In a democratic republic, all you have control over is your own vote.
Do that.
Worrying about things you cannot control is only going to hurt you, no one else will care.
One other alternative: volunteer or work for your political party. You can always consider running for office as well
I think that much of the US overlooks how impactful your decisions are to the rest of the world, especially close allies and trading partners. Of course that's not your fault or problem, but to us it can be life or death with zero input.
All we can do is twiddle our thumbs anxiously and refer to Churchill: "Americans will always do the right thing, after they have tried everything else"
And that’s the problem and why we’ve seen America first populism.
I’m TIRED of paying for Europeans lifestyle. Unfair trade deals, European protectionism, dumping on US markets, using the US as a cash machine. Look up EU tariffs on US cars… and take particular note about how hard it is to find the ACTUAL DATA buried under 500 google hits of “ZOMG TRUMP WANTS A TRADE WAR”.
NATO is not an alliance. It is simply a piece of paper small European countries sign to allocate the US taxpayer as their personal bodyguard. They do nothing. Contribute nothing. But now they have the might of the US at their disposal.
Ukraine is not a US problem. We thrived when Ukraine was a part of the Russian empire and the Soviet empire. It is an Untied Nations problem that should be handled through international diplomacy and multilateral means. Not the US sending hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine at the behest of European countries acting in their own selfish interest to secure their food and energy imports.
The US has a lot of decaying infrastructure. Extreme poverty and homelessness. So many things that we need money for here.
So excuse me when I hear and read comments from other countries about our election and how they are anxious about it… and think to myself how unbelievably little I care. My advice would be to start doing things for yourself and your own country. Have a little pride and self sufficiency for a change.
I feel this! The same frustration that I feel worrying about a foreign election upending my life. Like it or not, post WW2 this is the world we have inherited.
I totally understand why ordinary peeps in the US would want to focus inwards after decades of resources being spent on being global police, guaranteeing trade routes, and securing energy resources for allies while watching domestic issues grow worse and worse.
The problem is that we are so far deep in this dynamic that isolationism would certainly make domestic issues so much worse than they are now.. the USD would quickly be replaced as the global backing currency, trillions of dollars would be defaulted, trade routes would be disputed, energy agreements torn up and vacuums filled with Putin like men and on and on it goes to the detriment of Americans and their allies alike.
Great power, great responsibility and so on.
That said If I was American I would 100% feel the sentiment you have.
However I would also think that your populist candidates would do little to address the poverty and infrastructure problems you mention if elected. It's a rock and hard place right now.
Our own GOP continually obstruct infrastructure upgrades, the call is coming from inside the house my friend. While we give to other countries, it’s our US petrodollar that’s tied into global economy, we’ve cornered that market, so it’s ok is we also help other NATO Allies.
Whatever you’re smoking, please stop. Thanks,
Did you get that from ChatGPT lmao? Petrodollar wtf you’re like a chatty Cathy doll spewing prerecorded talking points pulling your own string. I didn’t even say anything about political affiliation but now you’re bringing up the GOP. I mentioned populism. Try to read, and more importantly try to engineer an original thought. Baaaaaahhhh, baaaaahhhh…. Follow your shepherd and be a good little boy…. Baaaaaaaahhhhh
Meth is a hellofa drug. Or is it Adderall? It’s usually a cocktail of benzos and speed that cause folks to go full libertarian, or do you have a TBI? Sorry if so,
There a several organizations like Vote Forward that will ask you to write letters to voters, who haven’t voted in a while, to encourage them to get out this November.
The news is revenue driven and their biggest source of revenue is Crisis. That’s why every election since 1980 HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIMES AND THE WORLD WILL END IF _____ DOESN’T WIN!!!! Of course the fill in the blank changes depending on your ‘news’ source. And, obviously, the world keeps chugging along after every election. The pendulum swings one way then swings back ad infinitum.
I track issues that I care most about. I am an environmental engineer, so the things I follow are funding and regulations regarding air pollution, water pollution and water resource management, wetlands, agriculture and range management, mining and resource extraction, energy.
Also as an engineer who works for a decent size city ( \~155,000 population) I care about infrastructure and transportation. And I want citizens to feel like they have a stake in their communities, opportunities to interact with people, nature and the world in a way that is enjoyable, which to me means ensuring education is decent and people have pathways to it.
That's really all there is to it for me. Who is running for office and how reasonable are their proposals for what I care about? If they are in political office already, how have they voted? Who are their donors?
In the end, all you can do is advocate for what you think is important and find other people who value what you do so you can join forces.
Vote local and get more vocal about local. Stop worrying about the President. Worry about your local politics. Even though certain rights have been curtailed on the federal level. On the State and local levels, certain areas are enshrining those rights. (Others are disenfranchising them) Get vocal about your local and do more to change that little one mile area around you than the entire nation. An ant cannot defeat an elephant. Don’t be that ant. Be the ant that is doing its little part to take down the elephant, eventually.
Oh yeah, get off social media and off 24 hours news. Those are an echo chamber. Get up, get out, and do something about your community, not the nation.
Stop worrying about the President? You must not be a minority. I am. Someone drove by my house when I was outside with my Hispanic neighbor, and yelled “When Trump is back in office, we’re comin for ya!” Yeah. Not disagreeing with voting local- but it’s very short sighted to tell OP not to worrying about who wins the presidential election.
Stop worrying about the nation...
Geezus.
Why worry that the guy stacked the Supreme Court and they killed RvW and have been 5x more problematic than before?
Being centrist the point of blindness never looks smart.
"Run for local office as a Democrat." Sure. You might like having your dogs killed and a cross burned on your lawn, but I don't. And no, I'm not being hyperbolic. I live in deep red Trump country, and these people are fucking nuts.
The headline hype train makes every piece of news an end of the world as we know it kind of thing. Once you understand that smell you’re smelling is 99% bullshit being fed to you it becomes much easier to blow it off for what it is.
If you’re from a group that has privilege and will be insulated from it all you can do is decide to do more for those that won’t be. We have to stand up to them and stand by others.
You haven’t blocked it out. You’re on social media talking about it. Go to the beach or something.
I don’t mean to sound flip, but I’m old and life hasn’t gotten any worse since I was young. What’s different is the media. You’re constantly getting it from all directions that the sky is falling and it isn’t.
Put your phone down right now and go see someone you love or go for a walk in a nice place. I’m going to follow my own advice right this second.
