This flagrancy makes me hopeful. Why? Because Americans don’t abide aristocracy. We were founded in revolt against unaccountable power and wealth. We will not tolerate this barefaced takeover.
This sentiment brought to you by literally nothing.
Americans will believe what the media wants them to believe, and virtually all of it is now right-wing nonsense. They aristocracy will entrench their power by ensuring that Americans are distracted and do not vote in this own self-interest, and modern technologies make that system more sophisticated than ever.
That’s not to say that the situation is stable - it’s not. America is a country in decline. Due to existing institutions, and a huge amount of wealth, things will move on momentum alone for a while. But the trend is downhill now.
We were founded in revolt against unaccountable power and wealth.
You were founded because rich people didn’t want to pay taxes to the crown.
Edit: sorry, not a reply to your post really, I just saw that and responded.
Thats an oversimplification so complete that is basically is a lie.
Firstly the taxes were raised largely on the American colonies to pay for the costs of the French-Indian war, which may seem reasonable at first since the colonies benefited the most in territories. Problem is that Britain more or less completely banned colonists doing anything in those lands, this created the issue where Britain was taxing for all of the colonies when they still effectively had the same economy as they did before the war.
Secondly the Taxes were fucking horrible, it was for all intents and purposes a tariff on all non-american goods. If it wasnt made in the american colonies then you had to pay a rather god awful tax. Also they did it twice.
Thirdly the rich were arguably the ones trying to do anything other than revolution. They tried to get the taxes repealed, get more autonomy for the colonies, and even just a couple seats in parliament, they got continuously ignored they became radicalized right alongside everyone else and said fuck it we go to war.
Elon Musk just threw up a sieg heil and the crowd cheered. I am entirely out of hope. I’m glad some people can find solace in hoping for a better tomorrow, but I am not one of those people.
Saaaaame, honestly. Fuck America.
Meanwhile democrats expend more energy fighting the left than they do the fascists on the right. We’re truly fucked. Can’t wait for performative kneeling.
The divine right of kings did not survive the invention of the printing press. Nation-states likely won’t survive the invention of the internet. I’m hopeful for that.
We will then see it in the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election, when Americans elect true leaders who care about working people and the common good.
No we won’t. We’ll get milquetoast neoliberals and a few blue dogs. And they’ll control one chamber and get fuck all done. Americans are idiots who have always voted against their best interests to entrench oligarchy.
I have no idea how someone with so much experience in politics could possibly think this is what will happen.
Is that your idea (the first thing)? It’s very interesting. I’d like to know more
The last few of Cory Doctorow’s books explore things like gift societies and, maybe not “communism” but more cooperative cultures that can result from ubiquitous interconnectedness. Walkaway is one of them.
No, I got it from The Gutenberg Parenthesis by Jeff Jarvis, which compares how society reacted to moveable type to how it was reacting to the Internet. It’s a pretty short but well researched book.
I have absolutely no hope.
Of all the horrible things Trump will do/has done, I personally think one of the most dangerous things he has done is that he gave Republicans a lesson they should have never learned: as long as the propaganda machine is on your side you can literally do anything you want.
Republicans used to do the whole song and dance of paying lip service to our norms and shying away from doing anything abhorrent out in the open, blatant corruption and the like, but Trump has shown them that they don’t need to care at all. The next charismatic asshat to take the party for a ride will be much much worse because of this lesson.
With practically the entirety of social media being owned by Reich wing assholes, or soon to be owned by them, and the literal entirety of corporate media being owned by rich self centered assholes that utilize the media for their own benefit, I only see our population getting more and more Reich wing going forward. This will be true ESPECIALLY if the only real opposition are the Democrats pulling this “lalalalalala I’m not listening, next time we just need to lie harder about the economy being good!” bullshit instead of recognizing that they actually have to do more than just say they give a shit about us.
If you are white and straight no reason to worry too much.
It’s the minorities that need to be concerned. I’m concerned as fuck for my people and especially that we are in a sanctuary city and a state that all reds hate.
So yeah I’m not hopeful but cautious.
Everybody has reason to be worried. Absolutely everybody.
Some far, far, far more than others, which is important and should not be under-emphasized.
But “straight white people will be fine”? Fuck no.
Yup. My straight white ass had two special needs children. Almost guaranteed their safety nets will be trimmed.
Straight white and actually wealthy, ah yeah that’s the ticket, fucking untouchable. Can’t wait to see the leopards come out for just the first two of three.
Which is why I said “worry too much”. You think they’ll go for white skin folks first? That’s just naive. Trust me I’m not putting your worries behind it’s just that they have already used “invasion and war” against minorities coming in even on approved refugee status.
I might not be personally worried about being taken no but I am worried about the economy being completely fucking destroyed and being completely unable to afford food.
Nazis didn’t start with minorities. Unless you’re rich, white, and a trump supporter who keeps up with the party line you’re at risk. Minorities aren’t special.
I am hopeful that Trump will find that the filibuster is stopping him from doing the things he wants to do and will move to get rid of it. Hopefully right before the midterms. Then I hope democrats get the trifecta back and actually uses it for good - since republicans benefit from a non-working government the filibuster is win-win for them. The only way the left wins is if the filibuster falls and we are in control.
Well I have no faith in America.
I grew up in Texas under Clinton, Bush, Obama, and then Trump. Our leaders are feckless at best and monsters at worst. I’m so ashamed of my fellow Americans by allowing a political spectrum that is scoped and framed to never address looming tangible existential issues to be the only one ever considered, but also the incessant slop media produces to placate the lowest common denominator amongst the population. I’m so frustrated being surrounded by simpletons, lorded over by rich morons, and being economically stunted because I’m descended from idiot junkies.
Culturally the Americas has been rotten long before the slave owning richest man in the country turned warlord so a new set of elites could replace the British nobility.
Edit: Correction, Washington wasn’t the richest man in the Americas at the time. Just tremendously wealthy by the standards of the time. My apologies about the inaccuracy.
the slave owning richest man in the country turned warlord
Washington? He was rich but he wasn’t the richest man in America either before or after the revolution.
Ahhh hell you’re right I’ll go make a correction. I like Aztec history way more than U.S.A. history so I’m not surprised I’ve been mistaken about this for decades.
I like Aztec history way more than U.S.A. history
I’m not sure that I would want you in charge :)
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Hey you! Piss off with that fact checking . We’re having an America bad always and forever circle-jerk in here.
He also didn’t turn into some warlord to overturn the elite. What a wild revisionism of the Revolution. My ancestor was a signer of the DoI and lost everything to further the cause…this wasn’t some changing from one wealthy group to another. There’s plenty of places to point to for elitism and corruption, but this point in time was not one of them.
Ignorance is what got you here in the first place ffs
WIth a name like that, he’s probably desensitized…
Round 4 - FIGHT!
lol
Resistance requires hope. I appreciate people being willing to imagine how things could get better from this point. If you aren’t willing to allow yourself to even imagine victory, you’ve already lost.
The horrors persist…
