American Politics III: New President, Same Old Country

[Punished UMN]

The Framers of the US Constitution thought the Federal system.

And they might've been right in 1787.

But this isn't 1787.

So what do you propose as a middle ground which isn't fully satisfying to anyone but which is tolerable?

[Spirit of Hope]

Some of them were amongst the most highly educated men in the Americas, but not all of them were and the US didn't exactly have a stellar reputation for higher education at the time.

Seven of them became the Ivy League and the other two were William & Mary and Rutgers.

Anyway, it's not like I'm gonna rattle off an off the top of my head understanding of the state of education in colonial times, so here's someone doing it from research.

The Ivy League wasn't a thing back then, and the schools that would become the Ivy League were not seen as highly prestigious colleges in Europe. Just because Harvard has a reputation now does not mean it had a reputation then. The United States was a small rural country in the 1780's. Remember in 1790 New York City had about 50,000 people in it while London had about 750,000.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

It depends on whether they need the numbers. Any time the arbitrary definition of 'white' gets too small a group that wasn't included in whiteness gets its white wings.

This ^^

I’m proud of my white European side as I am my Arab, but don’t try and dilute part of my racial identity to fill a quota or study.

I even read something not too long ago that said that East Asians are white.

Before the 1800s, Asians were seen that way. Hispanics were also considered white till about the early 20th century, and conversely southern Europeans weren't seen as white till maybe 1930 at earliest and 1950 at latest.

Nowadays the whiteness of certain southern Europeans is coming back into question. White is an arbitrary category and what is and isn't white is as arbitrary (explain why a Greek person is white but a Lebanese man isn't despite the two looking the same).

[Borderlands of Rojava]

I'm pretty certain Armenians and Arabs are considered white in the US.

On the census and in legal documents they are but they aren't seen as white by everyone. Granted they aren't seen as not white by everyone either. I've also seen some claim that some Arabs are white and some aren't. It's tricky.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

I'm pretty certain Armenians and Arabs are considered white in the US.

Tell somebody from Iran, Turkey, or Lebanon that they are “white” and tell me what reaction you get.

Over there? They either would agree or they wouldn't know what that means. In the middle east whiteness does exist as a concept albeit more watered down than here and not as widely accepted. When contrasting racial differences in Tunisia for example, some refer to "white" and "black" tunisians.

[Cannot think of a name]

Seven of them became the Ivy League and the other two were William & Mary and Rutgers.

Anyway, it's not like I'm gonna rattle off an off the top of my head understanding of the state of education in colonial times, so here's someone doing it from research.

The Ivy League wasn't a thing back then,

Oh, I see the problem here. It's a tenses issue. You didn't understand that when the word "became" was used that it implied different times. That must have been very confusing. You see, 'became' implies that a thing was another thing and then, over time, transformed or 'became' something else.

So you see, the idea that the Ivy League didn't exist was implied in the sentence 'Seven of them became the Ivy League...'

So...now you know. When you see something like "became" you understand that it wasn't a thing, then time, it became a thing. And knowing is half the battle.

and the schools that would become the Ivy League were not seen as highly prestigious colleges in Europe. Just because Harvard has a reputation now does not mean it had a reputation then. The United States was a small rural country in the 1780's. Remember in 1790 New York City had about 50,000 people in it while London had about 750,000.

Please to refer to the article included.

[Albrenia]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

[Punished UMN]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

But think of the caliper industry!

[Borderlands of Rojava]

U.S. institutions classify the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East to be "Caucasian". Whether yokels in the boondocks agree with that assessment is another story entirely.

Ironic that when I looked it’s European and American censuses that make this clarification. When Arabs take pride in a sort of racial sovereignty and cultural uniqueness. I list myself as Caucasian and Arab/Middle Eastern.

Once a friend of my mom's talked about the major cultural differences between his culture and "whites" (he was from yemen) and when my mom said "what about the sicilians" he said "they're the Arabs of Europe. By white i mean northern europe."

[Adamede]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

Well the Nazis sure did group all that together.

[Kowani]

Bill Cassidy (R-LA), when asked if he thought the House Dems made their case. "Ask me after I heard the defense arguments. There's a proverb: Your mind is persuaded but you should hear the other side."

[Albrenia]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

Well the Nazis sure did group all that together.

