Beyonnaise Posted October 24 Posted October 24 (edited) I'm putting this in The Lounge because I don't want it to descend into political arguments. Go to the Civics section and the election thread for discussions on the candidates, policies and events shaping the election. And if you don't want to read a negative take on the current situation, don't weigh in I guess. I want this thread to be a safe space for those of us who are genuinely terrified of the outcome of this election and not feeling optimistic, and what it will portend for society going forward. Vent your thoughts and maybe plans for how you're gonna handle the next few weeks and beyond. Putting my rant in spoilers so as to not overwhelm the OP. I truly feel so blackpilled by so much right now. But one main thing is just dismay at the erosion of truth going on. I just can't fathom why tens of millions of people would still support someone who tried to literally overthrow the government, the lies he fomented that have no evidence, and why he seems to even be growing in support. There's a million issues with the Democrats and their messaging that I have criticized them for ad nauseam. But I just can't stand that pointing out basic things -- like how every court case about "Stop The Steal" failed -- doesn't change anything for MAGAs and why it just makes them more resolute that you're part of a left wing establishment plot. They scoff at any source besides dumb bro podcasters as if you're the stupid one for believing the reporting by widely fact checked and cited sources. Like how do these f**king people have jobs or relationships if they don't believe anything is true unless it's from within their delusional bubble? And why are they so resentful? I know it's related to class and economic issues caused by both parties, but they are willing to literally end their marriages and relationships with loved ones they've been with for decades over a maniac who could not give less of a f**k if they live or die. What kinda bothers me more than the MAGA true believers is the normies who just vaguely think "the economy was better under Trump" without challenging that assertion at all, or understanding global supply chain trends. And my god, claiming to know economics but not at all understanding that Trump's tariff plan would tank the economy but that's a whole other topic Beyond just Trump as a person person who will die off eventually no matter what happens in two weeks, it tells us so much about where society is going. So many people are increasingly untethered to reality. Well-meaning people are falling into insane conspiracy rabbit holes. My parents' sweet neighbor who had Obama signs outside her house in 2012 is now full on MAGA and thinks Democrats are molesting kids at schools. Men who weren't political a few years ago are now staunchly right-wing and just always so aggrieved. My family is mostly all liberal but my cousin's husband is a Republican. When I first met him in 2018 he never mentioned politics and was much more funny and easy to have a conversation with. I saw him at a wedding in September and mentioned that I live in DC, not even referencing politics, and he started going off about how "they're" trying to poison our water supply with hormones -- not PFAS but some right-wing crazy theory -- and in general he was way more angst-ridden and less friendly than he was before the pandemic. I just don't see these people ever changing because they're in echo chambers of hatred toward the nebulous "them": the liberals, the establishment, smart people. And visual AI capabilities becoming even harder to discern couldn't be worse for these people who are divorced from reality. Anyway no matter what happens I'm getting tf out of town for the inauguration if Trump wins, as I really do think it could cause mass riots because both sides are so pent up with vitriol. And though it feels impossible I may just have to delete all social media and news and block them from my laptop for a while because I'm getting close to just not being able to handle the chaos. Beyond that I'm not religious but I've been reading about stoicism, which I think helps me focus only on what I can control myself, and trying to work on breathing exercises Edited October 24 by Beyonnaise 5
Virgos Groove Posted October 24 Posted October 24 (edited) I've been feeling doomer-ish this the entire year tbh. From what's been hapenning in Palestine to the losses progressives have been having for half a decade now, it's just so hard to have optimism. Biden stepping down and Kamala getting the nomination (around the same time Labour won in the UK and the left won in France) gave me a bit of hope, but we all know how that ended. My TL constantly recommending me the absolute worst political takes (from warhawkish liberals to homophobic "communists") hasn't helped. Honestly, I've just decided to tune off for the most part. There are only so many Ls I can stomach. Edited October 24 by Virgos Groove 3
Arthoe Posted October 24 Posted October 24 I genuinely don't know what to do with my life. I felt that little burst of hope like y'all did too with the left winning the elections in France, but the future looks so genuinely bleak. I don't really feel safe existing anywhere as a very obviously queer leftist person. All political parties in my country have moved WAY to the right, to appease the racist masses, no party that's currently in parliament has political positions that I even just 40% agree with. The political left in my country is actually dead. Austerity is still the raison d'être of my country, we're giving tax cuts to billionaires and multi-millionaires, while the working class pays half of their wages in taxes and the other half in rent. Queerphobic crime is exploding, repression of speech and police brutality are becoming more and more normalized in regards to criticizing a certain country, there's gonna be new legislature that within the next four weeks where the conservatives, libs, soc dems & greens are gonna censor and defund scientists and universities if they criticize that certain country. In the place I'm living I see dozens of Neo-N*zi stickers everywhere. And the people are just continuing on with their lives, because they're white middle-class cishets, and the terrorist guerilla groups aren't targeting or threatening them. I genuinely don't know if anything is ever gonna get better, I've been saving money so I have at least a little something I can fall back on if I have to make a quick exit. 2
Anthinos Posted October 25 Posted October 25 I don't live in the USA and it's not as bad here in Germany as it is in your country, but you can still notice changes here too. I find it sad how irrational and hateful many people have become, especially towards us (LGBT). Social media is full of insults. Celebrities, politicians and influencers spread lies and hate and incite society even more. We don't even need to talk about what is happening in countries like Russia. The world can be sad. I have now withdrawn from social media. I know we should be fighting but somehow I feel like I'm fighting against water. Society has to change on its own. People need to question their own thoughts. I think everything will be fine in the long term, but the long term can also lie in the distant future, perhaps even after our time.
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