FORUM COMMUNITY OMNIBUS AMA THREAD

[Antonio the Sixth]

...or don't if you don't want to , but the point is that these threads should probably be started here rather than in the religion board (especially since the latest ones don't even discuss anything related to religion).



ok guys forum community is not just some truck you can dump threads on its a series of tubes and when you all spam a bunch of ask threads it clogs up the tubes for everyone else

here is an AMA thread for everyone. for sake of convenience please put the person's name you're asking a question to in bold at te top of the post. You can ask anyone anything but probably you should only ask people who are actively answering questions because otherwise maybe they won't get answered

ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS AT TIME OF MERGER: Del Tachi, Indy Texas, Hockey Dude, Mechaman, BRTD, Dubya, Vosem, Grumps, Rockingham, Anton Kreitzer, Thomas Jefferson, Dick Cheney, Miles, Scott, Antonio, Gass, RR1997, Snowstalker, Xahar, Matt, Goldwater, Sanchez, Hashemite, Beaver, Dr Cynic

gl;hf

BK

[Antonio the Sixth]

What is your mother's maiden name?

It begins with a R (just like my family name begins with a V).

What is your password?

kalwejtisanidiot

Social Security Number?

Don't have one right now, but I'll tell you as soon as I get my Green Card.

What is your credit card and cvv number?

1234-5678-9999-1010

No but to ask a real question, when are you coming to Sweden so we can bicker about EU federalism over some beer or wine and I give you a tour over my beloved home country's Socialist workings in action?

Pretty soon I hope! I've actually wanted to visit the Scandinavians for quite a long time, but as most of my plans these haven't gone very far (my friends were planning a trip to Copenhagen this summer, but they abandoned it ). Anyway, I'll keep you up for sure! It will be after the SAP comes back to power, so that's even better.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Can you play any musical instruments?

Nope.

Nice, Copenhagen is basically just around the corner from where I live.
Haha, well of course, well of course. So maybe next summer then. (You should really avoid it in winter, even when SAP is in government)

Yes, I absolutely HATE cold so I did think about avoiding winter.

What is your stance on nuclear power?

It makes sense as a short-term alternative in the transition from polluting to renewable energies. However, it's certainly not sustainable in the long term, considering both the danger in the case something goes wrong (of course most plants are secure and it takes extraordinary circumstances for an incident to happen - but history has shown that even if they happens only once in a decade they can have disastrous effects) and the issue of what to do with the wastes. Ideally, it should be phased out as renewable energies are increasingly developed.

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My father was born and raised in Italy; my mother was born and raised in France but her parents were Italian as well; I lived in Italy until I was 4 and have lived in France since then. I can forgive you for having missed some of this.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Do you think that Hash's GIFs are getting sort of stale?

Never.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Do you still think Amanda Todd should have exercised self-restraint/personal responsibility?

[Antonio the Sixth]

What is your opinion of modern democratic party and its future? Is there any candidate you'd find palatable for 2016?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Have you ever seen Countdown?

Not that I'm aware of.

Can I have your babies?

I don't know, can you?

Does anyone in your extended family have Mafia connections?

Actually, yes. My father is apparently related to some Andreotti henchman.

Would you have seen The Red Wedding coming if you had been Robb? Be honest now

I probably wouldn't have seen it coming, no. However, I also wouldn't have been stupid enough to betray my oath to Walder Frey to begin with. Not only was it terrible publicity for me and terrible politics for the war I was fighting, but also because I'm a Stark, and I must keep an oath regardless of whom it's sworn to or why. Also, the problem of living in a pseudo-medieval barbaric patriarchal society where arranged marriages are commonplace is somewhat compensated (at least from my perspective) by living in a pseudo-medieval barbaric patriarchal society where men (or at least Lords/Kings) are expected to have mistresses - so I can easily love Talisa without having to marry her. I wouldn't have beheaded Lord Karstark either, but really everyone with half a brain wouldn't have done that.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Have you ever heard of Afrikaners?

[Antonio the Sixth]

lel

Will you ever stop doing that?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Do you think that ideological politics is on the decline in Europe, or specifically in France and Italy? In particular, what do you understand to be the reasons for the long-term decline of avowedly Socialist parties and candidates?

