Cheap populism & Bigotry

[Grimbold21]

I suppose you could frame this thread as a sort of blog post with the potential to open up a discussion.

So, in Portugal a populist, one man party, has been making news for some time over his nonsense, along with another member of Parliament but from the progressive end.

The populist used to be in a Christian right party, but bailed to form his own dubbed "Enough". Anyone with enough intelligence can see what he is: an opportunist capitalising on the most disgruntled sentiments.


We've all whined about government and politicians, how they ruin this and that, they only care for themselves etc. You know café / pub /dinner in front of the TV talk.

That's what he's doing, using the easy road to garner political support ll. Clear as day, but somehow people buy into that nonsense.

But he also appeals and uses bigotry. This is the issue with certain politicians and i believe it to be the case here. He might not be genuinely bigoted, merely using bigotry as a tool for advance.

The latest example was when that progressive politician proposed that Portugal carry out a decolonisation investigation. It is important to note that she was born and lived in Guinea-Bissau until the she was 8 and then moved to Portugal and acquired citizenship later.

Why? Because the populist's reply was basically along the lines of shes5 attacking our history, our identity and, the cherry on top, if she doesn't like it then she should leave. Moreover him and his allies delivered a proposal in some institution which English equivalent escapes me, to have her removed from the country.

Needless to say there was wide condemnation, with racism, intolerance bigotry and whatnot being thrown at him

Now though it doesn't count for much, i studied heritage management and am familiar with tid bits decolonization and don't necessarily agree with all of it, im not foolish enough to accept biased accounts of history that embellish a country's image.

The point is not that idea, it's the reception by some and their reaction being support of bigotry

And this is where it gets a bit personal. My father supports this man and his party. He, like many of us, has long been disillusioned with Portuguese governments, over its covering of the rich and powerful, the wealth gap widening, lack of good living conditions. Like most of us he distrust politicians.

What surprises and annoys me to no end is that he and many others fall for this guy, just because he happens to be in parliament regurgitating things as if he were at the pub whining about it over a beer.

I used to make fun of people who end relationships over political differences, but now I understand a bit why they also choose the easy way out. Because convincing bigots of their wrong ways is exhausting work

That's it i suppose.

Mod Edit: This is closed.

[Machismo]

So... Trump.

[Cizr]

So what is this decolonization thing?

[Grimbold21]

So... Trump.

Except Trump isn't smart.

This one is smart only enough to read the currents and use it as a tactic for political advance.

His supporters though, they are like trumpsters, eating propaganda and intentionally misinterpreted versions of words and events by this guy

[Machismo]

Except Trump isn't smart.

This one is smart only enough to read the currents and use it as a tactic for political advance.

His supporters though, they are like trumpsters, eating propaganda and intentionally misinterpreted versions of words and events by this guy

This is the main tactic of racists and ethno-nationalists... welcome to what we've been saying for years in these threads.

[Freighter]

What exactly is decolonisation investigation?

[Rennadrel]

What exactly is decolonisation investigation?

Considering Decolonization is literally the undoing of colonization, obviously some whackjob wants to undo some form of settlement that Portugal was involved in.

But let's be honest for a minute, colonization has been happening for thousands of years in one form or another. People have migrated all across this earth in groups to cope with things like changing weather patterns, a lack of food or war. The fact that progressives act like colonization was some sort of new idea created by Europeans is absolutely asinine.

[Kraenen]

The latest example was when that progressive politician proposed that Portugal carry out a decolonisation investigation. It is important to note that she was born and lived in Guinea-Bissau until the she was 8 and then moved to Portugal and acquired citizenship later.

Seems appropriate to note this, especially due to the irony that colonization is still happening, in "reverse".

[Grimbold21]

What exactly is decolonisation investigation?

Well let me put it in simple practical examples. The academic version tends to be excessively verbose and its quite a complex issue to understand.

Let me see if i can do this

Decolonisation tends to refer to the relationship between former colonies and their former metropolis and what can be done by the latter to change that relationship in a more respectable manner.

It usually entails acknowledging the country's colonial legacy towards its former colony, and providing assistance, if asked for, in the pursuit of self determination and rediscovery of their pre colonial identities.

A common example in the field I'm from is the restitution of cultural artifacts to the countries they're from. I have some drawbacks concerning this, but that's gist of it.

Another, regardless of how simple it is, is acknowledging that the history of the countries we choose to praise so much was built upon terrible actions.

Or decolonising institutions, that don't make the "Other" as an inferior. Or more simply rid those institutions of western centric methods of doing things.

In the OPs case, the progressive politician wanted to conduct an inventory of Portuguese cultural institutions to assess its material collections in order to restore what they could to their original territories

[Rozz]

This has been moved to Politics.

[JohnBrown1917]

Except Trump isn't smart.

This one is smart only enough to read the currents and use it as a tactic for political advance.

