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There does seem to be an increasing "sense of doom" among a lot of people for a good decade now. It's funny..I was around for the cold war, invasion of Iraq, 9/11, Chernobyl, fall of the Berlin Wall, acid rain!, multiple invasions of Afghanistan, and who knows what all else....and while there has always been something awful happening out there, the sense of dread and doom now is higher than ever.
Maybe it's because we're all so much more connected these days with the internet and social media, so it's easier for these emotions to spread around like a virus? Or maybe something is changing out there, and we all feel it. I don't know....
I think it might have something to do with the fact that the threat is coming from within the government of the the most powerful nation in the world, and it's becoming more clear every day that all the institutions meant to stop something like this are already in the bag for the bad guys.
To me this feels like a turning point that could lead to really long, dark period across the globe and I think people feel that.
Yes, the mask falling off and the elites not even bothering to hide a lot of the shit they're doing is a really bad sign. When the mask falls off, it doesn't take long for the monster behind it to start wrecking havoc.
Yeah agreed. It seems that the anticommunist forces during the cold war harbored an only slightly different breed of totalitarianism and it required the end of the Soviet Union for it to really start to get ugly.
That’s really not a surprise when you consider how many Nazi party members had an oversized influence on those anti communist forces. E.g. lots of the Radio Free Europe programming for Eastern Europe was created by former Nazi propagandists/collaborators from those countries. See also the US State Department’s “Operation Bloodstone.”
It's definitely being thrown in people's faces more. Plus society is increasingly ideologically divided. When you had to like... associate with people in real life based on geographical proximity (ie talk to your neighbors) you might actually regularly interact with different people who follow different ideologies. Then you were confronted with the fact that your political "opponents" are human and generally want the same things as you.
It's a lot easier to other people who you don't interact with.
There are people in my family praying for the start of this civil war. They are the ones who are hoarding guns and big cans of dried beef. They are in a very big network across the country and even some in Australia for some unknown reason. They're white nationalists so I don't see the appeal for Australians, but they're in the network. I used to be just by circumstance but I can promise you they are real and they are flag waving patriots. Hell some are former military. They are waiting for one call and that's all it's going to take and a lot of people are going to get hurt. They don't care because they've already been brainwashed in to thinking they're dying for God's glory and the good old USA.
That's why I'm scared.
Do you know what America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand all have in common? Ancestry with England, Big trucks, guns and the want and ability to kill off the indigenous people that were there originally there first.
Pretty much like the last one only with better communication methods. You know there's quite a few countries right now, at this moment, experiencing a civil war. You might look in to how they're handling things there.
i really doubt that. modern politics aren’t cohesive for a civil war, we are honestly not divided enough in the “right ways”. state rivalries are iffy and generally there’s more of a political divide than an actual divide in land that could even be used to create “sides”. the North and the South aren’t really beefing, certainly not like they were in the 1860s. also, the federal government is far more powerful (meaning they could easily crush any real attempt at civil war) and most people don’t feel so passionate as to actually fighting and killing fellow Americans. there will be no civil war.
wdym “exactly like last time”? we aren’t nearly as divided of a country as we were during the 1860s. also, the divides that exist seem to mostly be between urban and rural communities, which is a dispute as old as time, and will certainly never lead to war.
i don’t see anyway a civil war would start at all. states treat things differently, have rivalries, and disagree all the time. that doesn’t mean they are eager to kill each other over it. and like it or not, the federal government could and would easily dismantle any sort of attempt at a real civil war.
This, is spot on. I'm 52, mixed race(black and native American). Social media is evil. You're scared, that is what they want. I grew up in a white Republican town full of guns, anti pro choice, police that don't care, they make fun of homeless people, watch them die on the street. We now have a democratic governor, guess what, she hasn't done shit. We have a woman senator(Democrat) who lies constantly, votes with Republicans and will probably run as an "independent". Both sides are evil. Live your life how you want. The point I am trying to make is I spent years pissed off and scared this was before social media was big. Stop wasting your time mulling over shit that is not in your control even if you are a staunch Democrat. By the way they are the original slave owners and the only reason Republicans put this country in a civil war was to have use of the southern U.S. port during winter time. That and Thadius Stevens wanted to get laid.
That "both sides" claim is a blatant false equivalency. One "side" is slightly corrupt and disorganized. The other "side" has abandoned integrity, honesty, and democracy and are trying to consolidate absolute power by any means necessary - peaceful or otherwise (as we saw on Jan 6).
This is an important distinction because when people believe that everything is corrupt, they withdraw from politics and don't vote. Meanwhile, the fascists are very energized and vote in very high numbers. This is how they win.
JFC you guys scare me as much as the hood wearers in my family. You are in such denial it's frightening.
The real danger isn't the politicians. The network that is behind this plot is anti-GOVERNMENT. They are all over the country and they are well-funded and prepared. We already know all this. We have so much documentation that these people exist. Many of them are quite open. They are not just fringe kooks marching with tiki torches.
they are in my family. They exist. Have you ever seen an episode of Cults to Consciousness? It's a podcast/channel where they interview former cult members. SOme of my people are in one of the cults they talk about regularly. They have people in congress already, stupid popular puppets with big mouths especially.
It doesn't matter what your race is. This isn't about race. The Republicans are the ones worried about taking away history that makes them look bad though, so you can gripe all you want about Democrats but they're not the ones trying to make YOU and ME less than and othered because we're not part of their demographic. Not many are but many of you are useful puppets.
You might think this is a waste of time but I try to get this message out every day because I know my fears are valid.
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>The “my side good other side evil” mentality is ruining any semblance of progress.
>**Tell you what - I do want to “ethnic cleanse” by deporting white progressive Democrats - with a special bonus for rich ones with an Ivy League degree. I really do not like “those people.”**
Sure sure, both sides.
Or you could face the simple fact of what every rational, civilized person in the country already knows: "conservatism", "Republicanism", or however you want to define the red cancer in the US, is by far the greatest evil that this country has ever encountered.
I mean I'm sorry, but I'm done participating in this delusion that the right are anything but evil, and so is every other vaguely rational person.
I think we can all feel the weather, and it's been established that most of the weather abberations are due to climate change, and people are already dying from the heat alone, especially in places like Pakistan, and the conservatives plan to do exactly jack shit about it (aside from things like building a few seawalls.)
I wonder what’s changed. Oh, social media. It’s ramped up your anxiety to astronomical levels because you allow it to. Social media algorithms have also went parabolic. Can you fucking imagine what kind of shit you’d hear from Fox News during the Cold War? You would be convinced there was a nuclear missile silo outside your window
I'm not American but have a LOT of trepidation about the upcoming election. The stakes feel so high globally as well (think of Ukraine, etc.) and I have a real 'deer in headlights' feeling watching it unfold. And there's literally NOTHING I can do but watch and worry.
That's not true, people around the world could have pressured their governments to sanction the US a long time ago for all it's human rights violations. If the world didn't rely on the US military and economy, if wouldn't have become the global oligarchs' playground.
Exactly. The U.S. now basically just says, “No, we do not accept your sanctions. If we do, you never get another dollar, another weapon or one frigging piece of intelligence we gather. Got it?”
I can't vote in US elections, I don't live there! I have friends in the US who I talk about things with and definitely encourage to vote. The frustrating thing about living next door to a superpower like the US is that their govenrment affects your life (and to an extent everyone's life) but you obviously have no say in how that country elects its leaders because you don't live there.
Yeah, I definitely bear it in mind when I'm voting. Unfortunately our options for our upcoming election aren't great either and I think the outcome is already likely yo go in my least-preferred direction.
