Jokes, memes, and cartoons

[Syne]

Studies consistently show that Republicans and conservatives report higher levels of happiness and life satisfaction compared to Democrats and liberals. This "happiness gap" is frequently linked to higher rates of marriage, religious attendance, and personal optimism among conservatives, regardless of income level.

It's always the mindless conformists and materialists and the uneducated religious nuts that appear the happiest. Like Jackson Brown sang: "I'll be a happy idiot..struggling for the legal tender." It's the ones who think for themselves and question the system like democrats who struggle more in life. The outsiders and rebels and wild renegades that the system ostracizes and stigmatizes and seeks to oppress. The ones with a burden to fight the system and make the world a better place for all of us.

That's a nice little cope you got there.
The problem is that many Republicans and conservatives use to be Democrat and/or liberal. I voted for John Kerry in 2004, used to have long hair, smoke pot, drop LSD, study the occult, etc.. I'm not a conservative because I'm ignorant of the other side or of being an outsider. If anything, being an independent thinker is what has allowed me to ignore the leftist messaging in media, academia, etc.. A good little sheep nowadays is one who toes the Democrat line. You don't get excommunicated from your friends and family because you like Kamala.

If Democrats had their way, conservatives would be ostracized and stigmatized, losing jobs, banking, etc.. Too bad there's too many of us.

Republicans consistently report better mental health and lower rates of mental illness compared to Democrats and Independents. Studies suggest this may stem from higher rates of marriage, religiosity, and different ideological coping mechanisms.

Republicans by their whole moralistic ideology deny the very existence of mental illness. It fits right in with their science denialism. They all judge it as just character flaws and self-absorption or weak dependency on medications. Snowflakes, remember? So of course they are not going to admit to it. It's all part of being a good and faithful servant of the American Dream. A smiling obedient suck-up to the giant capitalist machine.

No, any conservative would readily agree that you are mentally ill, not to mention transgenders, schizo train murders, etc.. There are legit traumas in life that cause lasting mental harm.

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[Magical Realist]

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[Syne]

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[confused2]

Before the original episode..

By the 17th century BCE Jerusalem had developed into a fortified city under Canaanite rule, with massive walls protecting its water system. During the Late Bronze Age Jerusalem became a vassal of Ancient Egypt, as documented in the Amarna letters.

The Jebusites were an ancient Canaanite tribe that inhabited the hill country around Jerusalem (originally called Jebus) before the Israelite conquest. As a warlike people, they maintained control of their strategic, fortified city until roughly 1003 BC, when King David conquered it, making it his capital. They were later assimilated into Israelite society, particularly as laborers during Solomon's reign.

And there's loads more..

Following the kingdom's split [?] Jerusalem became the capital of the Kingdom of Judah until it was captured by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE. The Babylonians destroyed the First Temple, leading to the Babylonian exile of the Jewish population. After the Persian conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great allowed the Jews to return and rebuild the city and its temple, marking the start of the Second Temple period. Jerusalem fell under Hellenistic rule after the conquests of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, leading to increasing cultural and political influence from Greece. The Hasmonean revolt in 164 BCE briefly restored Jewish sovereignty, with Jerusalem as the capital of an independent state.

[Syne]

Archeological, genetic, and historical evidence suggests that the ancient Israelites (ancestors of modern Jews) were originally Canaanites, emerging from within the local Bronze Age Canaanite population rather than strictly conquering them from outside. While the Torah portrays them as distinct, scholars believe Israelites were a sub-group that culturally and genetically developed from indigenous Canaanite societies in the southern Levant.
- Gemini

So one group of ancient Jews conquered another. They were not foreign invaders.

Antisemites are so desperate to justify their hatred that they cherry-pick the history so transparently. Maybe anti-Jew Dunning-Kruger effect, where you're not unbiased enough to know how biased you are.

[Magical Realist]

Archeological, genetic, and historical evidence suggests that the ancient Israelites (ancestors of modern Jews) were originally Canaanites

Right..which is why the OT documents endless instances of them invading and committing God-assisted genocide on the Canaanites. Hey, maybe the Israelites are the true Palestinians! Get those fuckers outta there! lol

[confused2]

Spuntruth is worse than nothing .. those who want to believe will swallow it whole and the rest will see it as deliberate deception.. obscuring whatever might actually be true.

Seeing Israel as no more than a successful invasion .. they don't seem to be going anywhere so accepting it seems a reasonable move. OR you can bring God, religion and other nonsense into it .. and it will never end.

I don't think this is a useful rabbit hole but following Syne's logic..

many Levantine populations, including Palestinians and Lebanese, share ancestry with them [Canaanites] .