Well, it's hard to claim that ideological politics isn't on the decline... At this point, it has become a widely acknowledged reality.

As to why that is the case, it's obviously a very complex issue, but I believe the fundamental causes are correctly identified among social trends in western societies (increasing individual autonomy, rise of communication, values increasingly centered on self-fulfillment rather than collective achievement, etc.). Ideology, like other forms of collective spirit, seems to simply have become less important in a person's life than it used to be. I'm aware that's probably a major exaggeration/oversimplification, but I think it's the best summary I can come up with considering my lack of knowledge of the detail of these processes. The prevailing model of party that has emerged in relation to this decline of ideologies has been described as a "catch-all party", a sort of big tent that caters to a series of specific interests without basing itself on an all-encompassing worldview. I don't know how much of this shift is inevitable, and I want to hope that there are still ways in which parties can still convey (and find an interest in conveying) meaningful political ideas in modern times.

[Antonio the Sixth]

How would you describe your ideology these days? Is it still evolving, and if so, in which direction?

[Antonio the Sixth]

How would a political party win your vote in a positive sense other than by appealing to you specifically as a social democrat?

To be honest, it doesn't take much for a party to win my vote. I always think of my electoral decisions in relative and practical sense: which party, among those with a reasonable chance of winning power, could enact policies I'm more favorable/less opposed to? Or alternatively, which party with a serious chance of gaining representation could push for ideas and principles closer to mine? I have more or less given up the hope to be attracted positively to a party based on its political views or its platform, although this still occasionally happens. What I value most in a progressive party is its ability to reclaim ideas/proposals/debates that the left is typically too afraid or conformist to take up, and to do so in a form that is articulate and understanding of the complexities of modern world, rather than with a populistic and simplistic tone. In short, what I find absolutely necessary is to develop a serious challenge to the neoliberal consensus that pervades modern political discourse - serious in that it is more than angry rants about how everything is so unfair or a rehashing of pseudomarxist blabber.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Who are you?

[Antonio the Sixth]

How did you ascend to the PASOK leadership, and how were you robbed of it by the usurper Papandreou? We never got the details.

[Antonio the Sixth]

For example, I support public healthcare despite it going against my otherwise individualist leaning views.

Was this shift prompted by a specific event in your life where you personally experienced the benefits of public healthcare or the problems caused by a lack of it?

[Antonio the Sixth]

lel

Will you ever stop doing that?

I have no plans to do so.

Are you aware of the degree to which you are being a pain in the ass?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Sneakers O'Tool vs Jesus?

[Antonio the Sixth]

I always have supported these programs even in my most far-right phase because they are partially paid for by the beneficiary through the taxes they pay. It didn’t click with me until a year ago that a public healthcare system would more or less be paid for through the same way, just like roads, ports, and education.

Doesn't this describe how almost all social insurance programs (including public pensions, unemployment insurance, etc.) work?

[Antonio the Sixth]

How is your romance with Subway Prole going?

[Antonio the Sixth]

What's the point of this thread if you keep dodging important questions?

[Antonio the Sixth]

No more questions?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Opebo vs. Ingress?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Who are you supporting in the 2016 Democratic primaries besides Bernie Sanders?

I really don't know, tbh. I fear the election is going to be fairly depressing for me compared to 2008 and 2012... I guess I could get myself behind someone like Gillibrand, or O'Malley. Schweitzer seemed great before his remarks about Cantor.

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Unless Sanders runs as a third party candidate, yes, I will obviously support the democrat. Though to be honest I wouldn't mind a half-sane Republican (like Jeb Bush) winning, as this could give the Democrats enough time to rebuild themselves and take back many governorships and State legislatures in time for the 2020 redistricting cycle.

What someone can do in France with a political science degree if he is not a political party hack?

Research, I guess. Actually, almost all the research spots are taken as well, so I have very little ideas what I will actually do once I get my PhD. But I've always considered every step at its time, so at this point I can only focus at finishing my Master's and getting admitted to Berkeley or Stanford. That's already not going to be too easy...

How would you vote for in an election between The Obamanation and Marine Le Pen?

I'd immediately leave the country (which is something I already plan on doing) if presented which such a choice.

[Antonio the Sixth]

And what is your opinion of Opebo?

[Antonio the Sixth]

Why were you looking for Katy Perry there?