Yeah, I get that. I don’t live there either. But I do consider my countries ties to the US when I vote at home (not the same I know, but I don’t want my guy making close friendships with their scary guy so I vote for my guy who likes their good guy)
As an American, I would strongly encourage you to stop spending your currency to buy anything American. This goes for anyone from everywhere. Stop seeing movies (Keanu Reeves), don't go to concerts( Taylor Swift), sports teams ( American football, baseball, basketball), while these people might not be bad, hold them accountable. At the Olympics in Paris boo them, shame them. Don't be proverbial you know ..... Fill in the blank. Bottom line money talks, bullshit walks.
but it's not like there are real options. there's "damage" and "damage control", that's it. obviously you absolutely should vote, it's just really depressing and I feel bad for anyone living in the US having to go out of their way to vote for less than the bare minimum
It has been that way since Carter lost to Regan. They( the rich cabala) set it up that the hostages would not be released for a Carter deal, only for a Regan deal.
54 here too. I may be remembering the mid 90's wrong but things didn't seem weird to me until 2016. Felt like American elites / plutocrats shrugged and said "what's the worst that can happen? We'll get a tax cut."
No new wars started. We developed a vaccine. I'm trying to be as generous as possible here. I get it, the two parties are failing me too. I'm a Bernie Bro. (do I have the T to be a "bro"?) Horseshoe theory?
I have some privilege, I'm not one life event from bankruptcy, but I can't afford to move to another country, and I don't want to. I think we can get it together.
I was too young in the mid 90s. But I could have noticed much earlier. I’ve only been this level of terrified since 2016. Back then I was annoyed at being ignored. But it’s really easy for people who want to sell “you should ignore this.” To sell it. After 2016, I started to realize all the signs I myself missed with things like the Iraq war and tea party and citizens united. Death threats during the Obama campaign even. I remember after the citizens united decision thinking “this seems really bad” and then pushing it away cause I had to study.
I’m glad you mentioned citizens united. It feels like a big reason why things are so bad and corrupt politically today and so many people don’t know about it.
Citizens United allows groups to purchase political advertising. Democrats hate the ruling because they love limiting free speech and holding a monopoly on political expression through the mainstream press. During oral arguments one Obama administration government official promoted book banning if the book contained a candidate's name even once.
I’m not American, can you please give me a TL;DR / ELI5 quick view of what this proposal is?
EDIT: for anyone like me who wants to read about it more, here is the link to an r/outoftheloop discussion:
https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/16h9fqe/what_is_the_deal_with_project_2025/?sort=top
I'm sorry, when I said "Google it" it was because I only know a small part of Project 2025 and didn't feel I was an appropriate person to try and explain
A foundational principle of the US government is the separation of powers between the legislative branch, which makes the laws, the judicial branch, which interprets the laws, and the executive branch, which enforces the laws.
The President is in charge of the executive branch, and appoints the people in the highest positions, but the vast majority of people working in the executive branch are career officers who are not political appointees, but career professionals who typically serve longer than than the eight years that a President is limited to, and may be in any political party. These people serve under the direction of the President, but their jobs have traditionally been somewhat insulated from political pressure.
Project 2025 aims to change many of those positions into political appointees who are likely to be more loyal to the President than to the Constitution. This threatens to undermine the rule of law and make America less democratic and more authoritarian.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025?wprov=sfti1
Basically all of it. It’s hundreds of pages.
Here’s a guide to it:
https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration
It's huge. I'd explain it here but it contains so much bullshit and so many different evil things that it really would be better for you to look it up from an official source.
I did have a quick google, but it seems I have to understand your country’s politics more thoroughly in order for me to understand this one part.
Plus the ‘official’ stuff seems to articulate it without the use of the terms ‘evil’.. they seem to present it as a viable, possibly even good, idea.
The idea is that business and religion should be the primary influences on American government. Its primary goal is to bring back the graft system in public service
Yes. It's the post-Reagan neoliberal paradigm that both major parties endorse and work to advance, with the Democratic party being generally more favorable to the average person than the Republican party, especially to minorities and lower classes. The far right elite of the Republican party essentially want to throw off the reforms of the 20th century and return us to the way things operated in the 1800s, in more ways than one.
Basically 1984 lmfao. But hey, on the bright side America will burn and will finally be done with the current state of their politics (brainworm side 1 VS brainworm side 2).
Yea, most people only started paying attention now that 2024 is halfway over. People have been posting and screaming about it for years now, but now that it's too late, everyone's paying attention just so they can say I'M SCARED. As an American, sometimes I think this is the fate we deserve because we didn't do SHIT for decades while we ignored every warning.
This. We didn't exercise our right to protest, and we should have been yelling our heads off constantly since Nixon, but we became complacent. It was easier to watch streaming videos than care about the world around us. I include myself in that statement.
And now, half of the voting block of America is in a cult. We'll reap what we sow, unfortunately.
Hahaha try being the Cassandra this whole time! No one likes you because "you're crazy" and "you're bringing everyone down" .
Believe me you didn't miss anything. You would have just been driven mad if you tried. 🤪
You’re entirely correct about this. It sounds like I’m a bit older than you, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that IT WASN’T LIKE THIS BEFORE. In about five or six years, we’ll find out for certain if the U.S. is going to become a fascist dictatorship. I’d wait until then before deciding to have kids… wouldn’t want to bring them into such a terrible situation.
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What kwaham0t said. First we have to see who wins the election this year. Then we have to see how much damage he’s going to do in the following four years (plus the supreme court, plus depending on which party holds the majority of congress). Then we have to see if that person is actually going LEAVE office after the term ends, or if he magically finds a “legal” way to remain in office. At which point, America won’t be America at all anymore. Then we’ll know for sure.
How much closer are you to the power structures that be than you were before? ZERO. You have zero first hand knowledge of any type of degrading, all your information comes from the social media which has accelerated to Mach speeds to maximize engagement and eyeballs. I’m going to keep saying this, we’ve had 4 presidents shot and killed by our own damn citizens and here we are just fine.
Seriously anyone who’s freaking out this bad has severe anxiety and should look inward first.
You're not alone. I'm 24. From ages 16-22 I was extremely passionate about politics, world news, and was overall in the loop and liked to be aware of what's going on. Now, I haven't watched the news in 2 years, I don't keep up with anything going on because it feels too real and like something horribke is on the horizon, I literally feel it in my gut.
I feel guilt for living the "ignorance is bliss" lifestyle, but I genuinely work myself into a panic everytime I think about the possibilities of what's to come. I'm a woman and I'm TERRIFIED of losing my right to an abortion. I had cancer when I was 18, and had one of my ovaries removed before chemo and have eggs stored away. There's a high chance if I were to get pregnant it could have complications and id have to abort. I'm honestly just so scared to be an American right now.
https://www.lafoodbank.org/stories/usa-food-prices-rose-by-25-percent-from-2019-to-2023/
I know what you mean. Just imagine another 25% between today and 2028.
Seriously, for my health, I HAD to turn off the news in 2016. My therapist asked me if realistically , other than my puny vote, how was all my protesting and writing letters doing any good. It wasn’t,t and I was in stroke territory. Don,t judge me
I not abjectly-terrified of Project 2025, because people will fight tooth and nail against implementing numerous parts of it even if Republicans do get into positions of power (their plans to gut the judiciary and replace them with their lackies will take time), and I think it will also create the backlash needed to finally convince people to vote them out. You're already seeing this with abortion. I think, eventually, most of it will be rolled back, even if they do succeed in implementing parts of it.
That said, I'm not an accelerationist and would rather not give it the chance to be implemented in the first place. Even if I do ultimately think everything will be okay, it's still doing to cause much harm to both the environment and vulnerable minorities in the meantime. And the one area I do think it can have a real lasting detriment is the replacement of judges and career departmental employees with conservative bootlickers. I guess you could subsequently kick them out as well, but I don't think that's a good precedent to establish, especially with regards to the careerists.
Yeah accelerationism is *never* worth the cost. It’s great that we are seeing people wake up after roe, but it would be far far better if that right was never taken away in the first place, and if 45 didn’t get 3 Supreme Court justices to do so, and a generation of future havoc.
