What Taylor Swift thinks about 2017, and what it teaches us about Activism

[dusters]

Exactly. I'm getting more than a little sick and tired of this "the world is crap, we must all be depressed and seriousface all the time because...reasons" attitude. And I think this attitude really comes from people who don't have a family to take care of. I only really have personal experience to go on here, but I've noticed that before my friends and I had families, we were all like the "young activists" you describe. But as we matured and actually started getting real life responsibilities, suddenly the problems of strangers in far away lands just didn't seem nearly as important as the problems and needs of our own households.

I guess it's just easier for people to care about things that don't concern them when they only have themselves to take care of and don't have anyone else directly depending on them.

Does this mean that making kids and family is some sort of escapism mechanism to forget what is going around one? I agree with "Care about yourself, then your family, and if you have more energy, everythine else" approach, but this sounds as if people who can't afford a family/find a partner/ make a family for legal reasons (my case) are somehow out of luck.

I'm in early 30s and I have given up on working voluntary work, because it actually cost me a lot of money and effort and I saw little progress. And I have dreamed of making a family for at least last 10 years. I'm sure I can say I envy you, yet it's not like I have stopped caring about issues outside my house, it is just that I have stopped actively spending time to do more research/ voluntary work.

 

[Berzerker]

2017 was a great year for me. Probably the best year for my personal life, and by very very far the best year for my financial life. Couldnt care less about El Trumpo, and in Brasil we had the first full year since 2002 completely free from the rule of the Workers Party thugs. Many of their leaders are actually rotting in prison where they belong. This alone makes 2017 beyond amazing.

This Jezebel article is so full of jealousy and pettiness it's funny. I pity the people who read this crap.

You guys shouldn't jail crooked politicians, the Democrats say that makes you look like a banana republic.

 

[Lexicus]

You guys shouldn't jail crooked politicians, the Democrats say that makes you look like a banana republic.

The Democrats want Trump in jail though?

 

[Berzerker]

They pointed to banana republics in response to 'lock her up'... The fact they're chanting 'lock them up' now just shows their hypocrisy

 

[Lexicus]

They pointed to banana republics in response to 'lock her up'... The fact they're chanting 'lock them up' now just shows their hypocrisy

It's not hypocrisy because any charges against Clinton are politically-motivated nonsense, while Trump & co are actual criminals who deserve to be in jail if not hanged.

 

[Commodore]

Does this mean that making kids and family is some sort of escapism mechanism to forget what is going around one?

Not so much escapism as it is triaging and prioritizing problems and issues. Obviously, most people are going to put things like taking care of their kids way ahead of fighting for some national or global problem that may not be directly affecting them.

 

[Lexicus]

Obviously, most people are going to put things like taking care of their kids way ahead of fighting for some national or global problem that may not be directly affecting them.

That's a silly false choice, though, and you know it. Unless you're suggesting that no one's kids are affected by any global or national issues, ever.

 

[Berzerker]

while on the subject of hypocrisy and entertainers, Rose McGowan called Meryl Streep a hypocrite for wearing black to some award ceremony because of Streep's long history of collaboration with Harvey Weinstein. Streep denies she knew...

Rose took $100k from Weinstein 20 years ago and she kept quiet until recently. She was even trying to get several million more to keep quiet when Weinstein's fall began.

It's not hypocrisy because any charges against Clinton are politically-motivated nonsense, while Trump & co are actual criminals who deserve to be in jail if not hanged.

Hillary should be in jail for lying us into a war with Iraq to further her presidential ambitions.

 

[Commodore]

That's a silly false choice, though, and you know it. Unless you're suggesting that no one's kids are affected by any global or national issues, ever.

You know what I'm trying to say. It's a lot harder to convince someone to, for example, support environmental regulations aimed at curtailing excessive oil drilling when they have a decent paying job drilling for oil that keeps their kids fed and living in a nice house in a nice neighborhood.

For the individual, self-interest will almost always trump the "greater good", especially when one has their own kids that they have to face every single day.

