Hunter Biden’s Corruption Is a Symptom of Grotesque Inequality

banneryear1868@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – -52 points –
Hunter Biden’s Corruption Is a Symptom of Grotesque Inequality
jacobin.com
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Not having a response to issues they raise, specifically with Hunter, trying to obfuscate around it, that's giving them more power to run on it. There's no downside to saying "this is the deal with Hunter and political elites shouldn't be afforded these concessions." They're not going to be convinced but you've addressed the issue at that point and asserted your own power over it, so move on. Not doing this is like rolling over. If I were an undecided voter seeing Dems bury Biden and get upset like this by it would seem pathetic to me, especially in light of Trump et als constant tax issues.

No, you're missing the point. You can't take away their power, and appearing reasonable doesn't affect their ability to make you look foolish. They aren't acting in good faith, and facts can't shed light on their fantasy.

Plus, the "but Hunter does deserve to be punished" line is already part of the conversation, and they simply ignore that anyone on the left has said it. That's why it doesn't matter. They have no obligation to present all the facts, and engagement is an effort that only allows them to stay relevant.

If I were an undecided voter seeing Dems bury Biden and get upset like this by it would seem pathetic to me, especially in light of Trump et als constant tax issues.

If this is the matter that convinces people to vote or not vote, they're deeply unserious, and there's no reason to think that a zingy one-liner from a right wing pundit at the 11th hour won't sway them the other way. Better to demonstrate the lack of credibility of their sources (e.g. how Jacobin is dishonestly framing this issue) than engage with the narratives they're using as bait.

So if it doesn't matter in the end... why choose the option that looks more pathetic rather than simply say what's going on? I sent this to someone on the right personally and they sent me back another article they liked... I literally got a conservative to read leftist articles ON THEIR OWN with this. How is that not a win tell me, cause I am just immediately more convinced this is a good idea.

I sent this to someone on the right personally and they sent me back another article they liked… I literally got a conservative to read leftist articles ON THEIR OWN with this. How is that not a win tell me, cause I am just immediately more convinced this is a good idea.

lmao, babby's first interaction with a conservative.

So if it doesn't matter in the end... why choose the option that looks more pathetic rather than simply say what's going on?

Because I'm not interested in appearances. Their goal already is to discredit you by drawing you into their narrative and imply their views are superior by making you look like a clown (remember, they don't have to argue in good faith or present facts to back up their claims). They trade in memes and half-truths. Getting you to engage is part of what makes their song and dance work.

I sent this to someone on the right personally and they sent me back another article they liked... I literally got a conservative to read leftist articles ON THEIR OWN with this. How is that not a win tell me, cause I am just immediately more convinced this is a good idea.

I pointed out in another comment that this is only effective for people who are open to being wrong, people who are interested in where the objective evidence leads. But back again to the context of this article, a headline dishonestly trying to tie the Biden family to the problem of justice inequality as it relates to wealth just feeds the memes and political pundits. It's not truth; it's a Fallacy of Understated Evidence.

Notice how the author(s) imply that Hunter Biden is a pinnacle of "corruption."

Only in an egregiously unequal society like ours do the children of the rich and powerful get away with corruption Only in an egregiously unequal society like ours do the children of the rich and powerful get away with corruption for as long as Hunter Biden has. (Emphasis mine)

There's a company in Texas where the owner personally committed $2 billion (with a B) in tax fraud over decades. He was in his eighties when they caught up to him, so I am willing to bet he'd been at it for much longer than Hunter. But they don't ever specifically mention other notable cases of fraud, and instead spend most of the paragraphs covering the Bidens, while barely mentioning the existence of other cases only in very broad and general strokes.

Essentially, this is cherry picking a single data point in a broader problem and begging the question. "See? Hunter Biden is the poster child of wealth inequality. What other offenses are they guilty of?" It's propaganda crafted to ease people into the larger right wing grift.

It's no wonder your right wing person liked it, because this article is meant for people like them.