The apathy thread

[Superblood Wolfmoon]

Had a nice little Twitter exchange this morning that really made me glad I already mailed my ballot, because otherwise I may have simply put it in the shredder and left this country to its own devices. Came across a tweet that was encouraging promoting a viral video from SNL last night, where Pete Davidson mocked a veteran who lost his eye in combat. I replied to the effect of "Hey I'm a liberal but that shit's not cool, he should be held accountable because attacking veterans (in particular for injuries suffered during service) is to me, among the lowest of the lows."

I was immediately met with a chorus of "Yeah but Trump said what he said about McCain and he was president and his words hold more water and make people shoot up yoga studios and yada yada..." I pointed out just one simple fact--and not in defense of Trump in any way--that he wasn't yet president when he made those comments about McCain. In fact, it was to point out that a comedian's or a celebrity's words can also hold water and that they too should be held accountable.

At this point, you would have thought I was a Trump supporter. Some of these anti-Trump people (and believe me, I'm anti-Trump), are just so rabid that they can't have a discussion about anything without it becoming a comparison to something Trump did. And with that comes an unwillingness to hold people accountable for the same shit they rail on Trump about.

My logic was this: attacking veterans is wrong, no matter who does it. I felt the same when they did John Kerry over like they did in '04. Or when Trump said what he said about McCain. Or Pete Davidson mocking the guy on SNL last night. It's wrong, period. Why can't people simply agree on this without it becoming a tirade about Trump?

I get too that it's Twitter...the most vocal idiots from all over the political spectrum are by far the majority there. But I do believe that a lot of logical people have embraced this rabid anti-Trumpism and in doing so are giving Trump exactly what he wants. He's the master of distraction, and when he's good enough at it to get people on the same side fighting each other, he's guaranteed to get his way.

Within the last year I took a hard look at the way I was following Trump's presidency and politics in general. I was so tuned in to the CNN outrage machine every night. Every day was about "what's going on with Mueller" and "how are we gonna stop this guy." It was taking over. And then one day I realized that I was becoming the mirror image of the people on the right who wasted eight years talking about how "Obama's a Muslim" and "he's coming to take our guns" and all that bullshit. I used to look at those people and say, "It's not that bad, relax." But they can't relax. It's been programmed into them, and it's likely aided by a bit of OCD and/or paranoia. When I had this realization, it was easy for me to say, "You know what? I don't need to focus on this every day. Presidents come and go, some are shitty, some are good, most are forgettable. Despite this one being by far the shittiest, all I can do is wait four years and cast a vote against him once again." And sure, that's not all I could do...I could be like trag and get involved and canvass and all that very valuable stuff. But right now I just don't have the time to commit to that level of it. So I vote, because at the end of the day, that's all I can do.

[tragabigzanda]

hey if you're voting and engaging in constructive debate, you're already part of the solution

fuck pete davidson. unfunny kid should keep his knee-jerk liberal comments to himself, because as you've said, it's not helping

[washing machine]

MW, I can relate 100%

Last edited by washing machine on Sun November 04, 2018 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[McParadigm]

SNL has really had to work hard to be the absolute worst. But they get there.

[washing machine]

MW, I can relate 100%

But also this

Spoiler: show

[Orpheus]

Within the last year I took a hard look at the way I was following Trump's presidency and politics in general. I was so tuned in to the CNN outrage machine every night. Every day was about "what's going on with Mueller" and "how are we gonna stop this guy." It was taking over. And then one day I realized that I was becoming the mirror image of the people on the right who wasted eight years talking about how "Obama's a Muslim" and "he's coming to take our guns" and all that bullshit. I used to look at those people and say, "It's not that bad, relax." But they can't relax. It's been programmed into them, and it's likely aided by a bit of OCD and/or paranoia. When I had this realization, it was easy for me to say, "You know what? I don't need to focus on this every day. Presidents come and go, some are shitty, some are good, most are forgettable. Despite this one being by far the shittiest, all I can do is wait four years and cast a vote against him once again." And sure, that's not all I could do...I could be like trag and get involved and canvass and all that very valuable stuff. But right now I just don't have the time to commit to that level of it. So I vote, because at the end of the day, that's all I can do.

Except unlike the Obama critics, your concerns are rooted in actual reality. That's the difference!

[Orpheus]

Also, if we somehow get the numbers in congress, we should all be calling for impeachment as soon as possible. Trumps ability to create executive orders needs to be stopped ASAP, and long-term, we need to get him as far away from the nuclear button as possible.

[Norris]

Except we won't get the 2/3 of the Senate needed for removal.

[Superblood Wolfmoon]

Within the last year I took a hard look at the way I was following Trump's presidency and politics in general. I was so tuned in to the CNN outrage machine every night. Every day was about "what's going on with Mueller" and "how are we gonna stop this guy." It was taking over. And then one day I realized that I was becoming the mirror image of the people on the right who wasted eight years talking about how "Obama's a Muslim" and "he's coming to take our guns" and all that bullshit. I used to look at those people and say, "It's not that bad, relax." But they can't relax. It's been programmed into them, and it's likely aided by a bit of OCD and/or paranoia. When I had this realization, it was easy for me to say, "You know what? I don't need to focus on this every day. Presidents come and go, some are shitty, some are good, most are forgettable. Despite this one being by far the shittiest, all I can do is wait four years and cast a vote against him once again." And sure, that's not all I could do...I could be like trag and get involved and canvass and all that very valuable stuff. But right now I just don't have the time to commit to that level of it. So I vote, because at the end of the day, that's all I can do.

