Thx so much for this insight. I had always hoped that our country would be more accepting of women as equals by this time in my life, 65 and retiring, than when I was younger. Sadly, for my three adult daughters and my grandkids, that is not the case. I’ve always found, working in a male-dominated career, that women need to be better, smarter, quicker, more outstanding, innovative, and just MORE in every way than male counterparts. I’d hoped better for my kids/grandkids.
We are certainly not there yet-and I wonder now if I’ll live long enough to ever see women given an equal seat at the table. And make no mistake-I’m a white, hetero woman-I’ve much more privilege than others and I never take it for granted. I’m grieving that our nation is so abysmally ignorant and selfish as to take us down a path that could well murder democracy all for the sake of a corrupt, disgusting , odious man’s ego and the ridiculous cult of minions who follow him.
Yes, the danger T poses is in the access he provides to the real Destroyers of Democracy, the ones that are dismantling it for their own power and greed.
Deborah, I agree. It’s questionable how long T will remain President. I fear V taking over the remainder of the term, then potentially running another 2 terms. My one condolence is the electorate seems to swing away from the president’s party at midterm, and there has historically been a backlash against incumbents because an ignorant/low-info base expects something different than what a president delivers.
Amazes me that they believe their next great success will be redesigning our society. They May not understand the biggest rock ( read: foundation) of USA is our Constitution upon which our freedoms are based.
So true. But while most fair minded citizens understand that inherent quality or sense of "unalianable rights" come from the foundational believes that these concepts are self evident in a free society, there are good number of citizens who simply do not "comprehend" the meaning and are willing to try something different like a piece of new clothing. The observation here is that we must endure collective hardships to re-learn the meaning of freedom.
As another woman in a male dominated field, I am getting very tired of being chastised for only being more, and not being double-plus more. I'm only doing half again the work instead of twice for 20% less pay, apparently I should be ashamed of myself for this.
I hit like-but plz know I hate this. I completely relate-and the condescension, the belittling sarcasm, the “don’t worry your little head, Missy” attitudes, the “we guys will handle this” crap, the arrogance and smug superiority-I’m gagging here. And so very sick of it. I’m retiring December 1 (65 years)-hoping I get to stay retired-but with the economic shenanigans planned by trump, musk, rameswamy, and the other losers at the top-that’s no longer guaranteed. Hugging you, sister! We need to stick together!
The two woman veterinarians in my rural county are avid trump supporters. One specifically believes women should not be president. She is not religious that I am aware of, and she recently ran for and won a position on our Board of Supervisors. She appears to have no sense of irony that women had to fight hard for their right to attend veterinary school and to vote, let alone serve in any elected government positions.
Saving democracy from the party that didn't have a primary and fought to take candidates off ballots in several states?
I think the root problem was the candidate who couldn't speak in anything but word salads and got excited about venn diagrams and yellow school buses. Oh and promised four more years of the same shit show that evidently a lot of people were tired of. Possibly worse was a VP candidate who thought tampons in men's bathrooms was a good idea along with a long list of other idiotic ideas. This election had nothing to do with gender and everything to do with policies.
You ended one piece with the word ignorance. Many politicians are fearful of the obvious, and that is nearly half of the population is poorly educated, lacks critical thinking skills. Religion does not support critical thinking, it demands you accept what you are fed and when you grow up with this, you believe what the pastor tells you and you believe what you’re told to think. Many countries in Europe have far better educated citizens than we have here in the United States. This allows government and big business to simply feed us the pablum that we accept without questioning. This is how fascism grows and how an individual like Trump becomes popular and gets into Office. The resistance to this ignorance will be education, and it will be carried out by well educated people whose minds are not warped by religion and simplicity platitudes!
Public schools have been under financial siege since my kids were in grammar school. 1980 & probably before. Then computers and teaching handwriting stopped which ended the very important physical/mental connection with our words, our expression of our wants, needs & development of language skills to further improve our independent thinking& communication skills.
No one talked or wrote about this sudden withdrawal of a basic educational experience for the child, including the daily practice which taught all of us kids the importance of PRACTICE to improve our Skill with Printing symbols that created Words which brought about private communication!! If we wished to have independence we had to learn how to print and soon after to write cursive!
Sorry, Carol, as a retired teacher I can tell you that's just plain wrong, though your basic premise that public education is under seige is correct. The reason handwriting gets less time now is that students come to school needing more instruction in reading, as well as more math and science, to prepare for the more technical working world we now live in. Critical thinking is a huge parr of this. Students are still taught handwriting, but the emphasis is much more on thinking skills necessary foe life-long learning: sentence structure and composition, vocabularly, higher level math skills, problem solving. I taught in Texas and retired a few years ago. Yes, Texas, now one of the most backwardly-conservative states, run by a GOP government being pushed by a group of right-winged nut job Dominionist cult so-called Christian billionares who are bent on destroying one of the last and very best things our state still has--its public education system. Don't blame the educators--blame the nut jobs weilding
their money and power to destroy it and remake it into their ignorant narrow-minded vision.
Ooo sorry to read this. Have never visited Texas… still hold 1950’s images of cowboys and ranches.. and more recently Friday night high school football !😁 Thanks to Netflix and now other providers of serials that delve into far-reaching geographic locations & animal behaviors! Of every kind😉
Yes indeed. Need to spend more time on sexualizing kids in grade school and teaching from books like "Gender Queer" That will make for smart well educated kids. Grammar? History? Nah. Don't waste time on that. Why is America ranked so poorly among nations if our public schools are so wonderful? Schools are run by predominantly left leaning progressives (some with purple hair) so how again are the "right wingers" ruining it?
David- fellow Texan here. Did you happen to catch the final vote of the State Board of Education yesterday 11/18 regarding adoption of the state written Christian centric textbooks? If anyone reading this got the final vote and wrote down how each member voted I’d love to know. I had a work meeting to attend and had to quit streaming.
Which is why the fascists have plans to control public education. Until we can get education back to developing citizens who can THINK, we will keep sliding down the fascists path. If we ever swing back to democracy, it will take generations to raise citizens who are educated and understand what it involves to participate in democracy.
Katie, could not agree more however the Democrats need to learn that if you go too far left, you’re going to alienate 50% of the population of this country and they certainly did find out the hard way this time. If the Democrats want to waste their time with things like DEI, identity politics and far left-wing agenda, they will continue to lose into the foreseeable future! The Democrats open the door to the control of education with their far left-wing agenda in the schools. This needs to stop. We need to get back to quality education, civics, math, science, and the basic core of our education and leave the left-wing agenda to the individual person on their own time. The left-wing is just as guilty at indoctrination as is the right wing. Neither approach should be part of our educational system.
William, i get that you support quality education, but the subjects you name including civics, science, and I would add history and literature are under attack in the schools. When I was in high school in the early 'sixties, my very fine chemistry teacher had to use words of caution when she articulated the role of the structure of water molecules in the evolution of life on earth. In many schools now she would be enjoined against even mentioning that. Climate change is just one aspect of science that is being attacked or ignored in schools and this will become more prevalent, especially if Trump eliminates the Department of Education. I don't agree that "the left-wing is just as guilty at indoctrination as is the right wing." The right wing would have us believe that wearing a mask to prevent disease impinges on our personal freedom. People died because of that belief.
I had a biology/chemistry teacher who lost his job because of explaining how research into birth control worked. It was a class of 16- to 17-year-old girls in the mid 70s, the boys were at some assembly. It was rumored that another fellow teacher (home economics) whose daughter was not in the class spearheaded his dismissal. He was a great teacher.
They're burying Black history, too. They don't want kids to change a thing, so keep them from knowing how cruel this country really is. If white children knew, they might want to do something about racism when they grow up. God forbid they solve this once and for all. Black people aren't going to do it because our voices & struggles are ignored.
He who controls the histories controls the narratives and the minds of the people. They didn’t tell us alot! I didn’t know about pervasive Indian boarding schools or the Tulsa Black Wall Street Massacre or Japanese internment camps until I was an adult. However, I do know these now, and so do my children. And I am continually learning. We will always need to carry light into the world against the odds.
Right. I didn't know about a lot of that until I became an adult. So, they were burying it even in the 60's/70's. I knew about the Japanese internment camps, but not about Tulsa Black Wall Street or Indian boarding schools. I didn't know about Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, and a host of other things I've learned over the years.
I don't have biological children, so I can't pass on these things that way. I do speak them with young folks when similar things come up in conversation, mentoring, fathering, sponsoring, coaching, etc. Yes, I'm a surrogate father of grown young adults, but they're scattered throughout the world (LOL).
We know why they do it. Question is, how to get them to stop slanting the world around "whiteness". It's absurd.
Sorry it took a while to respond. Some of my notifications got lost in a stream that came through surrounding that day.
That’s a shame that your chemistry teacher had to be very cautious about what words she used. That’s the problem with education today. Educator should be free within reason to state the reality of science not someone’s religious or other agenda the contaminates science and learning.
If masks don't do anything why have medical staff been wearing them for decades for things like surgery? Masks are and have been in use for decades. Just because people don't understand how viruses spread & don't use protection properly doesn't mean it doesn't work, it just means people are poorly educated and don't understand basic hygiene. A lot of deaths in hospitals were because ventilators weren't being properly cleaned between people and were basically spreading respiratory illnesses to already really sick people. All the death counts from that time are all off in multitude of ways and the attributed cause of death is wrong in many instances. If you think masks are more harmful than telling people to inject bleach & take horse medicine then we're never going to agree on how misinformation impacts people.
I believe your sources are highly suspect or you have totally misinterpreted the results. There are many types of masks. The N95s are the most effective. Many people wore shoddy masks and wore even good ones incorrectly.
I am surprised that so many people are treating you seriously. There is no "left-wing agenda" in public schools. Unless you think teaching critical thinking skills, compassion, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance of others is left-wing. Or teaching science and honest history? And no the Civil War was not just an "economic" matter. And no, slaves were not "happy" with their situation or "grateful" for the "skills" they learned.
So-called "identity politics" is just looking out for the marginalized among us; taking care of our fellow humans.
There is no left-wing mandated indoctrination in schools. I live in Iowa where the right-wing indoctrination is dragging our children and grandchildren down a rabbit hole of ignorance and racism and school vouchers. Math, my Aunt Franny!
Surely you don’t need to have lived in every state to know that no child is being given a sex change operation at school. They aren’t even allowed to have out paracetamol ffs. It’s a sign of how far far right indoctrination has gone that a candidate for high office who said this wasn’t laughed out of town or led away by the men in white coats.
