Politics has turned me into a mess

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Being repulsed by racism, corporate greed, exclusion, misogyny and authoritarianism is not the same as being repulsed by rule of law, fairness, justice and democratic principles of openness and inclusion.

I just wanted this to appear in the thread twice.

 

[Leslie Trihey]

A a friend of mine that has been a friend for over ten years is suddenly not a friend anymore. They've been totally caught up in bullshit news. According to them Sweden is a Muslim caliphate country now, and being skeptical of a conspiracy video suddenly equals that I'm a cucked SJW. Also, constantly uses terms like cultural Marxism and what not.

They absolutely lost it on me and put so many words into my mouth and projection onto me.


Sucks, but oh well. Anyone that thinks "race science" is a legitimate science is a lost cause anyways. Politics, especially right now is cancer.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

That... I think, is part of the real pain and anguish that the left over here is going through. Bad leaders come and go... what seems to have changed is the moral fabric of America. We don't feel safe because we -KNOW- that the people who hate us value their loyalty to each other above the rule of law, and when someone wrongs us, they'll conspire to make it OUR fault to whatever degree they're able, even if only in the court of public opinion.

You do mean internal enemies, a toxic culture in the USA, did I get this right?

Thank you, Sid, for this absolutely lovely post. It feels like we're being heard outside our own American bubble of chaos.

Of course you're being heared outside the states, because the USA are still despite all national debt and internal problems the most powerful superpower which is there at the moment, and it is being lead by somebody who has no diplomatic experiences whatsoever, nor even cares.

So many allies and other states which have ties with the USA are observing in sheer horror every move, every tweet Trump makes. Trumps foreign policy, if you want to call it so, is a catalyst in destabilizing the world at a very fast pace.

Trump is absolutely nobody who can be trusted, neither by close friends, allies or enemies alike; first agreeing to agreements, and later shunning them off in a single tweet afterwards. He's behaving like the proverbial schoolyard bully out of the book, but he's a schoolyard bully who's in command of the most powerful army in the world, and having a the second biggest nuclear arsenal being available on his fingertips. Oh and of course a whole fleet of killer drones, which just kill what's being needed to get killed in the American Eye.

So of course many people worldwide are really worried about what Trump might do next, because he's so unpredictible that some think he just might start World War III because he's pushing the wrong button instead of that on the coffee machine, and do hope, that Mueller's mission is going to be a successful one sooner than later.

 

[Beebo Brink]

So of course many people worldwide are really worried about what Trump might do next....

This, right here, is what worries me most about global reaction: The emphasis on "Trump" as the problem, "Trump" as the source of concern.

Trump is not the problem, he's the SYMPTOM. Large portions of the American people are the problem. They may have been manipulated and stampeded by a cynical corporate-owned GOP ruling class, but ultimate responsibility lies in the individuals who let themselves be led down the path to hell and put Trump at the helm.

And this is why the midterms are so critical at this juncture. If a large enough portion of the American populace does not rise up to smack down the GOP candidates, then it really doesn't matter whether Trump is president or not. The next lizard-brain autocrat will be stepping up right behind him, with sufficient support to stay in power. Whoever is at the helm will just steamroll their way forward.

Even if Dems manage to gain control of Congress, there's a big battle up ahead to reverse course and then keep us on track over the long term. I see no reason for other countries to wait decades to see how this turns out. Save yourselves. Do what you have to do now to protect your own interests, financial and political, without over-reliance on the U.S.

 

[Cindy Claveau]

I have to work hard to generate empathy for people who are upset because they cut themselves off from family. I confess that as one of my own emotional short-comings, not in any way as criticism of that emotion in others.

You don't owe me an apology, Beebo. I made my choice years ago in a deep-red state deep-red family to go a different path. Nobody seemed to notice until I stopped joining in family prayers and took the diametrically opposed political position to everyone else. I simply could not be true to myself and "go along to get along".

Prior to that, my siblings and I were always taught that family was everything. That we stood beside each other come hell or high water. My Mom & Dad died thinking those lessons still held true.