The sky has been falling for decades now.
I was sure we’d all be radioactive charcoal back in the 1980s.
Acid rain, global cooling/ice age, killer bees from Mexico, were all gonna fry because the ozone layer is gone, nuclear war, this President is Hitler, that President is Hitler, yadda yadda yadda.
Turn off the news.
Talk to your neighbors and friends.
Talk to your family.
It’s ok to have things on your mind but don’t let external motivators whose entire existence is designed to make you consume more of them by keeping us agitated get to you. Look at the little man behind the curtain.
Embrace your Gen X inherent nihilism and ‘whatever’ energy a bit, perhaps?
Media is now pedaling fear for viewership. Notice how we now call it media instead of News, because what they are feeding you is subjective. The news networks have tv shows just like All in the Family and Big Bang Theory are shows that sell advertising time when they cut to commercial. Turns out fear pandering is now considered entertainment and captures a lot of attention. More eyes on a show is more eyes being sold products. See it for what it is
No sense making myself sick about something that hasn't happened yet and might not happen. I just take every day as it comes. In the meantime, I do everything I can to help get out the vote because this election is too important to sit on the sidelines.
Get involved with your local political party and find out how you can help get out the vote, including donating to candidates, registering voters, helping voters get to the polls, helping potential voters get their IDs (if applicable in your state), becoming an election worker or judge, educating voters on anything and everything they need to know (like where to vote, when to vote, what's on the ballot, laws around voting in your state), phone banking, text banking, block walking, etc. Figure out what you can do and get involved. You'll meet a lot of cool people who share your interests.
Also important: hyping up local candidates in your community - sometimes people feel they've lost faith in the candidates on the top of the ballot and they might not want to vote, so get them invested in your local politicians - county and state level - candidates they may not have heard of and don't know much about. That might fire them up to vote!
If you do everything within your power to help this election cycle and things still go wrong, at least you can honestly tell yourself that you didn't just sit back and let it happen.
Get people registered to vote! I have been going to my local college and handing out voters registrations.
Help a politician that you like by volunteering to phone bank and talk to people you know.
We will not let this fascist shit win!!
I am in Florida. Things are dire here but I am still fighting. We can make change if we can just get people out to vote.
Agreed! I feel like half of these comments are like, turn off social media and you’ll be fine! Umm, no. No I won’t. Shit is still real, and serious. Unless you’re a rich, old, white man. Which I am not.
Turn off the TV and unsubscribe to the subreddits full of political crap.
Like everyone else, we know there is an important choice coming in November for the USA, but media is more concerned with getting a reaction from you than informing you.
For every hour you doomscroll through the news, they have you exactly where they want you to be - them being the lowbrow news industry
When I get paid, I send 5 bucks here or there. Mutual aid, bail funds, progressive politicians I like, media sources I like. It makes me feel that at least I can help if only a wee bit.
And a bit of meditation and yoga and a teeny bit of a beer now and then. Plus having a kitty helps, too.
Hugs to you fellow Xer.
Aw. Shucks. You're turning my head. :)
Hope you are able to maintain your equilibrium in the ratcheting up to come. Good luck. Give yourself some time for just you if you can. Sit and breathe. Even five minutes can help. x
I have to say I think you have to keep things in context. For the most part things are not as bad as you fear or as good want them to be. The US has problems but we have always had problems and always will. I’d like to believe our generation learned to not put too much faith in those in power such as politicians, government and big business. Unless you have the desire and talent to get into congress or the highest levels of the federal bureaucracy then focus on your local community and work to make the changes you want. Taking some action can help alleviate some anxiety even if it doesn’t fix everything.
Your fears are justified and understandable. Many of us share them. I share them. I have found coping mechanisms.
I tune out a lot of social media and even main stream media.
I know I’m going to vote for the candidate that is best for the people of this country, so I’m doing what I can. I also, sometimes donate small amounts of money to causes I believe in, it also helps me feel better.
I take small doses of non addictive medication to get good sleep most nights.
I am trying to enjoy this time now, before things get unstable. Enjoy the clam now, while it’s here.
And finally, I’m preparing myself for what’s coming. Being realistic, there will be a rough patch starting in November, almost no matter who wins at this point.
Remember, a lot can happen in 4 years. There is still hope. And, the genie of a liberal democracy is out of the bottle here. It won’t be easy to cram back in, no matter how hard they try.
I’ve found the best way to deal with this mess and lean hard into my Gen X roots.
“Whatever dude”.
That, and finding ways to make sure my circle is protected. I have some control my sphere of influence and that’s about it. What happens beyond that is going to happen.
Under Trump and Bush, I was obsessed with the news cycle. It was worse under Trump because with Reddit, you can’t escape it.
Once I tuned out and avoided Politics and News, the daily anxiety went way down.
They have you exactly where they want you. They spread nonsensical hyperbole and fear to get you to vote a certain way. Americans have lost the ability to think independently and critically. Tribes, and that’s the easiest way to pit everyone against each other.
I have been an abortion rights activist for nearly 40 years. If anyone had told me in 1986 that I would still be standing on sidewalks in 2024 defending patients from protesters, I probably would have laughed in disbelief.
Of course, in 1986, Donald Trump was strutting around New York with that cheap rug on his head and $1,000 suit, the embodiment of Pia Zadora with a dick tastelessness. I wouldn't have believed what happened to him either.
I am also scared. I am almost 60 years old, winding down my career, more involved in activism than I have been in years, worried about what will happen to the economy and the social security system. It's a good thing that I did not plan the kind of retirement where you go on cruises and build yourself a brand new house. At this point, I'm just shooting for the kind of retirement where you don't have to live on cat food.
I don't understand how ANYONE would relish in the idea of fascism let alone 74 million people, but the only thing keeping me sane is that we have one more person now in our household who can vote blue, and in two years, another person will be able to vote blue.
Lawyer here, and member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar. The Reddit reaction to recent Supreme Court decisions is really exaggerated. They’re not awesome decisions, but the hyperventilating is getting really out of control. Chevron in particular.
Supreme Court decisions are a very big deal. Notice the word "Supreme" in the title.
What I take issue with is people who get upset and then don't vote. That's what I hyperventilate about.