I really think that is propaganda. I have three children in school currently and I have children that have completed high school and college. I keep in pretty close contact with the teachers and schools. I do not see any truth in this whatsoever. Our teachers concentrate on trying to make sure the kids are learning math, science, history, art, music, health/physical fitness, etc. so they grow up to be well rounded intelligent people. Of course there are always those very few teachers that break rules/laws and usually end up paying the ultimate price.
"Pushing small children to have sex changes." Trump also said the children go to school as one sex and come home at the end of that day of school as the other sex, without the approval of their parents!
Does anyone think about what this would entail if it were actually true? It clearly has to be part of the Christian National/Russian misinformation playbook because the far left is not that insane.
How can anyone with any common sense believe such outrageous, irrational, crazy lies? It's sad and very discouraging that people just read something like this and immedately assume it's true.
Once Congress is composed of a majority of smart, caring politicians, they have to stop interviewing the heads of Meta, Tik Tok, X and other social media companies every so often and then just dropping the issue of misinformation.
We have to start requiring social media companies to work at cutting out/or labeling known disinformation, Russian and Chinese propaganda and dangerous algorithms. These things are dividing our country and killing children of both Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
There is a limit under our laws as to what kind of public speech is allowed. It's bad enough to shout "fire" in a crowded theatre when it's not part of a stage act and the person yelling knows that there is no fire. It's even worse to light a match, set a fire and watch it spread across the country.
This mass "inflammation" of our society must be stopped or at least greatly curtailed by laws with "big teeth" to back them up. We are miles past "enough is enough" in allowing the wildfires of misinformation to spread unchecked.
And Donald Trump. the guy who told everyone who would listen that children were having sex changes forced on them in schools, is once again going to be the President of the United States. Teachers can't even give a student a Tums, for goodness sake, and children have to have signed parental permission to go to the zoo. When Trump tells people that sex changes are going on in schools he must think we are pretty stupid, and the results of the election show that he is not wrong.. People laughed and voted for him. On Inauguration Day in January, no one is going to be laughing. The man who told us this and authorized ads that said this ("I approve this message") is a liar. No one of the billionaires or the small business owners who voted for Trump would hire him to do anything in their own businesses, but they voted for him to run the government of the United States. And no local government would hire him to run a trash truck because he is a convicted felon. Until we wake up and see what is happening, we will continue to suffer.
Yes, that was a bold-faced lie. Children cannot have GCS without parental permission, and schools aren't connected to healthcare workers anyway. Surgeons don't do that to children. I can't believe people believed that bullshit.
Fear of going too far left is what continually kills government actions that could support unions, children, public education, and those in poverty. I am thinking we need to stop using the shorthand of "left" and "right," because it seems that - like so much else presently - they are being used to stir up emotion without creating greater understanding. It's like the word "woke" replacing "politically correct" which replaced "hippie freak" which replaced "n-word lover." None of them are nuanced enough to do anything other than polarize. For instance, "left" is often used to describe people who want equality for all people, which (strangely) leads into polarizing conversations about how certain people - like undocumented workers/ refugees/immigrants, trans people, and crybabies - are gaining preferential treatment over "real Americans." At the same time, I know people who have always identified as Republicans or Libertarians or Conservatives who are lost to the present "right/ Evangelical/ White Christian Nationalists" who are leading the Republican Party. Left/ Right as economic policy and who it benefits vs. Left/ Right as culture war regarding people's immigration status and sexuality. If "the left" had been more focused on making the economy more fair, those who have been left out of the working economy of the U.S. for a generation would not be asking for a strongman to finally fix what is making their lives so uncomfortable and unbearable.
I hate when white people misuse the word 'woke'. It never meant what they've turned it into. They took a perfectly benign word from one community and weaponized it for another. Used it against the community they took it from. SMFH
There's been plenty of words this has happened to and it's disturbing.
Exactly. The problem with the Dem Party, esp. at the national level, is they focus too much on identity politics and culture war issues, which just alienate the working class. Their mistake this last time was not running on the economy, using simple messages to the working class, addressing inequality, corporate greed and price gouging, and making a convincing case that they would fight for and actually do things to make things better for the working class. But after decades of neoliberal economic policies from the Dems, where they are the same as the Repubs, working class voters no longer believe or trust the Dems on the economy, so even if they had done the right campaigning on the issues, they probably still would have lost. The Dems need to go a long way in regaining the trust of working class voters, including respecting them instead of writing them off and making them feel ignored with identity politics and culture war positions that are way to the left of them. But I have little faith the DNC and national level Dem pols will ever do those things, since they denied Bernie their nomination twice and have no intention of offending their corporate donors. Which is who they really care about, even more than about winning fed elections.
Biden passed dozens of legislation that was very directly intended to help the middle class. Republicans across the board voted them down. Dems have fought to ensure expansion of unions, worker rights. Under the other asshat, they deregulated protections in processing plants so that children as young as 13 could work. Under every democrat we’ve had improved spending, employment, and overall economic health. The complete opposite of republicans.
I think you need to read Emma Green's comment above. You seem to be buying into the DNC propaganda, that somehow just because the Dems are left on identity politics and culture war issues, that they are any less neoliberal on economics than the Repubs, while also being just as militaristic as them on foreign policy. The harsh truth is, the Dems have not been progressive on economic issues, compared to the New Deal, since LBJ's War On Poverty and Great Society programs in the 60s. Since then, the Dems won't even fight for card check to help unions organize, much less fight poverty. Beginning with Obama, they don't even mention poverty in their fed campaigns, because it would offend the suburban voters they are the most focused on.
Critical independent thinking is not buying into anyone’s else’s agenda. It’s finding your own agenda after having carefully evaluated the pros and cons of the subject before you.
I don't know where you live, but in the Midwest the school curriculum is far from "left-wing." Respectfully, how long has it been since you viewed your school's curriculum? Most widely study the national and state standards throughly prior to completing the local writing. Maybe more students need to engage in more real-life learning experiences. Sometimes the classroom learning is not connecting with kids yet at 14 and 15 years old. They don't have life experience yet. Life is different than it was 30 years ago. I sure see it.
I have multiple family members in multiple states trashing. They barely have time to teach what you referenced here. DEI work is being taught at colleges, not even in high schools. Acknowledging someone’s pronouns is the same as calling someone by their chosen nickname. It’s really not that deep or some conspiracy. Schools are horribly underfunded as well as the teachers.
I’m going to be somewhat contrarian here. I’m sure to get some criticism but I have what I think is a well-reasoned and historically supported theory as to why so many people voted for Trump. However, I’ll only provide clues so that anyone interested—if anyone—is interested, they can arrive at the same conclusion.
Here is first question:
What do Osiris, Dionysius and Mithras have in common?
As someone wrote, we haven’t lost democracy yet. We need to reach the “others” where they live and pull them back to sensibility. We need more “in your face” carrots.
It's argued that the Reagan campaign/admin were the first to incentivize the political participation/promotion of evangelicals. Also that the conservative/reactionary project since Goldwater lost in '64, significantly pushed by noted segregationist W.Rehnquist, is still being concretized by Leonard Leo and the practically ubiquitous Federalist Society.
There have always been elements who opposed public education, but they were on the political/governmental margins until recently.
Have we even heard about a Dept of Education pick? Doesn’t Project 2025 have explicit plans to dismantle it?
“…Dumbing Down of America started with a vengeance some time in the '80s.” Reagan era. Starting as governor of CA. He cut back on support of higher education and lots of families couldn’t afford to send their kids. Then he became President and it affected the whole country. And along with the rest of his “Reaganomics,” that’s when EVERYTHING started to go downhill. The concept of “welfare queens” was his, too. He was the seed for so many of the problems this country faces today. 🤬
Not being a woman, I'm still glad I didn't buy the religious hype, asked my mama too many questions, and talked her into letting me drop church when I was 13. I've never been one to accept everything I was told, and have been a critical thinker since I was young. I suppose if my mother continued to make me go to church, things might've been different in my head.
I was educated in district schools, and basic civics were taught back in the 60's & 70's. It's crazy they no longer do this. Then again, I never knew what public schools taught. I did go to a public school my senior year of high school, but I remember very little because I only had to go for one semester to graduate.
Willful ignorance drives me up the wall. I had a homie that tried to fill my head with plenty of that, so he's no longer someone I choose to talk to or hang out with anymore. SMFH
This is one of the DEEPEST TRUTHS. Our Constitution is not read and understood because of our Poorly Educated Private Charter schools & public schooled children.
Breaking down PUBLIC EDUCATION by splitting up its FUNDING among many privately organized purportedly public charter schools is like a lot of other “democratically” voted on policies that have been PUBLICALLY advertised as more democratically available to ALL families..
Educated by who since Trump wants to dismantle all public education. Only the crazy religions will be educating. Republicans have been trying to do this for decades.
Now, I am NOT a trump fan and never will be, but his plan doesn't call for the dismantling of all public education....his plan is to demolish the DOE. I love Jimmy Carter and the Cabinet was created to help poor people, the disabled and minorities, but the implementation since Bush 2 and Obama has way overstepped its boundaries. I love teachers and public schools, but I resent my tax dollars being siphoned off to testing companies and Common Core and all the other deform bunk that has been adopted and enforced by the DOE. The Federal Gov't should never have been allowed to bribe states of their own tax dollars to accept policy that is bad for children and teachers. NCLB and RTtT and ESA have failed miserably!
NCLB while a nice idea in theory was a disaster in implementation. Schools / teachers forced to teach students what they needed to pass the test and not what they needed to be critical thinkers and successful members of civil society.
And let's not forget that it was Bill Clinton and his administration who developed Charter Schools to siphon public tax dollars allotted for education into private coffers. Both sides of the political aisle RUINED public education for ALL of American children and teachers. Sorry....but DOE is one department that has clearly become a bloated nightmare of mismanagement and it needs to be pared down or to just disappear. Before DoE there was HEW Dept....Health, Education, Welfare....and it was run very well.
I don't mind a sensible reworking and reimagining for the DoE to address bloat, red tape, and failed programs, but I fear Elon will go the easy way (for him) and recommend an immediate closure and Trump will order it so. That would be incredibly stupid and would not help public / special education.
You're correct! But parents and teachers have been asking for reform for 20+ years now and all we have gotten is more deform and more bad policy and more testing and less teaching/learning. I'm sorry, but the only way to "reform" the DoE is a big Do Over. trump is what happens when politicians keep kicking the can down the road. I don't like trump either and I didn't vote for him.....but a lot of people voted for him to blow up the current status quo, crony capitalism system. Hey!....I wanted Bernie Sanders to blow up the system in 2016 and again in 2020.... at least he was going to blow it up to help "We the People" instead of big business and the tech billionaires.
