Hello to my Americans friends, and an outsider looking in, we have a very famous saying about the situation you’re currently in. It roughly translates to, “holy fucking shit, you guys are totally fucked”.
Honestly I’m baffled by the seeming lack of tangible response from the general public, I understand 30 odd % voted for this and another 30 or so couldn’t be bothered. But the rest of you should be shutting down everything, how are you just holding these weekend protests and hoping for change. Cripple the bloody country! The longer you wait the worse it gets.
Sincerly someone who knows what Dictatorships are.
I feel this way every time I wake up. I am a pretty avid history enthusiast. I know what the parallels are. I know the direct analogies to what’s happening here now.
It ultimately boils down to the fact that the vast majority of the country is unable to mount a general protest because we’re all wage slaves, and healthcare is tied to having a job here, so we’re all predominantly conditioned to be nice little worker lemmings for the most part. And then there’s the imbecilic “exceptionalist” streak that a lot of people have, which is more or less the societally-toxic idea that you’re just a temporarily inconvenienced billionaire who hasn’t come into their own yet.
“It ultimately boils down to the fact that the vast majority of the country is unable to mount a general protest because we’re all wage slaves, and healthcare is tied to having a job here, so we’re all predominantly conditioned to be nice little worker lemmings for the most part.”
That’s the problem right there, right now you NEED action, no revolution was won and no government overthrown by people tweeting, and we all know how well “Thoughts and prayers” works.
That’s easy to say from the outside. Say I do all of that, sacrifice everything for the cause, but there’s no groundswell of the same afterwards. So I just gave up everything, and accomplished nothing.
Yes it’s a pretty negative and defeatist attitude, but the country is far too large compared to most European countries for fast response gathering to really work, and the media is complicit in covering up news about things like that, making that outcome extremely likely.
I’m just a school bus driver so it doesn’t really make a difference either way what I do versus something like retail or fast food workers, but there is a different way to do it here than in countries the size of a small state. I just don’t know what that is.
It is easy to say from the outside, however I say this as someone who took part in mass protests hoping to bring down a massively corrupt government who literally stole all the peoples money, I’ve been tear gassed, water cannoned and had rocks thrown at me.
I mean no offense to you at all but yes, it is a defeatist attitude and unfortunately I can’t offer any options as to what to do, but doing nothing will enable your freedoms and liberties to be eaten away altoghether.
I think people are more prone to react once it affects them personally and that’s understandable, especially how most American workers are held hostage by their jobs (paycheck to paycheck living, health insurance etc).
People will die either way, Trump is gutting medical aid and social services across the board. People can either accept it meekly and just die, or try and fight and die. Honestly there are no good choices left for normal Americans who didn’t vote for this. But a choice has to be made.
That’s fair, but I think that a non insignificant number of people just don’t care. Yes, protests in big cities seem large, but like the other commenter was saying, only 1/3 of people really oppose this. And some of that 1/3 don’t oppose it particularly strongly if at all. I know lifelong Rs that luckily didn’t vote for Trump, but mostly because he doesn’t stand on ceremony. They voted Harris, but they legitimately have no problem with rounding up immigrants and attacks on the LGBT community. Local resistance is just not really possible when 1/3 of your neighbors have trump flags in their yard, 1/3 think your resistance is stupid and maybe 25% of the remaining 1/3 care enough to join some of the time. How do you do a work stoppage if only 1/12 of your colleagues would even consider it. I’m not saying resistance is futile, but I don’t think it’s about the wage slave issue as much as it is that there’s no real public will to stop this. Wage slave issue is of course still a problem and likely contributing factor.
Stop trying to talk yourself out of doing something. You clearly believe that something needs to be done so do whatever you can to move us in a positive direction. I’m not saying you’re wrong but every time we say stuff like this we help the people hearing it feel more justified in doing less. Let others come up with their own reasons for inaction and work hard to overcome your own.
I’m not talking myself out of doing anything and I am actively doing what I can. I also specifically said that resistance isn’t futile. We should all do what we can, but not talking about the problem, especially when other leftists are openly and actively acknowledging it, just leads to the pic above of feeling like their experience is the problem. Their experience is not the problem and they are not crazy. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fascists around. That fact is important to acknowledge because it really does change the kind of resistance that works.
I know the infighting meme is old at this point, but I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish with this comment, but it comes off as obnoxious (to me) and we need less of that. I’m not posting doomer rhetoric. I’m acknowledging a truth already acknowledged in this thread. I don’t need a random leftist telling me to work hard to overcome reasons for inaction. I already organize locally. Acknowledging that there’s just only so much you can do and it’s ok to work in that framework can be helpful.
That’s exactly what it sounded like, which is why my reply was worded from that perspective. You may not have intended it to be read that way but it does to me.
