The comments, made on a conservative podcast, follow a string of moves from his administration to try to exert more control over American elections.
Probably has something to do with ICE causing a 30-point swing towards Democrats in a Texas State Senate race.
See, your point might have some merit if you assume that’s all that is done which, you may have missed due to some personal perception filter, I explicitly did not say.
Like, I’m not sure what alternative you think is realistically possible. Overthrow the entire system 1776 style and start fresh? Burn it all to the ground and replace the power vacuum with… Nothing?
Nihilism and anarchism are great and all. No, really. I do adore them and spent a lot of time with them. I wish I could spend more time with them but if I want to have any kind of change, I have to focus on things with a layer of realism.
Realistically, the overall population of the US, due to decades upon decades of propaganda and selective teachings of history, does not realize how shitty the system is and how much is either completely broken or otherwise stacked against the common person.
This means that real meaningful change will either take radical shifts to the government and people with outside intervention the likes of which haven’t been experienced in the west since around 1940 (there are other examples that may be better but it’s readily available in my head) or gradual shifts of the populous starting at the local levels.
I hate the system in the US. It’s built on slave labor and when that was removed legally, they just changed the name and worked around the issue.
It’s built on stolen land and the destruction of entire peoples histories. There is an entire side of my family’s history that we can’t trace because the records were destroyed and it wasn’t passed down orally.
It is still designed to fuck over the poor and improve the lives of the richest people despite its supposed calling of equality.
These are all things that I know about the system. I can’t change the past but I can affect the future. I can encourage people to be proactive with improving things starting at the most immediate local levels and up. Co-ops, local markets, actual evidence based educational programs, a community for the community. But these shifts are cultural at this point. We’re still dealing with idiots who fell for the red scare and don’t know any better (see previous comments about propaganda based education). It’s difficult to affect culture in ways that it’s predisposed to actively not go. Not impossible but requires enough effort to actually change that most people give up and say “nah, it’s a lost cause. Just give up and forget about trying to improve the system from within”
So, in summary, I choose not to give up. I probably won’t make a meaningful impact but if I can at least nudge it in the right direction so others have even the smallest chance of fixing things, I’ll do what I can. I choose to plant trees that I’ll never be able to enjoy the shade of.
You’re a more hopeful, prosocial and perhaps overall better man than me, then. Were I in your position, I would’ve just gone somewhere else, somewhere a bit less crazy, and planted the trees over there. I cannot think of a viable alternative to the current system, no, and I think many people are too far gone for us to engage with them and try to build something together. Maybe in some decades, but not today. I guess Americans need Americans like you? Anyway, what an informed and invigorating post. Hope things go okay for you and your loved ones. 🙏
Oh, don’t get me wrong, even with all that said and in the works, I still have to think of my immediate family and am working on plans to get the hell out of this specific hellscape. I currently live in one of the states that is completely governed by sycophants of the regime so every day I have to worry about my wife and daughters futures and see their rights erode away despite my best efforts.
The process is not fast and we’ve only just gotten to the point of seriously looking at where we’re going and gathering documentation so until we actually do the move, I’ll be doing what I can to change the cultural narrative.
Damn. I’m sorry to hear a reasonable man who cares for his family like yourself has been unwillingly entangled in this mess, and like you there are many. What a shitshow. Stay strong, DokPsy, and may everything go smoothly for you. And maybe Straya/NZ?
Nz was a thought but we’re looking at Canada. Our skill sets make it a smoother process for entry and it’s not as much of a logistics issue
One of my closest friends moved to Canada recently, from France. Said people are really good vibes and open minded, and money’s good but rent isn’t cheap, overall very happy and is planning on becoming a permanent resident. I wish y’all the best, I’m sure it’s the best decision to make, a very wise one. 👍