You have pinpointed the problem, and the problem with the problem is that it's a downward spiral. Natural stupidity is made worse with bad/no education. If you don't read, you watch and listen. For too many that means right wing media. The guardrail against stupidity is education and GOP pols removed it deliberately. Thus our idiot electorate that's addicted to anger and a false sense of superiority.
I'm at a point where I refuse to accept the "downward spiral" mentality. Our future will be what we make of it. Our nation is a nation of generosity, good will and creative solutions. I'm hoping that once the orange demon and his circle are gone --- and I believe it will happen soon ---- his followers will eventually see the light. Meanwhile, the majority of our nation must carry on and shoulder patriotism that builds, not tears down.
I apologize for being a bummer. Spiral was probably too much, but it is an objective, measurable fact that Americans are much less educated (read dumber) than they used to be. The average reading level is 4th grade. I doubt if anyone will "see the light" but I do see the possibility of working around the cult and leaving them in the dust, and that's what I'm striving for.
He does love the “undereducated” and dictators, though, so there’s that.
Do not under-rate the undereducated to vote based on emotion. Emotion cannot be quantified nor explained in a rational manner. Craziness is not just Trump pretending to be something we know he is not. It infects both parties.
Three factors played heavy into the election.
First, reverse racism. White pushback against Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, Defund the Police, etc. These events push the narrative that white (police) are the problem with the USA for the legacy of slavery and discrimination. Reparations must be paid to compensate or riots will continue. Meanwhile we see crimes like mob shoplifting and other crimes done by minorities not being prosecuted. Almost every week there is a white police on black incident raised to national prominence. Yet when the reverse of black on white crime is committed it gets downplayed or not reported. Racism should not be treated as a one way street.
Second, wokeness. Dems want to socially engineer the USA into a permanent massive Woodstock where everyone can be anything or anyone they want regardless of the consequences or whose toes they step on like girls sports.
Third. Illegal massive immigration. The US has been flooded with illegal immigrants. Dems continue to downplay the illegal aspect on the economy. These people require health care, education and other social services that cost billions, probably trillions. Years ago I went to ER in Tucson, AZ. Waiting room full and I am the only one speaking English. Wait 6 hours.
😂 You seem to be one of the people Earl discusses in the article. Did you read it?
If you think “reverse racism” (which doesn’t exist), “wokeness” (is that even a word?!), and immigration are the sources of all of the problems in the US, you may be one of the people with the equivalence of a 4th grade education.
Thank you, Doug. My continued mental health depends on having some sort of optimism about at least the half of America that did not vote for this narcissistic ignoramus. And again, for what it’s worth, this was not a free and fair election in my opinion. There was Russian interference; there was voter suppression; and there are reasons to believe that other nefarious parties were involved in tipping the votes toward Trump.
I agree. You've said it all and said it well. I'm so tired of the pundits telling us we must work to "understand" those disaffected voters. "We're all in this together"... no, we are not. "I have faith in the American people..." Well, I no longer do. Hillary was right. A basket of deplorables. And this is where we are. I'm sickened and defeated.
I take solace in the fact that the idiots who voted for the Traitor Trump will be suffering and feeling the pain of the consequences for their stupidity, but, of course, we all will be suffering. This is one very dark cloud over our country that has no silver lining. Prepare yourselves for a new America, one that more closely resembles Hitlers Germany than the once great good ol' USA, the country we all loved and grew up in.
Trump will be able to con them into thinking it was Biden and the democrat's fault. They will never admit they might have been wrong.
I think not only poorer education and apathy and just plain stupid people, but the harm Fox News and their ilk has done, is the most insidious of all. Why…because they are already dealing with very gullible people who are prone to racism, fear and conspiracy theories. They just aren’t really very bright in the first place and evidently, there are lots of them. The damage has been done and it will take a huge effort and money in the distant generations to make some upward improvement in education and it may never happen.
When I realized on election night that the God awful orange menace will go back to the White House, I thought, “Lots of people really are as racist and stupid as I wondered if they might be.”I have wondered that since 2016. Now I believe more surely that is the case.
"Understanding" the disaffected voters, is so difficult right now. I keeping reminding myself that they are only 12 million, in a nation of 333 million. We must not let their amplified voice --- amplified and created by foreign influence --- affect our daily interactions with people. We who claim to follow a man/prophet who walked in Galilee, must literally have the patience, calm and love (somehow) to embrace and forgive those we don't understand. Carrying hatred is a cup of vitriol that poisons us, not them.
