My reaction when seeing all the political posts on Jalopnik and Gizmodo

"Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street." (demon-xanth) 01/24/2017 at 10:12 • Filed to: None

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Okay, we get it. You authors don’t like Trump. I come here for car and tech news.

DanimalHouse > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:15

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BorkBorkBjork > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:16

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Really? I thought people came to Gizmodo for confirmation bias.

Tekamul > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:20

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I, for one, don’t wanna pay an extra 35% for that 911

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:20

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Politics touches everything. And this administration is going to put its tiny, filthy hands on anything it can.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:24

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I stopped going to Gizmodo a few months back. Got annoyed when the political posts started out numbering the technology posts.

Mercedes Streeter > BorkBorkBjork 01/24/2017 at 10:28

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All hail Apple!!!

Milky > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:28

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haveacarortwoorthree2 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 10:31

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But if that’s the logic, then Jalopnik should always have been filled with political posts. And it wasn’t. So clearly the hatred of Trump is what’s driving the deluge.

Don’t get me wrong, posts that are specific about what the new administration has said or proposed that relates to cars/transportation are fair game IMO. But the constant drumbeat and insertion of politics where there is no reason to do so is what drives some of us insane.

Wacko > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 10:32

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for Michigan > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:32

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Gizmodo is the new Gawker since Univision took over, it’s disappointing that tech news has been replaced by whatever Gawker was, but not surprising.

On the other hand, I think Jalopnik usually does a good job of sticking to political issues that are relevant to the automotive industry (or the military, since Fox Trot Alpha is a Jalopnik sub-blog), but the stuff that gets crossposted from the other sites gets annoying.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 10:34

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The environment isn’t political?

Trade isn’t political?

Power isn’t political?

Tiny hands and his cronies are going to ruin this country and you’re worried about not having enough car news?

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Wacko 01/24/2017 at 10:35

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Hand is too big.

E90M3 > Tekamul 01/24/2017 at 10:37

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Or an M2, for that matter.

Comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:38

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Along this line...are there other worthy sites like Jalop, Gizmodo, and Lifehacker that aren’t turning into whaa-sites? I love those 3, but the gawker-fication since that disbanding is starting to grate on me.

Wacko > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 10:38

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that was actual size.

fintail > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:39

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Demand a refund. Find a safe space. Or just don’t click.

Those are just alternative fact sites anyway.

ttyymmnn > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 10:40

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The insertion of politics on these sites (Deadspin is even worse) is not driven by the editors of those specific sites. It’s done by the parent organization to drive page views. Like it or not, Trump is all over the news everywhere, from Twitter to FB to Instragram. He’s the hot topic. I don’t think it’s really about politics per se as it is about Trump. He’s hot, he’s controversial, people are talking about him.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Mercedes Streeter 01/24/2017 at 10:41

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No, no, that’s The Verge

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 10:41

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It always kinda has been. Any laws on hybrids or traffic or autonomous cars have been covered extensively. And what about Takata/Dieselgate/Toyota runaways? All are political as well.

If you want to live under a rock, so be it. Don’t click on them. But don’t pretend that politics were never covered before on Jalopnik.

The Ghost of Oppo > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:41

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I mean, Trump talking to auto makers about environmental regulations seems pretty car related to me...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Milky 01/24/2017 at 10:42

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I swear in every photo of him he either looks like he’s straining to take a dump, or looks like he just farted.

Milky > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 10:44

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Or maybe the new administration is doing a lot of car-esque deals and are inserting themselves a lot into people’s lives?

Nah, republicans would never do that.

victor > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 10:44

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There was always political news these past years. Auto bailouts, CAFE requirements, etc. It just happened that the last 8 years were comparatively competent vs the new shitshow

DanimalHouse > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:44

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I feel like I get sucked into The Concourse’s bullshit click bait.

So I turn on ad-block on their page.

heh hheh hhehehhhehhehe...

