I think the veto thing is absolutely necessary. The most important functions (defence when attacked, disaster relief) should be triggered automatically without political involvement should they ever become relevant; anything extra beyond core functions should be high hanging. If not we’ll have a European desert storm before we know it.

I have come to think that the only thing that is going to save Europe is how much we struggle to agree on anything. That’s a good thing in times when majorities are untrustworthy.

I don’t think any reasonable person can argue in good faith that Europe should rely on the US and Turkey in order to defend itself.

The EU is a bit of a mess, but I think it is a decent starting point for a defence union. The very reason it’s so hard to make it happen - constant vetos by random countries who are reluctant to accept the majority opinion - is also what would make it good. Abusing power (by for example attacking) would be difficult, but there is a strong common interest in defending the borders of Schengen.

Seems to me most people in that thread seems relatively open minded? The people dismissing Lemmy completely appears to be downvoted, and people seem to have a nuanced understanding that it’s a better platform in theory but sadly less active.

I’m sure they’re right. I’m a slow person who thinks there’s plenty of activity over here, but if you’re used to the adrenaline of Reddit it must feel a little small town-y.

Bingbingbing!

The people still exclusively on Reddit are on Reddit because they don’t like the Fediverse or they’re unwilling to change their habits. Had they liked it and been genuinely open for change they would have made the switch, or at least used both platforms.

This is not so much true for the average user, as they might not be aware of the federated alternatives at all, or they might think it sounds too hard. But it’s absolutely true for the self-hosting community.

Also there are plenty of alternatives. Both PieFed and Mbin are perfectly fine platform with, as far as I know, no tankie developers associated with them.

I think Homage to Catalonia is an important read. It’s a great account of things that can go wrong in a resistance, despite amazing people and incredible efforts.

Been thinking about this song lately.

It’s basically addressing God directly - pointing to the horrors of the world accusing him of actually wanting it. It’s written in the scripture. It’s not some idle claim. He wants it darker.

I struggled with some demons, they were middle class and lame.

Until now !superbowl@lemmy.world has been my source of uplifting content of last resort. Sadly I have woken up to the realization that owl pictures might not be enough going forwards. Appreciate the thread.

They have told us who they are. Again and again. And again. Loud and clear. To cheering crowds.

This is why the fuckers voted for them. They want this.

They ran on a campaign for mass deportations. We’ve heard this song before. Nobody has any right to act surprised by what comes next.

I think we should be diplomatic about this.

But honestly, my patience has run out.

Fuck your idiot fucking culture and your moronic religious fanaticism. Fuck your sensationalist fascist enabling media. Fuck your unhinged billionaires. Fuck your idiot bootlicking masses. Fuck you. Over and out.

They elected the candidate backed by Russia, which is still the shining beacon of a global superpower for the Tankies out there. So I guess Trump is a perfectly fine representative of fascism, left or right.

I think we have to accept that the American electorate actually wants fascism.

Good luck blue states. You’re on your own now.

Democracy dies in broad daylight, it turns out.

Everyone who voted for Trump knew exactly what they did. Everyone who didn’t show up to effectively vote against him had every way of knowing exactly what they were doing as well.

No excuses. This is America. Maybe they just hate women. Maybe they simply love fascism. Doesn’t matter. This is who they are.

The next years will be a fight unlike anything. And no matter how hard the better angels of American society fights, it will still be a tragedy unlike anything we can currently imagine.

As a European I’m low key considering looking for one on EBay after the election. It’s one for the history books.

Well, if anything was ideal, this whole situation would look very different.

And even if they did predict anything convincingly, it would probably end up a self-defeatung prophecy, as people don’t care to show up. Or self-fulfilling, if people want to vote for the winning team. In either case it’s just very limited what polls can achieve.

Also, these models are extremely rough. They are forced to make a bunch of very rough estimations and guesses, which are then aggregated to a stupidly precise number making it look scientific.

It’s a fun enough exercise, but it’s really just repeated endlessly because it’s so goddamn easy to report on.

I hope the people of those 22 districts are enjoying their democracy to the fullest.