Things that have bothered you for a long time.

[Yellow Fang]

The phrase, 'You can't have your cake and eat it'. That has always confused me. What else is a cake for?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

The phrase, 'You can't have your cake and eat it'. That has always confused me. What else is a cake for?

Once you’ve eaten your cake, it’s gone.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Currys/PC World online shopping

 

[Yellow Fang]

Once you’ve eaten your cake, it’s gone.

Just doesn't seem much of a dilemma. Besides if you don't eat it someone else might, or it might go stale. Then you'd be kicking yourself.

 

[Andy in Germany]

The phrase, 'You can't have your cake and eat it'. That has always confused me. What else is a cake for?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_can't_have_your_cake_and_eat_it

 

[Yellow Fang]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_can't_have_your_cake_and_eat_it

Yes, I think the 'have' ambiguity confused me too.

 

[PeteXXX]

Did someone mention cake???

 

[MntnMan62]

I'd say four yeasr is a long time. My issue is with the hypocrisy of Trump supporters and their support of him knowing that 99% of what he says is completely false. It bothers me that such a large segment of the population has shown literally zero capacity for critical reasoning and have no interest in dealing with people who don't share their opinion about anything. That's all for now.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I'd say four yeasr is a long time. My issue is with the hypocrisy of Trump supporters and their support of him knowing that 99% of what he says is completely false. It bothers me that such a large segment of the population has shown literally zero capacity for critical reasoning and have no interest in dealing with people who don't share their opinion about anything. That's all for now.

The problem is that many of them have felt marginalised for a long time and think he's on their side. They and really, really, want to believe this because deciding not to believe it means they are on their own again. Therefore anyone who tries to point out the mistakes has to be shouted down because otherwise they may have to admit that Trump wasn't their ally. It's called Cognitive Dissonance and it is very powerful in anyone.

 

[MntnMan62]

The problem is that many of them have felt marginalised for a long time and think he's on their side. They and really, really, want to believe this because deciding not to believe it means they are on their own again. Therefore anyone who tries to point out the mistakes has to be shouted down because otherwise they may have to admit that Trump wasn't their ally. It's called Cognitive Dissonance and it is very powerful in anyone.

How have Republicans been marginalized for a long time? They had 8 years of George W. They had Reagan. They had Bush Sr. So, I'm not buying the marginalization of Republicans. I understand Cognitive Dissonance. That's not what we are seeing however. You are correct that turning their backs on Trump would mean that Trump wasn't their ally. It also means that he's a liar and that their own choices are called into question for having falling for on big giant con job. Who wants to admit to that? But what it really amounts to is what I've said before. Stupidity. Being able to admit when you are wrong, that you made a mistake and to own up to those mistakes takes a certain level of intelligence. These people don't have that basic level of intelligence. I repeat, it all boils down to sheer stupidity. Cognitive Dissonance is a nice try but that's a cop out.

 

[Andy in Germany]

How have Republicans been marginalized for a long time? They had 8 years of George W. They had Reagan. They had Bush Sr. So, I'm not buying the marginalization of Republicans.

I wasn't speaking about "Republicans", but about a lot of the people who voted for trump even though it's against their own interests. I think they feel they have been abandoned by the left, which as a lefty tree hugging social worker, I think is sadly partially true, and were angry and confused; this is the sort of people populists prey on. I work with people every day who feel this way; they aren't stupid, but they feel society is shunning them.

I understand Cognitive Dissonance. That's not what we are seeing however. You are correct that turning their backs on Trump would mean that Trump wasn't their ally. It also means that he's a liar and that their own choices are called into question for having falling for on big giant con job. Who wants to admit to that?

That's Cognitive Dissonance: they know what is happening but the stakes are too high to admit to it.

But what it really amounts to is what I've said before. Stupidity. Being able to admit when you are wrong, that you made a mistake and to own up to those mistakes takes a certain level of intelligence. These people don't have that basic level of intelligence. I repeat, it all boils down to sheer stupidity. Cognitive Dissonance is a nice try but that's a cop out.

That implies that nearly half the population of the US is "Stupid" which clearly isn't the case. Being able to admit that you are wrong takes more than intelligence; it takes being able to find a new way forward that gives you hope.

 

[MntnMan62]

I wasn't speaking about "Republicans", but about a lot of the people who voted for trump even though it's against their own interests. I think they feel they have been abandoned by the left, which as a lefty tree hugging social worker, I think is sadly partially true, and were angry and confused; this is the sort of people populists prey on. I work with people every day who feel this way; they aren't stupid, but they feel society is shunning them.



That's Cognitive Dissonance: they know what is happening but the stakes are too high to admit to it.



That implies that nearly half the population of the US is "Stupid" which clearly isn't the case. Being able to admit that you are wrong takes more than intelligence; it takes being able to find a new way forward that gives you hope.

First of all, it takes a truly stupid person to be conned into voting and supporting someone who actually goes against the voter's interests. As somone who has voted Democrat in every election after George Sr. after having voted Republican before, I agree that the far left has taken an extreme perspective that I find almost as despicable as the far right. But when a person feels like society is shunning them, that is typically due to their own view of themselves and their lack of ability to be successful rather than any view the rest of the country has about them. In fact, it's fairly narcissistic to think that society should give two s**t* about anyone. The masses dont' care about anything but themselves. But that too is an overgeneralization. My main point though is the same. That people who place undue emphasis on themselves and expect anything from people shows a level of naivety, which takes a level of stupidity. And as to the comment that nearly have the population isn't "stupid", I beg to differ. Being able to find a new way forward takes intelligence. Something they do not have. I am also someone who believes that our entire system needs major overhauling. We need another party because the two party system isn't working. So change is going to be essential. But change can only come from someone who exhibits the exemplary charactaristics of a leader who is smart, intelligent, creative, humble. Someone who understands compromise and who is operating to a certain extent on an idealistic level. That they feel they are tasked with a much greater calling than represent their base, but that they represent EVERYONE. Trump was NEVER any of those things. He was never successful in his the business that he calls his life. I guess you have to be in real estate to truly understand that. But simply having billions of dollars without considering how those billions were acquired is a fools errand. He inherited it. It's a widely known fact and it isn't all that hard to know this. And he's shown over the past four years, and especially from that call to the GA Secretary of State that he is a egomaniacal, narcissistic psychopath. I'm sticking to my guns on this one. Not everyone will agree. And that's ok.

 

[Andy in Germany]

First of all, it takes a truly stupid person to be conned into voting and supporting someone who actually goes against the voter's interests.

It's unfortunately surprisingly easy to achieve this with intelligent people, as history and psychology have shown. I understand your point though, and your frustration.
As to the outgoing president's psychological state, I remember my Psychology lecturer saying "I know we're not supposed to do long range diagnoses, bit honestly, he makes it so easy..."

 

[Chris S]

If more than a million people in the UK currently have the coronavirus then does that mean 300,000 will need hospital treatment and 100,000 will die? If it doesn't then it's mortality rate has dropped since a year ago.

 

[DaveReading]

If more than a million people in the UK currently have the coronavirus then does that mean 300,000 will need hospital treatment and 100,000 will die? If it doesn't then it's mortality rate has dropped since a year ago.

The CFR has been gradually dropping for many months now.