A Sad State of Affairs

I haven't written much lately.  I don't know why.  In the past it's been for a lack of interest (on my part) or inspiration, but that definitely hasn't been the case lately.  With Republican's running head-long off a cliff in ways that continue to amaze and astound me, even after all these years, there has been no shortage of material to write about.  And I've been fairly active on Media Matters, intending to do some follow-up here, but lately it seems that sometime between my lunch-hour rants on MMFA and my after-dinner fray into the man-cave, it seems other things just keep crowd out those thoughts.

But one of DW's facebook-friends recently sent her a link to a Guardian article that I absolutely MUST share with you all.  There have been many of these articles written before - you may recall the piece a from 2008 that likened Conservatism to Mental Illness (here's another form 2004) - and they are usually met with the kind of response that proves one of my favorite personal adages:

Argue with a Liberal and they'll prove you're wrong.
Argue with a Conservative and they'll prove you're Liberal.

I'm curious, though not optimistic, to see if any *ahem* Conservative commenters here might do better than that.  We'll see. My favorite part might have been the quotes from Republican Strategist David Frum that "conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics."  In the column, that quote links to another great column by Paul Krugman where it is shown in its entirety:

Backed by their own wing of the book-publishing industry and supported by think tanks that increasingly function as public-relations agencies, conservatives have built a whole alternative knowledge system, with its own facts, its own history, its own laws of economics. Outside this alternative reality, the United States is a country dominated by a strong Christian religiosity. Within it, Christians are a persecuted minority. Outside the system, President Obama—whatever his policy ­errors—is a figure of imposing intellect and dignity. Within the system, he’s a pitiful nothing, unable to speak without a teleprompter, an affirmative-action ­phony doomed to inevitable defeat. Outside the system, social scientists worry that the U.S. is hardening into one of the most rigid class societies in the Western world, in which the children of the poor have less chance of escape than in France, Germany, or even England. Inside the system, the U.S. remains (to borrow the words of Senator Marco Rubio) “the only place in the world where it doesn’t matter who your parents were or where you came from.”

So... not only is Black White and White Black, but... Black is Black and White is White as well.  Which leads to another favorite adage of mine that sums up the Republican Party, the Right Wing,  and the Conservative Movement:

There two kinds of Conservatives: Evil and Stupid.
One lies and the other buys.
It really all comes down to two groups - Liberals and Conservative - that are both convinced they're right. The DIFFERENCE is that Liberals increasingly have the prevailing Scientific and Economic viewpoint, not to mention the evidence supporting those, on their side whilst Conservatives have increasingly chosen to propagandize for the demonstrably false knowing (as the article points out) that half the population won't knwo any better anyway.  And whether it's Global Warming, Evolution, the Keynesian Economic Model or the Constituton, the Right has grown increasingly separated from reality, and more defiant every day as they say and defend that which is not only  self-evident but, of infinitely more importance, is supported by empirical evidence as well.
Between Sean Hannity claiming that "you can't make the case that the economy is improving," (unless of course you look at, oh I don't know... the rising GDP, the falling unemployment rate, the rising DOW, S&P and Nasdaq, the number of new job's being created each month... you know, literaly EVERY SINGLE ECONOMIC INDICIATOR) or Fox arguing that Government Spending hurts the economy (WTF?!) and Sarah Palin insisting that the unemployment numbers must not be acurate (Because, you know, the Right couldn't possibly be WRONG about... well, EVERYTHING, could they?!) the Conservative noise machine has grown increasing desperate with each passing day in their attemtps to get more and more people to ignore what it right in front of them, and to ignore the inevitable social progress that society makes, putting them in th perpetual state of losing the argument, generation after generation.  Adage number three:

Scientists aren't right because they agree with Liberals.
Liberals are right because they agree with Scientists.

