All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Catlady in training]

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter is not exactly a picture of the real world.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Biden administration launches new ‘KleptoCapture’ task force to go after Russian oligarchs
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/02/bide...oligarchs.html

A damn good strategy by the administration. Hit Putin and the oligarchs where it hurts most…the wallet.

[Dalak]

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter is not exactly a picture of the real world.

Well personally I just helped my best friend who was without a home get to a place he can stay and get a job and get his feet under him again, and I'm faced with my own problems and changing future and too preoccupied to pay attention to a war I cannot affect and I can't let myself fear the missiles I'm about 60% sure will fly at this point and just freak out like I'd like to because just in case life keeps going on I have to act as if it will.

[JackDaw]

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter is not exactly a picture of the real world.

It’s a defence mechanism…if we care too deeply it would make life unbearable I think for most people.

I often wonder how people with super strong empathy cope, so much sadness in the world, so many times we all have to effectively ignore some wrong by just saying “not my problem”.

[JB]

A damn good strategy by the administration. Hit Putin and the oligarchs where it hurts most…the wallet.

I very much agree. It'll hopefully result in very targeted and impactful sanctions.

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter is not exactly a picture of the real world.

In my opinion the average American has become desensitized to foreign wars, perhaps by design. There were large protests against the Vietnam War that gained national prominence in 1965 and gave the government major headaches.
However we did not see this when we went into Afghanistan and Iraq and the media worked hard to convince the average American that these wars were justified, even more so when we went into Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan. The fact is that a lot of powerful people and companies make a lot of money with war and I believe keeping the population from rising up is an important goal for them.

That being said, there is a lot of support for Ukraine on social media that I've seen. The changing of profile pictures and banners to include the Ukrainian flag, the sharing of information about what Putin is doing. Sadly though I think people believe changing their profile picture is doing enough and they go about their business. We're currently dealing with economic hardship and political turmoil (a split Congress, administration approval ratings very low) and a lot of people are just trying to get by month to month. On top of that, trust in media is also low right now and ratings have continued to drop, so I don't even know if most people really know what's going on. My two cents, of course.

[babyblob]

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter is not exactly a picture of the real world.

For me I have a lot of stuff going on that I have to deal with. Disabled father, rising costs on everything. I do care about the war, I feel very bad for the people of Ukraine. But other then watching on Cnn for News I cant do anything about what is going on, Thursday is payday for my father and myself and I have to drop 430 bucks on an electric bill and over 150 bucks on medicine and a lot more on groceries then I was 4 months ago. And that is not counting my rent I have to pay, as well as my water bill, and my trash bill and my phone bill and co pays to doctors. I have to work on finding someone to come sit with my dad why I go to the store and do all the pay day errands because the at home nurse that does it most of the time cancelled an hour ago.

It may sound heartless but right now I care a heck of a lot more about that right now then I do about a War in Europe.

[DanMad1977]

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter
is not exactly a picture of the real world.

I feel ya. Where are you from?

My wife barely sleeps and is constantly worried. I am worried, too. We packed a lot of stuff and bought medications for the refugees. I talk a lot to my father, who is an WW2 survivor and suffered a great deal because of the Russian invasion in Germany.
(Mind you, he was a boy and was fleeing with his mother and siblings, aunts and other female family members, every man was fighting on the front, so my grandpa)
Terrible terrible things happened, I cannot even describe what he saw and endured in that time period. He suffers today from it, and it makes this very old man sad and scared that it will happen all over again. The Russian soldiers killed his aunt without reason, she just stood there, someone shot her. There was no one to stop them. He saw his family members got raped from a group of soldiers. Many stories the younger of us cannot believe or won't believe.

And story like that from my father and my grandpa let my blood freeze in my veins. I don't want the war in my country or even at the border.

But to tell you the truth, when there was war in Iraq or Afgahnistan I was interested but not invested. If I were an American I would see it from far far away and shrug it off. Interested yes, but not scared. Nothing will happened to the USA. You can live in peace forever. There won't be an invasion anytime soon.

I think it all depends on where you live and what you experienced in your life.

[DanMad1977]

It’s a defence mechanism…if we care too deeply it would make life unbearable I think for most people.

I often wonder how people with super strong empathy cope, so much sadness in the world, so many times we all have to effectively ignore some wrong by just saying “not my problem”.

My wife is this kind o f human being. Super strong empathy cope, or super sensibel. Everything that is sad is sadder for her, everything that is scary scares her more, but every joy she feels is even more joyful for her then me...or you, maybe. Its a curse and a blessing.

She is scared and sad at the same time. We don't watch the news 3 hours before bedtime anymore and do something else instead, or she cannot sleep. And just because (this will sound cruel, but to many people its exactly that,)people are dying that she doesn't even know, never met and live in a country that we are totally uninterested in.

On the plus side, she is super supportive and always fights for justice on all fronts. And cares about every living being.

[Jack Dracula]

And again I ask, all these long articles about so called "dumb Republicans". Where's the parity for the "dumb Democrats?" or "dumb Green Party member?" dumb Communist Party member? There are dummies all across the aisle.

I notice you didn't actually refute any of the posts.

I want to point out that Trump had little to nothing to do with the development of the Vaccine. And Operation Warp Speed was largely a failure.

https://www.baltimoresun.com/coronav...5iq-story.html

The speed of the Vaccine development was largely due to initiatives from Obama.