So maybe some of my regret is aimed at not living up to their expectations but that's a socially-programmed response from young childhood. These days I value my own integrity and honesty far more than I do the opinions of others, including my own family. If my brother has to stand in my late father's stead as the overly-opinionated bully and object of my anger, that's fine with me. It's a role he's chosen for himself without a bit of self-doubt.

If there's one thing that bothers me, it's that my brother has spent years in AA and OA, clinging to his religion to save him, claiming some kind of inner 12 Step peace and understanding that came from Jesus, but cannot for a moment see how utterly blatant Kavanaugh's testimony rests as the behavior of an active alcoholic and rage-aholic..

 

[Nika Talaj]

Yes, things are getting bad here. Very bad. And so many of us know it, but whether or not we can stem the tide of hatred and scapegoating is very much up in the air. Midterm elections will be telling.

Nods. There's a syndrome, "Trump Anxiety Disorder". I think the name was originally floated as a joke, but the uptick in psychologically significant stress disorders is unmistakeable, even though specific statistics are difficult to gather.

The corresponding uptick in hate crimes and domestic violence can be attributed more indirectly to the permissiveness of our current society to demonstrations of male rage. Thanks, GOP, for taking the lid off that particular Pandora's box.

I am giving my niece an early Christmas present: a self-defense course. I now think all American women should take one.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

This, right here, is what worries me most about global reaction: The emphasis on "Trump" as the problem, "Trump" as the source of concern.

Trump is not the problem, he's the SYMPTOM. Large portions of the American people are the problem.

Actually in my opinion Trump is both: some things would have changed regardless of him being in charge or not, but since he's no diplomat and prefers tweeting instead of using the usual, diplomatic channels and has axed his state department, this also makes him a problem, inside the USA and outside, because of his unstable persona.

 

[Rose Karuna]

That... I think, is part of the real pain and anguish that the left over here is going through. Bad leaders come and go... what seems to have changed is the moral fabric of America. We don't feel safe because we -KNOW- that the people who hate us value their loyalty to each other above the rule of law, and when someone wrongs us, they'll conspire to make it OUR fault to whatever degree they're able, even if only in the court of public opinion.

We woke up after the election and discovered ourselves deep behind enemy lines.

Jopsy kind of hit the nail on the head for both my husband and I. My husband spent six years in the Marine Corps during Vietnam and even he feels this way. He seriously wants to move to Europe. I think he came to the realization we were behind enemy lines before I did.

One night I was listening to an NPR report on Kavanaugh and I came to the conclusion that I HAD to turn the radio off. I just could not stomach it any longer. Right after that, I ran across a bumper sticker that says "Giant Meteor 2020 - just end it already". I had to laugh because I am so news stressed that it really resonated. I told my husband, I don't want to speak about politics with anyone anymore, not family and not friends. Not people who agree, not people who disagree. I'm going to vote, I'm going to contribute to campaigns of those I think are honest, decent public figures but I'm done discussing what I think with my family and friends. I'm just done.

I made the giant meteor thing part of my sig a few days ago. So if anyone was wondering, that's why. I don't mind the political forum here, I can choose not to read something and that suffices. Sometimes I can't help myself and I read something anyway and then feel sick at heart for days. Anyhow, thanks for posting this thread Cindy, I really can understand where you're at.

 

[EmpressOfCommunism]

Don't be hard on yourself, OP. We all eat from the trash can of ideology from time to time, and in these years dirty is needed to fight dirty.

 

[Jopsy Pendragon]

You do mean internal enemies, a toxic culture in the USA, did I get this right?

Correct.

And fwiw, the USA is far from the the most powerful nation in the world. Power doesn't come from having the biggest military. Power comes from influence. And we have lost so very much under Trump. He's gutted our state department, insulted and alienated our allies, gotten the UN to laugh at his ignorant bluster, screwed up trade, bent over for Putin and made kissy faces with the dictator of one of the least economically significant counties in the world.

