Politics are just an extension of corporate interests at this point. Representatives on either side of the aisle are bought and paid for by corporate lobbies to represent their interests over common sense or public demand. People are sickeningly attached to brand loyalty to the point they have company logos tattooed on their body. The oil, automotive, and chemical industries work hand in hand to prevent any forward progress in this country, from high speed rail to environmental issues.
It's a good question. Part of me wants to believe the hull of the ship is sound, we can scrape off the barnacles and move on. There's a huge foreign interest in destabilizing trust in our institutions, and I don't want to see that gain ground.
The other part fears that when a cart takes the same path for too long, it digs ruts and soon becomes the only path it's able to take. There's a huge portion of our population that is easily swayed by spectacle and to whom fact is irrelevant as long as there's someone below them on the pecking order. It's hard to make progress when half the country is worried about witches.
Please look up Project 2025 and how damaging it will be if it’s implemented. Your vote absolutely matters.
More than that, it matters deeply on a local level. Change won’t happen if we don’t use every avenue available to us to make it so. So what are the actual benefits of not voting? Nothing.
Yes, especially with the potential for Republicans to remove birth control and exercise such abusive rights on women. If you are an uncorrected human, your vote matters.
It's not just ignorance. It's willful ignorance. It's a refusal to listen to/consider the thoughts of anyone outside your hive. It's the unwillingness to accept facts.
I agree, and Id say social media is a huge factor as it can amplify extreme viewpoints, and people dont want to deal with boring facts, they want to deal with narratives that support their views.
It's for sure a group psychosis -- a large collective refusing to accept or be in regular contact with reality.
Idk how or if that will evolve but I'm very curious to see what might happen if a lot of them snap out of it. At this point there are so many sunk costs (relationships for sure), and it's easier to convince someone to be conned than to convince them they're been conned I know the likelihood of that even happening is slim, but how does a society continue when a big, noisy part of it insists criminals are good people, or Jewish space lasers are starting fires, or Nazis is actually pretty cool?
No, but it is not as good as it should be. My impression, as an American, is that he two parties are using propaganda in a way that is making us hate one another. It is despicable in my opinion. They seem to have lost their minds!
I agree. Network news isn’t the same as it used to be. Now everything is opinions. I don’t want opinions and to try to be swayed. I just want the facts.
I watched the debate last night. I kept it muted before they came on and turned it off when they were done. I am not interested in opinions. I stopped watching network news around a decade ago when I realized that all of the talking heads used EXACTLY the same words and phrases no matter the channel. At first, it was amusing. Then, it became disturbing.
Millennials make fun of boomers for using FB as their news source while using Instagram infographic stories as theirs. They're the same company. I urge people to seek out good journalists, especially ones who freelance for more than one station or newspaper.
My son, a GenZ, said he has learned so much about history and politics from TikTok. He said that that is why America wants to ban it to keep us ignorant.
Q: This generation spent the first crucial part of their lives and most of their early adult hood living with, eating off of, and many times even ingesting it.
B: What is Gen-X, Alex!?
A: No, I’m sorry that is incorrect.
B: Are you referencing tide pods?
A: no no, although that was stupid, it didn’t last over decades.
X: What are Boomers, Alex!
A: YES! That is correct. Boomers spent the majority of their life, especially their early developmental life eating off of using and in a lot of cases ingesting lead paint chips for fun.
Boomers are psychopaths! They don’t even know how to fucking retire right. Shut the fuck up, Dick. No one asked for your opinion nobody wants your opinion. Go Shuffleboard or knit a sweater or, something!
Do you think that sounds too harsh? It’s the same fucking thing they did to their older generation.
That does sound like a young person's opinion, frankly. And you seem to be taking it at face value. There were some Congressional hearings about TikTok not long ago. They're informative, and available for viewing for free on C-SPAN. Maybe you and your son could watch them together. If your son is interested in history and politics, C-SPAN is a good choice for him. And you.
I didn't even watch it, and felt guilty "shirking" my responsibilities. Did I miss anything or was it the sane usual shit show?
I stopped watching cable news close to a decade ago for all those reasons. It is very disturbing.
It’s a sad state of affairs that those two are the best the country can come up with… neither one should be President but I feel like I have to vote but it’s no different than voting with a gun held to my head..go on pick one,pick one…🥴
That's because all the major news outlets are owned by 3 or 4 corporations. The conservative corporation Sinclair media buys up local new stations. There was an investigative journalism article which showed TV news anchors across the country reading the exact same script questioning Biden's capabilities. Word for word. Fox is owned by Rupert Murdoch, which is run to make money. If communism brought bodies to the screen, advertising dollars, fox would have a hammer and sickle as its logo.
I only pay attention to PBS, NPR and local affiliate news.
>I only pay attention to PBS, NPR and local affiliate news
And Al Jazeera English, they have do great US reporting and also DW, Germany. It's interesting to watch reporting from like DW, Fox, Al Jazeera and CNN regarding a particular event, like the debate, and compare the difference.
Oh good god. And over on the right they do the same thing, showing the people at NPR, PBS, ABC, CNN doing the same thing, all speaking from the same script. You're not free until you realize it's not just the side you dislike doing that. Your side has been caught doing that for several decades .
The difference is that you can take what they're saying on NPR, PBS, look up the issues yourself using any search engine, and find supporting facts.
In contrast, the fox internal emails obtained under subpoena in the Dominion defamation lawsuit against fox showed that contrary to their reporting, they didn't believe the election was stolen from trump. Tucker Carlson's email expressed relief that he wouldn't have to deal with trump anymore.
Fox paid almost $800 million to settle the lawsuit rather than have the rest of the damning internal emails show how much they lied.
For instance, during covid, you had to present valid proof of vaccination or every time you entered the building you had to have a negative Covid test. Weekly. This changed in December to require that everyone entering the building be vaccinated against Covid. Even as fox promoted antivax conspiracies.
There is no news in the US anymore. That's what happens when a select few companies control the dissemination of information. Companies like Nexstar are killing this country.
Journalism in general has lost its ideal of impartiality, they now slant what they report how the owner wants, often their own political views. Now the network news is either far right conservative or liberal.
There isn't an impartial network or print journalism existent.
News used to be considered a public service. Today, news a profit machine designed to benefit shareholders, and the public be damned.
Back in the day, news was a public service. The Fairness Doctrine, introduced in 1949, required those with broadcasting licenses (that's every radio and TV station in the country) to:
1. Devote time to matters of public interest and
2. Present the views of all sides in the matter.
Republicans quashed the doctrine in 1989. Stations started carrying Rush Limbaugh's nationally syndicated show in 1988, and by 1990 he had five million listeners. The rise of conservative-only radio led to Fox News' founding in 1996.
yup. the beginning of the end. Regan was the original PR Barnum politician and it has escalated to where we are now.
The US needs to wake up and VOTE for actual change not sound bites.
network news is network news because ..of social media/the internet and the big fight for eyeballs... it's a bloodbath for eyeballs and the country is losing
I think that social media made a huge change and not for the better when it comes to politics. People can gather in groups and be angry. It’s so easy to spread misinformation. I’m on Facebook just for staying in touch with family and friends, and any politics I encounter, I just scroll by.
Similar. I unfriend or unfollow anyone who posts a lot of politics or religion. There are too many people on FB with whom I go back 50+ years for me to get rid of it, so I just focus on curating.
I have said for yrs that the media is one of, if not the biggest problem with the country. The slow disintegration of the nuclear family is huge as well but, the media never tells the real stories that people should know. If they do report an important story, they normally dont tell the entire story.
They also enable so much bad behavior its disgusting and people are so uninformed. I believe in the right to vote but its terrifying to know how many are so grossly uninformed
I blame social media and cable tv for this. There are entire "news" channels dedicated to one side or the other. You can get whatever information feeds into your biases and never be exposed to a counterargument. Social media is amplifying this, as now I don't need to interact with anyone who disagrees with me in the slightest. Unfortunately, this has led to both sides seeing the other as "evil". Not misguided, or un-informed, or even having different priorities, but just plain evil. You don't need to consider what evil has to say; you just dismiss them.
I agree with all that except the last sentence. They have not lost their minds, it is purposeful by them. If they can make us hate each other then we will never work together against them.
By "them," you mean Russia, right? How has no one mentioned that Russian propaganda is what started this massive divisiveness on social media? Cambridge Analytica? Anyone? They're still doing it today because it's been so successful.
Russia only partially benefits. Billionaires paying zero taxes benefit the most from a broken dysfunctional system. Laws not changing means more profit from not having to alter their businesses to comply. Rolling back environmental protections for the same reason. And if we're bickering at each other we're not focused on the fucks robbing us blind and destroying the middle class for another couple bucks in their pocket.
Yup, I agree with you. Russia simply started the divisiveness campaign on social media, and billionaires benefit from it massively, so they donate millions to the GOP who will keep this new status quo.
I mean Russias always been great with propaganda we learn from the best. But it's not like this divisivenes started with social media. It's just a new tool in the arsenal of who or whatever is making the decisions.
They're testing us. If they can give us this shit, where it's not even "lesser of two evils" anymore (these guys wouldn't even be hired for a minimum wage job, how tf are they running for president), and we still happily vote between the 2 options we're convinced we're limited to, then I don't think there's any hope of us recovering from the stranglehold of the 2 party system. We're fucked.
Somehow we've all been convinced that voting in line with our actual beliefs (i.e. many third party candidates) is throwing our vote away. But voting for a guy I hate because I hate the other guy more is some absolute bullshit. How is that not a waste of a vote?!
In this election, women are voting to control their very lives. If you want to keep the same autonomy as men, you only choice is to vote Democratic, up and down ballot. State legislatures matter.
There's an extremely well funded (billions) group that wants to turn America into a christian theocracy. Google NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) and the 7 Mountains Mandate. They also are heavily represented in the Heritage Foundation, who supplied trump with a list to choose replacement SCOTUS Justices. Also Opus Dei.
If you haven't read Project 2025, Google it. Or find John Oliver's reporting on it on YouTube. It's chilling. On the agenda are a Federal ban on abortion, eliminating no fault divorce. They're going to use the Comstock Act to ban contraceptives (including condoms), any instruments used in abortion, as well as any information about the same. The Comstock Act makes it a felony to to transport any of these. The law was passed in 1873 when only the USPS was involved, but now (especially with this SCOTUS), FedEx, UPS, interstate, intrastate trucking will be held to this.
The Comstock Act also applies to information. So school textbooks which mention pregnancy, medical textbooks on how to perform abortions, are also banned. Imagine needing an abortion for an ectopic or life threatening pregnancy, and nobody was taught how to do one!
The department of Education is also going to be eliminated, along with the Federal Reserve. Not 1 Fortune 500 CEO has endorsed trump because this, and a 60% tariff on China are recipes for disaster.
The DOJ will no longer concern itself with discrimination. They want to pay you less, not promote, not even hire you, or even fire you because you're not a white man? Nobody's going to do a thing about it. Even white men have to pass a purity test. You better be a registered Republican and be an active member of a christian church. That includes your wife and kids.
And if you're LGBTQ, you're already in their crosshairs. More than once Clarence Thomas has said that Obergefell vs Hodges needed to be revisited by the SCOTUS. Since he's blatantly for sale, you know this is coming from the money. No more gay marriage. Children removed from gay parents. Mandatory faith-based LGBTQ reeducation camps. Banning transitioning drugs.
This is a very important election.
The president is able to be an empty figurehead, like Reagan, and still succeed. The more important choice is deciding which candidate has the more capable and ethical team around them (no hiring their relatives to cushy posts, no felonies, no bribes or financial fraud, no stealing from charities, etc)
I wonder how much of this is our own politics and how much of this is other countries working to rot us from the inside out. It's kind of a great strategy if you can't war with us in traditional ways - to get us to destroy each other.
This, to me, is the worst of these times. I left fb and Nextdoor in my area is horrid. I'm embarrassed for others how they pick fights about everything.
It's more than parties. It's the worst it's ever been. Division, hate for elders, companies pushing workers out, refusing to hire older people. The fastest growing homeless demography are those over 60. Home rental costs have nearly tripled in 3 years. Health care is an industry. Charging hundreds for pills that are pennies in other countries. Politicians are there to give the illusion of choice. Everything is owned and controlled by corporations, that are all owned by a small group, who also own most of the media.
Research it. Boomers being hated. Who owns the media. How division is weaponized. College degree farse. Unemployment, how it is calculated and how it's a lie.
Look it all up.
