Oliver Anthony and the Incoherence of Right-Wing Populism

psychothumbs@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 87 points –
Oliver Anthony and the Incoherence of Right-Wing Populism
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Okay, I'll play along with your assumptions of this guys policy proposals based on a 3 minute song that just talks about observing common issues.

Taxes being too high

No, he says taxes too high for him, a working class man. Don't you agree? Do you think someone making 60k/year should be paying 25% taxes when the politicians making 10x that amount are paying 10%?

welfare benefits being too generous.

Really? He said 'we have too much welfare'? No - he says that there are a ton of people starving, who aren't getting welfare, but then we have people abusing the system getting that funding. The people that need funding aren't getting it, do you agree or disagree?

Again, not exactly a stretch to see the implied recommendation is tax cuts and welfare state cuts, pretty much the core planks of the Republican Party platform.

No, your lens of how you perceive him, make you believe he's saying these things that he's not.

don’t wish he had policies drawn up at all

Good, your wish came true, he doesn't mention any policies, but that's your problem, that he didn't and now you can assume his policy proposals, you're ridiculous.

reveal policy preferences

Once again, he doesn't. You assume based on the music he's playing and the way he looks. You're just being prejudiced.

Not that this guy is necessarily a piece of shit or anything, it’s just that what’s being revealed about him through this music

So you're saying you perceive him as a piece of shit because your assumptions of his policy proposals that are based on your assumptions of one line that he's saying in a vacuum?

Honestly, if you only respond to one thing, can you please answer this question: Do you honestly think you have 0 bias in your interpretations of his song because of how he appears and the type of music he's playing?

-Not that this guy is necessarily a piece of shit or anything, it’s just that what’s being revealed about him through this music is the undercurrent of conservative ideology that is the water in which he swims and which he’s unconsciously reproducing in this song.

So you’re saying you perceive him as a piece of shit because your assumptions of his policy proposals that are based on your assumptions of one line that he’s saying in a vacuum?

I don't think I can really keep engaging with you if you're going to engage in such bad faith as to quote me saying he's not a piece of shit and respond with "so you're saying he's a piece of shit" unless you apologize and promise to try to be a little more generous in your discourse going forward.

I don’t think I can really keep engaging with you if you’re going to engage in such bad faith as to quote me saying he’s not a piece of shit and respond with “so you’re saying he’s a piece of shit”

Come on man, you just said 'I'm not saying he's a POS but he's showing that he is' Like, that's the classic 'I didn't say she's a bitch, she's just acting like one.'

I haven't been hostile to you, I've been extremely civil, and I think we've done a good job quoting each other and responding to each others statements but you can see how that statement came across, right?

I think you're just using this one sentence of my statement showing that you're being dishonest when representing this man and his song to try and get out of a good discussion. It's a bit ironic, huh?

I also want to note my statement in my last comment: Honestly, if you only respond to one thing, can you please answer this question: Do you honestly think you have 0 bias in your interpretations of his song because of how he appears and the type of music he’s playing?

You have not really been civil at all, and have repeatedly engaged in bad faith interpretations of what I and the article say, while accusing me of bias. If you can't engage in any self-reflection over that I won't engage with you.

I've been watching this and letting it play out, wondering when you would pick up on the 4chan style of engaging in discussions. It will be in bad faith and constantly having you on the back-foot. People with left leaning tendencies have a inherent need to communicate and talk, proofing statements they made. Right wingers have no such inclination , they can lie, distort, move goalposts, etc, all day long, no problem but you on the other hand will try your best to be good. Nobody can be 100% good, there will be a point that person will have a 'gotcha!' moment and you will be distraught for not getting it 'right'.

Good on you for seeing this!

I have been, just because I'm challenging how you've viewed this song doesn't mean I've been hostile.

while accusing me of bias.

I asked if you had a bias. The fact you think this is hostile and refuse to answer is curious....

The solution for the rich evading taxes isn’t “let everyone evade taxes!” Its “let’s close loopholes like capital gains and losses,” which, again, if you read the article, you’d understand