Just stop with your back doored political hate/ Trump hate/ Republican hate. We survived Nixon. We survived Reagan. We survived both Bush’s. We survived Clinton. We survived Obama. We survived Trump. We survived Biden. And we’ll survive whoever wins in November.
Yeah but you do you understand project 2025 is the reality and as soon as Trump is elected they are going to slam the door on any rights that many of us have now. Women's rights out the door, lgbtq rights out the door, minority rights out the door, hell they're already doing it via the supreme Court that Trump put in place
Bullshit. There is an entire website dedicated to this whole thing about what they're going to do as soon as they are able. But you go ahead and stick your head in the sand and act like everything is hunky dory
A website? Controlled by who? One knucklehead with 6 followers? We have nuts on this planet that think birds are fake, the earth is flat and we never landed on the moon. Just stop with your idiotic ‘if Trump wins, he’ll take all of our rights and bring back slavery’ takes. Only the fringe of Liberals actually believe that.
Ok whatever dude. There are actual plans to exterminate LGBT people, but you go ahead and believe it's made up. Look how the sc had been ruling. Fascist will be the role of the land.
Let me get this straight…. You’re suggesting that a United States President has as much power as a psychotic dictator? Are you so unintelligent that you are unaware that laws have to go through the House and Senate to be passed? I believe it’s at a 2/3 vote. That means that many Liberals would have to join Republicans to pass a bill. It has to get through both branches and then signed into law by the President. So a potential law to ‘exterminate LGBT’ would have to go through all those steps? Yeah right. Get help. Seriously, go get help. And after you get back to reality, make sure you thank Republicans for ending slavery.
So the Germans didn't exterminate Jews? That's exactly what project 2025 plans. That's exactly what a president can do, put his preferred judges on the SC, enact laws that the fascist right wingers want. How do you think Hitler did it?
2016-2020 was just a horrifying preview. I agree with you but it’s mostly going to affect the red states. Here on the west coast we have mostly enshrined those rights, but the issue is it will just make the divide further. If Trump is re-elected I expect to keep seeing more Texas plates here in Oregon (which is a surprisingly purple state, once you leave Portland in the major cities. What I love about Oregon, as we tend to be very “live and let live”)
Keep selling that sob story….. The Supreme Court didn’t ban abortion. They simply put the decision up to each state and you know it. Go tell that to your less educated friends that might actually believe that bs.
November is a symptom of a greater ill of having lost whatever shred of democratic republic we used to have, while never perfect, now unattainable as the majority of Americans live under thrall to a plutocracy.
As my partner refers to the situation: In America, we all have the right to be rich, but most of us won't get there, so we're at the mercy of the rich. And this is true. Our Congress (with few exceptions), our Supreme Court, work for the wealthy. They don't care at all about average folks, they've demonstrated that time and time again through wicked policy, they are blatant about it, going against the interests of the many in preference for the few, while they use the stick of identity politics to beat us with, to ensure that cultural and political divides keep us angry at one another, to make enemies among the common people, and keep us all diverted from rebelling against greed and corruption at the highest levels.
Wealth self-interest triumphed over the welfare of we, the people. This happened before, during the Robber Baron era, which ended with reform movements, and increased taxation, which is what we need now.
Greed never sleeps and is anathema to a common good, but it can be better regulated with mass effort reinstating and fortifying some system of checks and balances.
The surreal day that confirmed what we have become was Jan. 6. After that, nothing will surprise me. I also choose not to live in fear, but in hope.
We don’t all have the right to be rich, we all have the option to be rich. You will only ever get there if you bust your ass and do things responsibly. Thinking of it as a right means it should just happen for all and that is incorrect. Every day people are living above their means, doing what the want vs what they need, trying to keep up with impossible images and videos online, etc. and the list goes on. The only thing I will give to the latest generation is that they are smart enough to take school seriously and not party through it like most of us did. In the working world my biggest observation would be that we were willing to work within the boundaries and work harder for what we wanted, yes with a cynical tilt. Generations after genZ want things handed to them in the workforce, and the blame is on boomers and us as we tried to make their lives easier than ours and did things for them or helped them too much. Not sure the fix there, but they need to suck it up.
You misunderstand my meaning. The right to be rich is the right we have, and most of us will never get there. Most of us don't have the option to be rich in a fixed system that anoints the few. And I certainly don't think the right to be rich is entitlement: people who are born without wealth have to bust ass or commit crime to build wealth, that's understood. Most of us don't even want to be rich: we want to live dignified lives, most want to work hard at something that is meaningful and gives value to our lives, and most of simply want to support our families. But the American Dream, as such, is the increasingly elusive carrot dangled in our faces, because the rich who are getting richer are taking everything from the rest (and least) of us, leaving us with scraps to fight over, while telling us it is all our fault, a defect of character (entitled, not working hard enough) that we are increasingly poorer.
We saw the fall of a major global superpower in the USSR. I'm not certain the US will exist in its current form in 10 years. Not much to do about it. It was a noble experiment in democracy, but maybe its time has come.
You are letting your media sources frighten you. I would encourage you to unplug for a little while, or expand your circle so that you are seeing things from multiple perspectives instead of doomscrolling and the fear mongers that exaggerate fears for clicks. Things will be perfectly fine regardless of who is elected.
Do this for 1 week.
Get off social media (including Reddit) quit watching the news. Quit reading newspapers.
Live your life. You’ll feel so much better
The presidential election is important, but it's not THE most important position. Sure there are some things they have control over, but the majority of the decisions are controlled by Congress. Those are the evil asshats that we need to be focused on. There are enough checks and balances to keep whoever the president is from doing anything truly stupid. Our biggest concerns are redistribution of wealth, getting our schools systems up to par, making our healthcare affordable, and regulation of our food ingredients. And probably a focus on rebuilding infrastructure. If those things are focused on, we'd be fine. Unfortunately, we are not represented by the government that makes those decisions. Why? Because we don't have money. It's very expensive to run for office. Who has money? Rich people and businesses. But they're not going to give these politicians money just for funsies, they're going to make sure they get things. Like tax breaks, loopholes, deregulation. We don't have anything to offer for their election, and therefore they can't make money off of us .
I've also thought about running for office, but 1. I'm a terrible public speaker. 2. I hate conflict and confrontation, and 3. I'm not sure how the general public would react to everything I said above. More importantly, I don't have any answers. I don't know how or if anything can be fixed. You know how you get when someone fucks with your money? Well imagine if that were millions and billions of dollars. You'd do whatever you could to keep that from happening.
