From the "How dare you consider neoliberalism a bad thing" files

Today, as is my wont, I was wandering around the Way of the Bern subreddit, and I came across a thread about recent trolling of that site by Clinton/DNC supporters. One comment struck me as heartbreaking. A woman spoke about how she had been cut off by many of her wealthy "limousine liberal" friends, because she refused to sing the praises of Hillary Clinton.

The individual in question has gone through some tough times, and according to her comment is not in the same socio-economc strata as her "life-long" friends.

Some excerpts from her her comments:

Because of my background, all my old friends are limousine liberals. It was startling, when my family experienced numerous tragedies and traumas during the years of the Obama administration due directly or indirectly to his governing and policies. They simply refused to make the connection, refused to accept it when I explained how one of his policies had led to our suffering in a direct and material way. My oldest friend in the world, who has known me since high school, so known me since I was a truly hardcore leftist (I retreated into the mainstream in college, a woman who gave me the nursing rocker for my infant daughter that is still in her room now, when she is away at college), tried to badger me into cheering on Hillary in the Clinton-Trump debates, and when I refused, she hung up on me. We have not spoken since. I do not think we ever will. [...]

Even recognizing as I do how neoliberal ideology renders all relationships transactional, and all community monetarily determined and market-defined, I still can't quite accept how effectively it severs people from one other, from any kind of human decency and human fellowship.

An experience that I expect has occurred to many people who have family or friends that are dyed-in-the wool Democrats come hell or Hillary Clinton. It might have ended there, but her comment was picked up by Top Minds of Reddit, where it was linked as follows:

TopMinds have a unique opinion about "neoliberals" -- "neoliberal ideology renders all relationships transactional, and all community monetarily determined and market-defined"

When one subredddit site links to another, an automated bot posts that link in the original subreddit's thread. Being the curious person that I am, I clicked on the link and the very first comment I read was, shall we say, less than charitable to people like the woman who posted her comment at WOTB. It seems the individual who posted it took offense at the use of the term neoliberal to imply that a person who self-identifies as one holds views that are harmful to the majority of the people outside the top 10 percentile of income.

Here is how that individual began their response:

Neoliberal is actually the most infuriating buzzword on the internet.

99.9% of the time the term is used the user is a disabled Berntard that has no idea what it means.

To this day I don't think I've ever even seen the term neoliberal used correctly, every time someone throws it at me I ask them to define it and they can't.

He or she then cited the definition of term from the "neoliberal sub," which I suppose is a subreddit where self-identifying neoliberals go to talk among themselves. That definition given for "neoliberal" was very flattering. and I won't bother reciting it here. I frankly don't care what labels people give to the global elites, liberal or not, who advance policies that favor free markets and capitalism over the needs of most people.

No, what bothered me was the defamatory and negative slur this person used, where he or she stated that "99.9% of the time the term is used the user is a disabled Berntard..."

As someone who is disabled and a former Bernie Sander's supporter, I found that remark outrageous in the extreme. So I responded to it as follows:

Hard to respond to someone who begins their comment with a defamatory slur:

"99.9% of the time the term is used the user is a disabled Berntard that has no idea what it means."

As a disabled individual with a disabled spouse, both of us Bernie Sanders supporters, and as a person who has known developmentally disabled people including one of my nephews, I find your attitude lacking in compassion, empathy and simple ordinary respect for the dignity of all people.

In case the thread or my comment is deleted I took a screenshot of the page where this "conversation" appeared.

Sadly, I find that, at least online, this is a common response to anyone who refuses to accept the current policies of the Democratic Party have harmed the vast majority of its citizens, all while claiming that Democrats care about people. We saw this with Hillary Clinton, and her "deplorables" comment, and I've seen "Berntard" used before, or variations equally as foul. Just one more sign that for many of the top ten percent in this country, and certainly the elite establishment of the Democratic Party, do not have our interests at heart, and indeed don't want to be reminded that they are the people responsible for much of what is wrong with this world, including the election of Donald Trump.

This is why they lie and slander us. They have convinced themselves that a system that heavily benefits them (the few) at the expense of the many (the rest of us) must be good, and that therefore that any legitimate criticism of their ideology is irrational, deluded, abd laughable, at best. They don't care if we are suffering and that their perverted ideology is to blame. A fictional movie character says it best:

"If you think for one second the Capitol will ever treat us fairly, you are lying to yourselves. Because we know who they are and what they do ..."

(Quote begins at the 1:00 mark of video)

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8emfMm-sr2g&list=PLjrOHSp_GEfc-TckaetPoR...