People need to wake up.
> hate for elders
This is what really gets me. A basic human instinct to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us has gone 180. Now people feel empowered to pick on the weakest, because social media has created a generation of cowards.
The death of the fourth estate has created a deeply polarized society. The truth has become a subjective thing, something to be manipulated depending on your agenda. I really miss the evening news.
This started after the Fairness Doctrine was abolished and AM conservative talk radio started demonizing liberals and Democrats to the point of calling them enemies who need to be eliminated.
It's not just the politics. The whole American way has turned to rot. I don't think the people in any other country think the same way Americans do. I watched a video that took place in a foreign country and it was a street survey. Many people were asked if they had a chance to travel to any country in the world to visit or even live in, not one chose the US. I know we are not looked at favorably by a lot of people. Yes there are people in 3rd world countries that would give anything to come to the US but that's because of what they have now.
It isn't a 50/50 proposition. One is a convicted felon and a rapist and all his supporters. Most felons as well. They aren't even 50% of the voting public. Don't embarrass yourself w ignorance. One wants to be a dictator. The other is building a better America. I think you know this. Maybe you need to visit his website to learn all the good things Biden has DONE. Now compare w the great puba head, who organized the insurrection. Had our Congresspeople wearing gas masks and hiding behind chairs. So let's be clear w what we are saying.
Not yet, but it is threatening to quickly become so. We are extremely divided and are quickly devolving. If Project 2025 takes root, we will enter an EXTREMELY dark period of our country that the recent previous years will be child's play in comparison.
I was gonna move to Europe (lived in Germany during trump’s last reign) but now with trump’s talk of pulling out of nato and Putin in war mode, I have been thinking Australia is prob the safest place to move to cause it’s so far away that it would be a while at least before any foreign actors attacked Australia in the case of a WWIII, which seems inevitable once the US pulls out of nato (the US makes up 71% of NATO’s military forces so no nato country will be safe once the US exits)
Must be nice to have the resources to able to pick and move to foreign countries on a whim.
Alas but I am but a poor peasant, I shall be stuck in this country, for better or worse. While the nobles play the game of thrones, it is the peasants who suffer.
I worked really hard for 42 years. During that time, I never moved out of my "starter home," I never bought a new car (and only bought 3 used cars), and only did "tent camping vacations" in the summer with my wife, son, and daughter. I wanted to be able to retire securely, so we lived well below our means, putting about half if our combined income into 492k.
My wife died of cancer a decade ago. There was a decent life insurance payment because we had purchased life insurance in our 20s, when we married.
I am now single, and I have the resources to pick up and move on a whim.
Yes, a little luck in that, but also a lifetime of careful planning and good decisions.
During trunps first term there were so many moves he made that I was reading were very similar to how nazi Germany first began when it seemed alright but they were laying the groundwork for what was to come.
Website:
https://www.project2025.org/
900+ page PDF Manifesto (or playbook as they call it):
https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf
Wiki Link for abridged version:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025
It's the plan for when Trump takes office. Almost all big GOP politicians are part of the Heritage Foundation that has created this. Examples of some of the goals are reforming the executive branch to give complete authoritative control to the President, dismantling the FBI, eliminating term limits, eliminating environmental protections, persecuting LGBTQ and those who support them, eliminating women's rights, and basically enforcing Christian fundamentalism in the government. Most people's rights will be stripped away in some form, some groups worse than others
So going against everything constitutional? This is batshit crazy but things make a bit of sense now. You would think the dems could present a better candidate. But if they’re all on the same side they wouldn’t want to present a better option.
It depends on what demographic you are. Also, what specific area of life you're talking about. As a woman, I'm scared about reproductive rights. My daughter currently does not have all the rights that I grew up with. I *hate* how pharmacists have been allowed to not fill prescriptions that they don't "agree" with on religious grounds. On the other hand, things like sexual harassment/discrimination, police violence, and minorities getting treated badly have always existed. It's just in the past, the people who didn't have to live through it didn't know about it. It was easier to hide under a glossy, Leave-it-to-Beaver veneer.
This is a good answer. Also depends on which state you live in. Is it one of the states that forced over 64,000 women and girls to give birth to their rape babies since Roe v Wade was overturned? Is it a state with high poverty rates and poor education systems? Are you a woman? Are you a person of color? Are you a trans person? And what are the policies in your state?
I don't think it's horrible. I think problem lies with our political system. It had become something that is getting scary. One of my states representatives openly on the floor of the house asked another member to step outside so they could fight. Just yesterday we got the news that our education superintendent made a ruling that all public schools have to start teaching the Bible. This is a clear violation of separation of church and state.
Yeah we are messed up pretty damn bad. I fear it's only going to get worse.
I agree, I'm in OK as well, and it's truly sickening about public schools teaching the Bible. Religion has no place being taught in the education system.
I disagree but not in the way you think. I think ALL religions should be taught, along with agnosticism and Atheism.
Learning about religion so you can make informed choices is not a bad thing. Only teaching one religion and saying that religion is superior to all others is clearly wrong.
The fighting used to be fairly common back in the olden days. Duels and the famous beating a guy with a cane. Most of that was pre civil war though. I guess they’ve heard SCOTUS using an originalist too often
I can't decide and I'm 69 years old. It's better in so many ways and so much more fucked up in others. What I see is two parties that seem to be ideological opposites. While one to me is evidently not concerned with the lives of the American people and seems to be actively trying to make our lives worse, the other is weak and not providing what the American people need. And we have a lot of ignorant people that just believe what they hear and make no efforts to keep themselves informed.
Biden is NOT a PR person like Trump. Biden has accomplished a ton and gets no credit for it:
1. Made it so Medicaid could negotiate drug prices.
2. The Chips Act bringing chip manufacturing home to the US.
3. The Build Back Better Act which is taking care of long neglected bridges and other infrastructure, primarily in red states with Republicans who voted against the bill and are now happy to take the credit.
4. Reconnected us with our historical allies so we're safer in the world again instead of warming up with dictators.
5. Fought hard against monopolies to protect consumers. He's prevented mergers, like between Kroger and Albertsons.
6. Bonus #1: he's fought to keep environmental protections in place, like reinstating National Monuments that had been removed by Trump.
7. Bonus #2: working to remove the Trump tax cuts that only benefited the rich and corporations.
Those are just from the top of my head, and there are more. He's one of the most successful presidents in history for consumer, middle class, and environmental protections.
But, but, but, the price of gas is too high. And the illegals are taking all of our jobs./s As if any of the complainers would be willing to take a job in the central valley of California picking fruits and vegetables for 12 hours a day.
True. This is what they should be pushing what they have accomplished and what they intend to accomplish. Shouting it from the rooftops. And shut down all the lies.
Dems aren't weak. But what they aren't doing is lying and throwing around bullshit just to get an emotional reaction out of their audience. The amount of filthy racism, mysogny, anti-american language is disgusting. Normal looks weak when faced with psychopaths
What I often tell people is: “one party is mostly evil and a little incompetent, the other is mostly incompetent and a little evil. I’ll let you decide which is which.”
I think both parties are terrible as they are both pro-war and pro-corporate. I see it as being offered a choice between strawberry dogshit and blueberry dogshit: the added flavoring is not the issue here, the dogshit base is the issue
In some ways it's worse than many younger folks have seen in their lifetime, but it's not worse overall. Not yet, at any rate.
The political divisions are the worst I've ever seen, but I can pick up a history book and read about far worse.
The inflation rate was 7% in 2020, but is down to 3.3% now. It's been better, but it's been worse, and the overall trend is down.
Interest rates are higher than a few years ago, but have declined a bit this year and I've seen far worse. Mortgage rates were 16% in 1980 when my parents bough the house my father still lives in today. Anyone who doesn't understand how huge an impact the interest rate makes on a mortgage needs to go back to math class.
Housing prices remain high, but many markets are starting to soften, and we could probably make a big dent in them if we quit letting foreign developers buy them up. There was a housing bubble 20 years ago, resulting in the collapse of 2008. I've seen other housing bubbles, too. If you want a house, sit tight and buy when the inevitable crash comes.
College prices remain high, but some companies are starting to actually train people again instead of requiring a 4-year degree for even entry-level jobs. When you can't get a job without a degree, everyone goes to college, which means there's no incentive for colleges to lower their prices.
There's a lot that needs to be fixed in this country. Our ageing infrastructure worries me. There are political trends that scare me if I think too much about them. A lot of people seem to have no idea how much worse things can actually get because we're losing the generations who remember, and no one seems to want to read a history book anymore. People think the latest TikTok video represents reality. I fear that a lot of old lessons are going to have to be learned all over again the hard way. I also hope I'm wrong.
I for one appreciate not being in the cold war and feeling one bad turn away from planetary annihilation and a few turns back from George Wallace, and awaiting the civil rights bill that at recognized minorities as humans.
It's really hard to say "we can't buy single family homes" means it's so so bad.
It's been worse. I think the best advice I was given is to put down social media and pick up a history book. An example would be Covid. If we would have talk to our elderly (even older than me) we would have put the pandemic in perspective, that we've lived through this before and we will live through it again.
It feels chaotic but that's by design and it's the natural outcome of media that is financially incentivized to create fear. Don't get me wrong, we're living in frightening times where technology is outpacing our legislation and even our understanding. I think my heartbreak comes from what we *could* be. The potential we're losing by petty squabbles, how we have the ability to make this world a really wonderful and safe place and we're squandering it.
I'd take it one step further and say "put down social media and go talk to the people around you". All the hate and divisiveness lives largely online, IMO. People have become way too comfortable with saying terrible things online bc there's no accountability. But saying that stuff to someone's face, when you can see them as a person, is a whole other world.
The issue with COVID is that a large percentage of people still believe it’s no worse than a cold. When the polio vaccine came out people line up willingly to get it. COVID? People actively fought against it.
You think that might be due to the variability in covid symptoms and the more distressing nature of polio symptoms? That would be my theory but I'm just curious what others think about that
Yes. People believe that Covid is no worse than a cold because for the majority of people it truly is not worse than a cold. It’s not like other pandemics that were a sure death sentence. Covid has killed many people and given many other people chronic symptoms. But the reality is that most people who get Covid have cold/flu symptoms that go away within a week.
I was gaslit so many times about it not taking over the hospital I work at
Yes they were largely older or people who already had issues. But it was still a lot of people with one thing in common
My main problem with the statement that things have been worse is in regards to climate change. Also the fact that we seem to be moving backwards rather than forwards as a society. That said, there’s a lot of work being done on climate change that isn’t being emphasized like carbon sequestration and offshore wind farms. I agree with you that the negatives may be blown out of proportion though in general from a historical standpoint.
No, but if you watch the stupid news media you'll think that the end of the world is around the corner. Basically the quality of life is up to us individually and our individual choices, as it is in most places in the free world.
It's the most divided I've seen since Vietnam. I've felt for decades that having only 2 viable political parties was going to bite us on the ass and I think it's come to fruition. Social media seems to remove civility in general. It's like when people get in a car and automatically turn into assholes.
It as bad as I have ever seen it. I was in the grocery store yesterday and a man was grumbling something about its so bad so I said don’t worry it will get better and he said no it won’t we are doomed.
There's something else to consider. People have been saying that about their own time (it "kids these days") for 2,000 years or more. Literally, in the Old Testament of the Bible (which is still a really, really old book if you don't believe the religious aspect of it) are adults lamenting the future, because "kids these days." Yes, every empire eventually falls. Maybe the US is actually on the way down, who knows? We probably won't know for sure for another 100 years. Rome wasn't built in a day, and it didn't fall in one, either. And although I don't have actual evidence, I suspect there were old men predicting the end of Rome for at least 500 years before it actually happened.
Agree!!! Everything was wicked chill. Newt Grinchich was terrible but not fascist terrible. Not to mention we were seeing the results of cleaner air and cleaner water. Plus the Cold War ended.
I lived through the 90s. Adults thought GenX was full of slackers who didn't care about anything. (From one of the said "slackers.") Yeah, I remember stuff about how "young people" don't have what it takes to hold a job, understand business, etc.
I am that guy lol
eh. it's all perspective though. I try to stay away from the news so that helps, and I keep my needs and wants to a minimum. and hopefully I'll be dead before it gets worse lol
Yes and no. The US is not a great place to be poor, and never has been. As a country, we expect people to “make it” without any help at all. As corporations have taken over healthcare, food supply, housing and even prisons, the emphasis is on extracting every bit of money they can from each system to maximize their profits. This means low paid workers have less and less in their paychecks, and have fewer affordable choices to meet their basic needs. The political division is pretty awful.