So.. what?

[Syne]

Archeological, genetic, and historical evidence suggests that the ancient Israelites (ancestors of modern Jews) were originally Canaanites

Right..which is why the OT documents endless instances of them invading and committing God-assisted genocide on the Canaanites. Hey, maybe the Israelites are the true Palestinians! Get those fuckers outta there! lol

Spuntruth is worse than nothing .. those who want to believe will swallow it whole and the rest will see it as deliberate deception.. obscuring whatever might actually be true.

Seeing Israel as no more than a successful invasion .. they don't seem to be going anywhere so accepting it seems a reasonable move. OR you can bring God, religion and other nonsense into it .. and it will never end.

I don't think this is a useful rabbit hole but following Syne's logic..

many Levantine populations, including Palestinians and Lebanese, share ancestry with them [Canaanites] .

So.. what?

For the historically illiterate.

Genetic studies indicate that Palestinians are not a genetically isolated or unique group, but rather part of a broader Middle Eastern and Mediterranean genetic cluster. They share significant ancestral links with other Levantine populations, particularly Jews, Lebanese, and Syrians.
Key Genetic Findings

Shared Ancestry: Palestinians and Jews share a common genetic lineage that traces back to ancient Canaanite populations.
Levantine Core: Both Palestinian Muslims and Christians have a strong Levantine genetic foundation, though Palestinian Christians often show higher levels of indigenous Levantine DNA due to less historical intermarriage with outside groups.
Historical Admixture:
Palestinian Muslims: Show additional genetic contributions from the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and Sub-Saharan Africa, likely due to historical migrations and trade.
Palestinian Christians: Tend to be more genetically similar to other Christian Levantine groups and ancient local populations, with less outside admixture.
Similarity to Neighbors: Palestinians are genetically very close to other Mediterranean groups, including Turks, Armenians, and Iranians.
- Gemini

But "Palestinians" weren't even a thing back then.

Historically, the term "Palestinian" has evolved from a purely geographic descriptor to a distinct national identity. While the region has been called "Palestine" for millennia, the recognition of its inhabitants as a specific "Palestinian people" is a more recent development in modern history.
Historical Usage of the Name "Palestine"

Ancient Origins: The name appears in Egyptian records as Peleset (c. 1150 BCE), referring to the Philistines.
Greco-Roman Era: The Greek historian Herodotus used Palaistinê in the 5th century BCE to describe the region. In 135 CE, the Roman Empire renamed the province of Judea to Syria Palaestina to suppress Jewish identity after a rebellion.
Islamic & Ottoman Periods: After the 7th-century Arab conquest, the area was administered as Jund Filastin. Under the Ottoman Empire (1517–1917), "Palestine" was an informal geographic term; many inhabitants and officials referred to the region as "Southern Syria".

The Shift to a National Identity
The recognition of a distinct "Palestinian" identity occurred in stages:

Late 19th/Early 20th Century: A unique national consciousness began to emerge among local Arabs, driven by the spread of nationalism and as a response to early Zionist settlement.
British Mandate (1920–1948): "Palestinian" was a legal status for all residents—including Jews, Christians, and Muslims—who held citizenship under the British Mandate.
Post-1948/1960s: After the establishment of Israel, the term shifted to exclusively describe the Arab population of the region.
1964 Formalization: The founding of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) formally defined "Palestinians" as an ethnonational group in its 1964 and 1968 charters.
- Gemini

So they are not any more distinct from ancient Canaanites than Jews and never ruled or even had an identity as a people until the modern age. Where Jews are the existing people who ruled that region earliest and have consistently inhabited it.

Historians and archaeologists generally agree that Jewish people have maintained a continuous presence in the region for over 3,000 years. While the Jewish population became a minority at various points due to wars, expulsions, and foreign rule, the land was never entirely vacated by Jewish inhabitants.
- Gemini

But go ahead, keep being historically illiterate antisemites. You really seem desperate for a scapegoat for your miserable lives.

[confused2]

More pointless stuff..

the land was never entirely vacated by Jewish inhabitants.

American Indians have had a continuous presence in the US for thousands of years .. they've been invaded .. they know it .. everybody knows it.
Is that anti-Indian, antisemitic or any other nonsense you want to make up?

[Syne]

More pointless stuff..

the land was never entirely vacated by Jewish inhabitants.

American Indians have had a continuous presence in the US for thousands of years .. they've been invaded .. they know it .. everybody knows it.
Is that anti-Indian, antisemitic or any other nonsense you want to make up?

American Indians don't current rule the US and no one questions the legitimacy of the US government to defend its borders and people. So why only Israel?