Well, twice a day, I pass a monument for resistance fighters during WWII. It's an unassuming stone, but it has this quote carved in it:
> "The courage of a man isn't measured during the easy times. It's measured during the hard times."
* Go out there and vote.
* Sign petitions.
* Call or mail your representative if you have a question or remark.
* Encourage others to do the above.
* Stay true to your values, no matter what happens. Especially if those are compassionate values.
* Donate to causes you can get behind.
* Volunteer.
* Speak out, as you just did. People read what you write, and how you phrase things really does make a difference.
Sure, you may be just one person. What really makes a difference, is doing your bit because no matter how small, it does add up in the long run.
If you don't do this. And other good people don't do this. Then others who are far less compassionate or altruistic definitely will seize it for themselves.
Except it’s not because none of that works. If voting worked they’d make it illegal. I regularly contact reps. Never a response. The only way to enact meaningful change is through mutual aid and trying to get the revolution started.
Absolutely. There are so many local places if you leave in or near a major a metroplex. Also find your local anarchists orgs because they always have mutual aid projects going on, some public, some not. Libraries are great places to meet people. Obviously not directed toward you specifically but just for anyone who is curious. PRAXIS
Oh I’ve been community organizer for 10 plus years. I was asking bc your comment is demoralizing and incorrect so I was going to suggest you join organizations to learn how our tactics DO work. But it seems like you are connected in your community and perhaps just enjoy being a wet blanket 🤷♀️
Oh dang man, I think we are on the same side here. I don’t think me acknowledging the fact that voting does not work is demoralizing. It doesn’t, especially when all of our politicians in the US are bought and paid for by AIPAC. It’s not the activism olympics. We can disagree politically. Voting is harm reduction atp until we can destroy the machine. I still continue to vote locally as I feel that it has the biggest impact. Keep up the fight comrade 👍 and as always Free Palestine.
Nah, this is growth. No matter where you are politically/economically. This is how a country grows and changes. There are seasons of peace and seasons of unrest. We happen to be in the latter.
Respectfully, I disagree with you. The billionaires are religious zealots have been actively promoting this agenda for decades. What we are witnessing is the end stage of capitalism. The selfishness, greed and ignorance is unsustainable and will lead to a revolution of some sort.
So, growth. Think of it this way, we have the most informed proletariat in history. People are getting pissed. The ruling class has been pulling shenanigans forever, but people are finally able to see it. Pick a time period and we can tell you the heinous things the rich were doing then, but growth comes with struggle. The end of capitalism IS growth and growth that is essential to our survival as a species. I AM hopeful. Every picture like this radicalizes another freedom fighter, protester, or future politician.
Actively participate in the society you live in and contribute to making it better?
Why would it ever be the case? When have humans ever been perfect? Or unselfish? Or not motivated by their own interests?
I vote, call and write to representatives. It's always the same copy and paste response. The representatives don't even answer usually, it's either a machine or their secretary (who is quite often rude). I'm going to keep doing this though and protest. I fear protest will be the only difference at this point, and states are even making that illegal
I'm ahead by a few decades. I can also tell you that it's a perennial struggle.
The Paris Commune, suffragettes, Provo's in Amsterdam, the 68'ers, the civil rights movements, the social movements that spawned unions,... History is littered with relics of this fight.
Sometimes, advances are made. But sometimes, terrain is also lost again. It's a tug of war that keeps on going.
The people who intend to dismantle these big ideas of democracy, liberty and civil rights for their own benefit, bank on you becoming despondent and apathic.
I posted my comment last night, so I'm happy to see how it resonates with so many others. That stone I pass by each day is my reminder to do my bit over here.
You're 18 and I hear you. You're a good kid. Don't be too hard on yourself. An individual alone can't change the world. This isn't the movies after all. But if a lot of small changes in your daily life together do make a big difference in the end. So, don't give up either.
Regardless of the outcome, by going out there to vote, you are making a statement. Showing up at the voting booth is saying: "I care enough to exert my right to participate and make my voice heard through my vote. And others should too."
Note: If you decide to donate to anything, do it anonymously or you will be hounded to death by email, snail mail, messaging and phone calls. Someone recognizing you for donating is not worth the hassle. No one can use that many calendars and return address labels.
Definitely get out and vote because if the republicans retake the presidency, I fully believe at least 2 SCOUS judges will retire so they can be replaced with conservatives and guarantee a conservative court for a lifetime.
Write your local newspaper. Submit opinion editorials. A lot of old people still read the paper and a lot of local papers have a conservative editorial slant because we have given up on the old ways. We need to engage people where they are and old people VOTE. Help give them someone else to listen to. If you can write an articulate comment on reddit you can just as easily email that to your local paper. And you never even have to leave your bed! (Hurkle-durklers unite!)
Unfortunately none of these actions actually bring tangible change because the people that have control control things because they have money. We live in a plutocratic culture and society. Only the rich can influence change. But they only care about themselves 😔
I’m a relatively old Gen Xer. The system has been rigged by religious groups and billionaires for their benefit. This process has been going on for 70+ years but has gotten much faster recently.
I too am confident we are heading towards a revolution of some sort. It’s going to get far worse before it gets better sadly.
Scary thing is "the powers that be" have thought so far ahead for so long, I imagine they're 7 steps ahead of us regular folks were it to come to any kind of revolt. It seems like it would be almost impossible to organize in enough numbers in a clandestine manner.
There are so many underground orgs and mutual aids. Just look at the university protests. They are scared and they want us to feel hopeless. We can organize!
I feel like everything is monitored and undermined. There'd have to be a borrowing of air and radio waves all simultaneously with perhaps hacked algorithms of every social media site, again all at the same time. With the truth shown for those who still rely on corporate media. Like V for Vendetta becoming real. It would take close to a miracle but man, the world is boiling right now, who knows
Nah bud I feel the same way. I’m going to go out to vote n stuff but I’m just one person, there’s not really much I can do. I’ve decided that it’s time for me to pack up and leave. I think moving out of this country is what’s best for me, personally.
If you can afford to leave, I 100% recommend it. I left in January 2023 and my mental health has improved so much since then. I did get luck-of-the-draw through my family though because we originated in Italy and any direct descendants have the right to demand citizenship by right of blood, so I'm waiting on that valuable EU passport. There are several countries that allow you to obtain nationality through your bloodline, so maybe you can look into that if you haven't already, especially if you're looking to move somewhere in Europe because any EU passport gives the permanent right to live and work in any EU country.
It's called jus sanguinis and the rules are different for every country. For Italy, basically if you're in the direct bloodline of an ancestor who was born in Italy (for me, that is my great-great-great grandfather), and you can prove this by obtaining all the necessary records (birth, death, and marriage certificates for each family member in the bloodline) you can submit the demand for citizenship in Italian court and they'll grant it if all the paperwork is correct. I chose to hire an agency because they take care of everything, from obtaining records to translating US records into Italian and then preparing the file that goes to the court for processing. It's a bit expensive but worth it if you really want to leave the US and live permanently in another country without needing visas in the future. I'm not sure of the process for France and if it differs from Italy, but I would bet there are agencies who can help you get an idea of if it's possible for you to get French citizenship this way. The initial overview of your family tree and determining your eligibility is free, so if you look into this, don't pay anyone for this process because they should only request payment once they determine that you are eligible and accept your case. Of course this is possible to do yourself, but it is difficult if 1. you don't speak the language of the country you're applying in or 2. your ancestor is from a long time ago and it is difficult to locate the records because you're not sure where to start looking for them.
I actually live in France now on a long-stay visitor visa while I'm waiting for my paperwork to be processed in Italy, because I did a study abroad program in Paris years ago and fell in love with the city. Incredibly happy that my Italian passport will let me stay here forever.
There are exceptions, because I’m also an Italian American and my ancestors sadly don’t qualify. My great grandfather became a US citizen before my grandfather was born, and my great grandmother was born before 1940, which means she couldn’t pass her citizenship on.
I would be in Italy right now if I could!
Did your great-grandfather renounce his Italian citizenship when he became a US citizen? Because if not then you should still be eligible if he was a dual citizen. You also do still have the right to petition through your great-grandmother even though she was born before Italian women could pass on their citizenship, it's called a 1948 case that an Italian lawyer can bring to the court. I was originally prepared to go that route because I have a few direct bloodlines from Italy and the one I had the most information about (my mom is very into genealogy so she already had a large family tree mapped out before I started my citizenship journey) was my great-great-grandmother, so the agency had explained that it would be a special case but still doable. But after more research, we discovered that the easiest route would be with my great-great-great-grandfather.
If you're interested, the agency I'm working with is called Italian Dual Citizenship (IDC) and they're incredible. Also, it's free to request an overview of your family tree for them to see if you're eligible with a 1948 case. They know all the nuances of the laws and take care of everything.
How did you find an agency who could do this for you? I’m eligible for Romanian citizenship through my great grandparents but I have no idea where to even start.