Putin's global influence probably far exceeds that of the US right now, which is probably exactly why they helped him win the election. China certainly isn't going let our weakness go unexploited either.

The golden age of American leadership and the westernization of the world is over. The EU is mired in bureaucracy.... Russia/China are the new first world leaders.

Because we got played.

 

[Eunoli]

Now I read all this, I owe you an apologize for trying to be funny by using the orange one as my Halloween avatar on VVO.
The whole world seems to be slowly shifting to the right, but it becomes more and more clear the USA has shifted into a political hell.
Sorry that I misjudged the actual situation so badly.

I really think you have nothing to apologize for. We make fun of him, too. I don't think anyone took that as you making fun of his victims.

 

[Pati]

I'm consider myself lucky because I'm out of the country, so a certain distance from the crazy train up there, but I had to chose between keeping up with the news and feeling sick (stomach), or out of the loop and healthy. Even TV shows I love watching, like John Oliver, have to skip some episodes that are hard to digest.

I hate to be "ooh doomsday", but some parts of the world are going crazy. I'm in South America and they're having elections soon. The runner up it's a worse version of cheetolini: a misogynist asshole that once told a senator "she's not even good enough to be raped", a policy pusher for the rich, anti LGBT, running with a vice that recently told reporters "black people are lazy by nature".

His "followers" want the return of the dictatorship that ended in 1985, where hundreds of people died in the hands of the military in power.

Can this get more insane: people want back into an oppressive regime and are willing to vote (lol-cries) to get there, because social media is helping those asshats spreading lies that if he's not elected the country will be taken over by the communists.

There's people here that actually believes this BS and will vote for this lunatic; but there's plenty more that will vote for him because they hate women (very "macho" country), gays, blacks and poor people.

I have never experienced this in my lifetime and while I push away the fear and disgust and try to be positive, thinking that good changes disrupt rotten behavior usually bringing the worst in the beast before it's conquered, being in the middle of this mess it's not easy and it's affecting plenty of people, so don't feel alone.

 

[Jupiter]

I have unfriended one and unfollowed the other, because what's the point of arguing with either of them when whataboutism, deflection, abuse and outright glee at the suffering of others is what I get back?

If there's one thing that bothers me, it's that my brother has spent years in AA and OA, clinging to his religion to save him, claiming some kind of inner 12 Step peace and understanding that came from Jesus, but cannot for a moment see how utterly blatant Kavanaugh's testimony rests as the behavior of an active alcoholic and rage-aholic..

I'm surprised this hasn't come up already, the relationship between Christianity and conservatism. All of my conservative family members think of themselves as good Christians while admittedly delighting in the pain of liberals. They post memes about it on Facebook. I know Christianity has a fraught and violent history and I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I'm not Christian, but I am a religious person (Pagan) and some of my morality is derived from my religious and spiritual beliefs. Nothing anywhere says it's okay to lie and cheat, to delight in the pain and suffering of others, to dehumanise people, to oppress them. I do not understand these Christians.

Also, I completely understand that one can be atheist or agnostic and still be moral. Don't @ me

Trump is not the problem, he's the SYMPTOM. Large portions of the American people are the problem. They may have been manipulated and stampeded by a cynical corporate-owned GOP ruling class, but ultimate responsibility lies in the individuals who let themselves be led down the path to hell and put Trump at the helm.

Let me preface my next statements by saying that I'm generally a cheerful optimist and I don't own any tinfoil hats. But I think there are bigger problems that got us to Trump and I'm not sure we can successfully move forward until those problems are solved, or at least lessened. I'm referring to issues such as the lack of education, political apathy, and the culture of mindless entertainment, which I believe (this is where the tinfoil hat comes in) are deliberately constructed to keep the majority of people uninformed and inactive. And I also consider that my ability to keep up and understand political news is something of a privilege. A lot of people are just trying to survive every day. They ain't got time for that shit.