I’m convinced you’re absolutely right about this. To me, one proof was the huge number of “undecided” voters just days or weeks ahead of this election. How could anyone who knew anything at all about the facts have been undecided? I fear the problem is only going to get worse with the concerted efforts to undermine public education.
Well said. The dumbing down of the US, (and the acceptance of it), has been key to this debacle. Reading and imagining, have been neglected for far too long.
I'm beginning to feel it's more than just fascism, but that we are headed into the dark ages again…more like the scyfy movie Elisum, where the rich escape the hell hole they created on earth and live in glamorous orbiting structures and the poor on earth are basically their slaves. Jody Foster and Matt Daemon star. Its like all these dystopian novels are coming true, just horrid.
You're absolutely correct. It's fascism combined with the White Christian Nationalist front. They need to take the word 'Christian' away, because they're anything but. They're extremists, charlatans, and only want power & control. They're already trying to force the Bible into public schools. They'll keep banging on their local legal system until they get their way. Now they're empowered because TFG handed this to them. In turn, they handed the Presidency to him.
Sadly I think a lot of trump supporters fall into the ignorant category. And it’s ignorant by choice. Do no research on their own and get all news from social media or Fox News.
Christin, They heard trump’s violent speeches, they know he’s a felon, they bought t-shirts saing they support he felon! 😵💫 The first round of trump was a little bit excusable, not after he attacked the capital, killed and injured police etc There will NEVER be forgiveness from me for these ignoramuses by choice! They are severely hurting this country and trashing our international relationships, outside of damaging Climate Change Protections.
Are we going to willingly submit to them killing US?
4 officers died by suicide after they were attacked, 174 officers were injured in the violent coup attempt shit-for- brains! Got it! I know how hard reading and facts are for your ilk. Keep living in your cult bubble.
So you agree! No police were killed that day. Fact. The suicides later were sad and mysterious. There were however 3 civilians that died that day on which little is reported. Ashley Babbit was killed by a cop that got a promotion. That rarely happens when a cop shoots an unarmed person.
Then there was the woman who was trampled in the tunnel and another man who died of an apparent stroke on the veranda in the melee.
So your insults are lost on me. I focus on the facts.
Sounds a lot like FAFO. No cops may have died THAT day, however 140 of them went to the hospital with serious injuries. Good thing most of those insurrectionists were opaque in color. Maybe the cops would have opened fire on the crowd had they not been, which is what they should have done. Ashley Babbit would still be alive is she had complied with law enforcement orders. Isn’t that what you MAGAts like to bleat when a cop shoots an unarmed black person? As far as the cop getting a promotion, you’ve been asleep for the last few decades. Until the advent of cell phone cameras, there was very little accountability when cops killed unarmed people. But you know that. You must just focus on the facts when they align with your worldview.
Sounds like you're certain there were no FBI plants in the crowd and Ray Epps was just having fun on Jan 5. And evidence was destroyed after the Dem show trial. And Nancy Pelosi really didn't block extra protection that day and Milley didn't delay deployment of the ANG. Yup nothing to see here. I'm stupid. Right. That explains everything.
First insurrection without weapons in recorded history.
I think that's usually a reaction to feeling they can't keep up, being treated as lesser bc they're not smart etc; lots of actual issues for a person to deal with if they're below average, especially if well below.
Not as bad as discovering you have illegal sexual tendencies say, but getting left behind in class puts you amongst ppl that tend to develop coping mechanisms to deal with the stigma of 'dumb kids'.
If below average kids are not guided & educated appropriately they will feel rejected & become a problem.
Even just below average often leaves kids amongst others inclined to act up, make poor choices etc.
High intelligence is an incredible privilege; lack thereof can create real personal struggle & pain
Parental & teacher attitude helps a lot but it can be hard for a 'dumb' kid in a smart family, class, neighbourhood etc to not feel like a failure.
Aggression or resignation, or bravado can present as pride, but it's not that at all.
I’m not sure it’s completely by choice, Christin, they are ignorant to the media of 🦊news—-they simply do not believe there exists other less biased reporting of news of the world, both U.S. & foreign. There are many reasons this is so, from latch key kids to anyone who endures a screaming TV screen while waiting for service of just about any kind, from doctors’ offices to quick oil change franchises. I noticed the incredible increase in 🦊news-type YouTube stations during the latter part of the election. I couldn’t find much to view that didn’t somehow pertain to the Republicans or Elwood Musk, etc.
There is a comfort in ignorance; if they don’t know, then they can’t care. They don’t choose to not care, they choose to not know, so Sunday morning is a whole lot more comfortable.
Yes, that is exactly what is on display here and in this thread. A bunch of ignorant people patting themselves on the back for being so “informed” and “educated”.
My go to excuse for my family and friends that voted for Trump is also that they are ignorant, because if they really knew the consequences of their actions I would have to call them evil. But what I struggle with is how actively they push away information brought to them that would counter what they believe. They don’t want to know!
That's tribalism: their peers have picked a side & they know they can't depart from the group think without getting blowback. It's a social belonging reality.
It could be argued that this tribe & it's resistance to new info was created by the scolding leftists; they're defending our rebelling against judgement.
That open display is definitely tribal trolling: they grossly exaggerate the very things they know will get a reaction; you can see they delight in it.
That's got to tell you they are reacting to a strong feeling of a thing they resent, being judged, scolded, etc
You’re the one who is intolerant, friend. It’s your people who are talking about putting Trump voters in camps, who are holding thousands of political prisoners on trumped up charges, who are censoring speech like the Chinese and the Russians.
It’s you who dehumanize people as “Nazis” and “bigots” when they disagree with you and can’t even conceive of the possibility that maybe YOU are wrong. It’s your people who advocate to destroy families over political disagreements. It’s your people who are firing people and even arresting people for acknowledging simple biological facts.
The paradox of absolute tolerance is that your side is literally normalizing pedophilia as just another letter in the acronym, and castrating children in the name of tolerance. You are ideologically blinded by dogma. You cannot define a woman. You aren’t the good guys, regardless of how much you dislike Trump’s mannerisms.
You are not even arguing with me. You are arguing with a fantasy in your head! I am trying to keep a bridge open with my family which why I say they are ignorant, not evil. Nobody is pro-pedophilia on my side. I gave you a chance but you are too far gone. Enjoy tilting at your windmills. I am going to practice what I preach. You have not shown that you deserve to be tolerated.
As always, well said! Your four categories make sense to this Iowan. The “Christians” who fight for the unborn and ignore the mother’s health, the wealthy who are protected and love their status, the low income who rely on government assistance but worry about immigrants taking their jobs. It’s soo ironic to me that these women would vote for a rapist, felon, who had sex with a porn star while his wife was home with the baby. If that was their neighbor tongues would wag. Tut, tut.
He raped Stormy Daniels. That is clear from the trial testimony. She may have denied the word, but it is clear that what she chose was to not physically fight him. She didn’t have an enthusiastic assignation with him. She chose to get through the assault as quickly as possible, and blamed herself for being in the room with him. I think it is really necessary to get the situation described accurately. She was not being a porn star. She was being a human being who was being attacked.
That was my impression too. She clearly didn't want to have sex with him, but she blamed herself and submitted to it. It's a good example of how cultural conditioning messes with your mind.
Yes, Laura. I will elaborate a little by adding the one common thread that runs through all four - irresponsibility.
1. All money/no morals = choose their money over responsibility to others.
2. Biblically-inspired internalized misogyny = embrace the role of 2nd class citizen because they don’t want the responsibility that comes with being equals
3. Above it all, all benefits/no consequences, so easy/no demands = enjoy the carnival + camaraderie without any responsibility for setup or cleanup
4. Ignorance + they are just like him = they don’t want the responsibility of knowing the truth because then they’d be held responsible for their actions
I feel like the #3 Pick Me women are some of the saddest. Like Matt Gaetz's wife with a good education, family $, and attractive, the best she can do for herself is hang all over him in pix and post pathetically sappy and peppy paeans to her much-older pedophile husband! It's doubly tragic to see those with so much going for them be willing to sacrifice their pride, originality, and personhood to just be "on the team" even if it is as a goofy mascot, clumsy water-girl, or secret slut giving bj's under the bleachers. Anything to FEEL included and like an equal!
What they don't face until it's too late is that they will never really be part of the team or get any resprct, no matter how hard they serve the boys. Look at Condi Rice, Harriet Myers, Nikki Haley, Madge 3-toes, Lolo Bobo, and Elise Stefanik. Elise got a bone, but it's mainly to keep her away from the action and out of the He-Man Clubhouse. All of the rest are functionally NOBODY to the party they grovel to serve.
Late stage abortion doesn’t improve a mother’s health. The baby has to come out either way.
Your party wants women to be able to kill their babies while they are in labor because they changed their minds. This is the reality of “no restrictions” whether you like it or not.
All this said but there is an effort starting yesterday to get the Equal Rights Amendment documented into law by having President Biden have it Published by the Archives. The movement is called— PUBLISH EQUALITY. The American Bar Association is active in this. As are activists in every state. This is day 2. My wife and I are skipping the museums and going to the White House.
I am by accident in Washington DC and I am hearing that the States are lighting up now. Look into this please. I am from Maine and this was a nothing yesterday and pretty hot today at Colby College and beyond. My wife is getting all kinds of info this AM
Thank you for your essays, Jess. You help to put my ideas into words. Coherent words are in short supply these days, for me at least. So many people voted for someone who has no qualifications and no qualms about hurting people. They voted for someone who will hurt them. This election makes me think of a person who has an abusive partner. Again, thank you for helping others to make sense of their confusing feelings in an upside down world.
YES. I remember the sense of familiarity/ recognition I felt watching Trump’s abusive behavior on display in the 2016 cycle. It was especially apparent during the debates.
For girls and women from cultures and religions where a strong patriarch is enforced and expected to rule over submissive women, voting for Trump would feel like voting for their fathers and husbands. And to reject him would require an uncomfortable look into their own beliefs and assumptions and how they play out in their own lives- the way they are always encouraged to put themselves last and to accept even abusive treatment as “God’s Will.”
I remember hearing George W. Bush talk using the words "power in the blood" during a campaign speech, it made my blood run cold...a dog whistle to the evangelicals. Shortly after that I started hearing how the republican party was the party of Christ and that those of us in the church should only vote for republicans to keep Satan from taking over.
After binge-watching The Handmaid's Tale after the election, all I can do is shake my damn head over & over again. Is it going to go that far? Sure looks like it.
I agree, and I don’t say that lightly either. What you have described is hauntingly, uncomfortably true; the denial running deep for so many reasons that all point to the discomfort of confronting the lie that tells us we are safer in it than out of it. Keep ahining your light, Jess.
