[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by subego 

What made me think of it is I have a pet theory that French (which Charo also speaks) and Japanese share phonic similarities English shares with neither.

As someone who speaks Japanese and some French (I have had 3 years of French in high school), there are no phonetic similarities between French and Japanese. Japanese is one of the languages with the fewest phonemes, which is why Japanese have a hard time learning other languages. If your native tongue(s) has lots of phonemes, you have an easier time to learn other languages as it is easier for you to discern differences in sounds and imitate/reproduce them yourself. Moreover, the melodies of both languages are completely different. Japanese tends to be very flat, for example.

Knowing more languages can help you learn other languages more quickly, especially if they are related. Knowing French helps you learn Spanish, for example. Accents are a different story. In order to learn to speak a language without an accent, you almost have to have grown up with that language. As time goes on, we have a harder and harder time to learn new languages. I can tell, because at 39 I have a much harder time expanding my Japanese vocabulary than at 22. “Faking an accent” is hard work, because you literally have to work at it. For example, if you are from NYC, try learning to speak in a Texan or Georgian accent — especially when you start learning at an older age. It is really hard and sounds unnatural to you. I grew up in three different regions of Germany and lived in a fourth, and while I did pick up these accents to a degree, I only feel completely comfortable in my birth town's accent. (Perhaps it is also because I do not particularly like the other accents very much.)

Circling back to Melania Trump, I don't think it makes any sense to suggest that “she could try to fake [American English]”. I have contact to tons of non-native and native speakers. To their ears, they imitate sounds as best as they can and as best as their environment allows. In Japan my English suffers quite a bit. I adopt quite a few things from Japanese, e. g. I start to use the wrong tenses (since Japanese has very few of them). But if I am exposed to native speakers, that quickly changes. Could Melania Trump hire a voice coach and learn better English. Sure. But she is not an actress, so that isn't a worthwhile skill to have. Languages are about being able to communicating your thoughts and intentions to others. I think it is perfectly clear what she thinks of the expectations others hold her to as far as her duties as First Lady are concerned. (And to be honest, these are severely outdated. I hated the question, too, whether Bill Clinton would select the White House's China in case she got elected, what a stupid question, we are in the 21st century. I completely understand that she doesn't care about having to pick out Christmas decorations.)

[subego]

While considering my reply, for giggles, I decided to listen to one of the Melania tapes. She sounds way more like Trump’s ex-wife than I was expecting.

It brought me back to the 90s, when Ivana used to hawk “V” brand videotape from Sony. A curious choice, because she can’t pronounce the letter V. She would say “Sony Wee weedeeotape”

[Thorzdad]

Six people charged in plot to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer. The plan also included taking over the state government and trying Whitmer and others for treason.

[andi*pandi]

"Very fine people"
"Liberate Michigan"

Who says his base doesn't listen?

[subego]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

"Very fine people"

From that same press conference:

“And you had people -- and I’m not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists -- because they should be condemned totally. But you had many people in that group other than neo-Nazis and white nationalists. Okay? And the press has treated them absolutely unfairly.”

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

because they should be condemned totally.

"Yes they SHOULD be. I'm not gonna do it but SOMEONE should!"

[subego]

From the day before:

“Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”

[The Final Shortcut]

Originally Posted by subego 

From the day before:

“Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”

“And some, I assume, are good people.”




just yankin your chain

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

From the day before:

“Racism is evil. And those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and other hate groups that are repugnant to everything we hold dear as Americans.”

Well, yeah - two days after the "fine people" speech. His target audience heard what it needed to hear, and the above can easily be dismissed as "some PC bullshit he had to say to avoid Antifa and cancel culture and Pelosi and Hillary."

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Well, yeah - two days after the "fine people" speech. His target audience heard what it needed to hear, and the above can easily be dismissed as "some PC bullshit he had to say to avoid Antifa and cancel culture and Pelosi and Hillary."

The “fine people” was the day after.

The comment from two days before was “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.”

[Spheric Harlot]

I'm not sure there is any question about whether 45 is pandering to white supremacists, if he is not outright one himself.

Actually, I am sure that there is no question about it.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by subego 

The “fine people” was the day after.

The comment from two days before was “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides.”

If you viewed at each comment in isolation, you could give a charitable interpretation each time. But Trump has established a clear pattern, and by now many of these racist groups think Trump is on their side. That’s quite different from, say, Joe Biden. And viewing it as part of a pattern, telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” or his support for QAnon is not a gaffe, it is a deliberate provocation on Trump’s part.

