In the days since the election, I’ve felt a strange sort of nihilistic liberation. The fact that we live in a world where this can happen reminds me that A: life is not such a serious thing after all and B: pretty much anything really is possible, so fuck it, go for it! (Whatever “it” is to you personally)
Despite being a member of a protected class in the new order (middle-aged white guys) I was frankly rather depressed the first 24 hours or so after the election. I’ve long been aware that a significant fraction of the population of this country seems to positively celebrate oafishness, but to have it thrust into our faces like that took a bit of getting used to.
I’m fine now.
I’m doing okay. For the past few days, I’ve been engrossed in my work while listening to various Youtube mixes and clips. No CNN. No news at all. I just watched the last episode of Downton Abbey. Earlier today, I went to the movies and watched “Arrival”.
The sadness comes when I get too idle. So I’ve been staying busy.
I am concerned about the future of this country. I get that we made it fine though other Republican presidents. This isn’t why I’m concerned. You only have to look at the news to see good reason for concern.
I’m worried for my daughters. I’m worried about my 11 year old who was told Mexicans were going to get kicked out of the country by another child at school Thursday. I know it’s not true, but this is the new mentality. I saw the “build the wall” videos from other child’s middle school and the teacher who laughed while telling students their parents would be deported and they’d be left behind. I’m not worried Trump and Co. will deport my natural born citizen Mexican-American daughter. I’m worried about the mentality of people who are celebrating the possibility. I’m worried about the hope of the people who think they now have a possibility of controlling my daughters’ reproductive health. I’m worried about the friends I have who will possibly lose their health insurance when they’ve just started getting needed treatment. I’m worried about my friend Tim, who is married to the love of his life, who has adopted two little boys with him. I don’t think the world will burn or the country will “implode”.
You can mock us and snark about how we need a “safe space” but I know my concerns are valid even if you are living in denial.
“You” in general, of course.
We’ve got one…now, but a Trump-packed Supreme Court is likely to take it away from us.
If you have problem with moderation take it up in ATMB. This actually is a safe place- it’s called civilized interaction, where people can talk with out worrying about being insulted for their views.
If you have a problem with refraining from insulting people on this board, limit yourself to the pit because insults don’t fly in any other forum here.
I voted for Trump, so I was happy with the outcome of the election, though not giddy or anything. I saw one patient on Wednesday who had been out canvassing for Clinton the previous two weeks and was somewhat distraught, and a couple more throughout the week mentioned disappointment but it wasn’t at the forefront of their minds.
I have to admit, I’m enjoying some schadenfreude at the over-the-top reactions of my SJW acquaintances on social media (like this guy who has repeatedly boasted “nobody’s more pro-Israel than I am” and of how he was the Grand Marshal of the Israel Day parade, who has repeatedly talked about how proud he is of his daughter, who converted to Judaism, thus, incidentally, giving him more Jewish grandchildren than Bernie Sanders has, is going to throw Jews into concentration camps.)
I don’t think you understand why people are upset.
I can’t speak for everyone, but as a middle class, heterosexual white male who was born here I’m not at risk of anything. Nobody is going to take away my civil rights, deport me, prevent me from making my own medical decisions, promote draconian policing against me, etc.
I can’t remember how many elections I’ve voted in, but I vote in pretty much all of them (city/county, state, federal) and I do both the primaries and the general elections. I usually lean democrat but I’ve voted for republicans, green, libertarians, write in candidates, etc. for various positions.
I fully accept we do not always get our way at the ballot box. That is life and I’m ok with it personally.
This just feels different. Trump represents the worst of humanity all wrapped into one. And 60 million people voting for him validates that a huge chunk of the adult population are perfectly fine with that. It hit a lot of people hard.
And like I said, I personally do not stand to lose anything under a Trump presidency (unless you count him causing an economic recession or a major foreign incident). He will not remove my civil rights, deport anyone I am close to, etc. But even I’ve had trouble adjusting just because of what I feel 60 million people voting for Trump says about our character as a nation and about the people who voted for him. We need time to adjust. That is why people are protesting in the streets, they want to express that they do not identify with what Trump is identified with.
The Clintons did some bad stuff, but Trump is like the worst of every politician combined and people were ok with it.
Meh. Trump is a shitshow, but he was right about the electorate turnout and he won. I’m in a semi-rural community that went heavily Trump so the attitudes do not surprise me at all, but how wrong the pollsters were blew me away and also in a similar vein how much of an echo chamber the left was in when they unrelentingly accuse the right of that sin.
The mental realignment of my world view that, like the housing collapse in 2006-2007, no one really *knew *anything was … surprising, then disappointing, then tiring. like a low level stress headache after a minor car crash or personal upset. On the other hand it was intellectually interesting from a self analysis point of view how you think you have a hard, level headed bead on things and then the world flips upside down. It’s humbling, but also something interesting to ponder for future reference.
If you read books about grief, they talk about the differences in how the bereaved feel if was an expected death (terminal illness, or old age) or completely unexpected. The biggest difference is that people who know the death is going to happen do a lot of their grieving before the death even happens.
Now, as soon as Trump and Clinton got the nominations, I knew my hopes of not having a vile asshole in the White House for the next four years were futile. It’s been several months, so I’ve had a lot of time to make peace with the fact (or at least become resigned to the idea) that someone I hated would win this week.
