When I go on Twitter blockfests I can't help but be amazed by how often the profiles contain both of the terms "Christian" and "Pure Blood." Makes my skin crawl.
If the choo choo goes off the cliff thru a largely fair electoral process, then it's what our society deserves. We didn't get here overnight. Did the percentage of bad people in our country change? Or did we simply start tolerating too much of the bad behavior? And then tolerated more and more, till the cap on bad people got obliterated?
Capitalism helped, in many insidious ways as it's wont to do. And technology too, and particularly the intersection of capitalism and technology. Not all getting the same "news", like from a few newspapers or the nightly broadcast news, was probably the clearest beginning of the end.
I think we'll be saved this time. And I have hope we can turn things around in the future. Or maybe not exactly hope that it will happen, but a strong gut instinct that it's possible. There are specific, concrete things we could do to get to a more cooperative place. Things could be difficult again, instead of impossible. That's the dream.
Re immigration. My wife, a wonderful woman from Pennsylvania, loves to tell a tell aboutRE an ancestor from the early 1800s. He stole $1,000 & a horse before running off to Indiana with a ten year old boy. The story always ends with this line: “we’re members of the DAR so you know we’re all REAL Americans!”
A female person of color gave me a 20 minute lecture about how she was going to vote for 45 because even though he talks weird he knows what he’s doing. She doesn’t like Kamala because of “her policies” and she didn’t get more specific than that. And I thought you know how in the world Are you going to do that? You have children including a daughter, you’re a person of color, you are a woman, and Trump does not like you. There is documented evidence that he is a racist. He hasn’t changed and he hasn’t apologized. What policies of Kamala’s do you not like? She repeatedly mentioned the illegal immigrant situation. Taking jobs away from her and me apparently. I don’t see that happening to me or her actually. It hasn’t so far. I was not in a position to disagree as this was a professional situation so I just kind of listen. But it broke my heart because she is going to vote in a way that will hurt her. I don’t know who to blame for that if anyone. She is an intelligent person but someone along line or a group of people have misled her and I don’t know how that happened.
The totally DEMENTED part of this....is that he has FOOLED people into believing "he knows what he's doing." It's complete and utter BULLSHIT. Pardon my farm talk. HORSE-SHIT. And so harmful, for her, for them, for everyone.
Right on target essay. What I continue to find most bewildering is why so many people who choose to vote for DT are actually voting against their self interest, i.e., the big draw of black men ….is that simply due to misogyny? It’s obviously not economically in their favor.
This [the deportations] is a pressing and scary (and inhumane) issue but I am just as concerned that Elon as financial czar is going to introduce "austerity" programs that will harm millions of Americans (he said himself, yes, it will hurt lots of people but it's worth it to balance the budget), and goodness knows what else, and kooky RFK is going to be running our health care system. The people he's actually going to let do the work -- as you said, including Steven Miller -- are more scary than he is. And you know Vance will be waiting to invoke the 25th so he can make a power grab -- no doubt prompted by his mentors. Also not to be picky but a tomato is not an orange fruit. Always one in the crowd. Shows I am reading, though, right?
Take it from someone who, until recently, lived in the UK where successive Tory governments ensured a relentless austerity regime for the last 16 years, austerity economies are absolutely MISERABLE for all but the wealthiest. Major cities there have been bankrupted (all the better for selling off their government to private corporations so they can become ‘Freeports’ aka private fiefdoms/company towns). Child poverty and hunger has risen steeply across the UK. And news yesterday of significant increases in premature and low-weight births in Scotland, caused by austerity: https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/02/uk-austerity-policies-premature-low-birth-weight-babies-scotland. Don’t do it to yourself, America!
Good post, Mike. And the answer to your rhetorical hypothetical is, they're not patriotic. They're nationalistic, but only in the senses of pageantry and sensationalism. When the tide is turned upon them with their own method, they'll drop those ideals quick. But only when it's in their backyard, and not one second before.
Oh my god, your last two paragraphs are chilling, frightening. “...we voted it out of existence.” Just like in so many other countries. I thought I knew Americans. Maybe not.
There has been so much written about this election and everything surrounding it, and by reading article after article over many months one can form a sort of overall image of the general shape of the issue, like thousands of drops of ink dripped one by one on a page over the months until a shape slowly begins to form. Many times, especially after this long, one will read an article whose ink drop lands on top of where many previous drops have already landed, and so no new perspective is gained. This article, however, even after all these months, manages to find a white spot on the page where no drops had yet been spilled. Kudos.
It seems to me that as a general trend, each presidency has been more consequential than the last, if only because the world inevitably grows increasingly complicated. But I can’t help but feel that nothing good will emerge from another Trump reign.
Not saying this as a negative, but this essay is much looser an essay than your usual ones. Appropriate, because it reflects so many of the bizarre, disjointed issues, ideas, and stunts that have made the last five months the most insane period of political campaigning in my lifetime.
Three more days till we find out if the fascists have won and this country becomes unreedemable. Going to be a long fucking week.