Except unlike the Obama critics, your concerns are rooted in actual reality. That's the difference!

That's a fair point. But let's not sit here and pretend that there aren't at least elements on the left who are as equally paranoid about Trump, particularly when it comes to Russia.

[BurtReynolds]

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Last edited by BurtReynolds on Tue March 07, 2023 2:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Superblood Wolfmoon]

Within the last year I took a hard look at the way I was following Trump's presidency and politics in general. I was so tuned in to the CNN outrage machine every night. Every day was about "what's going on with Mueller" and "how are we gonna stop this guy." It was taking over. And then one day I realized that I was becoming the mirror image of the people on the right who wasted eight years talking about how "Obama's a Muslim" and "he's coming to take our guns" and all that bullshit. I used to look at those people and say, "It's not that bad, relax." But they can't relax. It's been programmed into them, and it's likely aided by a bit of OCD and/or paranoia. When I had this realization, it was easy for me to say, "You know what? I don't need to focus on this every day. Presidents come and go, some are shitty, some are good, most are forgettable. Despite this one being by far the shittiest, all I can do is wait four years and cast a vote against him once again." And sure, that's not all I could do...I could be like trag and get involved and canvass and all that very valuable stuff. But right now I just don't have the time to commit to that level of it. So I vote, because at the end of the day, that's all I can do.

Except unlike the Obama critics, your concerns are rooted in actual reality. That's the difference!

That's a fair point. But let's not sit here and pretend that there aren't at least elements on the left who are as equally paranoid about Trump, particularly when it comes to Russia.

that sounds like Russian bot talk.

They got to me Burt.

[BurtReynolds]

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Last edited by BurtReynolds on Tue March 07, 2023 2:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Bi_3]

hey if you're voting and engaging in constructive debate, you're already part of the solution

whar dis?

[Green Habit]

But I do believe that a lot of logical people have embraced this rabid anti-Trumpism and in doing so are giving Trump exactly what he wants. He's the master of distraction, and when he's good enough at it to get people on the same side fighting each other, he's guaranteed to get his way.

I've read some good literature that suggests that the media needs to start abiding by Paul Anka's Guarantee. Individual people should as well, but media outlets that should know better have more power. Trump is an attention whore, and that's been well established since the 1980s. Every time Shit Trump Says gets covered, it sucks oxygen out of the room for meat and potatoes issues that shouldn't go by the wayside. And that's why I feel so exhausted by this election cycle, because I would much rather discuss those issues.

[tragabigzanda]

But I do believe that a lot of logical people have embraced this rabid anti-Trumpism and in doing so are giving Trump exactly what he wants. He's the master of distraction, and when he's good enough at it to get people on the same side fighting each other, he's guaranteed to get his way.

I've read some good literature that suggests that the media needs to start abiding by Paul Anka's Guarantee. Individual people should as well, but media outlets that should know better have more power. Trump is an attention whore, and that's been well established since the 1980s. Every time Shit Trump Says gets covered, it sucks oxygen out of the room for meat and potatoes issues that shouldn't go by the wayside. And that's why I feel so exhausted by this election cycle, because I would much rather discuss those issues.

bingo. and the major media outlets are the worst offenders. Way more compelling coverage of issues in my twitter feed than on CNN, NYT, etc

[Norris]

But I do believe that a lot of logical people have embraced this rabid anti-Trumpism and in doing so are giving Trump exactly what he wants. He's the master of distraction, and when he's good enough at it to get people on the same side fighting each other, he's guaranteed to get his way.

I've read some good literature that suggests that the media needs to start abiding by Paul Anka's Guarantee. Individual people should as well, but media outlets that should know better have more power. Trump is an attention whore, and that's been well established since the 1980s. Every time Shit Trump Says gets covered, it sucks oxygen out of the room for meat and potatoes issues that shouldn't go by the wayside. And that's why I feel so exhausted by this election cycle, because I would much rather discuss those issues.

But that guarantee is void in Tennessee.

[Green Habit]

But I do believe that a lot of logical people have embraced this rabid anti-Trumpism and in doing so are giving Trump exactly what he wants. He's the master of distraction, and when he's good enough at it to get people on the same side fighting each other, he's guaranteed to get his way.

I've read some good literature that suggests that the media needs to start abiding by Paul Anka's Guarantee. Individual people should as well, but media outlets that should know better have more power. Trump is an attention whore, and that's been well established since the 1980s. Every time Shit Trump Says gets covered, it sucks oxygen out of the room for meat and potatoes issues that shouldn't go by the wayside. And that's why I feel so exhausted by this election cycle, because I would much rather discuss those issues.

But that guarantee is void in Tennessee.

Sucks for them, guess they'll have to take one for the team by corralling the dog punting Trump ads in that state.

[Bi_3]

This thread is the best advice ever. I'm so much happier not reading the news every day.

[Superblood Wolfmoon]

Nothing creates an apathy spike like catching a sound byte from a Trump rally. I’m not going to watch this bullshit for the next 18 months, no fucking way.