This has been a fucking long 2 weeks, and he’s not even in office yet, Jesus Christ
Not even the mercy of knowing most of the country is against him. Most of the country that gives a shit supports him.
If it gives you any comfort, I think there were a ton of people who "gave a shit", but were (and in many encounters I've had: still are) just too stupid to realize that "morally withholding" a vote for Kamala was going to enable something incalculably worse.
Those people aren't evil. Just unbelievably stupid. So much so that they're a danger to themselves and others. But not evil.
The outcome is the same, and they learned nothing from 2016-2020, so fuck 'em.
Unfortunately, we're also fucked by this.
Want to know what’s fun? Watching your friends decide who’s fleeing, who’s arming up, and who’s lying to themselves. Welcome to queer communities in a red state in November 2024. Gods have mercy on us
Stay safe. Leave if possible.
Already in the process. My wife and I committed to leave on the 6th, and are currently packing. Our lease ends in the spring and at that point I quit my job and we move to a blue state (already have arrangements).
Oh and I got a passport two years ago. I’m living by the understanding that if you wait to flee until you absolutely have to, you may not be able to. Better to take some risks for safety that may just be better choices regardless. I’ve always wanted to live in a coastal state, I’m a little excited when I let myself forget the devastation that’s coming.
Well, congratulations on the upcoming move! I hope you like seafood, because as someone who has always lived in coastal states, having all the fancy regional fresh seafood around is really wasted on my dull palate. XD
My friend: "I found this really great seafood place, a little hole in the wall, let me take you."
My friend, after eating: "What do you think?"
Me: "Tastes like... fish?"
Don't like crabs, don't like lobster, don't like most fish... I wasn't born to live on the coast, clearly.
I’m a pescatarian for the same reason some people give up all meat but bacon lol. I love fish too much to stay stuck in Ohio. My wife hates the stuff though lol.
And thanks, I’m very excited in part because we picked the city in question because a good friend lives there, and I’ve already found out it has all the things I love about my current location or at least close enough. We’re also a little excited because it’s closer to my siblings in law and we’re probably going to become aunts in the next few years so it’ll be good to be closer to the kids for extra spoilage. I just wish the move was more “hey this is crazy and we’re some of the least reckless people around but sometimes you gotta” instead of the “we’re afraid that if we don’t do this we may find ourselves tragically regretting staying”
Back in 2015, about 5 mo the after my youngest was born, I had the (at the time) most horrific day I ever had in my life. Long story short, I got fired from my job (for mistakenly thinking HR was on my side), my oldest son had a note sent home about a live breakout at his daycare, and it rained so hard in n 30 minutes that my house flooded (the top of the mailbox was almost under water).
I got home and was upset because of being fired (I was already beyond burned out from the job to begin with), and I was trying to patiently sift through my son’s hair to check for lice. I was not a very patient person at that point, said fuck it, and grabbed my hair clippers to shave my son’s head bald. I’ve never shaved anyone else’s head, but my own, so I probably was a little too aggressive, and the unit got hot and burned my son.
My 5mo was crying, so I took him and was trying to calm him down. Around this point the storm of the century began. It was so bad that lightning hit really close to the house (three times). Each time it hit, the lights would go off and back on, and then thunder struck. It was very disturbing to say the least.
Then the water began to rise. And it kept rising. And it wouldn’t stop. No matter how much I panicked and begged for it to stop. I was personally in tears. Then I noticed my neighbor trying to drive through the flooded waters, and her car got swept away by the water. I saw the water reaching her side view mirrors, and I handed my wife the baby and was about to bolt out the door to try to do “something” (it was straight instinct).
In short order, the rain started stopping, and all the water started receding. My panic slowly faded as I realized we weren’t going to drown. In no time my neighbors (most who we hadn’t met yet) all descended on my house with mops, buckets, and fans to help start cleaning up the mess. The carpet and bottom 6” of drywall were ruined. I spent my unscheduled vacation pulling up the carpet, replacing the soaked drywall, and even painting the office (it got flooded too).
Our office and living room was crammed into our dining room/kitchen (thank goodness for open concepts). We eventually replaced the carpet and painted everything. I wet vacuumed my car and removed 16 gallons of water, took out the seats, and put fans on it for a week straight.
Those neighbors became our best friends. We all still stay in touch and have multiple get togethers each year. A lot has changed since that day, myself included. I consider it for the better.
All that to say: this too shall pass.
That's a nice story and all, but what happens when your wife is an immigrant and your neighbors all decide to "do something about it?" Or they just say nothing as the federal goons come to deport them.
There are incalculable ways for this to NOT pass for millions of us. Saying this too shall pass is some privileged bullshit.
First of all, I’m not going to apologize for attempting to comfort anybody. There is no privilege in that.
Secondly, I get you’re mad and scared/worried (or whatever adjective you prefer for how you’re feeling right now), but let me assure you that I am not your enemy. Do not follow in your neighbor’s footsteps; focus your anger where it belongs: the establishment, and billionaires. They are the threat. Not you or me.
Turn that despair into anger!
Anger is like fire. It burns hot, but it needs fuel, and leaves behind nothing but ash.
I've been angry for a long, long time. Now I feel tired and broken. Nothing left but the occasional ember in the cinders.
