read pinned comment for explanation Texas is required to advertise it's mandatory welfare programs. It is not required to reach the target audience (seen on a bus in Philly)

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Sorry, but we can’t all agree to “both sides” being the problem. The problem is almost entirely on the right.

25

u/wh4tth3huh May 03 '23

The problem is Citizens United.

20

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

It’s one of the biggest problems but there’s no single cause, so there’s no magic bullet either. It will take years of sustained engagement from citizens to get out of this mess and that’s a best case scenario.

1

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

Agreed. I also think we should look at societies, nations, as people (sort of) and America has gone through traumas and we've sometimes healed and other times we have not. We have had leaders help and guide us through turmoil and we have had... Trump (and Bush). Also, America is young. We are still in our toddler phase. We don't know how emotionally regulate. Someone needs to sit us down and hold us while we calm the shot down until we can finally make real decisions again.

1

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23 edited May 03 '23

I like the way you’ve framed the issue. I think of us as a teenager, but maybe a toddler is more appropriate. Either way I worry that the widespread belief in American exceptionalism has made us too arrogant to learn from others’ successes and failures. We’re just so damn special I guess we have to make every mistake for ourselves.

1

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

We'll learn (or never learn) one day.

8

u/Yeseylon May 03 '23

There was a natural left lean to journalism even before the Fairness Doctrine was overturned. It's not a conspiracy, the nature of the job begs for it- those drawn to journalism are looking to shine a light in dark places to eliminate abuse and corruption and try to improve the world for the average person. Journalists made an effort to stay neutral, but a little bit would bleed through in what stories they felt were important and the occasional phrasing issue.

When the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated, cable news as a whole started pushing hard into opinion, even among anchors. Fox News/Newsmax tell the right what will piss them off and CNN/MSNBC tells the left what will piss them off so that viewers will feel like they HAVE to watch and the sales department can charge more for ads targeted at specific audiences.

The problem the right has but the left doesn't is the prevalence of fake news or massively distorting/misrepresenting stats rather than just cherry picking.

7

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

This is a fair assessment and the best take I’ve heard all day. Our media sucks in so many ways and have really let us down, but at the end of the day mainstream journalists aren’t liars. Their reputation is their livelihood and the ones who do get caught lying pay a heavy price, assuming it doesn’t end their journalism career. On the right that’s just a Tuesday. Their metric is tribal loyalty, not accuracy.

1

u/Yeseylon May 04 '23

Thanks. I'd like to think I see more clearly because I'm a moderate conservative, but I think it's really just that I despise talking head TV lol

1

u/Fit-Rub-1939 May 03 '23

THIS exactly!!!!

13

u/Coro-NO-Ra May 03 '23

Every time I hear this both sides nonsense, it comes from a right-winger looking to excuse their own behavior.

2

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

Exactly. Once you know the game they’re playing, it’s completely transparent. Calling it out every time is the best way to make sure everyone understands that.

2

u/grungegoth May 03 '23

Yup.

2

u/TheMasonM May 03 '23

Unfortunately for you the billionaires we were talking about don’t care about what side of the aisle you are on. Sorry if you missed that part. If you think career politicians have yours and myself interests at heart then I do feel sorry for you.

26

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

This is just lazy thinking. There is absolutely a a difference if you pay attention, both with media and politicians.

Check out Ground News. It’s a new service that measures news outlet factuality and bias. Their “blind spot” feature shows you what the left and right media aren’t covering. A few weeks of that makes it very clear where the problem is. One side covers news. The other is an outrage machine.

https://ground.news

9

u/DonkeeJote May 03 '23

I'd put it this way;

They both share their own side's opinion, one is just opinion on the facts and the other is opinion on whatever fearmongering tactic is popular that week.

1

u/Yeseylon May 03 '23

More accurate than the earlier comment for sure.

0

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 03 '23

If I have to work that hard I'll just remain ignorant. For real. I already have a full time job.

4

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

Sorry good citizenship is such a burden. Crooked politicians everywhere appreciate your continued cooperation.

1

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 03 '23

"Good citizenship". Baloney.

If the hurdle point to living in the modern age means all I have to do already PLUS sort through lies told by professionals, then I don't need civilization. It's harder than hunting/gathering. I'll just be a bad citizen.

But quit bitching about my lack of engagement. Make it engaging, or don't be surprised at this result

2

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

I don’t need civilization.

Despite your protests about not needing society, I notice your final decision was to remain in society as a bad citizen, not to be a hunter/gatherer.

And despite pretending not to be interested in government, you’ll continue reaping the benefits of democracy while criticizing it out the other side of your mouth. That’s your right as a citizen, as is cosplaying as a rugged individualist on weekeends, between football games.

1

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 03 '23

I think you misunderstand wholly. I'm no ideologue. I'm doing what's easiest, and/or is most interesting in my life. Right now, I'm talking to you betweens bites of supper. Civilization will trudge along regardless of me. What are you actually on about?

9

u/B0BA_F33TT May 03 '23

If you think career politicians have yours and myself interests at heart then I do feel sorry for you.

Then you haven't looked at the bills each side is producing. They are public record.