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reasons I will never join Facebook or use social media other than this site really. I do not want to know just how many of my own "friends" carry attitudes such as this, as I do not want to know how many of them might indeed be closet Trump supporters. And while that is somewhat of a chicken shit attitude in my mind, I know good and well I'd lose many friends. Then again, the attitude I have today wonders why in hell I would care if I lost people such as these?

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur

I stumbled into this when I defended someone whose views I didn't agree with, but whom I thought was unfairly attacked, and I got crucified in the responses. Since then, I've been utterly appalled and disgusted by similar things. It's bad enough that they accept without question or evidence anything bad about Trump and his team, but the animosity toward Bernie and his supporters is unfathomable to me. They're just as bad--in treating those who disagree with them, and in believing anything negative about public figures whose politics they disagree with--as the RW media they decry and feel so superior to.

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Liz

Steven D's picture

@lizbeeo have never been spoken, or in this case written.

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

@lizbeeo

She was not supposed to have a credible primary challenge. She was supposed to be treated the way they've treated incumbent Democratic Presidents since Kennedy's challenge to Carter allegedly cost Carter the election (yet another New Democrat fairy tale).

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@HenryAWallace @HenryAWallace It is a fairy tale--but I do think there would have been a better chance if Carter and Kennedy had buried the hatchet, for four years at least, and run on the same ticket.

I know it would have been impossible because they hated each other, but given that both of them genuinely cared, I think, about the country, it seems not too great a sacrifice to ask. And it would have made a win at least possible, if not probable.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Amanda Matthews's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal @Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal
many people decided old Teddy wasn't fit for the Oval Office. He was a chickenshit gutless weasel regardless of anything he ever did to try to make up for his cowardice and lies. When it was time for old Teddy to show the world what he was made of and what his priorities were, the world got this:

Because I can't get an image to paste on this pkace for anything, here's the freaking link:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TeddyVWad.jpg

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I'm tired of this back-slapping "Isn't humanity neat?" bullshit. We're a virus with shoes, okay? That's all we are. - Bill Hicks

Politics is the entertainment branch of industry. - Frank Zappa

TheOtherMaven's picture

@Amanda Matthews
My personal take was, better to have him as one of 100 senators than as the One And Only Man At The Top. 99 other people to pick up the load if he punks out, whereas...

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There is no justice. There can be no peace.

@TheOtherMaven Exactly. His blood alcohol content was zero by the time he showed up to say there was a dead lady in his car in the water.
Do not leave the scene of a wreck unless you are among TPTB.

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"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@lizbeeo Equally, they're just as bad in terms of irrational argument based largely on character attacks and logical fallacies, all in defense of some leader most of them have never met, as the right wing.

Since last November, I'm having a hard time seeing the difference.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Alligator Ed's picture

may portend the neoliberal retreating into a defensive position because they know the tide is going to sweep them away. The tide is rising and will be incoming within a year, maybe two. And with that tide the mainstream (read establishment) Democrats will be swept away with it like castles in the sand. This is not to say that Progressives will necessarily win, but if we don't the Republicans will.

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earthling1's picture

to convince us to support herr highness.
A glaring lack of intelligence.

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Neither Russia nor China is our enemy.
Neither Iran nor Venezuela are threatening America.
Cuba is a dead horse, stop beating it.

Lily O Lady's picture

@earthling1

on the social tool of bullying to effect social compliance. In order for bullying to work, the practitioner must be implacable. Of course it can backfire.

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

@Lily O Lady

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Lily O Lady's picture

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Lily O Lady

Maybe not so much lacking intelligence as relying on the social tool of bullying to effect social compliance. In order for bullying to work, the practitioner must be implacable. Of course it can backfire.

Especially in the publicly readable Internet, where all it takes to neutralize such bullying is to call the bullies out as trying to befuddle with bullshit because they lack brilliance to baffle us with.

Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Lily O Lady Uh, yeah. It can.

2016_Presidential_Election_by_Vote_Distribution_Among_States.svg_.png

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

You know how they always say Libertarians are Republicans who smoke pot? I'm starting to believe Democrats are becoming Republicans with a minority or LGBT friend.

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Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter As I said before, LGBT folks are the equivalent of a Democratic politician's fashion accessory these days. Like a flag lapel pin.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

thanatokephaloides's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal

As I said before, LGBT folks are the equivalent of a Democratic politician's fashion accessory these days. Like a flag lapel pin.

But you'd be better off as a flag lapel pin. LGBT folks will find themselves securely ejected to the garbage bin the second they don't cough up the expected gigadollars.

Take that to the bank. Bad

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal n/t

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Idolizing a politician is like believing the stripper really likes you.

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Dr. John Carpenter Good one, btw!