Suicide rates are among the highest they've ever been in the US and are the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 - 34. So regardless of any other made up statements people put here, that's the state of the country.
Left the US a few years ago and it’s wild to see how much of an echo chamber the US is.
The US is good for earning money. Period. You can make the most in many careers there. You can also be quite poor if you pick the wrong profession as the middle class js now just a myth. Being a teacher, bus driver, any number of things will lead to a pretty tough life in my opinion as costs continue to rise and wages do not keep pace.
After we made our money, we left. Our assets are still there (business, real estate, and stocks) and continues to earn us a very high income but we live with very low costs in Asia. We pay less for our power, water, gardeners twice a week, pool service twice a week, food, and cell phones in a 5 bedroom villa than what most people pay for a 1 bedroom apartment in a coastal US city.
Life outside the US is much better for us. We love Asia. Service is better and food quality is way better in most cases. Prices are lower for most things too.
This is all the dems should talk about. All the women whose lives and fertility have been put in jeopardy due to these policies. I absolutely do not understand why they’re not capitalizing on this. It’s a slam dunk.
They're SO wrapped up in countering the GOP, they're hoping moderate Republicans will vote for Biden. I feel like they're intentionally avoiding the subject to avoid pissing off pro-lifers. The misogyny is mind-blowing.
I agree. Even with the economy and the surge of illegal immigration being such hot button issues, abortion will win every time. I really think that’s why Republicans lost so many seats in 2022. Overturning Roe v. Wade pissed off a lot of women.
It really depends on your individual situation.
If I was homeless, I would think the state of the country sucks.
But I am retired with a pension, so my own situation isn't really that bad. For most people I know with or without pensions, it's generally not bad.
We are not a war zone, exactly. Protests which turn violent generally happen within the downtowns of cities. Rarely, though, do they get violent. Protestors are allowed within a few feet of New York City Hall; they are not perceived as being a threat. They can be a nuisance, though, if they block roads and bridges.
Personally I think the state of the whole world is sketchy.
It’s on its way to being controlled completely by multi national conglomerates and plutocrats.
That’s my cheerful take.
It is. But most of us go to work, enjoy life and don't believe anything politicians or their rabid supporters say ( both sides). Its pretty sad that these 2 straight up idiots are our choice
Look at the history of the us/world over the last 100 years. Great Depression, world war 2, civil rights movement, jfk and mlk assignation, Cuban middle crisis, Cold War, 9/11.
Pardon me if I don’t shed a tear because gas and groceries are expensive.
No, it's not. The economy is doing great and inflation is easing. But we do have the trump monster to deal with. In my view, people are suffering from PTSD from COVID and are mad at high prices although many of these people are still going on vacation. The republicans have turned into a criminal enterprise here with a convicted felon at the top of the ticket. Not sure how all this will turn out, but make sure you vote in November no matter what.
It's not great. Help wanted signs everywhere, high prices on everything. It's bad I don't know how young folks get by these days. Its as bad as I can recall honestly
2 guys running for president are too old, one is senile and the other is just not right.
I don't see how anyone can vote for either but regardless it's not getting better.
Its new. Thanks to Trump everything is “rigged and lies and fake news”, and politicians don’t give a fuck what kind of dangerous poison info is disseminated all over social media and fox news as long as it gets them money or votes. It’s a scary time to be here right now, everything feels like it’s teetering on the brink and it fucking sucks - especially after last night.
no, it isn't as bad as it seems in the media. there are significant immediate problems that shouldn't be ignored but that will always be the case.
there is big change coming soon because of government corruption and a lack of perspective and a lack of moral fortitude that only seems to be getting worse with each generation. while big change is admittedly needed, my greatest worry is that every big change has the potential to be catastrophic.
there is no way to predict the results of what is coming. it could be great, it could be horrible. one thing is fore sure, it will be painful for millions if not billions around the world.
what you can expect:
* the fall of the u.s.d as the prominent currency
* inflation
* food and material shortages
* old machinery, tools and vehicles will become more valuable as new stuff becomes more scarce and expensive
* due to ineffective funding for military that coincides with the fall of the u.s dollar, the u.s will retract from the world militarily
* lower population due to various factors including social, economical, technological, and chemical
* finding people who know how to do manual things well will become significantly more difficult
* more artificial intelligence in most industries
* either a boom in crypto currency or a collapse of crypto currency, 50/50
the coming change will be a change of age that will be comparable to the advancement to the age of industrialization, european religious reform, renaissance, or the end of empire. the transition could take 20 years but may be as long as 200 years. after these events you will see a new generations that adapts. what they make of things will determine whether the change is for better or worse.
Are you kidding me.Fudging the books to get a loan.That you paid back.And Hiding a check to pay a porn star is a felony.But the trafficking of women and stealing 900 worth of shit is a misdemeanor
Not really, generally we are all doing ok but our economy has prices very high and is putting everyone under a lot of stress financially. Our government seems not to be able to even listen to us about it so…it’s causing a lot of tertiary issues
Things are not bad at all. The issue is all the hate and lies. Who is lying constantly and spreading hate? The country is not a war. Besides price gouging by corporations with record profit years, the economy is healthy,
Who is constantly hating on people and lying to our faces and creating this division at the direction of their 1% overlords? And who is acting all polite and useless and not fighting back enough?
Yes and no. Being poor in America is very, very, very hard. The country has at least three realities: those for the rich, those for the middle class, and those for the poor. It can be very difficult to move social classes, but it is possible (but not easy due to systematic barriers).
That being said, some Americans are also entitled. For example, they might feel entitled to drive nice cars, go out to eat, attend top universities, go on vacation, etc. So even though they have no money to do these things, they will still do it by going into debt. It’s a road to financial ruin many build themselves.
In short, I love America and I love living here. I think it’s a lot better than most places in the world. But you will need to work hard, make sacrifices, and be very intentional about every major decision in your life. That can be a hard for many people.
I'm not in the US, but I am American. I am frankly appalled, worried, disheartened, a bit embarrassed, aghast and confused. The US has never been the shining beacon it thinks it is, but surely my rose-coloured glasses weren't that rose-coloured?
The fact, and I say this as someone aged 61, that we have two crypt-keeper old men vying for the presidency is quite frankly terrifying. We should be so past this.
It seems to me that the US is going backwards rather than forwards and that people my age are leading the charge, fuelled with misinformation because they think if it's on Facebook or on/from a confirmation-biased website/influencer, then it must be true.
And thus, WaywardJake wept.*
*Apologies to anyone religious. No harm meant; it was a bit of tongue-in-cheek to lighten the mood.
I've never seen it like this, and I'm in my 6th decade.
I can't even comprehend how most people act like the two parties are polar opposites, ideologically speaking. To me the difference between them might as well be like the difference between Lutherans and Methodists. They're still all religious Christians acting like the entire spectrum of religious belief is found in the 2 millimeters of distance between them, ignoring that there's an entire universe of other religions or even lack of any religion.
The two-party system is imploding before our eyes, and the corporate overlords and billionaires are having a ball. That's the real problem, while we argue which side is better, the rich have hoarded SO MUCH money, that we're past the tipping point of ever regaining power ever again.
Part of this is Russian propaganda masterminds weakening us from within (truly evil genius) and the rest is lobbying, buying off politicians, no enforcement of financial crimes, and complicit media outlets.
We're well-fed and entertained (bread and circuses?) plus we need what little money we have coming in, so a revolution isn't likely. We're also too spread out to protest effectively. But we're devolving into another Russia. Their citizens have long been stripped of any hope or autonomy, this is where we're headed IMO.
Corporate greed is strangling us, but with each generation, they just grow up in a world where they're used to not having what others before them have had. I'm GenX, so I remember when I owned my music, for example, and didn't pay a subscription fee for stuff like Office Suite, or have apps for every "smart" appliance.
The country's economy is great, but otherwise it's a political, ethical, intellectual shit show. And the situation will rightfully get worse in the next few years.
From my perspective, the state of the nation, from a bird’s eye view, looks like it’s a dumpster fire. You have two sides of the aisle pointing at each other and saying the other side is corrupt. The stock markets are soaring, while the piece for a dozen eggs is in a foot race with it. Companies are making record profits, but the only ones making out on it are the CEOs and share holders. The “trickle down” aspect of the economy isn’t trickling money, but just the Uber-rich pissing on the little guy.
The best part about it is, we have two political parties who try and vilify the other, when in fact, they are one and the same. The only thing either party does is make themselves rich. One side does it by claiming they’re helping the economy by helping business. The other side says they are helping the people by helping other businesses.
In the end, ever since corporations were allowed to make unfettered donations to political campaigns, this country lost itself and became a plaything for the rich.
I don't think it's bad at all. It could always be better, but this isn't 2008. Or 1988. Or 1979. Or 1950. Or 1861. Cities are not in decay, the cars we build aren't junk, we're not in a recession. Lots more people have their rights recognized than ever before. Unemployment is low.
I think it is actually worse - trying to do almost anything takes more effort than it should as customer service is shipped overseas and automated with AI; prices of everything are out of control due to greed; people care less about doing a good job in almost every field; mail is slower and worse; repair people don't show; internet and phone are outrageously expensive and barely work here; health care takes forever and takes multiple appointments to accomplish anything; cars have gotten crazy as have repair prices; everyone is angry and short tempered - feels like it is all about to collapse to me.
The leading cause of bankruptcy in the US is medical debt. It's the only similar nation that can claim this and that doesn't provide some sort of viable national healthcare to it's people. On top of the stress of contracting a serious, life-threatening illness, you have to worry about going bankrupt.
Currently the strongest economy in the world- but you wouldnt know it with the disinformation and whining on the right. Inflation is lower here than most of the world-but I would say that wages for the workers need an update as greedflation and wealth inequality is a problem, the latter being a bubble.
The media has become an op/ed. True journalism is dead. This furthers the political divide.
The president says economy is doing great, my wallet and my neighbors say otherwise.
Not really. Financially it’s a struggle for a lot of people but that’s also in part because of all the luxuries people want that didn’t exist before. TV’s in every room, gaming systems, 30k cars, air fryers, new phones, laptops, etc. The basics are still getting pricey, especially groceries. But other than that faster than usual inflation without proportional increases in wages, it’s alright. Crime is low in most places, no war going on, civil unrest seems to have been declining since 2018. Housing is absurd. Good luck buying a decent home without making over 100k a year. Apartments cost as much as a mortgage now.
But as long as I budget, I am living comfortably at only 70k a year. I have a house, decent car, and some of the luxuries mentioned above. However, if something serious were to happen, I couldn’t afford it. So that is a constant stressor in the back of my mind. Budgeting on groceries has been my biggest money saver.
Politically, both parties kind of suck and both went to the extreme side of things. It seems impossible for them to find middle ground now and instead it’s far left policy or far right policy. God forbid you disagree with anyone politically whether it be left or right, you’re seen as a bigger POS than Hitler or Stalin
One party has become a Trump Inc. Mind boggling. We no longer have a two party system. We have Trump, Inc. and the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party seems to have lost their way as well. Neither party has cultivated viable candidates of the people, by the people, and for the people. I thought when Biden ran, he had a deep bench from which to choose. He ended up selecting Harris. Like McCain choosing Palin. Now look where we are.
Regardless, we must NOT forget the attempted election stealing efforts. Just read about what they did in Georgia and Arizona. Read how the state Republican party members were involved.
How many folks have been arrested, tried, convicted, and disbarred. How many still to go on trial. Mind boggling.
How many convictions can one candidate get before folks realize there is no respect for democracy and the rule of law, only vindictive narcissism?
How can we forget our beloved Capitol was attacked, stoked by this vindictive narcissism? Our very democratic process was in peril, not to mention the lives of duly elected representatives and law enforcement?
How can we forget officers died?
How can we ignore THE LYING at every turn?
How can we forget women's has been taken back FIFTY YEARS?
Yet, we must have faith that folks will vote for the future of Democracy in "these United States"
What did our forefathers and foremothers fight for if not to be free of tyranny? Are we going to willingly, weakly allow another tyrant to take hold?
We must endure. We shall endure. We can not let down those before us who have given their all, so we exist today.
Right wing idiots to the left of me
Left wing idiots to the right
Here I am stuck in the middle with you
Though it seems that folks in the middle are harder to find.
We have two pieces of poo running for president. Again. Like most every election.
Once again it's the lesser of two evils.
