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.
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!
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.
As far I can tell, the Dumbing Down of America started with a vengeance some time in the '80s - under pressure from far right Christian groups, esp. Already a minority (say 26%) but SHOCKED by the hippies of the '60s and '70s who overturned the draft, pushed through Roe, burned their bras and demanded equal rights for all races and for women. They were far better, and more honestly-educated about real history than later generations. Plus they had civics classes, teaching them how our govt's supposed to work - another long gone fossil now?
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.
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.
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.
Just so you know, Patrick E White, that wasn't only a right wing thing by any means, despite the 24/7 media deluge saying so. There were tons of studies, and tens of thousands of epidemiologists worldwide showing that those masks were useless, at best, and making people sicker, at worst. I think Fauci even admitted it a few times.
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.
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.
Only constantly. Covid misinformation was a huge example. Even long after it was obvious the vaccinated still caught Covid, and much worse, were killing more people than any vaccine ever had. Just scroll down to the chart on the Dept of Health site: https://openvaers.com/index.php
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.
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.
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!
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’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.
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?
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.
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!
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.
Jennifer, It reminds me of anti-choice people that say, “the choice is made when you choose to have sex.”
I ask them (if they’re a woman), “how many times do you submit to sex, just he’ll leave you alone and let you go to sleep?”
Or if it’s a man, “your wife doesn’t always choose to have sex with you. Sometimes she just chooses to submit so you’ll leave her alone and let her go to sleep.”
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
Absolutely!
POWER FILLED WRITING.
You've said everything that I have been telling my sons. I worry for their children.
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.
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.
As far I can tell, the Dumbing Down of America started with a vengeance some time in the '80s - under pressure from far right Christian groups, esp. Already a minority (say 26%) but SHOCKED by the hippies of the '60s and '70s who overturned the draft, pushed through Roe, burned their bras and demanded equal rights for all races and for women. They were far better, and more honestly-educated about real history than later generations. Plus they had civics classes, teaching them how our govt's supposed to work - another long gone fossil now?
Sadly, it seems like it.
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.
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.
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.
Just so you know, Patrick E White, that wasn't only a right wing thing by any means, despite the 24/7 media deluge saying so. There were tons of studies, and tens of thousands of epidemiologists worldwide showing that those masks were useless, at best, and making people sicker, at worst. I think Fauci even admitted it a few times.
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.
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.
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?
Only constantly. Covid misinformation was a huge example. Even long after it was obvious the vaccinated still caught Covid, and much worse, were killing more people than any vaccine ever had. Just scroll down to the chart on the Dept of Health site: https://openvaers.com/index.php
Can you explain what you think is a far left-wing agenda being pushed in local schools? The details, please.
What I mostly hear claimed is that they're pushing small children to have sex changes. Makes no sense to me, but I haven't lived in every state.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Agree!
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.
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….
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.
🤦🏼♀️
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Jennifer, It reminds me of anti-choice people that say, “the choice is made when you choose to have sex.”
I ask them (if they’re a woman), “how many times do you submit to sex, just he’ll leave you alone and let you go to sleep?”
Or if it’s a man, “your wife doesn’t always choose to have sex with you. Sometimes she just chooses to submit so you’ll leave her alone and let her go to sleep.”
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
All of this, but #2 is a gut punch of truth. It's not that they're incable. It's an abdication.
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
Just read about 10 actions the Dems can and should take before Trump takes over. I sure hope they'll take some of them at least! https://jessica.substack.com/p/ten-actions-dems-can-take-to-protect?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=11153&post_id
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.
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!😪😱😢💔
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
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 am angry at my inability to change the minds and hearts of former friends.”
I am sick and I am sorry right beside you. 💙
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.
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!!
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
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.
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.
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.”
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.