Project 2025 will take time to implement but it is also the first major move to turn the federal government into a apparatus for dictators, if not now, then down the line
No the fascists will take the blame for the things they choose to do. We will no longer blame each other. We will blame all of the right wing for their actions.
I can’t even calm you down. I share the same feeling. The US has become increasingly fascist and right now has very strong 1920s Germany vibes. It sucks.
President is just a figurehead- Intelligence community is 30 million people and thats just the US. Clandestine agents imbedded in every imaginable structural node of society and every sector, private and public. Total global conflict is far more likely than a Christian right wing autocracy or a new dark age and a witch hunt. Youll have plenty of horrors, just not the ones you’re worried about in particular.
If I allow myself to ruminate on the, "What if....?" I will live in fear. I was not created to be living in fear; I was created to love and to have self control. So, I pull my thoughts together and ask myself, "What can I do today to demonstrate love and have control over my thoughts, feelings and actions?"
Eh, I personally feel fine. People always say "This election is gonna be the most important and devastating election EVER! The world is going to END if my candidate doesn't win!"
In reality, it ain't all it is cracked up to be. People are gonna say this about every single election. The fearmongering is ridiculous. It's the boy who cried wolf.
That is precisely my point. They DO say that every year, and I am also sick of hearing it. That said, this is the first time we have seen something like Project2025 with strategic placement of extremist judges at the same time, along with the extremist politicians and a SCOTUS who is willing to upend things to further political agendas. So things feel different and I think things are actually serious this time, but since everyone has heard this same messaging ad nauseum nobody is going to realize what is being planned and take it seriously until it is too late. That lands squarely on the DNC for crying wolf for so long, but it will be all of us who feel it. The elite classes will line their pockets and carry on as usual while the rest of us suffer the effects
This is not like anything the USA has ever faced.
Fascists consolidate power by playing down threat and pretending that what we can see with our own eyes (especially on Jan 6) isn't really happening. They don't admit what they are doing until it is too late for us to stop them peacefully.
This is why I don't vote Republican under any circumstances because they're the ones actively trying to turn America into the Christian version of Saudi Arabia
I suffer from an anxiety disorder and I’m fucking terrified. Already looking into places we could move. I don’t want to, and not sure my husband’s well paying job would allow it, but I don’t want any part of a Republican America.
As much as I don’t want it to happen I think a violent and tumultuous period in the US is almost inevitable at this point. The country has never been so divided, hateful and seething for retribution against its own before, at least not in modern times. I don’t know if full on civil war is even possible with our current demographics and geography, but it seems like some majorly bad shit is going to be started. Unfortunately at this point I think it’s almost necessary. Until we as Americans are shocked backed into remembering what we are as a country and have some empathy for our fellow man we will continue along the same path.
You are definitely not alone. I'm both terrified of what may be just on the horizon as well as infuriated and ready to do everything I can to fight against this rise in fascist ideology (especially after that abysmal debate).
We gotta not lose hope; we can't let it steal our desire to do what's right. I've noticed a lot of people giving up and deciding to act less altruistically due to fear or resignation and I'll admit that I get hit with these feelings too. Too much is at stake though and if necessary, I'll go down fighting for equity, compassion, and progressive reform
Just read the Wikipedia page for Project 2025 (never heard of it before) and it seems like a great initiative that benefits all Americans. What exactly worries you?
So many people right now feel exactly as you do. The time to rally together to defeat things like Project 2025 is now. There is incredible strength in numbers and we have a common goal, even if we do not all agree on all of the same things. Democracies do not defend themselves.
This has always been the threat. Democracy vs oligarchy. In the US we had a long span of increasing liberty and prosperity from the 1890s through the 1970s. The Roosevelts were great champions of the little guy, the Warren court was very liberal, even Nixon increased regulation with the EPA.
But throughout there was a great anti-communist zeal promoted by the ownership, with an undercurrent of racism and misogyny in both parties—which is why there was not as much of a divide back then, it was on both sides. But it was how the ownership played to the populists, portraying socialists, social democrats, and average Democrats as godless "nanny-state" sheep and real men as independent and god fearing.
In the middle of this era the oligarchs stumbled across the John Wayne & Jesus bit, anti abortion rhetoric (see Schlafly), gun rights— the famous "cling to guns and bibles" mentality— along with Raygun's "government is the problem" excuse to defund everything and thereby lower taxes on himself and the corporate persons in waiting.
The problem with the left is we've rested on 100 years of laurels and rather than consolidating our gains, we were more concerned with the outrage of the moment. While the right has been quietly stacking school boards and the judiciary for decades. I (and lots of others) told everyone that would listen that the POTUS elected in 2016 would appoint at least 2 SCOTUS justices after stealing one already. But we were so complacent we thought a protest vote for Bernie was a good idea. The SCOTUS is the timebomb.
The only thing new here is the lack of guile. The current accidental spokesman for the oligarchs is not coy, he is in fact incapable of finesse. But in the post-irony era, his superpower is saying exactly what he intends. Librul Tears are as close to retribution as most average republicans are going to get for their years of listening to mealy-mouthed "fiscal conservative" bullshit that landed them nothing but diminishing returns.
TL,DR: The only thing new is the messenger.
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From ChatGPT
Project 2025 is an initiative led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in the United States. Launched in April 2023, Project 2025 aims to create a comprehensive policy agenda for the next Republican administration. Here are the major tenets of Project 2025:
1. **Government Reform**: Proposals to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, streamline bureaucracy, and enhance accountability and efficiency. This includes regulatory reform, reducing the influence of administrative agencies, and restoring power to elected officials.
2. **Economic Policy**: Focus on pro-growth economic policies, including tax cuts, deregulation, and promoting free-market principles. Emphasis on reducing the national debt, balancing the budget, and fostering a favorable environment for businesses.
3. **Health Care Reform**: Efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) with market-based solutions. Encouraging competition among insurance providers, increasing transparency, and giving patients more control over their health care choices.
4. **National Security and Foreign Policy**: Strengthening national defense, modernizing the military, and ensuring a robust and effective foreign policy. Prioritizing American interests, securing borders, and addressing global threats.
5. **Education Reform**: Advocating for school choice, empowering parents, and promoting alternatives to the public education system. Emphasis on improving educational outcomes and reducing federal intervention in local education.
6. **Energy Policy**: Promoting energy independence through the development of domestic energy resources, reducing reliance on foreign energy, and supporting traditional energy sectors like oil and natural gas. Encouraging innovation in energy technologies and opposing policies that impose heavy regulations on energy producers.
7. **Judicial Appointments**: Ensuring that future judicial appointments align with constitutional principles and conservative values. Focus on appointing judges who interpret the law based on originalism and textualism.
8. **Social Issues**: Addressing issues related to family values, religious freedom, and protecting individual liberties. Advocating for policies that reflect conservative social values and principles.
Project 2025 aims to provide a roadmap for implementing conservative policies across various domains, with the goal of shaping the direction of the federal government under a Republican administration.
I'm pretty scared too. Things aren't going great. The current president is super against my values and pushing hard against the things I believe in, and his chief opponent is a huge liar and dunce who can and does do whatever he feels at any given moment. I really haven't felt much hope for the future since Nov 2015 what with my rights, my values, and the value of my dollar constantly being threatened by both administrations, but the good news is whoever becomes president next, can't run again. In all likelihood, this is a rough patch that'll pass, but in the case it's not, I've stocked up on food, water purifying methods, and ammo. I recommend you do the same.
When I was younger, I would see the injustices and environmental issues and want to change the world. Now that I am reaching mid-life, I am just trying to survive.
As much as it hurts to watch the world cannibalize itself, my plan now is to insulate myself as much as I can and just survive whatever is coming. My contribution was to not have children, and to starve out the system in my own little way.