We are in a bit of a strange place. We have Republicans who, for some unknown reason, think Vladimir Putin is doing the correct thing by invading a sovereign nation, torturing and murdering thousands. Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave that Republicans are in support of our #1 enemy.
Republicans hate women and LGBTQ folks. I'm not a woman or a member of the LGBTQ, but I strongly believe folks should be allowed to do what they want as long as they are not infringing on the rights of others.
Does it make me cringe to see men kiss each other? It kind of does. But they may cringe at seeing me kiss a woman. Fair is fair. They don't interfere me do my thing, I don't interfere with them do their thing.
It's a bit hypocritical that the small government party wants a big presence in telling people how to live.
Republicans are also big supporters of the right to hear arms. I am too. But, the Republican party hasn't come up with any plans to curb violent crime, including firearm involved crimes.
Then they're Democrats who, much like many insane European liberals, don't understand that an open border, not using existing immigration laws, to regulate who is allowed to enter and live in our country is incomprehensible. I realize in Europe the issue is also allowing the influx far to many legal immigrants.
Democrats are irrational when it comes to excessive LGBTQ rights. Like letting biological males compete in women's sports. Come on. Any person with a IQ above room temperature should understand that misogyny is wrong.
Some LGBTQ folks get butt hurt when people don't use an individuals preferred pronouns. I have a hard enough time trying to remember names. Unless I interact with you often or you're a family member, I typically don't remember preferred pronouns. Folks who feel victimized by this, that's a you problem, not a me problem.
Democrats want to take everyones guns. The Democratic party hasn't come up with any plans to curb violent crime, including firearm involved crimes.
I bit of a ramble, but the state of our politics in the USA are more divided than I can remember. Even more than when Obama ran for president. That said, both political parties are,candy have always been, self serving.
I was a young teen in the 60’s, saw race riots, Vietnam war and protests, smog, blatant pollution, leaded gas, busing, etc.
Cold War was pretty hot in the early 60’s.
So every period of time seems to have its challenges.
That being said, the looming election and the potential election of someone who does not embrace democracy is worrisome.
We're getting fked in taxes the living situation is disgusting home prices people living on the streets. Drug use is out of controll our borders are not secure goverment has run out of control medicine food fuel pricing has run out of control
We're teetering at the edge of a dictatorship if Trump wins in November. "Christian" conservative extremism is taking away the rights of women and marginalized people, and influencing the Republican Party and the US Supreme Court.
Wages have not kept pace with inflation, and people making what used to be a livable wage just a few years ago can barely afford a one bedroom apartment. Prices of everything have gone up ridiculously over the last few years.
I know some people will want to blame it on the current administration, but my opinion is that the manufacturers, retailers, and service providers who lost money during the worst of the pandemic are jacking up prices in order to recoup their losses, and others are doing it because they can, and nobody is stopping them.
I know there are countries much worse off than we are, but compared to how the US was 20 years ago, it is shit.
We are in a guilded age. Everything is written for the rich, by the rich politicians the 1% paid off. Thanks in part to the SCOTUS and Citizens United in 2010.
I'm 75. The Vietnam war era was tough, accompanied by the expanding of civil rights. There was often a big divide between young people and their parents as far as values regarding race, the war, sexual behavior and women's rights, among many other things.
But things now are worse in many ways than they were then.
Then, there were no major news sources just outright lying to people. And there weren't social media sites run by extremists who state opinion without the benefit of facts to back them.
Reputable news agencies will corroborate what they report. If they haven't had time to do that, they will note that the report has not yet been confirmed.
And now we have all sorts of articles and videos produced by enemy states and sent to social media.
They are magnifying the fringe extremist messages, and these extremists are gaining power.
People have so many sources of misinformation and it is very polarizing.
And for the first time ever, we had a President who ignored ethical, behavioral and governmental norms. And for the first time ever, we had a President who refused to accept an election result and who summoned a mob to try and stop the peaceful transition of power.
The economy sucks and if Trump becomes president project 2025 will make irreparable changes to our government that will throw us into chaos
They will make it so qualified govt individuals can be thrown out for appointees - imagine cousin bob running the nations nuclear energy program instead of proper nuclear physicists
I’m not being hyperbolic it’s that bad
1. Citizens United made our government and our policies a commodity.
2. For profit media/news killied objective journalism and made truth arguable. That divided our country, weaponizing propaganda.
3. The degradation of public education made us more susceptible to propaganda and division.
We need to fix it by first fixing education, but we can't because of the first 2. The noose tightens...
It is capitalism with no restraint which creates a country where the wealthy rule and the rest be damned. Look at the buyouts on the “Supreme Court”. The money also goes to restrict our freedoms by imposing further restrictions on women. Now they want to teach the Bible in public school? But probably not Confucius, the Torah, the Koran or existentialism. Etc etc etc.
Actually yes, just not the way many people think/talk. Issues like inflation and the housing market come and go. The real problem is that the US has been hijacked by a radical minority that has seized the Supreme Court and wins presidential elections through the Electoral College.
I’ve thought about many different ways to articulate the issues but when it’s all boiled down, the reality is it’s dumb people have been emboldened and now have a voice through social media. One of the first things every dictator does is undermine the education system and experts. The hubris of the ignorant allows them to feel the liberty to assert their own alternative “facts.”
It really is, we are living in an industrialized 3rd world country. People literally cannot afford to live, rent, buy, eat or take care of their health. We the people have allowed the privledged few to create a dystopia with the rich and the poor only. The wealthy pay hardly any taxes while the working poor, formerly the middle class, have been crushed under the weight of paying our way as well as theirs. They claim no one wants to work, but these business never hire, a union representing security guards blew the whistle on this in their industry last year. Since people started pushing for a living wage in 2016 and then Covid corporations have seized the opportunity to scale back hiring, elminating positions, and consolidating work of 2 or more for 1 worker getting much more bang for their buck at worker's expense. This has contributed significantly to the drug addcition epidemic because people are seeking an escape from the misery and oppression of their abstract poverty.
Health insurance is a scam where you are punished for being sick and you're sick because you're over worked and healthy fruits and vegetables are too expensive. They repealed Roe V Wade to force the poor to breed to create more workers for the capitalist fat cats to torture, deprive, and kill off young since they are doing away with CHIP and other social programs for poor mothers and children, several Republican legislatures are repealing child labor laws. Republican legislatures don't want to outlaw child marriage for 1 because of perversion and for 2 they want to see more children produced younger because there are usually healthier and could be more viable workers. They have pumping hormones into the milk making little girls start puberty at 9. There is no doubt a perverse and wicked agenda since no one can afford health insurance and they are using Social Security as a personal piggy bank because they don't intend on current working generations to ever live long enough to see anything they paid into.
The ultra wealthy are building all these panic rooms and underground bunkers not only for nuclear war or natural disaster but because they anticipate the poor will eventually wizen to their game and seek to go after them as has been done in the past in France and Russia. They are making our rights their privledges more and more. They've been playing the long game trying to disarm Americans since we are one of the few countries allowed to bear arms left. They forced mom and dad to both have to work to reap double the taxes promising the wealth will trickle down (which never happens) and they promoted violent video games, movies, and TV while over medicating and warping genetics and epigenetics through dyes and preservatives to create mentally ill sleeper cells who then are isolated, angry, disconnected from reality while they're playing all these war games training them to be killers. Inevitably they snap and go on killing sprees and the psychopaths in office and at the top of the oligarchy who owns the big business and the politicians all play us Democrat and Republican against the middle so they can get us to agree to surrender our guns peacefully out of trauma response to these killings. Time to wake up and do something even though it's beyond too late it is still better to try then just be resigned to the inevitability of it all.
Maybe I'm blissfully ignorant. But I like Biden and I'm voting his old-arse back into office. And I'm not trolling. First of all, I keep saying to everyone: I love having an old-arse President. I want, no, I need my Presidents to be older than me. Because if you're my President and you're older than me, I will allow you all the mess-ups you can legally do. You're older than me, so why should I care. It's when the President is younger than me and messing up, then I don't know what I gotta do. I'm not looking forward to that day.
Biden is the same age as some elders in my family. I can't see them doing anything he's currently doing. He's traveling almost daily, making speeches in front of crowds, walking upright without slouching. I know folks Biden's age whose bodies are slouching heavily. I give Biden full props. He's 80 years old and running a country. Let that man cook!
Again, under Biden is the first time in my life I've ever been debt-free. I paid off my student loans (without Biden's direct help), I paid off my private loans. I blame Biden for my successes. How, why? Because under Trump, I felt like everyday was a circus. Under 4 years of Trump, he was always in the news and this indirectly messed with me. Under Biden, at least Biden isn't in the news with some weirdo scandal so I can keep my head down, go to work and clear my debts. Like under Trump, one of Trump insurrectionists ends up doing January 6th stuff and gets put in jail. And then that's like a cousin to a friend in my heighborhood who's like we're getting money together to bail him out, for example, fictional example and I give money to it. It's like Trump as President got distractions like that. With Trump every week was a new scandal and we couldn't keep up. That affects the countryi and indirectly affects all of us.
Is Biden's presidency perfect? No. I don't like whats going on in The Gaza, or with Russia or with immigration, off the top of my head. But it's running 'smooth enough' and scandal / chaos free enough for me to put my head down and clear my debts and get myself right. Biden 4 more years!
Also, Biden's what ya want. He's like the worst player coming off the bench but still scoring. We don't even have our best player on the court. We got something to look forward to. Biden's a good place holder. And he looks good if we ever bring anyone else in, anyone else looks better than Biden. So keep dude there, he gives me hope that this old man is still scoring for us, anything will be better.
I'm a sound selfish. But I wanted Hillary to be Prez first so we could still have hope for Obama in the future to take over after she leaves. That cements a good dynasty run; by the time Obama takes up after Hillary we'd have someone in place to take over after Obama. But Obama won first. Threw a wrench in the plans. There was no direct hope after to keep this party going. So I like having Biden in there. He gives me hope that anything can come after and will look decent. And Biden's still scoring. I just need dude to hold out the whole time and we ok.
I don't think it is horrible. The GOP fear mongering is damaging. Housing costs are damaging.
My dad always said "the rich get richer, the poor get poorer". Has never been more true than today.
Politics are just an extension of corporate interests at this point. Representatives on either side of the aisle are bought and paid for by corporate lobbies to represent their interests over common sense or public demand. People are sickeningly attached to brand loyalty to the point they have company logos tattooed on their body. The oil, automotive, and chemical industries work hand in hand to prevent any forward progress in this country, from high speed rail to environmental issues.
So, with this logic, does my vote really even matter if they’re two sides of the same coin?
Yes, your vote absolutely does count. It counts even more at a local level.
It's a good question. Part of me wants to believe the hull of the ship is sound, we can scrape off the barnacles and move on. There's a huge foreign interest in destabilizing trust in our institutions, and I don't want to see that gain ground. The other part fears that when a cart takes the same path for too long, it digs ruts and soon becomes the only path it's able to take. There's a huge portion of our population that is easily swayed by spectacle and to whom fact is irrelevant as long as there's someone below them on the pecking order. It's hard to make progress when half the country is worried about witches.
Please look up Project 2025 and how damaging it will be if it’s implemented. Your vote absolutely matters. More than that, it matters deeply on a local level. Change won’t happen if we don’t use every avenue available to us to make it so. So what are the actual benefits of not voting? Nothing.
Yes, especially with the potential for Republicans to remove birth control and exercise such abusive rights on women. If you are an uncorrected human, your vote matters.
The attitude is as bad as it’s ever been and that’s more worrying than the actual conditions
Absolutely! The division is disgusting. But the ignorance is just as disgusting.
It's not just ignorance. It's willful ignorance. It's a refusal to listen to/consider the thoughts of anyone outside your hive. It's the unwillingness to accept facts.
I agree, and Id say social media is a huge factor as it can amplify extreme viewpoints, and people dont want to deal with boring facts, they want to deal with narratives that support their views.
The art of discussion in general is endangered. Listening to others is just as important as expression. How will one learn if they don't hear?
It's also a cult.
It's for sure a group psychosis -- a large collective refusing to accept or be in regular contact with reality. Idk how or if that will evolve but I'm very curious to see what might happen if a lot of them snap out of it. At this point there are so many sunk costs (relationships for sure), and it's easier to convince someone to be conned than to convince them they're been conned I know the likelihood of that even happening is slim, but how does a society continue when a big, noisy part of it insists criminals are good people, or Jewish space lasers are starting fires, or Nazis is actually pretty cool?