2010
https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...ndemic-vaccine

And we must remember Trump disbanded the Pandemic Task Force. Further hindering our response.

Let's not forget that when Biden took office there was no vaccine distribution program either.
The Trump administration just walked away from the problem after he lost the election.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

I am going to ask this as politely as possible: how is this possible that so few people seem to care about the war? I am barely sleeping, following news non-stop, crying half of the time, but when I visit this site, there's a small discussion here, but everywhere else, it seems like business as usual, people talk about movies, all sorts of usual BS, as if nothing was happening.
Is this how it looks for the average Americans, like if it was the same as constant wars in Middle East, etc, that we have become indifferent to over the time?
Can you please illustrate to me how it looks in your area, do people realize how catastrophic this is and how much worse it can still get? I am sking here, because this forum and one other is where I usually get to talk to people from around the world and the other one does not allow political discussions. I have seen people reacting on twitter and providing all kinds of support, but I know that twitter is not exactly a picture of the real world.

This question has been previously brought up. I can’t speak for anyone else here, but, in my case, I’m more concerned with issues closer to home than in a country thousands of miles away. I live in a city (Philadelphia) that’s been plagued by seemingly unrelenting violence, culminating with a record number of murders for a calendar year in 2021; one of my neighbors who’s in her 80’s was carjacked just two weeks ago, thankfully, she wasn’t hurt; on top of that, I live in a neighborhood that’s less than safe, and I worry about becoming a statistic every time I step out my front door. While this sounds cold, the situation in Ukraine isn’t atop my daily list of concerns.

[Malvolio]

Former Representative Katie Hill caught in a photo sitting naked in her tax-payer funded office while brushing her staffer's hair is a fun one.

Last night Biden said we can all agree that defunding the police is not the answer, that funding the police is. BLM is rightfully not pleased.

https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter/s...Cp5eGKgs0pAAAA


https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter/s...C-vYGJxM0pAAAA
No, @joebiden, we don’t “all agree.”
We still say #DefundThePolice and hold killer cops accountable.
THURSDAY, 3/3 AT NOON IN FRONT OF THE US DOJ
We’ll be standing in the name of #AndrewJosephIII to #EndQualifiedImmunity and demand justice for our people.
#BlackLivesMatter

Defunding the police isn't about getting rid of the police. It's about no longer giving the police military grade weapons that they don't need, and not expecting the police to do jobs they're not trained for.

[DanMad1977]

This question has been previously brought up. I can’t speak for anyone else here, but, in my case, I’m more concerned with issues closer to home than in a country thousands of miles away. I live in a city (Philadelphia) that’s been plagued by seemingly unrelenting violence, culminating with a record number of murders for a calendar year in 2021; one of my neighbors who’s in her 80’s was carjacked just two weeks ago, thankfully, she wasn’t hurt; on top of that, I live in a neighborhood that’s less than safe, and I worry about becoming a statistic every time I step out my front door. While this sounds cold, the situation in Ukraine isn’t atop my daily list of concerns.

With what you said I can see why you choose the Punisher pic, lol.

Is it really that bad in Philly? I can imagine how it is to live in a city that has a criminal record like yours. Where I live now there is almost no crime at all, though I grew up next to a small ghetto.

[DanMad1977]

Defunding the police isn't about getting rid of the police. It's about no longer giving the police military grade weapons that they don't need, and not expecting the police to do jobs they're not trained for.

What about training the police for the jobs you are thinking of? I wouldn't want to be a police officer without proper arsenal to defend citizen in a city or a hood with a high tolerance for violence. I believe the cops in the US are having a hard time being cops. Underpaid and always in danger of being shot.

just a thought.

[Kirby101]

I am deeply concerned about the Ukraine war. But what can I do? I can give to organizations like Red Cross, DWB or Operation Rescue. I can hope what our leaders do impacts the situation. But I can't go to Kyiv and fight.

[Godzilla2099]

Former Representative Katie Hill caught in a photo sitting naked in her tax-payer funded office while brushing her staffer's hair is a fun one.

Last night Biden said we can all agree that defunding the police is not the answer, that funding the police is. BLM is rightfully not pleased.

https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter/s...Cp5eGKgs0pAAAA


https://twitter.com/Blklivesmatter/s...C-vYGJxM0pAAAA
No, @joebiden, we don’t “all agree.”
We still say #DefundThePolice and hold killer cops accountable.
THURSDAY, 3/3 AT NOON IN FRONT OF THE US DOJ
We’ll be standing in the name of #AndrewJosephIII to #EndQualifiedImmunity and demand justice for our people.
#BlackLivesMatter

What is their solution to the problem? Defunding/removing the police is beyond stupidity in my books.

I lived in Philadelphia when my wife was finishing her Fellowship. Its a cesspool of crime in many parts. I felt far safer when I saw officers nearby for obvious reasons.

As for Maxine Waters, California is even worse. My friend just got back from San Francisco. He was told not to rent a car because it'll get car jacked. Also when he went into a CVS there was somebody in there casually shoplifting, the security guard told him to stop but the shoplifter didn't and he casually walked out.

I'd rather live in a safe neighborhood where I'm ok letting my kid play outside and not fearing for our safety 24/7