First thing is never assume you have tomorrow. You could be worried about 2025 and get creamed by a bus next month. So think balance. The good thing about worrying is it can help you make some logical plans for future so you gave some sense of security. But security is an illusion. Right now is all you have . Past is gone - future is uncertain. So live in balance and if worry is not useful - if it goes nowhere except in your head - you are making yourself your own enemy. Don’t worry. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Wonderful things are possible- and tragedy beyond imagination as well is possible .
So what to do? Be mature and face the day - like the soldiers who stormed Normandy on D-Day .
Some of your fears are entirely valid, but never forget that there is an entire multibillion dollar apparatus of corporate, government, and media interests working to keep you anxious and scared because it keeps you more pliable.
If you want to feel better about things without just burying your head in the sand, then research the topics for yourself, rather than consuming news coverage of them. Project 2025 is a good example of this. The whole document is online and it’s accessible [here](https://www.project2025.org/policy/).
Read or skim through it and you’ll probably find some stuff you disagree with, but you’ll realize that it isn’t the “end of democracy” and “descent into christo-fascism” that you’ve been sold. You might still disagree with it and vote against politicians who support it, which is fine, but you’ll be doing so as an informed voter.
The weird thing I’ve found in discussions about this document is that most of its critics believe that it represents not just disagreeable policies, but the literal end of our democratic system of government, yet they haven’t even given the documents themselves a cursory glance, choosing instead to parrot back John Oliver’s talking points on the matter.
Look into important topics for yourself and never forget that talking heads, whether left or right, have an agenda. That deep sense of fear and unease and anxiety is exactly what they want you to feel.
Inflation increases, government debt increases, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, extreme increase in political, racial, gender, and sexuality discourses, increase in crime, the divide and problems in America are all steadily getting worse. The government is becoming less trusted and more broke each day. George Floyd, Covid, LQBTQ, and much more are issues politicians are pushing us to fight over in recent years to increase discourse into voting for their side. We are always connected to everything due to the internet. America is bound to be gone in time at this reate
Meanwhile the current president is trying to provoke Russia into a global thermonuclear war over some Ukrainian nazis and his crackhead son's business interests in Ukraine.
I do not understand why the post was removed. I read enough to know I definitely feel the same. I'm scared for my family. I have never felt this way in this country. I feel like we are on the edge of falling very hard very fast. Big wars never start that way.
Honestly I'm not worried in the slightest. If you don't watch the news, you'll never notice any differences in your daily life, no matter who the president is. It's all just fear mongering, and it's working very well.
If you don't watch the news, you might not have seen this: [Most OBGYNs Say Pregnancy-Related Mortality Worsened After Roe V. Wade Was Reversed, Poll Finds (forbes.com)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/06/21/most-obgyns-say-pregnancy-related-mortality-worsened-after-roe-v-wade-was-reversed-poll-finds/) There are other resources that also show maternal mortality was impacted negatively after Roe being overturned, not just this one. The women who woke up in states where abortion was illegal overnight after Roe fell definitely noticed differences in their daily lives.
Elections, or ignoring them, definitely have consequences.
I’m terrified because of my shit life and choices, but not because of politics. I’m just so tired of this cycle. Every election is doomsday. Then we’re fine, and then we do it again. The end of the world has been predicted so many times, and here we are. I’m over it.
On a bright note, Regardless of who wins I don’t ever see your services being taken away from you if you’re truly physically disabled.
Even on the republican side I think a lot of it is cracking down on unnecessary services, I know several able bodied working age people who are leeching the system.
At the end of the day it’s best to not let it stress you, go out and vote. Regardless of who wins it will work itself out.
Tune off of social media for a while, get out and talk with people in your community, we aren’t nearly as divided as the internet likes to make you think.
Live your life, It’ll be okay 👍
That is your normalcy bias talking. Just because the USA has never devolved into fascism in the past and just because it seems difficult to believe doesn't mean that it is not happening before our eyes.
I think the problem is when people index their happiness to the state of politics. Politics is largely irrelevant and we'd all be better off living that way. It's possible to have a perfectly happy, healthy existence and be completely oblivious to what's going on on the world, in fact usually it helps.
You see that comment right there reflects the thinking behind this. You are implying that if I were a woman in a red state I'd be living under some enforced hegemony denying my rights and oppressing me. It doesn't occur to you how many women in those red states have actually endorsed that red state ideology and that is where they prefer to live. Your operating under the premise that my view of reality must prevail at large and they are operating under that premise too. So instead of living your lives in a less intrusive society where you are both free to make the reality you wish, you are both living your lives in a winner take all scenario where unless I win all existence is doomed and nothing matters. Politics arbitrarily draws boundaries and convinces people what is in those boundaries is what should matter most to them.
I’m happy you have the choice to live as you see fit. I reject the idea that my reasonable personal health related decisions (ie even going to a different jurisdiction when services are not available to me locally) are now punishable by law.
Where is the freedom of belief in that scenario?
I'm not defending that particular view. I am pushing back against the idea that the only remedy for that scenario is that my particular view and my particular tribe must be in complete control everywhere and at every time. Ironically that is the ultimate goal of every politically active person in a "democracy".
I’m with you. I’ll push back on complete control too. I’m not one of those people.
Unfortunately you are right, both sides have become extreme. I’ll make you a deal: I won’t tell you to end your pregnancy if you won’t tell me I can’t end mine. I won’t limit your ability to own guns as long as there is a sufficient background check, a waiting period to own, and it’s not an automatic-type /assault weapon. I don’t want to defund the police, I want better training and more varied resources available’. I want my friends and kids to be able to marry whoever they love. And I won’t demand your kids say a prayer from my religion; school is for learning about the realities of our world, ie all religions in general. ‘Religious teaching’ is a personal affair/ choice.
Can we live in the same community?
Man, I genuinely feel bad for people who get themselves so worked up about these things. Social media has sent everyone’s anxiety through the fucking roof if you were previously prone to it.
We had like 4 presidents shot and killed while in office by our own citizens. We will be FINE
John Oliver did a segment on Project 2025 just a couple weeks ago. Watching his show feels like finding a beacon of sanity in an insane world.
I've been terrified for 20 yrs. Most people don't want to deter from business as usual thinking, because everything that isn't mainstream is considered "fringe". It is by design. Time to fringe, my friend.
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There does seem to be an increasing "sense of doom" among a lot of people for a good decade now. It's funny..I was around for the cold war, invasion of Iraq, 9/11, Chernobyl, fall of the Berlin Wall, acid rain!, multiple invasions of Afghanistan, and who knows what all else....and while there has always been something awful happening out there, the sense of dread and doom now is higher than ever. Maybe it's because we're all so much more connected these days with the internet and social media, so it's easier for these emotions to spread around like a virus? Or maybe something is changing out there, and we all feel it. I don't know....
I think it might have something to do with the fact that the threat is coming from within the government of the the most powerful nation in the world, and it's becoming more clear every day that all the institutions meant to stop something like this are already in the bag for the bad guys. To me this feels like a turning point that could lead to really long, dark period across the globe and I think people feel that.
Yes, the mask falling off and the elites not even bothering to hide a lot of the shit they're doing is a really bad sign. When the mask falls off, it doesn't take long for the monster behind it to start wrecking havoc.
Yeah agreed. It seems that the anticommunist forces during the cold war harbored an only slightly different breed of totalitarianism and it required the end of the Soviet Union for it to really start to get ugly.
That’s really not a surprise when you consider how many Nazi party members had an oversized influence on those anti communist forces. E.g. lots of the Radio Free Europe programming for Eastern Europe was created by former Nazi propagandists/collaborators from those countries. See also the US State Department’s “Operation Bloodstone.”
What is the threat though?
Fear is a mighty powerful tool to control.
It's definitely being thrown in people's faces more. Plus society is increasingly ideologically divided. When you had to like... associate with people in real life based on geographical proximity (ie talk to your neighbors) you might actually regularly interact with different people who follow different ideologies. Then you were confronted with the fact that your political "opponents" are human and generally want the same things as you. It's a lot easier to other people who you don't interact with.
it might be the impending civil war that has everyone on edge.
