Did Russia influence the election?

[wctriumph]

I can say this; a formerly good friend and mentor got real mad at me because I disagreed with his ascertain that the electoral college was obsolete and should give way to popular vote and accused me of having no understanding of why it should be abolished. I simply told him that I have a complete understanding of the reasons the electoral college was put into practice and it has served the country well. I told him that he was my friend and brother and that I respected his opinion and asked that he respect mine. Never heard back from him and I no longer see his posts and cannot message him. I guess he unfriended me.

[Irving]

That's a shame and no one is immune.

[Great-Kazoo]

On a lighter note, if anyone wants to hear what it would be like if Great Kazoo ever went onto Joe Rogan, listen to the episode with comedian Nick DiPaolo.

link, for those us us too entitled to surf the web

[Irving]

link, for those us us too entitled to surf the web

This is the most recent one that I was listening to when I posted that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_CeQlkMC_g

Looks like he's been on before, but I haven't heard any others.

[Justin]

Justin, thank you. The links you posted are all pulling their information from the study done by the Pew Research Center. You said there are studies and analysis that say "those who lean conservative or libertarian tend to follow outlets and engage with people who are outside of their political spectrum, but not the other way around. ' The link you posted are not about following outlets or engaging with groups outside their political spectrum, they are about unfriending. In regard and specific to "following outlets" and "engaging with groups outside their political spectrum", the Pew Research study actually suggest the opposite. :

Yeah, well, I don't have perfect recall for news articles I briefly read on a coffee break three years ago, so I hope my transgression is forgiven.

Overall, the study finds that consistent conservatives:
* Are tightly clustered around a single news source, far more than any other group in the survey, with 47% citing Fox News as their main source for news about government and politics.

This is unsurprising. After all, so far as I can tell, there's only one available news source that actually caters to them.

* Express greater distrust than trust of 24 of the 36 news sources measured in the survey. At the same time, fully 88% of consistent conservatives trust Fox News.

Skepticism of any news source should be warranted, as most news outlets are biased, and any news source that claims they aren't biased is just selling you on marketing.

* Are, when on Facebook, more likely than those in other ideological groups to hear political opinions that are in line with their own views.

Maybe on Facebook, perhaps. And especially in 2016 back when the sorting algorhythms were arguably more neutral, but since then most social media companies have been actively adjusting their sorting algorhythms to shape traffic to fit their ideological outlook as well as actively deplatforming people and groups they disagree with.

* Are more likely to have friends who share their own political views. Two-thirds (66%) say most of their close friends share their views on government and politics.

I have a hard time believing that leftists truly are in favor of having friends with a diversity of views that sample from the right side of the spectrum, especially given how strident leftists have gotten about shouting down even stone cold moderate conservatives.

By contrast, those with consistently liberal views:
*Are less unified in their media loyalty; they rely on a greater range of news outlets, including some ? like NPR and the New York Times? that others use far less.

This seems obvious, though. If the bulk of news outlets that exist cater to your ideological outlook, it becomes far easier to get your views reinforced from multiple outlets.

*Express more trust than distrust of 28 of the 36 news outlets in the survey. NPR, PBS and the BBC are the most trusted news sources for consistent liberals.

I fail to see why this is good. To me this signals a distinct lack of critical thinking on the part of those consuming news from those sources.

*Are more likely than those in other ideological groups to block or ?defriend? someone on a social network ? as well as to end a personal friendship ? because of politics.

The point I was originally attempting to make.

*Are more likely to follow issue-based groups, rather than political parties or candidates, in their Facebook feeds.

Interesting.

The way I interpret this is that while people that lean conservatively DO NOT tend to follow outlets and engage with people who are outside of their political spectrum, because as per the report they are 1) more tightly clustered around a single news source,

Again, they cluster around a single outlet because that's literally the only outlet that exists.

2) are in echo chamber like FB groups where they are more likely than those in other ideological groups to hear political opinions that are in line with their own views &

Again, the content of those facebook groups is and has been largely modified to conform with the standards enforced by Facebook, standards which lean heavily in favor of the sort of technocratic lefist ideology that's become part and parcel of silicon valley culture. Additionally, the study doesn't take into account the fact that even if some conservatives opt to retreat into groups of likeminded people that they still are going to be exposed to leftwing ideology from literally every other source of media in American culture by default. In order to find likeminded people, their only option is to seek them out in specific enclaves.

3) are more likely top have friends that share the same views, it is easy to say friends and never have disputes or differences in these situations.

Maybe. This would certainly seem to reinforce the perception of massive internal struggle between various factions of the left.

Where as the report says libs tend to rely on a 1) greater range of news outlets and 2) Are more likely to follow issue-based groups, rather than political parties or candidates in their Facebook feeds.

Again, a greater variety of outlets doesn't really matter when it turns out they're all peddling the same thing. Talking about how you like to drink Coke, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper doesn't change the fact that you're still drinking sugar-laden soda.

Also, I don't understand how following groups that advocate for specific issues is somehow perferable to following a party or candidate. They're all going to be advocates for their own causes.

So it is far more likely that their will be disputes and differences when there are opposing views. Some people can be very nasty, rude & aggressive when you disagree with their views. I've seen it happen here on this board, on FB & in person, to others and to myself. If someone has so little respect for you that they yell, scream, call you names or get in your face because you disagree with their political position, well then they arent getting unfriended because they of the political issue, but because of the way the behave when discussing the political issue, that's just my task based on actual experience. We can disagree and discuss respectfully and factually all day long, but resort to calling me a "dumb b*t*h" or anythin like that, well we might not be friends after.

I've not seen any evidence that people who lean moderate, moderate right, right, or even libertarian are, on the whole any more vitriolic or violent than those on the left. Frankly, quite the opposite in my experience. While Conservatives may get heated in rhetoric, it doesn't change the fact that violent street protests, doxxing, and other legal but ethically dubious tactics are almost exclusively tactics developed and employed by the left.

Here is the link to the full and complete Pew Research study : https://www.journalism.org/2014/10/2...-media-habits/

Neat!

[Justin]

Maybe it is just an protozoan. 25% of the US is infected on average.


https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/154/4/357/62015

The activity of Toxoplasmosis Gondii in rats causes them to lose their fear reaction to cats.

Now, couple that with the study claiming that conservatives have a much more robust fear reflex than leftists.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...ical-attitudes

[FoxtArt]

Anyone else get trolled by the Disney-Fox merger every few months?

Every rare now and again after a few months I come across a headline, I forget it and it's like... Disney bought Fox? What? That doesn't smell right....

Well folks, It's 21ST CENTURY FOX. Media leaves out the "21ST CENTURY" bit, 100% of the time. For clicks. #$$#ing $#%#er heads.

[def90]

Just remember that the next time you read a post or a meme that has slightly broken english or obvious mispellings there is a good chance it’s a Russian or other foreign entity post.

[Great-Kazoo]

Just remember that the next time you read a post or a meme that has slightly broken english or obvious mispellings there is a good chance it’s a Russian or other foreign entity post.

Or someone who doesn't have / use spell check


The following few days and possibly more will be interesting since Mueller decided to release his report yesterday. IMO it's less than condemning as Important .gov issues released on the weekend usually are a dud, maybe.

[Gman]

It's already been reported that there are no more indictments as the investigation has concluded.

The lefties will have a fit because they've been in disbelief of the election results and fed this collusion story ever since....and Trump isn't being frog-marched to jail.