 

[Lexicus]

Hillary should be in jail for lying us into a war with Iraq to further her presidential ambitions.

By that logic just about every politician in the country should be in jail. Which, ya know, I'd probably be on board with, but somehow I don't think that's what you have in mind.

 

[Berzerker]

Just about every politician didn't lie us into war, the ones that did deserve to be in jail... You think she deserved the White House.

 

[Lexicus]

Just about every politician didn't lie us into war

Right, only Hillary Clinton did that. Clinton even lied the Bush Administration into the war!

You think she deserved the White House.

It wasn't a matter of who 'deserved' it, it was a matter of keeping Trump and his Nazi friends out.

You know what I'm trying to say. It's a lot harder to convince someone to, for example, support environmental regulations aimed at curtailing excessive oil drilling when they have a decent paying job drilling for oil that keeps their kids fed and living in a nice house in a nice neighborhood.

I mean, I do get what you're saying but I just think people are wrong to think that way. People don't realize that "national or global" problems can't be ignored, they will reach out and touch you sooner or later. In your example, the oil driller is actively destroying the planet that his kids will have to live on, for the sake of feeding them...for now.

Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee...

 

[warpus]

Jezebel seems to be a sexist clickbait site, so who really cares what they say? I'm sure the flat earth society website has some stupid things to say about the past year as well, and the guy on the street corner here has his own opinions as well. Might as well ignore all that noise

 

[Berzerker]

Right, only Hillary Clinton did that. Clinton even lied the Bush Administration into the war!

Just about every politician didn't lie us into war, the ones that did deserve to be in jail... You think she deserved the White House. I bolded the part you ignored. The Bush crowd should be in jail too, they didn't deserve the White House either.

It wasn't a matter of who 'deserved' it, it was a matter of keeping Trump and his Nazi friends out.

"Trump & co are actual criminals who deserve to be in jail if not hanged."

They deserve justice, she doesn't... Got it... Lying us into war, not a biggie in your book.

 

[Lexicus]

"Trump & co are actual criminals who deserve to be in jail if not hanged."

They deserve justice, she doesn't... Got it... Lying us into war, not a biggie in your book.

Oh, I think she deserves justice in some kind of cosmic sense, but I don't think her level of culpability in the Iraq War actually rises to the point where she could go to jail for conspiracy to wage a war of aggression.

Trump OTOH is openly corrupt and probably a traitor.

 

[Berzerker]

Trump got help from the Russians, Hillary lied us into war... And you think he's the criminal. Course if she was the R and he was the D you'd be arguing the opposite, right?

 

[metalhead]

Hillary should be in jail for lying us into a war with Iraq

Can you quote her lies and explain how they are responsible for getting us into a war?

 

[Commodore]

Can you quote her lies and explain how they are responsible for getting us into a war?

I think it's a reference to her voting in favor of the invasion of Iraq and then defending that vote later on. The thing is 2003 was still a very weird political climate in the US. I would say politicians were afraid to vote against the war, even if they were against it, because if they did they would most likely be labeled as anti-American terrorist sympathizers due to that whole post-9/11 hyper-patriotism wave Bush was riding.

 

[metalhead]

I mean, I get that, but as Lexicus pointed out, that's not exactly behavior that was unique to Hillary Clinton. Most of Congress did the exact same thing. I'm not clear on why she is to be singled out for it. And I'm REALLY not clear on what law has been broken, only by her, such that she "belongs in jail."

She must have told some really egregious lies to be singularly worthy of going to prison, so I'd like to know what those lies were.

 

[Commodore]

I mean, I get that, but as Lexicus pointed out, that's not exactly behavior that was unique to Hillary Clinton.

Agreed. Everyone was just kinda going along with it all at the time because it would have been bad politically not to.

And I'm REALLY not clear on what law has been broken, only by her, such that she "belongs in jail."

None. Hillary is just singled out for it to keep her out of the White House.