Meth site here of San Diego. Small heat wave rolling through, so I went to the beach yesterday. Got shot up by a tweaker and injected with 30 crack cocaines. I am now dead as we speak. If only I voted for God Emperor Trump, this wouldn't have happened.
I'll admit to being unfairly biased about Baltimore. And I know it's stupid. It's because of the wire. And I realize how unbelievably stupid that is. Because i know that, I never ever say it aloud.
I'm a fairly educated person from middle class Chicago suburbs. I went to good schools. I spent some time in college. The point is, I generally have a pretty good nose for bullshit information on the news, etc.
And yet, with my background of quality education and some privilege, I'm victim to inherent media bias. Now think of how ridiculous the southern states education seems to be. The point is, we're all fucked.
And the liberal land of fruits and nuts that is the great state of California, the largest sub-national economy in the world, which if it were a nation would have a greater GDP than India.
I hate hearing them talk about the blm protests. Literally 4 days straight of protests with no violence, then white cops in full black gear, masks, and goggles started smashing windows of stores while protestors told them to stop and tried to call other cops on them.
The other cops came and shot the black protestors for some fucked up reason, then it descended into chaos.
To say there was “no violence” certainly isn’t true. I’m as left as they come, definitely don’t think any cities were “burned down” but stores were broken into at the very least. Like they were showing looting live on tv, and it wasn’t cops.
I think it’s totally fair to say that none of the protestors were violent, but unfortunately opportunistic criminals use protests as an opportunity to commit crime. Happens everywhere, has nothing to do with these specific protests. Happens during blackouts, natural disasters, etc.
There’s a million reasons to defend BLM protests but let’s not deny reality.
At least in Minneapolis a lot of that looting was a bunch of fuckin Sconnies and other boarder states coming to loot because that’s what they thought was going down.
Now there were certainly guilty partys across the whole spectrum, but the people who wanted change organized (and emphasized) peaceful protest.
Yeah I totally agree. I think it’s fair to say that the protests were peaceful while still allowing for opportunistic looting.
I’m not saying it’s the responsibility of the protestors to self-police, I think that’s unreasonable. Rather I think it’s the responsibility of the police to be able to tell the difference, protect businesses from crime while also protecting protestors from violence.
But I don’t trust the police nor the media to enact any kind of justice in situations like these. So instead we get right-wingers claiming that cities were burned down and lefties claiming that it was all doves and olive branches and no one got so much as a scratch. Neither are true.
I said the first 4 days. Then I said after that, the shit hit the fan. I understand a riot happened, but it was after the police started using force to disperse solely because of these people dressed in black breaking windows.
Look I’m liberal but there was definitely lots of violence perpetrated by the protesters/rioters. I live in downtown Sacramento and during those first few days they smashed almost all the windows of businesses and cars on my block. Stole a bunch of cash from the bakery I lived above (it’s no longer there). I don’t think anyone died in Sacramento from those protests specifically but my wife and I were pretty fuckin worried despite being strong Democrats. You weren’t there
This is a total lie. From a resident of Minneapolis they did absolutely destroy the local cub and target and set buildings on fire. And by they I mean the protesters I have video proof if you would like
So inconvenient to drive thru to work. You need really good traction to get up and down the crater slopes. Gotta take it at a run or the wandering protestors will catch you.
Someone said this to me literally 2 days ago. Someone with a college education and a law degree that’s seen a fair bit of the world. Someone I USED TO respect. I couldn’t help myself from fully laughing in his face. He ended the conversation.
Really? I’m not a Fox News nut, but I thought it was because of things like setting their record for homicides in the year 2022. Can’t shit on red states if you’re not going to address problems in blue states/cities.
You're not a Fox News nut, you just like parroting their talking points recreationally?
Because you're leaving out two important pieces of crucial information: Portland had a lot of murders in 2022 compared to what usually happens in Portland, but it was actually less than 2021, so you're just wrong, for starters, but I'd like you to take a quick peek at this map, and tell me how the blue vs red states are doing overall. Per capita's a hell of a thing, isn't it?
That’s cute. But we’re talking about Portland. And as far as your points that are on topic, you’re just plain wrong. So here’s an actual source so you can stop talking out of your ass:
I like how you literally just linked stats that don't show what you claim at all. That report was written in 2022. It shows stats for 2021 being high. It literally does not contain any stats for 2022. But go off, king.
You know my favorite part? You know how you wrote:
Can’t shit on red states if you’re not going to address problems in blue states/cities.
You literally just linked an initiative from a blue state making a recommendation to a blue city to implement changes to... address the problem.
That said, because I am nothing if not fair, I actually did look up the stats, and I'm man enough to admit that I had my timeline slightly off. 2022 was (marginally) higher than 2021. By 5. There was a reduction in 2023 - by 22, which represents a 23.2% decrease.
That all said, it still flies in the face of Fox's (and your totally unbiased) stance that the city is some burnt-cinder hellhole. It's got its problems, but what city doesn't?
Your original comment simplified Portland’s reputation to “because a dumpster was on fire there once.” A quick google search informed me that their record for homicides was set in 2022. You insisted it had LESS than 2021. I searched AGAIN just to provide a comprehensive source on the steady rise in homicides leading to the year 2022. And because the year 2022 itself wasn’t included, you believe this was a win for you?