I have mentioned this many times on social media. I've also said I have a love-hate relationship with this country, and I mean it. I've managed to live without that for many years, and then came 45. What he has done has made me hate this place enough to want to leave it. I'm trying to find a way now.
I, too, need the "coherent words", JennSH. I was in public education for 32 years, way way back. I remember telling students that The Lessons are there; you have the responsibility to learn them. Too many of these willfully ignorant won't grasp what their vote even precipitated!😪😱😢💔
I also believe that another motivating factor for some white women is simply RCSM. They can twist themselves into knots denying it but it is a factor along withabsorbed misogyny. RCSM permeates every aspect of this society so why not address it ? Why act like it wasn’t an issue for some of these women? These are the people I will sit back and watch as the shoes start to fall and their lives get diminished even further . The FAFO part of this American experiment is well underway . So let the shoes drop as they will.
This article helps me a great deal. I play pickleball with a group of ladies who overwhelmingly voted for the Orange @$$hole. They are kind, generous, sweet women who would do anything in their power to help any one of us in distress. I am so conflicted about whether to continue associating with them or just step away. In my neck of the woods, finding a group of women who politically align with me would be a daunting task. Maybe I'll just bide my time and as soon as the hammer drops, I'll jump the net and scream, "I told you so!". (Not likely... I'm 67. 🫤)
Continuing to hang with women who are Trumpers is a hard question for me too. On the one hand, I think they honestly don't connect their vote to the impacts on our lives, on the other hand I don't want to excuse their ignorance. Part of me thinks I can, at least, be a "librard leftist" they have to look at and recognize we don't have horns and a tail. I can expose them to a different thought. Yesterday, one was reading from their phone how "government employees are in a meeting and crying" (denigrating those people). I stood up and said, "if you weren't there, you don't really know." I can challenge the disinformation, in the least. Expose them to someone who thinks differently from them, in the least. Have a disagreement without being disagreeable, at least. Then, I think. We're all f**kd because of women like this, so why the hell do I want to be around them anymore....I have to decide what's best for my mental health!
I’m familiar with the “indoctrinated” category from growing up in a conservative Catholic household where the church and religion was the center of everything. I’m not part of this anymore and it sickens me to see so-called religious leaders promoting candidates who represent hatred and fear over decency and hope. After all Trump has done and the despicable character he’s had on full display, there are members of my family who would vote for him because the church tells them it’s a sin to vote for a Democrat who’s pro-choice. The irony in all this is that Trump and the GOP represent the farthest thing from “pro-life” values, and yet, so many people who call themselves faithful Christians support them time and again no matter how heinous their actions and words are. I’m done with it. . .
Could be said of the female Hispanic vote as well. How many Irish and Italian Catholic women were so much a part of the “Church” that abused their volunteer labor and -then- their children . I envision that these women will someday see the light.
I think there might just be another catagory. My friend falls into this one. "Just doesn't give a shit". She is a nice person, prone to depression, college degree from a "Big Ten" university, 2 daughters, reitred, and additionally, willfully ignorant. I won't discuss any of it with her, as she simply prods me with "where did you get that information?". when I tell her, she dismisses me. Maybe I need to remove her from my friend list. Jeez....
There's a lady who wants to be in my life, but she thinks like that. Every time I see her, I just stare at her and won't flirt back with her. She's in her 50's and has never voted in her life. Oh no you don't, sweetheart. Stay over there somewhere, because you would probably bore me to tears. LOL
As a Missourian who had to leave the state in 2000 to protect my mental health, I feel for these women empathically as they simply do not know what hurts their future.
As a recovering southern Baptist Christian and Republican, I can offer hope and inspiration that change and reformation is entirely possible.
Leaving America in 2005 in search for the American Dream abroad (which I found alive and well in social democratic Europe) led me to much insight in the experience I gained from living as an immigrant amongst diverse cultures. I also realized by living abroad, how truly ignorant I was... and still am to so many topics.
People who are impoverished, under educated, under insured, and out of options, eventually learn the only way to escape chaos is to adapt to it, then normalize it. But this ofc comes with a cost, and usually in support of self-preservation and personal self-interest. This is like... more than half of the world's population rn, living in their own personal best interest.
As we grapple now with the thought of who our actual neighbors are and what fills their heart and heads, I question why Americans are not fighting for a revolution? The trumplicans are popular because of their drive, ambition and willingness to put up a fight. The opposition works to neutralize, but this doesn't prove to be as impactful.
If anything, this election has been a good turning point for people's level of done-ness as staying complacent for decades apparently hasn't worked.
Take some notes from our French friends of the past my fellow countrymen. Project 2025 is already being rolled out, GLOBALLY!! Fascism is a widespread threat and USA is only one source of it's fuel. Please stay mindful of the collective narrative 🙏
I’m still waiting for the organized resistance. I’m doing my part but I still see people talking the talk subscribed to X, using PayPal, subscribing to Amazon Prime, shopping at Home Depot, eating the disgusting fried chicken from Chick de whatever it is named.
Stop buying goods and services from the pigs of fascism.
Social resistance starts with changing personal habits. I deleted, unsubscribed, stopped shopping, eating, supporting billionaires in 2020. I also got rid of my car, use public transport and car sharing programs, left a stable corporate career, and my marriage. This hasn't been easy living in western society that defines societal norms for us, and I face daily obstacles, but there is a sense of autonomy and better, ethical satisfaction, in knowing I'm doing the right thing.
It’s a 12 step program. Kicking the Amazon monkey is tough, the rest (and then some, not gassing up at Love’s any longer) are out. Never have eaten at chick de whatever, but must admit I like the billboards. Check out “Goods Unite Us”, it’s both enlightening and terrifying.
Thanks Jim. Reality is I live in one of the most populated areas of EU, and now work as a freelancer, so it's made easier for me. But this did involve an entire change of lifestyle and transformation that deeply impacted (and reformed) my relationships. I still have Trumpers in my life (family members), and ppl critical of the way i live, but we are separated by an ocean and distance proves helpful. I admire the Americans willing to create dynamic change for the better in these difficult times.
I would like to move somewhere else but get my medical care through the VA. It is likely, from what read, VA will be downsized. Not sure where to go but do not want to go to a community of ex-pats.
Moving abroad isn't the solution as every western country faces threat to their democracy at the moment.
Comradery, community participation and local activation. You need a tribe but that doesn't have to be geogrpahical in placement. Nor can it be solely dedicated to cyberspace.
My 82 yo dad is on VA benefits and indeed these have changed drastically. But gov has plans for an army that won't require humans we need to support post duty. These futuristic themes become our now reality.
The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them. -Turkish proverb
I have no tribe with which I fit. Metaphorically—as I do not believe in astrology—the twins of my Gemini rising do not agree with each other.
This is an eye-opening deep-dive into a phenomena of critical importance to the going-forward effort. I am going to share this a lot. While the four categories stand on their own two feet, there is a fifth of great import. That would be those too conflicted to move at all. Those were a huge lot of the non voting. We had some 30 million people that did not vote. I hold them conflicted. We need to consider this, and find the emotional stimuli to counter. Tough job. We can do it though. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/consider-this?r=3m1bs
You told it. Just like it is. I saw another post on fascists, but the people are not. They support a fascist that is exploiting them. A slight distinction. White Christian nationalists are the bulk of the fascist’s army.
I am a white woman and have never voted for the orange menace. That’s because I care about the young women of the generations following me. I care about them being respected as individuals who have say over their own health and well being. I voted against that menace because of the young men and women who deserve access to the middle class and a good education. I voted against the cruelty, racism and misogyny of what the GOP and the orange clown have come to represent.
Thx so much for this insight. I had always hoped that our country would be more accepting of women as equals by this time in my life, 65 and retiring, than when I was younger. Sadly, for my three adult daughters and my grandkids, that is not the case. I’ve always found, working in a male-dominated career, that women need to be better, smarter, quicker, more outstanding, innovative, and just MORE in every way than male counterparts. I’d hoped better for my kids/grandkids.
We are certainly not there yet-and I wonder now if I’ll live long enough to ever see women given an equal seat at the table. And make no mistake-I’m a white, hetero woman-I’ve much more privilege than others and I never take it for granted. I’m grieving that our nation is so abysmally ignorant and selfish as to take us down a path that could well murder democracy all for the sake of a corrupt, disgusting , odious man’s ego and the ridiculous cult of minions who follow him.
Same here. I never thought the world would be a worse place for women in 2024 than it was in 1973.
It’s not. But it might be by 2027 or 2028.
Hey 👋
Even more dangerous are the oligarchs behind the despot, who fund him and his minions.
Yes, the danger T poses is in the access he provides to the real Destroyers of Democracy, the ones that are dismantling it for their own power and greed.
I am worried more about Vance.
Deborah, I agree. It’s questionable how long T will remain President. I fear V taking over the remainder of the term, then potentially running another 2 terms. My one condolence is the electorate seems to swing away from the president’s party at midterm, and there has historically been a backlash against incumbents because an ignorant/low-info base expects something different than what a president delivers.
No consolation to our current situation, though.
I'm more worried about Peter Theil, who financed Vance to position him next to the despot.
Amazes me that they believe their next great success will be redesigning our society. They May not understand the biggest rock ( read: foundation) of USA is our Constitution upon which our freedoms are based.
No longer is the Constitution our rock. This “supreme” court has essentially ruled the Constitution can be ignored.
Hey 👋
So true. But while most fair minded citizens understand that inherent quality or sense of "unalianable rights" come from the foundational believes that these concepts are self evident in a free society, there are good number of citizens who simply do not "comprehend" the meaning and are willing to try something different like a piece of new clothing. The observation here is that we must endure collective hardships to re-learn the meaning of freedom.
Absolutely!
You've said everything that I have been telling my sons. I worry for their children.
POWER FILLED WRITING.
As another woman in a male dominated field, I am getting very tired of being chastised for only being more, and not being double-plus more. I'm only doing half again the work instead of twice for 20% less pay, apparently I should be ashamed of myself for this.
I hit like-but plz know I hate this. I completely relate-and the condescension, the belittling sarcasm, the “don’t worry your little head, Missy” attitudes, the “we guys will handle this” crap, the arrogance and smug superiority-I’m gagging here. And so very sick of it. I’m retiring December 1 (65 years)-hoping I get to stay retired-but with the economic shenanigans planned by trump, musk, rameswamy, and the other losers at the top-that’s no longer guaranteed. Hugging you, sister! We need to stick together!
Same with the like, and hugs to you as well! Glad you're escaping, and good luck!