Freedom of religion is fine and rightful, but it has no place in governance, politics or public education. All people are equal under our constitution.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you wrote, but there were about 90 million eligible voters who didn't cast a ballot on Nov 5... out of approximately 244 million eligible voters in this country.
Stupid won. Blue states should take their balls and go home. Don't pay taxes. Don't pay the feds for anything. Let red states make it on their own if they can. Fuck 'em otherwise.
It's the only way those low information black holes will ever pay attention is when it's fucking them like Gaetz with a teenager. It's the messaging they're used to.
Well I had a conversation with my 85 year old mother in law that has me shaking my head in disbelief. She said there is no money for California because BIDEN gave it all away to Ukraine. Now where would she get such an asinine idea?
You guessed it. Faux news, newsmax, etc. she watches and hears the lies all day, everyday.
My rebuttal and the stating of facts left her angry. How dare I use facts. How dare I point out that Ukrainian aid comes out of the defense budget. That aid provides jobs to Americans. That BIDEN just stated that the US Government will cover 100% of the costs. That the American Relief Act was just passed and signed into law by the same president.
She didn’t want to hear any of it.
We all scoffed when Hillary stated there was a vast right wing conspiracy.
She was 100% right.
And it first started with media. Control the narrative, control the people’s information, control how they think. Cable news, internet news, Twitter, FB, etc have controlled the narrative.
Next came the courts. Then Citizens United and the ocean of money it provides.
Fake news coupled with a corrupted court along side bought off politicians.
👆👆👆 @Lynn George – This exactly. Sure there’s a great number of people who cannot think logically or examine ideas, but that’s not the problem. Thanks to the right wing media blanket, about a third of the country have not heard anything factual in decades about what Democrats do and have done, or what Republicans do and have done. It’s all demonization of the enemies, and praise for the saviors, non stop, over and over until the audience will not accept any other information. They are conditioned to be immune to anything challenging their understanding. To be constructive going forward we must not be angry at the people who have been deceived, but at those who deceive them. Without some way of countering that media blanket, along with the pervasive spread of dis/misinformation in social media, we will not recover democratic progress.
Medias, the Contrarian, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence ODonnell, the Bulwark, Propublica, are all a good start. But I believe the Dems and independents must be on cable or streaming to get their message through. Many seniors only watch tv and don’t bother to disseminate the information given to them. Is there no Murdoch on our side?
These outlets are great for keeping us informed and inspired, but the audience is already in the choir. We need to reach those deceived into voting against non-existent “evil”. We need all kinds of media and tech solutions to undermine and overcome right wing narratives everywhere. I think we need to be at least as sneaky and pervasive as the liars/manipulators have been.
My ex SIL has a 91 yr old male friend who watches a lot of Fox. He said the other day when I stopped by and in the most serious way that trump is the best President we’ve ever had. I was speechless and knew there no point in arguing. And this man was a successful businessman! Fox has poisoned the mind of millions.
"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded." Obi Wan Kenobi
Youth can benefit by being educated to question every statement, every assertion, every rumor. Take nothing at face value. They can teach themselves to arrive at their own conclusions through a thorough and systematic learning of investigation and tests of hypothesis.
Unfortunately, those of us who saw this coming are going along for the ride. You have hit the nail on the head, and there isn't a damn thing we can do to wake people up - it's too late for that. One would think that if someone who wanted to be loved as much as Trump would do everything in his power to make that happen. He loves money more than he wants to be loved. He thinks he can take his love by force - bully them into submission. I love this country, but I don't see where we can come back from this greed and selfishness we have allowed to take over. I'm sorry, I'm wallowing in pity right now because I don't see a good end in sight anytime soon.
I agree. Way too many Americans are poorly educated non-critical thinkers and lack any sense of collective social responsibility. They are also inundated—especially in small markets—with right-wing talk radio, which may be a very underrated factor in our societal fracturing. (We think it’s just Fox—but it’s really “Fox AND.”) Coupled with a very smart Republican long-game of gerrymandering, trash-talking and mischaracterizing Dems, and grooming so-called “conservative” judges, the constant stream of right-wing outrage has cemented R control over states and thus the US House of Representatives. (The Senate is inherently un-Democratic already.) It feeds voters’ fears and anger, and targets it toward an enemy: Democrats. Whom they then blame for everything they don’t like, whether it’s gay marriage, trans rights, strong women, or the price of fucking eggs. I think Biden’s policy ideas were brilliant, but they’ll take more than four years to come to fruition. Guess who’s gonna claim all the credit, and people who do not know any better will believe him. There are a few corollary issues:
1. Too few voters show up for primaries, allowing the extremist crowd to put dangerous, irresponsible assholes like Marjorie Taylor Green on the ballot and once they’re in power, they are almost impossible to dislodge.