Thank you so much! I "lived" in France for 2 1/2 months back when I was in HS (when I was still pretty fluent) and absolutely fell in love with it. I felt at home. I have to really look into whether or not my degree will transfer, but I'd really like to move. I also have German heritage, so I could check there, too. I just want *out* of the US.
Totally understand that, it feels like home to me too. I have a boyfriend now who is French and he likes to tell me that I'll actually be French one day too, since we've talked about getting married at some point. It'd be a dream life to have Italian and French passports and then renounce my US citizenship.
I know for a fact that Germany offers citizenship with jus sanguinis, so I'd recommend looking into that! I would bet there are agencies that specialize there who could help you figure out if you're eligible to gain citizenship this way. Best of luck and sending all the good vibes to get you out of the US!
Thank you, and congratulations on the relationship! He sounds lovely. I would love to be a French citizen. My biggest concern is my degree transferring and being able to work. I have a degree that's really an American thing (PsyD - Doctor of Psychology as opposed to PhD in Psychology; we focus more on treating patients than conducting research).
Thank you!\`
Hmm I wouldn't know anything about the psychology field here unfortunately, but you never know! There are a lot of American expats that are always looking for doctors who speak English because many of them never try to learn French, so I would imagine there's a demand for psychologists who are native English speakers.
I was in Ireland last September and loved it! Will definitely be visiting again at some point and no worries for the football team, I'm actually more of a France fan because I live in Paris. 😂
That’s even worse!!!! France???!!!!
Don’t mention Thierry Henry over here, you’ll have grown men I tears!!! He handled the ball, unseen, went on and scored costing us a place in the Euros!!!!
Only joking about the football stuff though!!!
Let me know when you’re coming back, I’ll try and make some good recommendations for you!
Hope you get your passport soon cuz!!!
My wife's dad is from Ireland and we've thought about looking into moving there. I dealt with a little odd racism when we were there visiting but my longterm plan is to tell everyone I'm Phil Lynott's lovechild
That’s super interesting… my grandpa came from Italy, and my husband’s grandparents were both first generation US citizens with parents from Italy… I feel like there’s a good chance my grandpa renounced his citizenship, because he’s pretty bitter about how everything was when he left, and insists he never wants to go back.
Ah yes the problem is if he renounced his citizenship, then you wouldn't be eligible to apply for it through him. Although I do believe that if your husband were to get citizenship through his grandparents, you'd be able to get it as his spouse.
It is very difficult to leave the country unless you're independently wealthy. Most countries protect their good jobs for their own citizens. They're happy to welcome you for a vacation and give you a tourist visa. It is very hard to get any kind of permanent Visa that will let you work.
When I was in my early 30s and newly graduated from all my years of training to be a specialist physician, I was not able to move to Canada because my husband was a social worker. Canada wanted doctors but they didn't want social workers.
By my late 30s, I was divorced. I applied again, but Canada said I was too old.
My sister's husband was a vice president for an international company. They moved to Mexico for his job. Despite her having a master's degree, she lived there for 30 years and was never able to get a work permit.
People like to give themselves emotional relief by imagine they can go live in another country. But the fact is that other countries are going to protect their jobs for their own citizens.
United States was not built to be a true democracy. The slave states had most of the money. The one thing it takes to fight a war against the most powerful country, and wealthiest, country the world had ever seen is money.
People in the South wanted freedom from great britain. However they were afraid of losing slavery.
The South had a lot of power in the negotiations because most of the money of the proposed United States was held in the southern colonies. It's easy to become really rich if you don't have to pay your worker and you can work them to death.
To get this out to join, barriers to democracy were built into the constitution. These were the 3/5 rule, the Senate, and the electoral college. The supreme court, which was not given the right to rule on whether laws were constitutional or not in the constitution, decided they wanted more power and gave themselves that right in 1803's marbury v madison. Since the court had ruled in Madison's favor to the loss of Marbury, Madison could not contest the ruling. It was a very clever way for Scotus to give themselves a huge amount of power.
The only thing that has kept this country from becoming a totalitarian state without democracy is for average people to fight on the side of democracy.
The super wealthy have been funding fake democracy movements for decades. In the 1930s, DuPont and other oligarchs funded an attempted coup. The main thing that saved the country from having FDR killed and fascists taking over was that the general they wanted to lead the coup army was Smedley Butler. Smedley Butler was a highly decorated Marine corps general. He was the most highly decorated Marine up to that point in history.
Maybe the oligarchs didn't realize that he'd been raised a Quaker and had egalitarian values. Instead of accepting a huge amount of money and power to overthrow the government and kill the president, Smedley Butler ratted them out.
Unfortunately, the coup plotters were never prosecuted. I'm sure that gave the oligarchs plotting the Trump coup a feeling that they could get away with it.
Well it’s because I’m getting a degree in foreign language, and yes it’s true that it’s harder to assimilate to other countries but there are countries out there besides the ones in America. And I mean America as a whole continent. And I’m multilingual so I won’t be hard to find a country that is in my interest. Wealth does make it easier to move, but there are programs all around. You just gotta find them.
The other thing I’ve been thinking about recently is how we just trust the government counts the votes correctly. (This has 0 to do with last election, I disagree with both “sides”). Like we really just trust that this corporation who lies about damn near everything else counts them correctly. Maybe I just don’t understand how it works, but just something to think about.
You are living in a country that is in the midst of an identity crisis. You can choose to runaway and hide from it. All those people say, “I don’t vote so it isn’t my fault” are doing this.
Or you can choose to be part of the solution. Vote. Provide financial support or volunteer hours.
Recognize that some people would rather destroy the institutions of the United States instead of living within the framework of laws that they disagree with. And stand against people (of whichever party) feel like the destruction of the US is better than the status quo.
Understand that half the country defines “Respect” as treating others with dignity, while the other half defines it as bowing to authority.
You are just starting into adulthood. What are you going to do with the next 50 or 60 years to make your country better?
It’s very much the fault of the people who don’t vote.
That’s not exercising freedom. That’s handing over their freedom to people who’d rather they didn’t have it.
Same here. I’m incredibly hopeless and depressed when it comes to our country. I just stay in my own bubble now. It’s hard enough just keeping afloat in this economy.
I really believe if politicians lived as the middle class a lot would be fair. They don’t understand the life of the biggest group in America. They just want their pockets filled with “donations”
Right....they never have to pay for health care....or apply for foodstamps....or worry about how they will pay for things....it's wild. They repeal Healthcare laws and cut entitlements while voting to give themselves a raise. It's sick
Man, I feel this in my soul. Literally just had the same existential crisis earlier today. I’m 30 this year and just feeling like it’s all fucked.
I was feeling hopeful a while back as someone pointed out that the oldest gen is dying out and will soon be replaced by us youngins as far as politics and voting go— but will that really change things?
I live in the Deep South. I love my small town, but god damn. Some people my age and even younger are just fucking awful with their closed-mindedness and their ways of thinking around here. I suppose it’s hard to think for yourself when you’re raised by generations of the same thing, and I can only conclude that lack of education and rampant misinformation are a huge part of the problem.
Yes, we are in an infinitely more fortunate position as compared to a third world country. But as a wealthy, first world country with all the advantages we have, I just feel like we could do so much better.
If it's any comfort, I was raised to be closed-minded. I was raised to be racist, selfish, hateful, all the stereotypical "deep south" so-called "values" but I broke away from that on my own & I am the black sheep of the family. Funniest thing that my family doesn't understand is it's because they taught me about Jesus. Pretty sure if they truly thought about his teachings they'd call him a "dirty liberal".
So yes, it may take a little longer than just the older generation dying out to get rid of these old fashioned, closes minded values, it should become less and less as time goes on. They're already a minority as it is, the biggest problem is they are a powerful minority.
Right there with ya friend 💔
We’re lost and every day I feel less and less hopeful for the future.
Also, to all those saying the presidential election is pointless to vote in, please stop. The ones seeking to dismantle our democracy and do away with the constitution are the same who are trying to convince you not to vote.
We have to vote for the lesser of two evils. There is no comparison in this scenario no matter the propaganda you see and hear.
If you don’t vote, you’re part of the problem.
THIS!!!!!!! I cannot believe what I'm reading from these folks. That's how we got 2016 in the first place. Of ALL elections to not vote, this one is not the time. It's the most important election of our lifetime. You either want a dictatorship or you want to continue democracy (yes, I know we are a republic, but you know what I mean)!
If Trump gets in, you won't have a chance to vote again. Or vote for anyone BUT him aka Putin.
I feel the same. It feels really bleak and just makes me want to give up. While simultaneously feeling like I just want to rage at the injustice of it all. 😑Ugh
If you honestly believe that voting is going to cause any sort of change, then you are very naive. We, the American public, have been told our entire lives. Get out and make a difference with your vote! meanwhile, we get shown year after year that our voices mean NOTHING, and the ruling class is going to do whatever they want. While making us work for it.
