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Posted (edited)

The Canal Street stuff is such a microcosm for where we are and how we got here.  The DHS thread and these raids are performative cruelty and degrading. 
 

However: it is undeniable that there was a bustling illegal counterfeit market run by unauthorized immigrants that just existed in the open in the middle of town. It’s absolutely implausible to argue that its existence benefited anyone save counterfeit bag manufacturers and unauthorized immigrants and aside from the public annoyance likely incurred other costs as well beyond just the occupation of a common public space for illegal activities.

I’m reminded here of Bunny Colvin in The Wire giving his brown paper bag speech. About how critical the nod to the social contract. And what I can say is that jn a lot of areas— immigration enforcement, urban disorder, petty crime, etc.— we went through a stretch where no one was using a paper bag and nodding at the social contract. 
 

If you’re on the left it’s time to acknowledge that most people are in favor of securing borders, most people don’t want to see open illegal activity on city streets, most people are aggravated by petty criminality and shit like fare jumping, most people just want to adhere to the social contract.  
 

It’s super politically dangerous when the authorities or institutions claim that these things can’t be managed (because they plainly can do so) and even more politically dangerous to imply that trying to manage them is inhumane. Because then you surrender the issue to people who are willing to solve the problems by being inhumane. And you’re gonna lose that one: force people to either vote like a good person or vote for street cleanup and border enforcement. 
 

This is how these problems metastasize— it’s trying to push a rock uphill against human nature and it all kind of exploded in with the added stress of COVID. 

Edited by 956 Worldwide
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Posted

My mom bought me a sealed Atari 5200 in NYC when they came out. From a store. Got home and it had rocks in it. We were flying in the AM so yeah, not much you can do. Buyer beware. 

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Posted
4 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

most people just want to adhere to the social contract.  

This is where it all breaks down, because what we've seen is "fuck no they don't."

Most people just want to hurt other people, thinking that's the pathway to advantages for themselves.  The social contract is not only disposable, it's an impediment to our actual American ethos.

A contract has mutuality.  Most people don't want that, they don't want anything even close to it.  They want "rules for thee, not for me."  And they are getting it, in its purest form.  They're just too stupid to realize that in every such scenario, almost all the people who THINK they're in the "me" group are actually in the "thee" group.

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Posted
19 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

The Canal Street stuff is such a microcosm for where we are and how we got here.  The DHS thread and these raids are performative cruelty and degrading. 
 

However: it is undeniable that there was a bustling illegal counterfeit market run by unauthorized immigrants that just existed in the open in the middle of town. It’s absolutely implausible to argue that its existence benefited anyone save counterfeit bag manufacturers and unauthorized immigrants and aside from the public annoyance likely incurred other costs as well beyond just the occupation of a common public space for illegal activities.

Well, and all the people buying that counterfeit shit, knowing full well it was counterfeit shit.  

It's worth mentioning that four citizens were arrested.  People actually from New York, who were around when the shit was going down, and who tried to interfere.  Because New Yorkers are more concerned by fascists than fake bags or walking around people on the sidewalk. 

 

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Posted (edited)

5 federal police agencies deployed in riot gear to tame potential trademark law violations. Who doesn't support that?

Lady Gaga Movie GIF by House of Gucci

<The ironic thing is that people with money who don't want to pay street price can order that shit from the comfort of home. Same way dotard's failson orders his cocaine.>

 

Edited by Chopper
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Posted
1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

The Canal Street stuff is such a microcosm for where we are and how we got here.  The DHS thread and these raids are performative cruelty and degrading. 
 

However: it is undeniable that there was a bustling illegal counterfeit market run by unauthorized immigrants that just existed in the open in the middle of town. It’s absolutely implausible to argue that its existence benefited anyone save counterfeit bag manufacturers and unauthorized immigrants and aside from the public annoyance likely incurred other costs as well beyond just the occupation of a common public space for illegal activities.

I’m reminded here of Bunny Colvin in The Wire giving his brown paper bag speech. About how critical the nod to the social contract. And what I can say is that jn a lot of areas— immigration enforcement, urban disorder, petty crime, etc.— we went through a stretch where no one was using a paper bag and nodding at the social contract. 
 