Of course, the Right has never been shy about slandering pretty much ANY outfit that (1) Does good and (2) Leans Democratic or Liberal, but I wanted to re-post my repsonse here to CNN's (CNN'S!) Dana Loesch's claim that "It's a 'lie' to claim that Planned Parenthood provides mammograms," because I think it would be an apropriate way to close out this post:
It's a lie to claim there's a "liberal media."

It's a lie to deny that global warming is happening or that it is man-made.

It's a lie to say that one chooses to be homosexual or transgendered.

It's a lie to claim that "both sides do it" when it comes to broadcasting false infomration and distorted, out of context quotes.

It's a lie to claim that the economy has gotten worse under Obama.

It's a lie to put the responsibility for the mortgage crisis anywhere except with the deregulation (and greed) of the banks.

It's a lie to claim that keeping condoms out of schools will stop teenagers from having sex.

It's a lie to claim that "Bush kept us safe from terrorists."

It's a lie to claim that Obama is a Muslim, or a non-American Citizen by birth.

It's a lie to claim that anyone who supports wars and the death penalty is "pro-life."

It's a lie to claim that the war on terror is a war of Christianity vs. Islam, instead of a war of Secular Freedom vs. Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism.

It's a lie to claim that "Happy Holidays" represents a Liberal War on Christmas.

It's a lie to claim that Republicans care about the deficit.

It's a lie to claim that Government spending does harm to the economy.

It's a lit to claim that taxes are "too high."

It's a lie to cliam that Obama raised taxes.

And it's a lie to claim that Planned Parenthood is nothing more than an abortion mill.

Here's the thing... It may not have always been the case, but right now, and increasingly over the last 3+ years (and the last 12, and the last 20...) Conservatives have chosen to be wrong on literally EVERYTHING.  (Hey: Even the two issues that I'm most strongly Conservative on, I'll happily admit that my position is indefensible and based entirely on emotion rather than reason!)  And that being the case... knowing that... I'm forced to ask the question: WHY WOULD ANYONE CHOOSE TO BE CONSERVATIVE?!

But then... that's already been answered, hasn't it?

Fuck Netflix

Sorry. I've been away, so this is pretty much old news by now, but 've got to put my two cents in about the recent price hikes at Netflix.

Now... Let me assure you that this is not about the mere fact that they raised priced.  That's cool, and it's hardly the first time. (Thought they've never been this dramatic!) But I'm all for companies doing whatever they need to to make as much money as possible.  That's Capitalism, after all. That's the free market. And as Liberal as I am, excepting those few services that I do not believe should be influenced by a profit motive (medicine and incarceration leap to mind, for example) I have seen no other economic system that will bring us the goods and services that we was as efficiently and effectively as Capitalism. (Call me a Free-Market Liberal, I guess.) And this was a company that at one time impressed me enough that I put them in my Hall of Fame!  So if they need to raise a little more revenue? Hey: Who am I to complain?

Well...

I'm a customer, for starters.

And one who was at one time so impressed with them that I put them in my Hall of Fame!

Now... WHY did I do that?  What made them different from so many other companies that I've had satisfactory dealings with over the years?

Well... for starters, like I said when I originally inducted them, they slew big blue: The Bankrupted Blockbuster.  And I HATE, HATE, HATED Blockbutser with a seething passion!

But it was the WAY that Netflix evolved that was what really impressed me.  It was the changes they brought about that really made me believe they could be different.  For one? No bricks and mortar, at all. And they came about at a time when very few companies managed to pull that off successfully.  eBay and Amazon managed it, as did a couple of search engines, but overall, even today, a large portion of online commerce still happens at the websites of stores that still actually have stores.  They proved that there was yet another business sector that could succeed as an entirely online company. That's an accomplishment worth acknowledging.

Another way in which they were different was in the amount of customer focus they had... at least... up until about six months ago, or thereabouts.

Netflix.com allowed Netflix MEMBERS to write reviews for movies.  Sure Amazon did this as well, but Netflix created what felt like a close community. A group of people who were ranked according to their similarity to your own tastes in an effort to help you discover movies that you might not otherwise had, and to steer you towards those that should hold a particular appeal to you.