2. Too few voters show up at all. (92,000,000 stayed home in November.) In 2023, there were more than 262 million people of voting age, and nearly a third did not vote.
3. 2016, 2020, and 2024 were all “change” elections.
Bottom line: Right-wing media has convinced Americans that government does not work. Millions don’t bother voting because their lives aren’t improved no mater who’s in the White House (The Dems did them no favors, starting with Clinton). And people who understand civics, the social compact, the overall benefits of a democratic system with a strong regulatory apparatus get shouted down and ignored and demeaned—not on those issues, but instead on tangential matters, like equity and drag queens and literary choice that, while important, have become nothing more than a distraction, while oligarchs EAT OUR FUCKING LUNCH.
I’ve spent the last week trying to unravel this pile of shit. Again, trying to reach friends who voted for this abomination but I keep failing.
I keep hearing...
“You called us stupid.”
“You called us racist for not liking Affirmative Action and Black Lives Matter”.
“You tried to take away our freedom of speech!”
“You hurt our feelings.”
“You think you are smarter than we are because you went to college.” (I didn’t got to college.)
“You shoved your liberal goofy ideas down our throats.”
It all sounds so juvenile. The GOP played them. Told them what they wanted to hear. Fed them a pile of dung on a cracker.
It’s difficult to fight lies with boring facts.
Telling stupid people they are stupid does not work. It only pisses them off and makes them defend their stupidness.
We see things as No Brainers. To us this is a simple case of Morals vs No morals. But, the GOP have spin masters that can turn garbage into biscuits and gravy.
How do you fight liars? Pointing out the obvious has not worked. We tried. Telling people D T is a worthless piece of cow manure over and over and over is not working.
Have I got an answer? Fuck no. I keep trying but it’s like unraveling barbed wire. About the time you think you got it straight it springs back into a knot.
Here is something almost impossible to get your head around...I’m called a sore losers. I’m told “The people have spoken!”
Do these people not remember 2020 election? I have never seen a better example of sore losers in my entire life. I remind them that we have yet to attack our Capitol. Does this shame them? Not a fucking bit.
I don’t know what it will take to turn this around, but it won’t be pretty.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. (Said no Republican, ever.)
You begin by accepting that you have no influence over others. All you can do is educate yourself and do what you want to do. Then, you allow the Muskitrumps to suffer the consequences of their own choices without feeling sorry for them or trying to rescue them from their self-inflicted harms. Never say "I told you so" or "I tried to warn you." They will never accept personal responsibility for their unconsidered or ill-considered choices.
Unfortunately, everything you said here is right! People are already regretting their vote for this low life. Like R. Maddow stated, it's like studying for a test after you've taken it! Sadly, all will suffer the consequences of their ignorance!
Call me a crazy woo-woo, but the energy folks for 10 weeks have been predicting that by the time Jan. 20th hits, for whatever reasons (and God knows there are plenty) half of Trumps base will regret their vote. I believe this prophecy is coming to fruition. Having patience with the process and system is difficult. Our nation still has a functioning justice system, as well as allies who are ready to help squash the orange one and his gang. Hold hope.
I'm going to be doing my best to not listen to anything that comes out of that damn liars liehole. My mute button is going to get a lot of use. And I'll avert my eyes whenever that ugly orange felon and Traitor pops up on the screen.
I think it is as simple as Stockholm Syndrome. He hates the people, policies and politics they do and they have bonded with their abuser because he has convinced them he is not just their orange god, but one of them at the same time. No one accused the american people of being overly smart...
I have no cogent explanation for that group, mostly Dems, I have read. I am angry, and disappointed, over some of the Biden admin's actions, but never enough to forego voting against the orange stain to protect our democracy. My above take refers to MAGAts and MAGAt adjacent. But the millions of young voters, especially, who either didn't vote or voted t***p is startling. I can only hope they regret their stance/motives when the shtf. They stand to lose the most depending how this plays out over the next decades.