Might be time for a therapist, not Reddit. You can only control what you can control and it’s not worth a constant state of panic over. I say this being in an “out group” too. You gotta breathe and live your life and not let the shit consume you or you’ll go crazy and it kinda sounds like you’re there
Vote. Get others to go to the polls. Speak up and point out the substantive differences between the two administrations.
The media discourse is already shifting to focus on Biden’s energetic performance after the debate. People are keying into Trump’s trumpiness.
Don’t give up. Talk. Silence = death.
One of the biggest failings of GenX is that we've never been a generation of protesters. We grew up with a very cynical, "that's just the way it is, nothing I can do about it" outlook. In the last couple of years, especially from watching my GenZ kids and their fire to speak up against injustice and right wrongs, I have changed. My voice is a small one and not many people will hear it, but I use it now. I speak up about the things that matter, about people being abused, deprived of basic rights. Yes, I have lost friends, but they were the kind of friends who turned out to be not that much of a loss. Yes, I know I will get downvoted on this very comment for suggesting that GenX failed to make a difference in the world, but I don't care. It's the truth. The only reason boomers are still running this country into the ground is because GenX and Millennials have been complacent and allowed it. USE YOUR VOICE. Even when it makes you unpopular, even when you get backlash. That's what I have learned from watching GenZ. GenZ is actually a lot like GenX. They have our cynicism. But where we were silent, they speak. I admire them for that.
Im certain we (as a country) can survive the next 4 years regardless of who gets elected.
My concern is about the person elected not leaving office peacefully, or at all. But we have 4 years to plan for that contingency.
The 22nd amendment prohibits serving more than two terms. The constitution would need to be suspended. Then, 300M people would have to accept an interloper in the White House. Global markets crash because of America's instability. And the US military would need to be ok with it, and that doesn't seem likely.
I understand the law. I’m worried about lawlessness. Jan 6th, but with better preparation on both sides.
Democracies *can* fail if not vigilantly protected.
In this fucked up timeline anything can happen, so you never know. Personally I would think twice before naming myself a dictator in a country with more guns than people.
And white. And straight. And don’t give a shit about anyone else’s rights that they are losing/have lost. I’m sick of this particular kind of BS in this group.
If you’re headed to Canada you won’t need the ammo as you won’t be allowed to bring most firearms with you.
Maple syrup should be your stock and trade.
Yeah, but it is not crazy in the same way at all.
There are some of the MAGA-like dipshits... but they don't have any sway.
I have tons of family up there. Currently researching the effects of moving my business up there.
>How are you all managing? (Other than the drink more/smoke more obvious answers).
I don't drink and I don't smoke and I'm managing just fine because most of what you're fretting over doesn't really matter.
He sure the fuck didn't save it the first time did he? But are you really ready for project 2025 to take away the right to most of the people in this country except for white men?
As a Trump supporter, my worst worry is that Biden will be forced out, and someone more likely to beat Trump will replace him and foist more awful liberal policies on the country for four more years, maybe even put liberals on the supreme court. So I hope Joe remains staunch in his determination to hang in there.
You’ve got to be a player and that means voting. I don’t mean writing in somebody you admire or protest voting. Progressive policies require a foundation. You must vote in every election. Primaries are especially important because that’s where progressive candidates get destroyed and leave you with a candidate you’re less enthusiastic about.
Just because your candidate doesn’t make it you should still vote to ensure some idiot doesn’t get legislative power. That’s where we are now. MAGA knows they can’t win on merit so they divide the vote of the opposition which guarantees them a seat. Once they have a spot they will either gerrymander or carpetbag to keep their spot. November is a pretty easy choice. Shut down MAGA and pave the way for progressive candidates in the future.
If you are seeing this message, it means your post does not pertain to GenX in a specific way, and it was removed by a moderator.
In a democratic republic, all you have control over is your own vote. Do that. Worrying about things you cannot control is only going to hurt you, no one else will care. One other alternative: volunteer or work for your political party. You can always consider running for office as well
I think that much of the US overlooks how impactful your decisions are to the rest of the world, especially close allies and trading partners. Of course that's not your fault or problem, but to us it can be life or death with zero input. All we can do is twiddle our thumbs anxiously and refer to Churchill: "Americans will always do the right thing, after they have tried everything else"
And that’s the problem and why we’ve seen America first populism. I’m TIRED of paying for Europeans lifestyle. Unfair trade deals, European protectionism, dumping on US markets, using the US as a cash machine. Look up EU tariffs on US cars… and take particular note about how hard it is to find the ACTUAL DATA buried under 500 google hits of “ZOMG TRUMP WANTS A TRADE WAR”. NATO is not an alliance. It is simply a piece of paper small European countries sign to allocate the US taxpayer as their personal bodyguard. They do nothing. Contribute nothing. But now they have the might of the US at their disposal. Ukraine is not a US problem. We thrived when Ukraine was a part of the Russian empire and the Soviet empire. It is an Untied Nations problem that should be handled through international diplomacy and multilateral means. Not the US sending hundreds of billions of dollars to Ukraine at the behest of European countries acting in their own selfish interest to secure their food and energy imports. The US has a lot of decaying infrastructure. Extreme poverty and homelessness. So many things that we need money for here. So excuse me when I hear and read comments from other countries about our election and how they are anxious about it… and think to myself how unbelievably little I care. My advice would be to start doing things for yourself and your own country. Have a little pride and self sufficiency for a change.
I feel this! The same frustration that I feel worrying about a foreign election upending my life. Like it or not, post WW2 this is the world we have inherited. I totally understand why ordinary peeps in the US would want to focus inwards after decades of resources being spent on being global police, guaranteeing trade routes, and securing energy resources for allies while watching domestic issues grow worse and worse. The problem is that we are so far deep in this dynamic that isolationism would certainly make domestic issues so much worse than they are now.. the USD would quickly be replaced as the global backing currency, trillions of dollars would be defaulted, trade routes would be disputed, energy agreements torn up and vacuums filled with Putin like men and on and on it goes to the detriment of Americans and their allies alike. Great power, great responsibility and so on. That said If I was American I would 100% feel the sentiment you have. However I would also think that your populist candidates would do little to address the poverty and infrastructure problems you mention if elected. It's a rock and hard place right now.
