JoBo @ JoBo @feddit.uk

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2 yr. ago

I believe that's why "centrist" has become a popular substitute word, to sidestep the confusion.

You're not wrong, except in believing that classical liberalism was ever any different.

No. We're talking political categorisations, not the dictionary definition.

Conservatives are socially conservative and economically liberal.

Liberals are socially liberal and economically liberal.

Liberals have never had a problem abandoning their high-minded ideals when there were savages to civilise. Because liberalism has no analysis of power, and an absolute belief in the fundamental impossibility that they could be wrong about anything.

There's no doubt that she is shifting to the right, because they are fawning over her and she has no politics. See also Linehan and Chappelle. They were all bog-standard liberals before being criticised.

Cuckoo Hourly Chime - A Clock App with Customizable Sounds and Speaking Time

Cuckoo Hourly Chime is an Android application developed by Dev Technosoft that functions as a clock app with customizable sounds and speaking time. The app is categorized under Lifestyle and is available for free.

This clock app offers a variety of features such as more than 10 inbuilt sounds that play every half and full hour, including the option to speak time with a custom title. Users can also choose the hours-only option, wake the screen to stop the chime, and stop the app from the notification bar.

Totally agree with all of that. But I think the disagreement is based on what you think a liberal is. She is a New Labourite through and through.

British transphobia is as prevalent amongst middle-class, white liberals (centrists) as it is on the right; I'd say that they started it here.

Writers for The Guardian (US) wrote a letter protesting that bastion of liberalism's transphobic stance: Why we take issue with the Guardian’s stance on trans rights in the UK.

The political dividing line here is very, very different to that in the US.

My watch buzzes me if I haven't stood up for an hour. Not what you're looking for but the only other thing I can think of is an alarm app that you can set to snooze for half an hour as many times as you see fit. I would guess something like that might exist.

A really tragic trajectory. His work was genuinely great. And there isn't going to be any more of it (unless his new fascist pals persuade him to do a Leni Riefenstahl for them).

Minimum wage is still exploitation given that the drivers provide all their own equipment, cover their own costs, and get no sick leave or holiday pay. Typically, self-employment is paid at an hourly rate 2.5x the salaried rate because of all the extra costs the employer is not covering.

Minimum wage for 'self-employed' gig workers should be $35-40. Pass that law.

She's not a conservative, she's a liberal (in the political science sense of the word, not the USian synonym for leftist).

It's not 100% clear where Rowling's transphobia comes from. She certainly fits into the group of transphobic cis women who have been abused by cis men and concluded that all men are evil, including the ones that want to be women.

But there's also a dynamic which I think you can see with Graham Linehan and Dave Chappelle as well. Born into comfortable middle-class families, well-educated, never really thought about their bog-standard liberalism. Became extremely successful, became accustomed to near universal adoration, made a thoughtless transphobic comment/skit, received criticism and reacted with absolute fury at the idea they could possibly be prejudiced about anything. Because they're liberals, you see.

All three just keep digging that hole deeper rather than face up to the idea that maybe they got something wrong. Linehan's career is over (as is his marriage), Dave Chappelle is hanging on by a thread and flirting with the right, and Rowling doesn't give a shit because she's a billionaire and does not have to give a shit about anything at all.

It's a great thing to do when you're young and child-free, or starting your retirement. Just don't expect it to be cheaper than rent and do make sure you understand the basics of keeping your engine in good condition. It is your source of electricity, water, and sewerage. You cannot afford for it to break. Also brush up on your understanding of batteries because you're going to be relying on them, a lot.

Licensed breeders and keepers of captive wild animals are certainly wealthier than yer average Joe. But if you're trying to argue that these offenders are being punished for their poverty, you really, really ought to read the article first.

do you consider every single military occupation an “apartheid”?

Most military occupations are not done with the intent of stealing the land and replacing the existing population with settlers. The British occupation of Northern Ireland did have characteristics of apartheid, and is probably the closest parallel available to Palestine/Israel.

But Palestinians are self governing people who elect their own leaders and are self managed, right?

No. The Oslo accords established a Palestinian government but not a Palestinian state. Israel retained complete control of Area C, partial control of Area B, and the ability to blockade Area A..

Area C forms a contiguous territory on 61% of the West Bank, and is administered solely by Israel via the Judea and Samaria Area administration. As of 2015, it is home to 150,000 Palestinians[3] in 532 residential areas, and roughly 400,000 Israelis[4] in 135 settlements and more than 100 unrecognized outposts.

In contrast, Areas A and B are subdivided into 165 enclaves of land that have no territorial contiguity.[2] Area A is exclusively administered by the Palestinian National Authority; Area B is administered by both the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Area A comprises approximately 18% of the total territory of the West Bank and Area B about 22% of the territory, together home to some 2.8 million Palestinians.[5]

The last Palestinian elections were held in 2006 and Hamas won a landslide in both Gaza and the West Bank, a reaction to the corruption of the PA and its willingness to act as little more than a security service for Israel.

