A commenter at Scott Adams blog unwittingly describes exactly why America is screwed…
I voted for Obama twice. The first time, in my mind, he was a good guy, standing up to the political class. I knew nothing about his pedigree or how he was groomed by the political elites for the position or how he had ridiculous numbers of communist teachings ingrained into him from birth (That’s probably just a RINO bunch of hogwash, but I find it to be believable) and all the rest of that. I just liked him. Yes, he was not playing the race card in the ‘race’ to the election. He seemed a good man, and on the right we had Warmonger Johnny Mc’Cain. It seemed an obvious choice.
The biggest thing I wanted him to do was shut down Guantanamo Bay. He never did. That coupled with all his other failures made me hate him. In 2012, it was him VS Romney. Once again, Obama got my vote. Why?
In my mind, Romney was just as bad as Obama, with a dash of racism, and they both even supported almost identical healthcare plans. A vote for Romney was a vote for Obama in my mind. So effective was the media campaign that I figured “Obama sucks, but how bad could another 4 years of him be compared to 8 more of Romney?”
I think many view it this way.
He’s absolutely right. It’s not many who view it this way, it’s most voters who view it this way. The American voter follows a two-step process:
1. He votes based not on the quality of the person, the track record of the person, the honesty of the person, or even in many cases the views of the person, but rather how that person makes him feel. Clinton felt your pain. George W. Bush seemed like a guy you could have a beer with. Obama was a nice guy. The fact that all three of these men are lying, corrupt, murderous sociopaths doesn’t matter at all.
2. When presented with Two Evils, he shrugs and picks one of the perceived “lesser” of the two Evils instead of voting for a third party or abstaining. He thinks it can’t be that bad and that it’s probably no big deal. How bad could it be? Then a few years later, that same voter is shocked, shocked! that the Evil he voted for has now resulted in all kinds of evil, for him, the country, and the world.
Obama is such a knee-jerk level of disgust in my mind that anyone who evokes an image of him instantly loses my vote.
Right. That’s what happens when you vote for Evil, lesser or otherwise. He went from liking Obama, to tolerating Obama, to hating Obama. People who voted for Bush twice during the 2000s followed the exact same path.
Has he learned anything? Nope. You can guarantee that in the next election, like most voters he’ll be happily voting for the New Evil (Hillary, Sanders, Trump, Rubio, Cruz it doesn’t matter) and will thus cause more evil in the world and here in America. More lies, death, debt, and authoritarianism. The concept of abstaining from voting, voting for a third party, or leaving the country won’t even occur to him. Societal Programming will see to that.
Therefore, Evil wins. Every time. It’s a genius system.
America is now comprised of four groups of people:
1. People who don’t vote because they aren’t intelligent or informed enough to do so. About 35% of the population, 0% of voters.
2. People who are somewhat intelligent, rational, and informed who choose not to vote because they know it doesn’t accomplish anything. Some of these people, like me, see the writing on the wall and are looking to move out of the country at some point in their lifetimes. About 10% of the population, 0% of voters.
3. People who are somewhat intelligent, rational, and informed who do vote, but only vote for third parties that can literally never win because of ballot access laws, debate commission regulations, and other legal roadblocks created by the establishment. About 1.5% of the population, 3% of voters.
4. Irrational people like the commenter above who consistently vote for Evil, a.k.a. the two party system, and make everything worse. About 54% of the population, a mind-blowing 97% of voters.
This is why no major problem in America will ever be fixed, and everything will keep getting slowly worse (technological improvement notwithstanding).
Enjoy the decline!
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I had been wondering for a few weeks wether you would know Scott’s analysis of Trump!
I’m not one for reading comments yet that very same comment struck me. It’s not any wonder Trump will be President. Not even counting on a scandal around Clinton’s health. It’s all about being nice, why not accept it?
Like you I’m INTJ and I think we shold learn the lesson, that is, we should not be shocked when people act irrationally, it’s the way it is. We have been seeing it all our lives, we might as well embrace and capitalize on it. That’s why I want to learn all I can about Trump and his rethoric.
Yeah Scott’s blog has essentially become a Trump blog now, the same way Vox’s blog was essentially a Gamergate blog for about a year. Scott must be getting some pretty good traffic out of it.
I don’t disagree with Scott’s overall points but my opinion stands: Trump will not be president unless something very unusual happens (Hillary dies or goes to prison, there’s a major terrorist attack on the US before November, etc). The entire establishment is against him, and the establishment is formidable.
If Trump gets the nomination, I would imagine you will see a surge of democrats show up to make sure he doesn’t get it. If he doesn’t get the nomination, he has said he will run as a third party, which will likely fracture the republican party and again result in a democratic win.