After Trump got elected, there was a spike in sales in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, and certain parallels can be drawn, but I think a much better comparison can be made with Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, in which the masses are just brainwashed, too entertained and drugged up to realise anything is wrong. Oh, look, Keeping Up with the Kardashians is on again.

 

[Cristiano]

I'm surprised this hasn't come up already, the relationship between Christianity and conservatism. All of my conservative family members think of themselves as good Christians while admittedly delighting in the pain of liberals. They post memes about it on Facebook. I know Christianity has a fraught and violent history and I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. I'm not Christian, but I am a religious person (Pagan) and some of my morality is derived from my religious and spiritual beliefs. Nothing anywhere says it's okay to lie and cheat, to delight in the pain and suffering of others, to dehumanise people, to oppress them. I do not understand these Christians.

Also, I completely understand that one can be atheist or agnostic and still be moral. Don't @ me

That is because American Christianity has nothing actually to do with the teachings of Christ. Don't even get me started on Talibangeicals who are whining on and on about Sharia Law but have no problem with the idea of America becoming a Christian theocracy in their perverted Handmaid's Tale world view. So on one side you have the Catholic Church still covering up for raping kids, and on the other side, you have American "Christians" enthusiastically supporting Trump, who is literally the fucking Anti-Christ. At this point I just consider religion a fucking scourge and a force for evil in this world.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Despite the fact that we've come so far that I was able to marry my partner of 28 years, I've never trusted this current wave of LGBT(etc) support. I still have an alternate end-of-life scenario where I'm in a detention center/concentration camp rather than assisted senior living.

What has always worried me is that pre-War Berlin/Germany was open, inclusive, intellectual and cosmopolitan. Fear and rage and greed wiped all of that away in short order. The U.S. is not Germany -- we're a much larger and inherently diverse -- country, so I don't think we'd devolve in exactly the same way. But we do appear to be devolving, and marginalized people like queers are among the most vulnerable.

 

[Sid]

Most Germans didn't fully realize what was happening from 1932 onward, until they found themselves in a position where opposition was practically impossible. IMHO, the sane part of the US population has to make sure not to get in the same position as the sane part of the Germans did back then.
Be as political active as you can bare, without loosing sanity or life, that is my advise.
The Nazis walked over the silent majority back then: Step by step, inch by inch.
Don't let your Fuhrer do the same to your country.

 

[Kara Spengler]

I've always been opinionated, and for the most part I've considered that a strength for myself. It enabled me to climb the corporate ladder a bit and then start my own business. I married a man who respects my opinion (and vice versa) even when we disagree.

But now, for some reason, the political landscape's intense toxicity has seeped into my own life, family and happiness. Ever since Dr. Ford's testimony before the Senate committee, I've felt my grip on serenity and happiness slipping bit by bit. I feel as though I don't even want to watch the news any more as every day brings one more shitstorm from the White House or the Republicans. I'm becoming what I used to look down on: a disconnected apathist.

It came to a head over the weekend. My brother and I got into it over Kavanaugh. He, a right wing fundamentalist gun lover, started trying to draw false equivalencies between the Republican tactics as they push the nomination through and past behavior by the Dems. He knows I don't call myself a "Dem" strictly speaking - I'm actually a progressive who votes mostly Dem because I detest the Repubs. He threw all kinds of baloney at me about Bill Clinton's behavior towards women (which I've never condoned), dug out a number of other minor tidbits from Fox News that I easily refuted, and just kept at me. So I finally blocked him on FB completely. I've unfriended him in the past, but this seemed like a better solution since we cannot see each other's posts. (I realize some of you hate FB, and I understand that, but it does keep me in touch with family members I actually like).

I told my husband that I am now officially disowning this asshat. I don't care what he says or thinks. I don't care if he lives or dies. I won't be going to his funeral and don't really want him at mine. My late parents would roll over if they knew, but since we cannot agree on a single thing I see no more point in communicating with him. This isn't good for my blood pressure.

