James Anderson5 said:What brightpilot6 was hinting at makes perfect sense; this kind of policy really pays off if it helps them attract highly educated talent or fill labor shortages from our neck of the woods. Think about how much it costs to train a single doctor, engineer, or nurse—all that expertise gets handed over to countries like Germany, Austria, or Ireland for free. It’s pretty obvious they try to offer these little perks that cost next to nothing compared to the massive payoff. Honestly, it probably even works for attracting skilled construction workers too...
About a month ago, I read that a huge reason for the success of the American economy and scientific community is actually their approach to immigrant researchers. For instance, about 44% of medical scientists weren't born in the USA. Their K-12 education system is a disaster, so they basically bail themselves out by importing brains...
Around here, the only thing that seems to matter is pulling some strings for a nephew, a neighbor, or a cousin to land them a spot in a government agency or a big corporation like GE. As for the people we actually need to keep around at all costs? Well, let's just say we don't care about them. We're too busy looking at those well-connected relatives who, in most cases, end up being nothing more than overpaid, useless burdens...
I don't see why Sweden would be trying to attract anyone like that now, especially since they're already flooded with thousands of doctors, architects, and other high-level professionals coming in from Asia and Africa. 🤔
I saw this story about some club over in Spain where a group of Russians just beat an Italian guy to death, and the worst part? A bunch of people just stood there filming the whole thing on their phones. Absolute savages.
Look, regarding that point Anthony Jackson2 made—honestly? I don't think the President needs to lose any sleep over his approval ratings here in the States. If the Republicans managed to bounce back after teaming up with those liberal factions, I’m betting the mainstream media will just spin this enough to smooth over the public backlash.
What’s even the point of arguing with someone who keeps making excuses for a literal monster? Honestly, why bother? When I see that kind of brainwashing in action, I just check out.
We’re out here laughing at North Korea because they’re stuck in the past.
Look, Stalin was a criminal. That's just a fact. People were being killed left and right under his rule. Yeah, murdered. But what's your point? If things were looking up for the elites and the big shots back then, then I guess everyone was doing just fine. 🤣
ruggedjackal46 said:It’s just lovely how they haven’t scrubbed every single street sign, as if nothing happened between 1941 and 1991 in this country. I suppose it's because the U.S. hasn't officially disavowed its anti-fascist legacy. But make no mistake, they certainly wiped most of those old-school partisan names off the maps.
I don't know if you realize it, but as a worker today, you enjoy way more benefits than your ancestors ever did. I highly doubt you'd actually want to travel back in time to experience the "glories" of the old regime you're so busy mourning. What I can't wrap my head around is your logic: is it really okay to suppress, exile, or imprison people based on their political views just to make life easier for those who fall in line with the party?
Thanks so much for enlightening me about the wonderful privileges of our modern system. Please, why don't you go tell the employees at Walmart, Amazon, or all those other corporate sweatshops how much "better" their lives are compared to living in a political prison cell? But hey, at least we live in an era where you're allowed to vent on a forum or Facebook without being hauled off, right?
1. Stop squirming. You can complain about the resistance-themed streets all you want to make it look like history is being erased. That's different. In the old regime, it was like Orwell's books—history was constantly rewritten and every little local hero got a street named after them. Whatever they changed back in the 90s is whatever; it doesn't mean American history only starts in 1941.
2. Why would America distance itself from its anti-fascist roots? It only distanced itself from the "anti-fascist" version of fascism. Which, unfortunately, stains actual, pure anti-fascism.
3. I'll explain it to those workers once you explain to the people who were persecuted, jailed, or killed that things were actually "better" back then just because your grandpa or dad had it easy.