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Thumb's picture

One point that might be of interest - the OP that posted the thread to Top Minds is a noted Sock Puppet runner. We got him suspended for harassing our readers, and after he came back another sub busted him running socks:

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheRecordCorrected/comments/596sgp/sockpuppet_p...

So reddit permanently bans him, and he immediately comes back as user therecordcorrected as a tweak to the sub (by the same name) that busted parts of his sock operation. So now he really has a thing for us, and links to us 2-3 times a day.

We've also caught him making outrageous comments in dead threads under one of his socks, upvoting by other of his socks, and then linking to it with breathless headlines; "OMG These people are crazy! Look what they allow now!!"

He's also fond of homophobic and sexist taunts and slurs, so no surprise his followers (or maybe his socks, can't be sure) would think "disabled Berntard" is clever.

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"Polls don't tell us how well a candidate is doing; Polls tell us how well the media is doing." ~ Me

Steven D's picture

@Thumb @Thumb for providing a little context.

Hard to believe that people still find it acceptable to stigmatize disabled people, regardless of their disability, but the world's a nasty place sometimes, filed with small and ugly minds.

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Steven D Remember back in the early 80s, when the far right started ignoring civility and saying the ugliest things possible about their opponents? and when it got popularized in mainstream culture by shock jocks (not necessarily the Republican part of it, but the shitty abusive bullying part?)

It's just come to live in Democratic circles now.

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

snoopydawg's picture

@Thumb
and saw how intolerant he was and how people tried to put him in his place. The ole "don't feed the trolls" line is a good idea. If people quit engaging with him, he might go away.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

mimi's picture

@Thumb

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Deja's picture

I hope I don't piss off anyone by feeling this way, but I see it as another little nugget of BWAHAHAHAA!

I'll add "disabled Berntard" to the list of things I've now been called since the curtain was pulled back, exposing the hideous monster(s) running the con game show. BernieBro is still my favorite.

I'm just glad I'm no longer in the camp that feels superior to people who are different, or who have different beliefs. I feel sorry for the ones who haven't seen behind the curtain, but know that I too was once like them, so I try to remember that. Not always easy, but I try. (I still laugh at the mean ones, though.)

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Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

@Deja Putin lover!

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

Deja's picture

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal I must admit, while Putin had absolutely nothing to do with their creation, I have loved Matryoshka dolls since I saw my first as a little girl.

Good enough for neolibs, I'm sure.

I also have to admit that if Killary and he were running against each other for anything, except for maybe Head Portable Toilet Cleaner, I'd be forced to vote for the Rooskie!

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Just use their very own term, "New Democrat."

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The Aspie Corner's picture

With people like these claiming to be Democrats, who needs the Republicans?

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Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.

Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@The Aspie Corner

Call me a 'Disabled Berntard' then.

I, too, resemble that remark! Wink

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"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Strife Delivery's picture

Most of the time, people who are called this try to deflect away from it. They view it as an insult, which well it is. However, first and foremost, it is an economic philosophy. So, reality is, you're being insulted because of the economic stance you hold on to. Most people who throw out the term neoliberal at someone do know what it means. It seems that those who received said term do not.

Or rather, they know what the term means they just don't think it applies to them as Democrats. They don't see themselves with the financialization of our economy, of the austerity, of the deregulation, of the privatization. No, those are only Republican phenomenons.

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Lily O Lady's picture

@Strife Delivery

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"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now do you begin to understand me?" ~Orwell, "1984"

snoopydawg's picture

I see comments that say they wish Obama was still president. They refuse to see how much damage his economic policies did to people in the lower middle class and the poor. Not once did he veto any legislation that the republicans passed that cut into our social programs. The republicans wanted to cut $40 billion out of the food stamps program, but the democrats whittled them down to just $8 billion. See? The democrats fought against the republicans and even though you will have to do with less, it could have been much worse. That's the game that they are playing in congress and have been since the Clintons took over the party.
During the Bush years, if there was something in a bill he didn't like, he would use a signing statement. Obama could have used one for the farm bill that saw the big factory farms get more tax breaks while the people who relied on food stamps got less money.
This started under Bill Clinton's crime bill. He took money from the HUD program and gave it to the prison complex.
The were other bills that they passed and St. Obama signed them. People be so blinded by Obama's charm during his first campaign and most of them never took them off.

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Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Bounces off of you and sticks to them. Amazing how insightful our childhood retorts were. Wonder if children and their parents still use them.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal's picture

I'm happy to replace it with the word "fascist."

Would that work better for them?

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"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha

"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver

@Cant Stop the Macedonian Signal Trickle Down, basically the same thing with a Fascist flare, as you so rightly point out.

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Only a fool lets someone else tell him who his enemy is. Assata Shakur