I'll recover, I'm sure. But not today. And probably not tomorrow. Probably not for a while.
Maybe you could disconnect and focus on your irl circle for a while.
All of my interests relate back to political and philosophical thought in some way. Closing my eyes won't help. It's not the barrage of stupidity that's killing me, though that is aggravating. It's the hopelessness, and that returns as long as the matter is considered, whether there's news to go with it or not.
I feel you man. Most of my friends want to bury their heads in their sand to cope and ignore everything, I just can’t do that. I want to be angry for a while and talk about what’s making me angry.
I'm far too aware that the level of action I'm willing to take and the level of action it would take for one individual to change the course of nations are too far apart for anything but for my mood to change with the winds of the times, despair or hope as massive demographics drive them. On some level, I think, I would prefer to be clueless to that.
But I can't be. Some fuckers taught me how to read and write and shit, and now I'm cursed with literacy and awareness. I fucking hate it.
Most of my IRL circle are the problem... I am despairing that I need to so heavily prune core parts of my circle.
In the words of my therapist, "that's just rage". Anger is the feeling that says "no" and motivates you to action, not the one that kicks and screams and does nothing.
Anger has kept one foot going in front of the other at many points in my life. It can't run on nothing. It can't burn infinitely.
Ready for the military to go through the county and ethnically cleanse you, or your family, or your neighbors and co-workers? Ready to find out what bread lines are like? Ready to experience population collapse?
Okay, be real. Trump isn't going to let there be bread lines; he won't set any up, and any public direct action is going to be disrupted with the military and cops. People will starve.
Honestly, that would be one of the few ways I can see out of this mess. Because this... this would evoke resistance, this would evoke outrage and I think they're not going to give us that just yet. They're going to cook us slowly.
Fascism isn't digging it's claws into the West "Beerhall Putsch"-style, it's going to be "Prussia contra Reich"-style.
The ruling basically tolerated a breach of the constitution because the court shied away from accusing the President of a breach of the constitution. (Translated from german Wikipedia "Preußen contra Reich")
It's not going to be ethnic cleansing right now, it's not going to be bread lines just now. But the fascist takeover is already happening and has been happening for quite some time and it looks like this: The quiet abolition of checks and balances through the courts and the continuous erosion of legal barriers to a party-dictatorship. It's about gerrymandering, right to vote, about free press, free speech and multiple media conglomerates worth of disinformation.
The next four years will be one legal battle after another and one (relatively small) overstepping of a boundary after another. It's not gonna start with the military in inner cities, it's going to start with more immunities for police, with the eradication of resistance in the executive branch. New generals, new bureaucrats, new judges... if you want to know what Trumps takeover will look like... look to Hungary and Turkey, Trump and the entire GOP have already praised Orban and Erdogan as strong leaders and models for this new term.
Honestly I think hyperbole could be dangerous! If we now tell everyone to expect the goose-stepping, they will say "see, the bad things you predict don't happen!" While completely ignoring the continuous erosion of the democratic ability to resist them through the system.
Fuck.
Honest question: how bad do things have to get in the US for citizens to qualify for refugee status?
take a look at your neighbors houses.
are they on fire or being raided yet?
no? not yet.
Consider how bad things are in Central America right now and then remember that despite the abject violence currently happening in many countries there right now, the U.S. still harbors deep anti-immigrant sentiments and we regularly turn away people fleeing said violence and return them to the custody of their would-be killers.
Yeah, you won't need an answer to this question when the times comes for us. You'll know, and you'll be willing to get on that boat or airplane leaving for anywhere else even if they aren't accepting refugees or the odds are slim that anywhere else will take you, because the alternative is certain death.
You're probably better off trying to emigrate now rather than waiting for things to get worse, if you are in a position where you can make that choice. Some people make their livings preying upon those who are desperately seeking an escape, so it's a bargain right now to leave for the cost of a plane ticket and whatever elbow grease you need to put in to achieve citizenship abroad.
Hey, cheer up. We got front row seats to a new political thriller with a power struggle, potential autocoups, suppression of dissent, protests, mass arrests, maybe revolts, maybe a civil war (no spoilers 🤫).
Hey you even get to play a part, its not everyday you get this opportunity. Cheer up, man. 🫠
Just imagine yourself being the protagonist in your little spin off movie. Awesome aint it? If you're lucky, you might get a full tv series. Or, you know, just get a short 10 minute film. (Who needs a series, Quality > Quantity ya know 😉) Who knows what the future holds.
If you get a interesting enough story, you could end up writing the next Anne Frank's Diary. 💀
spoiler
Sorry for being sarcastic, they say humor is one way to deal with grief. Ye know? The Death of a Republic. 🥲
I've lost 30 pounds since the start of this year. I should recommend stress as the hip new weight-loss diet.
I was raped last night. I can’t even think. It’s really clear that the world doesn’t want people like me to exist. Apparently they’re sending text messages to LGBT people about reeducation camps now, like they were sending messages about slavery to black folks a week ago.
Comic is too optimistic because here the fire was extinguished. In reality the fire has only gotten larger and is surrounded by all sorts of volatile elements.
I hate things being undecided so I've been a lot more relaxed since the election. Yeah, the asshole won, but at least I know what's going to happen. The anxiety of not knowing was worse than the anxiety of having a racist dipshit in charge, at least for me.
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