• deadbeef79000@lemmy.nz
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    6 days ago

    Bread and circuses.

    Though that’s a little antiquated, so now it’s “high fructose corn syrup and superbowl”.

  • Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works
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    7 days ago

    Because a third of Americans are uninformed, another third is misinformed and thinks the current administration is in line with their goals, the other third is being gaslit by the other 2/3s that this is normal… And for those not buying the gaslighting, they are ignored and still too small of a group to do much.

      • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
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        9 days ago

        The stupid ones are angry too… They’re just so stupid they are angry at the wrong things/people

      • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
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        9 days ago

        Oh, my baseline emotional state these days is fury, but it’s because I know where this road leads, and it damages my calm constantly to know that the powers that be don’t seem to give a fuck.

      • Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        See, I don’t know where I fall on this list. Because I’m angry everyday, but I’m also pretty stupid. Then I see how stupid OTHER people are.

        Like I’m over here wondering if the universe is infinate, how is it expanding? Doesn’t that negate the concept of it being infinite? Or, if it’s not infinite, but it is expanding, doesn’t that suggest that the galaxy is, in perspective, very very young? We’ve found other planets that can support life. We have no evidence that life is on those planets. I’m willing to bet there IS life on those planets. It may be microscopic, and maybe it’s still in the water, but I bet it’s there. Which then raises the obvious question which we have no way in our lifetimes to accurately answer. Will those planets generate a naturally evolved set of humans completely unrelated to earths humans? I mean, logic says no, right? Theres so many variables, that they would evolve to cater to the needs of their planet. Right?

        Then I see guys get on the bus, and rummage through the trash can, and yell “WHY DOESN’T ANYONE THROW OUT GOLD OR DIAMONDS, OR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS???”

        That is a true story. I saw that.

        And I wonder to myself, am I as stupid as I think? Is the whole scale slanted? I feel smarter than those around me…but I also feel like those around me are a few brain cells away from being medically classified as mentally retarded. So it doesn’t feel like I’ve cleared an especially high hurdle there.

        But we all know the government lies to us. If they DO know of another life form out there, would they even tell us? I don’t think so. That makes me angry, because I know we don’t have the technology to visit those planets. They’re hundreds of light years away.

        So realistically, we would have to start development on a transportation method that travels hundreds of thousands times faster than the speed of light to be able to get there with any realistic time frames. Nobody is going to sit on a space ship traveling for 4 years straight. But that kind of speed in an astroid filled space, with rocks just floating about? You’d have no ability to fly that fast. Any crash would be lethal, and it would happen virtually instantly if you’re traveling like 400,000x the speed of light.

        So what did we do before here on earth when traveling long dangerous distances? We built permanent solutions that are still in place today, hundreds of years later. Train tracks!

        YES!!! LETS BUILD BULLET SPACE TRAINS!!! AWWWW YEAH!!!

        In space, nobody can hear you choo choo motherfucker!

  • MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Nothing. Everyone I know is very mad about it. The people who aren’t mad about it aren’t mad because they’re being lied to and told that all their racism, homophobia, xenophobia and just plain mean spiritedness is somehow normal and good.

    I assure you that anyone who isn’t a monster is very unhappy about the whole situation

    • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
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      9 days ago

      I dunno, I walk through my day and most people’s demeanor hasn’t changed in the slightest. The way we suppress all this is very severancesque. Like sure we have our outies memory’s but seems we don’t have their emotions.

      • paequ2@lemmy.today
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        9 days ago

        I walk through my day and most people’s demeanor hasn’t changed in the slightest

        I’m unhappy and angry at the situation. But, am I supposed to mope around all day or have depressing conversations with everyone I meet? Should I start fighting every Trump supporter in my small town?

          • hornywarthogfart@sh.itjust.works
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            9 days ago

            It’s hard to truly internalize this but no matter what you think about something and/or how wrong you think someone else is, we are walking through life with imperfect imaginings of what other people think and feel. Trying to make sense of people is even harder than making sense of a person. And we are quite literally incapable of truly knowing what goes on in someone else’s head.

            Definitely ask these questions but don’t drive yourself crazy if people don’t make sense. The behaviors and actions we witness in others are only the emergent characteristics of a lot of brain activity that we aren’t privy to.

      • Asafum@feddit.nl
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        9 days ago

        Because most people are blissfully ignorant. They’re going about their day and if anything they’re possibly reminded that Trump is president by some news channel they pass over on their way to the newest true crime show or whatever the hell is on tictok.

        Most people couldn’t be forced to care if you had a gun to their heads as evidenced by our disgusting voting numbers. “Didn’t vote” would win every election if it was a candidate.