Long ago, in my first meeting with my grad school advisor, he told me that teaching freshman writing courses was an important and magical experience in that you get to work with people whose minds were untouched by a single thought, tabula rasa. He subsequently referred to undergraduates as "non-reflective neurological entities." I initially thought he was being ironic, but realized after teaching a few courses that he was serious, and it accurately described about 80% of the students. Since this was only a relatively selective state university, I naively assumed things were different at more selective, top academic institutions. Wrong! I subsequently learned from friends in similar programs at major Ivy League universities that things were the same there, the only difference being their students came from families with money.
And individuals, no matter what else, have their own deeply held biases. Degrees, stature, accomplishments are often not an accurate predictor of character and beliefs. So many glaring examples. Rand Paul, MD. Oath Keeper POS Rhodes went to Yale Law. All the crooked SCOTUS justices. Michael Flynn, former lt. general. Sen. Foghorn Leghorn Kennedy, who went to Oxford. All either nutty, mendacious, or traitorous.
Sadly, my experiences as a psychology instructor match yours. I considered myself lucky if I had one student in each class who was engaged and thoughtful with the course content.
My teaching experience was a long time ago (1980 - 1984), and based on everything I've read the educational decline has continued. I can hardly imagine how damaging the pandemic was to educational outcomes. I went to an average public high school in New Jersey, yet their standards for writing proficiency were more stringent than many universities today. Fully 80% of the students I taught would not have graduated from my high school based on their lack of basic writing proficiency.
My dog really hates you right now because I required so many pauses during your article in order to go kick her and feel better. (For anyone who thinks I would really kick a dog, I would not.)
Reading this brings all the depressing anger sharply back into focus. Again. I have had to (to the best of my ability and some days that ability is lacking) detach in such a way to be the observer knowing there is nothing I can do on a large scale to shape what is coming. I've likened my response to cytotoxic T lymphocytes, a particular cell in our body that neutralizes cancer cells one at a time. I have to take my actions local instead of thinking global. I live in trumplandia and need to interact with our metastasizing cancer one cell at a time. I have to do it with pointed questions and persuasion while avoiding my feelings of condescension and derision, which is a very tall order right now, because I want to beat them over the head with facts and logic even though I know they are impervious. So I think of the CA wildfires and if there are people I would avoid helping. Ugh.
I'm happy to have a place to vent frustration in our upcoming return to another Idiocracy era that has had time to gain strength and experience. It's going to suck in ways I am glad I cannot yet fathom. I have started a sourdough hobby in order to have a happy place to learn from, gain new skills, and master the art of playing with my food. I am grateful to have this place and your newsletter to know I am in good company.
There won't be an inauguration on Jan. 20th if you're looking at what is coming out in the news about executive orders and national intelligence. He ain't gonna be sworn in. Pin these words!
Oddly, I feel that if you came upon someone needing help right now, politics would likely not come up. When Jesus came upon the poor and vulnerable, he extended a hand and never asked them about tribe, job, politics or means. When we can look another person in the eye, with a smile of good will, it seems everything else melts away. And I believe quiet doing is a better influencer than words. Am I wrong?
This is the end result of the plan laid out by Lewis Powell in 1971 that outlined the way for the Right to come back to full power to overturn the New Deal. It only took them 53 years to achieve their goal by following Powell's plan and seizing power bit by bit.
I think every eligible person in the country should be compelled to vote -- don't vote, pay a fine. Won't help with the education, but it would bring back the millions who didn't vote this time but did last time. Here's a stat: Trump got the same percentage of voters in 2024 as he did in 2020. A bunch of voters just didn't.
You have pinpointed the problem, and the problem with the problem is that it's a downward spiral. Natural stupidity is made worse with bad/no education. If you don't read, you watch and listen. For too many that means right wing media. The guardrail against stupidity is education and GOP pols removed it deliberately. Thus our idiot electorate that's addicted to anger and a false sense of superiority.
I'm at a point where I refuse to accept the "downward spiral" mentality. Our future will be what we make of it. Our nation is a nation of generosity, good will and creative solutions. I'm hoping that once the orange demon and his circle are gone --- and I believe it will happen soon ---- his followers will eventually see the light. Meanwhile, the majority of our nation must carry on and shoulder patriotism that builds, not tears down.
I apologize for being a bummer. Spiral was probably too much, but it is an objective, measurable fact that Americans are much less educated (read dumber) than they used to be. The average reading level is 4th grade. I doubt if anyone will "see the light" but I do see the possibility of working around the cult and leaving them in the dust, and that's what I'm striving for.
I think you are spot on correct.