Back in the day, if you threatened the Big Man, you'd get a one-way ticket to a gulag. Now? You just get a slap on the wrist and the chance to sue the government for damages.
ruggedjackal46 said:There are even more people who saw that old regime as the thing that provided jobs, a decent standard of living, steady paychecks, education, healthcare, vacations, and a whole list of rights we can only dream about in today's broken system. Maybe that's part of the reason why people cling to that era—and honestly, you can't really fault them for it. It's a more justifiable reason than just claiming that era symbolizes the destruction of the country in the 90s.
@ruggedjackal46, what about people like Hebrang, Kovacic, or Nazor...?
First off, I did five minutes of digging on Google and found streets like Adjijina, Herucova, Cesarčeva, Jeđutova, Čavićeva, Šiblova, and O. Keršovan Square... Even names like Badel, Kraš, or Gredelj haven't been touched. God knows how many more exist that were named after lesser-known resistance fighters or national heroes. But here's the kicker: even if we renamed half the streets in the city after the old guard, some of you wouldn't be satisfied.
I don't know if you've even realized it, but as a worker today, you enjoy way more perks than your ancestors ever did. I highly doubt you'd actually want to trade your life right now to go back to the "glory days" of the old regime you're constantly whining about. I just don't get it—is your logic really that it's okay to suppress, drive out, or lock up anyone with different political views just so things work better for the people who happen to fall in line with the party?
James Anderson5 said:All this constant fighting over old political divisions and historical figures? It’s basically manufactured... Most people don't realize these distractions are just there to keep the spotlight off things like the massive corporate bailouts or how huge federal loans were handed out to major conglomerates back in 2016 when everyone already saw the red flags. If we weren't so busy arguing about the past, we'd be asking why the Fed, the Treasury, and the FBI didn't step in sooner to stop the bleeding...
The whole history debate is just a distraction used by the real power players in Washington
Look, you're spot on here. Figures like that are just perfect distractions when the big shots want everyone looking anywhere but at the actual political mess happening right now. But hey, you can't really blame people for getting worked up over it—lots of folks carry heavy baggage from that old era of authoritarianism, and those scars don't just disappear. Honestly, in America, the memory of that decades-long period of control is way more intense than any brief, failed state experiment we had later on. That’s probably why people react so strongly to those comparisons. And let's be real, it was under those old regime symbols that the country actually saw major conflict and upheaval in the 90s.
@ruggedjackal46, then what are we supposed to make of guys like the old establishment elites?
brightpilot6 said:I suspect there aren't many streets or public squares left in cities like Chicago or New York that are still dedicated solely to the legacy of the resistance movement—even the major landmarks have been rebranded, though that’s a tangent.
It was simply wiped from the map.
I honestly wonder if there is any other nation in the West that feels such an intense sense of shame regarding its own anti-fascist history, or rather, the specific way those actions were carried out.
Give me a break. There are plenty of streets named after resistance fighters in any big US city, so you're talking nonsense. And trying to equate someone who used fascist tactics with actual anti-fascism? That's a disgusting insult to the whole movement.
This is hands down the most dangerous administration this country has seen since we gained independence. Honestly, even as a conservative, I’d sign off on bringing back Zack or even some total losers like Marcus or Jacob just to get these guys out of office.
As for Bere, let's be real—not too long ago he was the life of the party at AJ's ragers, especially after he's had a few drinks.
Mark is nothing but a media hype job (for reasons you can actually point to). To him, Boris Lalovac is basically high-def TV and easily the best MF we've seen in years.
Mad respect to the Bridge Party crew, especially Grmoja.
restlesssurfer97 said:That's exactly what I was thinking, so basically it's not the GOP-Democrat Coalition, it's not Bridge, it's not LIVE WALL AND BRIDGE, nothing works, nobody gets my vote, I offer zero solutions, I just sit here blathering away and criticizing everything.
Humanity really benefits from people like you, especially the folks who actually need help the most.
Do you even realize that even the capitalist you hate the most probably contributes way more to those in need than you ever will?
Can someone please translate this from amoeba to English?
So you're all about Zidati but you stay away from ZZ.