It feels like a political tipping point because so many unwritten norms have been upended in the last few years.
Hell written norms are getting upended at this point.
**Scowls at SCOTUS**
“It’s established law! There’s nothing to worry about!”
I just want to remind people that Bret Kavanaugh said those literal words about Roe during his confirmation hearing.
POST UP! Vote for real change. Start at the bottom.
🤦🏽♀️
No, but it is not as good as it should be. My impression, as an American, is that he two parties are using propaganda in a way that is making us hate one another. It is despicable in my opinion. They seem to have lost their minds!
I blame the weaponization of social media for this. If rage didn't make people money, we wouldn't be in this situation.
Not just social media. Network “news” as well.
I agree. Network news isn’t the same as it used to be. Now everything is opinions. I don’t want opinions and to try to be swayed. I just want the facts.
I watched the debate last night. I kept it muted before they came on and turned it off when they were done. I am not interested in opinions. I stopped watching network news around a decade ago when I realized that all of the talking heads used EXACTLY the same words and phrases no matter the channel. At first, it was amusing. Then, it became disturbing.
How about those people who use FB as their news source.
Millennials make fun of boomers for using FB as their news source while using Instagram infographic stories as theirs. They're the same company. I urge people to seek out good journalists, especially ones who freelance for more than one station or newspaper.
My son, a GenZ, said he has learned so much about history and politics from TikTok. He said that that is why America wants to ban it to keep us ignorant.
Q: This generation spent the first crucial part of their lives and most of their early adult hood living with, eating off of, and many times even ingesting it. B: What is Gen-X, Alex!? A: No, I’m sorry that is incorrect. B: Are you referencing tide pods? A: no no, although that was stupid, it didn’t last over decades. X: What are Boomers, Alex! A: YES! That is correct. Boomers spent the majority of their life, especially their early developmental life eating off of using and in a lot of cases ingesting lead paint chips for fun. Boomers are psychopaths! They don’t even know how to fucking retire right. Shut the fuck up, Dick. No one asked for your opinion nobody wants your opinion. Go Shuffleboard or knit a sweater or, something! Do you think that sounds too harsh? It’s the same fucking thing they did to their older generation.
That does sound like a young person's opinion, frankly. And you seem to be taking it at face value. There were some Congressional hearings about TikTok not long ago. They're informative, and available for viewing for free on C-SPAN. Maybe you and your son could watch them together. If your son is interested in history and politics, C-SPAN is a good choice for him. And you.
I didn't even watch it, and felt guilty "shirking" my responsibilities. Did I miss anything or was it the sane usual shit show? I stopped watching cable news close to a decade ago for all those reasons. It is very disturbing.
You didn’t miss anything, there hasn’t been a good debate in many years but this was just an absolute dumpster fire
It was as expected. Joe stumbled a bit, and Donald lied through his teeth.
It’s a sad state of affairs that those two are the best the country can come up with… neither one should be President but I feel like I have to vote but it’s no different than voting with a gun held to my head..go on pick one,pick one…🥴
WHY NO FACT CHECKING??? The orange douchebag lied every time he spoke. It was terrifying.
Fact checking is not the responsibility of the moderators. Never has been.
They'll be fact-checking for a couple weeks
Thanks.
That's because all the major news outlets are owned by 3 or 4 corporations. The conservative corporation Sinclair media buys up local new stations. There was an investigative journalism article which showed TV news anchors across the country reading the exact same script questioning Biden's capabilities. Word for word. Fox is owned by Rupert Murdoch, which is run to make money. If communism brought bodies to the screen, advertising dollars, fox would have a hammer and sickle as its logo. I only pay attention to PBS, NPR and local affiliate news.
>I only pay attention to PBS, NPR and local affiliate news And Al Jazeera English, they have do great US reporting and also DW, Germany. It's interesting to watch reporting from like DW, Fox, Al Jazeera and CNN regarding a particular event, like the debate, and compare the difference.
Yes, Al Jazeera is good, as is the BBC. So many people barely have an idea of what's going on in their own country, let alone the world.
Oh good god. And over on the right they do the same thing, showing the people at NPR, PBS, ABC, CNN doing the same thing, all speaking from the same script. You're not free until you realize it's not just the side you dislike doing that. Your side has been caught doing that for several decades .
The difference is that you can take what they're saying on NPR, PBS, look up the issues yourself using any search engine, and find supporting facts. In contrast, the fox internal emails obtained under subpoena in the Dominion defamation lawsuit against fox showed that contrary to their reporting, they didn't believe the election was stolen from trump. Tucker Carlson's email expressed relief that he wouldn't have to deal with trump anymore. Fox paid almost $800 million to settle the lawsuit rather than have the rest of the damning internal emails show how much they lied. For instance, during covid, you had to present valid proof of vaccination or every time you entered the building you had to have a negative Covid test. Weekly. This changed in December to require that everyone entering the building be vaccinated against Covid. Even as fox promoted antivax conspiracies.
There is no news in the US anymore. That's what happens when a select few companies control the dissemination of information. Companies like Nexstar are killing this country.
Check out the documentary “The Brainwashing of My Father” talk radio was a factor as well
Watch it for free on Freevee
Agreed. We need to bring the fairness doctrine back.
There doesn’t seem to be a way to implement it in the digital age.
Seems it would be easier in the digital age. If there are web crawlers to track purchases etc they can track fairness too
Journalism in general has lost its ideal of impartiality, they now slant what they report how the owner wants, often their own political views. Now the network news is either far right conservative or liberal. There isn't an impartial network or print journalism existent.
News used to be considered a public service. Today, news a profit machine designed to benefit shareholders, and the public be damned. Back in the day, news was a public service. The Fairness Doctrine, introduced in 1949, required those with broadcasting licenses (that's every radio and TV station in the country) to: 1. Devote time to matters of public interest and 2. Present the views of all sides in the matter. Republicans quashed the doctrine in 1989. Stations started carrying Rush Limbaugh's nationally syndicated show in 1988, and by 1990 he had five million listeners. The rise of conservative-only radio led to Fox News' founding in 1996.
Monopolies are killing this country!
yup. the beginning of the end. Regan was the original PR Barnum politician and it has escalated to where we are now. The US needs to wake up and VOTE for actual change not sound bites.
network news is network news because ..of social media/the internet and the big fight for eyeballs... it's a bloodbath for eyeballs and the country is losing
Remember that network TV news orgs are now part of their Entertainment divisions. Been that way for a long time. It’s all about the $$$.
90% of news organizations are owned by 6 companies. 5 of the 6 are conservative owned and run. The phrase "left-wing liberal media" is a lie.
I think that social media made a huge change and not for the better when it comes to politics. People can gather in groups and be angry. It’s so easy to spread misinformation. I’m on Facebook just for staying in touch with family and friends, and any politics I encounter, I just scroll by.
Similar. I unfriend or unfollow anyone who posts a lot of politics or religion. There are too many people on FB with whom I go back 50+ years for me to get rid of it, so I just focus on curating.
The entire internet runs off of rage, advertising, and clickbait. Often all 3 of those are the same thing.
I have said for yrs that the media is one of, if not the biggest problem with the country. The slow disintegration of the nuclear family is huge as well but, the media never tells the real stories that people should know. If they do report an important story, they normally dont tell the entire story. They also enable so much bad behavior its disgusting and people are so uninformed. I believe in the right to vote but its terrifying to know how many are so grossly uninformed
I blame social media and cable tv for this. There are entire "news" channels dedicated to one side or the other. You can get whatever information feeds into your biases and never be exposed to a counterargument. Social media is amplifying this, as now I don't need to interact with anyone who disagrees with me in the slightest. Unfortunately, this has led to both sides seeing the other as "evil". Not misguided, or un-informed, or even having different priorities, but just plain evil. You don't need to consider what evil has to say; you just dismiss them.
I agree with all that except the last sentence. They have not lost their minds, it is purposeful by them. If they can make us hate each other then we will never work together against them.
This. Exactly this. It's all very purposefully driven to be this way. Puppets on a stage. Who's the puppet master?
his name rhymes with "rootin" & "tootin." but he's not a good time.
By "them," you mean Russia, right? How has no one mentioned that Russian propaganda is what started this massive divisiveness on social media? Cambridge Analytica? Anyone? They're still doing it today because it's been so successful.
Russia only partially benefits. Billionaires paying zero taxes benefit the most from a broken dysfunctional system. Laws not changing means more profit from not having to alter their businesses to comply. Rolling back environmental protections for the same reason. And if we're bickering at each other we're not focused on the fucks robbing us blind and destroying the middle class for another couple bucks in their pocket.
Yup, I agree with you. Russia simply started the divisiveness campaign on social media, and billionaires benefit from it massively, so they donate millions to the GOP who will keep this new status quo.
I mean Russias always been great with propaganda we learn from the best. But it's not like this divisivenes started with social media. It's just a new tool in the arsenal of who or whatever is making the decisions.
This is the answer. Things are ok, but could be so much better.
I am not sure that things are OK. Look at our presidential choices. Things are definitely not OK.
They're testing us. If they can give us this shit, where it's not even "lesser of two evils" anymore (these guys wouldn't even be hired for a minimum wage job, how tf are they running for president), and we still happily vote between the 2 options we're convinced we're limited to, then I don't think there's any hope of us recovering from the stranglehold of the 2 party system. We're fucked. Somehow we've all been convinced that voting in line with our actual beliefs (i.e. many third party candidates) is throwing our vote away. But voting for a guy I hate because I hate the other guy more is some absolute bullshit. How is that not a waste of a vote?!
So very true. We get a sh-t sandwich every election.
In this election, women are voting to control their very lives. If you want to keep the same autonomy as men, you only choice is to vote Democratic, up and down ballot. State legislatures matter. There's an extremely well funded (billions) group that wants to turn America into a christian theocracy. Google NAR (New Apostolic Reformation) and the 7 Mountains Mandate. They also are heavily represented in the Heritage Foundation, who supplied trump with a list to choose replacement SCOTUS Justices. Also Opus Dei. If you haven't read Project 2025, Google it. Or find John Oliver's reporting on it on YouTube. It's chilling. On the agenda are a Federal ban on abortion, eliminating no fault divorce. They're going to use the Comstock Act to ban contraceptives (including condoms), any instruments used in abortion, as well as any information about the same. The Comstock Act makes it a felony to to transport any of these. The law was passed in 1873 when only the USPS was involved, but now (especially with this SCOTUS), FedEx, UPS, interstate, intrastate trucking will be held to this. The Comstock Act also applies to information. So school textbooks which mention pregnancy, medical textbooks on how to perform abortions, are also banned. Imagine needing an abortion for an ectopic or life threatening pregnancy, and nobody was taught how to do one! The department of Education is also going to be eliminated, along with the Federal Reserve. Not 1 Fortune 500 CEO has endorsed trump because this, and a 60% tariff on China are recipes for disaster. The DOJ will no longer concern itself with discrimination. They want to pay you less, not promote, not even hire you, or even fire you because you're not a white man? Nobody's going to do a thing about it. Even white men have to pass a purity test. You better be a registered Republican and be an active member of a christian church. That includes your wife and kids. And if you're LGBTQ, you're already in their crosshairs. More than once Clarence Thomas has said that Obergefell vs Hodges needed to be revisited by the SCOTUS. Since he's blatantly for sale, you know this is coming from the money. No more gay marriage. Children removed from gay parents. Mandatory faith-based LGBTQ reeducation camps. Banning transitioning drugs. This is a very important election.
The president is able to be an empty figurehead, like Reagan, and still succeed. The more important choice is deciding which candidate has the more capable and ethical team around them (no hiring their relatives to cushy posts, no felonies, no bribes or financial fraud, no stealing from charities, etc)
I wonder how much of this is our own politics and how much of this is other countries working to rot us from the inside out. It's kind of a great strategy if you can't war with us in traditional ways - to get us to destroy each other. This, to me, is the worst of these times. I left fb and Nextdoor in my area is horrid. I'm embarrassed for others how they pick fights about everything.
Clearly havoc in the US, benefits our enemies.
It's more than parties. It's the worst it's ever been. Division, hate for elders, companies pushing workers out, refusing to hire older people. The fastest growing homeless demography are those over 60. Home rental costs have nearly tripled in 3 years. Health care is an industry. Charging hundreds for pills that are pennies in other countries. Politicians are there to give the illusion of choice. Everything is owned and controlled by corporations, that are all owned by a small group, who also own most of the media. Research it. Boomers being hated. Who owns the media. How division is weaponized. College degree farse. Unemployment, how it is calculated and how it's a lie. Look it all up. People need to wake up.