What's more, they relied on this community to drive their content. Not just on their website, but in their inventory. It is because they realized just how wide and varied people tastes were that they built the largest selection of titles anywhere in existence - at one time 50% larger than Blockbuster online's, and FORGET about the Blockbuster STORES.  You think you could walk into a Blockbuster and find any Kurosawa Movies? Or European Films? Or obscure classics? Or Anime? (Other than fucking Dragonball?) The only thing I could ever find at Blockbuster was a series of shelves with hundreds of copies of the same handful of new releases, with every single one of them out. Yaaaay!

Netflix realised the potential that can be tapped when you truly consider the desires of your entire customer base, rather than just following what the bean counters in the boardroom would consider a wise investment. ("Why should get this movies that only 100 or so people would even want to see? Who the fuck is this Kobayashi guy, anyway?!)  Blockbuster made us wait for the latest Hollywood garbage. Netflix DELIVERED fims and series that we wanted to see.

And that is what this latest move by them so perplexing.  They say it's about new technology, and the digital future and all that, but... Well, I just don't get that.  It seems to me that their not only ignoring their customers to an almost George Lucasian extent, but it seems they've thrown out ALL boardroom logic as well!  I wish I could just chalk this up to greed, but I can't. This is just... stupidity.

Lemme splain...

Remember that whole thing about bankrupting Blockbuster?  Yeah, you see that's an impressive achievement even putting aside my boiling, acidic, venomous hatred for them.  It impressive because I can think of no other industry that had been so dominated by a single company that the home video industry had been by Big Blue.  Sure there were still the occasional mom-and-pop stores, and Hollywood Video, but nothing and nobody could hold a candle to Blockbuster's market share or profitability.  The were a giant. No: They were GODS.

And along comes some kooky little company that has nothing but a websites and a focus on their customer base of film geeks and they BANKRUPTED THEM.  So, let me ask you something: If you have a business plan that successful enough to knock off one of the most dominant monopolies in the history of American Commerce... WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVER CHANGE IT?!

And yeah... predictably their customers are PISSED. And they've lost millions of subscribers. Not me. Not yet.  But show me some who offers the same thing for less? Shit, I'll leave in a heartbeat now. And I've not only been a loyal customer, I've been a CHEERLEADER for them!  I've advertised and advocated for them! They've been my absolute bloody HEROES and I have not been shy about telling people about it!  And I don;t only feel ripped off, I actually feel BETRAYED, as these Red Bastards start acting like the very same Blue Bastards they knocked off!  And WHO am I to go to?

Well, I don't know.  There's nobody that's really there yet. (I'll cut my own leg off before going back to Blockbuster!)  Netflix achieved something close to a monopoly, and they KNOW it.  But here is where some of that Boardroom mentality might have come in handy.  Not only do their higher prices drive away their current customer base, but hey help bring about the very competition that will eventually bring them down, they way they did to Blockbuster! They are becoming the engineers of their own royal screwing!

Consider this...

You want to start an online movie rental business.  But the current going, market rate for this service is $16-$18 for three movies out a time as well as streaming.  And you're thinking, "No way. Without that massive, existing customer base, I could never get my infrastructure off the ground at that rate!"  And no doubt a lot of people were thinking that. Otherwise, it stands to reason that someone other than fucking Blockbuster would have been creeping up behind them by now.  But if that going rate, for that exact same package, is suddenly raised to $28 a month?  Holy shit, did they just do you a HUGE favor!  Because THAT? Is a price you can beat!  And if you can beat and get even close to that $18 (say... $20?) and offer movie rentals AND streaming?  Well now your kicking all ass, because they only offer these services separately now, for anything close to a reaosnable price: 2 movies at a time from "Qwickster" -OR- streaming movies from Netflix. (Or pay $28 dollars a month to keep both!)

And that's what so STUPID (not greedy, stupid) about this: It's not only pisses off their customers but it throws a life-line to any potential competition out there! WHY would you EVER want to do that?!  How can you seriously expect to make MORE MONEY taking that path?!

