I don't know why I'm surprised they don't but I really expected that maybe this time they would care even a tiny bit.

Like they kinda sorta cared a little bit about healthcare for a minute and that blew over, and then they kinda sorta cared about minority rights for longer than I expected so that was cool but these issues are actually kind of historically complex and difficult to solve so I wasn't too surprised when libs just... fucking forgot. Climate change, me too, student loan debt...all sorta kinda complex in certain ways.

But genocide is so simple. It's probably the least complicated issue that libs have ever had to confront. Bombs go out children go boom it cannot be less complicated.

And yet here we are with libs across America hand wringing about how well it's maybe not genocide and maybe it's somehow complicated and maybe we should talk about it after we defeat Trump who we're SURE will do this complicated thing we can't quite understand worse somehow.

I guess if genocide staring libs in the actual face isn't enough to get them to care a tiny itty bitty bit about maybe trying to do something good for once...is there anything that possibly could? I can't imagine much worse of a thing than literal genocide. Maybe libs are just wholly incapable of using their brains or their hearts in any capacity at all.

And if that's the case is there any hope at all? I know there is but man this moment watching this election and everyone cheering wholeheartedly for as much genocide as they possibly can might be one of the most hopeless I've ever felt

I have some friends and family in my life and it's really hard to broach topics like climate change, COVID, and Gaza and what my government's response means for our lives presently and in the future.

I talk about the unusual weather and it's too early in the morning to bring up climate change. Can't talk about surges in COVID infections after dinner because it would ruin the evening.

I'm trying to make plans and take preventative care for safety, but it feels like nobody around me wants to deal with the reality happening around me.

I think I'm holding out hope that these people in my life will take these things seriously if they'll just see reason, but deep down I know they don't want to engage with these things either because they're scared or in denial, or still insulated from the worst of it.

It's scary. It feels unsafe being around them, and not just for the material reasons like not taking the same precautions with COVID. It's like how can I trust them to see danger if they can't even reckon with the current things happening? How can I have a relationship with people who are this indifferent.

I get trying to cope and trying to find enjoyment where there is little to have, but it's incredibly lonely knowing that this site is like the only space I have to voice my concerns.

If you have made progress in getting people in your life to see reason, what worked? Does just sitting down and laying out these things as a personal concern help?

If you haven't been able to reach people who are this resistant to real conversation, how did you cope with it? What did you do about it?

I'm not in a level of community that I thought I was and I could use some advice on how to move forward.

Bargain stage

if i were life on earth i'd reconsider buying those green bananas

I had basically given up on electoralism for years at this point.
I do not believe the western working class by and large has any revolutionary potential, basically JDPON-pilled.

But the genocide in Palestine really made me more invested in this whole dog and pony show again.
I guess I figured like…sure bourgeoise democracy will not bring about socialism, but at the very least you can still get some concessions potentially out of it.
Perhaps I was naive, but like…I wanted to hope there was some way the Democrats could be convinced to stop it by November, even if it was electoralist bullshit I feel like the Palestinians deserved (and still deserve) even a futile attempt.

But seeing the shit with the DSA, especially the SMC and Groundwork caucuses, seeing unions who oppose the genocide endorse Biden/Harris right out the gate, seeing the Uncommitted movement do the same while the Harris campaign has done nothing but spit in their face….

I am filled with a helpless rage. Americans are the most pathetic contemptible creatures on this earth.

I’M NOT EVEN ASKING FOR SOCIALISM! ALL I’M ASKING FOR IS THE DEMOCRATS TO COME AROUND ON AN ISSUE 77% OF DEMOCRATS AND 61% OF AMERICANS OPPOSE!
BUT EVEN THAT IS TOO MUCH, TOO HARD FOR THESE ORGANIZATIONS TO FIGHT FOR EVEN WHEN IT IS ALLEDGELY THEIR WHOLE REASON FOR EXISTING!!

I knew Americans were useless and selfish, and short-sighted and stupid…but I didn’t think they were to this extent.
That was my mistake I guess.

[Verse 1]
If this is to end in fire, then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Callin' out, Father, oh, stand by and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside (High)
And if we should die tonight, we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
Callin' out, Father, oh, prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountainside
Desolation comes upon the sky

[Chorus]
Now I see fire inside the mountain
And I see fire burning the trees
And I see fire hollowin' souls
I see fire, blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me

I thought "I see fire" would be a good song to go out on. When the bombs fall, it's this and "Perfect Day", especially with that ending refrain, "you're going to reap just what you sow".

Those in power don't care about the innocents they kill, the genocide their system causes, the suffering, the bigotry, the inequality.

They are simple-minded. To them, the world is a game of kill or be killed, and they won. They don't care or care to understand that their "winning" will kill them too eventually. They live in a fantasy world where the only rule is take until you die. They will use every tool that the system rigged to favour them has given them. You cannot shame them into submission. To them, if they submit they die and It's you or them. Don't try to convince them otherwise, to them your words are a trick to win and become just as sick as they are.

Take, consume until it's all gone, move on, take, consume, move, take, consume, move.