When I go on Twitter blockfests I can't help but be amazed by how often the profiles contain both of the terms "Christian" and "Pure Blood." Makes my skin crawl.
If the choo choo goes off the cliff thru a largely fair electoral process, then it's what our society deserves. We didn't get here overnight. Did the percentage of bad people in our country change? Or did we simply start tolerating too much of the bad behavior? And then tolerated more and more, till the cap on bad people got obliterated?
Capitalism helped, in many insidious ways as it's wont to do. And technology too, and particularly the intersection of capitalism and technology. Not all getting the same "news", like from a few newspapers or the nightly broadcast news, was probably the clearest beginning of the end.
I think we'll be saved this time. And I have hope we can turn things around in the future. Or maybe not exactly hope that it will happen, but a strong gut instinct that it's possible. There are specific, concrete things we could do to get to a more cooperative place. Things could be difficult again, instead of impossible. That's the dream.
Re immigration. My wife, a wonderful woman from Pennsylvania, loves to tell a tell aboutRE an ancestor from the early 1800s. He stole $1,000 & a horse before running off to Indiana with a ten year old boy. The story always ends with this line: “we’re members of the DAR so you know we’re all REAL Americans!”
Excellently argued. Excellently written.
A female person of color gave me a 20 minute lecture about how she was going to vote for 45 because even though he talks weird he knows what he’s doing. She doesn’t like Kamala because of “her policies” and she didn’t get more specific than that. And I thought you know how in the world Are you going to do that? You have children including a daughter, you’re a person of color, you are a woman, and Trump does not like you. There is documented evidence that he is a racist. He hasn’t changed and he hasn’t apologized. What policies of Kamala’s do you not like? She repeatedly mentioned the illegal immigrant situation. Taking jobs away from her and me apparently. I don’t see that happening to me or her actually. It hasn’t so far. I was not in a position to disagree as this was a professional situation so I just kind of listen. But it broke my heart because she is going to vote in a way that will hurt her. I don’t know who to blame for that if anyone. She is an intelligent person but someone along line or a group of people have misled her and I don’t know how that happened.
I know a couple women who’ve done the same. It boggles my mind. One of them has 3 daughters.
The totally DEMENTED part of this....is that he has FOOLED people into believing "he knows what he's doing." It's complete and utter BULLSHIT. Pardon my farm talk. HORSE-SHIT. And so harmful, for her, for them, for everyone.
Right on target essay. What I continue to find most bewildering is why so many people who choose to vote for DT are actually voting against their self interest, i.e., the big draw of black men ….is that simply due to misogyny? It’s obviously not economically in their favor.
This [the deportations] is a pressing and scary (and inhumane) issue but I am just as concerned that Elon as financial czar is going to introduce "austerity" programs that will harm millions of Americans (he said himself, yes, it will hurt lots of people but it's worth it to balance the budget), and goodness knows what else, and kooky RFK is going to be running our health care system. The people he's actually going to let do the work -- as you said, including Steven Miller -- are more scary than he is. And you know Vance will be waiting to invoke the 25th so he can make a power grab -- no doubt prompted by his mentors. Also not to be picky but a tomato is not an orange fruit. Always one in the crowd. Shows I am reading, though, right?
Take it from someone who, until recently, lived in the UK where successive Tory governments ensured a relentless austerity regime for the last 16 years, austerity economies are absolutely MISERABLE for all but the wealthiest. Major cities there have been bankrupted (all the better for selling off their government to private corporations so they can become ‘Freeports’ aka private fiefdoms/company towns). Child poverty and hunger has risen steeply across the UK. And news yesterday of significant increases in premature and low-weight births in Scotland, caused by austerity: https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2024/nov/02/uk-austerity-policies-premature-low-birth-weight-babies-scotland. Don’t do it to yourself, America!
Awful ….
Good post, Mike. And the answer to your rhetorical hypothetical is, they're not patriotic. They're nationalistic, but only in the senses of pageantry and sensationalism. When the tide is turned upon them with their own method, they'll drop those ideals quick. But only when it's in their backyard, and not one second before.
Oh my god, your last two paragraphs are chilling, frightening. “...we voted it out of existence.” Just like in so many other countries. I thought I knew Americans. Maybe not.
There has been so much written about this election and everything surrounding it, and by reading article after article over many months one can form a sort of overall image of the general shape of the issue, like thousands of drops of ink dripped one by one on a page over the months until a shape slowly begins to form. Many times, especially after this long, one will read an article whose ink drop lands on top of where many previous drops have already landed, and so no new perspective is gained. This article, however, even after all these months, manages to find a white spot on the page where no drops had yet been spilled. Kudos.
It seems to me that as a general trend, each presidency has been more consequential than the last, if only because the world inevitably grows increasingly complicated. But I can’t help but feel that nothing good will emerge from another Trump reign.
Not saying this as a negative, but this essay is much looser an essay than your usual ones. Appropriate, because it reflects so many of the bizarre, disjointed issues, ideas, and stunts that have made the last five months the most insane period of political campaigning in my lifetime.