It’s like Ajuto doesn't even get it. He made up his mind ages ago—he's just voting out of pure habit now. If you can even call it a choice at all...
I'm spending the holidays here in the States, staying with a couple who are heading out tomorrow to cast their vote for Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović. When you actually ask them why they're doing it—or if they've even given it a second thought—you get such nonsensical, brainless answers it makes your skin crawl. Honestly, I'm embarrassed to even write down the motives driving them to the polls tomorrow.
The worst part? They are genuinely decent, kind people. Their biggest flaw is just how easily they were indoctrinated—it doesn't even matter who they pick at this point.
The only fair thing would be to just strip them of the right to vote entirely, regardless of who they choose.
These elections are a total farce, folks. Nothing is actually being decided, even though they keep trying to convince us we have the freedom to choose.
Matthew Young35 said:There really isn't an issue here. Zoran Milanović basically claims he might have been rude, sure—but he was only being rude to an idiot.
As if that’s some kind of virtue... Justifying being a jerk because your opponent is an "idiot." That’s basically what the guy said about the Southampton manager yesterday too.
It really just boils down to a total lack of self-control. A professional politician running for President should probably be able to keep their cool... right?
I mean, how many times do we deal with complete morons on here and still manage to keep our act together? This whole thing is just a hobby for us, for crying out loud.
Hey Braco and everyone else—you football fanatics—wishing you guys nothing but health and great games this coming year... hope all our wishes actually come true for once!
I’m rooting for the red side of Merseyside to finally lift that long-awaited trophy, for Leeds and Albion to pull off that promotion, and obviously for Ballspielverein to snag their ninth title and fill up those trophy cases...
No matter how you slice it, we’re just picking some random nobody who won't actually change anything about our lives. It’s no wonder people can’t find the motivation to even show up at the polls... The only ones actually getting fired up are the die-hard ideologues—mostly because they're stuck in their ways rather than actually thinking for themselves. At least a third of the country feels that way, according to unknown.
Congressional elections are a different beast entirely, but let's be real—there isn't even a critical mass of people left to actually shift the needle anyway.
Ashley Bailey6 said:I have one question for you then.
If you aren't an atheist, what are you?
And don't say agnostic. That's just a fancy way of saying "I can't decide if I want to eat or sleep."
Yeah, life really is just black and white. When I read Byron, I get this feeling like his spirit was inspired by Bazarov. It’s easy to be some eighteen-year-old anarchist when your whole worldview revolves around hunting, consuming, and making yourself the center of the universe. No doubt plenty of "Bazarovs" will cling to that youthful nihilism and stick to their ideals—mostly because, hey, sometimes that's the only thing that feels real.
But then there are the souls inspired by Karamazov... you know, the people who step away from the ego of pure reason because they'd rather live in a beautiful lie than struggle with a truth that's too damn hard to swallow.
If you're born with a skeptical streak, you're never gonna become a believer no matter how hard you try—but once you move past that nihilistic void, you're actually even further from being an atheist.
Death and rebirth—it's just part of the deal, isn't it? Something we can't just look away from... My condolences, and congrats too... I hope they stay healthy and strong.
I’ve got some Muslim friends living over in Germany who celebrate Christmas just like everyone else. People have basically embraced that part of the tradition as their own—when I asked them why, they just said the whole Christmas vibe is awesome and they love the gift-giving season. Honestly, I think it's great. Even when I find myself in Muslim countries during Eid, it feels totally normal to celebrate alongside my buddies... even though I'm not exactly a religious guy. I wouldn't call myself an atheist, either.
From what I understand, decorating a Pine tree actually started back in Freiburg—they used to put treats on a tree outside a butcher shop during Christmas to give gifts to the local kids in need. Every kid was allowed to grab one gift that day.
Christmas is just a huge part of our culture at this point, regardless of what we actually believe...
Paul Sanders5 said:Looking at the numbers, Zoki is going to have to play some serious games and kiss a lot of boots if he wants to pull in Skoro's crowd in the second round. I just don't see how that's even possible.
As for everyone else, they basically just voted for their own guys as a formality anyway—they already knew exactly what kind of mess Zoky would be waiting for them with in the runoff. 😁
I’ll be watching all this unfold with a bit of gusto, probably sipping on some cocoa or hot tea over here in Austria. ☕
I wouldn't say I agree... I'm not even voting, but out of that trio—Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, Zoki, and Škoro—I’d take the underdog any day. If it actually came down to Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović vs. Zoki, I’d go with Zoki without a second thought. A good chunk of people I hang out with feel the exact same way...