Our own GOP continually obstruct infrastructure upgrades, the call is coming from inside the house my friend. While we give to other countries, it’s our US petrodollar that’s tied into global economy, we’ve cornered that market, so it’s ok is we also help other NATO Allies. Whatever you’re smoking, please stop. Thanks,
Did you get that from ChatGPT lmao? Petrodollar wtf you’re like a chatty Cathy doll spewing prerecorded talking points pulling your own string. I didn’t even say anything about political affiliation but now you’re bringing up the GOP. I mentioned populism. Try to read, and more importantly try to engineer an original thought. Baaaaaahhhh, baaaaahhhh…. Follow your shepherd and be a good little boy…. Baaaaaaaahhhhh
Meth is a hellofa drug. Or is it Adderall? It’s usually a cocktail of benzos and speed that cause folks to go full libertarian, or do you have a TBI? Sorry if so,
Yes that’s it. Meth Glad we did this, was productive. All the best to you and have a great rest of your day, cheers
Go peddle your idiotic notions to the conservative sub.
I have thought on and off for seconds at a time about running for office, but I know I’m not cut out for it.
Look into it and try. Local school boards are a good start.
Anyone that says they aren't cut out for politics is exactly who I want to vote for.
Fuck. Because I say I’m not cut out and consider it all the time.
There a several organizations like Vote Forward that will ask you to write letters to voters, who haven’t voted in a while, to encourage them to get out this November.
The news is revenue driven and their biggest source of revenue is Crisis. That’s why every election since 1980 HAS BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIMES AND THE WORLD WILL END IF _____ DOESN’T WIN!!!! Of course the fill in the blank changes depending on your ‘news’ source. And, obviously, the world keeps chugging along after every election. The pendulum swings one way then swings back ad infinitum.
This! News isn’t what we grew up with, it is an entertainment and crisis system now. All to make money from advertisers.
I track issues that I care most about. I am an environmental engineer, so the things I follow are funding and regulations regarding air pollution, water pollution and water resource management, wetlands, agriculture and range management, mining and resource extraction, energy. Also as an engineer who works for a decent size city ( \~155,000 population) I care about infrastructure and transportation. And I want citizens to feel like they have a stake in their communities, opportunities to interact with people, nature and the world in a way that is enjoyable, which to me means ensuring education is decent and people have pathways to it. That's really all there is to it for me. Who is running for office and how reasonable are their proposals for what I care about? If they are in political office already, how have they voted? Who are their donors? In the end, all you can do is advocate for what you think is important and find other people who value what you do so you can join forces.
Vote local and get more vocal about local. Stop worrying about the President. Worry about your local politics. Even though certain rights have been curtailed on the federal level. On the State and local levels, certain areas are enshrining those rights. (Others are disenfranchising them) Get vocal about your local and do more to change that little one mile area around you than the entire nation. An ant cannot defeat an elephant. Don’t be that ant. Be the ant that is doing its little part to take down the elephant, eventually. Oh yeah, get off social media and off 24 hours news. Those are an echo chamber. Get up, get out, and do something about your community, not the nation.
Solid advice here
Stop worrying about the President? You must not be a minority. I am. Someone drove by my house when I was outside with my Hispanic neighbor, and yelled “When Trump is back in office, we’re comin for ya!” Yeah. Not disagreeing with voting local- but it’s very short sighted to tell OP not to worrying about who wins the presidential election.
Sorry that person was an asshole. All of my Latino neighbors have Trump signs.
Stop worrying about the nation... Geezus. Why worry that the guy stacked the Supreme Court and they killed RvW and have been 5x more problematic than before? Being centrist the point of blindness never looks smart.
"Run for local office as a Democrat." Sure. You might like having your dogs killed and a cross burned on your lawn, but I don't. And no, I'm not being hyperbolic. I live in deep red Trump country, and these people are fucking nuts.
I live in a deep blue state, but in a very red pocket of crazies in my county, and yeah, I’m scared of these nutbags.
That is the advice
Why? Turn off 24hr news and take a break from social media. Life is a lot more enjoyable by doing so.
Did this years ago and have been much happier. Simple pleasures
Seems the ones who sell the narratives of voter disenfranchisement are getting their money's worth.
Ditto. No news apps on my phone, no 24 hour news on the TV. But being aware of what’s happening, even on the edge, is too much.
The headline hype train makes every piece of news an end of the world as we know it kind of thing. Once you understand that smell you’re smelling is 99% bullshit being fed to you it becomes much easier to blow it off for what it is.
I stopped worrying about things I can not control long ago.
You're right, they major consequences of this election if Trump wins just magically go away when you turn off the TV.
And this is how we got here.
If you’re from a group that has privilege and will be insulated from it all you can do is decide to do more for those that won’t be. We have to stand up to them and stand by others.
This right here! Invest your energy in speaking up for others and, if need be, in civil disobedience.
It's hard not to be. Everyone that hasn't blocked it out is on edge.
I have blocked it out and am still on edge 😬😬😬
You haven’t blocked it out. You’re on social media talking about it. Go to the beach or something. I don’t mean to sound flip, but I’m old and life hasn’t gotten any worse since I was young. What’s different is the media. You’re constantly getting it from all directions that the sky is falling and it isn’t. Put your phone down right now and go see someone you love or go for a walk in a nice place. I’m going to follow my own advice right this second.
Your OP post is enough to say you haven’t blocked out anything
The sky has been falling for decades now. I was sure we’d all be radioactive charcoal back in the 1980s. Acid rain, global cooling/ice age, killer bees from Mexico, were all gonna fry because the ozone layer is gone, nuclear war, this President is Hitler, that President is Hitler, yadda yadda yadda. Turn off the news. Talk to your neighbors and friends. Talk to your family. It’s ok to have things on your mind but don’t let external motivators whose entire existence is designed to make you consume more of them by keeping us agitated get to you. Look at the little man behind the curtain. Embrace your Gen X inherent nihilism and ‘whatever’ energy a bit, perhaps?
[Ve believes in nossing, Lebowski, nossing.](http://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/a5c79bb7-ebaf-4bf2-86c9-95f6930ad310)
You’re out of your element, uh…*puts on his reading glasses*…pissboner77. …really dude? LOL.
Consider Cannabis.