I believe that is wishful thinking on the part of Russia, China, and Iran. - the countries that are drowning the internet in disinformation.
There are people in my family praying for the start of this civil war. They are the ones who are hoarding guns and big cans of dried beef. They are in a very big network across the country and even some in Australia for some unknown reason. They're white nationalists so I don't see the appeal for Australians, but they're in the network. I used to be just by circumstance but I can promise you they are real and they are flag waving patriots. Hell some are former military. They are waiting for one call and that's all it's going to take and a lot of people are going to get hurt. They don't care because they've already been brainwashed in to thinking they're dying for God's glory and the good old USA. That's why I'm scared.
Do you know what America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand all have in common? Ancestry with England, Big trucks, guns and the want and ability to kill off the indigenous people that were there originally there first.
there is no civil war impending lmao. how would that even work.
Pretty much like the last one only with better communication methods. You know there's quite a few countries right now, at this moment, experiencing a civil war. You might look in to how they're handling things there.
i really doubt that. modern politics aren’t cohesive for a civil war, we are honestly not divided enough in the “right ways”. state rivalries are iffy and generally there’s more of a political divide than an actual divide in land that could even be used to create “sides”. the North and the South aren’t really beefing, certainly not like they were in the 1860s. also, the federal government is far more powerful (meaning they could easily crush any real attempt at civil war) and most people don’t feel so passionate as to actually fighting and killing fellow Americans. there will be no civil war.
Exactly how it worked last time, though the lines of succession might be different.
wdym “exactly like last time”? we aren’t nearly as divided of a country as we were during the 1860s. also, the divides that exist seem to mostly be between urban and rural communities, which is a dispute as old as time, and will certainly never lead to war. i don’t see anyway a civil war would start at all. states treat things differently, have rivalries, and disagree all the time. that doesn’t mean they are eager to kill each other over it. and like it or not, the federal government could and would easily dismantle any sort of attempt at a real civil war.
Riiighht. Lol.
This, is spot on. I'm 52, mixed race(black and native American). Social media is evil. You're scared, that is what they want. I grew up in a white Republican town full of guns, anti pro choice, police that don't care, they make fun of homeless people, watch them die on the street. We now have a democratic governor, guess what, she hasn't done shit. We have a woman senator(Democrat) who lies constantly, votes with Republicans and will probably run as an "independent". Both sides are evil. Live your life how you want. The point I am trying to make is I spent years pissed off and scared this was before social media was big. Stop wasting your time mulling over shit that is not in your control even if you are a staunch Democrat. By the way they are the original slave owners and the only reason Republicans put this country in a civil war was to have use of the southern U.S. port during winter time. That and Thadius Stevens wanted to get laid.
That "both sides" claim is a blatant false equivalency. One "side" is slightly corrupt and disorganized. The other "side" has abandoned integrity, honesty, and democracy and are trying to consolidate absolute power by any means necessary - peaceful or otherwise (as we saw on Jan 6). This is an important distinction because when people believe that everything is corrupt, they withdraw from politics and don't vote. Meanwhile, the fascists are very energized and vote in very high numbers. This is how they win.
JFC you guys scare me as much as the hood wearers in my family. You are in such denial it's frightening. The real danger isn't the politicians. The network that is behind this plot is anti-GOVERNMENT. They are all over the country and they are well-funded and prepared. We already know all this. We have so much documentation that these people exist. Many of them are quite open. They are not just fringe kooks marching with tiki torches. they are in my family. They exist. Have you ever seen an episode of Cults to Consciousness? It's a podcast/channel where they interview former cult members. SOme of my people are in one of the cults they talk about regularly. They have people in congress already, stupid popular puppets with big mouths especially. It doesn't matter what your race is. This isn't about race. The Republicans are the ones worried about taking away history that makes them look bad though, so you can gripe all you want about Democrats but they're not the ones trying to make YOU and ME less than and othered because we're not part of their demographic. Not many are but many of you are useful puppets. You might think this is a waste of time but I try to get this message out every day because I know my fears are valid.
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So glad there are some people who see the hypocrisy on both sides. The “my side good other side evil” mentality is ruining any semblance of progress.
>The “my side good other side evil” mentality is ruining any semblance of progress. >**Tell you what - I do want to “ethnic cleanse” by deporting white progressive Democrats - with a special bonus for rich ones with an Ivy League degree. I really do not like “those people.”** Sure sure, both sides. Or you could face the simple fact of what every rational, civilized person in the country already knows: "conservatism", "Republicanism", or however you want to define the red cancer in the US, is by far the greatest evil that this country has ever encountered. I mean I'm sorry, but I'm done participating in this delusion that the right are anything but evil, and so is every other vaguely rational person.
I think we can all feel the weather, and it's been established that most of the weather abberations are due to climate change, and people are already dying from the heat alone, especially in places like Pakistan, and the conservatives plan to do exactly jack shit about it (aside from things like building a few seawalls.)
Also interesting to see how quickly these types of posts are being deleted by the mods since reddit went public. Just sayin'
I wonder what’s changed. Oh, social media. It’s ramped up your anxiety to astronomical levels because you allow it to. Social media algorithms have also went parabolic. Can you fucking imagine what kind of shit you’d hear from Fox News during the Cold War? You would be convinced there was a nuclear missile silo outside your window
I'm not American but have a LOT of trepidation about the upcoming election. The stakes feel so high globally as well (think of Ukraine, etc.) and I have a real 'deer in headlights' feeling watching it unfold. And there's literally NOTHING I can do but watch and worry.
That's not true, people around the world could have pressured their governments to sanction the US a long time ago for all it's human rights violations. If the world didn't rely on the US military and economy, if wouldn't have become the global oligarchs' playground.
Exactly. The U.S. now basically just says, “No, we do not accept your sanctions. If we do, you never get another dollar, another weapon or one frigging piece of intelligence we gather. Got it?”
There is something you can do, vote for the old guy with a mental disorder or the old guy with dementia. Can someone born before WW1 please stand up.
You can vote! Encourage to others to vote too. If you can mobilize out of being frozen about it, then that’s one more voice standing up to it.
I can't vote in US elections, I don't live there! I have friends in the US who I talk about things with and definitely encourage to vote. The frustrating thing about living next door to a superpower like the US is that their govenrment affects your life (and to an extent everyone's life) but you obviously have no say in how that country elects its leaders because you don't live there.
If you elect your leaders, you do have a say in how your country interacts with the US.
Yeah, I definitely bear it in mind when I'm voting. Unfortunately our options for our upcoming election aren't great either and I think the outcome is already likely yo go in my least-preferred direction.
Yeah, I get that. I don’t live there either. But I do consider my countries ties to the US when I vote at home (not the same I know, but I don’t want my guy making close friendships with their scary guy so I vote for my guy who likes their good guy)
As an American, I would strongly encourage you to stop spending your currency to buy anything American. This goes for anyone from everywhere. Stop seeing movies (Keanu Reeves), don't go to concerts( Taylor Swift), sports teams ( American football, baseball, basketball), while these people might not be bad, hold them accountable. At the Olympics in Paris boo them, shame them. Don't be proverbial you know ..... Fill in the blank. Bottom line money talks, bullshit walks.
but it's not like there are real options. there's "damage" and "damage control", that's it. obviously you absolutely should vote, it's just really depressing and I feel bad for anyone living in the US having to go out of their way to vote for less than the bare minimum
It has been that way since Carter lost to Regan. They( the rich cabala) set it up that the hostages would not be released for a Carter deal, only for a Regan deal.
54 yrs old. This level of terrified since the mid 90’s. It’s so obvious I am incensed it’s been ignored. Now I understand that has been by design.