I believe Trump’s motivation to not denounce them is that these groups support him, it’s as simple as that. And he doesn’t care whether these groups are supporting racist ideologies and/or conspiracy theories.

[Waragainstsleep]

He needs every vote he can get so he will support anyone or anything that votes for him. Especially if theres a chance they will help prevent others voting against him.

[subego]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

by now many of these racist groups think Trump is on their side.

The howling racists I’ve listened to don’t think Trump is on their side any more than a generic Republican, which to them is the same as an 80s-90s Democrat. He also likes Jews way too much.

They’ll still enthusiastically vote for Trump because the direction the Democrats want to take the country scares the shit out of them, and they think will make them need their guns for real. They also like his Twitter.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by subego 

The howling racists I’ve listened to don’t think Trump is on their side any more than a generic Republican, which to them is the same as an 80s-90s Democrat.

I’ve seen plenty of videos of self-professed Trump supporters who chanted things like “White power!” And anecdotally, my non-white friends in the US have had more problems with racism since Trump got elected. The Proud Boys, that is, the group that Trump refused to condemn during the first debate celebrated after President Trump told them to “stand down and stand by”. Ditto for QAnon conspiracies, that embrace and continue age-old antisemitic conspiracies.

Originally Posted by subego 

He also likes Jews way too much.

Trump’s contradictory stance towards Jews had puzzled me, too for the longest time, until I read this op-ed by Yair Rosenberg. His thesis (and I agree with it) is that Trump shares a lot of the stereotypes that antisemites have about Jews, he just thinks they are positive. President Trump has said repeatedly that he wants Jews counting/managing his money, because Jews are good with money. Trump thinks Jews are clever negotiators, a quality he admires. Rosenberg calls this philosemitism. Antisemites share many of these stereotypes, just think that they are negative.

Because philosemites and antisemites share a lot of the stereotypes, it is very easy for philo-semites to delve into anti-semitism, e. g. when “Jews that conform to these stereotypes” work against them.

[subego]

The howling racists I mentioned consider Trump to be the most socially liberal president the GOP has ever had. They don’t think he’s on their side.

What makes them enthusiastic supporters is he’s not afraid to tell people they can go **** themselves. Trump’s attitude is what energizes them. I have no doubt your friends have experienced more overt racism since Trump took office. He’s responsible for the “overt”, but these racists give him shitty marks when it comes to actually being a racist. They’d give the Proud Boys shitty marks for it as well.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by subego 

The howling racists I mentioned consider Trump to be the most socially liberal president the GOP has ever had. They don’t think he’s on their side.

I don’t know who the howling racists are you are referring to, and honestly, I don’t think it is worth adjudicating their bona fides.

Trump has had support from proper racists since he announced his candidacy. Richard Spencer literally said “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” Plenty of other racists have openly supported him, including Jared Taylor and David Duke.

Maybe these howling racists are different from the howling racists you are referring to. :shrug:

Originally Posted by subego 

What makes them enthusiastic supporters is he’s not afraid to tell people they can go **** themselves. Trump’s attitude is what energizes them. I have no doubt your friends have experienced more overt racism since Trump took office. He’s responsible for the “overt”, but these racists give him shitty marks when it comes to actually being a racist.

Anti-immigration stances, racism and sexism strongly correlate with support for Trump. I don’t think it is just his lack of a filter.

Originally Posted by subego 

They’d give the Proud Boys shitty marks for it as well.

We don’t need to enter these groups into a competition who is a better racist.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

We don’t need to enter these groups into a competition who is a better racist.

Oh, c'mon. Maybe just a friendly competition to see who keeps their sheets the whitest?

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Jared Taylor

That asshole actually went to my high school.

In Japan. :shrug:

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

That asshole actually went to my high school.

In Japan. :shrug:

Was he always this racist?

[subego]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

I don’t know who the howling racists are you are referring to

The ones I mentioned in the post you quoted.

What I predicted I’d find in that article were examples leading up to Charlottesville, then nothing for three years straight until the Proud Boys were mentioned in the first debate.

Which is what I found.

There’s no competition of who makes the better racists, only competition between what racists thought three years ago versus what they think now.


PS: Trump’s actual reply to Wallace’s question in the debate.

WALLACE: “Are you willing tonight to condemn white supremacists and militia groups…”
TRUMP: “Sure…”
WALLACE: “And to say that they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities as we saw in Kenosha, and as we’ve seen in Portland”
TRUMP: “Sure, I’m prepared to do it, but I would say almost everything I see is from the left-wing not from the right-wing. I’m willing to do anything, I want to see peace…”

The Proud Boys came after this.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

Was he always this racist?