Thanks, my friend. 💙
I’m so sorry! Exhaustion is one of their weapons.
It reminds me of the Brandi Carlile lyrics, “They come to kick dirt in your face
To call you weak and then displace you
After carrying your baby on your back across the desert
I saw your eyes behind your hair
And you're looking tired, but you don't look scared.”
I’m so happy you recognize their BS. You are not alone. We are here with you and for you.
Well said and totally agree.
The two woman veterinarians in my rural county are avid trump supporters. One specifically believes women should not be president. She is not religious that I am aware of, and she recently ran for and won a position on our Board of Supervisors. She appears to have no sense of irony that women had to fight hard for their right to attend veterinary school and to vote, let alone serve in any elected government positions.
Saving democracy from the party that didn't have a primary and fought to take candidates off ballots in several states?
I think the root problem was the candidate who couldn't speak in anything but word salads and got excited about venn diagrams and yellow school buses. Oh and promised four more years of the same shit show that evidently a lot of people were tired of. Possibly worse was a VP candidate who thought tampons in men's bathrooms was a good idea along with a long list of other idiotic ideas. This election had nothing to do with gender and everything to do with policies.
You ended one piece with the word ignorance. Many politicians are fearful of the obvious, and that is nearly half of the population is poorly educated, lacks critical thinking skills. Religion does not support critical thinking, it demands you accept what you are fed and when you grow up with this, you believe what the pastor tells you and you believe what you’re told to think. Many countries in Europe have far better educated citizens than we have here in the United States. This allows government and big business to simply feed us the pablum that we accept without questioning. This is how fascism grows and how an individual like Trump becomes popular and gets into Office. The resistance to this ignorance will be education, and it will be carried out by well educated people whose minds are not warped by religion and simplicity platitudes!
Correct. And it is why school vouchers are being pushed. Public schools are under siege, and have been for a while.
This is to deny education to the masses.
Hey 👋
Public schools have been under financial siege since my kids were in grammar school. 1980 & probably before. Then computers and teaching handwriting stopped which ended the very important physical/mental connection with our words, our expression of our wants, needs & development of language skills to further improve our independent thinking& communication skills.
No one talked or wrote about this sudden withdrawal of a basic educational experience for the child, including the daily practice which taught all of us kids the importance of PRACTICE to improve our Skill with Printing symbols that created Words which brought about private communication!! If we wished to have independence we had to learn how to print and soon after to write cursive!
Sorry, Carol, as a retired teacher I can tell you that's just plain wrong, though your basic premise that public education is under seige is correct. The reason handwriting gets less time now is that students come to school needing more instruction in reading, as well as more math and science, to prepare for the more technical working world we now live in. Critical thinking is a huge parr of this. Students are still taught handwriting, but the emphasis is much more on thinking skills necessary foe life-long learning: sentence structure and composition, vocabularly, higher level math skills, problem solving. I taught in Texas and retired a few years ago. Yes, Texas, now one of the most backwardly-conservative states, run by a GOP government being pushed by a group of right-winged nut job Dominionist cult so-called Christian billionares who are bent on destroying one of the last and very best things our state still has--its public education system. Don't blame the educators--blame the nut jobs weilding
their money and power to destroy it and remake it into their ignorant narrow-minded vision.
Ooo sorry to read this. Have never visited Texas… still hold 1950’s images of cowboys and ranches.. and more recently Friday night high school football !😁 Thanks to Netflix and now other providers of serials that delve into far-reaching geographic locations & animal behaviors! Of every kind😉
Yes indeed. Need to spend more time on sexualizing kids in grade school and teaching from books like "Gender Queer" That will make for smart well educated kids. Grammar? History? Nah. Don't waste time on that. Why is America ranked so poorly among nations if our public schools are so wonderful? Schools are run by predominantly left leaning progressives (some with purple hair) so how again are the "right wingers" ruining it?
David- fellow Texan here. Did you happen to catch the final vote of the State Board of Education yesterday 11/18 regarding adoption of the state written Christian centric textbooks? If anyone reading this got the final vote and wrote down how each member voted I’d love to know. I had a work meeting to attend and had to quit streaming.
Haven't heard. I wrote a letter against the proposals
ans sent to my state board of education rep.
Hey 👋
Hey 👋
Which is why the fascists have plans to control public education. Until we can get education back to developing citizens who can THINK, we will keep sliding down the fascists path. If we ever swing back to democracy, it will take generations to raise citizens who are educated and understand what it involves to participate in democracy.
Katie, could not agree more however the Democrats need to learn that if you go too far left, you’re going to alienate 50% of the population of this country and they certainly did find out the hard way this time. If the Democrats want to waste their time with things like DEI, identity politics and far left-wing agenda, they will continue to lose into the foreseeable future! The Democrats open the door to the control of education with their far left-wing agenda in the schools. This needs to stop. We need to get back to quality education, civics, math, science, and the basic core of our education and leave the left-wing agenda to the individual person on their own time. The left-wing is just as guilty at indoctrination as is the right wing. Neither approach should be part of our educational system.
William, i get that you support quality education, but the subjects you name including civics, science, and I would add history and literature are under attack in the schools. When I was in high school in the early 'sixties, my very fine chemistry teacher had to use words of caution when she articulated the role of the structure of water molecules in the evolution of life on earth. In many schools now she would be enjoined against even mentioning that. Climate change is just one aspect of science that is being attacked or ignored in schools and this will become more prevalent, especially if Trump eliminates the Department of Education. I don't agree that "the left-wing is just as guilty at indoctrination as is the right wing." The right wing would have us believe that wearing a mask to prevent disease impinges on our personal freedom. People died because of that belief.
I had a biology/chemistry teacher who lost his job because of explaining how research into birth control worked. It was a class of 16- to 17-year-old girls in the mid 70s, the boys were at some assembly. It was rumored that another fellow teacher (home economics) whose daughter was not in the class spearheaded his dismissal. He was a great teacher.
They're burying Black history, too. They don't want kids to change a thing, so keep them from knowing how cruel this country really is. If white children knew, they might want to do something about racism when they grow up. God forbid they solve this once and for all. Black people aren't going to do it because our voices & struggles are ignored.
He who controls the histories controls the narratives and the minds of the people. They didn’t tell us alot! I didn’t know about pervasive Indian boarding schools or the Tulsa Black Wall Street Massacre or Japanese internment camps until I was an adult. However, I do know these now, and so do my children. And I am continually learning. We will always need to carry light into the world against the odds.
Right. I didn't know about a lot of that until I became an adult. So, they were burying it even in the 60's/70's. I knew about the Japanese internment camps, but not about Tulsa Black Wall Street or Indian boarding schools. I didn't know about Juneteenth, Kwanzaa, and a host of other things I've learned over the years.
I don't have biological children, so I can't pass on these things that way. I do speak them with young folks when similar things come up in conversation, mentoring, fathering, sponsoring, coaching, etc. Yes, I'm a surrogate father of grown young adults, but they're scattered throughout the world (LOL).
We know why they do it. Question is, how to get them to stop slanting the world around "whiteness". It's absurd.
Sorry it took a while to respond. Some of my notifications got lost in a stream that came through surrounding that day.
That’s a shame that your chemistry teacher had to be very cautious about what words she used. That’s the problem with education today. Educator should be free within reason to state the reality of science not someone’s religious or other agenda the contaminates science and learning.
If masks don't do anything why have medical staff been wearing them for decades for things like surgery? Masks are and have been in use for decades. Just because people don't understand how viruses spread & don't use protection properly doesn't mean it doesn't work, it just means people are poorly educated and don't understand basic hygiene. A lot of deaths in hospitals were because ventilators weren't being properly cleaned between people and were basically spreading respiratory illnesses to already really sick people. All the death counts from that time are all off in multitude of ways and the attributed cause of death is wrong in many instances. If you think masks are more harmful than telling people to inject bleach & take horse medicine then we're never going to agree on how misinformation impacts people.
Great intelligent comment thanks for sharing!
I believe your sources are highly suspect or you have totally misinterpreted the results. There are many types of masks. The N95s are the most effective. Many people wore shoddy masks and wore even good ones incorrectly.
I am really tired of junk science conspiracies.
I am surprised that so many people are treating you seriously. There is no "left-wing agenda" in public schools. Unless you think teaching critical thinking skills, compassion, understanding, tolerance, and acceptance of others is left-wing. Or teaching science and honest history? And no the Civil War was not just an "economic" matter. And no, slaves were not "happy" with their situation or "grateful" for the "skills" they learned.
So-called "identity politics" is just looking out for the marginalized among us; taking care of our fellow humans.
There is no left-wing mandated indoctrination in schools. I live in Iowa where the right-wing indoctrination is dragging our children and grandchildren down a rabbit hole of ignorance and racism and school vouchers. Math, my Aunt Franny!
Can you explain what you think is a far left-wing agenda being pushed in local schools? The details, please.
Surely you don’t need to have lived in every state to know that no child is being given a sex change operation at school. They aren’t even allowed to have out paracetamol ffs. It’s a sign of how far far right indoctrination has gone that a candidate for high office who said this wasn’t laughed out of town or led away by the men in white coats.
I really think that is propaganda. I have three children in school currently and I have children that have completed high school and college. I keep in pretty close contact with the teachers and schools. I do not see any truth in this whatsoever. Our teachers concentrate on trying to make sure the kids are learning math, science, history, art, music, health/physical fitness, etc. so they grow up to be well rounded intelligent people. Of course there are always those very few teachers that break rules/laws and usually end up paying the ultimate price.
"Pushing small children to have sex changes." Trump also said the children go to school as one sex and come home at the end of that day of school as the other sex, without the approval of their parents!
Does anyone think about what this would entail if it were actually true? It clearly has to be part of the Christian National/Russian misinformation playbook because the far left is not that insane.
How can anyone with any common sense believe such outrageous, irrational, crazy lies? It's sad and very discouraging that people just read something like this and immedately assume it's true.
Once Congress is composed of a majority of smart, caring politicians, they have to stop interviewing the heads of Meta, Tik Tok, X and other social media companies every so often and then just dropping the issue of misinformation.
We have to start requiring social media companies to work at cutting out/or labeling known disinformation, Russian and Chinese propaganda and dangerous algorithms. These things are dividing our country and killing children of both Republicans, Democrats and Independents.
There is a limit under our laws as to what kind of public speech is allowed. It's bad enough to shout "fire" in a crowded theatre when it's not part of a stage act and the person yelling knows that there is no fire. It's even worse to light a match, set a fire and watch it spread across the country.