His supporters though, they are like trumpsters, eating propaganda and intentionally misinterpreted versions of words and events by this guy

The good ol' "intellectual" fascist I see. We got the FvD(Baudet) for those sort of people here.

- - - Updated - - -

Seems appropriate to note this, especially due to the irony that colonization is still happening, in "reverse".

What does that even mean? But yeah, its still happening, Isreal is doing it, China too.

[mvaliz]

Except Trump isn't smart.

Which is the ONE thing I'm ever so grateful for - a double-edged sword, but at least a sword that can eventually be the catalyst to his own downfall! >_<

[JohnBrown1917]

Which is the ONE thing I'm ever so grateful for - a double-edged sword, but at least a sword that can eventually be the catalyst to his own downfall! >_<

That is why somebody like Pence or Miller could cause far more damage.

[Grimbold21]

The good ol' "intellectual" fascist I see. We got the FvD(Baudet) for those sort of people here.

- - - Updated - - -



What does that even mean? But yeah, its still happening, Isreal is doing it, China too.

I wouldn't call him an intellectual. More like an opportunist appealing to the most common denominator and awful sentiments for political advantage

To use intellectual as a trait would be insulting to actual intellectuals

[Doctor Amadeus]

Yeah regardless to beliefs, the fact is you're right you can not change someones mind who knows better, but makes the decision to go against that. Because you aren't dealing with ignorance.

This is the same Attitude by some in Sweden and the U.K who post on here ALL the time.

And the person in the OP reminds me more of Tulsi Gabbard, who used to be a hard right wing conservative under her family but then decided to switch parties, and join the military to pad her resume.

Is she a left is she right, is she a Putin Puppet?

No she is worse, she is a fucking low rent fucking opportunist.

[JohnBrown1917]

I wouldn't call him an intellectual. More like an opportunist appealing to the most common denominator and awful sentiments for political advantage

To use intellectual as a trait would be insulting to actual intellectuals

Oh, none of them are intellectuals, just the sort that seems to present themselves as one.

[Elegiac]

Considering Decolonization is literally the undoing of colonization, obviously some whackjob wants to undo some form of settlement that Portugal was involved in.

But let's be honest for a minute, colonization has been happening for thousands of years in one form or another. People have migrated all across this earth in groups to cope with things like changing weather patterns, a lack of food or war. The fact that progressives act like colonization was some sort of new idea created by Europeans is absolutely asinine.

Indeed, which is why they don't act like colonialism and Colonialism™ are the same thing.

The former is what you're referring to; the kind of migration and settlement practiced during the Hellenistic Period or the Migration Period. The latter refers to a specific type of economic and political practice developed by Europeans from the 16th century onwards wherein the principle goal is the extraction of value for profit regardless of the human or environmental costs.

There isn't an equivalence between Greek mariners founding a settlement in the south of Gaul and the Dutch East India Company carrying out ethnic cleansing of the Banda Islands in order to further secure their monopoly on spices. To say nothing of what was done to secure steady supplies of sugar, coffee, chocolate, silver - none of which are necessary for human survival, and the only justification for which was profit.

As for why people are 'still complaining' about colonialism; there are people who are still alive when most of Africa was in European hands, to say nothing of the lasting economic and political impacts many of which are being buttressed by Western economic demand.

[Kaleredar]

This is one of the things that makes Trump dangerous on a geopolitical level.

Previous, more respectable presidents wouldn't be so quick to humor this kind of flagrant bullshit.

But Trump is all too eager to court and even praise authoritarian autocrats that send him a few niceties. It normalizes this sort of leadership across the world.

[Wyrt]

As for why people are 'still complaining' about colonialism; there are people who are still alive when most of Africa was in European hands, to say nothing of the lasting economic and political impacts many of which are being buttressed by Western economic demand.

People think that because colonialism ended that all the negative effects of it also magically vanished at the same time. Some of it's ignorance of just how bad colonialism left certain nations. Some of it's racism in blaming those nations for not being able to magically fix themselves once colonialism ended. Though equating colonialism with migration does lean heavily on the ignorance side.

Either way, they feel that their country owes nothing to those harmed. They also seem to take it rather personally when blame is assigned to their country and then get really defensive about it.

[Elegiac]

People think that because colonialism ended that all the negative effects of it also magically vanished at the same time. Some of it's ignorance of just how bad colonialism left certain nations. Some of it's racism in blaming those nations for not being able to magically fix themselves once colonialism ended. Though equating colonialism with migration does lean heavily on the ignorance side.

Either way, they feel that their country owes nothing to those harmed. They also seem to take it rather personally when blame is assigned to their country and then get really defensive about it.

I've always maintained that if one insists on taking pride in their country's achievements, they also need to take responsibility for its mistakes.

This is why I can pretty solidly identify with Western culture while still acknowledging it has been extremely shitty to people with adequate levels of melanin. Culture is an iterative thing, and in order to improve it one has to acknowledge its faults.