The only thing they know how to do is take a beautiful creation and turn it into death.

The worst part is that they don't want to be any better.

They are broken human beings that eat their own children, their own species, a cancer, and if we let them they won't stop until the species is dead. Until everything is dead and there is nothing left to kill.

Someone unironically told it to me today as if it were fact.

I fucking have a headache.

I hate chuds so much.

Just feeling some kind of way

Maybe its just bc its my first time seeing liberals be liberals idk

Our society is always looking to punish children or blame them for something.

I know fascist societies always scapegoat those with the least power to fight back, but it's always the most disturbing to me when its children and teens who don't even have a fully developed brain.

No, kids don't owe us anything. Yes, we owe them everything. No, kids are not meant to be obedient little soldiers. No, treating them like prisoners is not going to solve youth crime.

I fucking hate it. Poor kids.

I don't mean mates or whatever. Just people who I might have worked with and/or gone to the pub with a few times a year. I feel bad as these are people who were decent with me when we were friends, by centrist standards they're good people, now I've grown and I just feel bored af with them. I don't care about their topics of convo, I don't care about tv or sports or their holiday to Bali, the word is dying and it feels pointless to maintain any sort of friendship with them. If they did one single thing that Hexbear broadly supports, I'd probably say hi.

I'll just see them and look straight forward, hoping to Christ that they don't recognise me. Since I'm wearing an N95 mask, it's probably mutual.

It seems like maintaining relationships helps with material shit, like when you're looking for a job or need help with something. I really should, for my own sake, say "hi".

On the other side of things, I'd kill to have this level of confidence in my twenties. Feeling socially incomplete was such a problem always.

the vibes have rotten to the core and now withholding for Palestine makes you the much-maligned single issue voter, as if genocide is just a tally on a fucking pro/con balance sheet. People who saw the mass movement and protests on the ground over the past nine months suddenly concern-trolling about no one ever organizing anything and just being nihilists doing nothing while they are doing, in contrast, 'the bare minimum'. Breaking out reformist thought-terminating cliches and yelling at people with families in Palestine for not immediately being invested and engaged in the campaign of the VP of the current administration that is aiding and abetting the deaths of their loved ones. Total lanyard cultural victory. Americans by and large believe in nothing and have no principles, all they want is eternal 2014.

Hindenburg vs. Hitler then, Hindenburg vs. Hitler now, Hindenburg vs. Hitler forever

It's not economic anxiety, it's people who've always been cruel finding a guy that makes fun of all the people they hate and worshipping him for it.

I feel like that 'economic anxiety' shit is given to them too much of an excuse. Sure, it may agitate things, but these are by and large people who were already innately hostile to anyone different.

It's sad, but that's what it is.

hottest day ever AGAIN hell yeah time to stare without real comprehension at the death of everything

Maybe I'm biased because the only event I go to is mostly attended by the elderly, but I swear I go months at a time without ever seeing anyone else using at least an N95 mask. Maybe 5 or 6 people out of 100 wearing cloth masks. About 15% of the population has their vaccines up to date where I am. How the hell is any kind of organizing or solidarity supposed to happen when people can't be bothered to put a piece of fabric on their face? It really feels like nihilism and cynicism completely envelop the population that the literal smallest act of social good is too much to ask for.

I miss when anti mask conspiracy theories where fringe instead of being the hegemonic narrative.

This kind of thing makes me think that the only way for socialism to win in the west is to promise people their personal lives will be better and they'll have more treats, but we obviously can't beat imperialism as the treat fiends' choice.

The ruling class is PISSED that their Israel narrative was challenged. Thats why they're going hard against any sort of narrative they don't have complete and total control over. Even lukewarm shit like TikTok being considered a threat because the genocide of Palestinians got visible.

So here is an event that has given them a fucking gift-wrapped narrative for them. Clunky as it is for them to suddenly condemn all forms of violence while having a history of war and current genocide ties, they will push this "violent extremism is dividing our country" talk in order to excuse state violence against any form of protest of the status quo. It's going to be the 9/11 "security" increase on steroids. 9/11 was used as an excuse to normalise the end of privacy, since then we saw massive adoption of CCTV and mass servailence.

I dunno exactly what forms of oppression they're about to try and put forward, but I'm hoping the sheer hypocrisy of the Dems funding genocide and suddenly standing with Trump after calling him a threat to democracy will be enough to light a fire under people's asses. However history shows that Westerners are very quick to accept whatever their masters give them.

I’m going to die a very scary, traumatic death and so are a lot of the people who are closest to my heart—we’re all homeless, and we’re all drug addicts, and I have the special bonus of being (sort of) trans as well. I’m already seeing the ratcheting up of hatred for homeless drug users—I’ll be shot in the head and kicked into a pit, and my only hope is that I’ll be one of the very first so I won’t have to live with the pain of worrying about anyone I care about.

So yeah, while I agree that America’s collapse would be a W for humankind overall, it’s hard to fucking see that silver lining when things are that bleak.

I just want the rest of what’s likely to be a very short life to be chill. I just want things to be normal.

Fucking dumb shithead