This mass "inflammation" of our society must be stopped or at least greatly curtailed by laws with "big teeth" to back them up. We are miles past "enough is enough" in allowing the wildfires of misinformation to spread unchecked.
And Donald Trump. the guy who told everyone who would listen that children were having sex changes forced on them in schools, is once again going to be the President of the United States. Teachers can't even give a student a Tums, for goodness sake, and children have to have signed parental permission to go to the zoo. When Trump tells people that sex changes are going on in schools he must think we are pretty stupid, and the results of the election show that he is not wrong.. People laughed and voted for him. On Inauguration Day in January, no one is going to be laughing. The man who told us this and authorized ads that said this ("I approve this message") is a liar. No one of the billionaires or the small business owners who voted for Trump would hire him to do anything in their own businesses, but they voted for him to run the government of the United States. And no local government would hire him to run a trash truck because he is a convicted felon. Until we wake up and see what is happening, we will continue to suffer.
Yes, that was a bold-faced lie. Children cannot have GCS without parental permission, and schools aren't connected to healthcare workers anyway. Surgeons don't do that to children. I can't believe people believed that bullshit.
Fear of going too far left is what continually kills government actions that could support unions, children, public education, and those in poverty. I am thinking we need to stop using the shorthand of "left" and "right," because it seems that - like so much else presently - they are being used to stir up emotion without creating greater understanding. It's like the word "woke" replacing "politically correct" which replaced "hippie freak" which replaced "n-word lover." None of them are nuanced enough to do anything other than polarize. For instance, "left" is often used to describe people who want equality for all people, which (strangely) leads into polarizing conversations about how certain people - like undocumented workers/ refugees/immigrants, trans people, and crybabies - are gaining preferential treatment over "real Americans." At the same time, I know people who have always identified as Republicans or Libertarians or Conservatives who are lost to the present "right/ Evangelical/ White Christian Nationalists" who are leading the Republican Party. Left/ Right as economic policy and who it benefits vs. Left/ Right as culture war regarding people's immigration status and sexuality. If "the left" had been more focused on making the economy more fair, those who have been left out of the working economy of the U.S. for a generation would not be asking for a strongman to finally fix what is making their lives so uncomfortable and unbearable.
I hate when white people misuse the word 'woke'. It never meant what they've turned it into. They took a perfectly benign word from one community and weaponized it for another. Used it against the community they took it from. SMFH
There's been plenty of words this has happened to and it's disturbing.
Exactly. The problem with the Dem Party, esp. at the national level, is they focus too much on identity politics and culture war issues, which just alienate the working class. Their mistake this last time was not running on the economy, using simple messages to the working class, addressing inequality, corporate greed and price gouging, and making a convincing case that they would fight for and actually do things to make things better for the working class. But after decades of neoliberal economic policies from the Dems, where they are the same as the Repubs, working class voters no longer believe or trust the Dems on the economy, so even if they had done the right campaigning on the issues, they probably still would have lost. The Dems need to go a long way in regaining the trust of working class voters, including respecting them instead of writing them off and making them feel ignored with identity politics and culture war positions that are way to the left of them. But I have little faith the DNC and national level Dem pols will ever do those things, since they denied Bernie their nomination twice and have no intention of offending their corporate donors. Which is who they really care about, even more than about winning fed elections.
Biden passed dozens of legislation that was very directly intended to help the middle class. Republicans across the board voted them down. Dems have fought to ensure expansion of unions, worker rights. Under the other asshat, they deregulated protections in processing plants so that children as young as 13 could work. Under every democrat we’ve had improved spending, employment, and overall economic health. The complete opposite of republicans.
I think you need to read Emma Green's comment above. You seem to be buying into the DNC propaganda, that somehow just because the Dems are left on identity politics and culture war issues, that they are any less neoliberal on economics than the Repubs, while also being just as militaristic as them on foreign policy. The harsh truth is, the Dems have not been progressive on economic issues, compared to the New Deal, since LBJ's War On Poverty and Great Society programs in the 60s. Since then, the Dems won't even fight for card check to help unions organize, much less fight poverty. Beginning with Obama, they don't even mention poverty in their fed campaigns, because it would offend the suburban voters they are the most focused on.
Sounds like you bought into the propaganda and what is being taught at schools, too.
Critical independent thinking is not buying into anyone’s else’s agenda. It’s finding your own agenda after having carefully evaluated the pros and cons of the subject before you.
I was hoping this were would remain an intelligent discussion unfortunately, you’ve proven me wrong!
The Democratic party is inclusive. What you're advocating for sounds like the conservative/maga/republican white supremacy party. Bebest.
I don't know where you live, but in the Midwest the school curriculum is far from "left-wing." Respectfully, how long has it been since you viewed your school's curriculum? Most widely study the national and state standards throughly prior to completing the local writing. Maybe more students need to engage in more real-life learning experiences. Sometimes the classroom learning is not connecting with kids yet at 14 and 15 years old. They don't have life experience yet. Life is different than it was 30 years ago. I sure see it.
Just what do you mean by this ?
Was it really that difficult to understand?
Yes. It was nonsense. The « left-wing » does not indoctrinate. It’s inclusive.
The left doesn’t indoctrinate?
I have multiple family members in multiple states trashing. They barely have time to teach what you referenced here. DEI work is being taught at colleges, not even in high schools. Acknowledging someone’s pronouns is the same as calling someone by their chosen nickname. It’s really not that deep or some conspiracy. Schools are horribly underfunded as well as the teachers.
The "identity politics" is mostly white identity politics which is why DEI is attacked.
I’m going to be somewhat contrarian here. I’m sure to get some criticism but I have what I think is a well-reasoned and historically supported theory as to why so many people voted for Trump. However, I’ll only provide clues so that anyone interested—if anyone—is interested, they can arrive at the same conclusion.
Here is first question:
What do Osiris, Dionysius and Mithras have in common?
No answers yet? Each of them, as gods, died and was resurrected. When did these mythologies first exist?
Next question. How far back in history does the miracle of changing water into wine go? It is obviously connected to Dionysus.
Your point?
As someone wrote, we haven’t lost democracy yet. We need to reach the “others” where they live and pull them back to sensibility. We need more “in your face” carrots.
It's argued that the Reagan campaign/admin were the first to incentivize the political participation/promotion of evangelicals. Also that the conservative/reactionary project since Goldwater lost in '64, significantly pushed by noted segregationist W.Rehnquist, is still being concretized by Leonard Leo and the practically ubiquitous Federalist Society.
There have always been elements who opposed public education, but they were on the political/governmental margins until recently.
Have we even heard about a Dept of Education pick? Doesn’t Project 2025 have explicit plans to dismantle it?
“…Dumbing Down of America started with a vengeance some time in the '80s.” Reagan era. Starting as governor of CA. He cut back on support of higher education and lots of families couldn’t afford to send their kids. Then he became President and it affected the whole country. And along with the rest of his “Reaganomics,” that’s when EVERYTHING started to go downhill. The concept of “welfare queens” was his, too. He was the seed for so many of the problems this country faces today. 🤬
Sadly, it seems like it.
Not being a woman, I'm still glad I didn't buy the religious hype, asked my mama too many questions, and talked her into letting me drop church when I was 13. I've never been one to accept everything I was told, and have been a critical thinker since I was young. I suppose if my mother continued to make me go to church, things might've been different in my head.
I was educated in district schools, and basic civics were taught back in the 60's & 70's. It's crazy they no longer do this. Then again, I never knew what public schools taught. I did go to a public school my senior year of high school, but I remember very little because I only had to go for one semester to graduate.
Willful ignorance drives me up the wall. I had a homie that tried to fill my head with plenty of that, so he's no longer someone I choose to talk to or hang out with anymore. SMFH
With you KingRay!
This is one of the DEEPEST TRUTHS. Our Constitution is not read and understood because of our Poorly Educated Private Charter schools & public schooled children.
Breaking down PUBLIC EDUCATION by splitting up its FUNDING among many privately organized purportedly public charter schools is like a lot of other “democratically” voted on policies that have been PUBLICALLY advertised as more democratically available to ALL families..
Educated by who since Trump wants to dismantle all public education. Only the crazy religions will be educating. Republicans have been trying to do this for decades.
Now, I am NOT a trump fan and never will be, but his plan doesn't call for the dismantling of all public education....his plan is to demolish the DOE. I love Jimmy Carter and the Cabinet was created to help poor people, the disabled and minorities, but the implementation since Bush 2 and Obama has way overstepped its boundaries. I love teachers and public schools, but I resent my tax dollars being siphoned off to testing companies and Common Core and all the other deform bunk that has been adopted and enforced by the DOE. The Federal Gov't should never have been allowed to bribe states of their own tax dollars to accept policy that is bad for children and teachers. NCLB and RTtT and ESA have failed miserably!
NCLB while a nice idea in theory was a disaster in implementation. Schools / teachers forced to teach students what they needed to pass the test and not what they needed to be critical thinkers and successful members of civil society.
Agree!
And let's not forget that it was Bill Clinton and his administration who developed Charter Schools to siphon public tax dollars allotted for education into private coffers. Both sides of the political aisle RUINED public education for ALL of American children and teachers. Sorry....but DOE is one department that has clearly become a bloated nightmare of mismanagement and it needs to be pared down or to just disappear. Before DoE there was HEW Dept....Health, Education, Welfare....and it was run very well.
I don't mind a sensible reworking and reimagining for the DoE to address bloat, red tape, and failed programs, but I fear Elon will go the easy way (for him) and recommend an immediate closure and Trump will order it so. That would be incredibly stupid and would not help public / special education.
DC needs reform, not demolition, and certainly not planned by know nothings and inexperienced media personalities.
You're correct! But parents and teachers have been asking for reform for 20+ years now and all we have gotten is more deform and more bad policy and more testing and less teaching/learning. I'm sorry, but the only way to "reform" the DoE is a big Do Over. trump is what happens when politicians keep kicking the can down the road. I don't like trump either and I didn't vote for him.....but a lot of people voted for him to blow up the current status quo, crony capitalism system. Hey!....I wanted Bernie Sanders to blow up the system in 2016 and again in 2020.... at least he was going to blow it up to help "We the People" instead of big business and the tech billionaires.
I’m convinced you’re absolutely right about this. To me, one proof was the huge number of “undecided” voters just days or weeks ahead of this election. How could anyone who knew anything at all about the facts have been undecided? I fear the problem is only going to get worse with the concerted efforts to undermine public education.
Well said. The dumbing down of the US, (and the acceptance of it), has been key to this debacle. Reading and imagining, have been neglected for far too long.
