Posts by Jose Barrett

I’m actually a little jealous that we don't have a world-class web forum like this one here in the States.

R.I.P. to Firefox

Besides, looks like the ad actually worked—if it hadn't, nobody would even be complaining.

By definition, an ad is supposed to be annoying.

Personally, ads don't bother me. They’re just another way to pick up bits of info about the world, or even learn a thing or two about myself.

Ryan Gomez4 said:First off, regarding the bolded part, the second half is dead wrong. In my experience, most doctors will try to do as little as possible—or better yet, nothing at all. Unless, of course, you're hitting up a private specialist who's getting paid a fortune; then they'll treat you for things you don't even have.

Even after this latest post, I’m getting the sense that a fair, level-headed debate regarding alternative medicine is impossible here. It’s hard to have a real discussion when the moderator treats mainstream medicine like some kind of ultimate evil—claiming it was all cooked up by Masons and reptilians to poison us through childhood vaccinations, all just to control our minds and wipe out humanity.

All we’re missing now is that former moderator, Louis, who claimed surgery isn't even a big deal because back in those ancient Vedic times, "surgeons" were already performing operations on "that." 😁

My final takeaway is this: we should let people argue against alternative medicine just like we let atheists speak their minds in religion forums or allow die-hard fans to vent about soccer. 😁

Jose White18 said:Whose problem is it, really? 🤷

The internet can be dangerous, no matter how much we stay quiet about it.

Yeah, people fall for internet nonsense left and right. We should probably just ban the whole thing.

We should let the forum members who oppose alternative medicine write freely and share their knowledge—or lack thereof.

As if the folks against mainstream medicine don't get to argue that urine therapy is better than clavocin on the Health forum. Right.

Just to be clear, I’m not using the Health PDF as a negative example. I don't think it's poorly designed or badly moderated at all. I'm just using it as a counterpoint. It shows how different subforums approach the same topics differently. It helps you see which crowd runs which corner of the site, even if they aren't the only ones talking. Everyone just picks what works for them.

Look, please don't go blurring the lines between actual medicine and quackery, or suggesting that people here should just "choose" whichever version suits them better.

What kind of counterpoint is that!?
comparing a PhD researcher like Ivan Đikić against Braco from Srebrenjak 🤣

Jose White18 said:Look, this isn't a doctor's office. It's an online forum, specifically the Alternative Medicine subforum, which has a very clear warning prominently displayed. If someone ignores all those warnings and decides that advice from people like steelsurfer42, Chronic Vlado, vjekos30, or even Jose Barrett is more valuable than a licensed medical specialist with actual credentials... well, that's their choice.

You always have to find a balance...

Are you talking about the kind of "balance" between alternative and conventional medicine you see in those Health PDFs?

And who actually reads those warnings?
Do you honestly think this site is legally bulletproof just because some former moderator scribbled a few lines after we spent months practically begging her to write them?

If someone still can't figure out where they are after everything, and decides that advice from someone like steelsurfer42, Chronic Vlado, vjekos30, or even Jose Barrett is more valuable than what a licensed specialist with a real medical degree has to say... well, let them.

People get emotionally fragile when they're dealing with serious illnesses, so let's not act like we have all the answers here.
The internet can be a dangerous place, no matter how much we pretend otherwise.

Are you suggesting there's some kind of balance between alternative and conventional medicine over on that Health PDF?

You missed my point, though I see dustypuma5 clearly ☕

We should let the forum members who oppose alternative medicine speak their minds, whether they actually know what they're talking about or not.
If someone starts insulting people or trolling, their post gets deleted, they get a warning, or they get banned. I don't see the issue.

That sub-forum has been a ghost town since the discussions stopped, and you can't really have a "discussion" when everyone is just echoing the same opinion.

Solving this issue is actually pretty straightforward.

In India, they recognize six official branches of medicine, and it’s perfectly legal there to treat people using "alternative" methods—whatever that looks like in their context.

Here in the States, just like in the rest of the EU, allopathic medicine is the standard.

There's no need to shut down the subforum, but the moderators really need to wake up and use some common sense. Telling someone that choosing not to see a specialist or an oncologist is somehow the same as telling them to grab a gun and shoot themselves in the head is a massive stretch.

We need to keep those kinds of extremes out of the discussions. That goes for the pseudo-scientists on this forum, too, and that crowd of undergrad science students who seemingly have nothing better to do than hunt down "evil alternative practitioners" across different subforums.

Balance is key—I've mentioned this before regarding the Politics subforum. For sensitive areas like this, you should always have a moderator who stays neutral and sticks strictly to the rules.

Bioenergetic healers aren't going to hurt anyone, and they probably won't help either, but I know they won't cause harm.
I don't care if someone wants to drop $5,000 on seeing a bio-therapist; that's their business.
But if someone starts acting reckless, like those folks who got permanently banned—like Alan SP or that person encouraging people to skip the doctor—then they need to be shut down immediately.

