7 ms·

I have a feeling you were not alive for the "Contract with America". On a side note this is one of the most naive things I have ever seen. I was a bit agnostic

by hiou 10y ago

I have a feeling you were not alive for the "Contract with America". On a side note this is one of the most naive things I have ever seen. I was a bit agnostic before, but wow this is literally handing Russia and China the keys to the global economy while thinking he is doing the opposite. Yikes, I really did not realize he was this under qualified.

CountSessine 10y ago
this is literally handing Russia and China the keys to the global economy Well, ok. Aside from the misuse of literally, that's certainly a metaphor I haven't heard being applied to this problem domain before...
- Figs 10y ago
  So many people used 'literally' sarcastically and hyperbolically, that it has literally taken on the additional meaning in most dictionaries. :| http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-literally http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-liter...
  - gnodar 10y ago
    I'm fine with words gaining additional definitions due to how they are popular used, but when a word is defined as one thing, and the exact opposite of that same thing, and both definitions can be equally valid within the context of the same sentence, then that's literally the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
    - taeric 10y ago
      Plenty of words are their own opposites. A few fun articles on this if you search it.
      - sangnoir 10y ago
        > Plenty of words are their own opposites. There's a fat chance of that being true... uhm, I mean to say the opposite of "slim chance".
      - hasenj 10y ago
        Interesting. Apparently they are called "Contronyms". I thought only Arabic had those. I always thought it was stupid.
        taeric 10y ago
        I will not claim it is intelligent. But, I also do not believe in language is made of intelligent design. Things evolve. Sometimes in clever ways. Sometimes in odd ways. That said, most contronyms give absolutely no cognitive dissonance. That "to dust" something can mean to remove or to add something has rarely caused confusion. Only place I have ever seen it was in some old children's books, to be honest. Which is half the reason they are fun. Teaching kids contradictions is what keeps some of it interesting.
  - TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
    As someone pointed out to me recently, literally has had that meaning since at least when Shakespeare was pushing a quill around.
  - anonbanker 10y ago
    Relevant David Cross rant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ly1UTgiBXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ly1UTgiBXM
ep103 10y ago
how does that hand over the keys?
qaq 10y ago
Hmm totally not being a Trump supporter how does this empower China exactly? Russia's economy is the size of NYC so that is even stranger point especially given Trumps position on " I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal"
- dragonwriter 10y ago
  > Hmm totally not being a Trump supporter how does this empower China exactly? China's actively seeking trade deals all over the world. The US taking a strongly antitrade position could improve their relative position. The devil is really in the details, though.
  - threeseed 10y ago
    Actively is putting it lightly. They are aggressively seeking trade deals and investment opportunities. Especially since they use those to further their foreign policy aims. The geopolitical implications of Trump's isolationist position is going to be significant.
    - qaq 10y ago
      Do you have an example where China implemented a trade agreements that resulted in significant trade balance surplus for the trading partner? (aside from energy)
      - jobu 10y ago
        China has been doing some pretty complex deals with countries all across Africa - financing and building hydroelectric dams and other massive infrastructure buildouts. These are long-term deals that often include concessions for oil or other natural resources, so it's difficult to pin them down to a clear surplus/deficit.
        qaq 10y ago
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]

by hiou 10y ago

CountSessine 10y ago

this is literally handing Russia and China the keys to the global economy Well, ok. Aside from the misuse of literally, that's certainly a metaphor I haven't heard being applied to this problem domain before...

Figs 10y ago
So many people used 'literally' sarcastically and hyperbolically, that it has literally taken on the additional meaning in most dictionaries. :| http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-literally http://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/misuse-of-liter...
- gnodar 10y ago
  I'm fine with words gaining additional definitions due to how they are popular used, but when a word is defined as one thing, and the exact opposite of that same thing, and both definitions can be equally valid within the context of the same sentence, then that's literally the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
  - taeric 10y ago
    Plenty of words are their own opposites. A few fun articles on this if you search it.
    - sangnoir 10y ago
      > Plenty of words are their own opposites. There's a fat chance of that being true... uhm, I mean to say the opposite of "slim chance".
    - hasenj 10y ago
      Interesting. Apparently they are called "Contronyms". I thought only Arabic had those. I always thought it was stupid.
      - taeric 10y ago
        I will not claim it is intelligent. But, I also do not believe in language is made of intelligent design. Things evolve. Sometimes in clever ways. Sometimes in odd ways. That said, most contronyms give absolutely no cognitive dissonance. That "to dust" something can mean to remove or to add something has rarely caused confusion. Only place I have ever seen it was in some old children's books, to be honest. Which is half the reason they are fun. Teaching kids contradictions is what keeps some of it interesting.
- TheSpiceIsLife 10y ago
  As someone pointed out to me recently, literally has had that meaning since at least when Shakespeare was pushing a quill around.
- anonbanker 10y ago
  Relevant David Cross rant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ly1UTgiBXM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ly1UTgiBXM

ep103 10y ago

how does that hand over the keys?

qaq 10y ago

Hmm totally not being a Trump supporter how does this empower China exactly? Russia's economy is the size of NYC so that is even stranger point especially given Trumps position on " I will lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal"

dragonwriter 10y ago
> Hmm totally not being a Trump supporter how does this empower China exactly? China's actively seeking trade deals all over the world. The US taking a strongly antitrade position could improve their relative position. The devil is really in the details, though.
- threeseed 10y ago
  Actively is putting it lightly. They are aggressively seeking trade deals and investment opportunities. Especially since they use those to further their foreign policy aims. The geopolitical implications of Trump's isolationist position is going to be significant.
  - qaq 10y ago
    Do you have an example where China implemented a trade agreements that resulted in significant trade balance surplus for the trading partner? (aside from energy)
    - jobu 10y ago
      China has been doing some pretty complex deals with countries all across Africa - financing and building hydroelectric dams and other massive infrastructure buildouts. These are long-term deals that often include concessions for oil or other natural resources, so it's difficult to pin them down to a clear surplus/deficit.
      - qaq 10y ago

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]