        Most people “aren’t political” which is nice if only politics didn’t affect your life so deeply. :/

          • Asafum@feddit.nl
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            9 days ago

            Not enough people unfortunately, although I’m sure there is some overlap between those that don’t vote but still watch the news. I think we overestimate how many people are “politically engaged.”

      • IMongoose@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Most people won’t talk politics unless they know the other person’s opinions already. I’ve had discussions about every day with my friends and wife, but there is no way I’m going to get into a discussion with my parents or maga coworker. I don’t have the energy to debunk every stupid thing they say when they won’t change their mind.

      • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        9 days ago

        I mean, you don’t just randomly bring up politics. You never know if the other person is a nazi that would report you for “being a communist”. Also, if you do this at work, you’d probably get fired because you get reported for “harassment” and now you’re evicted and on the streets, and starving.

        I mean, if you have a pride flag or some other symbols that you wear, I might talk to you because I think you’re safe to talk to.

        So, if you want to have conversations about this nazi government, wear a pride flag pin thingy (idk what those are called) or something like that, to signal you aren’t a magat.

  • mystik@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Busy with day to day affairs, gotta pay rent/mortgage/medical bills, gotta feed the family, gotta keep working, can’t take risks, …

      • ivanafterall ☑️@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        It does, but I’m busy with day to day affairs, gotta pay rent/mortgage/medical bills, gotta feed the family, gotta keep working, can’t take risks, …

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      People only revolt when they can no longer do those things. Literal starvation is often the cause of revolution in history. Let’s face it America is not there. Yes life is becoming a crushing grind. Yes we have statistics from policy institutes about food insecurity blah blah. But America is not fucking starving. If a few are, they do not have the strength to overpower the many others who still have something left to lose.

  • MyDogLovesMe@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    The sitting around, waiting for “someone” to stop the madness, instead of organizing …fucking 10 years ago.

    • gimmelemmy@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      There was a TON of organizing happening 10 years ago. Then Obama got reelected and everybody, except the people trying to do the organizing, went back to watching dancing with the stars

      Nobody wanted to listen then, so now we are all getting to enjoy the same hand basket

      Oh, and I forgot about the select few who decided that THEIR perspective outranked everybody else’s, and used their petit tyranny to remove some very good willed people from certain organizing spaces

      So, now some of us get to at least watch while those select few get hammered by this bullshit first.

      Looking at YOU Monica

    • scarabic@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      As someone who has been paying attention and organizing for much longer than that, I will say that a lack of leadership is a legitimate part of the problem. This is just as much a case of the Left selling out to neoliberalism as it is the Right gaining strength. Without unifying leadership, minor groups run the risk of working against each other or more likely wasting their strength pulling in different directions.

  • Gointhefridge@lemm.ee
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    9 days ago

    A lot of people are mad. A lot of people are tired. A lot of people have lost hope. A lot of people feel betrayed. A lot of people see no path for change. A lot of people want to just be left alone.

    To me that’s what this is really about. I’m so tired of having to be so actively(or passively) involved with politics and have the “party” I support constantly drop the ball. It’s so incredibly exhausting putting this much mental wherewithal into people and ideas that are just tossed aside.

    I feel like everything is turning to shit so fast and “this is what people wanted” cause they supposedly voted for him; but I feel like the time to really rally and strike isn’t here yet.

    It still feels like everyone is getting their bearings and figuring it out. You can see people are starting to plan. It’s clear we can’t just REACT. There needs to be clear plans and action to stop this and prevent it from happening again.

    I think a lot of people are very angry, but we need to focus and formulate a proper way to retaliate.

    • wraithcoop@programming.dev
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      9 days ago

      The time for rallying is now, every state had a protest this month on the 5th (50501). There’s another one happening on President’s Day. Attending these shows that people who are fed up are real and are here. I don’t think peaceful protests will necessarily effect change BUT they are a place to gain visibility, meet like minded individuals, and build support groups. It won’t grow if people don’t show up!

  • DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth
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    9 days ago

    I challenge your premise: They are mad. Not all of them, but plenty of people are upset and angry. More to follow the way things are going: The worse things get, the angrier they’ll get.

        • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
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          9 days ago

          Oh so angry. I’m going to go to work and do my masters bidding tomorrow I’m so angry!

          Those guys killed in slave uprisings must have been fucking cool as shit. Imagin how hard it must of been to stand up to these very same bullies, in heart, mind, and spirit, back then.

          • ERROR: Earth.exe has crashed@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            9 days ago

            Humanity has been living in absolute monarchies for like 2000+ years, and they were angry about their life, but most of the times, people don’t rise up against their monarchs.

            Ever wondered why?

