# I am dreading Election day **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 21, 2024, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558 "2024-09-21T16:06:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/81 "2024-09-26T16:11:51Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’ve come to think it might be best for the world for the US to collapse quickly, before it does more harm While I understand the sentiment, I don’t get the apathy for Americans who didn’t vote for Trump, nor the assumption that the world will blithely go on as normal while a top power “collapses quickly.” ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/82 "2024-09-26T16:14:36Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > While I understand the sentiment, I don’t get the apathy for Americans who didn’t vote for Trump, nor the assumption that the world will blithely go on as normal while a top power “collapses quickly.” Every empire collapses and there is enormous pain and upheaval when they do. The quicker the empire collapses, the sooner the transition to new stability. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/83 "2024-09-26T16:17:14Z")
I acknowledge your willingness to sacrifice me and everything I care about for a brighter future for all, but I’d prefer to be able to make that decision for myself, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/84 "2024-09-26T16:18:13Z")
I am not putting a Harris/Walz sign in my yard because I honestly feel it would put my property in danger and maybe my family’s personal safety at risk. In addition to the proud-flyin’ Confererate battle flag down the street, across the street is a big-ass Trump - Keep America Great Again (which doesn’t even make sense) flag. I give credit to the unknown person in 2020 that changed the giant “Trump Pence” sign on the highway to “I Pump Penis”. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/85 "2024-09-26T16:25:30Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > I acknowledge your willingness to sacrifice me and everything I care about for a brighter future for all, but I’d prefer to be able to make that decision for myself, thanks. What the fuck are you talking about? I’m not taking any action other than posting in this thread. Americans insipid belief that we’re somehow different than every other nation that ever existed is why we’re collapsing. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/86 "2024-09-26T16:48:43Z")
I’m not sure how to make the point clearer. I’ll just say that I’m not rooting for the collapse of the country I’m in and am dependent on and leave it at that. Whether that makes me a bad person is another question entirely. (And happy Dope anniversary.) Back to the subject at hand: at T minus one month, next week Saturday, I personally plan to take advice from another thread and unplug from any political news or discussion. I’ll limit myself to Cafe Society and the Game Room here and the general news subreddit, which explicitly bars politics, and maaaayyyybe the politics subreddit, since as I’ve mentioned before, it almost entirely upvotes Democratic encouragement. It’ll stay that way until probably the Sunday after the election, to give time for news to settle and emotions to get past initial stages. I’m probably not alone in this. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/87 "2024-09-26T17:09:30Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’ve come to think it might be best for the world for the US to collapse quickly, before it does more harm and I think a Trump victory will bring that about, or at least continue the process at a faster pace. Wait, wait wait. You want Trump to win so that the US will collapse. I’m probably feeding a troll here, but what would you want to rise from the ashes? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/88 "2024-09-26T17:32:50Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Wait, wait wait. You want Trump to win so that the US will collapse. I’m probably feeding a troll here, but what would you want to rise from the ashes? I’m not saying that I want Trump to win so that the US will collapse. I’m saying that the collapse is likely inevitable, that it is better for it to collapse quickly, and that Trump is both a symptom and catalyst for that collapse. We are clearly and rapidly approaching the end to America’s global hegemony and we need to be thinking how that collapse impacts all of humanity. The fact that you equate saying bad things about America with trolling is indicative of how deeply flawed America is. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/89 "2024-09-26T17:35:45Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > The fact that you equate saying bad things about America with trolling is indicative of how deeply flawed America is. You’re literally endorsing Donald Trump, that’s different from “saying bad things about America” in general. And you’re endorsing him to speed up the collapse of the country. That does very much look like trolling. I think it’s more indicative of how deeply flawed _you_ are. Some of the problems that have led to Trump’s rise have been part of the country since its founding, and may have even been worse then. (Such as racism and provincial ignorance, among other things.) The obsession with nihilism and eagerness for entropy is not a healthy thing. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/90 "2024-09-26T17:45:11Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > You’re literally endorsing Donald Trump… No I am not, that is a literal lie. I said that the election of Trump might not be a negative for the world. I did not say I was voting for him, nor did I say that others should. The fact is, we very well might elect an insane fascist game show host president. Does that sound like the dawn of a new golden age of America to you? America might well be unsalvageable, similar to the Soviet Union in the late eighties. And similar to that time, there is this layer of complacent privileged morons who don’t understand the depth of the problem. In the end, the quick collapse of the US would be better than a long slow collapse where we keep lashing out and destabilizing the world. That’s not trolling, that’s a different conclusion than you have drawn. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/91 "2024-09-26T17:46:21Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > America might well be unsalvageable, similar to the Soviet Union in the late eighties. And similar to that time, there is this layer of complacent privileged morons who don’t understand the depth of the problem The United States of America bears no resemblance to the Soviet Union of the late eighties. This is doomfuckery at its worst. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/92 "2024-09-26T17:52:52Z")