I used to think I would suffer from brain fog for the rest of my life..."𝐛𝐮𝐭" this changed everything.... https://t.co/9PhcwQwLXk
Earl actually answered how Trump got elected.
He does love the “undereducated” and dictators, though, so there’s that.
Do not under-rate the undereducated to vote based on emotion. Emotion cannot be quantified nor explained in a rational manner. Craziness is not just Trump pretending to be something we know he is not. It infects both parties.
Three factors played heavy into the election.
First, reverse racism. White pushback against Black Lives Matter, George Floyd, Defund the Police, etc. These events push the narrative that white (police) are the problem with the USA for the legacy of slavery and discrimination. Reparations must be paid to compensate or riots will continue. Meanwhile we see crimes like mob shoplifting and other crimes done by minorities not being prosecuted. Almost every week there is a white police on black incident raised to national prominence. Yet when the reverse of black on white crime is committed it gets downplayed or not reported. Racism should not be treated as a one way street.
Second, wokeness. Dems want to socially engineer the USA into a permanent massive Woodstock where everyone can be anything or anyone they want regardless of the consequences or whose toes they step on like girls sports.
Third. Illegal massive immigration. The US has been flooded with illegal immigrants. Dems continue to downplay the illegal aspect on the economy. These people require health care, education and other social services that cost billions, probably trillions. Years ago I went to ER in Tucson, AZ. Waiting room full and I am the only one speaking English. Wait 6 hours.
😂 You seem to be one of the people Earl discusses in the article. Did you read it?
If you think “reverse racism” (which doesn’t exist), “wokeness” (is that even a word?!), and immigration are the sources of all of the problems in the US, you may be one of the people with the equivalence of a 4th grade education.
Thank you, Doug. My continued mental health depends on having some sort of optimism about at least the half of America that did not vote for this narcissistic ignoramus. And again, for what it’s worth, this was not a free and fair election in my opinion. There was Russian interference; there was voter suppression; and there are reasons to believe that other nefarious parties were involved in tipping the votes toward Trump.
Doug, I agree.
I agree. You've said it all and said it well. I'm so tired of the pundits telling us we must work to "understand" those disaffected voters. "We're all in this together"... no, we are not. "I have faith in the American people..." Well, I no longer do. Hillary was right. A basket of deplorables. And this is where we are. I'm sickened and defeated.
Anybody who tells you they have faith in the American people is certifiable.
As to these "disaffected" voters -- they are about to get what they so richly deserve.
I take solace in the fact that the idiots who voted for the Traitor Trump will be suffering and feeling the pain of the consequences for their stupidity, but, of course, we all will be suffering. This is one very dark cloud over our country that has no silver lining. Prepare yourselves for a new America, one that more closely resembles Hitlers Germany than the once great good ol' USA, the country we all loved and grew up in.
But will the idiots realize their idiocy? Not holding my breath
Trump will be able to con them into thinking it was Biden and the democrat's fault. They will never admit they might have been wrong.
I think not only poorer education and apathy and just plain stupid people, but the harm Fox News and their ilk has done, is the most insidious of all. Why…because they are already dealing with very gullible people who are prone to racism, fear and conspiracy theories. They just aren’t really very bright in the first place and evidently, there are lots of them. The damage has been done and it will take a huge effort and money in the distant generations to make some upward improvement in education and it may never happen.
When I realized on election night that the God awful orange menace will go back to the White House, I thought, “Lots of people really are as racist and stupid as I wondered if they might be.”I have wondered that since 2016. Now I believe more surely that is the case.
"Understanding" the disaffected voters, is so difficult right now. I keeping reminding myself that they are only 12 million, in a nation of 333 million. We must not let their amplified voice --- amplified and created by foreign influence --- affect our daily interactions with people. We who claim to follow a man/prophet who walked in Galilee, must literally have the patience, calm and love (somehow) to embrace and forgive those we don't understand. Carrying hatred is a cup of vitriol that poisons us, not them.
Sorry Doug. The country needs to become secular. I hope for the utter destruction of evangelical and Roman Catholic Christianity.
Freedom of religion is fine and rightful, but it has no place in governance, politics or public education. All people are equal under our constitution.
This I can agree with.
Maybe I'm misinterpreting what you wrote, but there were about 90 million eligible voters who didn't cast a ballot on Nov 5... out of approximately 244 million eligible voters in this country.
Timothy I was referring to those who supposedly followers of Christ. Many of whom are hypocrites.