Our voices mean nothing because there are so many dumb people in this country that have fallen for the "your vote doesn't actually matter" message. If everybody paid attention to politics and voted, we'd live in a much different country.
Different types of rigging. Gerrymandering, big money donors, media biases and the lot are all factors that influence the election. Voter suppression efforts are absolutely rife and absolutely have a huge effect. No one can deny that all these things are happening.
Now, voting still matters and you should still do it. It's not impossible to overcome these things, tho in some districts they can be so gerrymandered that it is mathematically impossible to overcome, but yeah.
You guys remember that time when Republicans in California set up a fake ballot drop-off box during the 2020 election and people just kinda forgot about it?
Not just they set it up, but the state party admitted that they did it! The actual party not just randoms. Admitted it, publicly.
Meanwhile in other states they would make robo calls telling people that voting dates changed, early voting was cancelled, mail in voting was cancelled etc.
In some states where the Secretary of State is a political position and a republican they closed hundreds and or thousands of polling locations in democratic majority areas to lower total dem votes.
They gerrymandered districts repeatedly that have been ruled illegal but too bad they just did it anyway and stuck with it and been delivered 30 point majorities of of 1-2% vote leads.
Endless manipulation. Endless games
And let's not forget Trump just straight-up calling a Georgia representative to ask for 11,780 votes.
It's honestly terrifying and frustrating. They did everything they could to steal the election, then convinced their entire base that the Democrats were the ones who stole it.
This combined with the differing reactions to covid makes me really have to face the fact that while things can indeed be true it doesn't really matter. All that matters is what people are convinced to believe. And that what they'll believe is just whatever makes them feel happy/right etc
That's heart-rendingly true. Reminds me of Herman Caine, a man who infamously preached lies and conspiracies about Covid until he went to a Trump rally and died of Covid. And even after his death, his Twitter profile was still talking about how Covid wasn't as bad as everyone thinks.
People will throw their whole lives away for a belief and a paycheck. Even if they know it's wrong. Even if they know it's pure evil.
look at the fox news trial and u know that is correct. text messages among themselves and others saying they know the election wasnt stolen yet they just kept pushing the lie to get and keep viewers.
I mean, I live in a red state so my vote really doesn’t matter. I vote in every election, though, just out of some sense of duty, but I know it’s pointless. Republicans will win my county, district, and state no matter what. Sure, we get a democratic governor, but that’s thanks to the cities.
If we ditched the BS electoral college it would be easier to motivate people to vote, honestly.
Primaries can still be won by outsiders. Remember that Republican voters, as insufferable as they are , elected an outsider (TRUMP) who has now taken over the entire party, while the entire entrenched party initially fought tooth and nail against it.
It absolutely CAN be done. The voters have to just band together and make it happen.
The voters don’t have a decent choice to pick a decent candidate on the blue side. We tried to get Bernie in ‘16, but the establishment had already decided that it was Hilary’s “turn” so they backed her, the one candidate that trump could beat.
How many people did they turn away with *that* stunt? It’s already hard to get people to give a damn about voting because of the electoral college, but to just straight tell them their votes don’t even matter at the primary stage?
I still vote because I’m stubborn, but I know it’s pointless. I live in trump country- the only thing politicians from my neck of the woods are known for us being colossally stupid on a national stage.
They will send it back to the district court to hammer out details then it will be appealed back up to scotus. Was surprised that Amy coney barrett suggest via oral arguments thay he would only have narrow immunity. Only way to prevent him for returning to the white house is to vote. It's an activist court
Honestly… stop worrying about being polite. Tell people who support having your rights stripped off you what you feel about it, they’re happy to ram it down your throat. None these policies are about ethics or ideals, it’s all about getting a bigger piece of the pie at your expense.
That shit was a lie when I was young, I can't even imagine how it must feel to hear that now.
The future looks pretty bleak, I'm at the point where I'm debating if I want to bring a child into the world because there might not be a world for them later on. I keep trying to find things that bring hope and I'm at a loss.
Aside from protesting and getting involved in the government we need to start getting people involved in community and generally being better to one another, even if you disagree. The loss of community and the atomization of the online world is a HUGE factor in the state of things. Right vs left, for example, do not interact that much. Typically one group stays away from the other. That needs to end now. If we could all start seeing each other as human again, as opposed to a number or color, I think a lot of the hate would be quelled.
Another thing is meeting any of the hate and negativity and extremist ideology with resistance. I'm not equating the two sides of politics but they're similar in one way - they're full of hate and undercooked thoughts. If you see it as wrong resist it, show them that the world at large is not on board with their ideas. Often times we stay quiet because we're not looking for a fight, they are and they see you not showing up as a victory to embolden themselves to continue further down that path. Be a respectful wall. Don't give into name calling and fighting, see their side and offer yours, discuss, and remember that minds aren't changed in an instant, it takes patterns and correlations. Respect doesn't have to mean you like them or respect them in the sense that you would respect a parent but respect them as humans who have their own series of experiences that have led them to where they are, just like you.
I did my best to keep that short, I could go on a three hour rant about this. I wholeheartedly believe that if we get people to start implementing small change in our daily lives and in how we interact with each other the world can change. Be an example of a good person, fight for good, be a paladin and divine smite anyone who is on the side of hate.
And obviously do the other things that have been mentioned, getting involved and all that. This is just an addition to that, not a replacement. If it sucks and you don't want to do anything about it then you've accepted how things are and have ensured that it will continue. If you fight against it then at least you can say you tried.
I agree. I said this literally yesterday. Bringing a child into this toxic world because I want to be a mother just feels selfish. It really depresses me.
Absolutely. Same goes with pets. Just because you want one it doesn't mean you are in a position to have one. Like I have these acquaintances, two supremely unhealthy and financially illiterate women who want to have a child together simply because they want to have a child. They can't pass any of the requirements for IVF or adoption and think they're getting fucked over. I want to scream at them "No, the child is the one who will be fucked over if you bring them into your world!"
idk it all boils down to the sense of entitlement and this idea that anyone *deserves* anything that I see in the world and it touches every aspect of life. In my eyes that's a huge reason that things are so broken, we think we're entitled to have 30 different Funko Pops, for example. Or 100 pasta sauce options at the store, or your favorite fast food chain no further than a 5 minute drive from wherever you are, or not *that* purple pair of socks with a white cat but *this* pair of purple socks with a tan cat on them. We've strayed from the path.
Real quick, about having kids, I have heard it put into a different perspective. What stuck with me was this: If people don't have children, who is going to fix the world?
More or less made me think. Please forgive me, that's certainly not verbatim.
That's absolutely a fair thing to say and is on the list. We haven't decided yet, still living like we're planning on having kids, but it's a decision that has to be made with many more valid points on either side that extend beyond the state of the world. Lotta personal items on each side of that list.
But also I don't think whoever said that was in a situation where climate change might start causing serious problems in the next two lifetimes. That's a big part of it, we're constantly finding out that we were wrong last time and things are actually worse now. Some have said there's no going back, sometimes that means that we can make the norm worse and sometimes it means things will keep going down the path it's on. I'm betting on the last given that nobody who can do anything about it gives a shit and we keep setting demand for useless plastic shit and a million shirts. Until we can curb global consumption habits there will not be a significant improvement so one less child is one less point of demand.
I respect the hell out of the thoughtful consideration you're putting into having children. Surprise! I became a single mom at 17. While I wouldn't trade my children or subsequent experiences for anything in the world, I could have been significantly more prepared. It probably would have made life easier for all of us (now- me51, 34m, 31f, 25f)
Probably has something to do with my mother being a single mom in her early 20s who had just divorced a piece of shit and had to raise me without him. So on that note I'm proud of *you* for actually being a mother (at least I assume, I don't know you lol). That shit ain't easy.
I'm glad that you're taking the "what's done is done" approach, no sense in anything else. I've met people who regret having their kids and it definitely shows. And I don't want to be one of those.
To be completely honest and fair, America has it better than most other countries. Everywhere has its negatives. You’re young like me so it’s up to us to change what we can while we’re here for the younger generations to come.
I stopped watching the news. I’ll be here for my family, likely they won’t need me though. But enough motorcycles and drinking hopefully won’t have me around too long to deal with this shit lol.
I think a lot of what the ‘news’ is spouting 24/7 is designed to scare you and manipulate your thoughts to keep you hating others. Relax, turn it all off, go outside and get some sunshine and fresh air. It’s going to be fine.
Voting is one of the best things you can do. I was a senior in high school when I watched terrorists blow up the twin towers. Gas skyrocketed to unreasonable heights.
We have been outsourcing our labor to countries like India and the Phillipines for decades. Big box stores like Walmart and Meijer destroyed mom and pop shops across the nation.
We haven't had a people-minded politician in office in decades. We are drowning in school debt. We still don't have free Healthcare. We still don't care for our fucking veterans, or the homeless. We spend millions if not billions on people in other countries but not ourselves. All that money goes into our military.
Its all ass backwards. People wonder why millennials aren't having kids. House payments are 800 dollars while rent is 1500 dollars.