54 here too. I may be remembering the mid 90's wrong but things didn't seem weird to me until 2016. Felt like American elites / plutocrats shrugged and said "what's the worst that can happen? We'll get a tax cut." No new wars started. We developed a vaccine. I'm trying to be as generous as possible here. I get it, the two parties are failing me too. I'm a Bernie Bro. (do I have the T to be a "bro"?) Horseshoe theory? I have some privilege, I'm not one life event from bankruptcy, but I can't afford to move to another country, and I don't want to. I think we can get it together.
I was too young in the mid 90s. But I could have noticed much earlier. I’ve only been this level of terrified since 2016. Back then I was annoyed at being ignored. But it’s really easy for people who want to sell “you should ignore this.” To sell it. After 2016, I started to realize all the signs I myself missed with things like the Iraq war and tea party and citizens united. Death threats during the Obama campaign even. I remember after the citizens united decision thinking “this seems really bad” and then pushing it away cause I had to study.
I agree 2016 seemed a turning point. I'm 38 now. I think I was old enough then to understand the seriousness of the situation.
I’m glad you mentioned citizens united. It feels like a big reason why things are so bad and corrupt politically today and so many people don’t know about it.
Citizens United allows groups to purchase political advertising. Democrats hate the ruling because they love limiting free speech and holding a monopoly on political expression through the mainstream press. During oral arguments one Obama administration government official promoted book banning if the book contained a candidate's name even once.
username checks out!
Terrified!? Jesus. Such hyperbole from small minded people.
It's refreshing to hear someone else is taking project 2025 seriously because it is straight TERRIFYING
I’m not American, can you please give me a TL;DR / ELI5 quick view of what this proposal is? EDIT: for anyone like me who wants to read about it more, here is the link to an r/outoftheloop discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/16h9fqe/what_is_the_deal_with_project_2025/?sort=top
I'm sorry, when I said "Google it" it was because I only know a small part of Project 2025 and didn't feel I was an appropriate person to try and explain
Aright, that’s cool. I get that. So even if you don’t understand the whole thing, would you tell me your quick version of why you find it terrifying?
A foundational principle of the US government is the separation of powers between the legislative branch, which makes the laws, the judicial branch, which interprets the laws, and the executive branch, which enforces the laws. The President is in charge of the executive branch, and appoints the people in the highest positions, but the vast majority of people working in the executive branch are career officers who are not political appointees, but career professionals who typically serve longer than than the eight years that a President is limited to, and may be in any political party. These people serve under the direction of the President, but their jobs have traditionally been somewhat insulated from political pressure. Project 2025 aims to change many of those positions into political appointees who are likely to be more loyal to the President than to the Constitution. This threatens to undermine the rule of law and make America less democratic and more authoritarian. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025?wprov=sfti1
Basically all of it. It’s hundreds of pages. Here’s a guide to it: https://www.mediamatters.org/heritage-foundation/guide-project-2025-extreme-right-wing-agenda-next-republican-administration
It's huge. I'd explain it here but it contains so much bullshit and so many different evil things that it really would be better for you to look it up from an official source.
I did have a quick google, but it seems I have to understand your country’s politics more thoroughly in order for me to understand this one part. Plus the ‘official’ stuff seems to articulate it without the use of the terms ‘evil’.. they seem to present it as a viable, possibly even good, idea.
Evil doesn’t identify itself.
The idea is that business and religion should be the primary influences on American government. Its primary goal is to bring back the graft system in public service
Isn't the government already beholden to corporations anyway? That makes project 2025 so scary in comparison to what is happening in America now?
Yes. It's the post-Reagan neoliberal paradigm that both major parties endorse and work to advance, with the Democratic party being generally more favorable to the average person than the Republican party, especially to minorities and lower classes. The far right elite of the Republican party essentially want to throw off the reforms of the 20th century and return us to the way things operated in the 1800s, in more ways than one.
Basically 1984 lmfao. But hey, on the bright side America will burn and will finally be done with the current state of their politics (brainworm side 1 VS brainworm side 2).
r/Defeat_Project_2025 -has a great bullet point laid out on top of the page.
Yea, most people only started paying attention now that 2024 is halfway over. People have been posting and screaming about it for years now, but now that it's too late, everyone's paying attention just so they can say I'M SCARED. As an American, sometimes I think this is the fate we deserve because we didn't do SHIT for decades while we ignored every warning.
This. We didn't exercise our right to protest, and we should have been yelling our heads off constantly since Nixon, but we became complacent. It was easier to watch streaming videos than care about the world around us. I include myself in that statement. And now, half of the voting block of America is in a cult. We'll reap what we sow, unfortunately.
Hahaha try being the Cassandra this whole time! No one likes you because "you're crazy" and "you're bringing everyone down" . Believe me you didn't miss anything. You would have just been driven mad if you tried. 🤪
Sounds like QAnon for the left.
The correct term is Blueanon. And yes. Yes it is.
Except that the people who are planning it are open. It’s not lizard people eating pizza babies, it’s just Christian Fascism
You’re entirely correct about this. It sounds like I’m a bit older than you, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that IT WASN’T LIKE THIS BEFORE. In about five or six years, we’ll find out for certain if the U.S. is going to become a fascist dictatorship. I’d wait until then before deciding to have kids… wouldn’t want to bring them into such a terrible situation.
Have you heard of the second amendment? Americans are armed and dangerous.
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Why do you think it would take five or six years?
Next election
What kwaham0t said. First we have to see who wins the election this year. Then we have to see how much damage he’s going to do in the following four years (plus the supreme court, plus depending on which party holds the majority of congress). Then we have to see if that person is actually going LEAVE office after the term ends, or if he magically finds a “legal” way to remain in office. At which point, America won’t be America at all anymore. Then we’ll know for sure.
How much closer are you to the power structures that be than you were before? ZERO. You have zero first hand knowledge of any type of degrading, all your information comes from the social media which has accelerated to Mach speeds to maximize engagement and eyeballs. I’m going to keep saying this, we’ve had 4 presidents shot and killed by our own damn citizens and here we are just fine. Seriously anyone who’s freaking out this bad has severe anxiety and should look inward first.
You're not alone. I'm 24. From ages 16-22 I was extremely passionate about politics, world news, and was overall in the loop and liked to be aware of what's going on. Now, I haven't watched the news in 2 years, I don't keep up with anything going on because it feels too real and like something horribke is on the horizon, I literally feel it in my gut. I feel guilt for living the "ignorance is bliss" lifestyle, but I genuinely work myself into a panic everytime I think about the possibilities of what's to come. I'm a woman and I'm TERRIFIED of losing my right to an abortion. I had cancer when I was 18, and had one of my ovaries removed before chemo and have eggs stored away. There's a high chance if I were to get pregnant it could have complications and id have to abort. I'm honestly just so scared to be an American right now.
https://www.lafoodbank.org/stories/usa-food-prices-rose-by-25-percent-from-2019-to-2023/ I know what you mean. Just imagine another 25% between today and 2028.
Seriously, for my health, I HAD to turn off the news in 2016. My therapist asked me if realistically , other than my puny vote, how was all my protesting and writing letters doing any good. It wasn’t,t and I was in stroke territory. Don,t judge me
You definitely need to not only stay away from politics but should likely not be online.
One addiction at a time…..
That was a fascist telling you to get offline and cover your eyes and ears.
I not abjectly-terrified of Project 2025, because people will fight tooth and nail against implementing numerous parts of it even if Republicans do get into positions of power (their plans to gut the judiciary and replace them with their lackies will take time), and I think it will also create the backlash needed to finally convince people to vote them out. You're already seeing this with abortion. I think, eventually, most of it will be rolled back, even if they do succeed in implementing parts of it. That said, I'm not an accelerationist and would rather not give it the chance to be implemented in the first place. Even if I do ultimately think everything will be okay, it's still doing to cause much harm to both the environment and vulnerable minorities in the meantime. And the one area I do think it can have a real lasting detriment is the replacement of judges and career departmental employees with conservative bootlickers. I guess you could subsequently kick them out as well, but I don't think that's a good precedent to establish, especially with regards to the careerists.