Stupid won. Blue states should take their balls and go home. Don't pay taxes. Don't pay the feds for anything. Let red states make it on their own if they can. Fuck 'em otherwise.
It's the only way those low information black holes will ever pay attention is when it's fucking them like Gaetz with a teenager. It's the messaging they're used to.
I agree and I liked this column even though I intensely disliked it at the same time.
I felt the same way writing it, Jeannie.
Well I had a conversation with my 85 year old mother in law that has me shaking my head in disbelief. She said there is no money for California because BIDEN gave it all away to Ukraine. Now where would she get such an asinine idea?
You guessed it. Faux news, newsmax, etc. she watches and hears the lies all day, everyday.
My rebuttal and the stating of facts left her angry. How dare I use facts. How dare I point out that Ukrainian aid comes out of the defense budget. That aid provides jobs to Americans. That BIDEN just stated that the US Government will cover 100% of the costs. That the American Relief Act was just passed and signed into law by the same president.
She didn’t want to hear any of it.
We all scoffed when Hillary stated there was a vast right wing conspiracy.
She was 100% right.
And it first started with media. Control the narrative, control the people’s information, control how they think. Cable news, internet news, Twitter, FB, etc have controlled the narrative.
Next came the courts. Then Citizens United and the ocean of money it provides.
Fake news coupled with a corrupted court along side bought off politicians.
God help us.
That nuclear-powered propaganda is deadly.
👆👆👆 @Lynn George – This exactly. Sure there’s a great number of people who cannot think logically or examine ideas, but that’s not the problem. Thanks to the right wing media blanket, about a third of the country have not heard anything factual in decades about what Democrats do and have done, or what Republicans do and have done. It’s all demonization of the enemies, and praise for the saviors, non stop, over and over until the audience will not accept any other information. They are conditioned to be immune to anything challenging their understanding. To be constructive going forward we must not be angry at the people who have been deceived, but at those who deceive them. Without some way of countering that media blanket, along with the pervasive spread of dis/misinformation in social media, we will not recover democratic progress.
Medias, the Contrarian, Rachel Maddow, Lawrence ODonnell, the Bulwark, Propublica, are all a good start. But I believe the Dems and independents must be on cable or streaming to get their message through. Many seniors only watch tv and don’t bother to disseminate the information given to them. Is there no Murdoch on our side?
These outlets are great for keeping us informed and inspired, but the audience is already in the choir. We need to reach those deceived into voting against non-existent “evil”. We need all kinds of media and tech solutions to undermine and overcome right wing narratives everywhere. I think we need to be at least as sneaky and pervasive as the liars/manipulators have been.
It’s really sad what the right-wing media complex has done to our elderly. They’re living the last years of their life in ignorance and hate.
I
My ex SIL has a 91 yr old male friend who watches a lot of Fox. He said the other day when I stopped by and in the most serious way that trump is the best President we’ve ever had. I was speechless and knew there no point in arguing. And this man was a successful businessman! Fox has poisoned the mind of millions.
"The Force can have a strong influence on the weak minded." Obi Wan Kenobi
Youth can benefit by being educated to question every statement, every assertion, every rumor. Take nothing at face value. They can teach themselves to arrive at their own conclusions through a thorough and systematic learning of investigation and tests of hypothesis.
Those are the skills I used to teach!
Unfortunately, those of us who saw this coming are going along for the ride. You have hit the nail on the head, and there isn't a damn thing we can do to wake people up - it's too late for that. One would think that if someone who wanted to be loved as much as Trump would do everything in his power to make that happen. He loves money more than he wants to be loved. He thinks he can take his love by force - bully them into submission. I love this country, but I don't see where we can come back from this greed and selfishness we have allowed to take over. I'm sorry, I'm wallowing in pity right now because I don't see a good end in sight anytime soon.
I get it. This is a terrible time.
So we stick together, because we need each other more than ever right now.
I agree. Way too many Americans are poorly educated non-critical thinkers and lack any sense of collective social responsibility. They are also inundated—especially in small markets—with right-wing talk radio, which may be a very underrated factor in our societal fracturing. (We think it’s just Fox—but it’s really “Fox AND.”) Coupled with a very smart Republican long-game of gerrymandering, trash-talking and mischaracterizing Dems, and grooming so-called “conservative” judges, the constant stream of right-wing outrage has cemented R control over states and thus the US House of Representatives. (The Senate is inherently un-Democratic already.) It feeds voters’ fears and anger, and targets it toward an enemy: Democrats. Whom they then blame for everything they don’t like, whether it’s gay marriage, trans rights, strong women, or the price of fucking eggs. I think Biden’s policy ideas were brilliant, but they’ll take more than four years to come to fruition. Guess who’s gonna claim all the credit, and people who do not know any better will believe him. There are a few corollary issues:
1. Too few voters show up for primaries, allowing the extremist crowd to put dangerous, irresponsible assholes like Marjorie Taylor Green on the ballot and once they’re in power, they are almost impossible to dislodge.