I'm beginning to feel it's more than just fascism, but that we are headed into the dark ages again…more like the scyfy movie Elisum, where the rich escape the hell hole they created on earth and live in glamorous orbiting structures and the poor on earth are basically their slaves. Jody Foster and Matt Daemon star. Its like all these dystopian novels are coming true, just horrid.
That dystopian story, as well as The Handmaid's Tale..
You're absolutely correct. It's fascism combined with the White Christian Nationalist front. They need to take the word 'Christian' away, because they're anything but. They're extremists, charlatans, and only want power & control. They're already trying to force the Bible into public schools. They'll keep banging on their local legal system until they get their way. Now they're empowered because TFG handed this to them. In turn, they handed the Presidency to him.
Right on!
Sadly I think a lot of trump supporters fall into the ignorant category. And it’s ignorant by choice. Do no research on their own and get all news from social media or Fox News.
Yes pure ignorance most of them….
Christin, They heard trump’s violent speeches, they know he’s a felon, they bought t-shirts saing they support he felon! 😵💫 The first round of trump was a little bit excusable, not after he attacked the capital, killed and injured police etc There will NEVER be forgiveness from me for these ignoramuses by choice! They are severely hurting this country and trashing our international relationships, outside of damaging Climate Change Protections.
Are we going to willingly submit to them killing US?
We will never submit to their killing us.
Hey 👋
This is the ignorance you worry about. Zero police were killed on J6.
4 officers died by suicide after they were attacked, 174 officers were injured in the violent coup attempt shit-for- brains! Got it! I know how hard reading and facts are for your ilk. Keep living in your cult bubble.
So you agree! No police were killed that day. Fact. The suicides later were sad and mysterious. There were however 3 civilians that died that day on which little is reported. Ashley Babbit was killed by a cop that got a promotion. That rarely happens when a cop shoots an unarmed person.
Then there was the woman who was trampled in the tunnel and another man who died of an apparent stroke on the veranda in the melee.
So your insults are lost on me. I focus on the facts.
Sounds a lot like FAFO. No cops may have died THAT day, however 140 of them went to the hospital with serious injuries. Good thing most of those insurrectionists were opaque in color. Maybe the cops would have opened fire on the crowd had they not been, which is what they should have done. Ashley Babbit would still be alive is she had complied with law enforcement orders. Isn’t that what you MAGAts like to bleat when a cop shoots an unarmed black person? As far as the cop getting a promotion, you’ve been asleep for the last few decades. Until the advent of cell phone cameras, there was very little accountability when cops killed unarmed people. But you know that. You must just focus on the facts when they align with your worldview.
Sounds like you're certain there were no FBI plants in the crowd and Ray Epps was just having fun on Jan 5. And evidence was destroyed after the Dem show trial. And Nancy Pelosi really didn't block extra protection that day and Milley didn't delay deployment of the ANG. Yup nothing to see here. I'm stupid. Right. That explains everything.
First insurrection without weapons in recorded history.
Have you applied for a job at MSNBC?
You are correct! But they're proud of their ignorance also!
That's not ignorance, that's stupidity. Ignorance can be fixed, there's nothing you can do about stupidity.
You're right about that!
Most ignorant people I’ve met have been proud of their ignorance.
🤦🏼♀️
I think that's usually a reaction to feeling they can't keep up, being treated as lesser bc they're not smart etc; lots of actual issues for a person to deal with if they're below average, especially if well below.
Not as bad as discovering you have illegal sexual tendencies say, but getting left behind in class puts you amongst ppl that tend to develop coping mechanisms to deal with the stigma of 'dumb kids'.
If below average kids are not guided & educated appropriately they will feel rejected & become a problem.
Even just below average often leaves kids amongst others inclined to act up, make poor choices etc.
High intelligence is an incredible privilege; lack thereof can create real personal struggle & pain
Parental & teacher attitude helps a lot but it can be hard for a 'dumb' kid in a smart family, class, neighbourhood etc to not feel like a failure.
Aggression or resignation, or bravado can present as pride, but it's not that at all.
I’m not sure it’s completely by choice, Christin, they are ignorant to the media of 🦊news—-they simply do not believe there exists other less biased reporting of news of the world, both U.S. & foreign. There are many reasons this is so, from latch key kids to anyone who endures a screaming TV screen while waiting for service of just about any kind, from doctors’ offices to quick oil change franchises. I noticed the incredible increase in 🦊news-type YouTube stations during the latter part of the election. I couldn’t find much to view that didn’t somehow pertain to the Republicans or Elwood Musk, etc.
There is a comfort in ignorance; if they don’t know, then they can’t care. They don’t choose to not care, they choose to not know, so Sunday morning is a whole lot more comfortable.
Yes, that is exactly what is on display here and in this thread. A bunch of ignorant people patting themselves on the back for being so “informed” and “educated”.
Textbook self-soothing by dehumanizing the other.
Yes that's it! If they would only watch just ABC and MSNBC they'd be brilliantly informed. Right?
Willful Ignorance
Or the research they do consists of a few conspiracy channels on YouTube
My go to excuse for my family and friends that voted for Trump is also that they are ignorant, because if they really knew the consequences of their actions I would have to call them evil. But what I struggle with is how actively they push away information brought to them that would counter what they believe. They don’t want to know!
Because it's easier for them to just keep making excuses for him.
Hey 👋
I wrote a short substack on this with some actionable items/way to approach if anyone is interested.
https://substack.com/@lindamaetx/note/p-151418141?r=1r6229&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Appreciating this article!
That's tribalism: their peers have picked a side & they know they can't depart from the group think without getting blowback. It's a social belonging reality.
It could be argued that this tribe & it's resistance to new info was created by the scolding leftists; they're defending our rebelling against judgement.
That open display is definitely tribal trolling: they grossly exaggerate the very things they know will get a reaction; you can see they delight in it.
That's got to tell you they are reacting to a strong feeling of a thing they resent, being judged, scolded, etc
In the UK they are arresting people for social media posts stating basic facts. That is what you voted for. You have a strange definition of evil.
The Nazis called the Jews evil, too.
Bigotry is evil. Lying and hatred are evil. I don’t think I’m charting a new world here. Evil exists and should be called out and shamed.
“So much for the tolerant left!” right-wingers cry when we attack fascists. Look up the “paradox of absolute tolerance”
There can be no tolerance for the intolerant if we want a civil society.
You’re the one who is intolerant, friend. It’s your people who are talking about putting Trump voters in camps, who are holding thousands of political prisoners on trumped up charges, who are censoring speech like the Chinese and the Russians.
It’s you who dehumanize people as “Nazis” and “bigots” when they disagree with you and can’t even conceive of the possibility that maybe YOU are wrong. It’s your people who advocate to destroy families over political disagreements. It’s your people who are firing people and even arresting people for acknowledging simple biological facts.
The paradox of absolute tolerance is that your side is literally normalizing pedophilia as just another letter in the acronym, and castrating children in the name of tolerance. You are ideologically blinded by dogma. You cannot define a woman. You aren’t the good guys, regardless of how much you dislike Trump’s mannerisms.
You are not even arguing with me. You are arguing with a fantasy in your head! I am trying to keep a bridge open with my family which why I say they are ignorant, not evil. Nobody is pro-pedophilia on my side. I gave you a chance but you are too far gone. Enjoy tilting at your windmills. I am going to practice what I preach. You have not shown that you deserve to be tolerated.
As always, well said! Your four categories make sense to this Iowan. The “Christians” who fight for the unborn and ignore the mother’s health, the wealthy who are protected and love their status, the low income who rely on government assistance but worry about immigrants taking their jobs. It’s soo ironic to me that these women would vote for a rapist, felon, who had sex with a porn star while his wife was home with the baby. If that was their neighbor tongues would wag. Tut, tut.
He raped Stormy Daniels. That is clear from the trial testimony. She may have denied the word, but it is clear that what she chose was to not physically fight him. She didn’t have an enthusiastic assignation with him. She chose to get through the assault as quickly as possible, and blamed herself for being in the room with him. I think it is really necessary to get the situation described accurately. She was not being a porn star. She was being a human being who was being attacked.
That was my impression too. She clearly didn't want to have sex with him, but she blamed herself and submitted to it. It's a good example of how cultural conditioning messes with your mind.
Hey 👋
Yes, Laura. I will elaborate a little by adding the one common thread that runs through all four - irresponsibility.
1. All money/no morals = choose their money over responsibility to others.
2. Biblically-inspired internalized misogyny = embrace the role of 2nd class citizen because they don’t want the responsibility that comes with being equals
3. Above it all, all benefits/no consequences, so easy/no demands = enjoy the carnival + camaraderie without any responsibility for setup or cleanup
4. Ignorance + they are just like him = they don’t want the responsibility of knowing the truth because then they’d be held responsible for their actions
The henchwomen that prop up these men. Like Eva Braun.
All of this, but #2 is a gut punch of truth. It's not that they're incable. It's an abdication.
I feel like the #3 Pick Me women are some of the saddest. Like Matt Gaetz's wife with a good education, family $, and attractive, the best she can do for herself is hang all over him in pix and post pathetically sappy and peppy paeans to her much-older pedophile husband! It's doubly tragic to see those with so much going for them be willing to sacrifice their pride, originality, and personhood to just be "on the team" even if it is as a goofy mascot, clumsy water-girl, or secret slut giving bj's under the bleachers. Anything to FEEL included and like an equal!
What they don't face until it's too late is that they will never really be part of the team or get any resprct, no matter how hard they serve the boys. Look at Condi Rice, Harriet Myers, Nikki Haley, Madge 3-toes, Lolo Bobo, and Elise Stefanik. Elise got a bone, but it's mainly to keep her away from the action and out of the He-Man Clubhouse. All of the rest are functionally NOBODY to the party they grovel to serve.
House speaker Dean Plocher running for Lt Gov:
“Stupid Republican women…they are an invasive species.”
Perfectly stated!!
Hey 👋
Hey 👋
Late stage abortion doesn’t improve a mother’s health. The baby has to come out either way.
Your party wants women to be able to kill their babies while they are in labor because they changed their minds. This is the reality of “no restrictions” whether you like it or not.
All this said but there is an effort starting yesterday to get the Equal Rights Amendment documented into law by having President Biden have it Published by the Archives. The movement is called— PUBLISH EQUALITY. The American Bar Association is active in this. As are activists in every state. This is day 2. My wife and I are skipping the museums and going to the White House.
I am by accident in Washington DC and I am hearing that the States are lighting up now. Look into this please. I am from Maine and this was a nothing yesterday and pretty hot today at Colby College and beyond. My wife is getting all kinds of info this AM
Thank you for this information!
https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-president-biden-publish-equality-now?emci=399a8b2e-dea1-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&emdi=aba6ec1e-99a2-ef11-88d0-6045bdd62db6&ceid=5900465
Thanks for sharing! i signed and forwarded to 4 friends
Excellent! Activism is Alive and Energizing for All of US !
