Zompist Bboard Again

I was more lamenting the fact that we all get older than my own lack of a political career. As for entering politics myself, there are various reasons why that probably wouldn't work, but it would take a while to write them all down.

Raphael wrote: ↑Wed Nov 05, 2025 9:42 amI was more lamenting the fact that we all get older than my own lack of a political career. As for entering politics myself, there are various reasons why that probably wouldn't work, but it would take a while to write them all down.

Same on both points. Time keeps dragging us all to the abyss, but also I definitely don't have the temperament for politics. Apart from anything else, I am hardly a charismatic extrovert and would suck at campaigning. The last time I went canvassing, I couldn't even get anyone to answer the door.

Mentally, I feel, I don't know, barely of college age? So it feels a bit weird to see ministers my own age, and even weirder when they're younger than I am. They're babies! They have no business being cabinet ministers!

Ares Land wrote: ↑Thu Nov 06, 2025 2:02 am Mentally, I feel, I don't know, barely of college age? So it feels a bit weird to see ministers my own age, and even weirder when they're younger than I am. They're babies! They have no business being cabinet ministers!

Obligatory xkcd:



In my own case, there's the added complication that, as I pointed out in another post a few years ago, I never had a proper coming-of-age.

malloc wrote: ↑Wed Nov 05, 2025 11:00 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Wed Nov 05, 2025 9:42 amI was more lamenting the fact that we all get older than my own lack of a political career. As for entering politics myself, there are various reasons why that probably wouldn't work, but it would take a while to write them all down.

Same on both points. Time keeps dragging us all to the abyss, but also I definitely don't have the temperament for politics. Apart from anything else, I am hardly a charismatic extrovert and would suck at campaigning. The last time I went canvassing, I couldn't even get anyone to answer the door.

I wasn't a charismatic extrovert when I first started campaigning as a teenager. I have been occasionally called both charismatic and extroverted since. Point: we can always improve, including our personality.

Introvert or extrovert isn't necessarily an either/or thing. Judging from some of the things I've read about AOC, she seems to be a general introvert who turns into an extrovert when she gets to talk about things that are important to her (which would be about the one thing the two of us have in common if it should be true).

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:06 am (which would be about the one thing the two of us have in common if it should be true).

Hello, nerd club calling. You have been invited to join our next meeting.

Lērisama wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:12 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:06 am (which would be about the one thing the two of us have in common if it should be true).

Hello, nerd club calling. You have been invited to join our next meeting.

Am I not already on the ZBB?

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:16 am

Lērisama wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:12 am

Raphael wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 10:06 am (which would be about the one thing the two of us have in common if it should be true).

Hello, nerd club calling. You have been invited to join our next meeting.

Am I not already on the ZBB?

We have a secret inner sanctum, for the nerdissimīs

Lērisama wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 2:51 pm

We have a secret inner sanctum, for the nerdissimīs

If you spend enough time there, will you become nerdabile?

Raphael wrote: ↑Sat Nov 08, 2025 1:33 am

Lērisama wrote: ↑Fri Nov 07, 2025 2:51 pm

We have a secret inner sanctum, for the nerdissimīs

If you spend enough time there, will you become nerdabile?

I think it's nerdissmabile. Everyone there is already a nerd.

Edit: an ⟨n⟩

welp, we just had a presidential election here in the long country, first round: the results were the same as the last first round four years ago, except in that election we had a number of leftie candidates, in this one we have one. both the senate and the lower chamber is in the hands of the rightists, though there are not united.

overall, things did not go well

Yuk.

Torco wrote: ↑Mon Nov 17, 2025 8:59 am welp, we just had a presidential election here in the long country, first round: the results were the same as the last first round four years ago, except in that election we had a number of leftie candidates, in this one we have one. both the senate and the lower chamber is in the hands of the rightists, though there are not united.

overall, things did not go well

So, Kast is the favorite? I think I'm confusing Kast and Kaiser (though French media report Kaiser is worse)

Ares Land wrote: ↑Mon Nov 17, 2025 9:46 am

Torco wrote: ↑Mon Nov 17, 2025 8:59 am welp, we just had a presidential election here in the long country, first round: the results were the same as the last first round four years ago, except in that election we had a number of leftie candidates, in this one we have one. both the senate and the lower chamber is in the hands of the rightists, though there are not united.

overall, things did not go well

So, Kast is the favorite? I think I'm confusing Kast and Kaiser (though French media report Kaiser is worse)

Jara (the Communist) got a larger proportion of the vote than Kast. (But apparently it is expected that the right-wing vote will unite around Kast.)

Ares Land wrote: ↑Mon Nov 17, 2025 9:46 am So, Kast is the favorite? I think I'm confusing Kast and Kaiser (though French media report Kaiser is worse)

Jara (the Communist) got a larger proportion of the vote than Kast. (But apparently it is expected that the right-wing vote will unite around Kast.)

he is, yeah. Jara got 26 and kast 25, but jara was the only leftie candidate, whereas the others (sauf a couple of one-percenters) are all right wing. a weird thing is that they're all very different kinds of right-wing, but it still seems more likely that their votes will transfer to kast. kaiser is indeed worse, but not by that much either.

then again, 25 is what boric got last presidential election, but that happened under a right wing government, so there's a certain amount of antigovernment sentiment kast will benefit from. kast says little else other than "crime bad, government bad", so he's certainly trying to get that anti-government sentiment.

General comment on doing politics, which might apply in several countries:

Does anyone else think that the idea of "preaching to the converted" might be getting an undeserved bad rap? Couldn't you argue that occasionally, or perhaps even regularly, reminding the converted of why they had converted in the first place might be a good idea? Couldn't you argue that you should try to keep the followers fired up and to boost their morale, at least as much as is possible under the circumstances of any given moment? Partly to keep them from drifting away, and partly to show outsiders that yes, this idea or position has serious support?

Good point. Especially now that the infidels as it were are working incredibly hard to corrupt the converted. Far right propaganda has reached epidemic proportions with countless podcasters, Youtubers, Twitter personalities, and other influencers flooding the internet with content. Meanwhile it feels like liberals and leftists are producing very little and putting much of it behind paywalls. People like Joe Rogan have tens of millions of loyal listeners and we nothing remotely comparable.

I have come to the conclusion that humans are naturally drawn toward reactionary politics just like we are naturally drawn to junk food. We evolved to crave fat and sugar to survive an ancestral environment of chronic scarcity. Food companies created food loaded with such things to make us eat way more than we need, leading to health problems. Likewise we inherited a strong instinct for tribalism and violence from our ape ancestors. Reactionary pundits and politicians have crafted propaganda that appeals to those instincts incredibly well. Turning back the reactionary tide thus poses challenges analogous to getting people to cut back on ultra-processed food and turn to healthier options.

malloc wrote: ↑Fri Nov 28, 2025 8:20 am Good point. Especially now that the infidels as it were are working incredibly hard to corrupt the converted. Far right propaganda has reached epidemic proportions with countless podcasters, Youtubers, Twitter personalities, and other influencers flooding the internet with content. Meanwhile it feels like liberals and leftists are producing very little and putting much of it behind paywalls. People like Joe Rogan have tens of millions of loyal listeners and we nothing remotely comparable.

Joe Rogan is in the marsh, not solidly far right because his votes before 2024 were not all Republican and since he has criticised Trump's policies several times. PS Do Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish count? And maybe even Ariana Grande? They don't discuss politics often but they're more clearly left-leaning than Rogan is right-leaning. And they're more popular.

So, malloc, if the right's propaganda is all-powerful, why is Zohran Mamdani the next mayor of New York?