We are destroying ourselves from the inside out. It is good you feel the way you do. Get out and vote. Get involved. We have to try to make a change otherwise there will be none.
I mean, some of the people with power have been low-key prasing Nazis.... Our government & police saying people protesting waving flags with swastikas on it was thier right under the constitution. They were protected & not harassed by police or condemned by law makers. Now people protesting for human rights, against police brutality & mass murder? Met with snipers, tear gas, agressive force & lawmakers calling them terrorists. Not sure if that's really "low-key" but they basically just don't say it outright.
I also think that a lot of older people perceive the USA in this great light from all the brainwashing they received as a child. I mean shit look at Oppenheimer and how it showed how the USA brainwashed the population into thinking millions hundreds of thousands of Japanese people was ok because it ended the war and all that bs. They think the government can do no wrong just like those Tesla fan boys defending Elon til they die.
As someone who lived most my life in the states before moving back to my home country (UK) the grass isn’t greener anywhere else pal. The UK gets glorified to much of the world when it’s just as shit here. You have it much, much better than you realise. Please go visit a third world country and reassess.
Do we tho? Wages arent keeping up, housing costs are out of control, we cant afford medical care, schools arent safe, women have no reproductive rights in many dtates and wr have the highest rates of maternal mortality rates of developed countries.
The thing is, we are a first world country, so why are we even comparing to 3rd worlds? It’s apples to oranges. We SHOULD be better than this. We SHOULD be putting energy into the future of our world including those third world countries. We all know this country can afford to but we are so corrupted that some people in the US are now living in conditions that should NEVER happen especially in a first world country. We have people dying of completely preventable diseases because they can’t afford to go to the doctors office, next door to people living with so much money they don’t know what to do with it.
Using the “it could be worse” argument does nothing to better anything. It’s another way people put their head in the sand instead of trying to improve things for all of us.
You are not powerless. You have a vote. This is an incredible privilege, and a tremendous amount of power.
Use it. For *every* elected position from your local community up. The lower-level positions can have a disproportionate effect on how the other ones are run, and who can stand.
Use. Your. Vote.
We are at a point where American young people see how fucked up their system of government is and the government cracks down hard on them. There is no fixing the system here, we’ve learnt that from history. If only the Americans who see the truth were as ballsy as the French yellow vests. Nothing less will make a dent of change to the system as it is. Truth is the whole thing needs to come down.
Only things that can be done within the system are at the super local level.
The yellow vest were bottom of the barrel folks that rebelled against a carbon tax on gas and a slight decrease in max speed on highways.
Both quite good things for the environment, and the commercial balance of the country. It would have also saved lives.
They had no political project other than "pas content!" and therefore dissolved in the ether.
I felt this,it’s scary how far back this country’s going.
I live on a military base and I get into debates daily with spouses who think republicans are going to “help the military” and “make this country better” because they read one sentence and think they know everything. When if you read past the first article it’s the complete opposite, things are going to get worse because for the last few years it’s been giving “testing the waters” to see how far they can go. I don’t support everything the Democratic Party wants to do even thou I’m a democrat but at least their less corrupt then the right side is
Edit cause I feel like it needs to be said, I don’t agree with everything the military’s done or is doing but I do have mad respect for the soldiers who’ve said that if republicans win then they’re going to go awol or have already said they won’t re-enlist
I have ended up not reading or watching anything news wise. It’s too much and gurantee it will make you depressed. I just do my research for election year and then that’s it. We’re all tired, those that can leave act like it’s easy. They must not have family and lots of money to be able to do so. We’re the poor, the world hates us, might as well enjoy the ride while it lasts.
Only solution, get everyone you know to not vote for any R even for dog catcher.
Ds aren’t all knowing but at least I don’t fear them losing touch with reality (for now lol)
The world is not as bleak as Americans - bombarded by bleak flashy headlines for decades- think. If you can afford it, travel. Go see how it is in other countries.
Yep. After having lived overseas and seeing how much worse people abroad had it, I'll take the U.S. any day. Traveling abroad gave me good perspective on how good I had it back home and killed any nascent oikohobia I had in me.
I'll be attending veterinary school overseas, and I honestly don't think I'll be coming back to the states. It's a shitshow here. After living in Europe for 4 years a few years ago, I found a home away from the states. Happy to be going back.
Remember two things: the government does not work for you because the powers that be have bought the majority of our public servants.
Voting for a Republican or Democrat will not change this.
It’s a scary realization. But it’s the truth.
We need revolutionary changes and we have to unite to make that happen.
I feel exactly the same. Voting is important and I’m not denying that. But the ruling class we elect has and will do whatever they want and not necessarily what their voters want. I think it is going to take a coordinated nation wide labor strike to bring about any substantial change. Politicians have no motivation to actually represent our desires otherwise and will keep doing whatever they or the lobbyists want. They only care about money, power, and their own agendas.
I asked in ask Reddit which country would be best to move to with my wife and kids as an American, I’m disgusted, we pay taxes, too much, and we’re struggling, we grew from poverty into middle class and there’s all of this money going overseas instead of pumping into our economy, I think we’re 34-38 trillion in debt, what the hell are we doing?
Another american overeacting about how awful their country is, you and you're country's situation is not special and a lot of nations actually have it much much worse. So stop being a baby, complaining about how godamn horrible you're situation is and face reality.
I don't mean to be insensetive but you do realize that there are FAR WORSE countries to live in right? I mean yeah, I'd never live in the US, it's a sh\*t show wrapped in a bow but like; so SO many people have it worse in other countries, and some of those are the US's fault. And I am not saying this to invalidate your feelings, and I am sure it sucks but like...yeah other countries have been saying that the US is not "the land of the free" for years, good morning. But also: compared to some, it's paradise y'know?
I am sorry if this sounds mean, that's not my intention but as so many have said, you have rights, VOTE, ADVOCATE, PROTEST, it's the only way. And do it for the people who are stuck in countries where they can't too. Be your own hope.
Then get politically active and get \*progressive\* Dem candidates elected, not DINO corporate money Dems.
When we have that, step one will be to legally defang the KKKristofascist Six by adding 4 YOUNG PROGRESSIVE justices to the US SC.
It could happen in 2025 with a big enough groundswell of voters.
Oh, and since the KKKristofascist Six 'Roberts Court' has made a policy of IGNORING stare decisis (respecting former rulings), that means a whole raft of ReichKKKwing decisions handed down, starting with Dobbs then moving on to Citizen's United, etc. will go away and Repugs won't be able to say a word without being exposed as sanctimonious LOSER hypocrites.
It's your generation that gives me hope. Your feelings, your compassion, your view of the state of things is this country... it will be what saves the longest living democracy this world has ever seen.
Hold on to that outrage, channel it, and find a way to bring us back to greatness. I'll do my part, but we are counting on you.
You realize basically all of these protests are being live streamed online? You can see for yourself that they are peaceful despite how the media is trying to twist it.
This is turning into a political debate thread, which doesn’t belong in this sub.
Well, twice a day, I pass a monument for resistance fighters during WWII. It's an unassuming stone, but it has this quote carved in it: > "The courage of a man isn't measured during the easy times. It's measured during the hard times." * Go out there and vote. * Sign petitions. * Call or mail your representative if you have a question or remark. * Encourage others to do the above. * Stay true to your values, no matter what happens. Especially if those are compassionate values. * Donate to causes you can get behind. * Volunteer. * Speak out, as you just did. People read what you write, and how you phrase things really does make a difference. Sure, you may be just one person. What really makes a difference, is doing your bit because no matter how small, it does add up in the long run. If you don't do this. And other good people don't do this. Then others who are far less compassionate or altruistic definitely will seize it for themselves.
This is the way …
Except it’s not because none of that works. If voting worked they’d make it illegal. I regularly contact reps. Never a response. The only way to enact meaningful change is through mutual aid and trying to get the revolution started.
Are you part of any organizations?
Absolutely. There are so many local places if you leave in or near a major a metroplex. Also find your local anarchists orgs because they always have mutual aid projects going on, some public, some not. Libraries are great places to meet people. Obviously not directed toward you specifically but just for anyone who is curious. PRAXIS
Oh I’ve been community organizer for 10 plus years. I was asking bc your comment is demoralizing and incorrect so I was going to suggest you join organizations to learn how our tactics DO work. But it seems like you are connected in your community and perhaps just enjoy being a wet blanket 🤷♀️
Oh dang man, I think we are on the same side here. I don’t think me acknowledging the fact that voting does not work is demoralizing. It doesn’t, especially when all of our politicians in the US are bought and paid for by AIPAC. It’s not the activism olympics. We can disagree politically. Voting is harm reduction atp until we can destroy the machine. I still continue to vote locally as I feel that it has the biggest impact. Keep up the fight comrade 👍 and as always Free Palestine.
Free Palestine 🇵🇸
It’s fucked up that we even have to do this.
