This is pretty much exactly the mindset I’m trying to avoid.

I’d note you could just as easily flip the 2016 classified documents business. A Conservative could plausibly argue that Liberals were willing to vote for someone being investigated for mishandling classified documents when it was their person, but once it was trump it became a serious voting issue. (I tend to disagree, I think trump’s were a lot worse but I can absolutely see the logic of their case.)

Ha, very fair. I think a good number of friends would say the same about me. I think they’re wrong ;)

RSS is a great idea, not sure why I haven’t done that. Maybe I’ll set one up this weekend!

Thanks!

Oh no, I wouldn’t recommend Fox or Newsmax or the ilk on anyone.

But I do like to understand what the best version of things I disagree with are. Wider perspectives are important but if I agree with all of them? I dunno, it feels intellectually lazy to me. That’s why I’m asking! I’d like to find something akin to what the National Review used to be.

Otherwise, to me at least, there’s a very real danger of becoming the kind of person who writes off everyone who disagrees with me as ignorant, bigoted or evil. Which, in my opinion, isn’t a great way to live. Though, admittedly, I’ve always found those “everything is black or white” folks to be insufferably boring so maybe I’m just trying to not be that person instead of any high minded ideal.

Sorry I’m tired and rambling while pooping.

Glad you liked it, It’s one of my favourites.

Sorry about the barrage of unfun comments. The internet is so wonderful and so goddamn annoying at the same time eh?

because it stresses me out pointing out how everything they think is wrong…

Honestly, that sounds fairly healthy. I have a weird obsession with being well informed and being able to articulate arguments from all sides (which has occasionally made me very unpopular both in real life and online) and while it’s a fine intellectual exercise, it’s probably not the most conducive to feeling great.

Ahaha, I glanced at this earlier before diving into work stuff and thought you’d have a lot more angry replies to you!

Among a lot of folks, I’m the crazy liberal hippy do gooder but I gotta say, a good amount of Lemmy kind of worries me. Though, I suppose I attract the crazy by having the temerity to explain or defend Conservative positions, even when I disagree with them.

Oh interesting. I always thought the Daily Mail was more of a tabloid with like topless girls on page three or whatever. Am I confusing it with something else? Or is it both?

And fully agree with you on the Guardian.

Ha, fair. I generally go about 60/40 on the agree disagree ratio with them but I really respect the way they articulate their views.

Interesting question and thoughtful distinction!

My initial thought is that while you might not be engaging with why trump supporters are for it, I think it still counts because the people making the policy are probably doing it for reasons that are disconnected to the beliefs of the rank and file.

I put it akin to religion and whatnot. If the only argument for or against something is religion, I don’t give it much credence other than the basic “I generally think it’s good to be respectful of religion until it interferes with others.” But even if their reason is religion, if there’s actually a good reason, that good reason may be worth engaging with.

Not sure if I’m making sense, it’s been a looooooooooong day after a longer week.

Ooooooh, thank you! That sounds exactly like what I was hoping for!

Oh interesting, I’ve never really taken libertarian positions seriously but that might be worth a look.

Good definition.

And you’re a better person than I am, I tried a few times but felt really icky really quickly.

I just gotta believe there’s something that offers a coherent defense of their positions without (or at least, with less of) the absolute craziness. Foreign policy ones, sure, Foreign Affairs works. But for a defense of say, trump’s immigration strategy or something, I’d love to have what the National Review used to be arguing for it, just to know what I’m missing.

I used to read the National Review and disagree with 9/10 articles but after Krauthammer died, they went crazy on the trump train.

Foreign Affairs sort of counts? A lot of people with whom I disagree publish essays there…

The Economist, I go 50/50.

I dunno. I’d like the most plausible and persuasive form of the Conservative argument, I’ve got Conservative friends but I don’t think that’s really enough.

Like most things, I think the answer is a frustrating “depends.”

I’ve made some life long friends through workplaces. I’ve made workplace friends whom I haven’t really ever thought about when I switched jobs.

Maybe the key is tone the relationship to whatever it’d be if you just knew each other through other friends? If you get along but don’t super click, a casual friendly work acquaintance is probably right. Do you two really get along, have some shared interests/perspectives etc? Then why be constrained with only kicking it at work?

My first instinct would be to lean on whatever digital stuff got you through covid?

Or maybe there’s drop in sessions of whatever hobbies you enjoy doing with folks? I’ve met a lot of awesome immigrants playing rec league soccer.

Having read the other comments, is there much of a Russian community where you are? Even restaurants or some such?

Yup!

So, I’d argue there’s two parts two good sex, the orgasm and the whole post coital endorphins, blood flow and good vibes described above.

For all but the orgasm, it’s not quite the same but after any exercise where I well and truly push myself just a bit past what I thought I could do feels fairly similar.

If you’re not in shape, swimming is pretty good for this as no matter what shape you’re in, you can push yourself to exhaustion without much risk of hurting yourself. When you’re done the lap after the one you thought would be your last, hug the wall, gasp for air and feel the triumph flow through you. If you’re not feeling rubbery, exhausted and amazing, next time, swim for longer and push through the mental wall that made you stop. Either way, you can always jump in the hot tub and feel like a champ.

As for the orgasm, picture a longer sneeze. Or the magnificent release of a pee that you’ve held in too long.

I don’t encounter a lot of ads but I was just listening to the Economist talk about this one which the trump campaign played over and over again and it struck me as a small window of an answer to your question.

The ad strikes me as cruel but the thrust (and I imagine there’s a blend of fact and fiction) is that Harris used tax money to pay for a woman’s sex change after being convicted of first degree murder and serving life in prison. They also have Harris saying she was using her power to “push forward the movement and the agenda.”

Even for supporters of trans rights, I imagine not everyone loves having to defend using tax money to pay for expensive gender surgery, especially on criminals.

So I could see people, who might otherwise be supportive of trans folks in their own lives, being “against trans people” on an issue framed like this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3BXYjoAzq0&ab_channel=TheJimHeathChannel

I just don’t think it’s as much of a random fad for kids as conservatives worry.

I agree. And the science might as well!

But I think Conservatives look at recent research, especially anything touching social sciences, as the product of what they view as an extremely liberal academic elite. Admittedly, I am similarly skeptical of most reports and analyses by the Heritage foundation and the like even when they share their methodology.

A charitable version of the conservative parent viewpoint might be something like “if my kid is genuinely trans, of course I’ll support them. But I am a parent and know best about how to protect them, even if it is from themselves.”

At the end of the day, I think a lot of conservative parents are opposed to the idea that government, or experts, or whomever could over-rule them about their own kids. Especially on a subject about which they probably feel somewhat uncomfortable.

I also don’t think religion is a requirement for close mindedness, though there is significant overlap.

[My microwave is] full of esoteric lights and dials and meters that I would never understand.