Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

I wouldn't rule out chess either; I once had a guy carrying me, completely naked, along the waterfront while I was mid-match against Magnus Carlsen.

Amanda Evans2 said:I wouldn't rule out chess either; I once had a guy carrying me, completely naked, along the waterfront while I was mid-match against Magnus Carlsen.

😍

One single track for these late hours ☕

Let us all rejoice in the caliber of the President we have been gifted, along with his inner circle of advisors... 😍

lol, what's even weird about that? last year you couldn't vote for or against anything without getting jumped by someone. that referendum wasn't exactly a masterclass in freedom either.

can only imagine how intense it was back then when people had to cast their ballots. hard to believe someone could just openly say they were against independence. if they couldn't be vocal about it, then I guess Jovic might actually have a point.

honestly, I can say it out loud today—I couldn't care less about the American flag or whatever this whole patriotic circus represents. doubt I could've said that back in the day. we didn't have anonymous forums back then. 😂

I mean, how was anyone supposed to know who you voted for unless you went out of your way to announce it? There’s really no reason to volunteer that information, is there? It isn't exactly a legal requirement... Besides, referendums have this peculiar little tradition of being secret ballots
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Only 1.2% were against it. Jovic and a few others 😍

Robin Fox2 said:I mean, how was anyone supposed to know who you voted for unless you went out of your way to announce it? There’s really no reason to volunteer that information, is there? It isn't exactly a legal requirement... Besides, referendums have this peculiar little tradition of being secret ballots
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Only 1.2% were against it. Jovic and a few others 😍

Franjo Harmon claimed that 30% were opposed.

Robin Fox2 said:I mean, how was anyone supposed to know who you voted for unless you went out of your way to announce it? There’s really no reason to volunteer that information, is there? It isn't exactly a legal requirement... Besides, referendums have this peculiar little tradition of being secret ballots
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Only 1.2% were against it. Jovic and a few others 😍

Yeah, you don't have to say, but people are... people. Some folks just show up specifically to talk about it. Or parents push their kids to go, or certain groups at church pressure people to show up, like they did recently. Every election is supposed to be secret. You'd think that means voters can't be swayed, but it happens. Honestly, I’m fine with it. Elections should work that way; they're just a mirror of society. If someone is easily manipulated into voting a certain way, then maybe they shouldn't be voting for themselves anyway. That's just who they are and what they bring to the table, which ultimately shows what the whole country is about. At the end of the day, a referendum isn't really an expression of freedom if the society itself isn't free, even on a small scale.

Politicians peddle fairy tales, and the masses swallow them whole.
Some people buy into the right, others swear by the left.
Then there are those who believe in absolutely nothing.
If you actually feel compelled to go out and vote, doesn't that just mean someone has successfully played you? An honest man has no business with politics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttl7...utoreplay=true

🙂

Noah Ross7 said:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttl7...utoreplay=true

🙂

Room until ☕

Matthew Anderson4 said:lol, what's even weird about that? last year you couldn't vote for or against anything without getting jumped by someone. that referendum wasn't exactly a masterclass in freedom either.

can only imagine how intense it was back then when people had to cast their ballots. hard to believe someone could just openly say they were against independence. if they couldn't be vocal about it, then I guess Jovic might actually have a point.

honestly, I can say it out loud today—I couldn't care less about the American flag or whatever this whole patriotic circus represents. doubt I could've said that back in the day. we didn't have anonymous forums back then. 😂

The man was simply stating a blunt truth, and that’s just how it played out. Though, really, should we even be surprised given the entire landscape at the time? While we generally prefer the ideals of a liberal democracy, there are certain moments where that framework simply doesn't apply, isn't there?

The referendum regarding joining the European Union followed a very similar pattern. No one who held significant reservations about the EU was ever granted any meaningful platform in the media—not that anyone relevant even attempted to step up, though it would have been nearly impossible anyway, considering our political trajectory since '96 meant there wasn't really an "Option B" to speak of. There was never any substantive public debate on the matter, either.

That was a different era entirely, and the history leading up to it was just as different. Scotland is part of a stable community of nations where you don't have the military standing by, waiting to see how a referendum turns out before deciding whether to protect national unity. Since America completely collapsed and Mexicans killed thousands of people during that whole process, I guess I don't have anything against those kinds of undemocratic referendums.

Just because there wasn't a loud, organized opposition for any of those referendums doesn't mean the process itself was any less democratic. In one instance, the dissenters were such a tiny minority that, despite how much it still bothers certain people today... 🙂

Then you look at the other case, where the opposition consisted of nothing but ridiculous extremists from both the far left and the far right—groups that nobody actually votes for or listens to anyway. Every single major party in Congress supported joining the European Union, yet somehow the number of opponents still ended up being significantly higher. As you pointed out, who was even supposed to get a platform if they were representing the choice to stay out of the EU? Someone could have easily spotted the political ulterior motives behind that, though clearly, no one did; the opposition could have certainly stepped up more, given they made up 30% of the vote, which isn't exactly negligible...

Take a look at how Markicka organized herself; it just goes to show what can be achieved when someone actually has the will to do it.

It’s entirely possible, provided there's enough willpower and support from Crkba.

The church offers its support because they’ve found a way to make it serve their own interests, yet they aren't the ones providing volunteers to spend sixteen hours a day collecting signatures, nor are they actually signing them... Those people were on the ground because they truly believed in the cause they gathered to support.

Those are mostly just church volunteers.

Robin Fox2 said:The church offers its support because they’ve found a way to make it serve their own interests, yet they aren't the ones providing volunteers to spend sixteen hours a day collecting signatures, nor are they actually signing them... Those people were on the ground because they truly believed in the cause they gathered to support.

It's true, they aren't offering much actual support beyond that. They merely lend their spaces under rather elite pretenses (☕) and drum up interest for signature collection (and eventually, the vote itself).

Robin Fox2 said:The church offers its support because they’ve found a way to make it serve their own interests, yet they aren't the ones providing volunteers to spend sixteen hours a day collecting signatures, nor are they actually signing them... Those people were on the ground because they truly believed in the cause they gathered to support.

"Support" and "interest"—nice touch. 🤣

So, the University of California isn't just some political wing for the church—it's their way of turning pulpit rambling into something actually tangible.

I just went ahead and swiped that little smiley face right off the list! 😢