Trinsec @Qoto @trinsec@qoto.org

@torresjrjr Semi-good point. I've already accepted that the Google Overlords know everything about me (for now). Doesn't mean others need to know too, though!

That said, how well does OpenBoard work with multiple languages used interchangely? That was a major reason to go for Gboard.

@freemo So far I don't know how to respond to this. I've tried to let this concept sink in, but it's so fundamentally different from what I've been raised with that I still don't know whether I agree or disagree with this. :P

My gut response is kinda 'Well, if you were allowed guns and are in a bad neighbourhood... then those bad hoodlums will have a bigger chance of carrying guns as well, escalating the situation and possibly putting you in a worse position.'

After all, isn't USA having the most gun incidents per amount of people in the world?

That said, I have a Norwegian buddy who owns over 20 rifles/guns, legally.. and Norway isn't really known as a violent country. Okay, except for that one rightwing mad guy almost a decade ago.

USA has a serious mentality issue methinks. :P

@dankmaximus @mur2501

@freemo For sure. Like I've mentioned to someone else before, we are doing coalition politics (poldermodel) so well that we can't make decisions at all, so we can't make terrible decisions either! 😋

@mur2501 @dankmaximus

@mur2501 Mmm, I would say we have the same trend as USA. The large cities are usually more left-inclined. The rural areas are more right. My city is definitely left. I'm sure the Americans would call us communists. 😋
Personally I'm more center-left.

Do keep in mind that American left and right aren't quite comparable to ours. What for us is left and right, is for them left and left.

@freemo @dankmaximus

@freemo Yes, I meant the other half! 😋
@Hyolobrika @dankmaximus @mur2501

@freemo What if half California decided to demonstrate in front of the Capitol instead? Maybe even go inside for a few selfies? 😋
(thanks for the correction)
@Hyolobrika @dankmaximus @mur2501

@Hyolobrika I've told my friends regularly that USA is gotten too big for its own good in these modern times. You can see clearly where the polarization lies at:

The crowded East and West coasts tend to be Democratically-inclined. The quieter rural center is mostly Republican. And with the current polarization going on, it sounds more and more like they want to become their own nations instead.

There also had been talks (mostly idle threats so far) of a few large states wanting to secede in the last decade. Who knows, maybe it'll become reality. I wouldn't be too surprised at least if that were the case.

@dankmaximus @freemo @mur2501

@freemo In the 90's (and earlier) we considered USA to be quite the pinnacle of freedom. It got squandered bigtime after 9/11. I can understand why USA went the way it went, but... I also can't understand why it went overboard. I can only say I left on time.

And my reasoning with guns is the following:
If my neighbour gets a gun and carries it all the time (let's say that's allowed), would I feel as free to have an argument with him? Or should I need to get a gun of my own first, show my neighbour that I own one too, before I can start an argument with him?

After all, it would not be a level playing field anymore if I wouldn't get a gun as well.

I know American friends who don't want a gun. But because the wife is black, the area they live in is racistic (gotten worse under Trump), they are considering getting one for her safety. Is that freedom? REAL freedom? Or is it peer pressure in a vicious circle?

@dankmaximus @mur2501

@dankmaximus I've removed a few toots of my own before I clicked 'Toot!' because I'm not in the mood to escalate this conversation much myself. :P

You seem rather young to me with those ideals. I've lived in the USA for 4 years about 2 decades ago (basically right before the shitstorm era started).
Nice country to visit (especially when you're white to begin with), wouldn't mind going there again for a holiday (provided a non-crazy is at top). Would absolutely not want to live there because there's a shitton of socio-economic issues they have to fix.

If you read in our Dutch news about minorities not getting all the help they deserve.. Just imagine it 10-100 times worse than that, and you've got exactly what USA has.

The only thing I wouldn't mind importing is the ADA law.

And I don't view weapons as freedom, FYI.

@freemo @mur2501

@dankmaximus Have you even checked the elections? A few million more people want Biden over Trump.

So you're basically saying that because a boistorous minority (because that's what they are at this point) want Trump, the winners should just give it all up and give the Trump-supporters what they want? Why the fuck did they even have elections to begin with?

Also, what dictatorship? 😜

@freemo @mur2501

@dankmaximus
Wij hebben wel meer ondersteuning in onze vrijheid. We hoeven geen miljonairs te zijn om een goede opleiding en gezondheid te hebben. Daarin zijn zij vrij om te gaan creperen in armoe en gezondsheidproblemen.

Je bent daar eigenlijk echt vrij als je rijk bent, maar de 'Amerikaanse Droom' komt maar heel weinig voor tegenwoordig. Ze blijven er steeds naar refereren, maar kennen nog grotere armoe dan wij.

@freemo @mur2501

@hansw Hey, the poldermodel works!

It works so well that we just can't make decisions, so we can't decide bad stuff either!

@dankmaximus Ah, that's why those people had so much fun around the capitol recently... pure democracy at work! 😋
@freemo @mur2501

@freemo You mean that thing that my country happens to have more of than your country does? 😋
@dankmaximus @mur2501

@dankmaximus Wait, why the holy fuck would we want the USA constitution? 😋
@mur2501 @freemo

@freemo Yeah, it was a total clusterfuck.

@freemo Euh... the police would throw flash bombs or tear gas unannounced into the public, but never told them to leave. It was not clear what was asked of the public?

I dunno, but if flash bombs or tear gas were thrown at me, it'd be goddamn obvious I probably should leave...

@freemo Just to make sure, it is the one known as 'spekkies' here? The yellow and pink ones (usually).

The marshed variation anyway. :P

@mur2501 Marshed melons?
@freemo

@JonathanMBR For some reason this looks nice serene.