Reminder time again.

Because this is a ‘containment zone’ for politics, the rules here are different than elsewhere on the site - as described in the first post of the thread - and moderation in this thread is both minimal, and escalates faster.

We’re trying to keep this thread open and available for people who want to discuss politics here. As a part of that, we ask that people discuss things they link here.

If you want to discuss a news article or youtube video, or a meme from somewhere, please do. Include a link to the thing you’re discussing with others, and if you want do include images from that source that reinforce the point you are trying to make, or that are a part of the story you are trying to tell about why you found that source interesting, funny, or meaningful, please include those images. That’s fine here, as long as no other rules are being broken - because you’re discussing your opinions of the thing you’re linking. Civilly sharing your opinion about political stuff so others can discuss your opinions with you is what this thread is about.

But just posting a meme or a link to something with an image from it, even if the text of the link is the headline of the article, isn’t ok in this thread. You aren’t discussing it.

2LDR: If you want to discuss something, please discuss it. The link and accompanying image (if you include one) should be a REFERENCE - not the entirety of your post. The focus of your post should be your opinion, not a link to what someone else said.

Things aren’t going to get better unless and until Democrats go back to the 50 state strategy.

@Background Pony #8C5F
I kinda doubt that, but it wouldn’t hurt for them to try at least.

Also, Related to Trump’s inauguration:
This isn’t the first time a inauguration was moved inside. Remember Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inauguration?

With just a handful of days left before inauguration, Trump is still pushing his tariff idea. In order to collect the taxes he’s just announced a new “External Revenue Service” to be opened up.

…that’s still just what the IRS does, and that’s still not how tariffs work.

Also Trump further completes the grift by announcing a new shitcoin. This time backed by the federal reserve! And announced the government is investing billions in bitcoin as it recognizes it as an official federal tender, on top of his own cryptocurrency announcement.

We’ve been saying the economy is just all grift for years and now it is official.

@Dustcan
I shared a video on the shitcoin on the last page.

@Dustcan
I hope the cryptbros understand that means that it’s taxable now, and has to be federally regulated.

And I hope the MAGAs understand that doing so will require the issuance of new US Treasury debt.

It kind of flips the whole table

But, it’s not a lot of hope. They don’t seem to track things that happen in the real world. And it’s certainly not stuff that Trump understands. He just wants his name and face on the coin.

That’s dangerously close to Rule 0.

@Dustcan
Maybe I’m just excited at the possibility of future currency with more recent to modern times individuals pictured.

@Dustcan
Mods really seem to be putting their foot down recently.

Anyway, I ain’t gonna directly endorse harming that Fat Orange Jerk but I also won’t weep should he suffer a fall while walking up stairs.

@CaptainXtra
Trump pulling a Biden

Sure sure, but besides how crass it is and how close to breaking a rule on an MLP imageboard site, Trump’s going to be president again starting next week. So on top of everything else it’s also illegal to say you want him to walk off a cliff.

–

Todd Warner, a representative of the Tennessee House of Representatives (so not even the federal House of Reps), has drafted a bill to change the Nashville International Airport to the Trump International Airport.

As far as I can tell, he doesn’t even represent the district where the airport is.

Not sure how this will make eggs cheap though.

TikTok has gone dark in the U.S.

Never used it to begin with.

Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-makes-app-unavailable-us-users-ahead-ban-rcna188294

@Background Pony #F6E5
Although I don’t agree with the ban, TikTok sucks anyways.

Well hopefully it puts an end to crap like the Tide pod challenge.

@lonewolf
It wouldn’t end it to be honest.

These attention seekers who want instant gratification for doing insane stuff will go to other social media sites to get their daily dose of pleasure.

Trump said that he was going to bring it back.

Didn’t he say before that he was going to ban it?

What the hell made him reverse that decision?

@ᎶㄖҜㄩ 乃ㄥ卂匚Ҝ
“National security” claptrap aside, I think the furor over TikTok speaks to a larger problem with social media in general: the extent to which platforms rely on proprietary recommendation algorithms. For TikTok, as I understand it, The Algorithm drives nearly everything. You’re expected to passively consume and obey instead of seeking out particular content. But most other sites have similar features, even if they aren’t as prominent. In deciding which posts to promote, these algorithms exercise a level of editorial control that runs counter to the spirit in which Section 230 immunity was first granted. And because they’re closely guarded trade secrets, no one knows what incentives are driving the recommendations, whether it’s something as simple and stupid as for-profit “engagement” or if darker motives are at play.

Recently EU regulators have been applying similar scrutiny to an American social network. They would very much like to know why Twitter seems to have turned into the Nazi bar as of late. Because unlike the US, they apparently have laws about that sort of thing.

Well we certainly wouldn’t want to be crass to the serial liar, racist, con man, multi count felon, and adjudicated rapist a minority of America elected to office.


@Background Pony #C111

Based on a news item I caught in passing, I believe that he believes he won the youth vote last November by a considerable amount because of TikTok, so of course that means it’s good now.

@Background Human
The EU laws about speech on social media are bullshit too. People should be free to express any idea they want without any legal repercussions such as being arrested and imprisoned. That way, people (hopefully decently smart people, anyway) can see any bad ideas for what they are: bad ideas.

While I feel sorry for innocent users impacted by TikToks shutdown, it is worth having in mind that China does not allow TikTok inside China. Giving an authoritarian state like that a megaphone into our societies might not be such a great idea. It now remains to be seen whether the app will make a return under new ownership or not.

@ᎶㄖҜㄩ 乃ㄥ卂匚Ҝ
Counterpoint: bad ideas are funny, addictive, and/or very very profitable.

There are laws for safety in electronics and construction and food and all sorts of things; society used to just say “consumers are smart, they’ll make informed decisions in their bests interests”, which is how we got radium in face cream, lead in fuel, asbestos in cigarette filters, etc.

@The Smiling Pony
And yet we still have bad actors in positions of power (whether they be government officials or private sector managers) despite the tens of thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands?) of regulations you seem to love so goddamn motherfucking much to try to prevent that kind of shit.

Fuck the entire human race! We can’t seem to govern ourselves or each other worth shit. Humanity deserves to go extinct.

@ᎶㄖҜㄩ 乃ㄥ卂匚Ҝ