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:45

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I don’t mind the politics I just hate the amount of biased fear and hate-mongering the media is doing. Instead of “Trump Signs Act to Reduce Women’s Health Aid” it’s “TRUMP SIGNS ANTI-ABORTION LAW WHILE SURROUNDED BY WHITE MEN ” and similar bullshit that does the exact opposite of encouraging productive discussion and instead encourages an us vs. them mentality that seems to be resonating with a disturbing amount of people. Instead of “write your congressman en masse to demand an evaluation and repeal of this act after educating yourself on ALL of the implications of it” it’s “THIS DEMON WILL BE THE END OF US ALL AND EVERYONE WHO VOTED FOR HIM JUST WANT TO SEE YOU HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Fuckers. What happened to the media having a responsibility to the people?

Azrek > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:48

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My apolitical stance has annoyed a few of my friends. I am not sure if this is good? Do they want to brawl or want me in their camp to support their crazy ideas? I like camping...I share marshmallows and claim it is a legitimate strategy.

Berang > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:52

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I get wanting to take a break from politics/news/real world stuff, but ATM it’s going to be basically inescapable. Even on forums I’ve known to be basically apolitical in discussion I’ve seen a few splatters of pro/anti-trump bleating. I can’t really expect anything else. I mean, when an atheist philandering rapist who is the very antithesis of the American dream and Christian values gets nominated by the party that’s ostensibly about pulling oneself up by your bootstraps and adhering to strict Godly morals, then gets elected by a minority of voters in a system he cried was rigged - it’s kind of going to be all over the place.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2017 at 10:52

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He talks a lot and that basically the same thing.

Berang > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 10:53

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Jalopnik always has been filled with politics. You just didn’t care before.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 01/24/2017 at 10:54

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This administration being aggressively anti-science and technology shouldn’t be covered by a science and technology blog?

My bird IS the word > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 10:55

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what kills me is they have had so much legitimate shit to whine about for years (both parties) but it is always the dumb shit that the media whines about. everything is like that . congress argues dumb talking points instead of actually adressing the problems of their particular issue.

I think the government is the original internet forum.

Censored > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 10:57

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You forgot possibly the worst offender in Deadspin. I can see a slight argument that politics relates to cars and or tech, but sports.... Give me a break.

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 10:59

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The thing is that Gizmodo isn’t even doing a good job of covering the science and technology portions. Its just Trump bashing (which fort the record I am OK with, Trump and his administration needs to be called out on their shit but I get tired of seeing it constantly) with no real content. Arstechnica and the like are doing a much better job of covering and explaining the science and technology impacts of this new administration.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > My bird IS the word 01/24/2017 at 11:00

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HEY LET’S IGNORE ANYTHING LEGITIMATLEY POLITICAL AND TALK ENDLESSLY ABOUT HOW UNCOMFORTABLE TRUMP AND HIS WIFE LOOK AT THE INAUGURATION K

PS9 > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 11:02

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This handy little gadget on top of my mouse allows me to totally avoid all the content I don’t want to read. Since getting it, I’ve yet to click on a single article I didn’t want to see. It’s amazing! You should get one!

haveacarortwoorthree2 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/24/2017 at 11:03

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Did you even read what I wrote? Of course political issues that related to car/transportation were covered, and I even wrote they should continue to be covered. But politics was not inserted into posts where it simply was not relevant, unlike now.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 11:04

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And I get a full dose of that news elsewhere. If it relates to cars/transportation, it should be covered on Jalopnik (and I specifically made that point).

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 01/24/2017 at 11:07

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Then Giz just needs better writers.

The post about tiny hands AG pick wanting to give police an encryption back door is absolutely something that should be covered.

And I am weary of all the negative press surrounding #tinyhandstakeover as well. But we can ignore them while fuck everything up, or we can stay informed and keep demanding they do a better job.

Since they have said on record they don’t like hearing all the negative press they have two choices: Stop making people angry at them, or quit.