Hamas set about expelling the PLO (a group of secular parties dominated by Fatah) from Gaza. In response the PLO (which is essentially synonymous with the PA these days) pulled off a coup in the West Bank and installed itself there, without the consent of the Palestinian people.

Ever heard of the West Bank? Know anything about the blockade of Gaza? Which planet are you on?

Yeah, you're going to have to expand on that because it looks like a denial of reality. Are you under the impression that Israel is keeping Israelis under occupation?

There are many older Israelis who regard themselves as Palestinian Jews ("I didn't come to Israel, Israel came to me"). There are many Israelis living in the Occupied Territories, and many of the non-militant amongst them say they would choose to become Palestinians in the event of a two state solution.

I'm not sure if you know these people exist but you also seem to be having trouble acknowledging that Palestinians exist and are the ones who are living under occupation and that is ... a bit of a headfuck. Can you explain yourself a little more clearly?

I don't believe it is necessary to have a solution in order to critique the current situation. But this is the most useful thing I've read recently that addresses your question: What Peace in Northern Ireland Teaches us About ‘Endless’ Conflicts.

There is no Palestinian state. Israel is the (illegal) occupying power and has been since 1967, with a stated intent for the Occupation to be permanent. The system is closely equivalent to South African apartheid, with genocidal intent on top.

Words have meaning. Israel cannot maintain a permanent Occupation, controlling everything and everyone entering or exiting the Occupied Territories, and also pretend that Palestinians are responsible for their own wellbeing. That's not how it works and if you were under the impression that it is, you have some reading to do.

The Arabs who serve in the military, other than Jewish Arabs, are Bedouin and Druze, whose 'community leaders' chose to participate in conscription because military service is fundamental to success in Israeli society. Palestinians often regard them as the worst, not because of a sense of betrayal but because Arabs in the IDF often feel the need to prove which side they're on. The Israeli refuseniks are, for the most part, able to refuse because their family is willing and able to support them economically.

Palestinian-Israelis do not (and cannot) serve in the military, along with the most extreme in the settler-movement ( a sore point for many Israelis, who are forced to do national service to keep these extremists safe in occupied territory).

The apartheid charge is (largely) based on the different laws and rights which apply to citizens of Israel vs Palestinians under occupation. Israel does treat its Arab citizens and, especially, East Jerusalemites (who have residency but not citizenship) , differently in many ways. But, even if you insist on ignoring the racist minutiae of Israeli law, you don't get to say they're responsible only for their citizens (+/- permanent residents). They're maintaining an apartheid system in the Occupied Territories (and East Jerusalem) and you don't get to pretend that this somehow doesn't count

Exactly the same arguments applied to Ariel Sharon (who was the malignant force in power 20 years ago). Getting rid of him made little difference.

The Occupation demands resistance (and the right to resist it is enshrined in international law). That resistance, and the need for Israel to maintain such an enormous military force that it requires universal conscription and every adult male to serve in the reserves, keeps Israelis fearful. And fear is what triggers support for authoritarianism. And, of course Aliyah tends to attract the most extreme authoritarians, keeping the authoritarian-inclined proportion of the population relatively high.

They're not going to stop electing genocidal maniacs because those genocidal maniacs create the fear that causes a substantial proportion of the population to vote for them. They never win a majority but, under Israel's electoral system, they don't have to. All governments are coalitions and it is very difficult to put together a coalition without some of the more extremist parties involved (whether they are welcome or not). And those small extremist parties can (and do) bring the government down any time they feel like it.

Israel in its current form has no more legitimacy than Apartheid South Africa had. I lived through that struggle, with right-wing politicians bolstering the apartheid regime and sending arms as ordinary people protested it. We eventually won that battle and eventually we will win this one too.

FWIW, there is no mirror image here. There is one two-state solution and two one-state solutions.

The two-state solution has been made impossible by Israeli settlement activity (which picked up substantially during the Oslo negotiations and has continued at a furious pace ever since).

The two one-state solutions are: a single, secular democratic state with equal rights for all its people and equal right to return for Palestinians; or a single Jewish ethno-state with Palestinians imprisoned in occupied enclaves with no access to the outside world other than what their imprisoners agree to.

The latter one-state solution is what the Israeli right are trying to achieve and, as with Apartheid South Africa, the global right (and the arms industry) are rooting for them to succeed. The rest of us have to fight it, as we did with South Africa, and also East Timor, and are struggling to do for Myanmar, the Congo, Somalia and East Turkmenistan. And would for North Korea, if there was any leverage available.

Israel does exist and will continue to exist but it has absolutely no right to exist in its current form.

3/14 is much weirder, only around 5% of the global population instantly know what date it refers to. The rest of us have to realise that a USian is the author to make any sense of it.

But it does give you a pi day, so there's that.