I assume yes.

His brother occasionally pops up on our school's alumni group to explain how his brother isn’t racist, and they grew up in the Jim Crow South before moving to Japan, so they know exactly what real, actual racism looks like.

It...doesn’t go over too well in an international school community.

I seem to recall one of his contemporaries mentioning that he wasn’t very sociable in school.

[Thorzdad]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

His brother occasionally pops up on our school's alumni group to explain how his brother isn’t racist, and they grew up in the Jim Crow South before moving to Japan, so they know exactly what real, actual racism looks like.

So, if you aren't actually lynching people, you aren't a racist? Good to know.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by subego 

The ones I mentioned in the post you quoted.

What I predicted I’d find in that article were examples leading up to Charlottesville, then nothing for three years straight until the Proud Boys were mentioned in the first debate.

Which is what I found.

Pocahontas, a bunch of shithole countries, a handful of American senators told to go back to their home countries, and the Chinese flu would like a couple of words with you.

And perhaps you'd like to explain to Kamala Harris why she might meet the requirements for VP, after all (unless, of course, the whole birther thing wasn't actually racist).

[subego]

Small correction: they were representatives, not senators.

What was being discussed, and what I was replying to, was the question of what racists think of Trump, not whether Trump was racist.

To address the latter, I have always maintained Trump is racist within the parameters of white Republicans in their 70s.

To bring that back around to my original point, turbo racists consider Trump to be “on their side” as much as any generic Republican... actually less so.

[reader50]

Ever wondered about those better off than yourself, with money hanging out the butt? Well, the police found one.

Brazil has a far-right president (Jair Bolsonaro) who is a lot like Trump. Claims he's against corruption, but his associates keep getting arrested.

Jair Bolsonaro’s efforts to portray himself as an anti-corruption crusader have suffered another blow after police reportedly seized a wad of banknotes from between the clenched buttocks of one of his allies.

Chico Rodrigues, the Brazilian president’s deputy leader in the senate, was reportedly caught with the concealed bundle on Wednesday during a police search of his home. The raid was part of an operation against the suspected misappropriation of public funds for fighting Covid-19.

The Estado de São Paulo newspaper said two sources told it 30,000 reais (more than US$7,000) were stashed in the underpants of Rodrigues, a senator for the Amazon state of Roraima.
...
Brazilians shared the news under the viral hashtag #PropinaNaBunda (A Bribe up the Bum). Many suggested that the find would be remembered “in the anals of history”.

They have low standards in my opinion. I feel a politician bribe should be at least $50,000. $7K seems very small to sell your honor for. Or the embarrassment when the police smell ... money during a search.

[subego]

Largest Brazilian note is a 100. 50K USD in reals is 2,815 bills minimum.

Open wide.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by subego 

Largest Brazilian note is a 100. 50K USD in reals is 2,815 bills minimum.

Open wide.

Largest bill is 200 Real. About 1400 bills. Still wide.

[subego]

I stand corrected! Though standing is difficult since I’m trying to keep the money from flying out of my butt.

Looks like those have been in circulation for less than two months, so I missed them.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by subego 

standing is difficult since I’m trying to keep the money from flying out of my butt.

Ah yes, I have that problem all the time.

[subego]

Okay, I’m bored at the moment.

Hunter Biden laptop anyone?

[Laminar]

Had to look it up. Hunter, or someone else, left a laptop at a repair shop and never picked it up. The repair shop owner, who happens to be an avid Trump supporter, looked at the laptop's contents and figured out who owned it, then gave it to the FBI, but also provided a copy of all of its files to Giuliani.

Biden's campaign doesn't deny that it's real.

No real bombshells released yet.

Did I miss anything?

[subego]

Pic of Hunter with the meth pipe in his mouth isn’t a bombshell I guess, since we know he has substance issues.

The bigger thing to me is that this story is a week old already. Twitter and Facebook nuked the story from orbit.

[Thorzdad]

They nuked it because it quickly became pretty widely known to be a story with extremely dubious provenance.

[subego]

That doesn’t matter if the info is legit.

Even on the first day it was clear it would be virtually impossible for the meth pipe photo to be fake.

That’s assured now, because if it wasn’t, Joe and an army of lawyers would have (rightfully) caved in the Post’s skull by now.