So frankly, I’m fine. I had trouble sleeping this week, but that began on Sunday night due to the time change, and that happens twice a year to add extra delight to the nights of those of us who have sleep disorders.
I am used to watching stupid people do stupid things. Eventually they figure it out.
So here a bunch of stupid people voted in Trump. Well they just need to see for themselves what will happen. And it is starting already with his reneging on building that wall.
With time they will see why the rest of us voted against him.
I disagree that you have nothing to lose, Wesley.
If he dismantles Obamacare, this will have ramifications on everyone.
If he stacks the Supreme Court with ultra-conservatives, this will affect everyone. Just like Citizens United affects everyone.
Tax cuts for the wealthy? That affects you. Because that means less funding for social welfare spending, infrastructure improvements, medical research, and education.
Abolish regulations? Say hello to contaminated food, toxic air and water, and unsafe consumer products.
Privatize Social Security and do away with Medicare? You don’t think you’ll be needing these things 30-40 years from now?
You aren’t poor, black, Mexican, and Muslim, but whatever happens to them will affect you. These people hold jobs. They pay taxes. They live in your neighborhood. They vote for the same things you do. What happens to them will have an impact on you. We don’t live in bubbles. We are a society.
Just about every president has left a legacy. We owe Richard Nixon for the EPA. We owe FDR for social security. We owe Bill Clinton for the Earned Income Tax Credit. You may not be able to discern how these things have benefited you, but they most certainly have. Likewise, presidents can leave a lot of harm in their wake. So I’m not afraid of Trump because I’m a black with a pussy who kinda-sorta looks like a Muslim Mexican. I’m afraid of Trump because I have a feeling the legacy he’s going to leave behind will harm everyone. White heterosexual males included.
Fair enough. My point was that Trump didn’t run on taking away the rights and liberties of people like me directly. But even with that added buffer, I still took the election pretty hard. For people who Trump attacked directly, I’m sure they are taking it even harder.
I agree Trump’s policies could really screw my life up. The Iraq war cost 6 trillion when all is said and done, which is something we will be paying back for generations.
Yes! Yes! We are on the same wavelength.
I am certainly not a Trump supporter but one of his few positions that he made clear is that the 2nd Iraq War was a mistake. There is no evidence that he is a hawk unlike Hillary Clinton who has plenty of evidence that she is. It is perfectly possible that there will be zero new wars under his administration and even pull out of existing conflicts. Putin apparently loves him so there is that. Toning down a new Cold War is a valuable thing on its own.
He already claims that whatever happens to the ACA won’t exclude people with pre-existing conditions. Based on what I have witnessed personally, I don’t know how the ACA (Afforable Care Act - AKA ObamaCare) could be worse. It is the opposite of that. I am a professional that had to pay for it for other people yet I can’t go to the doctor myself because anything other than a catastrophic event is out of pocket and even more expensive than it has ever been before. Lots of people are in my situation.
You and your employer pay massive amounts for unemployed or impoverished people to get extremely cheap healthcare yet your own insurance gets disabled and you just have to pay for it yourself to the tune of many thousands of dollars a year. I think you can understand why that massive wealth redistribution scheme doesn’t sell well to the millions of people that are affected. ObamaCare only caused some of the rapidly rising healthcare costs but it didn’t do anything to address them either. That last point is enough to call it a failure in my opinion.
Today my neck is even worse than yesterday; I am having a hard time driving, even, because I can’t twist it or bend it without pain. Not fun. This hasn’t happened to me in many years.
My mental health never has been the best. I’ve had anxiety/depression for about twenty years now. Normally it’s something I can just handle but since the election it’s been just a thousand times worse. I feel betrayed almost by my country and the people around me. I also feel helpless to stop a hate train barreling down the tracks. Sometimes I am able to convince myself maybe it won’t be so bad. But then I hear more news that just sends me back into a spiral. First his election, then the constant hate crimes around the country, then his list of cabinet possibilities who will do nothing good for this country and now him doubling down on repealing the ACA which I desperately need. On top of that all, living in a house where all the adults think he’s amazing and vocally let me know this on a daily basis, it’s not easy. I’m not sleeping much, I’m getting horrible indigestion every day and this new stress is causing all sorts of other issues with my body. So basically, fun times.
This is very much how I’ve been feeling, but I’ve been doing a bit better today. I hope you will be soon too.
Bill Clinton? The EITC was enacted in 1975.
I keep doing the thing that makes things worse, constantly paying attention to what’s going on instead of just ignoring it. Yes, I know that people will say that you shouldn’t ignore it. That you have to be on your toes. But I just am not mentally well enough to do so, and I need to stop doing the equivalent of going to WebMD and trying to diagnose myself.
I’m not saying I’ll ignore bigotry and such. I can never do that. I’m saying I need to ignore politics for a long while. That’s what everyone I know who is doing well mentally is doing. They just don’t think about it at all. (And, yes, I know that’s a huge amount of privilege. I unfortunately need to take advantage of it. I’m truly sorry.)
Problem is, my usual refuge for when I need to not think about something bad–the Internet–is not helping me out. Trump talk is everywhere.
Oh, and physically my chest pains are still a problem, which puts a nice rotten icing on this shit cake.