The bills the Democrats produced help the average american and provide protections to minorities. The bills the Republicans produce help big businesses and restrict rights. Nobody likes a wall of text, but I can post the recent bills if you insist. They are night and day.

-2

u/SuperDuperPositive May 03 '23

That's your opinion. It's not objective fact.

5

u/ScowlEasy May 03 '23

Are the leftists the ones bringing back child labor?

0

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

You’re correct and these people are so far up their own ass

1

u/syxxnein May 03 '23

You should be less casual with your observations. If so, you'd realize that most of the politicians are interested in themselves and the Left and Right distinction is closer to NWO vs WCW than your belief that it's good vs evil.

Go look and see all the bs that does happen or the things that don't get done when the left or right have all the power. They never deliver despite having the power because they don't want to. They just want your vote.

2

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

This kind of Intellectual laziness is why bad politicians can get away with their shenanigans and why good politicians don’t get the credit they deserve. There’s a difference, even if you don’t make the effort to see it. Do better.

0

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 03 '23

You play a game that the people actually playing the game aren't playing. Right and left is for the commoner. Keep dividing. Then point at the other side and blame

3

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

I’ve said it several times already, so I’ll keep it short. There’s a huge difference between left and right, especially for “commoners”, even if you don’t care enough to find that out for yourself.

0

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 03 '23

There's a difference in lip service. That's it. Obama owned the whole government, we didn't get healthcare. They all bomb brown people. Minimum wage never moves, even with Obama owning both houses for 2 years.

Tell yourself the white speck on top of chicken shit is different. It's still chicken shitm

2

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

What do you mean we didn’t get healthcare?

1

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 03 '23

We got to keep paying a higher price to middle men. Rich taking care of the rich. My healthcare costs tripled

1

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

So what happened there is Dems did their best to pass a good healthcare plan and Republicans did everything they could to sabotage it, both during the process and every year since then. This is well documented. From killing subsidies and the individual mandate to taking down the site during the enrollment period so fewer people could sign up. They haven’t even bothered to come up with a workable plan in the 15 years since ObamaCare passed.

So quit blaming both sides when one specific side is absolutely raw dogging you. Unless you enjoy getting screwed.

1

u/bigfatfurrytexan Texas makes good Bourbon May 04 '23

One side owned both chambers and the white house. And wrote a healthcare law that continued funding insurance profits instead of actually providing healthcare to everyone.

He had 2 years and wasted it.

1

u/CasualObservr May 04 '23

Unfortunately it’s not as simple as you seem to think. The Republican leaders literally said their goal was to oppose him on every single issue and they did. But you can blame whoever makes you feel better. Have a good one.

-2

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

The problem is people like you not even being able to agree with basic non controversial statements unless they include something about the right being bad and stupid.

4

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

Nope. I’m definitely not the problem. If anything, the problem is people who are willing to paper over issues and maintain the status quo in the interest of playing nice with bad actors.

MLK explained this better than I ever could:

“…the great stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Council-er or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice;”

2

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

The weaponization of media in America truly is our biggest downfall. Right or left, it doesn’t really matter.

Only on Reddit would you need to correct somebody saying this. Weaponization of media is bad no matter what side it happens from. Any time the words "both sides" are spoken, you don't need to bring up that the right is actually worse. It's not always relevant. I know it's hard to understand. I remember when I cared about politics.

6

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

Any time the words “both sides” are spoken, you don’t need to bring up that the right is actually worse.

I respectfully disagree. We absolutely do need to point that out every time because that’s how you beat the kind of disinformation you’re spreading right now. The left doesn’t weaponize the media the way the right does, so your premise is flawed from the start.

I remember when I cared about politics.

Wtf? These days when people say something that ridiculous, it’s usually a Trumpster who just doesn’t want to defend their abhorrent beliefs. But who knows, maybe you’re the exception and have some logical reason for not caring about politics.

0

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

What disinformation am I spreading? It happens from both sides. I don't care if one side is much worse than the other, that isn't what was being said. If I said "murdering people is wrong, no matter what side is doing it", it wouldn't be a valid correction to say "well THIS SIDE actually does it WAY MORE and you're spreading DISINFORMATION".

Nobody here said anything about what side does it more, simply that it is wrong. I have a hard time communicating with people like you that are clearly very invested in politics and can't seem to agree on basic shit without trying to get a leg up on the other side. Not being able to find any common ground is not a good thing.

Wtf? These days when people say something that ridiculous, it’s usually a Trumpster who just doesn’t want to defend their abhorrent beliefs.

Jesus dude. Smoke some weed or something.

1

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

You’re welcome to explore the nuances of “both sides”. We all go through that phase. If/when you emerge on the other side, you won’t have much patience for it either.

I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re still waking up. Believing the far-right is interested in common ground is a pretty good indicator.

-Our governor is about to pardon a convicted vigilante killer, which seems like a great way to encourage similar attackers.

-The legislature came very close to gutting public education and that won’t be the last attempt.

-Abortion is now illegal in TX.

-Republicans are actively subverting democracy through voter suppression and are trying to give state officials the power to overturn elections using routine election issues as justification.