[andi*pandi]

any discussion is to give credence to it, and gives more air to it.

dubious provenance, dubious story, photoshop is a thing.

[subego]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

photoshop is a thing.

So is a defamation lawsuit.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Pic of Hunter with the meth pipe in his mouth isn’t a bombshell I guess, since we know he has substance issues.

All I saw was something about "explicit selfies" and I figured it was nudes. Meth surprises me, seems a bit low class for someone making $50k/month to unsuccessfully influence his VP dad.

[subego]

If I knew it was a photoshop, I’d hold a press conference and unleash holy hell.

Not only because it’s true, but it would be an unbelievable boost to my campaign. My opponent loses right then and there.




[crickets]

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

All I saw was something about "explicit selfies" and I figured it was nudes. Meth surprises me, seems a bit low class for someone making $50k/month to unsuccessfully influence his VP dad.

It’s theorized he may run with a bit of a trashy crowd.

He’s asleep in the picture, and it looks like he fell asleep with the pipe in his mouth.

That’s... not how meth works, so somebody he was with put it in his mouth, and presumably took the photo for blackmail purposes.

[Thorzdad]

More Than 50 Former Intel Officials Say Hunter Biden Smear Smells Like Russia.
Fox News rejected the Hunter Biden story due to lack of credibility.

[reader50]

Biden (Sr) is already winning by a wide margin. Even if the laptop is fake, their best course might be to ignore it until after the election. Even denying it drags them into possible Russia theories that can't be proven on short notice.

If the laptop is real ... Hunter is not running for office, so who cares what he smokes? Giving away a laptop to a repair shop that just happens to be run by a strong Trump supporter strains credibility.

I can see why most news outlets are avoiding it. The story looks too convenient. Better to let the FBI investigate, and wait for credible information.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Thorzdad 

More Than 50 Former Intel Officials Say Hunter Biden Smear Smells Like Russia.
Fox News rejected the Hunter Biden story due to lack of credibility.

The letter from the formal intel officials makes no sense to me whatsoever. I can’t see how they read the same article.

If this is a plot, the opening gambit was handing proof of the crime to federal law enforcement. The FBI has had the laptop for 10 months now.

This also tells us more about whether it’s real than Fox passing on it.

[Chongo]

Originally Posted by subego 

The letter from the formal intel officials makes no sense to me whatsoever. I can’t see how they read the same article.

If this is a plot, the opening gambit was handing proof of the crime to federal law enforcement. The FBI has had the laptop for 10 months now.

This also tells us more about whether it’s real than Fox passing on it.

Fox is reporting on the story.

Giuliani has turned the drive over to DE state police.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/202...sharingbuttons


FBI, DOJ Concur: Hunter Biden Laptop, Emails NOT ‘Russian Disinformation’
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2...4ySL1RsikI2LtQ

One of Hunter’s former business partners has given access to his gmail account to Peter Schweizer and confirms the authenticity of the emails.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by reader50 

If the laptop is real ... Hunter is not running for office, so who cares what he smokes?

Because his actions would affect the (potential) president's decisions. He could be used as leverage. He's a liability.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Chongo 

Fox is reporting on the story.

What....does that Q in your sig stand for?

[subego]

Originally Posted by reader50 

If the laptop is real ... Hunter is not running for office, so who cares what he smokes? Giving away a laptop to a repair shop that just happens to be run by a strong Trump supporter strains credibility.

If it’s not real, several people are going to end up bankrupt, and spending the rest of their lives in prison. That’s enough for me to be highly confident it’s real.

Morally, I don’t care what Hunter smokes. From a practical standpoint, the blackmail angle begins to get dicey. It’s not a “kill shot”, but I don’t think it’s supposed to be. It’s an attention-grabber which can be easily digested by normies, unlike Hunter’s business dealings, which are a big tangle.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Because his actions would affect the (potential) president's decisions. He could be used as leverage. He's a liability.

Added to that, it gives the impression Hunter has no control over himself, and his father has no control over the situation.

That’s a bad look for someone who asks to lead the free world. Say what you will about Trump, he keeps his kids in line.

Though if we’re going to talk blackmail, it should be said it’s certainly within the realm of possibility the Russians are blackmailing Trump.

[Laminar]

It's as much of a liability as Trump having hundreds of millions of loans due during the next four years.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

It's as much of a liability as Trump having hundreds of millions of loans due during the next four years.

Those are only a liability if he can’t pay them off.

My guess is he can pay them. He’ll have to liquidate assets though.