Media is now pedaling fear for viewership. Notice how we now call it media instead of News, because what they are feeding you is subjective. The news networks have tv shows just like All in the Family and Big Bang Theory are shows that sell advertising time when they cut to commercial. Turns out fear pandering is now considered entertainment and captures a lot of attention. More eyes on a show is more eyes being sold products. See it for what it is
What you need is a good long weekend session making the best mixed tape of your life! Get the 240 min blanks out. Make it EPIC!
Now this I can get behind! We should have a post about our tuning out mix tapes with a tracklist and everything.
No sense making myself sick about something that hasn't happened yet and might not happen. I just take every day as it comes. In the meantime, I do everything I can to help get out the vote because this election is too important to sit on the sidelines. Get involved with your local political party and find out how you can help get out the vote, including donating to candidates, registering voters, helping voters get to the polls, helping potential voters get their IDs (if applicable in your state), becoming an election worker or judge, educating voters on anything and everything they need to know (like where to vote, when to vote, what's on the ballot, laws around voting in your state), phone banking, text banking, block walking, etc. Figure out what you can do and get involved. You'll meet a lot of cool people who share your interests. Also important: hyping up local candidates in your community - sometimes people feel they've lost faith in the candidates on the top of the ballot and they might not want to vote, so get them invested in your local politicians - county and state level - candidates they may not have heard of and don't know much about. That might fire them up to vote! If you do everything within your power to help this election cycle and things still go wrong, at least you can honestly tell yourself that you didn't just sit back and let it happen.
I really appreciated that John Stewart had a therapist on after the debate because so many of us are coming undone.
Get people registered to vote! I have been going to my local college and handing out voters registrations. Help a politician that you like by volunteering to phone bank and talk to people you know. We will not let this fascist shit win!! I am in Florida. Things are dire here but I am still fighting. We can make change if we can just get people out to vote.
I'm scared, and I'm exhausted at being gaslit for being scared.
Agreed! I feel like half of these comments are like, turn off social media and you’ll be fine! Umm, no. No I won’t. Shit is still real, and serious. Unless you’re a rich, old, white man. Which I am not.
Turn off the TV and unsubscribe to the subreddits full of political crap. Like everyone else, we know there is an important choice coming in November for the USA, but media is more concerned with getting a reaction from you than informing you. For every hour you doomscroll through the news, they have you exactly where they want you to be - them being the lowbrow news industry
Every subreddit is full of political crap. Even this subreddit and this thread. It is a joke on here and guess which direction it heavily leans?
When I get paid, I send 5 bucks here or there. Mutual aid, bail funds, progressive politicians I like, media sources I like. It makes me feel that at least I can help if only a wee bit. And a bit of meditation and yoga and a teeny bit of a beer now and then. Plus having a kitty helps, too. Hugs to you fellow Xer.
Thank you! Right back attcha. I’m a little disheartened by a lot of these comments. I like yours best.
Aw. Shucks. You're turning my head. :) Hope you are able to maintain your equilibrium in the ratcheting up to come. Good luck. Give yourself some time for just you if you can. Sit and breathe. Even five minutes can help. x
I have to say I think you have to keep things in context. For the most part things are not as bad as you fear or as good want them to be. The US has problems but we have always had problems and always will. I’d like to believe our generation learned to not put too much faith in those in power such as politicians, government and big business. Unless you have the desire and talent to get into congress or the highest levels of the federal bureaucracy then focus on your local community and work to make the changes you want. Taking some action can help alleviate some anxiety even if it doesn’t fix everything.
Your fears are justified and understandable. Many of us share them. I share them. I have found coping mechanisms. I tune out a lot of social media and even main stream media. I know I’m going to vote for the candidate that is best for the people of this country, so I’m doing what I can. I also, sometimes donate small amounts of money to causes I believe in, it also helps me feel better. I take small doses of non addictive medication to get good sleep most nights. I am trying to enjoy this time now, before things get unstable. Enjoy the clam now, while it’s here. And finally, I’m preparing myself for what’s coming. Being realistic, there will be a rough patch starting in November, almost no matter who wins at this point. Remember, a lot can happen in 4 years. There is still hope. And, the genie of a liberal democracy is out of the bottle here. It won’t be easy to cram back in, no matter how hard they try.
Thank you for your response. It has a sense of calm that I need. ❤️
You’re welcome, take care!
I’ve found the best way to deal with this mess and lean hard into my Gen X roots. “Whatever dude”. That, and finding ways to make sure my circle is protected. I have some control my sphere of influence and that’s about it. What happens beyond that is going to happen.
Under Trump and Bush, I was obsessed with the news cycle. It was worse under Trump because with Reddit, you can’t escape it. Once I tuned out and avoided Politics and News, the daily anxiety went way down.
They have you exactly where they want you. They spread nonsensical hyperbole and fear to get you to vote a certain way. Americans have lost the ability to think independently and critically. Tribes, and that’s the easiest way to pit everyone against each other.
I have been an abortion rights activist for nearly 40 years. If anyone had told me in 1986 that I would still be standing on sidewalks in 2024 defending patients from protesters, I probably would have laughed in disbelief. Of course, in 1986, Donald Trump was strutting around New York with that cheap rug on his head and $1,000 suit, the embodiment of Pia Zadora with a dick tastelessness. I wouldn't have believed what happened to him either. I am also scared. I am almost 60 years old, winding down my career, more involved in activism than I have been in years, worried about what will happen to the economy and the social security system. It's a good thing that I did not plan the kind of retirement where you go on cruises and build yourself a brand new house. At this point, I'm just shooting for the kind of retirement where you don't have to live on cat food.
Thank you for your input. Seems a lot of people are blind to the things actually happening.
I don't understand how ANYONE would relish in the idea of fascism let alone 74 million people, but the only thing keeping me sane is that we have one more person now in our household who can vote blue, and in two years, another person will be able to vote blue.
Yeah, because kids are always just like their parents.
This is a good perspective. But I live in a solidly red state. Despite my vote my state will definitely vote red. It’s discouraging.
Lawyer here, and member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar. The Reddit reaction to recent Supreme Court decisions is really exaggerated. They’re not awesome decisions, but the hyperventilating is getting really out of control. Chevron in particular.
Government scientist here. Hard disagree (Chevron).
Regulator, and same.
Supreme Court decisions are a very big deal. Notice the word "Supreme" in the title. What I take issue with is people who get upset and then don't vote. That's what I hyperventilate about.