Ten years ago, my mother was diagnosed with a malignant cervical tumor. She went through cobalt radiation and brachytherapy, and she’s still here, healthy and happy, today.

The tumor was classified as highly aggressive, but she beat it thanks to medical expertise.
Even though my mom is a big believer in spiritual things—coming from a more traditional, tight-knit area in southern Canada—she isn't primitive. It never crossed her mind to skip the specialist or refuse treatment.

I’m genuinely curious: how many of those tumors have actually been "healed" by Braco from Srebrenjak, Domančić, or that schizophrenic The Judge!?

Thanks for reading!

Daniel Taylor17 said:I really think we’re starting to see a shift toward the younger crowd, people like Bernardić. It just goes to show how fast things move these days—you're on top of the world today, and then suddenly, you're out of the picture tomorrow.

Is this the same guy who got kicked out onto the street by The White House during that trip to Warsaw? 😂

A textbook example of a political bottom-feeder. Someone who would swallow just about anything if it meant staying close to the party leadership.

mistywolf17 said:You’re buying a single topic, not some VIP green badge that lets you run wild across the rest of the forum. It's not like you get a free pass to break all the rules just because you paid up.
No problem at all. 🙂

Yeah, thanks. You're a sharp one.

Look, I was only interested in one specific topic. That's really all there was to it.

If nobody needs this thread anymore, feel free to lock it. At least now we actually get what's going on.

Turns out this thread actually served a purpose after all. 🙂

What’s actually the point of even posting questions on this forum? 🙄

If you’d bothered to actually read the first post, you’d know why.

I’ve got the cash, so I’m going to secure myself a green username.

I need it for the Politics subforum so I can clear out those pesky Democrats and actually have some freedom to write without my posts getting censored—and I'm not even talking about trolling or insults.

I figure the owner will agree to my terms because money talks, even when it shouldn't. ☕

mellowangler59 said:One day, the Democratic Party won't be under Joe Biden's leadership anymore. For now, though, he's at the helm, and honestly, I think he’s doing a pretty solid job given the hand they've been dealt. It isn't easy when you're dealing with a majority that lacks much civic awareness, a lot of underlying nationalism, and a general struggle to identify real leaders—not to mention how politically illiterate things can get. Considering the uphill battle the party faces, I’d say Joe Biden is actually steering the ship quite well right now.
Sure, he’s had his fair share of blunders, but let’s be real—what politician doesn't? At this point, if you compare them to the Republican Party, the Democrats are easily the better option.

The thing is, most Americans actually prefer that "unmasked nationalism," because if you truly understood what nationalism meant, you wouldn't be talking such nonsense.
Maybe take a moment to learn the difference between nationalism and pure chauvinism. 🙂

So, are you suggesting everyone who votes for the Republican Party is just politically illiterate, searching for a lost leader while having no clue how democracy works? 🤣 🙏

Given the environment the Democratic Party is operating in, I'd say Joe Biden is still steering the ship pretty well.

And what exactly are these "circumstances" the Democratic Party is facing?

Brian Edwards6 said:I won't go through and quote everything—that would be a massive undertaking—but here is one significant one. 👍And one more thing.👍.

How exactly was I—along with quite a few others—allowed to go after Ivo Josipović like that leading up to the last election? I spent days tearing into him, and yet, I wasn’t banned or removed. Is this just one of those rare exceptions that proves the rule, or was there something else at play?🤷

Why do people constantly cling to that tired "if you aren't with us, you're against us" mentality? Honestly, the only real difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party is the acronym they use. You’ll find just as many thieves as you'll find honest people in both camps. Since we're on the subject, I find it equally insulting when someone tries to pin a party label on me—implying I'm somehow part of either the Republicans or the Democrats. It happens all too often here in the Politics section. Besides, if you don't like what you see, the advice remains the same: find somewhere else to hang out. I’ve taken that advice myself, and frankly, I can tell you that you won't find any better guidance than that.👍

Are you just a suck-up?

Just try writing that Ivo Josipović’s mother is a Mexican woman and see how fast your post vanishes.
Even David Copperfield couldn't pull a trick as impressive as their ability to dismantle any anti-Republican opinion.

I've said it a hundred times: with the elections coming up, it's high time we brought in two moderators who actually lean toward the Republican Party when it comes to politics. No matter how much the political mods claim they're "independent," I'm telling you they aren't. They prove it themselves by constantly bashing the administration—something no true Republican would ever dream of doing.

Just read the moderators' posts and it’ll all become obvious.

You don't even need to be a genius to see what's happening; the only way you wouldn't notice is if you were totally blinded by hatred for the Republican Party.

To hell with Marshall and the Communists. ☕

I notice some of the top users here have those sponsored green usernames.

I know the standard route is contacting CNN marketing if I want a green handle, but I’ve got a few questions:
-Is a green nickname available to anyone with the cash, or does it have to be a corporation or some big-shot political figure?

-Are there any perks to being a sponsor? Like, maybe getting my disciplinary record wiped clean, or getting introduced to some cute ladies on the forums?