I will give them praise when it’s due, which so far hasn’t happened much. They did back out of the TPP, which I disagreed with Obama about. That is good. The TPP had way too much draconian control over how other sovereign nations handled US IP and ceded power to corporations over a country. We should still try and work on a trade agreement with that region however. Just not one as bad as the TPP.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > Berang 01/24/2017 at 11:08

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Jalopnik wasn’t filled with politics. Stories with political implications were covered, and I thought typically covered in an even-handed and fair fashion. As I wrote, I think those stories should be covered here if they relate to cars and transportation (or on Foxtrot Alfa regarding military issues). But now there seems to be just straight political takes (which I can either read or not read, my choice) or the insertion of politics into posts where politics otherwise are not particularly relevant, which is what I was pointing out.

My bird IS the word > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 11:10

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D: HERP DERP WHEN IS TRUMP GOING TO MAKE JEWS AND BLACKS ILLEGAL

R: NUH UHH HES GONNA B A BETTER PRESIDENT THEN ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND GEORGE WASHINGTON

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 11:11

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Everything Jalopnik has covered relates to cars and transportation.

They cross post other stuff and done so for ages. Don’t like that, then don’t click on those articles. Or leave.

Either way, you’re on a liberal group of websites who have always had a specific view when it comes politics. Keep clicking or go away.

The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 11:12

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The media doesn’t care. They want clicks, page views, higher engagement. It’s all about money, with a healthy dose of advancing their preferred political agenda. No one in power wants the average person to be aware of the real issues because then there will be accountability.

Chariotoflove > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 11:14

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Yes, the political bias is wearying, but what really drives me away is the meanness and negativity. I’m turned off by snarky pot shots, whether taken at Trump, Clinton, or anybody. It’s just bad manners, and it’s not even useful political discourse. Mean spirited sarcasm seldom seldom does little more than harden the dividing lines between sides.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > BorkBorkBjork 01/24/2017 at 11:15

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It’s like Gawker, Jezebel, etc. I think it applies to practically every major site I can think of under the Gawker umbrella.

haveacarortwoorthree2 > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 11:19

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See, you really are part of the problem. Trying to have a reasonable discussion with you is not possible. “Keep clicking or go away” is your response to rational discourse. This is one reason why the Democrats lost the election. People like you assume that I voted for Trump because I point out that all this crap being thrown around isn’t productive. Actually, I detest Trump, Carl Icahn, and the other members of his kitchen cabinet. I’ve sued one or more of those people on behalf of clients. I wouldn’t have voted for Trump if he literally would have been the only candidate running. As that doesn’t fit into your pigeonhole, though, your response is “leave.” And that’s one of the ways that we all got to this point in the first place.

Milky > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 11:31

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I mean, the “men” part of that is actually important to the conversation though.

Berang > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 11:33

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No, really, it has always been that way. That the political stories are relating to Trump is new of course, but the non-car political filler has always been present on jalopnik. That’s just how gawker worked.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Milky 01/24/2017 at 11:35

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Just for the record, that dude isn’t a republican. Not that we’ve had any in decades, but he’s definitely not one. I’d describe him more as a classic democrat ala FDR and/or Kennedy (in fact, he’s kind of a hybrid of both)... Hell, his closest friends in DC are old democrats.

I don’t even know how he got the nomination, he’s that off the wall. Then again, the democrats got fairly close to nominating a guy that doesn’t usually even identify as a democrat... This was a really oddball cycle and the world will get a lot weirder if you liked the world we lived in for the last 15+ years.

Milky > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 11:46

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He may not be Republican in the sense of the last couple decades, but thats still very different from where republicans were 100 years ago. I’d define it currently as “tea party”.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 01/24/2017 at 11:55

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The past administrations have been heavily involved in backdoors in encryption. There have been repeated instances where the NSA has added back doors, governments have declared strong encryption a weapon (the reason garbage SSL encryption was widespread for so long was that stronger encryption keys were illegal).

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 11:58

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They quit that long ago. The major media outlets are the de facto propaganda wing of the democratic party. They’ve been acting in this capacity for at least 25-30 years now. None of them would hire the old guys that were still reporting the news without bias when I was a small child.