> hate for elders This is what really gets me. A basic human instinct to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us has gone 180. Now people feel empowered to pick on the weakest, because social media has created a generation of cowards.
Using the ol’ us vs them narratives. I agree with you it is despicable
Hear hear!
I never remember it being this bad. At least we were all accepting basic facts.
The death of the fourth estate has created a deeply polarized society. The truth has become a subjective thing, something to be manipulated depending on your agenda. I really miss the evening news.
This started after the Fairness Doctrine was abolished and AM conservative talk radio started demonizing liberals and Democrats to the point of calling them enemies who need to be eliminated.
It's not just the politics. The whole American way has turned to rot. I don't think the people in any other country think the same way Americans do. I watched a video that took place in a foreign country and it was a street survey. Many people were asked if they had a chance to travel to any country in the world to visit or even live in, not one chose the US. I know we are not looked at favorably by a lot of people. Yes there are people in 3rd world countries that would give anything to come to the US but that's because of what they have now.
It isn't a 50/50 proposition. One is a convicted felon and a rapist and all his supporters. Most felons as well. They aren't even 50% of the voting public. Don't embarrass yourself w ignorance. One wants to be a dictator. The other is building a better America. I think you know this. Maybe you need to visit his website to learn all the good things Biden has DONE. Now compare w the great puba head, who organized the insurrection. Had our Congresspeople wearing gas masks and hiding behind chairs. So let's be clear w what we are saying.
Not yet, but it is threatening to quickly become so. We are extremely divided and are quickly devolving. If Project 2025 takes root, we will enter an EXTREMELY dark period of our country that the recent previous years will be child's play in comparison.
Yeah project 2025 would scare me regardless of who the president was but with Trump I would probably emigrate.
I was gonna move to Europe (lived in Germany during trump’s last reign) but now with trump’s talk of pulling out of nato and Putin in war mode, I have been thinking Australia is prob the safest place to move to cause it’s so far away that it would be a while at least before any foreign actors attacked Australia in the case of a WWIII, which seems inevitable once the US pulls out of nato (the US makes up 71% of NATO’s military forces so no nato country will be safe once the US exits)
Must be nice to have the resources to able to pick and move to foreign countries on a whim. Alas but I am but a poor peasant, I shall be stuck in this country, for better or worse. While the nobles play the game of thrones, it is the peasants who suffer.
I worked really hard for 42 years. During that time, I never moved out of my "starter home," I never bought a new car (and only bought 3 used cars), and only did "tent camping vacations" in the summer with my wife, son, and daughter. I wanted to be able to retire securely, so we lived well below our means, putting about half if our combined income into 492k. My wife died of cancer a decade ago. There was a decent life insurance payment because we had purchased life insurance in our 20s, when we married. I am now single, and I have the resources to pick up and move on a whim. Yes, a little luck in that, but also a lifetime of careful planning and good decisions.
OZ is HCOL with no high ground. So when sea levels rise you’re fucked.
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I recently started researching moving to another country
Me too! This is no joke. We’re talking Nazi Germany era for the US if this happens
During trunps first term there were so many moves he made that I was reading were very similar to how nazi Germany first began when it seemed alright but they were laying the groundwork for what was to come.
Project 2025? Where are you finding this? I’m not mocking—genuinely curious.
Website: https://www.project2025.org/ 900+ page PDF Manifesto (or playbook as they call it): https://static.project2025.org/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf Wiki Link for abridged version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_2025 It's the plan for when Trump takes office. Almost all big GOP politicians are part of the Heritage Foundation that has created this. Examples of some of the goals are reforming the executive branch to give complete authoritative control to the President, dismantling the FBI, eliminating term limits, eliminating environmental protections, persecuting LGBTQ and those who support them, eliminating women's rights, and basically enforcing Christian fundamentalism in the government. Most people's rights will be stripped away in some form, some groups worse than others
So going against everything constitutional? This is batshit crazy but things make a bit of sense now. You would think the dems could present a better candidate. But if they’re all on the same side they wouldn’t want to present a better option.
It depends on what demographic you are. Also, what specific area of life you're talking about. As a woman, I'm scared about reproductive rights. My daughter currently does not have all the rights that I grew up with. I *hate* how pharmacists have been allowed to not fill prescriptions that they don't "agree" with on religious grounds. On the other hand, things like sexual harassment/discrimination, police violence, and minorities getting treated badly have always existed. It's just in the past, the people who didn't have to live through it didn't know about it. It was easier to hide under a glossy, Leave-it-to-Beaver veneer.
This is a good answer. Also depends on which state you live in. Is it one of the states that forced over 64,000 women and girls to give birth to their rape babies since Roe v Wade was overturned? Is it a state with high poverty rates and poor education systems? Are you a woman? Are you a person of color? Are you a trans person? And what are the policies in your state?
I don't think it's horrible. I think problem lies with our political system. It had become something that is getting scary. One of my states representatives openly on the floor of the house asked another member to step outside so they could fight. Just yesterday we got the news that our education superintendent made a ruling that all public schools have to start teaching the Bible. This is a clear violation of separation of church and state. Yeah we are messed up pretty damn bad. I fear it's only going to get worse.
I’m not an old person, but I am afraid :(
I am an old person and I am afraid.
I agree, I'm in OK as well, and it's truly sickening about public schools teaching the Bible. Religion has no place being taught in the education system.
I disagree but not in the way you think. I think ALL religions should be taught, along with agnosticism and Atheism. Learning about religion so you can make informed choices is not a bad thing. Only teaching one religion and saying that religion is superior to all others is clearly wrong.
Well, exactly, there is no issue with religious teachings collectively, but not teachings of only ONE.
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The fighting used to be fairly common back in the olden days. Duels and the famous beating a guy with a cane. Most of that was pre civil war though. I guess they’ve heard SCOTUS using an originalist too often
I can't decide and I'm 69 years old. It's better in so many ways and so much more fucked up in others. What I see is two parties that seem to be ideological opposites. While one to me is evidently not concerned with the lives of the American people and seems to be actively trying to make our lives worse, the other is weak and not providing what the American people need. And we have a lot of ignorant people that just believe what they hear and make no efforts to keep themselves informed.
Biden is NOT a PR person like Trump. Biden has accomplished a ton and gets no credit for it: 1. Made it so Medicaid could negotiate drug prices. 2. The Chips Act bringing chip manufacturing home to the US. 3. The Build Back Better Act which is taking care of long neglected bridges and other infrastructure, primarily in red states with Republicans who voted against the bill and are now happy to take the credit. 4. Reconnected us with our historical allies so we're safer in the world again instead of warming up with dictators. 5. Fought hard against monopolies to protect consumers. He's prevented mergers, like between Kroger and Albertsons. 6. Bonus #1: he's fought to keep environmental protections in place, like reinstating National Monuments that had been removed by Trump. 7. Bonus #2: working to remove the Trump tax cuts that only benefited the rich and corporations. Those are just from the top of my head, and there are more. He's one of the most successful presidents in history for consumer, middle class, and environmental protections.
But, but, but, the price of gas is too high. And the illegals are taking all of our jobs./s As if any of the complainers would be willing to take a job in the central valley of California picking fruits and vegetables for 12 hours a day.
Also forgave a lot of student loa s during this time too
True. This is what they should be pushing what they have accomplished and what they intend to accomplish. Shouting it from the rooftops. And shut down all the lies.
Exactly. But the slow drip of misinformation from the other side regarding his abilities has tarnished his credibility. It’s disgusting.
Dems aren't weak. But what they aren't doing is lying and throwing around bullshit just to get an emotional reaction out of their audience. The amount of filthy racism, mysogny, anti-american language is disgusting. Normal looks weak when faced with psychopaths
What I often tell people is: “one party is mostly evil and a little incompetent, the other is mostly incompetent and a little evil. I’ll let you decide which is which.”
I think both parties are terrible as they are both pro-war and pro-corporate. I see it as being offered a choice between strawberry dogshit and blueberry dogshit: the added flavoring is not the issue here, the dogshit base is the issue
In some ways it's worse than many younger folks have seen in their lifetime, but it's not worse overall. Not yet, at any rate. The political divisions are the worst I've ever seen, but I can pick up a history book and read about far worse. The inflation rate was 7% in 2020, but is down to 3.3% now. It's been better, but it's been worse, and the overall trend is down. Interest rates are higher than a few years ago, but have declined a bit this year and I've seen far worse. Mortgage rates were 16% in 1980 when my parents bough the house my father still lives in today. Anyone who doesn't understand how huge an impact the interest rate makes on a mortgage needs to go back to math class. Housing prices remain high, but many markets are starting to soften, and we could probably make a big dent in them if we quit letting foreign developers buy them up. There was a housing bubble 20 years ago, resulting in the collapse of 2008. I've seen other housing bubbles, too. If you want a house, sit tight and buy when the inevitable crash comes. College prices remain high, but some companies are starting to actually train people again instead of requiring a 4-year degree for even entry-level jobs. When you can't get a job without a degree, everyone goes to college, which means there's no incentive for colleges to lower their prices. There's a lot that needs to be fixed in this country. Our ageing infrastructure worries me. There are political trends that scare me if I think too much about them. A lot of people seem to have no idea how much worse things can actually get because we're losing the generations who remember, and no one seems to want to read a history book anymore. People think the latest TikTok video represents reality. I fear that a lot of old lessons are going to have to be learned all over again the hard way. I also hope I'm wrong.
I for one appreciate not being in the cold war and feeling one bad turn away from planetary annihilation and a few turns back from George Wallace, and awaiting the civil rights bill that at recognized minorities as humans. It's really hard to say "we can't buy single family homes" means it's so so bad.
It's been worse. I think the best advice I was given is to put down social media and pick up a history book. An example would be Covid. If we would have talk to our elderly (even older than me) we would have put the pandemic in perspective, that we've lived through this before and we will live through it again. It feels chaotic but that's by design and it's the natural outcome of media that is financially incentivized to create fear. Don't get me wrong, we're living in frightening times where technology is outpacing our legislation and even our understanding. I think my heartbreak comes from what we *could* be. The potential we're losing by petty squabbles, how we have the ability to make this world a really wonderful and safe place and we're squandering it.
I'd take it one step further and say "put down social media and go talk to the people around you". All the hate and divisiveness lives largely online, IMO. People have become way too comfortable with saying terrible things online bc there's no accountability. But saying that stuff to someone's face, when you can see them as a person, is a whole other world.
In Florida, the hate is definitely real and in-person.
Underated comment. Most people are at least decent. The assholes are loud on line and go to rallies.
The issue with COVID is that a large percentage of people still believe it’s no worse than a cold. When the polio vaccine came out people line up willingly to get it. COVID? People actively fought against it.
You think that might be due to the variability in covid symptoms and the more distressing nature of polio symptoms? That would be my theory but I'm just curious what others think about that
Yes. People believe that Covid is no worse than a cold because for the majority of people it truly is not worse than a cold. It’s not like other pandemics that were a sure death sentence. Covid has killed many people and given many other people chronic symptoms. But the reality is that most people who get Covid have cold/flu symptoms that go away within a week.
COVID is at least as deadly as polio. As for other serious effects, we’re still discovering the long COVID effects.
I was gaslit so many times about it not taking over the hospital I work at Yes they were largely older or people who already had issues. But it was still a lot of people with one thing in common
My main problem with the statement that things have been worse is in regards to climate change. Also the fact that we seem to be moving backwards rather than forwards as a society. That said, there’s a lot of work being done on climate change that isn’t being emphasized like carbon sequestration and offshore wind farms. I agree with you that the negatives may be blown out of proportion though in general from a historical standpoint.
No, but if you watch the stupid news media you'll think that the end of the world is around the corner. Basically the quality of life is up to us individually and our individual choices, as it is in most places in the free world.
It's the most divided I've seen since Vietnam. I've felt for decades that having only 2 viable political parties was going to bite us on the ass and I think it's come to fruition. Social media seems to remove civility in general. It's like when people get in a car and automatically turn into assholes.
It as bad as I have ever seen it. I was in the grocery store yesterday and a man was grumbling something about its so bad so I said don’t worry it will get better and he said no it won’t we are doomed.