If you’re on the left it’s time to acknowledge that most people are in favor of securing borders, most people don’t want to see open illegal activity on city streets, most people are aggravated by petty criminality and shit like fare jumping, most people just want to adhere to the social contract.  
 

It’s super politically dangerous when the authorities or institutions claim that these things can’t be managed (because they plainly can do so) and even more politically dangerous to imply that trying to manage them is inhumane. Because then you surrender the issue to people who are willing to solve the problems by being inhumane. And you’re gonna lose that one: force people to either vote like a good person or vote for street cleanup and border enforcement. 
 

This is how these problems metastasize— it’s trying to push a rock uphill against human nature and it all kind of exploded in with the added stress of COVID. 

This is a good post, I don’t know why it’s getting shit on. Progressives have refused to acknowledge that tolerating public disorder in blue cities (1) has been fuel to the MAGA fire and (2) has become increasingly unpopular in blue cities themselves. Hence all this performative ICE brutality in the first place. 

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Posted
8 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Who gives a fuck about knock off bags and shit? 

We're willing to erase the Constitution and end the Republic because of it, so it seems like it's pretty serious business.  LAW AND ORDER!

(Just don't look at the never-ending parade of bribes and shit and flouting the law from the admin.  No, what's really a grave threat is a fake Coach purse).

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, 956 Worldwide said:

The Canal Street stuff is such a microcosm for where we are and how we got here.  The DHS thread and these raids are performative cruelty and degrading. 
 

However: it is undeniable that there was a bustling illegal counterfeit market run by unauthorized immigrants that just existed in the open in the middle of town. It’s absolutely implausible to argue that its existence benefited anyone save counterfeit bag manufacturers and unauthorized immigrants and aside from the public annoyance likely incurred other costs as well beyond just the occupation of a common public space for illegal activities.

I’m reminded here of Bunny Colvin in The Wire giving his brown paper bag speech. About how critical the nod to the social contract. And what I can say is that jn a lot of areas— immigration enforcement, urban disorder, petty crime, etc.— we went through a stretch where no one was using a paper bag and nodding at the social contract. 
 

If you’re on the left it’s time to acknowledge that most people are in favor of securing borders, most people don’t want to see open illegal activity on city streets, most people are aggravated by petty criminality and shit like fare jumping, most people just want to adhere to the social contract.  
 

It’s super politically dangerous when the authorities or institutions claim that these things can’t be managed (because they plainly can do so) and even more politically dangerous to imply that trying to manage them is inhumane. Because then you surrender the issue to people who are willing to solve the problems by being inhumane. And you’re gonna lose that one: force people to either vote like a good person or vote for street cleanup and border enforcement. 
 

This is how these problems metastasize— it’s trying to push a rock uphill against human nature and it all kind of exploded in with the added stress of COVID. 

I mean, I'm an IP guy and I don't really have a big problem with the counterfeit market on Canal Street, which has been there for decades, through tough on crime administrations and not so tough.

But if some asshole was to make a big ass issue out of if during his campaign and generate a bunch of faux outrage over it, especially the "colorful" vendors in the market, well, we might have a different scenario.

And it was a huge benefit to ratchet Jersey Shore chicks that want swap meet Louis.  And their boyfriends and big gaudy Faulexes.

Edited by TwiceHorn
Posted
29 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

This is a good post, I don’t know why it’s getting shit on. Progressives have refused to acknowledge that tolerating public disorder in blue cities (1) has been fuel to the MAGA fire and (2) has become increasingly unpopular in blue cities themselves. Hence all this performative ICE brutality in the first place. 

It’s honestly a political masterclass. At any time in the past decades there could have been a quiet move to disrupt them while they were setting up and then proceed to removal. And a quick press release: “Federal law enforcement disrupted a counterfeit goods market and detained X individuals. In the process, X number of unauthorized immigrants with unrelated warrants and criminal convictions were detained and are in removal proceedings.” 
 

No one would have given a shit. Easy, done. On the whole, better for everyone. 
 

These raids are performative. Trump’s getting people to play their role: the progressive who says that having illegal markets staffed by people with criminal convictions is fine. Better, actually, than not having them there.
 

