brightpilot6 said:What’s the actual issue here—is it the ideas themselves, or just the way they manifest?
I honestly welcome any attempt to build a coherent economic left wing—not because I expect anyone to actually win an election, since that isn't happening (nor should it), but simply so these perspectives can exist in the public square. We need a counterweight to the hyper-right-wing economic theories that are currently trendy and sound so appealing, especially to younger generations who feel like social solidarity is nothing more than a drain on their wallets (particularly given the disastrous state of our country lately).
Of course, I am talking about a left wing that is actually adapted to today's reality, rather than one stuck in the 19th or 20th centuries. We need advocacy for genuine equal opportunity (rather than equal outcomes), limits on corporatocracy, environmental protection, and a critique of the losers created by globalization. Someone needs to keep in mind the people who won't have advanced degrees, those who won't be able to swap employers like socks through freelance gigs, those unable to work for some firm in Hong Kong from the comfort of their living rooms, and those who lack either the skill or the drive to run their own businesses. These people are the backbone of society, and their future looks incredibly bleak in this unstable world we are heading toward.
Just walk me through how you concluded she’s trying to form a coherent economic left wing. Based on which specific answer from tonight? The fact that she’s proud to be an Antifascist (even if she probably wasn't even born yet?), or when she brought up what Skoro said about Mercepa, which clearly shows she's totally bogged down in leftist political maneuvering.
Because around here, you can't claim to be an economic leftist while still loving this country without being labeled a Yugo-nostalgic. So, please, enlighten me—what part of her debate actually won you over? I mean, that "economic program" you keep mentioning. Since I didn't see it myself, and you've been grinding for days trying to prove how much of a leftist you are... fine, we get it, you've made your point. 😍 Try to keep it simple next time, because if you don't back up your post with actual arguments, you're just going to lose whatever credibility you had left after cheering for Real Madrid. ☕
Amanda Evans2 said:Honestly, any music that isn't laced with those kinds of dangerous, hidden agendas you see in some of those radicalized folk artists is more than welcome in my ears. Whatever floats your boat, I suppose. It’s truly heartwarming to see musical purists like yourselves—who clearly fancy yourselves the ultimate arbiters of high culture and impeccable taste—looking down your noses at someone just for listening to a mainstream pop star like Taylor Swift. What’s even more reckless, though, is the fact that you judge her music based strictly on where she comes from...
🤣 Hidden messages, you say? When someone sings to their late rival asking if they remember them, yeah, there aren't exactly any subliminal conspiracies buried in those lyrics.
But sure, New York isn't the same New York anymore, though let's be real, it would be the same story in any major US city. I won't lecture anyone on taste; people should listen to whatever they want. Besides, taste is dead anyway—doesn't matter if it's movies, music, or anything else. I couldn't care less if it's Taylor Swift or Despacito. Ever since Disney bought and recycled Star Wars, nothing really matters anymore, so you might as well just stick to the heavy hitters from the old school...
wiredfalcon2 said:Then why even bother asking the question?
We're discussing ☕ Let's say someone actually provided a straight answer, yet you somehow managed to pivot all the way to claiming women have been subjected to sexual assault since the dawn of time.
By defending that logic, you're essentially suggesting it's possible for someone to be raped, only for them to use that "rape" as a ladder to climb for twenty years—meaning every time they're violated, they land a better role or make more money, which they then spend and enjoy... and then, after two decades, they suddenly go on a media tour, though they never once filed an actual police report. To me, that's nothing but pure prostitution, and once they decide they're done selling themselves, they just rebrand the whole thing as rape.
wiredfalcon2 said:Look, if you don't have that innate ability to grasp abstract concepts, some things are just gonna fly right over your head. It’s a lost cause. ☕ Yeah, you know... it’s one of those things. Having that specific female experience. It just hits different.
Violence and harassment against women? It’s just everywhere. Basically, the second a girl hits puberty, she's dealing with it. Just picture this: you're a fourteen or fifteen-year-old kid, you head out to some high school party, and suddenly seven different guys are grabbing at you—hands all over your body—and you didn't want any of them to touch you. Not even the one guy you actually liked. Look, I'm not saying every kid loitering around a house party needs to be hauled off to jail, but let's be real. Girls are facing this constant invasion of their own bodies from day one, something guys just don't have to deal with.
