This ideology becomes an issue when someone is finding ways to attack you that don’t quite constitute violence.
People need food, water, shelter, sense of belonging in society, etc. Bigots have gotten very good at using whatever means they can to attack each of these without ever physically throwing a punch; defunding someone’s means of living, evicting them, harassing them, etc.
Ideally, the law, and hence the police (who hold guns) would retaliate on each of these things.
This relates to the “zigzagging spikyness” you often see with the stock market. Each time a stock falls, many people are going to ask themselves “Hey, do I think that other people are wrong about this property being worthless? Maybe this is a good chance to buy, before they bounce back.”
There’s a mental appeal to the middle, it’s just a question of what the correct “middle” is. That’s also why many investors were cautioning people against selling during Trump’s week-long tariffs (of course, if you believe the USA is on its last legs, that may be a good idea). You’re probably seeing those purchases from those that feel the Tesla Takedowns will run out of steam, which is why it’s important to keep them up.
I’m reminded of the initial framework that Auschwitz used for Jews. Many of them came voluntarily, because the Germans were making vague promises of “We’re planning a Jewish settlement where you will be safe, and kept separate from the German Aryan future.” So I could be reaching, but maybe he’s interpreting something around that - the idea of using “nice gestures” (lies) to lure people in and humanize themselves.
Of course, it’s a reach in any regard to interpret something coherent from Donald Trump, especially when regarding history.
I called to specifically inform them that I was a decently regular shopper, as someone who avoids many “mega-corps”, and that in the wake of their anti-DEI move, I would never buy anything from them ever again.
Granted, I live in a city with many shops of various local varieties, and have other options. I’m aware the same chances aren’t available to everyone else.
I’ve wanted this for ages. And it’s represented so well in Republicans having only one platform: “Oppose Democrats. If it makes a Democrat angry, do it.”
Cleanse - and I mean CLEANSE - the opposition party. No one here can claim the Democrats never have good ideas. And yet, we can definitely do better than them. A better party means having better ideas - not just “Stop them libruls”. Bernie just toured the States with a message of exactly what that would look like.
“In power”? In a perfect world he’d never again be on this side of a prison cell!!
Something I want to highlight, because I know it’ll come up (even if just in people’s minds) is democratic betrayals and silence, eg on the budget CR.
Chuck Schumer likely betrayed the Dems either for financial institutions and “stability”, or for state safety and cowardice. The former is scummy, and pretty much grants him all the hate he deserves. The latter is also plausible, and perhaps more excusable (still betraying our wishes) in that millions of people who hadn’t been following politics would hear smear tactics against Democrats. Plus, it would shut down the courts which is the one area of frequent victory.
I’m not making that case because I agree with it, especially now that courts are faltering, just that someone good but scared could believe it. And even if you assume the worst of Chuck, think about the motivations that put most Democrats in place across the country. A good number of them aren’t going to capitulate to the silence/financial appeasement.
If you want a better solution: Research democratic candidates before you vote for them. I’ve been phone banking for Susan Crawford, and while everything I see about her is good, I do get worried by the voter response of “Oh, I always vote Democrat!” Someday, for some people, that will not be a good idea. For some 80% of them, it is. And if the House is ever 80% democrat, it won’t matter that 20% of them are spineless.
Out of concern for how much the “Bible Belt” throws in with Israel’s Zionist bullshit, I did some basic searches on the topic, and the discussion was a bit different than I thought it’d be.
People need a place to belong. For many, they have communities in cities that fit. For rural areas, it’s one thing to say “Stop listening to that televangelist ordering you to deposit your savings”, but you’d need something else to take that place - something to believe in.
That’s where more progressive preachers, people similar to the current pope, are shaming themselves for not stepping up enough, recognizing people’s needs and being genuine voices of compassion; not trying to be the economic “immigrants pay taxes” or scientific “colleges fuel cure research” voice, but the “Be good to your neighbor” voice.
So even though I’m not a believer, I’m at least seeing the way churches can bring communities together rather than leave all one’s connections to Facebook. The important thing is what sort of voice is unifying them - because by god, there’s a million ways to pervert the message of any major religion into one of hate.
The horrific absurdity is that even Trump was beginning sentences with “Somebody should …” AFTER he became president.
They are too used to the conspiracy-theorist, “humble-truth-finder” mindset EVEN when they are at the top.
One place that there’s still a lot of defiance is from lawyers and judges. There’s still scary stories there about attorney intimidation and even surrender, but courts are often winning against him. Brian Cohen recently interviewed Marc Elias who resolved not to cater to threats, and even Chief Justice Roberts gave a warning to Trump over his attempts to use bullying instead of normal appellate process.
It’s distressing how often the track of inventors has been overtaken by the plans of hyper-capitalists.
I still need to put out my big, long-form video promoting the Accountable Capitalism Act - something that could lead a large body of software devs at a big company to be present for the big-shift plans to, say, “Remove error messages from Windows!” and tell their bosses: Hell no. The same style of issue exists in many industries.
This reminds me of the “Why aren’t people protesting?” comments, ignoring that people…are.
The consistency of protests and town halls even in red districts has indicated to me that people are attuned and active, even if the news cannot (and in some cases refuses to) fully cover every square inch of their actions. As many have said, “The revolution will not be televised.”
Even then, I feel like you could just say “Oh, great, so now that Trump’s in charge, he can investigate George Soros’ finances, right?”
The increasing size of American cars has done a lot of damage to our roads. They’re less safe for the roads, for pedestrians, and even sometimes for the occupants.
Tangentially, thanks to red light structure in the city, I often make just as much forward progress as the cars around me on my bike.
I admit I’m not up to date on the leaning of various social media, but I had thought Tiktok, being Chinese-owned, might approve of more anti-Trump sentiment. Maybe they were more attuned to the “Incarcerate” portion.
I remember one where a sect of humanity was being persecuted, and left to try to find a better life in the stars. They failed to find a life, gave up and returned home, but their interstellar trip consumed so many Earth years that by the time they returned, Earth had moved on from persecution and eagerly welcomed their historical memories.
Sadly, I forget the name; it may have been a short story.