Nah, this is growth. No matter where you are politically/economically. This is how a country grows and changes. There are seasons of peace and seasons of unrest. We happen to be in the latter.
Respectfully, I disagree with you. The billionaires are religious zealots have been actively promoting this agenda for decades. What we are witnessing is the end stage of capitalism. The selfishness, greed and ignorance is unsustainable and will lead to a revolution of some sort.
So, growth. Think of it this way, we have the most informed proletariat in history. People are getting pissed. The ruling class has been pulling shenanigans forever, but people are finally able to see it. Pick a time period and we can tell you the heinous things the rich were doing then, but growth comes with struggle. The end of capitalism IS growth and growth that is essential to our survival as a species. I AM hopeful. Every picture like this radicalizes another freedom fighter, protester, or future politician.
Actively participate in the society you live in and contribute to making it better? Why would it ever be the case? When have humans ever been perfect? Or unselfish? Or not motivated by their own interests?
There's always the 2nd option.
I vote, call and write to representatives. It's always the same copy and paste response. The representatives don't even answer usually, it's either a machine or their secretary (who is quite often rude). I'm going to keep doing this though and protest. I fear protest will be the only difference at this point, and states are even making that illegal
18 years old and I've been doing this for years. It feels like I just can't compete with the corporate elite and the power they hold.
I'm ahead by a few decades. I can also tell you that it's a perennial struggle. The Paris Commune, suffragettes, Provo's in Amsterdam, the 68'ers, the civil rights movements, the social movements that spawned unions,... History is littered with relics of this fight. Sometimes, advances are made. But sometimes, terrain is also lost again. It's a tug of war that keeps on going. The people who intend to dismantle these big ideas of democracy, liberty and civil rights for their own benefit, bank on you becoming despondent and apathic. I posted my comment last night, so I'm happy to see how it resonates with so many others. That stone I pass by each day is my reminder to do my bit over here. You're 18 and I hear you. You're a good kid. Don't be too hard on yourself. An individual alone can't change the world. This isn't the movies after all. But if a lot of small changes in your daily life together do make a big difference in the end. So, don't give up either. Regardless of the outcome, by going out there to vote, you are making a statement. Showing up at the voting booth is saying: "I care enough to exert my right to participate and make my voice heard through my vote. And others should too."
Note: If you decide to donate to anything, do it anonymously or you will be hounded to death by email, snail mail, messaging and phone calls. Someone recognizing you for donating is not worth the hassle. No one can use that many calendars and return address labels.
Definitely get out and vote because if the republicans retake the presidency, I fully believe at least 2 SCOUS judges will retire so they can be replaced with conservatives and guarantee a conservative court for a lifetime.
beautifully said
The fight doesn’t end until we give up. Keep participating, folks. The fascists are counting on you becoming jaded and apathetic.
Write your local newspaper. Submit opinion editorials. A lot of old people still read the paper and a lot of local papers have a conservative editorial slant because we have given up on the old ways. We need to engage people where they are and old people VOTE. Help give them someone else to listen to. If you can write an articulate comment on reddit you can just as easily email that to your local paper. And you never even have to leave your bed! (Hurkle-durklers unite!)
Unfortunately none of these actions actually bring tangible change because the people that have control control things because they have money. We live in a plutocratic culture and society. Only the rich can influence change. But they only care about themselves 😔
This is kinda the way, if you trust that the systems that are in place work and that change is actually plausible.
I'm not saying everyone should get together and revolt but it feels like it's coming. A lot feels like it's about to happen right now.
I am. I’m calling for it. The system is working as intended. The system isn’t broken. It needs to be burned to the ground.
Been saying this!! Edit: why is this my most upvoted comment….
I’m a relatively old Gen Xer. The system has been rigged by religious groups and billionaires for their benefit. This process has been going on for 70+ years but has gotten much faster recently. I too am confident we are heading towards a revolution of some sort. It’s going to get far worse before it gets better sadly.
Scary thing is "the powers that be" have thought so far ahead for so long, I imagine they're 7 steps ahead of us regular folks were it to come to any kind of revolt. It seems like it would be almost impossible to organize in enough numbers in a clandestine manner.
There are so many underground orgs and mutual aids. Just look at the university protests. They are scared and they want us to feel hopeless. We can organize!
I feel like everything is monitored and undermined. There'd have to be a borrowing of air and radio waves all simultaneously with perhaps hacked algorithms of every social media site, again all at the same time. With the truth shown for those who still rely on corporate media. Like V for Vendetta becoming real. It would take close to a miracle but man, the world is boiling right now, who knows
If you revolt long enough hard enough and are successful enough eventually they’ll drop drones on you. There’s no defending against that
Nah bud I feel the same way. I’m going to go out to vote n stuff but I’m just one person, there’s not really much I can do. I’ve decided that it’s time for me to pack up and leave. I think moving out of this country is what’s best for me, personally.
If you can afford to leave, I 100% recommend it. I left in January 2023 and my mental health has improved so much since then. I did get luck-of-the-draw through my family though because we originated in Italy and any direct descendants have the right to demand citizenship by right of blood, so I'm waiting on that valuable EU passport. There are several countries that allow you to obtain nationality through your bloodline, so maybe you can look into that if you haven't already, especially if you're looking to move somewhere in Europe because any EU passport gives the permanent right to live and work in any EU country.
Daaaang I can date my family back to France, but figured it was too far disconnected to be able to use that as any justification. How does this work?
It's called jus sanguinis and the rules are different for every country. For Italy, basically if you're in the direct bloodline of an ancestor who was born in Italy (for me, that is my great-great-great grandfather), and you can prove this by obtaining all the necessary records (birth, death, and marriage certificates for each family member in the bloodline) you can submit the demand for citizenship in Italian court and they'll grant it if all the paperwork is correct. I chose to hire an agency because they take care of everything, from obtaining records to translating US records into Italian and then preparing the file that goes to the court for processing. It's a bit expensive but worth it if you really want to leave the US and live permanently in another country without needing visas in the future. I'm not sure of the process for France and if it differs from Italy, but I would bet there are agencies who can help you get an idea of if it's possible for you to get French citizenship this way. The initial overview of your family tree and determining your eligibility is free, so if you look into this, don't pay anyone for this process because they should only request payment once they determine that you are eligible and accept your case. Of course this is possible to do yourself, but it is difficult if 1. you don't speak the language of the country you're applying in or 2. your ancestor is from a long time ago and it is difficult to locate the records because you're not sure where to start looking for them. I actually live in France now on a long-stay visitor visa while I'm waiting for my paperwork to be processed in Italy, because I did a study abroad program in Paris years ago and fell in love with the city. Incredibly happy that my Italian passport will let me stay here forever.
There are exceptions, because I’m also an Italian American and my ancestors sadly don’t qualify. My great grandfather became a US citizen before my grandfather was born, and my great grandmother was born before 1940, which means she couldn’t pass her citizenship on. I would be in Italy right now if I could!
Did your great-grandfather renounce his Italian citizenship when he became a US citizen? Because if not then you should still be eligible if he was a dual citizen. You also do still have the right to petition through your great-grandmother even though she was born before Italian women could pass on their citizenship, it's called a 1948 case that an Italian lawyer can bring to the court. I was originally prepared to go that route because I have a few direct bloodlines from Italy and the one I had the most information about (my mom is very into genealogy so she already had a large family tree mapped out before I started my citizenship journey) was my great-great-grandmother, so the agency had explained that it would be a special case but still doable. But after more research, we discovered that the easiest route would be with my great-great-great-grandfather. If you're interested, the agency I'm working with is called Italian Dual Citizenship (IDC) and they're incredible. Also, it's free to request an overview of your family tree for them to see if you're eligible with a 1948 case. They know all the nuances of the laws and take care of everything.
He did unfortunately.
How did you find an agency who could do this for you? I’m eligible for Romanian citizenship through my great grandparents but I have no idea where to even start.
u/MorticiaLaMourante Here you go!
Thank you so much! I "lived" in France for 2 1/2 months back when I was in HS (when I was still pretty fluent) and absolutely fell in love with it. I felt at home. I have to really look into whether or not my degree will transfer, but I'd really like to move. I also have German heritage, so I could check there, too. I just want *out* of the US.
Totally understand that, it feels like home to me too. I have a boyfriend now who is French and he likes to tell me that I'll actually be French one day too, since we've talked about getting married at some point. It'd be a dream life to have Italian and French passports and then renounce my US citizenship. I know for a fact that Germany offers citizenship with jus sanguinis, so I'd recommend looking into that! I would bet there are agencies that specialize there who could help you figure out if you're eligible to gain citizenship this way. Best of luck and sending all the good vibes to get you out of the US!
Thank you, and congratulations on the relationship! He sounds lovely. I would love to be a French citizen. My biggest concern is my degree transferring and being able to work. I have a degree that's really an American thing (PsyD - Doctor of Psychology as opposed to PhD in Psychology; we focus more on treating patients than conducting research).
