smoontjes's recent activity
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Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk
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Comment on What’s a point that you think many people missed? in ~talk
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Comment on US discussing options to acquire Greenland, including use of military, says White House in ~society
smoontjes Link ParentNational debt? This would have the exact opposite effect.National debt? This would have the exact opposite effect.
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | X-Men teaser in ~movies
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
smoontjes (edited )Linkedit: wtfSeems to me there is no strategic reason to go into the capital right away like this. It must be a kind of shock and awe tactic, putting pressure on Maduro to get what they want. Nothing could go wrong..edit: wtf
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Comment on US strikes Venezuela and says its leader, Nicolas Maduro, has been captured and flown out of the country in ~society
smoontjes Link ParentDo they honestly think the US government has the best interests of Venezuelans at heart!? Or more like "can't get worse" type thing?Do they honestly think the US government has the best interests of Venezuelans at heart!? Or more like "can't get worse" type thing?
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (January 2026) in ~health.mental
smoontjes LinkI don't even know where to begin or what to really say.. 2025 was awful but I'm still alive.- Exemplary
I don't even know where to begin or what to really say.. 2025 was awful but I'm still alive.
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Comment on One piece of news from every country in the world in 2025 in ~news
smoontjes LinkI don't know what it is about it but something about the way this guy does his narrations/voice over stuff is like nails on a chalkboard to me /noiseI don't know what it is about it but something about the way this guy does his narrations/voice over stuff is like nails on a chalkboard to me
/noise
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Comment on Not-so-humble brag: What are you proud of that you don't normally get to talk about? in ~talk
smoontjes Link ParentI have always done that a lot, feels like second nature. You said it yourself I guess but yeah unfortunately the kind of people you win over are usually the type that don't often ask questions...I have always done that a lot, feels like second nature. You said it yourself I guess but yeah unfortunately the kind of people you win over are usually the type that don't often ask questions back, so I just end up with a lot of short-term friendships and acquaintances because I get tired of feeling like they don't care about me at all. Not returning the interest in me back. I don't want to do all the work. Relationships no matter the type should be reciprocal, but it almost always ends up being a one-way relationship because of this.
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Comment on Avengers: Doomsday | Teaser in ~movies
smoontjes LinkThis is going to be the make or break movie for them right? Perhaps it's like the Avatar franchise though. Everyone online saying one thing, but in reality it goes on to earn billionsThis is going to be the make or break movie for them right?
Perhaps it's like the Avatar franchise though. Everyone online saying one thing, but in reality it goes on to earn billions
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Comment on UK and Denmark are demanding overhaul of European immigration laws – Keir Starmer and Mette Frederiksen argue populists will continue to gain ground if something isn't done soon in ~society
smoontjes (edited )Link ParentWell here in Denmark it has meant that the overton window has shifted quite a bit to the right. The left used to be 50% of the votes, but now that the Social Democrats yoink all these policies,...Even so, it’s curious to me how giving the populists more of what they want is supposed to prevent them from gaining more ground?
Well here in Denmark it has meant that the overton window has shifted quite a bit to the right. The left used to be 50% of the votes, but now that the Social Democrats yoink all these policies, nobody really considers them anything but centre at best. So the true left wing now sits on only 25-30% of the votes.
It has been something like this: far-right party gains massive ground 10 years ago because of immigration policies -> SD loses lots of voters to them -> SD adopt the immigration policies -> SD take power and far-right party loses votes -> new far-right parties form, the far-right wing becomes more extreme -> SD moves further towards them to not lose voters.
Far-right parties are now so extreme that policies like remigration unthinkable 10 years ago are now normal and mainstream on that wing. Left wing, SD, and centre-right parties are creating clear distance against it, but who knows in another 10 years.
Edited to add:
Now I’m going to reveal how hopelessly naive I am, but I’m generally of the opinion that IMMIGRATION GOOD.
I would usually agree with this but what has happened in Denmark is that a lot (not all) immigrants from some places in the world (not all) do not mingle and integrate and do not bring tolerance and empathy (not all). Take opinions on LGBT+ for example - ask any muslim in Denmark if they support us and the answer is most likely going to be no*. Same goes for Christian sects and JW etc. - religious conservatism in my opinion has no place in Scandinavian society, and I'm not asking every immigrant to leave every single opinion behind once they go to another country. They are free to believe what they want. But I can say that maybe yes, it's naive, to think such extreme conservatism is a good match for an otherwise progressive country.
Anecdotally from my own experiences in school, middle eastern muslim students would usually segregate themselves from ethnically Danish students and would sometimes even segregate once more according to if they are sunni or shia. How much of this behavior is down to social control, down to racism from Danes, or other reasons, I don't know. But I do know that you'd have most of class sit together with no problem and then one or two parts of the classroom with only muslims because that's what they preferred. On a larger scale it's what happened with housing as well. Most immigrants live in immigrant-majority neighborhoods and so yeah, that's not exactly integration nor multiculturalism nor diversity. It's just a type of segregation. And living this way is also proven to make you more conservative. Their parents or grandparents very well remember the countries and societies from which they are refugees or for other reasons left - but many of their children romanticize it, becoming more extreme in their views. Probably can be likened to the alt-right pipeline for young white men.
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Comment on Offbeat Fridays – The thread where offbeat headlines become front page news in ~news
smoontjes LinkMan opens cola cans and leaves without paying - stores have had enoughMan opens cola cans and leaves without paying - stores have had enough
A 44-year-old man has been nicknamed the Cola Man because he visits stores, opens cans of Cola, takes a sip, and opens another.