            Now sprinkle a bit of “freedom”, just enough to keep people content, so now the choice is:

            Revolt and probably die

            Or

            “Wait until the next election” (if there even is a next election, most people just hope that there is)

            And don’t say “go protest”, think about it: you stop showing up to work and go to a protest, you lose your job, and since most people rent, so they eventually get evicted, now you are on the street, dealing with extreme cold / extreme heat (depending on the season), you are hungry, fascist cops harass you for being homeless. Yea, its easy to romanticize revolution, but just put yourself in the shoes of the average person.

            As corrupt as the elections can be, they are the only way to try to change things, that doesn’t involve getting yourself killed (or jailed and tortured).

            (If the government actually cancels elections or declares martial law, then maybe we can get a revolution)

            • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
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              9 days ago

              I’ve seen people through hard times and through “good times.” Life goes on. This strategy of waiting it out is always the wrong choice and maximizes the overall suffering of everyone. All just so you could have a few more years with a Netflix account.

      • DudeImMacGyver@kbin.earth
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        8 days ago

        I again challenge your premise: People are absolutely talking about it on a regular basis. It seems to be that you are living in a bubble. How many people do you even interact with and have open conversations with every day anyhow?

  • AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works
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    9 days ago

    Lack of organization. We’re many of us individually mad, but there is no organization.

    Say what you will but Jan 6th and then some is what we should be doing, but we aren’t.

    All I’m doing now is hoarding ammunition and periodically buying more guns because I 1000% believe we’re going to see war soon.

    I’m also donating money to charities, helping people in my community that are struggling, and telling fascists to fuck off.

    • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      I don’t own a gun and, personally, I find the idea barbaric.

      But at this point I acknowledge that it’s time to arm myself. This is how far our society has degenerated.

      However, I 100% disagree with Jan 6. That was a bunch of children with absolutely zero understanding of what they were doing. That was an example of how NOT to have a meaningful rebellion against an oppressive system. Those were fools behaving like fools and cheapening the idea of activism. They had no grasp of what they were doing or why. They were the antithesis of a true patriot that wants what is best for their society and goes about achieving that in a responsible, effective manner that inspires people to be the best version of a democratic citizen. They should not be idolized. They are an embarrassment to our nation.

      We should be setting a better example. We are shaming this democracy in a way that makes me physically ill. We are acting in a way as to paint us as failures in a historical context to future generations and it is truly shameful. This is our legacy.

      • AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works
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        8 days ago

        How do we set a better example / take the high road but actually make progress though?

        Lawsuits and protests are going to do nothing at this point.

  • brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 days ago

    We all are. The left and the right.

    We have all been told from different sources who or what to be mad about.

    Some were so mad about contrived issues they voted in someone who campaigned on destroying the federal government.

    Others are pissed off that that person who was voted in is destroying the federal government.

    The outrage machine literally is why the fascist pig is in the Whitehouse in the first place.

    What you might be asking is why we aren’t rioting in the streets. Just know that some of us are 4 times as far from our countries capital as London is from Berlin. In a blue state, who would I be protesting to? The people who already agree with me?

    • invertedspear@lemm.ee
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      8 days ago

      Protests don’t work if the people in power don’t care. One dude with a gun did more to shake up people in power than any recent protest has. Look how Elon wears his kids as human shields now. Protests are to bring awareness, the world is aware. We are now in need of people willing to take action.

  • irelephant 🍭@lemm.ee
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    8 days ago

    I’m not American, but from what I can see, its mostly:

    • Apathy
    • Not being clued in
    • Beliving nothing can be done
        • stinky@redlemmy.com
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          8 days ago

          The USA is a big nation. Lots of people from very diverse backgrounds. Coming together for a common cause isn’t something that happens everyday.

          • TheGalacticVoid@lemm.ee
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            8 days ago

            Especially since 2 Americans with multiple generations of American ancestry can have drastically different historical experiences.

    • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Beliving nothing can be done

      This one in particular has been so corrosive. I believe if people believed in their vote, something would change. But the electoral college does more harm than good by diluting the vote. Couple that with gerrymandering to completely erode people’s trust in the system.

    • tym@lemmy.world
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      7 days ago

      and #4: we dont believe if we take a bold step forward that our neighbors will show solidarity and endurance, which then puts us at risk of prosecution. A lot of us have kids to protect.

  • BmeBenji@lemm.ee
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    9 days ago

    I’m mad. I’m very mad. I’m also very tired of watching political movements get shut down by the people who respond with “yes, we need to do better” followed by a handful of performative actions, and absolutely no substantive change.

    I believe in a general strike. Wholeheartedly. I believe it would make real change. How the hell do I organize one safely? How do I trust any of the other people online who claim to be organizing them?