Men don’t realize they are a part of the A L L we are constantly activating FOR…
See you on YouTube in the crowd shots 😎
Because they aren’t. Unless of course you mean men pretending to be women.
Thank you for your essays, Jess. You help to put my ideas into words. Coherent words are in short supply these days, for me at least. So many people voted for someone who has no qualifications and no qualms about hurting people. They voted for someone who will hurt them. This election makes me think of a person who has an abusive partner. Again, thank you for helping others to make sense of their confusing feelings in an upside down world.
I have always thought that governance by the GOP feels like being in an abusive relationship. And I don’t say that lightly.
YES. I remember the sense of familiarity/ recognition I felt watching Trump’s abusive behavior on display in the 2016 cycle. It was especially apparent during the debates.
For girls and women from cultures and religions where a strong patriarch is enforced and expected to rule over submissive women, voting for Trump would feel like voting for their fathers and husbands. And to reject him would require an uncomfortable look into their own beliefs and assumptions and how they play out in their own lives- the way they are always encouraged to put themselves last and to accept even abusive treatment as “God’s Will.”
I remember hearing George W. Bush talk using the words "power in the blood" during a campaign speech, it made my blood run cold...a dog whistle to the evangelicals. Shortly after that I started hearing how the republican party was the party of Christ and that those of us in the church should only vote for republicans to keep Satan from taking over.
After binge-watching The Handmaid's Tale after the election, all I can do is shake my damn head over & over again. Is it going to go that far? Sure looks like it.
Hey 👋
I agree, and I don’t say that lightly either. What you have described is hauntingly, uncomfortably true; the denial running deep for so many reasons that all point to the discomfort of confronting the lie that tells us we are safer in it than out of it. Keep ahining your light, Jess.
You’re right. If you study narcissistic personality disorder it is exactly this. Half the country seems to be trapped inside the Trauma Bond.
I have mentioned this many times on social media. I've also said I have a love-hate relationship with this country, and I mean it. I've managed to live without that for many years, and then came 45. What he has done has made me hate this place enough to want to leave it. I'm trying to find a way now.
I, too, need the "coherent words", JennSH. I was in public education for 32 years, way way back. I remember telling students that The Lessons are there; you have the responsibility to learn them. Too many of these willfully ignorant won't grasp what their vote even precipitated!😪😱😢💔
Hey 👋
I also believe that another motivating factor for some white women is simply RCSM. They can twist themselves into knots denying it but it is a factor along withabsorbed misogyny. RCSM permeates every aspect of this society so why not address it ? Why act like it wasn’t an issue for some of these women? These are the people I will sit back and watch as the shoes start to fall and their lives get diminished even further . The FAFO part of this American experiment is well underway . So let the shoes drop as they will.
And they’ll blame Democrats.
This article helps me a great deal. I play pickleball with a group of ladies who overwhelmingly voted for the Orange @$$hole. They are kind, generous, sweet women who would do anything in their power to help any one of us in distress. I am so conflicted about whether to continue associating with them or just step away. In my neck of the woods, finding a group of women who politically align with me would be a daunting task. Maybe I'll just bide my time and as soon as the hammer drops, I'll jump the net and scream, "I told you so!". (Not likely... I'm 67. 🫤)
Thank you for your insight.
Continuing to hang with women who are Trumpers is a hard question for me too. On the one hand, I think they honestly don't connect their vote to the impacts on our lives, on the other hand I don't want to excuse their ignorance. Part of me thinks I can, at least, be a "librard leftist" they have to look at and recognize we don't have horns and a tail. I can expose them to a different thought. Yesterday, one was reading from their phone how "government employees are in a meeting and crying" (denigrating those people). I stood up and said, "if you weren't there, you don't really know." I can challenge the disinformation, in the least. Expose them to someone who thinks differently from them, in the least. Have a disagreement without being disagreeable, at least. Then, I think. We're all f**kd because of women like this, so why the hell do I want to be around them anymore....I have to decide what's best for my mental health!
Hahahahaha. Jumping the net at 67. I'm 67 too, and I'd fall flat on my face. LOL
It’s astonishing how people like you never stop to consider that you might be wrong. You can’t believe your own eyes.
I’m familiar with the “indoctrinated” category from growing up in a conservative Catholic household where the church and religion was the center of everything. I’m not part of this anymore and it sickens me to see so-called religious leaders promoting candidates who represent hatred and fear over decency and hope. After all Trump has done and the despicable character he’s had on full display, there are members of my family who would vote for him because the church tells them it’s a sin to vote for a Democrat who’s pro-choice. The irony in all this is that Trump and the GOP represent the farthest thing from “pro-life” values, and yet, so many people who call themselves faithful Christians support them time and again no matter how heinous their actions and words are. I’m done with it. . .
Hear, hear!! My sentiments exactly. I don't care if I ever set foot in a Church ever again.
Could be said of the female Hispanic vote as well. How many Irish and Italian Catholic women were so much a part of the “Church” that abused their volunteer labor and -then- their children . I envision that these women will someday see the light.
I think there might just be another catagory. My friend falls into this one. "Just doesn't give a shit". She is a nice person, prone to depression, college degree from a "Big Ten" university, 2 daughters, reitred, and additionally, willfully ignorant. I won't discuss any of it with her, as she simply prods me with "where did you get that information?". when I tell her, she dismisses me. Maybe I need to remove her from my friend list. Jeez....
I definitely could’ve included a “doesn’t give a shit category.”
“I don’t do politics.”
Or: "All Politicians are the same..."
There's a lady who wants to be in my life, but she thinks like that. Every time I see her, I just stare at her and won't flirt back with her. She's in her 50's and has never voted in her life. Oh no you don't, sweetheart. Stay over there somewhere, because you would probably bore me to tears. LOL
Excellent point. I was putting these people in the ignorant category, but I thinl yours is more accurate.
“ I am angry at my inability to change the minds and hearts of former friends.”
I am sick and I am sorry right beside you. 💙
As a Missourian who had to leave the state in 2000 to protect my mental health, I feel for these women empathically as they simply do not know what hurts their future.
As a recovering southern Baptist Christian and Republican, I can offer hope and inspiration that change and reformation is entirely possible.
Leaving America in 2005 in search for the American Dream abroad (which I found alive and well in social democratic Europe) led me to much insight in the experience I gained from living as an immigrant amongst diverse cultures. I also realized by living abroad, how truly ignorant I was... and still am to so many topics.
People who are impoverished, under educated, under insured, and out of options, eventually learn the only way to escape chaos is to adapt to it, then normalize it. But this ofc comes with a cost, and usually in support of self-preservation and personal self-interest. This is like... more than half of the world's population rn, living in their own personal best interest.
As we grapple now with the thought of who our actual neighbors are and what fills their heart and heads, I question why Americans are not fighting for a revolution? The trumplicans are popular because of their drive, ambition and willingness to put up a fight. The opposition works to neutralize, but this doesn't prove to be as impactful.
If anything, this election has been a good turning point for people's level of done-ness as staying complacent for decades apparently hasn't worked.
Take some notes from our French friends of the past my fellow countrymen. Project 2025 is already being rolled out, GLOBALLY!! Fascism is a widespread threat and USA is only one source of it's fuel. Please stay mindful of the collective narrative 🙏
I’m still waiting for the organized resistance. I’m doing my part but I still see people talking the talk subscribed to X, using PayPal, subscribing to Amazon Prime, shopping at Home Depot, eating the disgusting fried chicken from Chick de whatever it is named.
Stop buying goods and services from the pigs of fascism.
Social resistance starts with changing personal habits. I deleted, unsubscribed, stopped shopping, eating, supporting billionaires in 2020. I also got rid of my car, use public transport and car sharing programs, left a stable corporate career, and my marriage. This hasn't been easy living in western society that defines societal norms for us, and I face daily obstacles, but there is a sense of autonomy and better, ethical satisfaction, in knowing I'm doing the right thing.
It’s a 12 step program. Kicking the Amazon monkey is tough, the rest (and then some, not gassing up at Love’s any longer) are out. Never have eaten at chick de whatever, but must admit I like the billboards. Check out “Goods Unite Us”, it’s both enlightening and terrifying.
Wow. You are inspiring me to do more.
Thanks Jim. Reality is I live in one of the most populated areas of EU, and now work as a freelancer, so it's made easier for me. But this did involve an entire change of lifestyle and transformation that deeply impacted (and reformed) my relationships. I still have Trumpers in my life (family members), and ppl critical of the way i live, but we are separated by an ocean and distance proves helpful. I admire the Americans willing to create dynamic change for the better in these difficult times.
I would like to move somewhere else but get my medical care through the VA. It is likely, from what read, VA will be downsized. Not sure where to go but do not want to go to a community of ex-pats.
Moving abroad isn't the solution as every western country faces threat to their democracy at the moment.
Comradery, community participation and local activation. You need a tribe but that doesn't have to be geogrpahical in placement. Nor can it be solely dedicated to cyberspace.
My 82 yo dad is on VA benefits and indeed these have changed drastically. But gov has plans for an army that won't require humans we need to support post duty. These futuristic themes become our now reality.
A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them. -Turkish proverb
I have no tribe with which I fit. Metaphorically—as I do not believe in astrology—the twins of my Gemini rising do not agree with each other.
This is an eye-opening deep-dive into a phenomena of critical importance to the going-forward effort. I am going to share this a lot. While the four categories stand on their own two feet, there is a fifth of great import. That would be those too conflicted to move at all. Those were a huge lot of the non voting. We had some 30 million people that did not vote. I hold them conflicted. We need to consider this, and find the emotional stimuli to counter. Tough job. We can do it though. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/consider-this?r=3m1bs
Truth.
You told it. Just like it is. I saw another post on fascists, but the people are not. They support a fascist that is exploiting them. A slight distinction. White Christian nationalists are the bulk of the fascist’s army.
I am a white woman and have never voted for the orange menace. That’s because I care about the young women of the generations following me. I care about them being respected as individuals who have say over their own health and well being. I voted against that menace because of the young men and women who deserve access to the middle class and a good education. I voted against the cruelty, racism and misogyny of what the GOP and the orange clown have come to represent.
Thank you, friend
It is such a sad, fked up world where, overall, the Divine Feminine has been ignored, by both sexes.
Internalized misogyny in far too many women.
Then you have the flip-side of that, which is a bunch of misandry-filled women. Too little in between. This country's people are crazy & broken!!