Wut?

At this point I’m convinced that they are the only ones who can.

Why would you ask him anything? His answer will always be the same: Biden, Harris or foreigners are to blame is what he would say. Why bother? It’s a waste of time.

It’s not some anonymous force forcing you to act like many of your fellow citizens do on social media. It’s what the US believes, I’m affraid. Even on Lemmy. It’s all “I don’t like Trump” but strangely enough many still agree to some of his key positions when his name is not mentioned. It’s weird.

You might want to check out the Patriot act (especially section 215) and how that plays into your believe of your constitutional rights. If there are any questions, just ask Clarence Thomas - he knows his stuff. I really don’t get how you could be so blind to issues like that just because this post is about China. This is not a popularity contest - it is not US vs the world. This is about your rights, your data and your democracy. I’m from Europe and I’m kinda getting tired of reminding people from the US that your blind patriotism is just that…a blind spot that is used against the US citizens on every corner.

1984 is already a reality - in every country of the word, especially the US. Apple’s famous Superbowl commercial from the same year, which suggested that data privacy (…) was important with regard to their strongest competitor at the time (IBM), does nothing to change this. On the contrary - none of this was even halfway true even back then. I really don’t get why people think this is just an issue in China. It is an issue all over the world. For years and years.

That is certainly not wrong. However, I believe that it’s not just the Chinese but that the US government (and other states around the world) has very far-reaching access to its citizens’ data as well. Among other things, the Patriot Act makes it very easy to demand user data from companies without appropriate checks and balances, if the NSA is not already aware anyway. Without somewhat decent legal regulations such as those that exist in the EU for example, citizens have to trust that the state will not abuse this largely unregulated power. With regard to the question of who will form the next US government, I see a significant problem in this context: I think that Trump’s right wing GOP will use this power against their political opponents and also, as a precaution, against ordinary citizens. I don’t think they would shy away from setting up a surveillance state based on the Chinese model - the conditions for this are certainly met in the current legal situation.

By concepts of a plan, he probably means Project 2025, the plan that his “strategists” have drawn up to install him as a fascist autocrat if people are stupid enough to actually vote for him. It is hardly surprising that he does not want to comment publicly on the details of this deeply anti-democratic endeavor.

I think the only way to solve this problem for good would be to tie social media accounts to proof of identity. However, apart from what would certainly be a difficult technical implementation, this would create a whole bunch of different problems. The benefits would probably not outweigh the costs.

Well, unfortunately, the internet and especially social media is still the main source of information for more and more people, if not the only one. For many, it is also the only place where public discourse takes place, even if you can hardly call it that. I guess we are probably screwed.

It’s what AI makes of her, I guess.

That bothers me far less than seeing a single Trump tbh.

I don’t think so. It’s just the same lies he repeats over and over again.

I can’t argue with that.

Yes, it’s certainly not easy to check facts live. But you can at least be well prepared, especially as the questions are asked by the journalists and they should also know the usual claims made by the candidates. I also don’t think it’s necessary to check every figure. I just mean that it makes sense to name obvious false statements as such - Trump has made enough of them, and most of them were anything but new. And yes, it is of course also true that there are fact-checks after the fact, but I think that this is often not noticed at all. The presidential debates are an event that many people watch, but unfortunately only a few inform themselves afterwards. That’s why I think it’s necessary to expose at least the grossest untruths immediately.

No, but I thought the US public wouldn’t let him get away with never engaging in a (factual) debate. That would make him look weak, because that’s how democracy usually works. You know, arguments and counter-arguments - that sort of thing.

I watched the debate between Trump and Biden and could hardly believe that there were no fact checks at all from the moderators. Sure, it would have been good if Biden had pointed out more clearly that almost every statement Trump made was factually incorrect. But can you really just tell any tall tales in your presidential debates without even mentioning any facts? That seems absurd. Is that the norm for presidential debates in the US? Or is it just that Trump would not have participated if there were fact checks?

Yes, Dali would have been great as the emperor.

But Jodorowsky’s unfinished Dune project still had a significant influence on several major science fiction films and media, despite never being completed:

1. Alien (1979)

• Dan O’Bannon, who worked on Jodorowsky’s Dune, later wrote the Alien script
• H.R. Giger’s designs for Dune inspired his work on the Xenomorph
• The Alien Xenomorph’s design has roots in Giger’s Harkonnen Castle concept for Dune

2. Star Wars (1977)

• George Lucas was reportedly influenced by the Dune storyboards and designs
• Jabba the Hutt’s appearance may have been inspired by Baron Harkonnen’s design

3. Blade Runner (1982)

• Ridley Scott hired Dan O’Bannon and Moebius, who had worked on Jodorowsky’s Dune, to help create the futuristic world

4. Contact (1997)

• The opening space sequence was allegedly inspired by Jodorowsky’s planned opening for Dune

5. The Incal (1980s graphic novel series)

• Jodorowsky and artist Moebius recycled many concepts from their Dune work into this influential comic series

Check out the documentary “Jodorowsky’s Dune” (2013). It explores how the pre-production work and assembled team for this unrealized film went on to influence much of modern science fiction cinema. It’s worth a watch.

Alien because of HR Giger’s iconic art style, among other things. Also Frank Herbert’s Dune, the first planned film adaptation of which Giger also worked on (sometimes considered as the best movie that was never made). In addition to the cultural influence that the book series already had, Dune also more or less spawned the real-time strategy computer game genre (with Westwood Studios’ Dune II).

deleted by creator