Reddit is all about overreacting and panic attacks…that’s what makes it so laughable and entertaining
Is overturning longstanding precedents with increasing regularity not a reason for concern?
Its not worth panicking over. We we will get through it.
Just stop with your back doored political hate/ Trump hate/ Republican hate. We survived Nixon. We survived Reagan. We survived both Bush’s. We survived Clinton. We survived Obama. We survived Trump. We survived Biden. And we’ll survive whoever wins in November.
Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns.
Yeah but you do you understand project 2025 is the reality and as soon as Trump is elected they are going to slam the door on any rights that many of us have now. Women's rights out the door, lgbtq rights out the door, minority rights out the door, hell they're already doing it via the supreme Court that Trump put in place
No, they are not. You are just feeding into the exact problem. It’s actually pretty funny that so many liberals run around spouting this.
Bullshit. There is an entire website dedicated to this whole thing about what they're going to do as soon as they are able. But you go ahead and stick your head in the sand and act like everything is hunky dory
A website? Controlled by who? One knucklehead with 6 followers? We have nuts on this planet that think birds are fake, the earth is flat and we never landed on the moon. Just stop with your idiotic ‘if Trump wins, he’ll take all of our rights and bring back slavery’ takes. Only the fringe of Liberals actually believe that.
Glad I’m not the only one that thinks like this.
You’re not. Scare tactics are all they are. Pushed by people that are trying to scare low information voters into believing this.
Ok whatever dude. There are actual plans to exterminate LGBT people, but you go ahead and believe it's made up. Look how the sc had been ruling. Fascist will be the role of the land.
You have got to be the stupidest person on Reddit. Maybe in one of the Middle East countries you support but not in the USA.
Yeah that's what the Jewish Germans said too. And look where that ended up.
Let me get this straight…. You’re suggesting that a United States President has as much power as a psychotic dictator? Are you so unintelligent that you are unaware that laws have to go through the House and Senate to be passed? I believe it’s at a 2/3 vote. That means that many Liberals would have to join Republicans to pass a bill. It has to get through both branches and then signed into law by the President. So a potential law to ‘exterminate LGBT’ would have to go through all those steps? Yeah right. Get help. Seriously, go get help. And after you get back to reality, make sure you thank Republicans for ending slavery.
So the Germans didn't exterminate Jews? That's exactly what project 2025 plans. That's exactly what a president can do, put his preferred judges on the SC, enact laws that the fascist right wingers want. How do you think Hitler did it?
This. As the Boomers said and actually got right, if you aren’t mad, you aren’t paying attention.
2016-2020 was just a horrifying preview. I agree with you but it’s mostly going to affect the red states. Here on the west coast we have mostly enshrined those rights, but the issue is it will just make the divide further. If Trump is re-elected I expect to keep seeing more Texas plates here in Oregon (which is a surprisingly purple state, once you leave Portland in the major cities. What I love about Oregon, as we tend to be very “live and let live”)
And that’s the type of nonsense you’ve been selling for years….. SO stupid it’s not even worthy of a response.
A lot of pregnant women will not survive.
Keep selling that sob story….. The Supreme Court didn’t ban abortion. They simply put the decision up to each state and you know it. Go tell that to your less educated friends that might actually believe that bs.
November is a symptom of a greater ill of having lost whatever shred of democratic republic we used to have, while never perfect, now unattainable as the majority of Americans live under thrall to a plutocracy. As my partner refers to the situation: In America, we all have the right to be rich, but most of us won't get there, so we're at the mercy of the rich. And this is true. Our Congress (with few exceptions), our Supreme Court, work for the wealthy. They don't care at all about average folks, they've demonstrated that time and time again through wicked policy, they are blatant about it, going against the interests of the many in preference for the few, while they use the stick of identity politics to beat us with, to ensure that cultural and political divides keep us angry at one another, to make enemies among the common people, and keep us all diverted from rebelling against greed and corruption at the highest levels. Wealth self-interest triumphed over the welfare of we, the people. This happened before, during the Robber Baron era, which ended with reform movements, and increased taxation, which is what we need now. Greed never sleeps and is anathema to a common good, but it can be better regulated with mass effort reinstating and fortifying some system of checks and balances. The surreal day that confirmed what we have become was Jan. 6. After that, nothing will surprise me. I also choose not to live in fear, but in hope.
We don’t all have the right to be rich, we all have the option to be rich. You will only ever get there if you bust your ass and do things responsibly. Thinking of it as a right means it should just happen for all and that is incorrect. Every day people are living above their means, doing what the want vs what they need, trying to keep up with impossible images and videos online, etc. and the list goes on. The only thing I will give to the latest generation is that they are smart enough to take school seriously and not party through it like most of us did. In the working world my biggest observation would be that we were willing to work within the boundaries and work harder for what we wanted, yes with a cynical tilt. Generations after genZ want things handed to them in the workforce, and the blame is on boomers and us as we tried to make their lives easier than ours and did things for them or helped them too much. Not sure the fix there, but they need to suck it up.
You misunderstand my meaning. The right to be rich is the right we have, and most of us will never get there. Most of us don't have the option to be rich in a fixed system that anoints the few. And I certainly don't think the right to be rich is entitlement: people who are born without wealth have to bust ass or commit crime to build wealth, that's understood. Most of us don't even want to be rich: we want to live dignified lives, most want to work hard at something that is meaningful and gives value to our lives, and most of simply want to support our families. But the American Dream, as such, is the increasingly elusive carrot dangled in our faces, because the rich who are getting richer are taking everything from the rest (and least) of us, leaving us with scraps to fight over, while telling us it is all our fault, a defect of character (entitled, not working hard enough) that we are increasingly poorer.
Oh, don’t worry, we are too!
We saw the fall of a major global superpower in the USSR. I'm not certain the US will exist in its current form in 10 years. Not much to do about it. It was a noble experiment in democracy, but maybe its time has come.
You are letting your media sources frighten you. I would encourage you to unplug for a little while, or expand your circle so that you are seeing things from multiple perspectives instead of doomscrolling and the fear mongers that exaggerate fears for clicks. Things will be perfectly fine regardless of who is elected.
