[Maru]

Originally Posted by bots

the first thing that people do here is make jokes about disasters etc, it's a basic coping mechanism. People just get way to offended about anything these days

It's just good to read that people still seek comfort in humor. Otherwise I think it is very easy to lose the plot entirely. I've come online to read comments and sometimes I wonder if that is something we are losing... I feel like maybe some of the bad humor that is flowing around out there is just an overreaction to years of fear, stifled emotions and general discomfort... which we all went through to be honest, with things like COVID, constant wars and growing economic woes across our respective countries.

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

I have no issue with a Politician having a laugh or smiling, after all they are Human Beings too.

But I don't know if anyone should be voting for a candidate because they make them laugh, especially if their statements consist of "we need the Mexican Government to help us pay to build a wall between us." And "THEY'RE EATING THE DOGS!"

And I do say this as someone that does find some of the stuff that Trump says to be funny in a car crash way.

FWIW, I didn't watch the video that's been argued about. I just saw the bits about humor, and that clicked for me, especially seeing as we cling so hard to our humor. We take it too far sometimes, I think. I just don't find the cat and dog meme as funny as so many others seem to. (I just like hot dogs and American attempts at being funny while being Capitalist). I want to see what happens *after* the elections, if people still can maintain their humor or not ... but honestly, I just hope we can eventually move forward.

Originally Posted by bots

Trump supporters believe everything he says, many are indoctrinated, take a look at Alf

Part of me wonders how far Trump's reach really would've been without the whole social media thing. As a reference, I speak Japanese and have talked with folk on social back when "Q" was a thing and it was suddenly making waves there? There would all these claims about how some "loved him" greatly (I don't know how that's even possible..) and I thought these had to be bots. But no, there's a contingent of folk there that follow a lot of our politics in this way online. The sad part, they're far more prone to seeing and taking in conspiracies at face value without the ability to crosscheck in English. So some seem see the US as a potential savior against China and the recurring theme seems to center around the belief that the entire Japanese establishment has been subverted/replaced by Chinese interests/a Chinese-approved electorate, thus they "need to be stopped." Shinzo Abe was assassinated around the time that all was trending. Shinzo was a Trump ally, iirc, so I've always wondered somewhat if there was even a connection. But honestly who knows. I know jack sh** about Japanese politics, only the US connection part of things and some nuclear. I always find it interesting listening to people talk about their own beliefs. I read and follow a lot of modern day cults, but have seen what the foreign language barrier does to accuracy, so usually only stick to things closer to home and that can be referenced from native sources