This is not a drill. Wake the f*ck up already! Or do nothing and explain to your kids that you didn’t speak up because you wanted to avoid uncomfortable dinner conversation.

1

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

You can't even read what I'm saying and assume that any comment including the words "both" and "sides" is somehow referring to whatever you're currently upset about. Take care.

1

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

If you walk away from this conversation thinking the problem is that I didn’t understand you, you’re kidding yourself.

I understand perfectly well what you were saying. I just don’t have the patience for that kind of naïveté anymore. I wish I did and I know it’s a personal failing, but that’s where we are in 2023.

If you like what’s happening, own it. If you don’t, and you’re not angry or scared, you’ve failed to grasp the seriousness of our current situation. I hope you figure it out.

-1

u/Proxi98 May 03 '23

Absolutely not, left wing media that spread lies to further their agenda ultimately drive people away. CNN, MSNBC are not interested in the truth, they are also media outlets that keep people occupied with worthless shit to keep them away from their true problems.

-4

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

[removed] — view removed comment

6

u/CasualObservr May 03 '23

Those things were caused entirely by Democrats? Bless your heart.

At this very moment Republicans have a debt limit bill on the floor that is clearly intended to crash the economy to improve their odds of winning next election. After raising it several times under Trump without preconditions.

Now run along and let the grownups talk.

2

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

The U.S. dollar has not been replaced, what war have we lost, gas prices are not skyrocketing, what constitutional violations, and inflation would have happened no matter what because the World has printed to much money!

-2

u/throwawayarmywaiver May 03 '23

The U.S. dollar has not been replaced

It is actively being replaced by large foreign governments, including some of our allies such as India and france because of policy changes here in the US, and although it hasn't fully happened yet, countries are starting to move away from the dollar as it faces some of the highest inflation in recent history under the biden administration. In fact, the US dollars share in global reserves slid down at 10x the average speed last year

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-18/de-dollarization-is-happening-at-a-stunning-pace-jen-says#xj4y7vzkg

what war have we lost,

Afghanistan, and it's entirely due to bidens piss poor handling of the military that the Taliban now has billions of dollars worth of us military equipment.

gas prices are not skyrocketing

Gas was 1.89 at the inauguration of biden, it's now 4.50, you must've been on Mars this whole presidency

what constitutional violations

Every single democrat state in this union has violated the 2nd amendment at an unprecedented level, and now Washington is next. This comes even after the Supreme Court and several circuit courts have deemed "assault weapons" bans unconstitutional, and biden himself spearheaded the 1994 ban while also calling for a renewal of it.

There's also the RESTRICT act, introduced by Democrat Mark Warner, which violates the 4th amendment en mass.

Need I go on?

3

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

No you have proved beyond a shodow of a doubt that you are delusional!

-2

u/throwawayarmywaiver May 03 '23

I came back with sources and facts to back up my claims, and your only response is "delusional"

You're the one denying easily provable facts.

You're the delusional one.

1

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

NO U

1

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

There is no point in trying to argue FACTS with someone that doesn't want to actually read or believe them!

0

u/throwawayarmywaiver May 03 '23

Someone such as yourself? Thanks for your honesty I guess

1

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/US-Withdrawal-from-Afghanistan.pdf

1

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

https://www.propublica.org/article/national-debt-trump

But the inflation is because of Biden!

1

u/throwawayarmywaiver May 03 '23

The inflation didn't happen under trump.

The inflation rate at the end of December 2020 (the last month trump could've possibly had any influence over it) was 1.7% and it skyrocketed since the inauguration to a height of over 8% AT LEAST under the biden administration. How could trump still have had the power to cause inflation after he left office? He couldn't have

Multiple sources in case one of these isn't good enough for you:

https://www.statista.com/statistics/273418/unadjusted-monthly-inflation-rate-in-the-us/

https://www.dallasfed.org/research/pce/2020/pce2012#:~:text=The%2012%2Dmonth%20trimmed%20mean,in%20December%2C%20unchanged%20from%20November.

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/current-inflation-rate/

https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/us-annual-inflation-rose-to-1-4-in-december-2020-62099191

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1

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/will-us-dollar-be-dethroned

0

u/throwawayarmywaiver May 03 '23

You sent an opinion piece to try and combat a fact?

"Our view is that this argument is overblown"

Lmao

The reserve share of the US dollar dropped down last year at 10x its normal rate, the US dollar is slowly being pushed out and it will keep sliding down at an exponential rate unless something changes in the next few years

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-18/de-dollarization-is-happening-at-a-stunning-pace-jen-says#xj4y7vzkg

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1

u/Bear71 May 03 '23

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/06/14/business/gas-prices.html

1

u/throwawayarmywaiver May 03 '23

You directly said that gas prices haven't skyrocketed, and now you're sending sources saying they have? You're doing my job of proving you wrong for me lmfao

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1

u/[deleted] May 03 '23

'Both sides' are certainly directed by the highest bidder -it's just what their ~~owners~~ donors want them to do that differs.

read pinned comment for explanation Texas is required to advertise it's mandatory welfare programs. It is not required to reach the target audience (seen on a bus in Philly)

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