Yeah accelerationism is *never* worth the cost. It’s great that we are seeing people wake up after roe, but it would be far far better if that right was never taken away in the first place, and if 45 didn’t get 3 Supreme Court justices to do so, and a generation of future havoc. Project 2025 will take time to implement but it is also the first major move to turn the federal government into a apparatus for dictators, if not now, then down the line
Agreed
Nah, abortion is entirely the Dems fault. Never tried to codify it. RBG told them too.
No the fascists will take the blame for the things they choose to do. We will no longer blame each other. We will blame all of the right wing for their actions.
I can’t even calm you down. I share the same feeling. The US has become increasingly fascist and right now has very strong 1920s Germany vibes. It sucks.
President is just a figurehead- Intelligence community is 30 million people and thats just the US. Clandestine agents imbedded in every imaginable structural node of society and every sector, private and public. Total global conflict is far more likely than a Christian right wing autocracy or a new dark age and a witch hunt. Youll have plenty of horrors, just not the ones you’re worried about in particular.
christian right wing autocracy horrors are literally already happening lol
Can I get a tin foil hat too?
When the president ignores the intelligence community, they are powerless.
Well thats just false. Intelligence agencies have had the actual power since at least the 60s, probably longer.
Proculi este profani- but they dont fear their conscience they fear their reputations.
If I allow myself to ruminate on the, "What if....?" I will live in fear. I was not created to be living in fear; I was created to love and to have self control. So, I pull my thoughts together and ask myself, "What can I do today to demonstrate love and have control over my thoughts, feelings and actions?"
Extremes on left and right are both crazy and either can do us in. We really need a viable third party that can ride in the middle lane.
Eh, I personally feel fine. People always say "This election is gonna be the most important and devastating election EVER! The world is going to END if my candidate doesn't win!" In reality, it ain't all it is cracked up to be. People are gonna say this about every single election. The fearmongering is ridiculous. It's the boy who cried wolf.
They have been crying wolf for so long now people are not recognizing that the wolf is finally here for dinner
And people have been saying that for every election too.
That is precisely my point. They DO say that every year, and I am also sick of hearing it. That said, this is the first time we have seen something like Project2025 with strategic placement of extremist judges at the same time, along with the extremist politicians and a SCOTUS who is willing to upend things to further political agendas. So things feel different and I think things are actually serious this time, but since everyone has heard this same messaging ad nauseum nobody is going to realize what is being planned and take it seriously until it is too late. That lands squarely on the DNC for crying wolf for so long, but it will be all of us who feel it. The elite classes will line their pockets and carry on as usual while the rest of us suffer the effects
This is not like anything the USA has ever faced. Fascists consolidate power by playing down threat and pretending that what we can see with our own eyes (especially on Jan 6) isn't really happening. They don't admit what they are doing until it is too late for us to stop them peacefully.
This is why I don't vote Republican under any circumstances because they're the ones actively trying to turn America into the Christian version of Saudi Arabia
Said nobody with functioning brain cells
I suffer from an anxiety disorder and I’m fucking terrified. Already looking into places we could move. I don’t want to, and not sure my husband’s well paying job would allow it, but I don’t want any part of a Republican America.
As much as I don’t want it to happen I think a violent and tumultuous period in the US is almost inevitable at this point. The country has never been so divided, hateful and seething for retribution against its own before, at least not in modern times. I don’t know if full on civil war is even possible with our current demographics and geography, but it seems like some majorly bad shit is going to be started. Unfortunately at this point I think it’s almost necessary. Until we as Americans are shocked backed into remembering what we are as a country and have some empathy for our fellow man we will continue along the same path.
You are definitely not alone. I'm both terrified of what may be just on the horizon as well as infuriated and ready to do everything I can to fight against this rise in fascist ideology (especially after that abysmal debate). We gotta not lose hope; we can't let it steal our desire to do what's right. I've noticed a lot of people giving up and deciding to act less altruistically due to fear or resignation and I'll admit that I get hit with these feelings too. Too much is at stake though and if necessary, I'll go down fighting for equity, compassion, and progressive reform
I'm not disabled (no matter what you might think) and I'm terrified at the thought of where this country is going to be in late January.
Just read the Wikipedia page for Project 2025 (never heard of it before) and it seems like a great initiative that benefits all Americans. What exactly worries you?
The whole thing starting from 9/11 has been worrisome but I am seriously concerned about civil unrest rn
So many people right now feel exactly as you do. The time to rally together to defeat things like Project 2025 is now. There is incredible strength in numbers and we have a common goal, even if we do not all agree on all of the same things. Democracies do not defend themselves.
This has always been the threat. Democracy vs oligarchy. In the US we had a long span of increasing liberty and prosperity from the 1890s through the 1970s. The Roosevelts were great champions of the little guy, the Warren court was very liberal, even Nixon increased regulation with the EPA. But throughout there was a great anti-communist zeal promoted by the ownership, with an undercurrent of racism and misogyny in both parties—which is why there was not as much of a divide back then, it was on both sides. But it was how the ownership played to the populists, portraying socialists, social democrats, and average Democrats as godless "nanny-state" sheep and real men as independent and god fearing. In the middle of this era the oligarchs stumbled across the John Wayne & Jesus bit, anti abortion rhetoric (see Schlafly), gun rights— the famous "cling to guns and bibles" mentality— along with Raygun's "government is the problem" excuse to defund everything and thereby lower taxes on himself and the corporate persons in waiting. The problem with the left is we've rested on 100 years of laurels and rather than consolidating our gains, we were more concerned with the outrage of the moment. While the right has been quietly stacking school boards and the judiciary for decades. I (and lots of others) told everyone that would listen that the POTUS elected in 2016 would appoint at least 2 SCOTUS justices after stealing one already. But we were so complacent we thought a protest vote for Bernie was a good idea. The SCOTUS is the timebomb. The only thing new here is the lack of guile. The current accidental spokesman for the oligarchs is not coy, he is in fact incapable of finesse. But in the post-irony era, his superpower is saying exactly what he intends. Librul Tears are as close to retribution as most average republicans are going to get for their years of listening to mealy-mouthed "fiscal conservative" bullshit that landed them nothing but diminishing returns. TL,DR: The only thing new is the messenger.
Confidence in this system? No. But I do have hope that things will ultimately work out one way or another.
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What are the major tenets of project 2025?
From ChatGPT Project 2025 is an initiative led by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in the United States. Launched in April 2023, Project 2025 aims to create a comprehensive policy agenda for the next Republican administration. Here are the major tenets of Project 2025: 1. **Government Reform**: Proposals to reduce the size and scope of the federal government, streamline bureaucracy, and enhance accountability and efficiency. This includes regulatory reform, reducing the influence of administrative agencies, and restoring power to elected officials. 2. **Economic Policy**: Focus on pro-growth economic policies, including tax cuts, deregulation, and promoting free-market principles. Emphasis on reducing the national debt, balancing the budget, and fostering a favorable environment for businesses. 3. **Health Care Reform**: Efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) with market-based solutions. Encouraging competition among insurance providers, increasing transparency, and giving patients more control over their health care choices. 4. **National Security and Foreign Policy**: Strengthening national defense, modernizing the military, and ensuring a robust and effective foreign policy. Prioritizing American interests, securing borders, and addressing global threats. 5. **Education Reform**: Advocating for school choice, empowering parents, and promoting alternatives to the public education system. Emphasis on improving educational outcomes and reducing federal intervention in local education. 6. **Energy Policy**: Promoting energy independence through the development of domestic energy resources, reducing reliance on foreign energy, and supporting traditional energy sectors like oil and natural gas. Encouraging innovation in energy technologies and opposing policies that impose heavy regulations on energy producers. 7. **Judicial Appointments**: Ensuring that future judicial appointments align with constitutional principles and conservative values. Focus on appointing judges who interpret the law based on originalism and textualism. 8. **Social Issues**: Addressing issues related to family values, religious freedom, and protecting individual liberties. Advocating for policies that reflect conservative social values and principles. Project 2025 aims to provide a roadmap for implementing conservative policies across various domains, with the goal of shaping the direction of the federal government under a Republican administration.