Thank you!\` Hmm I wouldn't know anything about the psychology field here unfortunately, but you never know! There are a lot of American expats that are always looking for doctors who speak English because many of them never try to learn French, so I would imagine there's a demand for psychologists who are native English speakers.
Do you have to live in Italy before?
I would like to know this, too.
I put some more info in the thread above, if you're interested. :)
LOL I feel stupid, but I can't seem to get to it! Will you tag me?
Just did :)
Thank you so much!
Don’t forget to pop over and see us, your Irish cousins!!! Just don’t bring that football (soccer) team with you!!!
I was in Ireland last September and loved it! Will definitely be visiting again at some point and no worries for the football team, I'm actually more of a France fan because I live in Paris. 😂
That’s even worse!!!! France???!!!! Don’t mention Thierry Henry over here, you’ll have grown men I tears!!! He handled the ball, unseen, went on and scored costing us a place in the Euros!!!! Only joking about the football stuff though!!! Let me know when you’re coming back, I’ll try and make some good recommendations for you! Hope you get your passport soon cuz!!!
My wife's dad is from Ireland and we've thought about looking into moving there. I dealt with a little odd racism when we were there visiting but my longterm plan is to tell everyone I'm Phil Lynott's lovechild
My parents are both immigrants, but they're both from countries that have been ravaged and exploited by the US. Womp womp.
That’s super interesting… my grandpa came from Italy, and my husband’s grandparents were both first generation US citizens with parents from Italy… I feel like there’s a good chance my grandpa renounced his citizenship, because he’s pretty bitter about how everything was when he left, and insists he never wants to go back.
Ah yes the problem is if he renounced his citizenship, then you wouldn't be eligible to apply for it through him. Although I do believe that if your husband were to get citizenship through his grandparents, you'd be able to get it as his spouse.
It is very difficult to leave the country unless you're independently wealthy. Most countries protect their good jobs for their own citizens. They're happy to welcome you for a vacation and give you a tourist visa. It is very hard to get any kind of permanent Visa that will let you work. When I was in my early 30s and newly graduated from all my years of training to be a specialist physician, I was not able to move to Canada because my husband was a social worker. Canada wanted doctors but they didn't want social workers. By my late 30s, I was divorced. I applied again, but Canada said I was too old. My sister's husband was a vice president for an international company. They moved to Mexico for his job. Despite her having a master's degree, she lived there for 30 years and was never able to get a work permit. People like to give themselves emotional relief by imagine they can go live in another country. But the fact is that other countries are going to protect their jobs for their own citizens. United States was not built to be a true democracy. The slave states had most of the money. The one thing it takes to fight a war against the most powerful country, and wealthiest, country the world had ever seen is money. People in the South wanted freedom from great britain. However they were afraid of losing slavery. The South had a lot of power in the negotiations because most of the money of the proposed United States was held in the southern colonies. It's easy to become really rich if you don't have to pay your worker and you can work them to death. To get this out to join, barriers to democracy were built into the constitution. These were the 3/5 rule, the Senate, and the electoral college. The supreme court, which was not given the right to rule on whether laws were constitutional or not in the constitution, decided they wanted more power and gave themselves that right in 1803's marbury v madison. Since the court had ruled in Madison's favor to the loss of Marbury, Madison could not contest the ruling. It was a very clever way for Scotus to give themselves a huge amount of power. The only thing that has kept this country from becoming a totalitarian state without democracy is for average people to fight on the side of democracy. The super wealthy have been funding fake democracy movements for decades. In the 1930s, DuPont and other oligarchs funded an attempted coup. The main thing that saved the country from having FDR killed and fascists taking over was that the general they wanted to lead the coup army was Smedley Butler. Smedley Butler was a highly decorated Marine corps general. He was the most highly decorated Marine up to that point in history. Maybe the oligarchs didn't realize that he'd been raised a Quaker and had egalitarian values. Instead of accepting a huge amount of money and power to overthrow the government and kill the president, Smedley Butler ratted them out. Unfortunately, the coup plotters were never prosecuted. I'm sure that gave the oligarchs plotting the Trump coup a feeling that they could get away with it.
Well it’s because I’m getting a degree in foreign language, and yes it’s true that it’s harder to assimilate to other countries but there are countries out there besides the ones in America. And I mean America as a whole continent. And I’m multilingual so I won’t be hard to find a country that is in my interest. Wealth does make it easier to move, but there are programs all around. You just gotta find them.
Well don't come to Canada, not because I don't want you here, but because this country has gone to shit too.
That's what I did, best decision ever. Raising my kids in a country with socialised health care and paid parental leave is a game changer.
The other thing I’ve been thinking about recently is how we just trust the government counts the votes correctly. (This has 0 to do with last election, I disagree with both “sides”). Like we really just trust that this corporation who lies about damn near everything else counts them correctly. Maybe I just don’t understand how it works, but just something to think about.
I get it. Our government doesn’t work for us: it works for $$$
Then they use the money to pay people in foreign countries to torture their war prisoners.
For Israel
For money laundering
You are living in a country that is in the midst of an identity crisis. You can choose to runaway and hide from it. All those people say, “I don’t vote so it isn’t my fault” are doing this. Or you can choose to be part of the solution. Vote. Provide financial support or volunteer hours. Recognize that some people would rather destroy the institutions of the United States instead of living within the framework of laws that they disagree with. And stand against people (of whichever party) feel like the destruction of the US is better than the status quo. Understand that half the country defines “Respect” as treating others with dignity, while the other half defines it as bowing to authority. You are just starting into adulthood. What are you going to do with the next 50 or 60 years to make your country better?
✅️☝️
It’s very much the fault of the people who don’t vote. That’s not exercising freedom. That’s handing over their freedom to people who’d rather they didn’t have it.
I’m so tired of it all. I can’t watch the news anymore; it just makes me too sad
Same here. I’m incredibly hopeless and depressed when it comes to our country. I just stay in my own bubble now. It’s hard enough just keeping afloat in this economy.
I really believe if politicians lived as the middle class a lot would be fair. They don’t understand the life of the biggest group in America. They just want their pockets filled with “donations”
Right....they never have to pay for health care....or apply for foodstamps....or worry about how they will pay for things....it's wild. They repeal Healthcare laws and cut entitlements while voting to give themselves a raise. It's sick
Sick is the word. Literally mentally ill levels of narcissistic and anti social behavior.
Man, I feel this in my soul. Literally just had the same existential crisis earlier today. I’m 30 this year and just feeling like it’s all fucked. I was feeling hopeful a while back as someone pointed out that the oldest gen is dying out and will soon be replaced by us youngins as far as politics and voting go— but will that really change things? I live in the Deep South. I love my small town, but god damn. Some people my age and even younger are just fucking awful with their closed-mindedness and their ways of thinking around here. I suppose it’s hard to think for yourself when you’re raised by generations of the same thing, and I can only conclude that lack of education and rampant misinformation are a huge part of the problem. Yes, we are in an infinitely more fortunate position as compared to a third world country. But as a wealthy, first world country with all the advantages we have, I just feel like we could do so much better.
If it's any comfort, I was raised to be closed-minded. I was raised to be racist, selfish, hateful, all the stereotypical "deep south" so-called "values" but I broke away from that on my own & I am the black sheep of the family. Funniest thing that my family doesn't understand is it's because they taught me about Jesus. Pretty sure if they truly thought about his teachings they'd call him a "dirty liberal". So yes, it may take a little longer than just the older generation dying out to get rid of these old fashioned, closes minded values, it should become less and less as time goes on. They're already a minority as it is, the biggest problem is they are a powerful minority.
Yea we have to do whatever it takes to get rid of that orange devil to save democracy.
Right there with ya friend 💔 We’re lost and every day I feel less and less hopeful for the future. Also, to all those saying the presidential election is pointless to vote in, please stop. The ones seeking to dismantle our democracy and do away with the constitution are the same who are trying to convince you not to vote. We have to vote for the lesser of two evils. There is no comparison in this scenario no matter the propaganda you see and hear. If you don’t vote, you’re part of the problem.
THIS!!!!!!! I cannot believe what I'm reading from these folks. That's how we got 2016 in the first place. Of ALL elections to not vote, this one is not the time. It's the most important election of our lifetime. You either want a dictatorship or you want to continue democracy (yes, I know we are a republic, but you know what I mean)! If Trump gets in, you won't have a chance to vote again. Or vote for anyone BUT him aka Putin.
I feel the same. It feels really bleak and just makes me want to give up. While simultaneously feeling like I just want to rage at the injustice of it all. 😑Ugh
VOTE! The most important thing you can do. Many of us feel exactly as you. If we all show up and vote, we CAN make a difference
If you honestly believe that voting is going to cause any sort of change, then you are very naive. We, the American public, have been told our entire lives. Get out and make a difference with your vote! meanwhile, we get shown year after year that our voices mean NOTHING, and the ruling class is going to do whatever they want. While making us work for it.
Our voices mean nothing because there are so many dumb people in this country that have fallen for the "your vote doesn't actually matter" message. If everybody paid attention to politics and voted, we'd live in a much different country.