So... for their blatant stupidity in these matters,and so blind a disregard for the will and voice of their customers, I'll be taking Netflix out of my Hall of Fame.  It's really an embarrassment now to have it there.  I can defend eBay more easily than I can defend Netflix, and that's saying something!  So when I get around to doing the Gold Star's this month, they'll be out.  I'd take them out now, except that I haven't figured out who to put in their place yet.  If they return to sanity sometime in the future?  Meh... maybe they'll go back in.  But I doubt. I don;t think I'll ever be able to see them as anything but just another blind and stupid corporation anymore.

Something even MORE depressing...

Do you want to know why Republicans win?  Why they can trash the economy and the turn around and say that the guy who's actually FIXING it should "fire his economic team" (John Boehner) and actually get people to believe that and give them credit for saying it?!  Why Dick Cheney can say "Reagan proved deficits don't matter" and yet propagandize to get people all concerned about the DEFICIT (that's mostly the fault of HIM, not to mention his party) in the middle of an economic crisis that HIS PARTY ALSO STARTED, and NOT have people pelt him with rancid tomatoes?!

You know why this happens?

Because we really are a nation of fucking idiots.  We're morons.  Really.

And if the fact that George W. Bush got RE-elected wasn't enough evidence of out exceptional mediocrity, consider these polls that MSNBC was kind enough to pull together.

There are words for people like that: Morons.  There are, of course, others.  For a nice colorful list, check out the comment pages of just about any political forum.  About all we're good at anymore is insulting each other.  Conservatives are wrong all the time, yet seem to be able to convince everyone they're right. (That's about all they're really any good at, but again... hardly an awe insirping accomplishment if you consider the test scores depicted above!) While us liberals have science, history, common sense and reality on our side, and yet we can't even seem to convince EACH OTHER that we're right!

Forget this rah-rah crap about loving America.  Until we live in a country where 99.999% of the adult population knows that the fucking earth revolves around the sun, accepts the theory of evolution and has the slightest inkling about how our government works and who's actually running the show... Well, I may love America, but I'm really starting to hate Americans.

Or at least I'm both extremely frustrated with and embarrassed by them.

I didn't believe it at the time (now I'm not so sure)  but back when I was in High School (maybe College?)  I saw one of these kinds of things that said that 50% of HS Seniors ((?) I don't remember, some reasonable level of education) couldn't find the PACIFIC OCEAN on a map.  What really scary about that is that since the Pacific Ocean actually COVERS about 40% of  the map, we can conclude that only about 10% WEREN'T JUST GUESSING!

Like I said, I didn't believe it at the time.  But after seeing our poor grasp of FACTS, and after years of reading and listening to some of the most absurd and ignorant OPINIONS... not to mention seeing those opinions held by a majority of the electorate - there is pretty much no level of stupidity I won't put past us.

And what's really ironic - or not, if you consider how many "Conservatives" routinely vote against their own interests - it that it's generally the RIGHT that says things like "You should have to take an IQ test to vote" and stuff like that. (It's usually said with a Southern-Mountain Accent and the banjo from Deliverance playing in the background.)

But hey... as long as the test has a section on Evolution, Climatology and Civics?  For once I'd heartily agree with them.


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BTW - Sorry about all the pissing and moaning today.  I've just been all filled up with whiny little bitch lately and had to vent.  Hopefully someone out there still finds it somewhat amusing.  Thanks for humoring me.

How stupid are these people?

LOL, I couldn't resist!