This is how the “alt-right” media came about. There was nowhere to go to get unbiased news. Combine that with the low barrier to entry of the internet and you end up with groups that independently support a different ideology.

I currently get more accurate news from libertarian and minarchist sources than I do from any popular source. My hope has been that Trump’s administration would ban the big corporate media from access, then have a drawing for space in the big media room for anyone else interested. I’d love to see legitimate new organizations grow and the big guys fall for their hubris (much like their anointed candidate).

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Tekamul 01/24/2017 at 12:12

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Ultimately, you probably won’t. If sales decline enough, they’ll start building them in the US and the price will probably drop due to the feedback loop that building them in the US would create.

Even without tariffs, the Japanese started building in the US because it was better for their bottom line. Similar tariffs, along with different tastes, are why US automakers build cars in other countries. M-B and BMW found it was better for their bottom lines to build SUVs in the US, too.

Tekamul > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 12:34

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Porsche sells far more 911 outside the US than inside. They’re not going to double up tooling costs just to sell them here. At best, they would de-content and suffer the tariffs, or only sell the super special editions, that command whatever price they want.

Japanese manufacturers moved production to the US initially because of quotas in the 80s, which were agreed to in place of tariffs, as they had the same effect.

SUV manufacturing is here because it is the primary market.

And the real reason I won’t be paying a 35% tariff on imported cars, is because as much as the wind bag says it, he couldn’t enact it. At this point, such a high tariff(pretty much anything above 15% without a complex structure) would run counter to existing agreements and would be a trade violation, and would be settled by an independent, international arbiter.

But I don’t expect him to know any of that.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Milky 01/24/2017 at 12:51

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He’s definitely not tea party. Those guys were distinctly different. Ron Paul is a quintessential tea party politician, which stands in stark contrast to what we got.

I’ve really locked on to the belief that FDR and JFK are the closest one can compare him to. He’s very similar to FDR in so many ways that it’s hard to see anything else for me - the twitter activity is a modern incarnation of a fireside chat, both protectionists, both populists, both isolationists (to some extent), etc. I also see strong shades of JFK in the celebrity status and wealth, the mysterious way the people ignore flagrant disregard for morality, etc.

I can’t find a single historic republican leader in the last century that has any strong similarities.

I’m curious to see if this ends up being a short-lived shift or a long-term one, with everything dragged more to the center as a result. The democrats seem to be doubling down on being out-of-touch, so it could be very interesting times.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > My bird IS the word 01/24/2017 at 13:16

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Still waiting for Obama to take my guns.

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Milky 01/24/2017 at 13:24

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The funny thing is that I’m fairly certain that’s the Mexico City policy which has fuck-all to do with telling women what they can do with their reproductive organs but that’s the spin the media is putting on it. My girlfriend was parroting this until I showed her the verbatim text of the Mexico City policy which is:

““[T]he United States does not consider abortion an acceptable element of family planning programs and will no longer contribute to those of which it is a part. …[T]he United States will no longer contribute to separate nongovernmental organizations which perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning in other nations.””

I showed her that quote and her response was “Oh. That’s not what it sounded like at all.” As I read it the policy prevents US dollars from funding clinics that promote abortion in lieu of contraceptives. Clinics can still perform abortions and are encouraged to in instances where it is life threatening, the result of rape, incest, etc. but are also encouraged to educate that while abortion is available contraceptives should still always be used instead of relying on abortions as a crutch to never wrap it.

But no. A group of evil old white men is making it impossible for women to get contraceptives and abortions.

Sources:

http://kff.org/global-health-policy/fact-sheet/mexico-city-policy-explainer/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexico_City_policy

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) 01/24/2017 at 13:28

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Example: All these articles about Trump signing the Mexico City Policy back into effect and I have seen MAYBE one article that even so much as links to the actual text of the policy instead of reframing it. I thought it was fucking horrid until I did some research and realized how amazingly it was being re-phrased.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > haveacarortwoorthree2 01/24/2017 at 13:38

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My point is you know how these sites approach political discourse. If you don’t like it, then don’t come here and complain about it.