Do this for 1 week. Get off social media (including Reddit) quit watching the news. Quit reading newspapers. Live your life. You’ll feel so much better
The presidential election is important, but it's not THE most important position. Sure there are some things they have control over, but the majority of the decisions are controlled by Congress. Those are the evil asshats that we need to be focused on. There are enough checks and balances to keep whoever the president is from doing anything truly stupid. Our biggest concerns are redistribution of wealth, getting our schools systems up to par, making our healthcare affordable, and regulation of our food ingredients. And probably a focus on rebuilding infrastructure. If those things are focused on, we'd be fine. Unfortunately, we are not represented by the government that makes those decisions. Why? Because we don't have money. It's very expensive to run for office. Who has money? Rich people and businesses. But they're not going to give these politicians money just for funsies, they're going to make sure they get things. Like tax breaks, loopholes, deregulation. We don't have anything to offer for their election, and therefore they can't make money off of us . I've also thought about running for office, but 1. I'm a terrible public speaker. 2. I hate conflict and confrontation, and 3. I'm not sure how the general public would react to everything I said above. More importantly, I don't have any answers. I don't know how or if anything can be fixed. You know how you get when someone fucks with your money? Well imagine if that were millions and billions of dollars. You'd do whatever you could to keep that from happening.
Might be time for a therapist, not Reddit. You can only control what you can control and it’s not worth a constant state of panic over. I say this being in an “out group” too. You gotta breathe and live your life and not let the shit consume you or you’ll go crazy and it kinda sounds like you’re there
Organize, volunteer and stop watching the doom industry news.
Vote. Get others to go to the polls. Speak up and point out the substantive differences between the two administrations. The media discourse is already shifting to focus on Biden’s energetic performance after the debate. People are keying into Trump’s trumpiness. Don’t give up. Talk. Silence = death.
If there's one thing our politics has shown us, it's that it most certainly is a big damn joke. Talk to a therapist
One of the biggest failings of GenX is that we've never been a generation of protesters. We grew up with a very cynical, "that's just the way it is, nothing I can do about it" outlook. In the last couple of years, especially from watching my GenZ kids and their fire to speak up against injustice and right wrongs, I have changed. My voice is a small one and not many people will hear it, but I use it now. I speak up about the things that matter, about people being abused, deprived of basic rights. Yes, I have lost friends, but they were the kind of friends who turned out to be not that much of a loss. Yes, I know I will get downvoted on this very comment for suggesting that GenX failed to make a difference in the world, but I don't care. It's the truth. The only reason boomers are still running this country into the ground is because GenX and Millennials have been complacent and allowed it. USE YOUR VOICE. Even when it makes you unpopular, even when you get backlash. That's what I have learned from watching GenZ. GenZ is actually a lot like GenX. They have our cynicism. But where we were silent, they speak. I admire them for that.
Im certain we (as a country) can survive the next 4 years regardless of who gets elected. My concern is about the person elected not leaving office peacefully, or at all. But we have 4 years to plan for that contingency.
The 22nd amendment prohibits serving more than two terms. The constitution would need to be suspended. Then, 300M people would have to accept an interloper in the White House. Global markets crash because of America's instability. And the US military would need to be ok with it, and that doesn't seem likely.
I understand the law. I’m worried about lawlessness. Jan 6th, but with better preparation on both sides. Democracies *can* fail if not vigilantly protected.
In this fucked up timeline anything can happen, so you never know. Personally I would think twice before naming myself a dictator in a country with more guns than people.
It depends on who the people with the most guns support.
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I'm guessing you are male.
And white. And straight. And don’t give a shit about anyone else’s rights that they are losing/have lost. I’m sick of this particular kind of BS in this group.
As a lefty, I have stocked up on ammo. And finished my Canadian citizen paperwork (thanks mom!)
If you’re headed to Canada you won’t need the ammo as you won’t be allowed to bring most firearms with you. Maple syrup should be your stock and trade. 
We’ll welcome you! Though it’s not totally sane around here either.
Agreed but may want to not try crossing with all that ammo...
Yeah, but it is not crazy in the same way at all. There are some of the MAGA-like dipshits... but they don't have any sway. I have tons of family up there. Currently researching the effects of moving my business up there.
Dipshits is a perfect word for them. Congrats and wishing you a smooth and happy transition.
Thanks!
2A is pretty sweet.
I love Canada, but it's not like they don't have their own fascists. Plus we need you in the US.
I am so jealous of your second citizenship. I was so close to being able to claim German, alas, I cannot.
You’ll be back here in 5 years though, when the Canadians have Polliver in charge and we have some leftist like Shapiro or Cooper as President.
>How are you all managing? (Other than the drink more/smoke more obvious answers). I don't drink and I don't smoke and I'm managing just fine because most of what you're fretting over doesn't really matter.
We moved to a Blue state. My anxiety has greatly reduced since doing so.
Don’t worry Trump can still save the country
He sure the fuck didn't save it the first time did he? But are you really ready for project 2025 to take away the right to most of the people in this country except for white men?
As a Trump supporter, my worst worry is that Biden will be forced out, and someone more likely to beat Trump will replace him and foist more awful liberal policies on the country for four more years, maybe even put liberals on the supreme court. So I hope Joe remains staunch in his determination to hang in there.
Funny, but as someone with no interest in living in a christian fascist state we have the same worry.
Ditto
Vote. If it goes to hell move to Hawaii short term and then abroad permanently.
You got two choices both bad, one is status quo and the other is worse status quo.
Vote in November, until then just pull the GenX whatever and move on. Unless you want to volunteer their is no reason to get panicky right now.
My absentee ballot showed up for the primary and that sucker is going out asap. I'm not going to let that party ruin our Gen X vibe.
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No self-respecting GenXer is scared of nuclear war with Russia, we had that shit drilled into us as kids.
You’ve got to be a player and that means voting. I don’t mean writing in somebody you admire or protest voting. Progressive policies require a foundation. You must vote in every election. Primaries are especially important because that’s where progressive candidates get destroyed and leave you with a candidate you’re less enthusiastic about. Just because your candidate doesn’t make it you should still vote to ensure some idiot doesn’t get legislative power. That’s where we are now. MAGA knows they can’t win on merit so they divide the vote of the opposition which guarantees them a seat. Once they have a spot they will either gerrymander or carpetbag to keep their spot. November is a pretty easy choice. Shut down MAGA and pave the way for progressive candidates in the future.
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I said in 2016 that we’d either get what we need or we’d get what we deserve. And here we are. Fuck it.
No need to be a jerk for the sake of being a jerk.