My views don’t align with yours on many things, so I’m still hoping there is an upset at the primary that results in Sanders for the dems; but I would suspect that the establishment will veto that with super-delegates.
You’re all in a tough spot. As you’ve said before, and most people who pay attention and have half a brain realize, it’s no longer a democracy down there. The differing views of the American people would be much more effective if the majority was actually represented.
Correct. Sanders isn’t going to win, period. He has less odds of winning than Trump or Hillary, by far.
But as I’ve said, Sanders or guy just like Sanders will win the presidency in a few years. Just not this year.
Typical Americans are in a tough spot, yes, but I’m not. 🙂 I detached from the system long ago. The entire US could collapse tomorrow and I’d heavily inconvenienced for about a month, then I’d be just fine. Most other Americans would be in deep, deep trouble.
When it comes to elections, this is always the first thing that comes to mind:
“No, nothing so simple. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people.”
“Odd,” said Arthur, “I thought you said it was a democracy.”
“I did,” said Ford. “It is.”
“So, why don’t people get rid of the lizards?”
“It honestly doesn’t occur to them. They’ve all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they’ve voted in more or less approximates to the government they want.”
“You mean they actually vote for the lizards?”
“Oh yes, of course.”
“But… why?”
“Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard, the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?”
I agree with you on most things, but the lesser of two evils is still less evil. I voted for Obama last year, but I would have voted third party had there been a good candidate on the ballot. In the primaries I’ll vote for Bernie, since he’s far and away the closest aligned to my ideology, and Clinton vs. whoever will be Clinton, even though I don’t like her at all because the Republicans are crazy. If she’s opposite Trump I’d have to think about it, even though I don’t agree with him on much just getting a real outsider in might be worth it.
You get to vote on this: Do I cut off one of your arms or both of your arms? Less evil would be one arm. Would you vote for that? Or would you stop and say, “WTF? This is fucked up. I’m outta here.”
Then some of the blood of the hundreds of civilians murdered by Obama is on your hands. That’s the “lesser evil.”
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/oct/15/90-of-people-killed-by-us-drone-strikes-in-afghani/
Yeah, Bernie won’t win so you’ll vote for Hillary, literally one of the most evil candidates America has ever had.
But to you, that’s a good idea because she’ll be somehow less evil than the other guy. Yep, you are the typical American voter, and that’s why America is screwed.
Let’s see how many people SHE kills after you vote for her.
I think a really important point is being missed here Caleb. Irrespective of the messed up system, the really problem with the American politics (and this is true also of the other country I know, British politics) is simply this: every country has evil, people who a tyrannical blood lust. The problem though is the population as a whole mostly WANTS the dreadful policies that these people espouse. The population plainly DOES apply some constraint on the policies of the government. It is clear, for example, that many politicians favor the total elimination of private ownership of firearms, or ubiquitous surveillance, or curtailment of various types of free speech they don’t like.
They have managed to move forward in these directions but it is plain that the people have resisted those changes and put a brake on them.
What they have not done is put a brake on free money, free healthcare, free retirement, free school ,etc. etc. The people in large majority want those things and the politicians are merely the manifestation of those desires.
This needs to be added to the fact that an awful lot of voters don’t vote based even on how they feel, never mind what they think. I’d say most voters vote based on their memetically derived identity. “I’m a democrat”, “I’m a republican”. These decisions being made based not on issues at all but on family, teaching, upbringing, friendships etc. It is a horrifying truth that Hillary Clinton is PLAINLY a felon, having breached the most basic trust to protect classified information, and that she has done it for no other reason than the plain mendacity that oozes out of her soul. Yet despite the fact that any other person having done so would be in jail for the next thirty years, that fifty million people will still vote for her simply because she has a D at the end of her name. I have plenty to say about the right too, but this one is just so blatantly appalling, it needs to be said out loud.
To be clear, I disagree with the commenter who called America a democracy. On the contrary, a cursory examination of the US Constitution would indicate that its very essence is anti majoritarian. However, a nation that in large part demands mini tyrannies be imposed on it will get precisely that.
If there is any hope of fixing the American system it is not to be found in politics, it is to be found in the school room. A place where people can actually learn how the world works, and that there is no such thing as a free lunch (ironically for the school system.) However, while the schools are owned and run by the government one should not be surprised that they produce pro government product in their students.
There have been some moves to privatize the US school system. Homeschooling, for example, is massively on the rise. Also states are fighting against the tyrannical teachers’ unions, along with magnet schools, vouchers and so forth.
However, your assessment is probably right. The school system can’t be liberated from the clutches of the government, so a fix is unlikely.
Agree 100% and good point. Most voters vote based on their upbringing, education, and Societal Programming rather than the facts.