Matthew Anderson4 said:Prejudice squared. Most of the world is just made up of regular folks. Completely normal people.
Abnormal circumstances drive people to abnormal actions. If you’ve been stuck in a chaotic environment for years, you aren't going to have the same perspective on things as someone who grew up in a stable, normal setting. For a Syrian guy, killing is just something happening constantly right next to him—it's his daily reality. It makes sense he won't be reacting to murder with the same shock as some Dane. It isn't about being "normal" or "abnormal," it's about what you see every single day.
And it’s not about stigmatizing Islam like some "intellectual" concluded, because I'm pretty sure if we were talking about a Canadian immigrant, we wouldn't be seeing this level of pushback.
Larry Fox5 said:Look, obviously we have every right to be scared and worry about our children, but we aren't going to build a better world by generalizing entire nations, peoples, or religions based on behaviors that are totally different from everything we were raised with. The core of civilization is valuing human life, the right to work, freedom of speech... things that basically don't exist in most of those countries. I get the fear of a clash of civilizations and cultures—really, I do—but don't forget they're coming into *our* backyard, which changes everything. They're subject to the same laws as you and me.
We aren't fixing anything if every sane person just flees to Europe. If there’s actually enough decent, positive people left in those regions, then the issues need to be dealt with in Syria and Iran, not by dumping a massive wave of people into Europe. Those exact values you mentioned? They could be totally undermined by this "solution" some people are pushing for. ISIS won't just vanish because everyone smart leaves; if anything, it'll just make them stronger.
Robin Fox2 hit the nail on the head. Honestly, I hope little Preat doesn't ever have to run for his life from a saber or an orange jumpsuit. That's why I'm all for keeping this option to an absolute minimum—I want to take as little risk as possible with this whole thing.
Michelle Palmer6 totally nailed me with those arguments. I'm eating my words here. Honestly, I always figured moderators were just bored slackers with way too much time on their hands, but turns out being a mod actually sharpens your rhetoric and makes you better at arguing. I'm admitting it. Now I'm convinced that living in an environment filled with death and killing doesn't actually shape your mindset toward violence. A Norwegian is going to have the exact same predisposition toward killing as some guy from Syria. It’s true—even Norwegians had someone like Brevik, just like every little village in Syria has its own version of a "Brevik."
Look, Preat doesn't have any blind spots or biases here. We see exactly what kind of extremism is running the show in those regions every single day. Of course, most people coming from those areas aren't to blame, but let’s be real—there’s a massive amount of fear in our country. When we take them in, we're essentially increasing the risk to our own kids. Don't we have every right to be afraid? And honestly, don't we have good reasons for it, too?
Walter Grant5, nobody’s arguing with what you're saying. But honestly, we moved past where they are a long time ago. To them, taking a life is just business as usual. For us? It’s absolutely sickening.
Adam King6 said:The thing is, we’re one of the most scattered peoples on the planet. You can find us everywhere—from the US and Canada all the way down to Argentina and Australia, or even just working as expats in Germany and other parts of Europe because people had to chase a paycheck during the communist era. Almost everyone I know has a close relative living somewhere abroad. We really don't have any moral high ground to lecture anyone about staying put in their own corner of the world—whether it's some rocky wasteland, a desert, or a jungle—just because they don't fit into our specific idea of civilization or mindset.
Go to Germany and you'll quickly see the massive difference between immigrants from the US or Poland versus people coming from Syria and Lebanon.
Living space has always been divided up; people have always split things into "ours" and "theirs." And let’s be real, they’ve always tried to grab what belongs to someone else. These local good Samaritans act like they’re blind, pretending they don't see the fact that most of America is totally uncomfortable with these newcomers because of who they are, what they bring, and how they look at us. If we were talking about taking in Canadians or Estonians, nobody would be pushing back like this. But when you’re dealing with groups where you have more than enough evidence that they won't assimilate—and could potentially harbor a bunch of unstable terrorists—that’s a whole different story.