Look, here's the deal—when girls go on a blind date, their biggest fear is that the guy might actually be a psycho. For guys? The biggest fear is just showing up and finding out she’s way heavier than her profile picture. I mean, try to grasp the difference in the actual threat level there. And honestly, guys don't really deal with that situation where some massive dude walks up to them in a club, they reject him, and then he just grabs them by the arm like, "Hey, stay right there, we're talking." That doesn't happen. Except for maybe once in a blue moon. Guys don't walk home feeling creeped out just because the sun went down. They aren't carrying pepper spray in their purses because some guy's friend got jumped last week. They aren't gripping their car keys between their fingers like a weapon while walking through a dark parking garage thinking, "you never know." Guys aren't scared to hop in a car with a girl they just met, they aren't worried about picking up a hitchhiker, and they don't feel uneasy being alone on a subway car filled with five random drunk girls. It's just different.
Look, here’s the deal. When guys are actually good-looking AND killing it at work, nobody ever gives them credit for the face. Nah. Everyone just assumes they’re some kind of genius. They don't spend half their lives stressing over whether a shirt is too low-cut or if they look cold or "unapproachable" in a sweater. They just show up. They don't care. And when it comes to domestic violence? Let's be real—in like 99% of cases, the guy is the problem. Violent outbursts fueled by "passion"? Murdering exes or current partners? That's just man business. Plain and simple.
And then, when you actually deal with any of that crap, you end up being the one getting judged. Like, suddenly you're the victim but somehow it’s all your fault for letting it happen. They tell you you should've known better. Real helpful. Then the cops show up and just shrug it off because it’s supposedly "a private matter" or some guys just had a few too many drinks and it's no big deal. Total joke.
Look, when you're living in an environment like this—where threats to your physical safety are just part of the daily grind, where you've basically become numb to it because you don't expect anything better—things get weird. You know how it goes. If you actually open your mouth to say something, there’s a massive chance people will just laugh in your face or, even worse, pin the whole thing on you. So, women just stay quiet. They shut up. Because in a place like this, even a victim of assault is treated like nothing more than damaged goods.
Guys like that? They basically never deal with that kind of stuff from women in their entire lives. Not even close. And they definitely don't get harassed every single time they step foot out of their apartment. Then they have the nerve to act all confused, like, "Oh, why didn't she just report him?" Please. Give me a break.
I appreciate your doctoral dissertation, but that wasn't the question; you went way too far afield... So, you're saying a woman who consciously trades her body for career advancement, only to claim twenty years later that she was actually raped the whole time...
That's the point, Price, and that's where this all went off the rails... Which is why I believe that because of cases like that, actual rape victims are viewed the same way as these first types, which shouldn't be the case...
You also mentioned what women deal with since childhood, but you failed to mention how many women use their femininity for personal gain, flirting, and everything else to get ahead in life from an early age. Who among us doesn't know women who were wearing revealing tops and flirting with certain professors back in high school just to get a better grade? Not to mention college... basically, consciously using their bodies and attributes to climb the ladder.
I honestly can't be convinced that anyone could endure being assaulted for twenty years without being physically restrained, tortured, or held under such extreme duress that their very survival depended on compliance. To suggest otherwise—and to label someone a victim when they've actually built an entire career out of it... well, I just don't see it happening.
Let's switch things up, since we haven't touched this topic on Offside lately. Setting aside the actual sexual assaults—which I absolutely despise and would personally go to war over—there's this whole narrative surrounding people like the cases involving high-profile Hollywood producers. You know, when these famous types come forward claiming they were coerced or abused for twenty years straight. Honestly, I just don't get it, and I don't think I ever will...
I mean, if nobody is physically holding you in a basement with your hands and feet tied, why does it even happen? Is that still considered assault if you're consciously allowing it to play out? It feels more like you're letting someone walk all over you because you know there's an advantage to staying quiet, only to suddenly remember the "abuse" twenty years later once you no longer need their help to land a role.
Look, even at my job, my boss is constantly calling me out for drinks, and I can't always say no because she gets so worked up about it, plus she's quite unpleasant to be around and it's mostly just her feeding her own ego while we grab a coffee. But I’m certainly not going to claim I'm being assaulted just because of that; if she actually told me I had to sleep with her just to keep my job, I'd simply walk out of the company right then and there.
