Aren't timezones fascinating?
In Australia, it's already 2025
In Europe, it's still 2024
In the USA, we're entering 1937
@spaf also in Germany it's 1932
At those days they also had a convicted fellony from 33 - released from prison 100 years ago.
@Ap_Saegge @spaf
Yeah, came here to say that. The USA is not the only country trying to reenact the 1930s at the moment. Half of Europe really wants to cosplay as 1930s Germany.
@Ap_Saegge @spaf My Grandma told me that it feels different ;)
@Ap_Saegge @spaf And it makes sense to take our chances before somebody tries to hypnotise us with doom sentences like: it’s too late. Here’s a model of how to change the perspective by @Daojoan: a mustread https://www.joanwestenberg.com/rebel-optimism-how-we-thrive-in-a-broken-world/
NOT YET! BUT WHEN MUSK GOES ON IT MAY BE THEN!
@Mons1serrata @spaf there is no reason to expect Merz to not form a government with AfD atm
@Ap_Saegge @spaf Nah. I wouldn't say so. Our Nazi party AfD is trying, but it won't work out. They will loose the upcomming election and cry about it as usual. The only problem we have is, that our conservative party CDU is stupid enough to deny themselfs working with the green party, which only leaves a couple of really annoying/bad coalitions that would actually work to form a functioning government.
@celeste_42bit @spaf the CDU is pushing for fascism and there is no plausible reason to expect Merz to not work together with AfD.
@Ap_Saegge @spaf I wouldn't generalize that one. The CDU is definitely not opposing the AfD as much as you would expect for a democratic party to do. And the right-wing of the CDU definitely has some overlap with the AfD, but I wouldn't call the CDU fascist, or accuse them of supporting fascist goals, even though I strongly oppose their views.
@celeste_42bit @spaf they do push for fascist policies right now tho.
@Ap_Saegge @spaf Being anti-immigration and even anti-queer are not fascist policies. We're cutting the conservatives too much slack here. Conservatism gives a lot of support to hypocritical and just (imo) shitty policies, but that alone doesn't make them fascist. Fascism is an inherently authoritarian/totalitarian ideology, which builds on racism, eugenics, strong state control, etc.
The CDU's policies suck, because they seem fallen out of time, are discriminatory and just bad for our society, climate and economy, but they are not fascist in themselfs, even though they have some overlap with policies fascists would enact, but that's just because many fascists also follow conservative ideals. The CDU does not want a dictatorship or a revolution that leads this way. They're mostly stuck in time and stuck with systems they believe are still working, while denying the reality that most of them are slowly falling apart, whether we are talking about sticking with combustion engines or a strongly capitalist view when it comes to our economy. All of those bad decisions are harming the state of our country.
@Ap_Saegge @spaf It's definitely not helping that many in the CDU believe, that "fishing for right-wing voters" will get them anywhere. Their positions are definitely getting more and more right-wing, I'm not denying that. Especially as a trans* person I really dislike the CDU's more and more hostile attitude towards LGBTQ. The party was much more moderate under Angela Merkel, but I dare say that this moderate stance made way for the AfD to rise in popularity. Merkel kept the radical right in the CDU down, while aligning the partys policies towards the center of the political spectrum, leaving a large gap on the far-right. Hence the polpularity-increse in the AfD. The fascists were there before, but they were kept quiet inside the CDU. Now that they have their own party and the chance to radicalize themselfs even further, they have become a loud bunch on the far-right and Merz belives he can integrate them back into his CDU and somehow control them, and doesn't get, that he is corrupting the CDU in the process and that the people will always vote the original, not the "please come back to us"-copycat. (Also, imo, he is an a*hole, just wanted to add that. No need to be a fascist to just suck
@Ap_Saegge @spaf Merz knows that working with the AfD would destroy his reputation with most of his voters. The CDU base is not extremist. Most of them are just conservative.
@celeste_42bit @spaf Merz also knows that this election is his last chance to become chancellor so he is gonna pick the path of least resistance.
@Ap_Saegge @spaf Yeee, I can't disagree with that
@spaf The Netherlands is on the brink of 1932 (wild guess)
@MartKroS kan me dat niet voorstellen (dat als dit kabinet valt de andere partijen nog met PVV in zee gaan na dit gepruts)
@spaf I would've guess it's 1837 with Elon pushing for H-1Bs which from what I heard can be really close to indentured servitude
@dolmen @Vive_Levant @sidereal @spaf If you want to go that way, please, go all the way back to Canaanite religion
@skinnylatte @spaf H1B is the reason why I don't want to live in US again. If I haven't left US, I'd probably be on DACA right now.
And that's another can of worms which also would've meant that I'd have to marry a citizen if I didn't want to risk getting deported.
US immigration system is broken in general and needs reforms.
@skinnylatte @xgebi @spaf Humans should have as much or more rights to travel than capital and live where they want. We're all Earthlings.
Also being able to attract and absorb people from around the world is the USA's superpower. Its how we can out compete China.
@rberger @skinnylatte @xgebi @spaf You know other countries have immigration, right, including ones built on immigration (e.g. Australia)?
@Sandrew @skinnylatte @xgebi @spaf Any country that can attract and assimilate (in a good way) has that superpower. The USA was way up in the power law curve but is now self destructing....
@xgebi Elmo likes them because he can nake them work 80 hour weeks becaus they are unfamiliar with US labor laws and he can threaten to deport them if they complain
@spaf In New Zealand, we've decided to re-run 1991 for some inexplicable reason.
@spaf different distros of the matrix
@spaf According to Trump, the USA is preparing to reenter the glory days of the McKinley administration, so roughly 1897.
@spaf Kinda seems like the French Revolution, only backwards, so maybe 1790.
Spot on…
@spaf Metaphorically USA is in fact going in that direction. But not physically. I don't think America is the only country, but that doesn't excuse America from being this way.
Being better than a country like North Korea, or Russia is such a low bar to clear
@spaf And in the UK we perpetually live in 1984
@spaf 1933 or 1861.....
@spaf Not sure whether we're actually in 2024 in France. Fascist pigs in blue have been showing up with nazi and templars symbols for years now…
@spaf In russia and some other similar countries it is forever ca. XIV century...
@spaf i'm getting nostalgic. In 1999 i was loughing at the movie matrix that 1999 was peak civilitation and now i'm looking back and i'm like man that was so damn right :/ happy new year ;) year of the poop ;)
@spaf In the UK, we are trying to drag ourselves out of the 1930s, I think.
@SteveClough @spaf Und a gay man tries to keep trans people in the 1910s…
@spaf Well said
Without wishing to contradict you - I'd say the USA is entering 1854, Bleeding Kansas.
This won't stop until it's opposed, with more than words.
@tuban_muzuru @spaf That's an astute observation, unfortunately.