2. Too few voters show up at all. (92,000,000 stayed home in November.) In 2023, there were more than 262 million people of voting age, and nearly a third did not vote.
3. 2016, 2020, and 2024 were all “change” elections.
Bottom line: Right-wing media has convinced Americans that government does not work. Millions don’t bother voting because their lives aren’t improved no mater who’s in the White House (The Dems did them no favors, starting with Clinton). And people who understand civics, the social compact, the overall benefits of a democratic system with a strong regulatory apparatus get shouted down and ignored and demeaned—not on those issues, but instead on tangential matters, like equity and drag queens and literary choice that, while important, have become nothing more than a distraction, while oligarchs EAT OUR FUCKING LUNCH.
That’s why I’m so glad I’m old with no children to worry about.
I’ve spent the last week trying to unravel this pile of shit. Again, trying to reach friends who voted for this abomination but I keep failing.
I keep hearing...
“You called us stupid.”
“You called us racist for not liking Affirmative Action and Black Lives Matter”.
“You tried to take away our freedom of speech!”
“You hurt our feelings.”
“You think you are smarter than we are because you went to college.” (I didn’t got to college.)
“You shoved your liberal goofy ideas down our throats.”
It all sounds so juvenile. The GOP played them. Told them what they wanted to hear. Fed them a pile of dung on a cracker.
It’s difficult to fight lies with boring facts.
Telling stupid people they are stupid does not work. It only pisses them off and makes them defend their stupidness.
We see things as No Brainers. To us this is a simple case of Morals vs No morals. But, the GOP have spin masters that can turn garbage into biscuits and gravy.
How do you fight liars? Pointing out the obvious has not worked. We tried. Telling people D T is a worthless piece of cow manure over and over and over is not working.
Have I got an answer? Fuck no. I keep trying but it’s like unraveling barbed wire. About the time you think you got it straight it springs back into a knot.
Here is something almost impossible to get your head around...I’m called a sore losers. I’m told “The people have spoken!”
Do these people not remember 2020 election? I have never seen a better example of sore losers in my entire life. I remind them that we have yet to attack our Capitol. Does this shame them? Not a fucking bit.
I don’t know what it will take to turn this around, but it won’t be pretty.
Just my opinion, I could be wrong. (Said no Republican, ever.)
Excellent. All of it.
(And mind-bendingly frustrating.)
You begin by accepting that you have no influence over others. All you can do is educate yourself and do what you want to do. Then, you allow the Muskitrumps to suffer the consequences of their own choices without feeling sorry for them or trying to rescue them from their self-inflicted harms. Never say "I told you so" or "I tried to warn you." They will never accept personal responsibility for their unconsidered or ill-considered choices.
Unfortunately, everything you said here is right! People are already regretting their vote for this low life. Like R. Maddow stated, it's like studying for a test after you've taken it! Sadly, all will suffer the consequences of their ignorance!
"It's like studying for a test after you've taken it!"
Perfectly put.
Call me a crazy woo-woo, but the energy folks for 10 weeks have been predicting that by the time Jan. 20th hits, for whatever reasons (and God knows there are plenty) half of Trumps base will regret their vote. I believe this prophecy is coming to fruition. Having patience with the process and system is difficult. Our nation still has a functioning justice system, as well as allies who are ready to help squash the orange one and his gang. Hold hope.
You got it right unfortunately we're all going to pay for their stupidity and have to listen to their whining.
I'm going to be doing my best to not listen to anything that comes out of that damn liars liehole. My mute button is going to get a lot of use. And I'll avert my eyes whenever that ugly orange felon and Traitor pops up on the screen.
I think it is as simple as Stockholm Syndrome. He hates the people, policies and politics they do and they have bonded with their abuser because he has convinced them he is not just their orange god, but one of them at the same time. No one accused the american people of being overly smart...
Then there's the millions who decided it wasn't worth voting ...
