not quite. Laver bread isn’t actually bread. It”s a Welsh dish and is simply seaweed fried in either butter or bacon fat, served traditionally with bacon and a fried egg. No idea why it’s called bread, though.
Honestly? Probably the closest because Alex Hirsch needs to work on his penmanship.
That’s right, I’m calling you out, Hirsch, and if you ever happened to google your name and see this post
http://s2.quickmeme.com/img/c3/c3b440eef5bf131006abb441ac1dcfb71ea8b806d8d4260d33646ff287590ff0.jpg
and what the hell does that say and when’s your next charity stream so I can get Grunkle Stan in a leather jacket?
-Karalora
I wondered if this was involved too!
@Euroguy
I’ve got a story for you, dear “feminist fascist”. It’s pretty short and only tengentially related to your point, but I’ll add a little moral at the end that you can then reflect on.
(Others here may have read this story before, I honestly don’t remember if I’ve ever told it on here, but if I have then it’s worth reading again because it turns out I remembered it pretty badly until recently – I’ve been corrected since.)
My great-grandmother was born and raised in Spain. She carried the bandera during some of those marches that you seem to be blissfully ignorant of. Then Franco’s regime had her sent to prison, in the mountains.
There she met another prisoner, who was pregnant and eventually gave birth to a daughter, in prison.
It became pretty clear that staying there was a bad idea, so do you know what the two of them did ? They grabbed the baby and broke out, crossed the goddamn mountains on foot, and eventually arrived here in France.
See there, that is History. With the big H. That’s the kind of people who’ve made this world’s History – the same History you apparently know so little about that you can honestly come here and say that fascism is “modern” and “feminist”.
It’s not.
As a side-note, it really pisses me off when the first politician from here that gets mentioned by a foreigner is that national embarassment. Especially when the person seems to imply that she’s a feminist. Not even the first time I hear that ludicrous claim.
Sure, Marine Le Pen’s a feminist. Yep. ’cause all feminists know that women actually have abortions as a form of birth control, because they too lazy to take the pill. “Avortements de confort”, they’re called. It’s bad. I know it, ’cause Marine told me so. And she a feminist.
How do you do, fellow feminists.
So there ya go, I even wrote you a bonus track after my little story. Let it never be said that I ain’t generous. Two words for ya to muse, reflect and maybe even do research on ! “History”, and “feminism”. Hey, you can even combine the two words in a google search and you’ll learn some very interesting things.
@Sinkable John
Bonjour!
How it comes fascism cannot be feminist? What about Leni Riefenstahl? Among many others.
Regarding Franco´s regime… Well, Franco won the war. It was a question of “us or them”. In the case the “República” would won, we´d have the gulag here.
My grandpa fought the war in Franco´s side. In tanks. His brother -my uncle grandpa- fought the war in the República side. In airplanes. He drove a soviet Polikarkov plane. When the war was lost, he crossed the Pirineos. One year later he was fighting in La Resistence. He married a French woman. In the 50s he returned to Spain with French wife. I remember both were so sick about the war, about the fact they were enemies in the front. My grandpa was a committed falangista (fascist), my uncle-grandpa was a committed communist.
Stories of love, war, and family… My family story about the war it is quite standard, by the way. And I can see yours as well. You have Spanish blood, so you are part of the story too.
I am not as fascist as my grandpa. I believe in democracy, that it was I like Marine so much. And the French approach to fascism is extremely intellectual and civilize: did you here about the Nouvelle Droit school of thought? I think it is really interesting.
Regarding to abortion… If I could get pregnant, I would abort without hesitation. Im not interested in fatherhood at all. I don´t judge women who abort at all. I think the law we have in Western Europe regarding to abortion it is quite OK.
@Sinkable John
I gave you an answer minutes ago, but it seems has been delated. Maybe I am banned from the blog. I do not know.
@Sinkable John
OK. Briefly.
My uncle-grandpa who was a communist crossed the Pirineos after the civil war and one year later he was fighting in La Resistance. He married a French woman and he returned to Spain in the 50s with French wife.
It seems we have kind of similar story regarding Guerra Civil Española.
=8)-DX
I’ll need a citation for those being American values. Sure, lip service is given, but when it comes to actions both historical and modern?
Okay, so I’m waiting for my hot glue gun to heat up (roommate gave me a great idea for salvaging my too-short desk! I’m going to turn it into a sort of cubby shelf for more of those little paper bins), I’m going to just give this particular quote a massive “What the actual fuck?”
Fascism isn’t compatible with feminism, in my opinion. At all.
Fascists can hold feminist beliefs, such as “women are equal to men”, “women deserve equal pay”, “women are unfairly expected to do tons of unpaid emotional and family-related labor”, but they cannot be good feminists due to their fascist beliefs.