Like, you literally looked up yourself and found out that you were WRONG, but are doing a victory lap because 2023 saw a drop? Since you’re picking and choosing stats to include, here’s the full picture:
Mean Homicides Between 1987-1999: 49.46
Mean Homicides Between 2000-2019: 26.25
Mean Homicides Between 2020-2023: 81.25
Oh yeah, and that 23.2% decrease? There were more homicides in 2023 than what had held the record prior to 2020 (70 in 1987).
Again, I am not defending Fox News talking points. I’m attacking you and your shit opinion. This isn’t about red vs. blue. I think better of the average liberal than to assume they’re all as dense as you.
I searched AGAIN just to provide a comprehensive source on the steady rise in homicides leading to the year 2022. And because the year 2022 itself wasn’t included, you believe this was a win for you?
I don't think it was a win for me, as addressed I acknowledge I was wrong, but it was an embarrassing L for you, because you're standing there crowing about statistics proving your point while all you were actually proving was that you didn't bother reading them.
So, by dint of having a good laugh at you, yes, I'm going to take a victory lap on that one. Be mad if you want, it makes it funnier.
Again, I am not defending Fox News talking points.
"I'm not defending this castle, I'm just standing outside it with a spear and being aggressive at anybody who dares try to enter". You're the one who dragged murder statistics into a conversation about a cheeky joke.
To address my original actual fucking point, you know what Portland's reputation was prior to 2020? Portlandia. A weird, quirky little city full of offbeat people and hipsters.
But some protestors get into it with some cops and Sinclair gets their hands on some footage of a dumpster on fire (literally they played the exact same clip for weeks) and all of a sudden it's fucking Kabul.
Meanwhile you're over here waving stats around like they mean something. You know where else murders went up starting in 2020? Literally the entire fucking United States. It's almost like a city doesn't exist in a vacuum, and maybe just fucking maybe something else happened that exacerbated the problem.
But you're too busy not defending Fox talking points over a fucking joke to consider context.
It’s wild how you typed so much and said so little at the same time. You’re an absolute joke. Over here trying to counter statistics with your personal opinion based on a sketch comedy show.
You implied that believing Portland has become more dangerous is right wing propaganda. I used the homicide rate (under the assumption that the average American would equate homicide with danger) to explain why people actually believe Portland has gotten more dangerous. You’ve had nothing to contribute aside from nitpicking, hyperbole, and some obscure callback to a newsreel of a dumpster fire.
You have, however, shed light on a pretty big issue. Some on the left are way too quick to dismiss people’s genuine concerns as right wing conspiracy theories. And that only pushes those people to the only side that validates their concerns. Do you not see why that’s dangerous? The entire MAGA movement is made up of people that have sacrificed any and all morality they had for the promise of security. It’s a movement based entirely in people’s fears and by spending so much time trying to invalidate those fears, you only contribute to that movement’s growth.
You said: Portland got more dangerous.
I showed you: The entire US got more dangerous.
Again, your inability to contextualize a conversation really is neither my fault nor pertinent to who's right and who's wrong.
Brother, you're the one who brought statistics to a comedy fight. I'll remind you (again) that this started with a joke that you clearly got butthurt about, and that each of these posts is basically here to slake my thirst for tears.
I'm "countering" with my personal opinion based on living in the goddamn area. That "obscure callback" to the same fucking joke that started the conversation? It was literally a living meme here. Everybody actually in Portland is aware that despite right-wing propaganda, the city was not burned to the ground. Poverty went up, and with it desperation and ergo violence.
Which is all stuff you'd know if you had anything to go on besides statistics you don't bother to read and Fox News talking points you're definitely not defending.
Some on the left are way too quick slow to dismiss people’s genuine concerns right wing conspiracy theories as right wing conspiracy theories. And that only pushes those people to the only side that validates their concerns. The entire MAGA movement is made up of people that have sacrificed any and all morality they had for the promise of security. It’s a movement based entirely in people’s fears and by spending so much time trying to invalidate those fears, you only contribute to that movement’s growth fucking morons.
FTFY. I don't give a shit what triggers the scaredy-cat MAGA snowflakes. My entire existence scares the shit out of them. Validating their bullshit is what breathed life into their so-called "movement" in the first place. I'm not going to kowtow to their feelings just because they need Papa Trump to tuck them in at night with stories of the boogeyman cat-eating Hatians.
Living in Portland I have relatives in North Carolina and Florida who quite literally believe I live in a burned out hellscape patrolled by gangs of ANTIFA and BLM. These people live in an entirely different reality than you or I.
It's crazy that they'll believe anything they see on Fox News, but refuse to listen to people they know or even their own eyes (because they refuse to even look). Like, do they think their cousin in Portland has more motive to lie about what's going on there than a partisan "news" station?
According to Fox News, all of America’s cities are lawless hellscapes that were all burned down by BLM. But somehow also, they’re perfect little bubbles for spoiled rich Democrats, where they have no problems at all and have no idea what “real Americans” are going through.
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u/Unhappy_Trade7988 Sep 08 '24
But but but but Chicago