Repost from https://todon.eu/@marcohackney/115992340469511552 with ALT text added.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@wiredfire Do you have anything positive to add or are you just using my thread to share your negativity? @ahltorp

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@wigbert I am trying hard and your support helps me. Thank you. But sometimes there is only so much I can take. Le sigh.

[aguleb@masto.ai]

@jwildeboer Please don't, you're on the right side.

Small anecdote: my 20-year old daughter is currently traveling in Asia. Some days back out of nowhere she said: "Europe is actually pretty cool: potable tap water and rule of law." (She had an accident and had to deal with local police.)
#thanksEU

[pjakobs@mastodon.green]

@jwildeboer that is the curse of open: there will always be people, who have the uncontrollable urge to show their superiority by signalling that they found something bad in or about what you shared.
The more people we reach, the more often we find them.
They are sad souls, they radiate negativity, don't let them win.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

No matter what you think is more important — please do remember that I am a human being, not a machine. That I post here to share a message, not an invitation to you to accuse or attack me. Treat me with the respect I try to give you with every post and we can all have good discussions, even on tough topics. Deal?

[geraintllanfrancheta@hachyderm.io]

@jwildeboer long live the EU!

[xchange@chaos.social]

@jwildeboer Please dont. Haters Gonna Hate.

I know I rant a lot and I'm quite aware of my cynicist world view, yet we need more people like you who spread at least a little bit of positivity in a world full of shit.

[dabasa@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer Take care of yourself. Have a small media break to be quiet. But stay further more. Mastodon is a relatively safe place to speak out.

[dlsl@mastodon.online]

@jwildeboer I just want to add to the positive voices here because I feel like it is needed:

I don't comment often but I just wanted to let you know your account and posts are my favourite on the fediverse. I'm sorry you have to deal with so many such accusations and negative comments.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@dlsl Thank you. That really means a lot to me.

[larsmb@mastodon.online]

@jwildeboer For all its faults, I think the EU is an important stepping stone towards the European Federation, which is an important stepping stone towards Gaia Republic, which is an important stepping stone towards The Sol Federation. And then we'll see.

I really don't understand why people would rather identify with something small than something larger.

[borup@masto.hackers.town]

@jwildeboer I for one wish you only joy.
And I too really appreciate all the good things that EU has brought us.

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@larsmb A lot of people don't want to identify with or support anything bigger than themselves. So they are simply against everything. It's saddening to me how the internet seems since many years to have made that way of thinking take more hold. We need communities, not factions :(

[mycotropic@beige.party]

@jwildeboer

All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?'

Brought peace?

REG: Oh. Peace? Shut up!

[mfru@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer

but the EU:

- is intransparent and complex
- is slow to move when it matters the most
- is a supranational entity that can overrule local legislature
- is in many regards a dubious democracy
- did not hold its promise of no more wars on its soil
- has frontex
- is a neoliberal economic bloc
- drives a parliament around between belgium and france for no other reason than pettiness and costs laughably high amounts in the process

[jwildeboer@social.wildeboer.net]

@mfru As someone who actually changed EU politics through real, personal action back between 2002-2005, resulting in a 90+% vote against an EU directive in the EU parliament, I don't agree with all of those points. You can fight and win. I did. Not alone, with many other people. We stood up, had good, convincing arguments and won.

[wigbert@mastodon.world]

@jwildeboer

completely understand - that is why conscious breaks are so important - a few hours at least…

or even better: a few days offline and more days in nature 🌳

[casscfenjoyer@mstdn.science]

@jwildeboer And peace! Never has Europe been more peaceful! That alone is reason enough for me.

[skandalfo@mastodon.social]

@mfru @jwildeboer

You seem to complain about both the glass being half full and the glass being half empty.

As difficult as it is for a 27 member bloc (now including a couple of bad faith actors) to operate on the basis of unanimity, we are way better off with the EU in place. It's amazing how far something that started as an economic agreement among a handful of countries has gotten.

I hope there'll be a day when it'll be possible to reform the treaties to adapt them to the times.

[xdydx@mastodon.social]

@jwildeboer
Und das lieber @Bundesregierung ist die "Bürokratie" den ihr immer abbauen wollt.

Bürokratie schütz Verbraucher: innen.

Abbau von Bürokratie bereichert nur die Superreichen