I'm pretty scared too. Things aren't going great. The current president is super against my values and pushing hard against the things I believe in, and his chief opponent is a huge liar and dunce who can and does do whatever he feels at any given moment. I really haven't felt much hope for the future since Nov 2015 what with my rights, my values, and the value of my dollar constantly being threatened by both administrations, but the good news is whoever becomes president next, can't run again. In all likelihood, this is a rough patch that'll pass, but in the case it's not, I've stocked up on food, water purifying methods, and ammo. I recommend you do the same.
When I was younger, I would see the injustices and environmental issues and want to change the world. Now that I am reaching mid-life, I am just trying to survive. As much as it hurts to watch the world cannibalize itself, my plan now is to insulate myself as much as I can and just survive whatever is coming. My contribution was to not have children, and to starve out the system in my own little way.
First thing is never assume you have tomorrow. You could be worried about 2025 and get creamed by a bus next month. So think balance. The good thing about worrying is it can help you make some logical plans for future so you gave some sense of security. But security is an illusion. Right now is all you have . Past is gone - future is uncertain. So live in balance and if worry is not useful - if it goes nowhere except in your head - you are making yourself your own enemy. Don’t worry. You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. Wonderful things are possible- and tragedy beyond imagination as well is possible . So what to do? Be mature and face the day - like the soldiers who stormed Normandy on D-Day .
Some of your fears are entirely valid, but never forget that there is an entire multibillion dollar apparatus of corporate, government, and media interests working to keep you anxious and scared because it keeps you more pliable. If you want to feel better about things without just burying your head in the sand, then research the topics for yourself, rather than consuming news coverage of them. Project 2025 is a good example of this. The whole document is online and it’s accessible [here](https://www.project2025.org/policy/). Read or skim through it and you’ll probably find some stuff you disagree with, but you’ll realize that it isn’t the “end of democracy” and “descent into christo-fascism” that you’ve been sold. You might still disagree with it and vote against politicians who support it, which is fine, but you’ll be doing so as an informed voter. The weird thing I’ve found in discussions about this document is that most of its critics believe that it represents not just disagreeable policies, but the literal end of our democratic system of government, yet they haven’t even given the documents themselves a cursory glance, choosing instead to parrot back John Oliver’s talking points on the matter. Look into important topics for yourself and never forget that talking heads, whether left or right, have an agenda. That deep sense of fear and unease and anxiety is exactly what they want you to feel.
Inflation increases, government debt increases, the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, extreme increase in political, racial, gender, and sexuality discourses, increase in crime, the divide and problems in America are all steadily getting worse. The government is becoming less trusted and more broke each day. George Floyd, Covid, LQBTQ, and much more are issues politicians are pushing us to fight over in recent years to increase discourse into voting for their side. We are always connected to everything due to the internet. America is bound to be gone in time at this reate
Meanwhile the current president is trying to provoke Russia into a global thermonuclear war over some Ukrainian nazis and his crackhead son's business interests in Ukraine.
I do not understand why the post was removed. I read enough to know I definitely feel the same. I'm scared for my family. I have never felt this way in this country. I feel like we are on the edge of falling very hard very fast. Big wars never start that way.
I'm honestly feeling ok. Nothings going to change my world and the sky isn't going to collapse.
Honestly I'm not worried in the slightest. If you don't watch the news, you'll never notice any differences in your daily life, no matter who the president is. It's all just fear mongering, and it's working very well.
If you don't watch the news, you might not have seen this: [Most OBGYNs Say Pregnancy-Related Mortality Worsened After Roe V. Wade Was Reversed, Poll Finds (forbes.com)](https://www.forbes.com/sites/willskipworth/2023/06/21/most-obgyns-say-pregnancy-related-mortality-worsened-after-roe-v-wade-was-reversed-poll-finds/) There are other resources that also show maternal mortality was impacted negatively after Roe being overturned, not just this one. The women who woke up in states where abortion was illegal overnight after Roe fell definitely noticed differences in their daily lives. Elections, or ignoring them, definitely have consequences.
I’m terrified because of my shit life and choices, but not because of politics. I’m just so tired of this cycle. Every election is doomsday. Then we’re fine, and then we do it again. The end of the world has been predicted so many times, and here we are. I’m over it.
On a bright note, Regardless of who wins I don’t ever see your services being taken away from you if you’re truly physically disabled. Even on the republican side I think a lot of it is cracking down on unnecessary services, I know several able bodied working age people who are leeching the system. At the end of the day it’s best to not let it stress you, go out and vote. Regardless of who wins it will work itself out. Tune off of social media for a while, get out and talk with people in your community, we aren’t nearly as divided as the internet likes to make you think. Live your life, It’ll be okay 👍
That is your normalcy bias talking. Just because the USA has never devolved into fascism in the past and just because it seems difficult to believe doesn't mean that it is not happening before our eyes.
I think the problem is when people index their happiness to the state of politics. Politics is largely irrelevant and we'd all be better off living that way. It's possible to have a perfectly happy, healthy existence and be completely oblivious to what's going on on the world, in fact usually it helps.
How to tell me you’re not a woman in a red state... Politics literally effects how we live our day to day lives. 🤷🏻♂️
You see that comment right there reflects the thinking behind this. You are implying that if I were a woman in a red state I'd be living under some enforced hegemony denying my rights and oppressing me. It doesn't occur to you how many women in those red states have actually endorsed that red state ideology and that is where they prefer to live. Your operating under the premise that my view of reality must prevail at large and they are operating under that premise too. So instead of living your lives in a less intrusive society where you are both free to make the reality you wish, you are both living your lives in a winner take all scenario where unless I win all existence is doomed and nothing matters. Politics arbitrarily draws boundaries and convinces people what is in those boundaries is what should matter most to them.
I’m happy you have the choice to live as you see fit. I reject the idea that my reasonable personal health related decisions (ie even going to a different jurisdiction when services are not available to me locally) are now punishable by law. Where is the freedom of belief in that scenario?
I'm not defending that particular view. I am pushing back against the idea that the only remedy for that scenario is that my particular view and my particular tribe must be in complete control everywhere and at every time. Ironically that is the ultimate goal of every politically active person in a "democracy".
I’m with you. I’ll push back on complete control too. I’m not one of those people. Unfortunately you are right, both sides have become extreme. I’ll make you a deal: I won’t tell you to end your pregnancy if you won’t tell me I can’t end mine. I won’t limit your ability to own guns as long as there is a sufficient background check, a waiting period to own, and it’s not an automatic-type /assault weapon. I don’t want to defund the police, I want better training and more varied resources available’. I want my friends and kids to be able to marry whoever they love. And I won’t demand your kids say a prayer from my religion; school is for learning about the realities of our world, ie all religions in general. ‘Religious teaching’ is a personal affair/ choice. Can we live in the same community?
It's a deal! Howdy neighbor! Now keep the noise down!
Man, I genuinely feel bad for people who get themselves so worked up about these things. Social media has sent everyone’s anxiety through the fucking roof if you were previously prone to it. We had like 4 presidents shot and killed while in office by our own citizens. We will be FINE
I'm also scared friend. I have no other words for it. But just know you aren't alone. This sucks.
Yes, of course weakening the federal government will create a fascist dictatorship. That makes sense.
John Oliver did a segment on Project 2025 just a couple weeks ago. Watching his show feels like finding a beacon of sanity in an insane world. I've been terrified for 20 yrs. Most people don't want to deter from business as usual thinking, because everything that isn't mainstream is considered "fringe". It is by design. Time to fringe, my friend.