I have no cogent explanation for that group, mostly Dems, I have read. I am angry, and disappointed, over some of the Biden admin's actions, but never enough to forego voting against the orange stain to protect our democracy. My above take refers to MAGAts and MAGAt adjacent. But the millions of young voters, especially, who either didn't vote or voted t***p is startling. I can only hope they regret their stance/motives when the shtf. They stand to lose the most depending how this plays out over the next decades.
Long ago, in my first meeting with my grad school advisor, he told me that teaching freshman writing courses was an important and magical experience in that you get to work with people whose minds were untouched by a single thought, tabula rasa. He subsequently referred to undergraduates as "non-reflective neurological entities." I initially thought he was being ironic, but realized after teaching a few courses that he was serious, and it accurately described about 80% of the students. Since this was only a relatively selective state university, I naively assumed things were different at more selective, top academic institutions. Wrong! I subsequently learned from friends in similar programs at major Ivy League universities that things were the same there, the only difference being their students came from families with money.
And individuals, no matter what else, have their own deeply held biases. Degrees, stature, accomplishments are often not an accurate predictor of character and beliefs. So many glaring examples. Rand Paul, MD. Oath Keeper POS Rhodes went to Yale Law. All the crooked SCOTUS justices. Michael Flynn, former lt. general. Sen. Foghorn Leghorn Kennedy, who went to Oxford. All either nutty, mendacious, or traitorous.
Sadly, my experiences as a psychology instructor match yours. I considered myself lucky if I had one student in each class who was engaged and thoughtful with the course content.
As someone who has taught first year composition, I agree. It’s only gotten worse since the pandemic.
My teaching experience was a long time ago (1980 - 1984), and based on everything I've read the educational decline has continued. I can hardly imagine how damaging the pandemic was to educational outcomes. I went to an average public high school in New Jersey, yet their standards for writing proficiency were more stringent than many universities today. Fully 80% of the students I taught would not have graduated from my high school based on their lack of basic writing proficiency.
The day after the election, I saw something on Twitter, I think, that summed it up pretty succinctly:
"He may have been a racist. He may have been a rapist. He may have been felon, but, at least, he wasn't a black woman."
America is first, and foremost, a racist nation.
My dog really hates you right now because I required so many pauses during your article in order to go kick her and feel better. (For anyone who thinks I would really kick a dog, I would not.)
Reading this brings all the depressing anger sharply back into focus. Again. I have had to (to the best of my ability and some days that ability is lacking) detach in such a way to be the observer knowing there is nothing I can do on a large scale to shape what is coming. I've likened my response to cytotoxic T lymphocytes, a particular cell in our body that neutralizes cancer cells one at a time. I have to take my actions local instead of thinking global. I live in trumplandia and need to interact with our metastasizing cancer one cell at a time. I have to do it with pointed questions and persuasion while avoiding my feelings of condescension and derision, which is a very tall order right now, because I want to beat them over the head with facts and logic even though I know they are impervious. So I think of the CA wildfires and if there are people I would avoid helping. Ugh.
I'm happy to have a place to vent frustration in our upcoming return to another Idiocracy era that has had time to gain strength and experience. It's going to suck in ways I am glad I cannot yet fathom. I have started a sourdough hobby in order to have a happy place to learn from, gain new skills, and master the art of playing with my food. I am grateful to have this place and your newsletter to know I am in good company.
I find myself getting angrier by the minute.
I see Michelle Obama will not be attending the f*cking inauguration. Thank God SOMEBODY has some damn sense in their head.
And Karen Pence refused to even look his way.
The King Center is providing counter-programming. I'll be tuning into that.
There won't be an inauguration on Jan. 20th if you're looking at what is coming out in the news about executive orders and national intelligence. He ain't gonna be sworn in. Pin these words!
Oddly, I feel that if you came upon someone needing help right now, politics would likely not come up. When Jesus came upon the poor and vulnerable, he extended a hand and never asked them about tribe, job, politics or means. When we can look another person in the eye, with a smile of good will, it seems everything else melts away. And I believe quiet doing is a better influencer than words. Am I wrong?
This is the end result of the plan laid out by Lewis Powell in 1971 that outlined the way for the Right to come back to full power to overturn the New Deal. It only took them 53 years to achieve their goal by following Powell's plan and seizing power bit by bit.
I think every eligible person in the country should be compelled to vote -- don't vote, pay a fine. Won't help with the education, but it would bring back the millions who didn't vote this time but did last time. Here's a stat: Trump got the same percentage of voters in 2024 as he did in 2020. A bunch of voters just didn't.