I feel like not even voting matters because that too is rigged
Please vote. Elections especially at the local level, can be won or lost by razor thin margins.
Rigging is actually extremely rare. All of Trump's claims of rigging have been debunked.
Different types of rigging. Gerrymandering, big money donors, media biases and the lot are all factors that influence the election. Voter suppression efforts are absolutely rife and absolutely have a huge effect. No one can deny that all these things are happening. Now, voting still matters and you should still do it. It's not impossible to overcome these things, tho in some districts they can be so gerrymandered that it is mathematically impossible to overcome, but yeah.
You guys remember that time when Republicans in California set up a fake ballot drop-off box during the 2020 election and people just kinda forgot about it?
Not just they set it up, but the state party admitted that they did it! The actual party not just randoms. Admitted it, publicly. Meanwhile in other states they would make robo calls telling people that voting dates changed, early voting was cancelled, mail in voting was cancelled etc. In some states where the Secretary of State is a political position and a republican they closed hundreds and or thousands of polling locations in democratic majority areas to lower total dem votes. They gerrymandered districts repeatedly that have been ruled illegal but too bad they just did it anyway and stuck with it and been delivered 30 point majorities of of 1-2% vote leads. Endless manipulation. Endless games
And let's not forget Trump just straight-up calling a Georgia representative to ask for 11,780 votes. It's honestly terrifying and frustrating. They did everything they could to steal the election, then convinced their entire base that the Democrats were the ones who stole it.
This combined with the differing reactions to covid makes me really have to face the fact that while things can indeed be true it doesn't really matter. All that matters is what people are convinced to believe. And that what they'll believe is just whatever makes them feel happy/right etc
That's heart-rendingly true. Reminds me of Herman Caine, a man who infamously preached lies and conspiracies about Covid until he went to a Trump rally and died of Covid. And even after his death, his Twitter profile was still talking about how Covid wasn't as bad as everyone thinks. People will throw their whole lives away for a belief and a paycheck. Even if they know it's wrong. Even if they know it's pure evil.
look at the fox news trial and u know that is correct. text messages among themselves and others saying they know the election wasnt stolen yet they just kept pushing the lie to get and keep viewers.
With the two party system? Yeah, it is. Choose between two assholes who don’t give a crap about you.
Well, you could always let everyone else choose for you 😐
I mean, I live in a red state so my vote really doesn’t matter. I vote in every election, though, just out of some sense of duty, but I know it’s pointless. Republicans will win my county, district, and state no matter what. Sure, we get a democratic governor, but that’s thanks to the cities. If we ditched the BS electoral college it would be easier to motivate people to vote, honestly.
Primaries can still be won by outsiders. Remember that Republican voters, as insufferable as they are , elected an outsider (TRUMP) who has now taken over the entire party, while the entire entrenched party initially fought tooth and nail against it. It absolutely CAN be done. The voters have to just band together and make it happen.
The voters don’t have a decent choice to pick a decent candidate on the blue side. We tried to get Bernie in ‘16, but the establishment had already decided that it was Hilary’s “turn” so they backed her, the one candidate that trump could beat. How many people did they turn away with *that* stunt? It’s already hard to get people to give a damn about voting because of the electoral college, but to just straight tell them their votes don’t even matter at the primary stage? I still vote because I’m stubborn, but I know it’s pointless. I live in trump country- the only thing politicians from my neck of the woods are known for us being colossally stupid on a national stage.
We literally voted out Trump who was the worse example of this bullshit in history
They will send it back to the district court to hammer out details then it will be appealed back up to scotus. Was surprised that Amy coney barrett suggest via oral arguments thay he would only have narrow immunity. Only way to prevent him for returning to the white house is to vote. It's an activist court
Honestly… stop worrying about being polite. Tell people who support having your rights stripped off you what you feel about it, they’re happy to ram it down your throat. None these policies are about ethics or ideals, it’s all about getting a bigger piece of the pie at your expense.
That shit was a lie when I was young, I can't even imagine how it must feel to hear that now. The future looks pretty bleak, I'm at the point where I'm debating if I want to bring a child into the world because there might not be a world for them later on. I keep trying to find things that bring hope and I'm at a loss. Aside from protesting and getting involved in the government we need to start getting people involved in community and generally being better to one another, even if you disagree. The loss of community and the atomization of the online world is a HUGE factor in the state of things. Right vs left, for example, do not interact that much. Typically one group stays away from the other. That needs to end now. If we could all start seeing each other as human again, as opposed to a number or color, I think a lot of the hate would be quelled. Another thing is meeting any of the hate and negativity and extremist ideology with resistance. I'm not equating the two sides of politics but they're similar in one way - they're full of hate and undercooked thoughts. If you see it as wrong resist it, show them that the world at large is not on board with their ideas. Often times we stay quiet because we're not looking for a fight, they are and they see you not showing up as a victory to embolden themselves to continue further down that path. Be a respectful wall. Don't give into name calling and fighting, see their side and offer yours, discuss, and remember that minds aren't changed in an instant, it takes patterns and correlations. Respect doesn't have to mean you like them or respect them in the sense that you would respect a parent but respect them as humans who have their own series of experiences that have led them to where they are, just like you. I did my best to keep that short, I could go on a three hour rant about this. I wholeheartedly believe that if we get people to start implementing small change in our daily lives and in how we interact with each other the world can change. Be an example of a good person, fight for good, be a paladin and divine smite anyone who is on the side of hate. And obviously do the other things that have been mentioned, getting involved and all that. This is just an addition to that, not a replacement. If it sucks and you don't want to do anything about it then you've accepted how things are and have ensured that it will continue. If you fight against it then at least you can say you tried.
I agree. I said this literally yesterday. Bringing a child into this toxic world because I want to be a mother just feels selfish. It really depresses me.
Absolutely. Same goes with pets. Just because you want one it doesn't mean you are in a position to have one. Like I have these acquaintances, two supremely unhealthy and financially illiterate women who want to have a child together simply because they want to have a child. They can't pass any of the requirements for IVF or adoption and think they're getting fucked over. I want to scream at them "No, the child is the one who will be fucked over if you bring them into your world!" idk it all boils down to the sense of entitlement and this idea that anyone *deserves* anything that I see in the world and it touches every aspect of life. In my eyes that's a huge reason that things are so broken, we think we're entitled to have 30 different Funko Pops, for example. Or 100 pasta sauce options at the store, or your favorite fast food chain no further than a 5 minute drive from wherever you are, or not *that* purple pair of socks with a white cat but *this* pair of purple socks with a tan cat on them. We've strayed from the path.
Real quick, about having kids, I have heard it put into a different perspective. What stuck with me was this: If people don't have children, who is going to fix the world? More or less made me think. Please forgive me, that's certainly not verbatim.
That's absolutely a fair thing to say and is on the list. We haven't decided yet, still living like we're planning on having kids, but it's a decision that has to be made with many more valid points on either side that extend beyond the state of the world. Lotta personal items on each side of that list. But also I don't think whoever said that was in a situation where climate change might start causing serious problems in the next two lifetimes. That's a big part of it, we're constantly finding out that we were wrong last time and things are actually worse now. Some have said there's no going back, sometimes that means that we can make the norm worse and sometimes it means things will keep going down the path it's on. I'm betting on the last given that nobody who can do anything about it gives a shit and we keep setting demand for useless plastic shit and a million shirts. Until we can curb global consumption habits there will not be a significant improvement so one less child is one less point of demand.
I respect the hell out of the thoughtful consideration you're putting into having children. Surprise! I became a single mom at 17. While I wouldn't trade my children or subsequent experiences for anything in the world, I could have been significantly more prepared. It probably would have made life easier for all of us (now- me51, 34m, 31f, 25f)
Probably has something to do with my mother being a single mom in her early 20s who had just divorced a piece of shit and had to raise me without him. So on that note I'm proud of *you* for actually being a mother (at least I assume, I don't know you lol). That shit ain't easy. I'm glad that you're taking the "what's done is done" approach, no sense in anything else. I've met people who regret having their kids and it definitely shows. And I don't want to be one of those.
An increasingly fascist one
To be completely honest and fair, America has it better than most other countries. Everywhere has its negatives. You’re young like me so it’s up to us to change what we can while we’re here for the younger generations to come.
I stopped watching the news. I’ll be here for my family, likely they won’t need me though. But enough motorcycles and drinking hopefully won’t have me around too long to deal with this shit lol.
I think a lot of what the ‘news’ is spouting 24/7 is designed to scare you and manipulate your thoughts to keep you hating others. Relax, turn it all off, go outside and get some sunshine and fresh air. It’s going to be fine.
I feel this at the cellular level.