That’s the choice Trump and MAGA want people to make. Even Bernie recently made this point. 

Posted
16 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I mean, I'm an IP guy and I don't really have a big problem with the counterfeit market on Canal Street, which has been there for decades, through tough on crime administrations and not so tough.

But if some asshole was to make a big ass issue out of if during his campaign and generate a bunch of faux outrage over it, especially the "colorful" vendors in the market, well, we might have a different scenario.

And it was a huge benefit to ratchet Jersey Shore chicks that want swap meet Louis.  And their boyfriends and big gaudy Faulexes.

If the ChaptGPT has taught us anything, it's that our government is not nearly as uptight about IP as we once believed.  If these idiots had just been billionaires, all this would have just gone away.    

Posted
36 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Who gives a fuck about knock off bags and shit? 

The same people who care about a federal building being vandalized by brown protestors but don't give a fuck about the Capitol building being stormed by white protesters to overturn an election result that they didn't like.  The same people who are pro-cop, except on that day.  The same people who care about a sexual assault when it's done by a brown immigrant, but not when it's done by Trump or Giuliani.

The thing about righteous indignation is that you get to choose which things to be indignant about, because you're the righteous ones, and you've got the only legitimate news channel to confirm how right you are, every single night.

This country is so thoroughly and completely fucked.

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Posted
39 minutes ago, We’reTexas said:

This is a good post, I don’t know why it’s getting shit on. Progressives have refused to acknowledge that tolerating public disorder in blue cities (1) has been fuel to the MAGA fire and (2) has become increasingly unpopular in blue cities themselves. Hence all this performative ICE brutality in the first place. 

My issue is that it is a rationalization to justify the end goal. 

Nobody cares that they are selling fake shit publicly.  The majority of the people who deal with the nuisance still oppose the federal government diving in. (Are there any mayoral candidates supporting ICE actions?) It took some rage-grifter youtuber to confront them and then lobby the DHS to get the attention.  Because no one fucking cared.  It is naive to pretend that the vendor actions are what drove the ICE crackdown.  This was not the problem for which people were searching for a solution.  The problem is that ICE wasn't meeting its quotas and getting bad press for arresting students, and grandmas, and nurses.  That was the problem that drove this "raid."   

Vance said it outloud when he discussed Springfield, Ohio.  "If I have to create stories so that the American media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people, then that's what I'm going to do."  The suffering had nothing to do with eating cats.  It had to do with black immigrants existing around white people.  That is what is driving the immigration crackdown, not Canal Street.  That's why they are arresting students, grandmas, and nurses.  And I am sick of the milquetoast rationalizations that imagines it wouldn't happen if we just kept people from selling knock-off purses.  

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Posted
3 hours ago, Red Five said:

Wait his name is Nalin Haley? I guess his dad named him. Like, during.

Thank you for noticing this so I didn't feel like the only one.  Nalin Haley?  C'mon, that's too on the nose.  The Simulation sometimes gets lazy.

Posted
10 minutes ago, G650 said:

I'm unironically pro counterfeit goods markets. Those places are usually epic.

Pretty sure that exact market, or one nearby (it was in NYC) is where my daughter did her first real "bargaining."  She was 13, on an NHS trip.  They went into some sketchy-ass shop, and one of her friends wanted a knockoff Coach bag.  Guy wanted $50.  They talked him down to $40, he wouldn't budget.  My daughter tells her friend "we're walking."  As they walk out, he says "wait, I'll do $30."  She turns and says "$20 or we're outta here."  Her friend got it for $20, and she called us that night so proud, talking about how her inner mexican mercado kid shined through.  We were amused.

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Posted
2 minutes ago, mchookem said:

fake purses is definitely a good reason for nazi tactics. 

I mean, in the stack of "stupid as fuck reasons to completely destroy an incredible country," it certainly fits.

Posted

Maybe I don't understand the point of the post. Giuliani (of all people another gigantic hypocrite and felon) tried a Zero Tolerance police strategy when he was mayor in NYC and it was a huge failure in multiple ways. Whatever dipshit above referred to "public disorder" deserves one kick in the head and another to the nuts. 

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