Is she still a serious contender for 2012? Seriously? She hurt McCain! She's as divisive a George W. Bush, and yet somehow even stupider! I read recently that Dick Cheney is being considered for 2012. I'd LOVE that. Obama versus Cheney. It won't be Reagan-Mondale, but Obama would mop the floor with him. And Sarah Palin? Are you kidding?! Can you imagine the debates? He'd tear her apart! But who else do they have? Mike "I let Maurice Clemmons out of prison early" Huckabee? Oh, if there is a God HE will be somewhere on the ticket... And we'll "Willie Horton" the stuffing out him! (That'd be fun, huh?) Mitt Romney? Who was pro-choice before he was pro-life? For Gay rights before he was against them? Good like selling HIM to the bible-humpers down south! Newt Gingrich? (See "Dick Cheney!") Cheney and Gingrich are among the most depsised politicians in America. Is ANYONE here concerned about 2012? Seriously? I'm only concerned about Congressional seats. And even there, the 'Pubs could hardly make a dent in the off-year. They'll gain some in the Mid's, the opposition party always does, but I predict that the gains for them will be small. And yet, somehow Fox will still trumpet how a 2-seat gains in the house represents a "mandate against Obama" or some nonsense like that!

But anyway, like the title suggested... HOW STUPID ARE THESE PEOPLE?!

Here a few examples that should make you laugh. (Or throw up.)

Here a bit about that douchebag Andrew Shafly over at Conservapedia, re-writing the Bible. A few gems from that waste of donor organs...

"Professors are the most liberal group of people in the world, and it's professors who are doing the popular modern translations of the Bible,"

LOL. Yeah Professors... who also happen to be the smartest, most well-infomred people in the world as well. Curse that darned "research" and "inquiry" and "analysis" and "evidence." What liberal codswallop!

"The phrase 'theological conservative' does not mean that someone is politically conservative," said Schlafly.

This is a lie. There may be not causality, but the fact is the correlation is 1-to-1, 100%. because it only Conservatives like Shitfly who use the Bible to defend their positions (because, it's not like more American concepts like FREEDOM or LIBERTY or even LIMITED GOVERNMENT will work!) and since Liberals are generally smarter and for more prone to resort to LOGIC and REASON, it is only Conservatoive like Shitfly that look foolish when the Bible is turned against him.

The inablity to tolertate any questioning of your beliefs is a common, almost universal, mental illness among Conservatives, and Shitfly is ehxibit numero uno in that.

Here another one, about the utter failure of Glenn Beck movie in every major market. It did well in the rural south, that Mecca of fine America culture, but flopped in New York, Boston and D.C. (Big surprise, huh?)

Now, HOW STUPID is Glenn Beck? How about the TICKET PRICE?: He charged TWENTY DOLLARS PER TICKET! How out-of-touch with middle America do you have to be to charge DOUBLE the price that makes more and more Americans switch to Netflix every year? It must be nice to make so much money that $20 to see a crappy movie seems like a reasonable price!

I really wish the Democrats would hire some more sleazy campaign managers. They really need to drive home just how out of touch the Righties are. They calime to be "populists" but THEY'RE the real "elitists."

Don't know whether to laugh or cry, continued...

I'd like to start by saying that my post yesterday was spiteful, hateful, inappropriate, rude and just plain... wrong.

It probably goes without saying but I was very angry yesterday. But not just about the stories that I mentioned. I was just... angry. And the two stories I mentioned just pushed me over the top.

That being said... It felt really GOOD to rant like that, and I've been smiling ear-to-ear ever since. I went to bed smiling, having been angry all day, woke up smiling and was in the best mood I've been in for quite some time all day today. Last night's post was very... cathartic.

But I do feel it needs some explanation. Notice I haven't apologized for it? Yeah: I don't plan to. But I think some explanation is warranted. I hope it is obvious that I don't actually wish ANYONE to actually die. (Last month's Death Note post not withstanding.) The thing is... I HATE being right all the time! And when [my people: liberals, scientists, environmentalists, etc...] are mocked when we're trying to HELP PEOPLE. Or worse - insulted, by the likes of Bill O'Rielly and Glenn Beck with their, "Environmentalists really hate people" nonsense... I draw no satisfaction to the stupid ignorant sheep who buy into this crap physically harmed by their own folly.

