Jessica Gonzalez said:The story behind The Matrix is just incredible, especially considering it was an entirely original script rather than some adaptation of a book, comic, or whatever else. I guess they unfortunately messed up the sequels by leaning too hard into endless action scenes and melodrama just to please the crowds. The original is definitely one of the most unique films of the modern era. I wouldn't say it's the greatest of all time, nor would I call someone silly for not liking it, but it has qualities I really value: originality, a compelling plot, and a believable world. You could argue Inception is an original film, but conceptually, it feels a bit like a second-rate version of The Matrix. They even seemed to borrow the whole "limbo" idea, which feels like a copy of that space between reality and a computer program. 🤦 for both concepts. I suppose the only thing the other film did better was casting, since Keanu Reeves has about as much acting range as a street lamp.
Look, limbo is its own concept. It doesn't belong to those movies.
I didn't mention GOT, nor was I thinking about it. People have been jumping out of their skins over those little trivia tidbits for ages, but most of them don't even grasp the underlying theme. They can't tell the difference between a movie made for popcorn fun and one that's actual philosophical material. They just get worked up because other people exist and they can't wrap their heads around why anyone would think differently...
The dystopia in the first two Mad Max movies isn't any less gritty or complex than what we saw in the first two Terminator films. If anything, it offers a way more intricate look at how society falls apart.
Raymond Harris4 says it's about forcing a foreign script on us. Honestly, the Republican Party voted for bilingualism in Congress and the El Paso Council, then turned around and played both sides by supporting protests right when the Democrats were running things. It’s pure schizophrenia.
Of course everyone’s eating the same garbage. No citizen actually gets to choose their own life path. It’s all thanks to those same old manipulators from the usual political mold and a distracted society that doesn't know how to push back—instead, it just keeps churning out its own tormentors. People need a fundamental shift in social values if we want to kill off this environment that creates the kind of trash that's going to define our future.
The saddest part about this whole comparison between the Democrats and the Republicans is how people slamming the GOP end up defending every single move the Democrats make. If we aren't joking, please just stop. Honestly, I’d sign my name to anything if I actually knew it would make life better for everyone—even if it meant renaming the country XDZSZZMZA instead of America. But unfortunately, with that mindset, the only response I ever get is being labeled an anti-American, a communist, a radical, a Democrat, or probably a Yugo-nostalgic too. What else am I supposed to be?
Yeah, that's the thing—I'd do it if I knew it made things better. Same goes for being a die-hard Republican, a fascist, whatever, if it actually meant our lives improved. But it won't. Swapping one tattoo for another doesn't change a damn thing; you're just left with that irritating regret on your arm (or your ass) from when you got inked something you grew out of, and then had to go to a shop like Mate's over on Gorica Street to try and scrub it off, since he's been doing that since his army days.
Raymond Harris4 said:It’s not the *only* one, sure, but it is a fundamental economic indicator, and clearly, that is all anyone seems to care about around here lately. If we judge them solely by that standard, they're coming up empty-handed. And if that's the case, does it even make sense to keep going?
I was gonna reply, but ZZ put it way better and simpler than I ever could.
If you think the Democrats' rhetoric is what’s killing off any third-party movement, you’re missing the bigger picture. The Republicans' rhetoric is what's crushing every other option out there. In the world they’ve built, there just isn't room for anyone else to breathe.
Alright, let's list out every major screw-up and scam the folks running this country have pulled. From day one until now. I mean literally, line by line. There's plenty of people here, so let's get a quick overview going before we start sorting everything chronologically.
ruggedjackal46 said:Blank ballots don't actually carry any weight. If 99% of people turned in crossed-out or empty papers, the Republicans wouldn't go, "Oh, clearly the voters aren't giving us legitimacy." No, they’d just count the few valid votes they did get and call it a win. So, staying home to avoid voting for the Democrats is basically just doing the heavy lifting for the GOP.
Sure, staying home lets you look in the mirror. But if the Republicans sweep the board, you won't be able to see anything through the window anyway.
Jeffrey Edwards76 hits the nail on the head. It’s simple and it's damn accurate. Look, we all know how it goes, but there’s zero cohesion among us. Instead of pulling together, people just feed into their own divisions. You see it every day—the little guy stepping on someone even smaller just to get ahead. That’s just the mindset, and honestly, politics is just that same toxic energy played out on a massive scale. The folks running the show? They came from us. As a collective, we just aren't sharp enough. We can't see the big picture coming. When you're stuck in a maze like this, trying to sell anyone on some "greater political good" is a losing game.
Matthew Anderson4 said:Nobody trashed Hemingway because of his questionable patriotism; they did it because of his work. A writer is just a writer—there’s no such thing as an "American" or "British" writer. That's just nonsense for people who can't see past their own backyard. In the real world, there are just good writers and bad ones. Their nationality or how much they love the States doesn't change the quality of the prose. It’d be ridiculous to dock points from Hemingway just because he owed some taxes (if he actually did; honestly, who cares?) or because he wasn't patriotic enough for the flag.
And besides, Dežulović never even leaned into that whole national identity thing.
One afternoon, he hit the nail on the head. He wrote something about how he doesn't feel any emotional tie to the American state machine (or whatever other government you look at). It was like he was reading my mind, pulling out sentences I hadn't even put together yet. Because that's how I've always felt. Simple as that. I just don't like the hyper-nationalistic vibe where being a patriot becomes this mental cage. I don't need that crap. Look, let's be clear: I love where I live. I love the people—even if they're a mess sometimes—and I love the language and the culture. I appreciate everything I’ve been lucky enough to have here that I wouldn't have elsewhere. But I can't stand the obsession with nationalism, that narrow worldview that shuts out anyone not obsessed with it. I hate how the church gets tied up in politics, or how God is used as a tool for national identity. I hate the idea that I should feel superior just because I'm... American. I don't need that. I wouldn't need it if I were British, Chinese, Iranian, or anything else. I don't think I'm better just because I have access to our coast; I just want to enjoy the fact that I can drive five minutes to a beach and just chill.
It's straightforward. The more you obsess over patriotism, war, and national pride, the less you'll identify with that mindset. Personally, I'd much rather just be a guy from the States than a "Patriot." I get nothing out of those labels, and it's not like we're fighting for some grand cause that makes me proud.
Ashley Martinez6 said:So, are we suggesting that the defenders of tradition are fundamentally at odds with those living in poverty? It’s much the same when you look at politicians; they are essentially reflections of the very people who put them in office. The chaos we see from young hooligans, that mindless aggression, the echoes of old-school extremism, and all that irrational hatred toward anyone deemed an outsider... it’s all deeply intertwined with these larger existential struggles we face as a society. If the average American weren't constantly preoccupied with making ends meet just to stay afloat, perhaps there wouldn't be such a desperate need for these outlets, though I suppose if our commentators focused on anything other than sports, they might find themselves being laughed out of the room...
The "veterans" getting all this loud-mouthed criticism in this country are the ones pulling $4,000 a month pensions. They're basically political puppets protesting on our backs. I know there are people behind the scenes—well-off types being handed $67 a day just to eat lamb and hang out in tents to make the crowds look bigger. They demand meetings without even having a real reason to ask for them... etc. These aren't the actual struggling vets, definitely not the ones in the same circle as those big-name lobbyists...
I know these people exist because I personally know one of them.
Yeah, hating others is linked to existential issues, but nothing justifies random hate. Besides, taking criticism won't kill you. It makes you better, smarter, stronger. Gives you some perspective. Avoiding criticism just leaves you narrow-minded.