"He currently owes us 15 cases."
We asked him why he does it, and he said, "I just love Cola."
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Comment on Parliament of the Faroe Islands voted on Thursday to legalise abortion until the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old law that prohibited abortions in most cases in ~health
smoontjes LinkTook them 50 years to join the rest of the kingdom with this law. And only 17 to 16. Religious conservative places are so backwards.Took them 50 years to join the rest of the kingdom with this law. And only 17 to 16. Religious conservative places are so backwards.
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Comment on This week's local elections in Denmark are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they're making a mistake in ~society
smoontjes LinkEspecially their anti-immigration policies have worked all this time. The Social Democrats adopted basically all of those policies straight from the Danish People's Party who then saw massive...Especially their anti-immigration policies have worked all this time. The Social Democrats adopted basically all of those policies straight from the Danish People's Party who then saw massive decline because people lost their single-issue reason to vote for them (they and others are back to previous highs with Trumpist rhetoric though).
Moving rightwards has worked for the Social Democrats for 20 years - the main problem is not the right-wing policies, it's that they formed a wildly unpopular government with right-wing parties. One that very few people voted for and those governing parties have lost ~35% and ~60% and ~15% of their voters (chart): Social Democrats 27.5% -> 19.8%, Moderates 9.3% -> 2.8%, Left* 13.3% -> 11.2% (and the only reason that Left has not lost more voters as a percentage is because they already lost those during the last decade. They used to get 20%-25% of the votes, similar in size to the Social Democrats)
Their name is Left because of their placement in parliament in the olden days, not because they are left-wing. They are "mainstream right" as the article calls them.
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Comment on By administratively redefining 'who is a foreigner,' the Lai government is turning the constitutional 'One China' framework into a dead letter in ~society
smoontjes Link ParentAnd not just mainland China! (Do read the top comment though.)no longer pretending that Taiwan has any realistic chance of controlling the mainland seems sensible.
And not just mainland China! (Do read the top comment though.)
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Comment on By administratively redefining 'who is a foreigner,' the Lai government is turning the constitutional 'One China' framework into a dead letter in ~society
smoontjes LinkAn exercise in realpolitik.. or lack of. It's an oddly fascinating situation there. If only the PRC wasn't so scary. Great read, thank you for sharing OP!An exercise in realpolitik.. or lack of. It's an oddly fascinating situation there. If only the PRC wasn't so scary.
Great read, thank you for sharing OP!
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
smoontjes Link ParentSounds like this is simply about having a different way to enjoy movies. Most people watch them for entertainment, and obviously most blockbusters are only blockbusters because they have the...Sounds like this is simply about having a different way to enjoy movies. Most people watch them for entertainment, and obviously most blockbusters are only blockbusters because they have the broadest appeal possible which most of the time means it's not very artistic because it cannot be daring lest it pushes a lot of movies-as-entertainment people away. You are clearly a movies-as-art type of person, which yeah, the former are going to see that as pretentious a lot of the time. But.. fuck that! You do you! I understand it sucks though, to not be able to relate. I feel the same with a lot of animated stuff for example. However let me spin it to be a good thing: you respect those other people enough to rely on them and trust them on their recommendations. That you end up not enjoying it is not your fault at all..!
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Comment on Social Democrats in Denmark suffer sweeping election losses – PM Mette Frederiksen's centre-left party loses control of Copenhagen for first time in more than 100 years in ~society
smoontjes LinkLeast surprising outcome. Practically nobody liked their candidate who is as unlikable as it gets in Danish politics. I would not put it past the PM to use her "close personal friend" as a...Least surprising outcome. Practically nobody liked their candidate who is as unlikable as it gets in Danish politics. I would not put it past the PM to use her "close personal friend" as a scapegoat because that's the only way it makes sense to put her in that position.
Social Democrats are not centre-left by the way. Their policies the past decade or two have only been going further and further right. They are the ones that have spearheaded some of the toughest immigration policies in Europe for years.
Very glad Copenhagen went properly left.
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"Awareness week" - don't we have enough attention already?
Bit of a negative post or rant, so feel free to skip if not in the mood for a kinda sour take. Apparently this week is transgender awareness week and while it's obviously about more than just...
Bit of a negative post or rant, so feel free to skip if not in the mood for a kinda sour take.
Apparently this week is transgender awareness week and while it's obviously about more than just being aware of the thing (like breast cancer awareness month is also about educating etc.) I still feel like the purpose is so far removed from what it's supposed to be that it may as well be satirical.
From that link:
While most of the discussion of trans folks online can often be centered on negativity, Transgender Awareness Week gives us the opportunity to uplift positive and insightful stories of trans people across the country.
Does it though? gif
Is anybody outside of our community going to actually learn anything this week?
Are they going to an extra event or something just because someone decided this week is special for us?
Because I think it's nothing except detrimental to us. It only gives more ammunition to those who already hate us and already at best want us to go away.
(Day of remembrance, also this week, is on the other hand an important day I think.)
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Comment on Any chance we can get a shorthand for the <details> tag? in ~tildes
smoontjes Link100% agree. Just copy the one on discord where ||spoiler goes here||. They already took all of the same things from there and have been in place for ages here. For example one or two * for slanted...100% agree.
Just copy the one on discord where ||spoiler goes here||. They already took all of the same things from there and have been in place for ages here. For example one or two * for slanted and bold, > for quoting stuff, a ~ for strikethrough, etc.
Shouldn't be too hard to implement?
Alright, hmm well to me that just sounds like a preference. Like cables behind furniture being sorted all tidy or a jumbled mess because out of sight, out of mind.