I fled the country, so it’s been fascinating looking in from the outside while still having a stake vis-à-vis all the people I love back home.
On the inside, the people that matter are terrified. It’s easy to tell someone to grab a rifle and “do something”, but the average person is now more focused on their own immediate survival than anything else. People are losing access to life saving medicine, they’re worried about catching a life threatening illness, and basic costs of living (rent, food, health, etc) are getting more expensive. Even privileged people are starting to feel the screws tightening. The US is a ticking time bomb and something is going to give at some point, but it’s going to have to get significantly worse first.
On the outside, everyone understands why we fled. My new country has been so incredibly welcoming and sympathetic, with a hint of curiosity. I realized yesterday while I was reading about the Philly mass shooting that I’ve yet to hear of a single mass shooting where I am, and I immediately felt a sense of relief.
“but it’s going to have to get significantly worse first.”
Unfortunately given what we (the rest of the world are seeing) I think you’re right, but it just makes no sense to me (who comes from the middle east, had to flee civil war and lived in the west) how easily it seems to be for this administration to literally dismatle the US as we know it.
“but the average person is now more focused on their own immediate survival than anything else. People are losing access to life saving medicine. They’re worried about catching a life threatening illness, and food costs double what it used to” This, in hindsight has been a strategy that has worked brilliantly in controlling the general population.
Well done for getting out and giving yourself this peace of mind).
What astounds me is there are more foreigners like me who are so much more knowledgeable about US laws than the average Maga. It’s insanity the mental gymnastics they manage. Everyone has this information at their fingertips, sadly facts don’t seem to matter anymore.
All I can tell you is good luck my friend, a lot of people around the world sympathise with those who want change, and we’re genuinely hoping to see Trump, Musk, Theil, ice and bullshit barbies and the rest behind bars for treason someday.
The media is compromised. People are organizing but you’re not hearing about it for the most part. No one’s talking about it on public forums for obvious reasons. You will start hearing about it when things come to a head.
There is actually, unfortunately it’s a very hard choice and it will require sacrifice, be it jobs, etc, otherwise you’ll end up being the worlds riches failed state.
Hello to my Americans friends, and an outsider looking in, we have a very famous saying about the situation you’re currently in. It roughly translates to, “holy fucking shit, you guys are totally fucked”. Honestly I’m baffled by the seeming lack of tangible response from the general public, I understand 30 odd % voted for this and another 30 or so couldn’t be bothered. But the rest of you should be shutting down everything, how are you just holding these weekend protests and hoping for change. Cripple the bloody country! The longer you wait the worse it gets.
Sincerly someone who knows what Dictatorships are.
I feel this way every time I wake up. I am a pretty avid history enthusiast. I know what the parallels are. I know the direct analogies to what’s happening here now.
It ultimately boils down to the fact that the vast majority of the country is unable to mount a general protest because we’re all wage slaves, and healthcare is tied to having a job here, so we’re all predominantly conditioned to be nice little worker lemmings for the most part. And then there’s the imbecilic “exceptionalist” streak that a lot of people have, which is more or less the societally-toxic idea that you’re just a temporarily inconvenienced billionaire who hasn’t come into their own yet.
“It ultimately boils down to the fact that the vast majority of the country is unable to mount a general protest because we’re all wage slaves, and healthcare is tied to having a job here, so we’re all predominantly conditioned to be nice little worker lemmings for the most part.”
That’s the problem right there, right now you NEED action, no revolution was won and no government overthrown by people tweeting, and we all know how well “Thoughts and prayers” works.
That’s easy to say from the outside. Say I do all of that, sacrifice everything for the cause, but there’s no groundswell of the same afterwards. So I just gave up everything, and accomplished nothing.
Yes it’s a pretty negative and defeatist attitude, but the country is far too large compared to most European countries for fast response gathering to really work, and the media is complicit in covering up news about things like that, making that outcome extremely likely.
I’m just a school bus driver so it doesn’t really make a difference either way what I do versus something like retail or fast food workers, but there is a different way to do it here than in countries the size of a small state. I just don’t know what that is.
It is easy to say from the outside, however I say this as someone who took part in mass protests hoping to bring down a massively corrupt government who literally stole all the peoples money, I’ve been tear gassed, water cannoned and had rocks thrown at me. I mean no offense to you at all but yes, it is a defeatist attitude and unfortunately I can’t offer any options as to what to do, but doing nothing will enable your freedoms and liberties to be eaten away altoghether. I think people are more prone to react once it affects them personally and that’s understandable, especially how most American workers are held hostage by their jobs (paycheck to paycheck living, health insurance etc).
I wish you luck friend.
You missed the part where the cops do all that and then shoot to kill in the states.
People will die either way, Trump is gutting medical aid and social services across the board. People can either accept it meekly and just die, or try and fight and die. Honestly there are no good choices left for normal Americans who didn’t vote for this. But a choice has to be made.