True, rather a move in the wrong direction though.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

Race makes no sense. I think ethnicity is a better classication since it's about culture and not biology.

[Adamede]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

Race makes no sense. I think ethnicity is a better classication since it's about culture and not biology.

That’s how it was done back in the Middle Ages and antiquity. Fear all foreigners equally.

[The Marlborough]

Jesus race is a tiring concept. It would be nice if we just considered it like how we consider hair or eye colours.

Race makes no sense. I think ethnicity is a better classication since it's about culture and not biology.

Ethnicity incorporates a belief of shared blood descent.

[Borderlands of Rojava]

Race makes no sense. I think ethnicity is a better classication since it's about culture and not biology.

Ethnicity incorporates a belief of shared blood descent.

Not necessarily. Not all Hispanics are descended from the same people.

[Suriyanakhon]

The Capitol storming "bullhorn lady" brought kunai and shuriken

(Image)

they really tried to naruto run into congress

aka played way too much Sekiro.

[The United Confederacy of Texas]

The Capitol storming "bullhorn lady" brought kunai and shuriken

(Image)

they really tried to naruto run into congress

Man, weebs really trying to cancel out guns with knives and shit

[Kowani]

The COVID relief bill would dramatically expand federal employees’ access to paid leave needed in connection with the pandemic, offering up to 600 hours of time off for those who are unable to work due to COVID-19 symptoms or self-isolation orders and those who need to care for a child whose school or daycare center is closed or relying on virtual learning. The 600 hours, or 15 weeks, of paid leave would also apply to federal employees and postal workers who are caring for an individual with COVID-19 symptoms or caring for a family member 65 or older if their normal care provider is unavailable due to the pandemic. The leave could be used through Sept. 30 and would apply after other sick leave has been used up

[Shrillland]

The COVID relief bill would dramatically expand federal employees’ access to paid leave needed in connection with the pandemic, offering up to 600 hours of time off for those who are unable to work due to COVID-19 symptoms or self-isolation orders and those who need to care for a child whose school or daycare center is closed or relying on virtual learning. The 600 hours, or 15 weeks, of paid leave would also apply to federal employees and postal workers who are caring for an individual with COVID-19 symptoms or caring for a family member 65 or older if their normal care provider is unavailable due to the pandemic. The leave could be used through Sept. 30 and would apply after other sick leave has been used up

Not bad.

[New haven america]

I'm pretty certain Armenians and Arabs are considered white in the US.

Tell somebody from Iran, Turkey, or Lebanon that they are “white” and tell me what reaction you get.

Most of them view themselves as white.

Iranians used to be considered basically European before the UK started fucking things up, and Lebanon still has French as an official language.

[Thermodolia]

Tell somebody from Iran, Turkey, or Lebanon that they are “white” and tell me what reaction you get.

Most of them view themselves as white.

Iranians used to be considered basically European before the UK started fucking things up, and Lebanon still has French as an official language.

You can’t really use French as the National language of a nation to decide if it’s white or not. Considering that pretty much all of west Africa speaks French and they are clearly not white

[Kowani]

Biden admin greenlights major California solar project

[Trollzyn the Infinite]

And they might've been right in 1787.

But this isn't 1787.

So what do you propose as a middle ground which isn't fully satisfying to anyone but which is tolerable?

That's what I'm asking you. Where is the ideal middle ground between a federal state and a unitary state? I don't necessarily want local governance to be stamped out, but it shouldn't take 60 years to make gay marriage legal across the nation because we have to wait for individual states to rule on it until the Supreme Court steps in. A state should not get to decide on whether or not two consenting adults should be able to get married or, to use a more extreme example, whether or not a black man has a right to live freely or should remain the property of a white man. As far as social progress in the West goes the U.S. has typically been behind the rest of the First World. That suggests there is a very clear problem with the efficiency of the federal system. I would like to see that inefficiency curtailed without necessarily stepping on any toes.

So, to reiterate: on one end you have too much autonomy and on the other end you have too little autonomy, so where is the middle ground?

The answer in 1787 is not necessarily the same answer today, mind you. The U.S. has spent 200 years evolving as a polity since that period.

[Shrillland]

Eugene Goodman and other Capitol Police defenders have been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the second-highest civilian honour behind the Medal of Freedom