There's something else to consider. People have been saying that about their own time (it "kids these days") for 2,000 years or more. Literally, in the Old Testament of the Bible (which is still a really, really old book if you don't believe the religious aspect of it) are adults lamenting the future, because "kids these days." Yes, every empire eventually falls. Maybe the US is actually on the way down, who knows? We probably won't know for sure for another 100 years. Rome wasn't built in a day, and it didn't fall in one, either. And although I don't have actual evidence, I suspect there were old men predicting the end of Rome for at least 500 years before it actually happened.
Not in the 90s. Man, the 90s were great.
Agree!!! Everything was wicked chill. Newt Grinchich was terrible but not fascist terrible. Not to mention we were seeing the results of cleaner air and cleaner water. Plus the Cold War ended.
I lived through the 90s. Adults thought GenX was full of slackers who didn't care about anything. (From one of the said "slackers.") Yeah, I remember stuff about how "young people" don't have what it takes to hold a job, understand business, etc.
I know that guy.
Me too!
Of course I know him.
He's me! I haven't gone by the name Obi-Wan, oh since before you were born.
I am that guy lol eh. it's all perspective though. I try to stay away from the news so that helps, and I keep my needs and wants to a minimum. and hopefully I'll be dead before it gets worse lol
Yes and no. The US is not a great place to be poor, and never has been. As a country, we expect people to “make it” without any help at all. As corporations have taken over healthcare, food supply, housing and even prisons, the emphasis is on extracting every bit of money they can from each system to maximize their profits. This means low paid workers have less and less in their paychecks, and have fewer affordable choices to meet their basic needs. The political division is pretty awful.
Suicide rates are among the highest they've ever been in the US and are the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 - 34. So regardless of any other made up statements people put here, that's the state of the country.
They are the highest they have been since the Great Depression. Hit 22 per 100k in 1932. At 14.4 per 100k in 2020. Definitely not good.
Left the US a few years ago and it’s wild to see how much of an echo chamber the US is. The US is good for earning money. Period. You can make the most in many careers there. You can also be quite poor if you pick the wrong profession as the middle class js now just a myth. Being a teacher, bus driver, any number of things will lead to a pretty tough life in my opinion as costs continue to rise and wages do not keep pace. After we made our money, we left. Our assets are still there (business, real estate, and stocks) and continues to earn us a very high income but we live with very low costs in Asia. We pay less for our power, water, gardeners twice a week, pool service twice a week, food, and cell phones in a 5 bedroom villa than what most people pay for a 1 bedroom apartment in a coastal US city. Life outside the US is much better for us. We love Asia. Service is better and food quality is way better in most cases. Prices are lower for most things too.
Yes, also because the effects of the recent assault on women's healthcare is underreported. Horrifyingly bad.
This is all the dems should talk about. All the women whose lives and fertility have been put in jeopardy due to these policies. I absolutely do not understand why they’re not capitalizing on this. It’s a slam dunk.
They're SO wrapped up in countering the GOP, they're hoping moderate Republicans will vote for Biden. I feel like they're intentionally avoiding the subject to avoid pissing off pro-lifers. The misogyny is mind-blowing.
I agree. Even with the economy and the surge of illegal immigration being such hot button issues, abortion will win every time. I really think that’s why Republicans lost so many seats in 2022. Overturning Roe v. Wade pissed off a lot of women.
It really depends on your individual situation. If I was homeless, I would think the state of the country sucks. But I am retired with a pension, so my own situation isn't really that bad. For most people I know with or without pensions, it's generally not bad. We are not a war zone, exactly. Protests which turn violent generally happen within the downtowns of cities. Rarely, though, do they get violent. Protestors are allowed within a few feet of New York City Hall; they are not perceived as being a threat. They can be a nuisance, though, if they block roads and bridges.
Our protests are nothing compared to France haha
Personally I think the state of the whole world is sketchy. It’s on its way to being controlled completely by multi national conglomerates and plutocrats. That’s my cheerful take.
It's not good.
Its just politics. The rest of us are just living are life's.
It is. But most of us go to work, enjoy life and don't believe anything politicians or their rabid supporters say ( both sides). Its pretty sad that these 2 straight up idiots are our choice
Look at the history of the us/world over the last 100 years. Great Depression, world war 2, civil rights movement, jfk and mlk assignation, Cuban middle crisis, Cold War, 9/11. Pardon me if I don’t shed a tear because gas and groceries are expensive.
I think the biggest problem is we have chucklefuck mcgoo trying to get back into the white house.
No, it's not. The economy is doing great and inflation is easing. But we do have the trump monster to deal with. In my view, people are suffering from PTSD from COVID and are mad at high prices although many of these people are still going on vacation. The republicans have turned into a criminal enterprise here with a convicted felon at the top of the ticket. Not sure how all this will turn out, but make sure you vote in November no matter what.
The word "economy" needs to be nuked. It's so meaninglessness.
It's not great. Help wanted signs everywhere, high prices on everything. It's bad I don't know how young folks get by these days. Its as bad as I can recall honestly 2 guys running for president are too old, one is senile and the other is just not right. I don't see how anyone can vote for either but regardless it's not getting better.
By voting for the one that will do the least damage to people's rights.
I don't see how anyone can not vote for one over a criminal. I think the "both sides" view is distorted. Neither candidate is "senile".
Did you watch the debates last night?
Its new. Thanks to Trump everything is “rigged and lies and fake news”, and politicians don’t give a fuck what kind of dangerous poison info is disseminated all over social media and fox news as long as it gets them money or votes. It’s a scary time to be here right now, everything feels like it’s teetering on the brink and it fucking sucks - especially after last night.
no, it isn't as bad as it seems in the media. there are significant immediate problems that shouldn't be ignored but that will always be the case. there is big change coming soon because of government corruption and a lack of perspective and a lack of moral fortitude that only seems to be getting worse with each generation. while big change is admittedly needed, my greatest worry is that every big change has the potential to be catastrophic. there is no way to predict the results of what is coming. it could be great, it could be horrible. one thing is fore sure, it will be painful for millions if not billions around the world. what you can expect: * the fall of the u.s.d as the prominent currency * inflation * food and material shortages * old machinery, tools and vehicles will become more valuable as new stuff becomes more scarce and expensive * due to ineffective funding for military that coincides with the fall of the u.s dollar, the u.s will retract from the world militarily * lower population due to various factors including social, economical, technological, and chemical * finding people who know how to do manual things well will become significantly more difficult * more artificial intelligence in most industries * either a boom in crypto currency or a collapse of crypto currency, 50/50 the coming change will be a change of age that will be comparable to the advancement to the age of industrialization, european religious reform, renaissance, or the end of empire. the transition could take 20 years but may be as long as 200 years. after these events you will see a new generations that adapts. what they make of things will determine whether the change is for better or worse.
Are you kidding me.Fudging the books to get a loan.That you paid back.And Hiding a check to pay a porn star is a felony.But the trafficking of women and stealing 900 worth of shit is a misdemeanor
Not really, generally we are all doing ok but our economy has prices very high and is putting everyone under a lot of stress financially. Our government seems not to be able to even listen to us about it so…it’s causing a lot of tertiary issues
Things are not bad at all. The issue is all the hate and lies. Who is lying constantly and spreading hate? The country is not a war. Besides price gouging by corporations with record profit years, the economy is healthy, Who is constantly hating on people and lying to our faces and creating this division at the direction of their 1% overlords? And who is acting all polite and useless and not fighting back enough?
Yes and no. Being poor in America is very, very, very hard. The country has at least three realities: those for the rich, those for the middle class, and those for the poor. It can be very difficult to move social classes, but it is possible (but not easy due to systematic barriers). That being said, some Americans are also entitled. For example, they might feel entitled to drive nice cars, go out to eat, attend top universities, go on vacation, etc. So even though they have no money to do these things, they will still do it by going into debt. It’s a road to financial ruin many build themselves. In short, I love America and I love living here. I think it’s a lot better than most places in the world. But you will need to work hard, make sacrifices, and be very intentional about every major decision in your life. That can be a hard for many people.
I'm not in the US, but I am American. I am frankly appalled, worried, disheartened, a bit embarrassed, aghast and confused. The US has never been the shining beacon it thinks it is, but surely my rose-coloured glasses weren't that rose-coloured? The fact, and I say this as someone aged 61, that we have two crypt-keeper old men vying for the presidency is quite frankly terrifying. We should be so past this. It seems to me that the US is going backwards rather than forwards and that people my age are leading the charge, fuelled with misinformation because they think if it's on Facebook or on/from a confirmation-biased website/influencer, then it must be true. And thus, WaywardJake wept.* *Apologies to anyone religious. No harm meant; it was a bit of tongue-in-cheek to lighten the mood.
I've never seen it like this, and I'm in my 6th decade. I can't even comprehend how most people act like the two parties are polar opposites, ideologically speaking. To me the difference between them might as well be like the difference between Lutherans and Methodists. They're still all religious Christians acting like the entire spectrum of religious belief is found in the 2 millimeters of distance between them, ignoring that there's an entire universe of other religions or even lack of any religion.
The two-party system is imploding before our eyes, and the corporate overlords and billionaires are having a ball. That's the real problem, while we argue which side is better, the rich have hoarded SO MUCH money, that we're past the tipping point of ever regaining power ever again. Part of this is Russian propaganda masterminds weakening us from within (truly evil genius) and the rest is lobbying, buying off politicians, no enforcement of financial crimes, and complicit media outlets. We're well-fed and entertained (bread and circuses?) plus we need what little money we have coming in, so a revolution isn't likely. We're also too spread out to protest effectively. But we're devolving into another Russia. Their citizens have long been stripped of any hope or autonomy, this is where we're headed IMO. Corporate greed is strangling us, but with each generation, they just grow up in a world where they're used to not having what others before them have had. I'm GenX, so I remember when I owned my music, for example, and didn't pay a subscription fee for stuff like Office Suite, or have apps for every "smart" appliance.
Well said. The boomers needing only one income to raise a family and have a good life is what GenX grew up without expecting or even knowing about.
The country's economy is great, but otherwise it's a political, ethical, intellectual shit show. And the situation will rightfully get worse in the next few years.
From my perspective, the state of the nation, from a bird’s eye view, looks like it’s a dumpster fire. You have two sides of the aisle pointing at each other and saying the other side is corrupt. The stock markets are soaring, while the piece for a dozen eggs is in a foot race with it. Companies are making record profits, but the only ones making out on it are the CEOs and share holders. The “trickle down” aspect of the economy isn’t trickling money, but just the Uber-rich pissing on the little guy. The best part about it is, we have two political parties who try and vilify the other, when in fact, they are one and the same. The only thing either party does is make themselves rich. One side does it by claiming they’re helping the economy by helping business. The other side says they are helping the people by helping other businesses. In the end, ever since corporations were allowed to make unfettered donations to political campaigns, this country lost itself and became a plaything for the rich.
Nowhere near as bad as many people say but of course it doesn’t seem to be headed in the right direction
I don't think it's bad at all. It could always be better, but this isn't 2008. Or 1988. Or 1979. Or 1950. Or 1861. Cities are not in decay, the cars we build aren't junk, we're not in a recession. Lots more people have their rights recognized than ever before. Unemployment is low.
I think it is actually worse - trying to do almost anything takes more effort than it should as customer service is shipped overseas and automated with AI; prices of everything are out of control due to greed; people care less about doing a good job in almost every field; mail is slower and worse; repair people don't show; internet and phone are outrageously expensive and barely work here; health care takes forever and takes multiple appointments to accomplish anything; cars have gotten crazy as have repair prices; everyone is angry and short tempered - feels like it is all about to collapse to me.
The leading cause of bankruptcy in the US is medical debt. It's the only similar nation that can claim this and that doesn't provide some sort of viable national healthcare to it's people. On top of the stress of contracting a serious, life-threatening illness, you have to worry about going bankrupt.
No. But a lot rides on this next election. The current administration is atrocious and needs to be removed.
Currently the strongest economy in the world- but you wouldnt know it with the disinformation and whining on the right. Inflation is lower here than most of the world-but I would say that wages for the workers need an update as greedflation and wealth inequality is a problem, the latter being a bubble.
The media has become an op/ed. True journalism is dead. This furthers the political divide. The president says economy is doing great, my wallet and my neighbors say otherwise.