-Can a moderator still hand me a ban if I start getting heated in the threads? (I’m assuming not, since I’d be paying for the privilege)

Also, I see Hillary Clinton still has that sponsored account she set up back during the presidential campaign. Is she still footing the bill for that, or did someone just forget to turn it off? Vera hasn't posted anything in ages. (As long as the checks are clearing, no complaints from me)

I honestly think when a guy from the coast says, "damn it all," he isn't actually targeting anyone specifically. It’s just an expression, kind of like how someone else might say, "shoot," "dammit," or "for crying out loud... why does this always happen?"
It’s basically a colloquial oxymoron 😁

steeleagle70 said:Why would you assume they’re only scrubbing posts targeting you specifically, or just your side of the aisle? They're cleaning house for everyone; you just don't see the scale of it. For instance, I can't even tell how many of my own posts have been wiped, but obviously, you only see what happens to your own stuff.

Of course, I'm not even counting the posts that were basically cardboard at this point.

Look, I’m talking about democracy here, though I’ll admit moderators are just human beings.

If all the moderators on the Politics board happen to be huge fans of Obama, they’re going to unconsciously defend him like he's their own kid.
My point is simply that the Prime Minister of the US and the President of the US hold equal weight in my eyes, yet the moderators don't treat them with that same parity (even if they should).

They always fall back on those tired, demagogic excuses—claiming these people chose to be public figures, so they deserve the heat, while simultaneously practicing censorship.

Either protect the President of the US just as much as the Prime Minister of the US, or let people praise and trash both of them equally.

That's all.

I'm a stickler for the rules.

steeleagle70 said:Where exactly are you seeing censorship in this thread?

The thing about censorship is that the structure is designed so you simply "don't see" the posts that aren't allowed.

Personally, my own posts get wiped even when I'm not trolling or being insulting—just because they might be a bit bruising to the President's dignity.

You’ve read countless times how J. Kosor is a monster, a witch, an idiot, needs to be arrested, or worse... yet if you try to write something similar about Obama, it disappears.

Let's not pretend to be naive here.

steeleagle70 said:There is, but it sank ☕

Yeah, it went under because the mods let people start all these new venting threads instead of just merging them into the main one about J. Kosor.

Since Obama is technically an "ex" member of the Democratic Party—meaning they funded his campaign before he moved on—🤣 it’s only fair we don't have ten different threads dragging him through the mud.

It’s much easier to moderate a single thread than a dozen scattered ones. ☕

Don't panic, he hasn't actually quit the party 😍

This is mostly aimed at Democrats and those loyal to the old coalition era.

Do you think the Democratic Party would be more powerful if someone else were running the show, or is Joe Biden the perfect fit to lead them?

There’s also a third possibility: it might not matter at all who sits at the top of the Democratic Party.

Is the boost in Joe Biden's polling numbers just a rebound from Kamala Harris's lack of success, or is he actually popular because of his expertise, his wits, his looks, his campaign promises, or something else entirely?

northerntiger said:Kudos to the politics moderators. 👍

Praise should actually be backed by some kind of argument. ☕

Honestly, there’s no point in even trying to lay out an argument. All the politics moderators here are clearly riding with the Democratic Party, backing them without hesitation. I already pointed this out in another thread, but they just shut me down for it.

northerntiger The user said:My only gripe is that everyone's being way too soft on the trolls. You've got the leftists and the rightists—though the latter group is definitely more primitive—completely hijacking every single discussion. Honestly, as soon as I spot certain usernames, I already know exactly what kind of nonsense they're going to spout, regardless of what the topic actually is. 🙄

What exactly makes you different?
The moment I see your username, I know things are about to get colorful. The Republican Party is nothing but a bunch of thieves, the Government is a total mess, and you’ve got guys like that bloated crook Šuker leading the charge.


🙄

Daniel Ward87, some kind of observer, a resonator, just watching from the sidelines.

Hey everyone, I've spent quite a bit of time lurking around the Politics subreddit lately, but there’s just one thing I can't quite wrap my head around.

Why does it feel like the only people getting hand-picked for moderator roles on this subreddit are the ones who can't stop bashing the Republican Party and their coalition? They just lay it all out there in their posts without any filter.

How much objectivity can they actually bring to the table when they’re constantly throwing their weight behind the Democratic coalition without any hesitation?

He’s got quite a bit of sway over certain users who can't seem to make up their minds. I’ve actually noticed a few people who used to be pretty neutral drifting toward the left side of the aisle because of him.

I really wouldn't want to see this Reddit thread turn into some playground for the opposition party's politics, though it feels like someone is definitely trying to make that happen.

If that’s how they want to play their hand politically heading into the next election, then honestly, I don't have much to say about it.
Reddit is privately owned, so I feel like it’s a bit dishonest to call it a public square. People tend to act like this is some independent community space that should be free from influence, but let’s be real—it isn't.

It would probably make sense to bring on two more moderators aligned with the Republican Party. That way, we’d actually have some fair balance in place before the upcoming elections.

Thanks for reading and for all the comments!