For me, it's not schadenfreude. It's FRUSTRATION. And I have less tolerance for the stupidity (and greed) of the VICTIMS in this case than I do for the perpetrators! Notice in all my ranting, how I never wished any ill on the COMPANIES and their EXECUTIVES who are out there poisoning people? Obviously I want them regulated, but what they're doing is perfectly rational and, in fact, the only, inevitable outcome given the system they're operating within.

That why things need to change!

And THAT'S what gets me so upset about these fools in Texas: They constantly stand in the way of increased regulation, environmental cleanup and renewable energy investment... and then they whine and cry when they get sick! Well... I'm human. I'll admit that I could feel a bit of schadenfreude at their plight and leave it at that with a smug sense of satisfaction.

But I can't feel that way, because their stupidity affects more than just them: it infects the ENTIRE WORLD! Every living being on the planet is affected by the irrational stupidity of these inbreeds! And THAT'S why I'm so angry at them.

Behind hypocrisy, few things piss me off as much as stupidity.

The Laws of Human Stupidity

I promised yesterday that I'd explain what I meant when I called poor whites who vote republican, "stupid." Now, some of you may not think it needs an explanation, LOL, but I can assure you that's not what I'm talking about! "Stupid" often has a very specific meaning when I use it, and this is one of those times.

To understand fully, first you have to read THIS. Don't worry it's only about 3 or 4 pages, with illustrations, and it's a really fun read anyway. If you want to skip to the part that's relevant to this discussion, go to the THIRD (AND GOLDEN) BASIC LAW section. Read at least that, and maybe the FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION part as well.

Now... There are four quadrants: Intelligent, Helpless, Bandit and Stupid. Here's how I see the political spectrum breaking down...

At their best, Liberals are intelligent. They pursue policies that benefit others and do so because they recognize that it will come back to benefit themselves. This is why, for example, they support labor unions and minimum wage increases. Other people benefit will make better wages, which in turn supports consumption, which in turn benefits everyone else. (This is the basic idea behind Keynesian Economics, which I'll have to explain at some point, because it's fascinating stuff, and most 'fiscal conservatives' have absolutely no idea how any of [macroeconomics] works.)

At their worst, one could say that the Liberal might act helplessly. After all, he might accept higher taxes (hurts himself) and the benefit (of increased spending) just might not work it way back to him. While this does not follow the laws of economics, we're assuming the worst case.

Now take the Conservative. The rich conservative clearly belongs in the Bandit quadrant. Between tax cuts for the rich, destroying labor unions, their desire to deregulate industries that act like THIS... it's clear that the rich conservative is in it for himself, and cares little how much others are harmed. The motto of these guys is, "I've got mine, screw the rest of you." Grab the money and run.

So why would I conclude that the working class conservative/Republican would be in the 'stupid' quadrant? (Besides process of elimination! LOL) Well first off, he support polices - the very ones I named above - that screw him over financially. Free trade, no unions, no minimum wage, lax labor laws, lax regulatory policies, no social safety nets... There's really nothing in the conservative agenda that helps the workin' man. So why do all these salty white guys keep voting Republican?! (No, it's not racism!) (Shame on you!) It's for the sake of SOCIAL conservatism. Basically? Religion. No abortions, no gay marriage, and for that matter no right to die, no legalized pot, no porn, no heavy metal/rap/rock-n-roll/dancing/etc, no this, no that... They vote that way because they think Republicans will force everyone to pray and live a good, clean Christian life, and eliminate all manner of harmless vice in the name of family values. (Now excuse me while I go vomit.)

OK... first off, YEAH RIGHT! Secondly, there's that whole 1st amendment, church and state, thing. Thirdly, of course, is their asinine assumption that anyone outside of their particular brand of medieval superstition actually thinks that everyone living that kind of life would even be a good thing; that anyone else would actually want to live in such an uptight, boring world.

But just look at from the standpoint of the stupidity argument laid out in Dr. Cipolla's article: They support economic policies that harms themselves, just so they can take away rights and freedoms from other people, thus harming them.

My friends? That's the DEFINITION of stupid.