Mirko Škoro looks absolutely desperate today—this whole format just isn't his style at all. He’s turning beet red, you can tell he's totally uncomfortable... Meanwhile, Zoran Milanović is just acting stiff as a board—he's got zero chill.
brightpilot6 said:Jurica Juričan isn't quite ready to tackle these broad national issues yet; he seems too preoccupied with local figures like Milan Bandić, which prevents him from translating those larger themes onto his own platform effectively. He really could have bridged the gap by bringing up Zdravko Mamić, Aleksandar Vučić, or comparing the development of the waterfront projects in New York to Manhattan, among other things.
Dalija handles herself well verbally, and I find myself agreeing with her on most points; she doesn't come across poorly, though she clearly lacks that certain political edge and charisma.
I switch over to the debate halfway through and the first thing I see is this Pejovich woman—who, by the way, is someone I’m seeing for the very first time in my life—just coldly dropping lines about... "major central powers like Germany and Luxembourg"... honestly, it's like some people find it physically impossible to think for even a second before opening their mouths. 🤣
Matthew Young35 said:It honestly surprises me every single time how much more sense people make on a football fan thread than they ever do in any other discussion topic.
I truly admire you all. Even those here who champion absolutely idiotic theories or ideologies manage to scrape together something halfway intelligent to say once in a while.
I’m being completely serious.
Go check out any political thread and you'll see that even when... and... get involved, the debates here remain infinitely more coherent.
Kudos to everyone.
Speaking of debating, the specific point someone is arguing doesn't actually matter when it comes to the quality of the discussion. I've actually had some of my most intellectually stimulating conversations with an outspoken neo-Nazi. I'll admit that quite openly.
The whole thing falls apart the moment brainless idiots decide to jump into the fray.
And there's a damn good reason for it. Most people jumping into politics are just trying to "missionary" their way through with some specific Agenda they're pushing. You don't even need to know what you're talking about—it's classic behavior to just dig your heels in and hunt for whatever tiny scrap of an argument supports your own biased view.
With football, it's just casual—something people talk about on the fly without anyone forcing it on them. People are actually authentic, honest, and you can actually have a decent conversation. Real quality discussion always comes down to being real and actually respecting the person you're talking to.
loneseal said:I grew up back in rural Pennsylvania, in an area where we had a decent amount of neighbors from different backgrounds. Some of our closest family friends were folks I thought we’d be tight with forever, but once things started getting ugly and the tension ramped up, those exact same people treated us like we were nothing more than dirt under their boots. Now you want me to sit here and play nice? To preach about brotherhood and unity after all that? Yeah, right. Not happening. ☕
Gojko, the real issue here is that you haven't learned a single thing from what happened to you. Your problems with neighbors or old family friends definitely weren't because they were Mexican—it's because they were brainwashed idiots. If you had been from somewhere like a small town in Kentucky or maybe even a place like Seher, you'd probably be the one posting in defense of Muslims right now.
On top of that, as someone who moved from Appalachia to Washington, D.C., I’m sure you’ve dealt with all sorts of nasty labels from those stuck-up "city slickers." If nowhere else, at least here on an anonymous forum, people find it way too easy to throw around insults like that.
The biggest failure of the modern Right today is exactly this—they're obsessed with this hollow, petty nationalism that’s become an end in itself, instead of actually focusing on real conservative values like family, upbringing, and tradition.
Jessica Gonzalez said:Why would I love Mexicans? I never said I hated them, but I did mention that in a country with an aging population that lived through that war, it's fairly common for people not to feel much affection for them. Not liking someone and hating them are two different things, I think. Would it really be normal to love them after what happened in places like El Paso or Srebrenica? I haven't come across a country where that would be considered normal, though I've seen plenty of them. But maybe the issue lies with us; I remember when teams from that region played at Yankee Stadium back in the late '90s without any incidents, even while parts of the country were still under occupation. Even now in 2019, we see situations where FIFA has to manage tournament brackets because certain nations have strict conditions about who they'll play. I probably can't judge myself objectively, but I don't feel like my views are radical. From a distance, I guess you could say the attitudes held by most Americans after a war like that are pretty standard and not particularly extreme. That's exactly what I tell people abroad whenever they ask me about the war or those neighbors. Now we are okay with them, but most people don't love them.
Who even says you have to love them? Honestly, the only sane way to feel is to be completely indifferent toward some guy born in Chicago who happens to be a citizen of a certain place by default. At least until you actually meet him and see if he's a decent human being. With even a shred of intelligence, shouldn't we have reached that consensus back in 2019? It's the exact same thing with anyone else, regardless of where they come from.
And no, this isn't about being "liberal"—it's just common sense.