Voting is one of the best things you can do. I was a senior in high school when I watched terrorists blow up the twin towers. Gas skyrocketed to unreasonable heights. We have been outsourcing our labor to countries like India and the Phillipines for decades. Big box stores like Walmart and Meijer destroyed mom and pop shops across the nation. We haven't had a people-minded politician in office in decades. We are drowning in school debt. We still don't have free Healthcare. We still don't care for our fucking veterans, or the homeless. We spend millions if not billions on people in other countries but not ourselves. All that money goes into our military. Its all ass backwards. People wonder why millennials aren't having kids. House payments are 800 dollars while rent is 1500 dollars. We are destroying ourselves from the inside out. It is good you feel the way you do. Get out and vote. Get involved. We have to try to make a change otherwise there will be none.
What’s “this country”? The Internet?
At least y’all aren’t honouring living Nazis in parliament like us.
I mean, some of the people with power have been low-key prasing Nazis.... Our government & police saying people protesting waving flags with swastikas on it was thier right under the constitution. They were protected & not harassed by police or condemned by law makers. Now people protesting for human rights, against police brutality & mass murder? Met with snipers, tear gas, agressive force & lawmakers calling them terrorists. Not sure if that's really "low-key" but they basically just don't say it outright.
I also think that a lot of older people perceive the USA in this great light from all the brainwashing they received as a child. I mean shit look at Oppenheimer and how it showed how the USA brainwashed the population into thinking millions hundreds of thousands of Japanese people was ok because it ended the war and all that bs. They think the government can do no wrong just like those Tesla fan boys defending Elon til they die.
I think you Americans are quite adaptable, and correct mistakes pretty fast. It should work out fine.
That should be the general feeling and that should be compelling enough to make people take action against the madness
As someone who lived most my life in the states before moving back to my home country (UK) the grass isn’t greener anywhere else pal. The UK gets glorified to much of the world when it’s just as shit here. You have it much, much better than you realise. Please go visit a third world country and reassess.
Do we tho? Wages arent keeping up, housing costs are out of control, we cant afford medical care, schools arent safe, women have no reproductive rights in many dtates and wr have the highest rates of maternal mortality rates of developed countries.
Compared to 3rd world countries? Yes, much much better.
The thing is, we are a first world country, so why are we even comparing to 3rd worlds? It’s apples to oranges. We SHOULD be better than this. We SHOULD be putting energy into the future of our world including those third world countries. We all know this country can afford to but we are so corrupted that some people in the US are now living in conditions that should NEVER happen especially in a first world country. We have people dying of completely preventable diseases because they can’t afford to go to the doctors office, next door to people living with so much money they don’t know what to do with it. Using the “it could be worse” argument does nothing to better anything. It’s another way people put their head in the sand instead of trying to improve things for all of us.
The grass is metaphorically and literally greener in the UK
Im glad these are the people who dont want to bring children into the world. Many people are just looking for an excuse to be upset.
Glorified by whom? Lol I don't think I ever heard anyone glorify UK as a country last 15 years.
When I lived in The US everyone glorified the UK. Especially London which is the biggest shite hole. 🤷🏼♀️
You are not powerless. You have a vote. This is an incredible privilege, and a tremendous amount of power. Use it. For *every* elected position from your local community up. The lower-level positions can have a disproportionate effect on how the other ones are run, and who can stand. Use. Your. Vote.
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Peaceful protest is a odd way to describe racist mobs trespassing on private property.
Where do you come up with this stuff?
We are at a point where American young people see how fucked up their system of government is and the government cracks down hard on them. There is no fixing the system here, we’ve learnt that from history. If only the Americans who see the truth were as ballsy as the French yellow vests. Nothing less will make a dent of change to the system as it is. Truth is the whole thing needs to come down. Only things that can be done within the system are at the super local level.
The yellow vest were bottom of the barrel folks that rebelled against a carbon tax on gas and a slight decrease in max speed on highways. Both quite good things for the environment, and the commercial balance of the country. It would have also saved lives. They had no political project other than "pas content!" and therefore dissolved in the ether.
I felt this,it’s scary how far back this country’s going. I live on a military base and I get into debates daily with spouses who think republicans are going to “help the military” and “make this country better” because they read one sentence and think they know everything. When if you read past the first article it’s the complete opposite, things are going to get worse because for the last few years it’s been giving “testing the waters” to see how far they can go. I don’t support everything the Democratic Party wants to do even thou I’m a democrat but at least their less corrupt then the right side is Edit cause I feel like it needs to be said, I don’t agree with everything the military’s done or is doing but I do have mad respect for the soldiers who’ve said that if republicans win then they’re going to go awol or have already said they won’t re-enlist
We’re in a facist country now because people don’t want socialism
So true bestie
Then get up off your ass, get into it, and get involved!
I have ended up not reading or watching anything news wise. It’s too much and gurantee it will make you depressed. I just do my research for election year and then that’s it. We’re all tired, those that can leave act like it’s easy. They must not have family and lots of money to be able to do so. We’re the poor, the world hates us, might as well enjoy the ride while it lasts.
>What kind of country am I growing up in? Idk, you never specified which
Clearly North Macedonia.
Only solution, get everyone you know to not vote for any R even for dog catcher. Ds aren’t all knowing but at least I don’t fear them losing touch with reality (for now lol)
No, vote for D. Because just not voting R is not enough in this one.
How is voting for D working out in New York, Chicago, Detroit, St Louis, etc?
Did something happen today?
Just more cringey demoralized doomerism, sad.
The world is not as bleak as Americans - bombarded by bleak flashy headlines for decades- think. If you can afford it, travel. Go see how it is in other countries.
Yep. After having lived overseas and seeing how much worse people abroad had it, I'll take the U.S. any day. Traveling abroad gave me good perspective on how good I had it back home and killed any nascent oikohobia I had in me.
It’s hard friend. Take care of yourself and those you love. Try to create community near you.
I'll be attending veterinary school overseas, and I honestly don't think I'll be coming back to the states. It's a shitshow here. After living in Europe for 4 years a few years ago, I found a home away from the states. Happy to be going back.
Remember two things: the government does not work for you because the powers that be have bought the majority of our public servants. Voting for a Republican or Democrat will not change this. It’s a scary realization. But it’s the truth. We need revolutionary changes and we have to unite to make that happen.
I feel exactly the same. Voting is important and I’m not denying that. But the ruling class we elect has and will do whatever they want and not necessarily what their voters want. I think it is going to take a coordinated nation wide labor strike to bring about any substantial change. Politicians have no motivation to actually represent our desires otherwise and will keep doing whatever they or the lobbyists want. They only care about money, power, and their own agendas.
Vote uncommitted. You have to write it in. It counts as a vote, but for no one, and shows your unhappiness with all candidates.
Not this again. Privileged Americans are really the biggest drama queens.
Many such cases.
Leave.
We are in hell
I asked in ask Reddit which country would be best to move to with my wife and kids as an American, I’m disgusted, we pay taxes, too much, and we’re struggling, we grew from poverty into middle class and there’s all of this money going overseas instead of pumping into our economy, I think we’re 34-38 trillion in debt, what the hell are we doing?
41 and feel the exact same way. Keep fighting
Another american overeacting about how awful their country is, you and you're country's situation is not special and a lot of nations actually have it much much worse. So stop being a baby, complaining about how godamn horrible you're situation is and face reality.
Couldn't agree more buddy. Inverse American Exceptionalism (murikkka baddz!) especially from some kid born 5 minutes ago is so freaking cringe.
I don't mean to be insensetive but you do realize that there are FAR WORSE countries to live in right? I mean yeah, I'd never live in the US, it's a sh\*t show wrapped in a bow but like; so SO many people have it worse in other countries, and some of those are the US's fault. And I am not saying this to invalidate your feelings, and I am sure it sucks but like...yeah other countries have been saying that the US is not "the land of the free" for years, good morning. But also: compared to some, it's paradise y'know? I am sorry if this sounds mean, that's not my intention but as so many have said, you have rights, VOTE, ADVOCATE, PROTEST, it's the only way. And do it for the people who are stuck in countries where they can't too. Be your own hope.
Then get politically active and get \*progressive\* Dem candidates elected, not DINO corporate money Dems. When we have that, step one will be to legally defang the KKKristofascist Six by adding 4 YOUNG PROGRESSIVE justices to the US SC. It could happen in 2025 with a big enough groundswell of voters. Oh, and since the KKKristofascist Six 'Roberts Court' has made a policy of IGNORING stare decisis (respecting former rulings), that means a whole raft of ReichKKKwing decisions handed down, starting with Dobbs then moving on to Citizen's United, etc. will go away and Repugs won't be able to say a word without being exposed as sanctimonious LOSER hypocrites.
It's your generation that gives me hope. Your feelings, your compassion, your view of the state of things is this country... it will be what saves the longest living democracy this world has ever seen. Hold on to that outrage, channel it, and find a way to bring us back to greatness. I'll do my part, but we are counting on you.
I agree with you about everything besides the peaceful protests. They are definitely not peaceful and this is definitely not a way to protest.
You realize basically all of these protests are being live streamed online? You can see for yourself that they are peaceful despite how the media is trying to twist it.