The Phileas Club 77 – Boycotts boycotts boycotts

 

On this episode we talk about:

  • Drone legislation in Sweden
  • Government workers salary cuts in Saudi Arabia
  • Elections in France (and pain au chocolat!)
  • US elections (and the documentary “The Norden)

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Comments

  1. Patrick,

    Hey I enjoyed the episode. I think Peter Thiel addresses some of your questions about why we a voting for Trump and a response to the perspective you voice that things are getting better -link below. While I understand most statics make it seem that things are going well, I think this is mostly a trick of using averages and not reflective of the “average” heartland American’s perspecive.

    • OMG this is incredibly hard to listen to. It makes me so angry to hear this man explain that healthcare is too much of a burden in America, and that student loans are too harsh, and all of these issues that are absolutely, *ABSOLUTELY* caused by republican policies. “In ‘normal’ countries”? Are you fucking kidding me? In “normal” countries, we have Obama care on steroid. We have free education. We have higher taxes on the rich. What the fuck does he think is going to happen if Trump gets elected? All of a sudden he’s gonna turn into Bernie Sanders and make the republican party adopt socialist policies? Fuck no. He knows what’s gonna happen if Trump gets elected, and it’s the exact opposite of what he’s talking about. This is maddening, infuriating double speak from 1984. If I had little respect for him before, I have none now. Either he actually believes what he’s saying here would be implemented by republicans, and he’s a totally incompetent idiot, or he’s being heart wrenchingly disingenuous. Either way… eek.

      Let me reiterate: what he’s talking about is France, or Sweden, or Germany. Social Democracy. There is no way – NO WAY – he would actually want those things, and even less way that the republican party would do them. Trump or no Trump. HORSE. SHIT.

      • Hah, I’m glad you enjoyed the video ;). In all honesty I do feel that Hillary is the neo-con candidate this election and Trump is the big labor candidate. I do believe that and while I think the narrative is very strong from the media, I don’t think he is either racist at a domestic level or dangerous to the country when it comes to international policy.

        Trump could care less what the republican party thinks once he gets into office. Did you know the GOP hasn’t spent a dime on ads for him? They’ve instead been playing ads for senators and congressmen up for re-election. There is every chance if he wins that he will work with Democrats when he wants once policy and then Republicans when he wants to push the next. I can definitely see him pushing single payer health care if the mood takes him.

      • Or who knows he may start binging on SeaQuest on Netflix and spend a trillion dollars on an undersea colony. -I guess I’m good with either.

  2. StephSinalco says:

    Thank you for this great episode. Really enjoyed listening to it !

    One quick note on your comment regarding French left-wing voters trying to get Juppe win the primary. In my opinion, it actually both makes a lot of sense and is kinda sad : in their mind, I’m pretty sure most of them already assumed the next presidential election would be lost. So, voting for Sarkozy thinking “well, nobody loves him, let’s make him the Republicain’s candidate”, is actually really risky : if the socialist candidate doesn’t pass the first round (also known as the Jospin effect ;-)), there’s a huge chance Sarkozy would end up against Marine Le Pen. And would obviously win. So I guess, they’re trying to make sure the next president is the less populist and the most capable one. (or as some of them say “He used the be ‘the best among us’ for the UMP, he’s now the ‘least worst among them’ for the PS”)

    Oh and by the way : I really REALLY enjoy Breki. I’ve been listening to the Phileas club for years now, and I really think he’s one of the (if not the) most clever and intelligent guest you have on the show (you obviously being the most intelligent host ;-)). So thank you for inviting him !

  3. After listening to this episode, I’ve decided it’s my goal now to be a guest. Now to figure out how to make that happen…

  4. Hello, I just listened to this show today (that means AFTER the american election vote). First I want to thank Patrick and his guests for the multi-angle point of views that you share in the Phileas Club. Now I’d also like to share my thoughts about what happens after Trump has ben elected. I disagree with staying “in shock” or “scared”, and the analysis I hear and listen in the medias don’t satisfy me, which are mostly “dark side of the force vs bright side of the force” understanding. So I tried to go for the intepretation I share here, which I agree is quite dark-gray but helps me understand a little better what happens now. I’m sorry for writing it in french but my english is not good enough to express what I want precisely. If anyone can and wants to tranlsate it, just feel free to do it.

    Pourquoi ne pas se réveiller du rêve américain ?