Look, I generally can't stand pop fans of any kind, but nothing is more annoying than when the "Testo Metal" crowd acts like they're superior because your music is supposedly shallow or lacks depth... Honestly, Testo Metal is pure poetry for the refined ear of a classic human being. If someone doesn't get it, that's their problem, but I've noticed this group constantly acting like they're on some higher plane of existence—just a bunch of guys screaming, wearing chains, drinking cheap booze, and doing hard drugs. Meanwhile, pop fans have their crowds of people with guns, drinking expensive liquor, and doing hard drugs.
Jack Miller6 said:I've been thinking about trying out one of those Chinese brands when it’s finally time for an upgrade, and coincidentally, my current phone just died on me 🤣. Since we're on the subject, I wanted to see if you guys have any recommendations for models around the $667 mark? Right now, I'm looking at the Xiaomi Mi A2 because a buddy of mine was raving about it—he seems pretty happy with how much value he's getting for the price.
Just bought a Samsung Galaxy Note 7. If you're looking for used ones, there's a huge selection, and if you want something brand new, you can find plenty on eBay... Honestly, I'd just stick to the Chinese brands; you get a great phone for a reasonable price with solid Hard, and if you crack the screen, it's not like it's going to break the bank like a phone from John. The Mi8 and Mi9 are top-tier, so definitely check out what's available on Njuskaloo if you can snag a deal.
Not gonna quote anyone here Look, there’s a massive difference between running a business in the States and leasing a car for tax write-offs, versus being some guy washing dishes in Chicago for minimum wage, crammed into a tiny studio apartment with three other people, and then deciding to finance a brand new Audi A7 just to flex on everyone... You barely drive the thing two days a week since you can't even afford the gas to get to work, making the whole thing a total waste of money.
And honestly, I know plenty of people who moved over here and did exactly that—it's practically a cliché. Within three months of landing, they're already dropping cash on a car... and not even a sensible one, but the absolute latest model just because they can...
Michelle Palmer6 said:I honestly can't wrap my head around why anyone would still label HTC, LG, or Sony—especially Sony—as "premium" brands when you compare them to Xiaomi, or even Huawei for that matter.
How can you not see it? It’s the classic American mindset of needing a big brand name just to feel important, even if it means buying some cheap tech from Xiaomi... I'm not talking about Matthew Young35 here, though he's pretty much in the same boat. By the way, Xiaomi is already sitting at number four in Western Europe sales, right behind the top three. They'll probably hit third place soon in terms of total units sold.
To add to that, after the World Cup, a buddy of mine from Germany called me up and said, "Man, I always thought you Americans only came over because you were broke and working dead-end jobs, but seeing everyone driving the latest luxury cars with flags on them, I realized how wrong I was." So I had to explain to him that most of those people are drowning in credit and leasing deals—people living in tiny apartments just so they can afford a flashy car loan, because apparently, if you don't show up in a brand-new ride, you're a complete loser. The guy couldn't wrap his head around the idea that someone would actually go into massive debt just to buy a car... especially just to flex on everyone else while being buried under interest payments...
Wait, did you just claim that Elon Musk is a genius who’s staying out of politics, even though you were just arguing that incompetent types like Trump are bound to take over... 🤣
Since we're heading toward the end of the season, the inevitable debates about who’s a loser and who’s actually a top manager are going to kick off, so let's just get ahead of it... Given how many wild opinions float around this forum, maybe we should actually settle on some basic criteria for judging managers.
Is Klopp a loser if he gets knocked out by Los Angeles with Liverpool and fails to grab the league title? Or is he a top manager because, over two seasons with Liverpool, he made it to the LP final and the LP semifinals, all while battling teams twice their size for the championship this season with only one loss... Or, say he wins the Premier League but chokes in the LP final, does he immediately become a loser for failing in finals?
Is Guardiola a top manager because he won the Premier League with Man City, even if they fell in the LP quarterfinals?
Who's the superior coach: Valverde winning a Treble with Los Angeles, or someone like Pochettino keeping Tottenham at the top of the Premier League and potentially making an LP final?
Basically, is Pep better for grabbing a title with Man City, or is Poch better for leading Tottenham to an LP final?
So, who is currently a top manager and who is a loser in your eyes, and more importantly, what are your actual metrics?