And this morning, I was browsing the page of a dear friend of mine who shares my feelings on the Orange Monkeyturd. Some stranger (amorphous name) chimed in again with the same sort of false equivalency. I had to check the user name since it sounded so familiar. Where do these people get the idea that "whataboutism" is a valid debate tactic? What leads them to believe that those of us on the liberal side of the aisle ever loved Bill Clinton as much as they try to claim? It's a non-starter argument but it angers me that more people fail to grasp the most rudimentary tenets of political debate.

All this has effected my health. This week my acid reflux is back in full force, despite my doc's latest Rx, and I'm not enjoying being unable to even keep my lunch down.

Again, this is all Trump's fault I mean, really, may as well blame him since I don't remember ever feeling so on edge and upset under any other Republican administration in my life. What the hell has happened to us? Tell me I'm not alone please! I'm hovering on the brink of homicidal insanity lately!

Fun times. I am now glad I am not FB friends with some family members and unfriended others. The right-wing family member I am still friends with (who got it from his mom, he did not used to be that way) knows to only post things like fitbit stuff or half the family would jump on him.

 

[Kara Spengler]

Both my wife and I are political beasts, but she's always had more tolerance for abusive news cycles than I have. Sometimes we both go "I can't listen to this anymore," at the same time, but the rest of the time I'm probably her worst nightmare. One minute I'm glued to the TV set, the next its "I'm going in the other room, I can't take this anymore" then I'm back in the room for another segment, then I storm off again. I emotionally buffer myself by playing solitaire or jig saw puzzles on my tablet as I listen to MSNBC, then protest when she changes the channel because she assumed I wasn't paying attention. Other times I play games to block out the TV and when she pleads "Can I please change the channel, I can't bear to see Trump anymore" and I'm all "Please change it! I'm trying not to listen."

I'm giving up on people right and left. Well, people on the Right. Okay, a few on the Left are annoying me, too, to be honest. I basically just don't trust people anymore (never my strong suite to begin with) until I have some verification that they're not a Trump lunatic. Because at this point, there isn't any excuse. None.

So yeah, crazy times.

My wife banned me from watching the inauguration. I am guessing she knew it would result in something through something breakable. My breaking from the news is almost unheard of: how many people do you know of that have recorded something on cspan so they would not miss it? In addition to regularly recording 2 news shows (plus several comedy news shows).

 

[Kara Spengler]

I'm fortunate that I can talk politics with my father and we're mostly in agreement on a lot of things, especially Trump and Brexit. My mother doesn't like the news on because of DJT.

Yeah, both of my parents I talk politics with. My mom is a R (or at least used to be) but under the old definition of what that party always stood for, so now they are both pretty close on the issues. It seems to be a 3-way tie between myself, my sister, and my niece as to who is the most progressive in the family.

 

[Bartholomew Gallacher]

What has always worried me is that pre-War Berlin/Germany was open, inclusive, intellectual and cosmopolitan. Fear and rage and greed wiped all of that away in short order. The U.S. is not Germany -- we're a much larger and inherently diverse -- country, so I don't think we'd devolve in exactly the same way. But we do appear to be devolving, and marginalized people like queers are among the most vulnerable.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that what happened in the capital, did apply to the rest of the country as well. This would be like thinking that the people in the bible belt have mostly the same beliefs as your average New Yorker on let's say gay marriage.

In 1929 Germany's currency collapsed due to the black friday; it was a time of hyper inflation, where the money you earned in the morning was only good as toilet paper in the evening.

So while some might have had some fun, many were just struggling to survive for some period, looking desparately for jobs when there were only few. The inflation was stopped by the introduction of a new currency, which meant many people lost their whole fortune and had to start anew, it was a time of mass unemployment.

And many Germans back then didn't like the democracy at all, and believed the back stabbing myth that the army would have won WWI, if not being backstabbed by some Jewish conspirators. There are so many parallels between those times and today, and still living eye witnesses are warning that it is exactly beginning like in the early 1930s, that it's something to take serious.