    • Heyting@lemmy.ml
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      9 days ago

      Jane McAlevey No Shortcuts: Organising for Power in the New Gilded Age is a great book to learn about unions and union strategy

    • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
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      9 days ago

      You don’t? We were talking about a general strike in much larger numbers when r/antiwork fractured and we would hear the same thing, “we need time to prepare, we need to orginize.” Years later, it’s all the same excuses. The time to strike is now. You won’t be ready in 5 years you won’t be ready in 5 months. You’re only ready when your courage surpasses your doubt.

      • Heyting@lemmy.ml
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        9 days ago

        A strike takes a lot of preparation, most of which is unionising and convincing your coworkers to join the strike when it’s time. A strike at a workplace is only successful if 75% of workers join in on it. Some US unions are ready for it, but a lot aren’t. If you want to contribute, join a union or start unionising. Resistance is built from the bottom up and strong unions are the most effective method.

        Read Jane McAlevey No Shortcuts: Organising for Power in the New Gilded Age to learn about how to make a successful union and how powerful a successful union can be.

          • Heyting@lemmy.ml
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            9 days ago

            Join the union and find out. Most unions are still following the old ineffective strategy of advocacy instead of organising. But they are usually somewhat democratic so you do have a say in that.

      • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        You’re only ready when your courage surpasses your doubt.

        This. The real answer is that Americans won’t come together in solidarity to address this situation until almost every non-wealthy citizen in this country has their quality of life decline so much that they have nothing left to lose. We’re going to have to lose all our creature comforts before we take this seriously as a society. And honestly, by then, we’ll have lost so much power that it’ll be too late.

        Realistically, the time is right now, and, if we’re being candid, it probably already past.

        We are sooooo fucked.

        • Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.worldOP
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          I’m with you 10p%. We have to be louder about it though, most people just don’t even see it. I don’t have much faith in people to hear the message but we are not the deciding factor. The message needs to go out.

  • loopedcandle@lemmynsfw.com
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    9 days ago

    Real talk?

    Because I’m tired. So absurdly tired. Tired of the stupid and the sensationalism and the faked anger and the real suffering and pain.

    Am I mad? Yeah. But unfortunately I’m way more tired.

  • BreadOven@lemmy.world
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    8 days ago

    I’m not even American and I’m mad. Most of what I’ve heard from Americans is that they’re mad.

    • Lemminary@lemmy.world
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      8 days ago

      Same. I’m so mad and disappointed in America, but I can’t let that override my compassion for its people. This whole thing is so frustrating to watch. Look at how the French do it, Americans! It’s time to break some shit.

      • Tedesche@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        You have compassion for us Americans, and that’s nice, but bear in mind we voted for this. As much as the people who voted for Trump may have done so out of desperation, we still made a catastrophically stupid decision. Trump isn’t the problem, he’s a symptom. The problem lies in the American people. We have been squashed by both our government and our corporations. We need a wake-up call, and if that means we need to suffer from our own choices then so be it. Maybe we haven’t suffered enough yet. If we’re so dumb that we vote for a malignant narcissist like Donald Trump, maybe we need to be squashed a bit more. We have the power to take back our country, we just need the will to do it. Maybe that comes from more hardship and regret. Maybe that comes from more suffering.

        But maybe not. Maybe I’m wrong. I’m so disappointed with my own countrymen right now, maybe I’m not seeing things clearly. I don’t know. But I know we deserve what we voted for. The world doesn’t, and that’s a tragedy, but maybe America needs to take a hit and the world needs to rely less on us for both America and the world to be better. Again, I don’t know.

        • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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          7 days ago

          we voted for this

          <Tinfoil hat>

          Did we? There are some suspicions of voter fraud in some swing states and it sure as hell isn’t below musk to attempt something like that.

          Yet, I think that the past MAGA crazies screaming about “election fraud” and “stop the steal” has poisoned the well for legitimate future calls for investigating potential fraud in elections. On top of that it also makes people that question the results sound like the crazies of the past.

          It could explain why trump is allowing so much power to musk.

          </Tinfoil hat>

          Source: I have no source. It’s all feels over reals and a partial lack of acceptance that so many American people are that dumb.

          • Jesusaurus@lemmy.world
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            7 days ago

            We can’t just claim that an undesirable outcome is the likely really of election fraud… I do wish the result was different but sewing a rumor that has no credible basis in reality serves minimal value.

            • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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              7 days ago

              I completely agree that we can’t blindly blame this on election fraud, that is a form of denial. Which I will admit is part of my Tinfoil hat rant above.

              But if there are credible sources that are stating they have doubts about the legitimacy of the results there should be an investigation. Note, this isn’t really about this past election, I know of no evidence that shows fraud only slight rumblings from “unknown sources” which isn’t legitimate to me.

              My concern is that the Stop the Steal movement, that was using weak or even made up evidence to support their cause has made future allegations less likely to be taken seriously.