Especially with modern feminism, which is more intersectional than it ever has been before.
For the lurkers who are still learning: Intersectional Feminism is another school of feminism that takes into account that women with other forms of oppression besides their gender will have those other forms also play into the sexism they experience.
For instance, a black woman will have to deal with sexism that is also specific to racism (This has been dubbed Misogynoir by a black feminist, Moya Bailey). She would have to deal with stuff like the “angry black woman” stereotype, or the fetishization of her skin color by white men.
A queer woman will have to deal with problems related to homophobia and/or transphobia whereas a cishet woman will not. For instance, a lesbian woman would have to face fetishization by men, a pansexual or bisexual woman will have to deal with slut-shaming from without and within the LGBT community, and trans women (and men) have to deal with fetishization and people constantly invalidating their gender.
And so on and so forth.
These ideas that plenty of modern feminists have are NOT COMPATIBLE WITH FASCISM. Not “classic” fascism, nor “modern” fascism.
Because fascism is about oppression. Oppression of non-white people, oppression of queer people, oppression of the poor, oppression of the disabled, and so on and so forth.
And a good feminist, especially not one who claims to be intersectional, should never throw other people under the bus like that.
If they do, they should get the side-eye and the cold shoulder from other feminists (and rightfully so).
Listen, feminism does have a problem with racism. We’ve always had a problem with racism. The term “white feminism” exists for a reason.
But I sincerely hope that we don’t have fascists invading our spaces because of it.
Many white feminists, myself included, are taking steps to unlearn a lot of problematic behaviors when it comes to racism. We understand that we’ve been brought up a certain way, and we’ve been told certain things that uphold an unfair status quo that hurts and kills people because of their skin color.
And I feel you can’t want want equality and fight for it, and ignore this as well. It’s either equality for everybody, or no equality at all.
You can’t be a feminist and a racist in this day and age as far as I’m concerned. That takes a special, extra-strength brand of Cognitive Dissonance.
You’re not entitled to a debate.
@Euroguy
Comment probably got stuck in moderation for a while, for some weird reason. It happens. I can see and read it fine though.
Paradoxy’s already explained why feminism and fascism aren’t compatible.
I’m only gonna adress that, because I’m taking personal offense here.
Dude, I’m the poster child for miscegenation, Jim Crow’s ultimate nightmare. My blood’s not Spanish. It’s not Polish. It’s not French. It’s not European. It’s not African. It’s not Asian.
And guess what, it’s not even all of them combined. It’s fucking blood is what it is, stuff essential to my bodily integrity, nothing more.
And my story began where and when I was born, and will end where and when I die. There’s nothing more to it. No grand bullshit about blood or land. Not even family, save for the loved ones who have accepted me into their life and whom I have accepted into mine. I didn’t tell you my ancestor’s story out of pride, because I have none, not in that anyway. A few matching genes don’t mean that I get to share in her glory as well. I didn’t even know her.
Do not, under any circumstances, include me into that kind of bullshit. I want nothing to do with Spain, or Poland, or France, or any other country where my ancestors may or may not have lived, for that matter.
Home is what the ones I love and myself are building for ourselves and each other. Nothing else.
Does it also wear a beret, eat stinky cheese and smoke cigarettes from a long, glamorous cigarette holder?
@Paradoxical
But do you accept the possibility of strong, independent, badass women who happened to be fascist as well (Leni, Lady Mitford, Evita, Marine, etc.)? There are a lot of feminists schools, why not “fasci-feminism”?
Well, maybe an oxymoron. OK.
@Kupo
OK.
@Sinkable
I understand that an extreme belonging to the tribe can be oppressive, but some belonging is quite good. It seems you have several background tribes.
@Weiwood.
Yes, they meet in cafes, like the existentialists. They love speeches and debates more than the Agitprop of the AltRight. Yes, definitely they have that French style and “charme”. And, as good patriots, they have a deep respect for the French Communist Party, since the PCF were the strong group in La Resistance. So, this is not redneck fascism. It is quite another thing.
Sinkable John : Pansy Ass Pinko, Regicidal Beast-of-Burden
“And my story began where and when I was born, and will end where and when I die. There’s nothing more to it. No grand bullshit about blood or land. Not even family, save for the loved ones who have accepted me into their life and whom I have accepted into mine. I didn’t tell you my ancestor’s story out of pride, because I have none, not in that anyway. A few matching genes don’t mean that I get to share in her glory as well. I didn’t even know her.”
I wish this would fit on a bumper sticker – or perhaps be tattooed on the foreheads of the far, far too many people who could use the lesson.
Which part of “leave me out of your bullshit” did you not understand ?