That’s fair, but I think that a non insignificant number of people just don’t care. Yes, protests in big cities seem large, but like the other commenter was saying, only 1/3 of people really oppose this. And some of that 1/3 don’t oppose it particularly strongly if at all. I know lifelong Rs that luckily didn’t vote for Trump, but mostly because he doesn’t stand on ceremony. They voted Harris, but they legitimately have no problem with rounding up immigrants and attacks on the LGBT community. Local resistance is just not really possible when 1/3 of your neighbors have trump flags in their yard, 1/3 think your resistance is stupid and maybe 25% of the remaining 1/3 care enough to join some of the time. How do you do a work stoppage if only 1/12 of your colleagues would even consider it. I’m not saying resistance is futile, but I don’t think it’s about the wage slave issue as much as it is that there’s no real public will to stop this. Wage slave issue is of course still a problem and likely contributing factor.
Stop trying to talk yourself out of doing something. You clearly believe that something needs to be done so do whatever you can to move us in a positive direction. I’m not saying you’re wrong but every time we say stuff like this we help the people hearing it feel more justified in doing less. Let others come up with their own reasons for inaction and work hard to overcome your own.
I’m not talking myself out of doing anything and I am actively doing what I can. I also specifically said that resistance isn’t futile. We should all do what we can, but not talking about the problem, especially when other leftists are openly and actively acknowledging it, just leads to the pic above of feeling like their experience is the problem. Their experience is not the problem and they are not crazy. Unfortunately, there are a lot of fascists around. That fact is important to acknowledge because it really does change the kind of resistance that works.
I know the infighting meme is old at this point, but I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish with this comment, but it comes off as obnoxious (to me) and we need less of that. I’m not posting doomer rhetoric. I’m acknowledging a truth already acknowledged in this thread. I don’t need a random leftist telling me to work hard to overcome reasons for inaction. I already organize locally. Acknowledging that there’s just only so much you can do and it’s ok to work in that framework can be helpful.
That’s exactly what it sounded like, which is why my reply was worded from that perspective. You may not have intended it to be read that way but it does to me.
I fled the country, so it’s been fascinating looking in from the outside while still having a stake vis-à-vis all the people I love back home.
On the inside, the people that matter are terrified. It’s easy to tell someone to grab a rifle and “do something”, but the average person is now more focused on their own immediate survival than anything else. People are losing access to life saving medicine, they’re worried about catching a life threatening illness, and basic costs of living (rent, food, health, etc) are getting more expensive. Even privileged people are starting to feel the screws tightening. The US is a ticking time bomb and something is going to give at some point, but it’s going to have to get significantly worse first.
On the outside, everyone understands why we fled. My new country has been so incredibly welcoming and sympathetic, with a hint of curiosity. I realized yesterday while I was reading about the Philly mass shooting that I’ve yet to hear of a single mass shooting where I am, and I immediately felt a sense of relief.
Edit: wording
“but it’s going to have to get significantly worse first.” Unfortunately given what we (the rest of the world are seeing) I think you’re right, but it just makes no sense to me (who comes from the middle east, had to flee civil war and lived in the west) how easily it seems to be for this administration to literally dismatle the US as we know it.
“but the average person is now more focused on their own immediate survival than anything else. People are losing access to life saving medicine. They’re worried about catching a life threatening illness, and food costs double what it used to” This, in hindsight has been a strategy that has worked brilliantly in controlling the general population.
Well done for getting out and giving yourself this peace of mind).
The general public will never hear about this, and those that do, won’t believe it.
What astounds me is there are more foreigners like me who are so much more knowledgeable about US laws than the average Maga. It’s insanity the mental gymnastics they manage. Everyone has this information at their fingertips, sadly facts don’t seem to matter anymore.
The average Maga doesn’t do any mental gymnastics. If anything contradicts them, it’s wrong by default.
All I can tell you is good luck my friend, a lot of people around the world sympathise with those who want change, and we’re genuinely hoping to see Trump, Musk, Theil, ice and bullshit barbies and the rest behind bars for treason someday.
I’m an Australian. We have a similar phrase with the same translation. In our language, we say: “cunts fucked”
I love the versatility of the way Aussies use the word cunt.
The media is compromised. People are organizing but you’re not hearing about it for the most part. No one’s talking about it on public forums for obvious reasons. You will start hearing about it when things come to a head.
Yes we know.
I’m and American and yeah, I figured that one out for myself years ago. A lot of us did. There’s just not much we can fucking do about it.
There is actually, unfortunately it’s a very hard choice and it will require sacrifice, be it jobs, etc, otherwise you’ll end up being the worlds riches failed state.
I came in here to call Americans cowards but it looks like you’re already here making sure it’s covered.