I’ll give it one last shot - @madmonk28 - What would you like to see rise from the ashes of a Trump presidency? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/93 "2024-09-26T17:54:10Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The United States of America bears no resemblance to the Soviet Union of the late eighties. Let’s see, you have a large population of privileged people who are slow to realize the depth of the systemic injustices (ethnic Russians in the USSR, whites here); a huge prison apparatus, huge social and economic inequities, and extreme resistance to reforming the political space to accommodate new voices (remember how much the right freaks out about confederate statues coming down? Replace Lenin with Lee). ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/94 "2024-09-26T18:03:24Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’ll give it one last shot - @madmonk28 - What would you like to see rise from the ashes of a Trump presidency? America is becoming a leader in the new wave of fascism we see globally. With its collapse, I’d like to see authoritarianism begin to recede and democracy begin to take root again. But your question is simplistic. I’m saying that late stage America does more harm than good. I’m saying that its collapse might be better for the world than for it to lumber along, still able to use its military and economic might to cause havoc. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/95 "2024-09-26T18:06:11Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Let’s see, you have a large population of privileged people who are slow to realize the depth of the systemic injustices You mean like Trump and the GOP? Ok Agree. > [@madmonk28](#): > > a huge prison apparatus, huge social and economic inequities Agree there. Way too many people put in prison for stupid crimes like MJ. But that is coming around, slowly. The GOP wants to criminalize woman’s health care. I find that… troubling. > [@madmonk28](#): > > and extreme resistance to reforming the political space to accommodate new voices Sure. Go for it. Wadayagot? ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/96 "2024-09-26T18:08:08Z")
Madmonk28 is neither “trolling” nor “doomfucking.” I agree with just about everything they said in these recent posts. 47% of US residents are fascists, morons, or both. I do not know for sure, but there’s a possibility that – oh, let’s say Hungary (I could have picked any of several other countries, but let’s go with that) – is also about 47% assholes. Given this fact (for sake of argument), and also that it’s rather small, it makes sense that Hungary doesn’t have much influence in the world, and that it is ruled by a Trumpian, and the populous is pretty okay with that. It’s made its peace with its true character, and doesn’t fret over it much. (Apologies to brave dissidents there – surely there are some). We deserve no better, except that our military, economic, and cultural influence is outsized (and our population is bigger). That complicates our decline to the Hungary-like status natural to us. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/97 "2024-09-26T18:08:47Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I hate to inform you guys racism isn’t just southern, anymore. > > It’s a USA problem. Fully. Truth is, it never was just Southern. And still isn’t. But the South has a deep history and culture of black slavery that the other parts of the US don’t. Makes it special. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/98 "2024-09-26T18:14:10Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > But your question is simplistic. I’m saying that late stage America does more harm than good. I’m saying that its collapse might be better for the world than for it to lumber along, still able to use its military and economic might to cause havoc. My question was simple because I wanted to know what you thought where the next best steps. I’m saying that justice matters. And the criminals that brought us to this point (Trump etal [the list goes on, and on]) need to be tried and held accountable. Do you disagree? That will be the only way for democracy to take root again. Let democracy do its job. Having the US fail, is not a solution. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/99 "2024-09-26T18:15:04Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Every empire collapses and there is enormous pain and upheaval when they do. The quicker the empire collapses, the sooner the transition to new stability. Have you considered establishing a Foundation? ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558/100 "2024-09-26T18:16:11Z")
It’s telling how triggered some people are by the suggestion that America isn’t the force of good that they have been told their whole lives. Again, this is the problem. We have 45-50% fascists and then another however many percentage of “moderates” who think the whole thing will just blow over. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-dreading-election-day/1007558.md?page=6)