Having a civil discussion about it is what we are doing. I’m not telling you to leave because I do not agree with you. I’m saying you’ve chosen to comment here so deal with the editors decisions or find somewhere else to comment. I don’t go to brightfart and complain about their lack of liberal opinions.

Milky > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 13:41

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Wait, whats your point? That its not bad? From the wiki you linked:

A study of nations in sub-Saharan Africa suggests that unintended pregnancies increased and abortions approximately doubled while the policy was in effect.

Good job evil old white men.

*Exposure to the Mexico City Policy was classified as high or low according to whether the level of per capita financial assistance provided to the country...

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 13:44

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Did I say anything about them? I am aware that no administration has been perfect in this regard. I disagreed with Obama about that and readily admit it. However tiny hands is saying abjectly terrible things about our rights online and I fear they will make it very hard to protect ourselves from draconian policy

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Milky 01/24/2017 at 13:53

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For the life of me I can’t understand why that would happen unless the amount of clinics that fell afoul of the policy was so large and so dependant on government funding that they had to shut down.

It seems noble enough in its intentions; to encourage contraceptives as family planning and prevent miseducation about abortion as a primary after-the-fact contraceptive but I honestly can’t figure out what’s causing those graphs to happen unless there’s a third or fourth set of factors. I’d like to see the graph continue when the policy was no longer in effect. Could simply be less people dying of AIDS/Malaria/STDs = more people around to get pregnant.

I remain skeptical.

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > Tekamul 01/24/2017 at 13:58

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The simple solution to that problem is never to have enough money to buy a 911 in the first place. Advantage: poors

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > Berang 01/24/2017 at 13:59

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He’s not atheist! He loves the Bible. Two Corintians is the best book. God’s the best. Everyone says so.

IanZ - limited-slip indifferential > Demon-Xanth knows how to operate a street. 01/24/2017 at 14:02

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I don’t care about politics in things, because politics affect mostly everything. But they do need a singular blog for political stories, and if they happen to be about cars or technology, then fine, share them over. Right now it’s spread across like five blogs and it’s too much I tell ya.

Milky > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 14:13

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facts

I remain skeptical

The cool thing about wiki is the sources! Maybe read up dood.

I just copied this from a 2010 paper on it:

80% of subSaharan Africa’s population lives in rural areas that would be without basic health services if not for the outreach programs of reproductive health clinics. These same clinics, which counsel, perform abortions and educate people about the procedure, also provide prenatal care, childhood immunizations, protection against malaria, contraception materials and education on and medication for HIV/AIDS. When the funding to these clinics was compromised by the Mexico City Policy, it wasn’t abortion services, but these critical health services, that were being primarily affected; using U.S. funds to pay for abortion procedures overseas has been illegal since the Helms Amendment of 1973 (Klink, 2004). The Mexico City Policy was implemented not in the interests of internationally agreed upon development goals or in the interests of improving public health, but like other imposed policies that carry economic and social ramifications the Mexico City Policy was used by Reagan and Bush to push their ideological agenda onto developing nations, even if it meant playing politics with women’s lives.

Tekamul > IanZ - limited-slip indifferential 01/24/2017 at 14:19

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I’ve been going with that move for a while now. So far, so good. Also, the phrase Advantage: poors is criminally underused. Not sure why.....

Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > Milky 01/24/2017 at 14:27

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But why was the funding compromised? I just wish I could see the actual reasons given for de-funding these places because the only reason covered by the bill itself is

“abortion as a method of family planning”

which seems like an excessively simple thing to change or skirt around in order to retain funding.

My bird IS the word > Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To 01/24/2017 at 15:57

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He did sign a bunch of dumb import executive orders that didn’t help. 

190octane > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 01/24/2017 at 19:24

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This is insulting to FDR and JFK who actually cared about the people they were serving and tried to do things to benefit everyone, not just a select few.

Trump doesn’t compare to anyone because we’ve never had such a narcissistic man child as president before.

190octane > Tekamul 01/24/2017 at 19:28

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Because the poors have basically no advantages.