    Mais quelle est cette histoire de “choc” entourant l’élection de Donald Trump ? Je me le demande d’autant que je l’ai ressenti moi même au premier abord. Je ne suis pas d’accord pour en rester à ce stade de réaction et je refuse la terreur, voilà pourquoi je souhaite faire partager ici mes réflexions :

    Donald Trump a pris le pouvoir en utilisant l’ancestrale méthode des conquistadors, de la conquête de l’ouest : s’imposer sans respecter les valeurs du système en place, mentir, faire usage de la force pour prendre ce qu’il désirait. Il est l’étranger au système qui a su imposer sa conquête à ce que d’autres croyaient leur chasse gardée, et en cela je trouve qu’il incarne parfaitement le concept du « rêve américain ». Face à cela les cercles occidentaux bien-pensants et “naïfs” voient s’effondrer leur fausse croyance selon laquelle le système en place serait légitime, indétronable. Dès lors la stupeur et le sentiment de choc, logiquement, se présentent. Je me permets de rapprocher le choc ressenti par ces “naïfs américains” à celui que les natifs américains vivent depuis que les européens ont pris leur terre par des méthodes fort semblables. Je crois profondément que ce qui se produit est une sorte de réémergence de la partie cauchemardesque du fameux rêve américain.

    Les régimes actuels de tout le continent américain sont posés sur une racine faite en plus ou moins grande partie de vol, d’abus, voire de génocide. Les systèmes qui s’y reposent sont donc naturellement illégitimes, d’autant que cette vérité reste occultée et travestie en « El Dorado », ou « rêve américain ». Cette négation, ce travestissement de la part nauséabonde des origines ne peut qu’engendrer la répétition de la violence, comme une malédiction.

    Je trouve qu’il y a maintenant une occasion pour l’occident tout entier, l’Europe génitrice la première, d’ouvrir les yeux sur ce qui se révèle au grand jour, de l’admettre et de rétablir les légitimités jusqu’ici faussement attribuées.

    Alors je pose deux questions :

    Va-t-on devoir agrandir les réserves où sont parqués ce qu’il reste des peuples natifs américains pour y accueillir les “naïfs américains” traumatisés, apeurés et qui veulent fuir ?

    Ne serait-il pas temps pour tout l’occident d’arrêter de vouloir entretenir ce rêve américain, d’accepter qu’il est aussi un cauchemar et de se réveiller pour de bon ?

    • Honestly, I think you’re digging a bit deep for this explanation (“The US was built on American Indian graves, and so Trump is doing the same thing again, taking it by force”, for those who can’t read French. I’m paraphrasing).
      To me, this victory has more in common with things we’re seeing in Europe as well (Brexit and the loud voices of the disenfranchised being heard on the far left and the far right), and a lot to do with a very unpopular candidate to oppose him (for good or ill, Clinton’s approval ratings were abysmal).
      As biblical and dramatic as your theory sounds, I really don’t see it as the ghost of America’s past sins coming to haunt it… It’s an entertaining idea though! 🙂

      • Yes of course I’m digging deep and building dramatic interpretations, I’m a psychotherapist ! And it is even more when you sum it up in one phrase 🙂 … if this entertains you, then digging deeper can lead to think about the roots of all imperialist tendencies from antique civilisations (and before)…

        Seriously, to clarify my intentions a bit, I Just wanted to share this as a metaphor, not a real explanation. What I really think is that there’s something sick and insane hidden behind the idea(l) of the so-called “American dream”, words that have been used a lot recently (I heard a lot of : S.O.S, American dream is dying !!!), and even Donald Trump used it in his speech after the vote, saying he would revive it ! And I agree with you when you talk about Europe because if you read carefully what I wrote, I consider that Europe created this insane American Dream when going to America and colonizing it.

        To sum up, I just want to underline that in my opinion there’s something crazy about making people “dream” using violent and abusive methods, and that it’s somehow rooted in our History.

        PS : your thinking of my theory as biblical wasn’t in my mind when I wrote it, but still I find it’s interesting, especially if we talk about the US don’t you think ?

  5. I live in a very red state in the American South. I can tell you why people voted for Trump. I have a long-form answer but it really boils down to the fact that large swathes of the U.S. are filled with heterosexual, cisgendered, white people who are, at least nominally, Christian. Most of these people have never met anyone that isn’t just like they are. It may be true that the large coastal cities are a melting pot but in the south, Midwest, and plains states, it’s just one white person after another.

    They truly cannot see the issues and concerns that other demographic groups experience. After all, these are the same people posting on Facebook that black people should just respect cops so they won’t get shot. It has never occurred to them that the reason that works for them and everyone they know is that they are white.

    I saw a Facebook message earlier this evening where someone from my hometown said they were finally able to feel peace since they knew Trump was coming in to fix things. My eyeballs nearly bled! She thinks people around the world are having protests because they are just irritated that their candidate lost. Then she patted herself on the back to say that she didn’t give in to a temper tantrum when Obama was elected so Clinton’s losers should just suck it up and learn how it feels not to have things go your way.

    I could say more, if you’re interested, but tomorrow. It’s late here and I will just start rambling more than usual.

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