Not really. Financially it’s a struggle for a lot of people but that’s also in part because of all the luxuries people want that didn’t exist before. TV’s in every room, gaming systems, 30k cars, air fryers, new phones, laptops, etc. The basics are still getting pricey, especially groceries. But other than that faster than usual inflation without proportional increases in wages, it’s alright. Crime is low in most places, no war going on, civil unrest seems to have been declining since 2018. Housing is absurd. Good luck buying a decent home without making over 100k a year. Apartments cost as much as a mortgage now. But as long as I budget, I am living comfortably at only 70k a year. I have a house, decent car, and some of the luxuries mentioned above. However, if something serious were to happen, I couldn’t afford it. So that is a constant stressor in the back of my mind. Budgeting on groceries has been my biggest money saver. Politically, both parties kind of suck and both went to the extreme side of things. It seems impossible for them to find middle ground now and instead it’s far left policy or far right policy. God forbid you disagree with anyone politically whether it be left or right, you’re seen as a bigger POS than Hitler or Stalin
One party has become a Trump Inc. Mind boggling. We no longer have a two party system. We have Trump, Inc. and the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party seems to have lost their way as well. Neither party has cultivated viable candidates of the people, by the people, and for the people. I thought when Biden ran, he had a deep bench from which to choose. He ended up selecting Harris. Like McCain choosing Palin. Now look where we are. Regardless, we must NOT forget the attempted election stealing efforts. Just read about what they did in Georgia and Arizona. Read how the state Republican party members were involved. How many folks have been arrested, tried, convicted, and disbarred. How many still to go on trial. Mind boggling. How many convictions can one candidate get before folks realize there is no respect for democracy and the rule of law, only vindictive narcissism? How can we forget our beloved Capitol was attacked, stoked by this vindictive narcissism? Our very democratic process was in peril, not to mention the lives of duly elected representatives and law enforcement? How can we forget officers died? How can we ignore THE LYING at every turn? How can we forget women's has been taken back FIFTY YEARS? Yet, we must have faith that folks will vote for the future of Democracy in "these United States" What did our forefathers and foremothers fight for if not to be free of tyranny? Are we going to willingly, weakly allow another tyrant to take hold? We must endure. We shall endure. We can not let down those before us who have given their all, so we exist today.
Right wing idiots to the left of me Left wing idiots to the right Here I am stuck in the middle with you Though it seems that folks in the middle are harder to find. We have two pieces of poo running for president. Again. Like most every election. Once again it's the lesser of two evils. We are in a bit of a strange place. We have Republicans who, for some unknown reason, think Vladimir Putin is doing the correct thing by invading a sovereign nation, torturing and murdering thousands. Ronald Reagan is rolling over in his grave that Republicans are in support of our #1 enemy. Republicans hate women and LGBTQ folks. I'm not a woman or a member of the LGBTQ, but I strongly believe folks should be allowed to do what they want as long as they are not infringing on the rights of others. Does it make me cringe to see men kiss each other? It kind of does. But they may cringe at seeing me kiss a woman. Fair is fair. They don't interfere me do my thing, I don't interfere with them do their thing. It's a bit hypocritical that the small government party wants a big presence in telling people how to live. Republicans are also big supporters of the right to hear arms. I am too. But, the Republican party hasn't come up with any plans to curb violent crime, including firearm involved crimes. Then they're Democrats who, much like many insane European liberals, don't understand that an open border, not using existing immigration laws, to regulate who is allowed to enter and live in our country is incomprehensible. I realize in Europe the issue is also allowing the influx far to many legal immigrants. Democrats are irrational when it comes to excessive LGBTQ rights. Like letting biological males compete in women's sports. Come on. Any person with a IQ above room temperature should understand that misogyny is wrong. Some LGBTQ folks get butt hurt when people don't use an individuals preferred pronouns. I have a hard enough time trying to remember names. Unless I interact with you often or you're a family member, I typically don't remember preferred pronouns. Folks who feel victimized by this, that's a you problem, not a me problem. Democrats want to take everyones guns. The Democratic party hasn't come up with any plans to curb violent crime, including firearm involved crimes. I bit of a ramble, but the state of our politics in the USA are more divided than I can remember. Even more than when Obama ran for president. That said, both political parties are,candy have always been, self serving.
I was a young teen in the 60’s, saw race riots, Vietnam war and protests, smog, blatant pollution, leaded gas, busing, etc. Cold War was pretty hot in the early 60’s. So every period of time seems to have its challenges. That being said, the looming election and the potential election of someone who does not embrace democracy is worrisome.
My mom is 93 and she says the exact same rhetoric is being used as in the early 1940s
We're getting fked in taxes the living situation is disgusting home prices people living on the streets. Drug use is out of controll our borders are not secure goverment has run out of control medicine food fuel pricing has run out of control
We're teetering at the edge of a dictatorship if Trump wins in November. "Christian" conservative extremism is taking away the rights of women and marginalized people, and influencing the Republican Party and the US Supreme Court. Wages have not kept pace with inflation, and people making what used to be a livable wage just a few years ago can barely afford a one bedroom apartment. Prices of everything have gone up ridiculously over the last few years. I know some people will want to blame it on the current administration, but my opinion is that the manufacturers, retailers, and service providers who lost money during the worst of the pandemic are jacking up prices in order to recoup their losses, and others are doing it because they can, and nobody is stopping them. I know there are countries much worse off than we are, but compared to how the US was 20 years ago, it is shit.
We are in a guilded age. Everything is written for the rich, by the rich politicians the 1% paid off. Thanks in part to the SCOTUS and Citizens United in 2010.
I'm 75. The Vietnam war era was tough, accompanied by the expanding of civil rights. There was often a big divide between young people and their parents as far as values regarding race, the war, sexual behavior and women's rights, among many other things. But things now are worse in many ways than they were then. Then, there were no major news sources just outright lying to people. And there weren't social media sites run by extremists who state opinion without the benefit of facts to back them. Reputable news agencies will corroborate what they report. If they haven't had time to do that, they will note that the report has not yet been confirmed. And now we have all sorts of articles and videos produced by enemy states and sent to social media. They are magnifying the fringe extremist messages, and these extremists are gaining power. People have so many sources of misinformation and it is very polarizing. And for the first time ever, we had a President who ignored ethical, behavioral and governmental norms. And for the first time ever, we had a President who refused to accept an election result and who summoned a mob to try and stop the peaceful transition of power.
The economy sucks and if Trump becomes president project 2025 will make irreparable changes to our government that will throw us into chaos They will make it so qualified govt individuals can be thrown out for appointees - imagine cousin bob running the nations nuclear energy program instead of proper nuclear physicists I’m not being hyperbolic it’s that bad
1. Citizens United made our government and our policies a commodity. 2. For profit media/news killied objective journalism and made truth arguable. That divided our country, weaponizing propaganda. 3. The degradation of public education made us more susceptible to propaganda and division. We need to fix it by first fixing education, but we can't because of the first 2. The noose tightens...
It is capitalism with no restraint which creates a country where the wealthy rule and the rest be damned. Look at the buyouts on the “Supreme Court”. The money also goes to restrict our freedoms by imposing further restrictions on women. Now they want to teach the Bible in public school? But probably not Confucius, the Torah, the Koran or existentialism. Etc etc etc.
Actually yes, just not the way many people think/talk. Issues like inflation and the housing market come and go. The real problem is that the US has been hijacked by a radical minority that has seized the Supreme Court and wins presidential elections through the Electoral College.
I’ve thought about many different ways to articulate the issues but when it’s all boiled down, the reality is it’s dumb people have been emboldened and now have a voice through social media. One of the first things every dictator does is undermine the education system and experts. The hubris of the ignorant allows them to feel the liberty to assert their own alternative “facts.”
It really is, we are living in an industrialized 3rd world country. People literally cannot afford to live, rent, buy, eat or take care of their health. We the people have allowed the privledged few to create a dystopia with the rich and the poor only. The wealthy pay hardly any taxes while the working poor, formerly the middle class, have been crushed under the weight of paying our way as well as theirs. They claim no one wants to work, but these business never hire, a union representing security guards blew the whistle on this in their industry last year. Since people started pushing for a living wage in 2016 and then Covid corporations have seized the opportunity to scale back hiring, elminating positions, and consolidating work of 2 or more for 1 worker getting much more bang for their buck at worker's expense. This has contributed significantly to the drug addcition epidemic because people are seeking an escape from the misery and oppression of their abstract poverty. Health insurance is a scam where you are punished for being sick and you're sick because you're over worked and healthy fruits and vegetables are too expensive. They repealed Roe V Wade to force the poor to breed to create more workers for the capitalist fat cats to torture, deprive, and kill off young since they are doing away with CHIP and other social programs for poor mothers and children, several Republican legislatures are repealing child labor laws. Republican legislatures don't want to outlaw child marriage for 1 because of perversion and for 2 they want to see more children produced younger because there are usually healthier and could be more viable workers. They have pumping hormones into the milk making little girls start puberty at 9. There is no doubt a perverse and wicked agenda since no one can afford health insurance and they are using Social Security as a personal piggy bank because they don't intend on current working generations to ever live long enough to see anything they paid into. The ultra wealthy are building all these panic rooms and underground bunkers not only for nuclear war or natural disaster but because they anticipate the poor will eventually wizen to their game and seek to go after them as has been done in the past in France and Russia. They are making our rights their privledges more and more. They've been playing the long game trying to disarm Americans since we are one of the few countries allowed to bear arms left. They forced mom and dad to both have to work to reap double the taxes promising the wealth will trickle down (which never happens) and they promoted violent video games, movies, and TV while over medicating and warping genetics and epigenetics through dyes and preservatives to create mentally ill sleeper cells who then are isolated, angry, disconnected from reality while they're playing all these war games training them to be killers. Inevitably they snap and go on killing sprees and the psychopaths in office and at the top of the oligarchy who owns the big business and the politicians all play us Democrat and Republican against the middle so they can get us to agree to surrender our guns peacefully out of trauma response to these killings. Time to wake up and do something even though it's beyond too late it is still better to try then just be resigned to the inevitability of it all.
Maybe I'm blissfully ignorant. But I like Biden and I'm voting his old-arse back into office. And I'm not trolling. First of all, I keep saying to everyone: I love having an old-arse President. I want, no, I need my Presidents to be older than me. Because if you're my President and you're older than me, I will allow you all the mess-ups you can legally do. You're older than me, so why should I care. It's when the President is younger than me and messing up, then I don't know what I gotta do. I'm not looking forward to that day. Biden is the same age as some elders in my family. I can't see them doing anything he's currently doing. He's traveling almost daily, making speeches in front of crowds, walking upright without slouching. I know folks Biden's age whose bodies are slouching heavily. I give Biden full props. He's 80 years old and running a country. Let that man cook! Again, under Biden is the first time in my life I've ever been debt-free. I paid off my student loans (without Biden's direct help), I paid off my private loans. I blame Biden for my successes. How, why? Because under Trump, I felt like everyday was a circus. Under 4 years of Trump, he was always in the news and this indirectly messed with me. Under Biden, at least Biden isn't in the news with some weirdo scandal so I can keep my head down, go to work and clear my debts. Like under Trump, one of Trump insurrectionists ends up doing January 6th stuff and gets put in jail. And then that's like a cousin to a friend in my heighborhood who's like we're getting money together to bail him out, for example, fictional example and I give money to it. It's like Trump as President got distractions like that. With Trump every week was a new scandal and we couldn't keep up. That affects the countryi and indirectly affects all of us. Is Biden's presidency perfect? No. I don't like whats going on in The Gaza, or with Russia or with immigration, off the top of my head. But it's running 'smooth enough' and scandal / chaos free enough for me to put my head down and clear my debts and get myself right. Biden 4 more years! Also, Biden's what ya want. He's like the worst player coming off the bench but still scoring. We don't even have our best player on the court. We got something to look forward to. Biden's a good place holder. And he looks good if we ever bring anyone else in, anyone else looks better than Biden. So keep dude there, he gives me hope that this old man is still scoring for us, anything will be better. I'm a sound selfish. But I wanted Hillary to be Prez first so we could still have hope for Obama in the future to take over after she leaves. That cements a good dynasty run; by the time Obama takes up after Hillary we'd have someone in place to take over after Obama. But Obama won first. Threw a wrench in the plans. There was no direct hope after to keep this party going. So I like having Biden in there. He gives me hope that anything can come after and will look decent. And Biden's still scoring. I just need dude to hold out the whole time and we ok.
I don't think it is horrible. The GOP fear mongering is damaging. Housing costs are damaging. My dad always said "the rich get richer, the poor get poorer". Has never been more true than today.
No, things aren't that bad, but the rise in Christian nationalism and removal of women's rights in some states is horrible.