@Hypatia’s Daughter
I say tattoo it on their face, all of it, the whole quote, not only the important bit. Hell I’ll write you a whole freaking essay and you can cover them entirely with it.
Full disclosure : part of me likes the idea of something I wrote being displayed on so many idiots’ mugs. But the real reason is that the more you put on there, the more it’s gonna hurt.
I like how Eurocreep didn’t notice I was making fun of him for his blatant use of French stereotyping.
Fascism can’t be feminist, because fascism relies on strong gender roles. Men as glorious warrior-protectors, women as docile mothers of the next generation of state appendages. Fascism without traditionalism doesn’t exist.
I get the impression that you’re confusing “fascism” with “dominatrixes in SS uniforms,” combined with an inability to empathize with people who aren’t like you.
Case in point, your comment from another thread that women all over Europe are having casual sex with illegal immigrants flooding across the Straits of Gibraltar. Do you know that women are doing this because you have some sort of mystical vision that lets you know what all of the women in Europe are doing? Or what any of the women in Europe are doing?
No, of course not. You think women are doing this, getting pregnant, and becoming single mothers solely because you like the story. Because you’re sexist.
“Feminist” doesn’t mean “Likes assertive women,” asshole.
To expand on that, there’s actually very little intermingling between the recent immigrants and locals, except the militant types who try and help them survive. Sure, given the figures we’re dealing with, you can certainly find some anecdata involving local women and immigrant men, but there’s no way you could get a general trend from that.
But I’ma entertain that point. Let’s imagine that local women were actually having all dat sex with immigrants… then what ? Dude, you can’t call yourself a feminist and then go on to police who women are allowed to have sex with. You have to at least pretend to make some sense, for fuck’s sake.
Huh. Proper word was “activists”. That was a gallicism. Pardon my french, quite literally.
@Weiwood
In this very case, the stereotype is totally right.
@Scilfreya
I said in my post: “Of course, European women have the right to shag with whoever they like”.
Well, lately I am watching a lot of single moms with mulato kids, here in Spain and in the last 2 countries I have been lately: Ireland and Germany.
Scilfreya, are you Icelander?
@David ” subverted our democracy to boost the chances of an easily manipulable geopolitical naif”
I have a problem believing that any person who has been running a large international corporation for any amount of time is naive about anything, especially not one who has always managed to protect his own ass and his own wealth. Trump knows exactly what he’s doing and his voters knew exactly what they were voting for. The concilliatory remarks about Clinton and the apparently shambolic transition are just to stall for time until he’s sworn in and/or all the legal challenges to his legitimacy are neutralized. Once the electors have convinced themselves that his conflicts of interest aren’t really conflicts of interest, and he isn’t really going to do anything really terrible, they will clear his path to the Whitehouse and no one will be safe.
Reminder that “Tribe” is neo-Nazi-ese for “DA JOOOZ.”
@Euroguy,
There’s a d and a j in my name. It’s spelled right there in front of you, in big, bold letters. Normally I don’t mind people misspelling the obstacle course of my name, but the fact that you are ignoring all of the important parts of the conversations to focus solely on the things you have ready answers to, I’m going to make an exception.
The fact that you see a lot of mulato kids says nothing but the fact that you’re more socially aware of kids of mixed heritage. That suggests that you’re racist, it suggests nothing about the habits of the people around you. You’re just sensitive to seeing kids and people of different skin complexion or heritage, so they seem more prevalent to you. This is a universal human phenomenon, an artifact of how brains work. It’s interesting how you seem to embrace it.
It’s also interesting that you assume that they are the children of single mothers.
Your observations say nothing about the state of the world, but they say an awful lot about how you see the world.
I’m so glad this happened on one of the babysitting days.
@Eurocreep
There’s a “mulato kid” sleeping in the room located just below the one I’m in right now. She’s my niece, and goddaughter. And the daughter of a single mom. She’s also a fucking badass of a 4 year old who will headbutt you in the crotch if you so much as look at her sideways, and then will let out screams of joy while dancing ballet to breton punk as you try to crawl away with one hand while holding your junk with the other.
@SFHC
That’s the one part I left out in my “bloodline” screed. Wanted to see how long it’d take him. He’s gotten so creepy that I don’t really wanna fool around anymore though.
Mulatto?
Oh geez.
I’m starting to doubt that Euroguy is actually Spanish if he thinks African and Middle Eastern people in Spain is a new thing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moors
I can’t remember if he’s said anything anti-Semitic or if he’s only an Islamophobe but just in case
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Spain
Jewish people in Spain aren’t a new development either.
Isn’t this 14 or 15 year old grade level history?
I wonder if Eurocreep has ever gotten a genetic test. He might not be as white as he thinks is if he’s actually Spanish.