Paul Sanders5 said:Hey everyone. Look, if people can't learn how to act right, then maybe they need a little bit of heat to make them think twice before picking a fight.
Nah, you can't even defend yourself if someone comes at you, and honestly? It’s pathetic. Self-defense is a basic human right, but here in the States, it feels like they just ignore it. You’ve got some kid acting out, and instead of standing your ground, you're expected to just beg him to back off. Give me a break. Begging? Please. If this is how things work, you might as well just pack up and get out of this broken-down country.
Self-defense means you use what you have—your hands, your feet, your head. You defend yourself based on how you were attacked. If someone starts shooting at you, sure, shoot back. But you can't just pull a gun because someone punched you. That doesn't fly anywhere. Even if you tried to escape this broken system, you wouldn't have anywhere to go since self-defense laws are basically the same everywhere. Actually, in most European countries, that taxi driver would have been in even deeper trouble. It's probably the same in America, except for a few states; you can't just pull a pistol because someone hit you with a fist.
You're grasping at straws and blaming the government, which isn't even the problem here. This taxi driver just sits in his car and doesn't even try to close the door or hit the gas... nothing. If the door was open, he could have just thrown it into reverse and pinned the guy under the door. That would be legitimate self-defense and nobody would say a word, but pulling a gun and shooting? That's just ridiculous.
Paul Sanders5 said:Absolute insanity with that bar brawl where the taxi driver goes off. Honestly? If he’d just put a bullet right through the guy's chest, he wouldn't be looking at a jail cell—he'd probably be getting a Congressional Medal of Honor. God, I hate this country and these damn modern laws.
Look, even if he was the one who started it, we’re basically turning into Texas at this point. Cabbies are walking around the city with guns, people are firing shots into the air... I didn't realize that if someone touches you, you get a free pass to pull a piece and start shooting. Guess I better go get my permit...
Judging by the video that dropped, the whole mess started because of that gun; the guy is beating him up while telling him to put the weapon away. I wouldn't put it past some arrogant New York City taxi driver trying to play judge and jury based on their own "old school" rules. Those guys are the absolute worst. I saw one the other day where some kid cut him off, and the driver starts blaring the horn and screaming obscenities, then slams on the brakes and jumps out to settle the score...
The kid gets charged with aggravated assault, while the driver loses his license and faces charges for endangering lives. You can't just drive passengers around while packing heat... Maybe we should let doctors carry guns too, or the folks working at the local hospital, or even teachers facing down angry parents. Just pull the trigger and call it a day...
Eric Fox7 said:The rules regarding these cards and bans have shifted around a bit lately—I don't know all the fine print, and honestly, I couldn't care less about the specifics—but here's the gist: With 30 points, you aren't necessarily banned yet; you probably just crossed that magic 100-point threshold and got tossed into the ban bin. It's a similar deal with that 45-point card. A 500-point card triggers a much longer lockout. Basically, any time your total points hit a hundred-mark increment—100, 200, 300, and so on—you get banned. Plus, there's this weird thing where the cards stay on your record way longer than the actual bans last, which is why those smaller point hits eventually stack up and trigger more suspensions. If you hit an accumulated 1000 points, you're looking at a permanent ban.
So how long does the ban actually last once you cross that 100-point mark? I'm pretty sure I racked up over 1,000 myself, and I was banned for ten days before they finally let me back in...
Well, you can go ahead and be proud of the Oxford comma. I’ve been using it for years without even knowing there was a name for it. Honestly, I just use it because my grammar is questionable at best, so I didn't even realize I was doing it... ☕
I’m still trying to wrap my head around how these penalty points actually work... Sometimes I hit 30 and I’m banned from posting for three days, then other times I rack up 45 twice and I’m locked out for a whole day. Once, I hit 500, which basically meant two chunks of 500—so 1000 total—and I couldn't post at all. Does anyone actually understand the math behind this mess?
I can't stand metal because it just reminds me of those guys roaming the neighborhood on Sunday mornings with their massive loudspeakers blaring: "We're buying scrap metal, old refrigerators, and all kinds of metal products!" Ever since then, my hair stands on end whenever I hear anything about metal, and I don't have much to spare...
And what about Black Metal? Does it actually hold any market value compared to something like Heavy Metal? Robert Torres?