Correct again. This is why the fact that people will vote for Hillary is in many ways more frightening than people wanting to vote for Trump. All Trump has done is say some crazy shit, very little of which he’ll actually do if he ever becomes president. But Hillary has spent a lifetime of being a horrific monster who constantly breaks the law for her own benefit. And you’re right, left-wingers like Tony don’t care and will hand her the power of the Presidency anyway.
And as I said in the blog post, she will then do the most horrible shit you’ve ever seen, and the left-wing voters will be “shocked.”
Not going to happen. As I have been reporting, the American school room is fucked. Just look at what’s going on with the colleges.
Correct, and that’s not going to change. As matter of fact, it’s going to get worse.
It is, but it’s not going to help.
NOTHING in the school system, NOTHING in politics, and NOTHING in goverment will save the United States.
NOTHING. Voters can vote for Bernies and Trumps for decades until they’re blue in the face. NOTHING will save it.
The only possible hope the US has is that someone at some point invents something amazing that revolutionizes the Western world. It might happen, it might not, but I’m not betting my life, my future, my happiness, and my finances on it. That’s why in 2025 I’m outta here.
So Caleb, it seems like the decline is accelerating at an insane pace right now – I’m sure you’ve heard about the NYE Cologne attacks. Has that not changed your estimate for when the collapse will happen at all? 2025 seems like a very generous estimate for how long the US will stay standing. Based on everything right now it seems like 5, maybe 10 years is all we’ve got left.
I’m curious about how you’re estimating the remaining safe time you have to get outta dodge.
Yes. Europe is full-on suicidal at this point, so it will go first. It’s amazing to watch.
Europe will go, then America will follow.
No, that’s alarmist talk. The Western world is massive and wealthy. It will (likely) take a long time to collapse. I don’t believe in a Glenn Beck sudden apocalypse. I do agree that’s possible, but I have to plan based on what I think is likely, not possible.
My timetable hasn’t changed. The suicidal Europeans importing millions of poor and criminal into their lands are just more predictable events on the slow path to the bottom. It hasn’t accelerated anything, at least in my view.
I don’t know when the actually collapse will happen, and no one can predict this accurately. My guess is sometime around the 2030s, but that’s only an educated guess. If I’m right, my plan to move my home base abroad by 2025 covers me.
If I’m wrong, I have many financial and logistical safeguards installed into my life to protect me if the collapse comes before 2025. (Some of my investments will even benefit.)
I was taken unawares at the last sudden recession in 2008…but I’m a very fast learner. It won’t happen again.
You know I was thinking about America and its reaction to the 9/11 terrorist attack from the perspective of the different types of male mindset.
On the one hand the beta male is France in the second world war. Make all the wrong moves, all the wrong preparations, focus on all the wrong things, then get your ass whipped and become a supplicating looser like Petain and Vichy France.
On the other hand is the Alpha 1.0. That is Bush. You guys fuck with us and we will fuck up you and everybody you know. You disrespect us, fail to follow our rules and we will bomb you back to the stone age.
So who is the Alpha 2.0 here? Obviously there isn’t one. But what should he do? Ultimately an Alpha 2 isn’t going to put up with any bullshit. You mess with me and threaten my life and I will invoke my right to keep and bear arms. But if you fuck around in your own country, and leave me the hell a alone I will completely ignore you, smile congenially, and hopefully sell you shit so I can enjoy the fruits of capitalism.
What would the Alpha 2 policy be? Certainly benign neglect of these overseas countries (who might have horrible politicians, but who are basically filled with pretty decent people getting caught in the cross fire.) And I think there is a legitimate case for saying “nobody gets to come here from countries with a significant proportion of terrorist actors.”
I suppose if you make it your mission to help those in need you might work with other similar minded people to form militias to help the people suffering under Daesh and similar, but really, better to sell them guns so they can dig themselves out of their own hole.
Any thoughts on this Caleb?
Not in politics, no. A true 2.0 wouldn’t do well in that arena.
Alpha Male 2.0 is a philosophy that applies to the individual. It’s not one you could apply to a nation or a political leader.
The closest approximation would be what you stated, a more libertarian, noninterventionalist policy towards other nations, and peace until you were directly attacked.
This has nothing to do with Alpha 2.0. But in my political opinion, anyone from any country could come to my ideal country and it would be perfectly fine with me. But my ideal country wouldn’t be sending troops all over the world, killing people and pissing everyone off, like Bush/Obama have been doing for 15 years.
As I’ve explained on this blog before, I would never sell them guns, because they’ll use them to shoot us down the road. I would give them satellite intelligence on our mutual enemies and things like that, but that’s about it.