Angry at the dangerous idioticy

[Kapalika]

EDIT: typoed... should be idiocy

I don't really like to associate with conservative nutjobs but there was this dude I knew in highschool and helped out spiritually a few years ago. Tonight on facebook he posted "Leftism is cancer".

Despite our past together all the reasons I cut out 90% of conservatives out of my life came flooding back. But most of all, I was filled with this intense rage. All the **** people said, all the **** justified and all the way extreme conservatives tried to screw me over out of their ****ed up ideology. Abuse, assault, discrimination, straight up hate... anything they could do or justify. It's the right, not anyone else, who's CONTINUALLY curtailed my freedoms, rights and access to medical care. Who've made my life hell, who ****ing tried to brainwash me.

They are always about free speech... their own. Until someone does something like kneel in front of a flag. I mean holy crap people are so enraged at the idea that some NFL players protested ****ING LITERAL MURDER AND THE IDIOTS JUSTIFYING IT.

I just... I'm so tired of being quiet but I don't know how to not come off as belligerent. I used to be able to force some measured statements but they always took it as hostile even when super polite. You are either weak spined or "militant" despite the "right" having REAL militants who ****ing are chanting **** like "blood and soil" but hey that's just freedom of speech right?! Those ****tards defend that then attack NFL players. WTF. It's like they are damn pro-murder.

What the hell is going on??? I've heard this theory that we are rediscovering all the stuff that had us divided before the post 9/11 era, now entering our post post 9/11 era or whatever but was it really this bad before the turn of the century? I was born in like 1990 so **** if I know what it was like before 9/11.

I feel like I'm watching my country destroy itself and a lot of this crap, the dangerous stuff... doesn't even make sense. I'm too unfocused to really spell it out but I'm sure you know what I mean. **** conservatives now days are so extreme they try to pass nonsense bills that make no sense totally ignoring what works in other countries and in our own past. It's all about image, about culture war. And it's a stupidity that will kill everything that America stands for.

And I can't suppress these feelings about the state of affairs anymore.

End rant.

 

[sun rise]

I'm having trouble being calm with what is going on now so I feel your pain because I have a bit of it.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

And I can't suppress these feelings about the state of affairs anymore.

It does seem to be getting bad. Today, I mean, how dare I suggest those NFL players have the freedom to express themselves as white supremacists do. How dare I even think it's ok to not even actually disrupt such a sacred ritual but just take a damn knee, in silence, without degrading anyone? I guess since I feel they are entitled to their rights I should leave since I agree this nation is under great distress and that it's proper to stand up and do something. We just hate America and are disrespecting the troops and everything they've done for us. (such a fine "welcome back to Indiana" that ordeal made)
Instead of blaming it on "emotionally over-sensitive and over-entitled Millennials" perhaps they need to look at their own damn selves! They sure do support freedom of speech. Up until you say something that offends their since of Nationality or their religion, then all of a sudden it's shut you're mouth, don't ever say that, you have no right.

 

[Laika]

EDIT: typoed... should be idiocy

I don't really like to associate with conservative nutjobs but there was this dude I knew in highschool and helped out spiritually a few years ago. Tonight on facebook he posted "Leftism is cancer".

Despite our past together all the reasons I cut out 90% of conservatives out of my life came flooding back. But most of all, I was filled with this intense rage. All the **** people said, all the **** justified and all the way extreme conservatives tried to screw me over out of their ****ed up ideology. Abuse, assault, discrimination, straight up hate... anything they could do or justify. It's the right, not anyone else, who's CONTINUALLY curtailed my freedoms, rights and access to medical care. Who've made my life hell, who ****ing tried to brainwash me.

They are always about free speech... their own. Until someone does something like kneel in front of a flag. I mean holy crap people are so enraged at the idea that some NFL players protested ****ING LITERAL MURDER AND THE IDIOTS JUSTIFYING IT.

I just... I'm so tired of being quiet but I don't know how to not come off as belligerent. I used to be able to force some measured statements but they always took it as hostile even when super polite. You are either weak spined or "militant" despite the "right" having REAL militants who ****ing are chanting **** like "blood and soil" but hey that's just freedom of speech right?! Those ****tards defend that then attack NFL players. WTF. It's like they are damn pro-murder.

What the hell is going on??? I've heard this theory that we are rediscovering all the stuff that had us divided before the post 9/11 era, now entering our post post 9/11 era or whatever but was it really this bad before the turn of the century? I was born in like 1990 so **** if I know what it was like before 9/11.

I feel like I'm watching my country destroy itself and a lot of this crap, the dangerous stuff... doesn't even make sense. I'm too unfocused to really spell it out but I'm sure you know what I mean. **** conservatives now days are so extreme they try to pass nonsense bills that make no sense totally ignoring what works in other countries and in our own past. It's all about image, about culture war. And it's a stupidity that will kill everything that America stands for.

And I can't suppress these feelings about the state of affairs anymore.

End rant.

Put the kettle on, make you self some tea and take a deep breath. This is how Brits deal with the world coming to an end. someone needs a hug.



As I'm not a Communist anymore so I can post in the Liberal only sub-forum. So here's some advice.

You're reacting this way because you feel threatened. someone just called you a "cancer" and you took it personally. fair enough. being called a life threatening disease is nasty. you are right to react like this based on what you feel. you need a space to express what you think and feel and feel safe. Don't let him dictate terms or force you into a corner. Be selfish and do what you want to do not what he wants you to do. Its then up to you to decide what to do with it. Stay off Facebook for a while and give yourself some time to work it through. It will wear off if you give yourself the chance.

You can unfriend this guy on Facebook if you want. That takes him out of the equation. But I'm guessing you don't want to because you are close. hence the swearing because you think he's ungrateful when you helped him out. so you feel threatened because you feel trapped and surrounded.

First off- be a liberal elitist, put that ivy league education to good use and accept that your friend is a complete moron. In your heart you know it will feel good and it will help keep a Facebook post in perspective. Everyone is a moron on Facebook. Its Reality TV and everyone can be part of it. Its too tempting. So people pull their pants down and show their *** off in your news feed like they would do to traffic going under a bridge. They're doing it to see if they can go you to crash your car. it makes them feel better by saying "**** you!" to the world.

Anyone who uses the term "leftism" is either politically illiterate or a libertarian (which at least has the benefit of being principled). If someone uses that term, its a good indicator they are not distinguishing between all the varieties of left-wing ideology. From his perspective he will probably throw Hitler ("Nazis are Socialist"), Stalin, Bernie Sanders and Clinton under the label "leftists" because as a conservative they define the left in terms of the power of the state and the right in relation to the scope of the "free" market and "voluntary" exchanges. Hell, they might call Reagan a leftist too for his love of big defence budgets. When Democrats say "Gun Control", he thinks "Nazis want to leave me defenceless so they can take my kids away". Basically, he called "leftism" a cancer because he's scared too. He's watching the news with Black Lives Matter and AntiFa running around and thinking America is on verge of a civil war in which the new world order will rise up and crush him.

you say "I care about doing whats in people's best interest". they hear "...and I will kill you if you don't like it". its all really ****ed up.

If you can find a way to see past the words and recognise that this person isn't just stupid but is also feels vulnerable you might be able to let go a bit. That doesn't mean you can change his mind or get his respect, but it may take some of the sting out of the insult. He's not saying that from a position of strength, but from a position of weakness. They're not militant. they're dangerous because they think no-one will respect them or take them seriously otherwise. Most extremists have no idea what the hell they are doing and are- behind the mask- little more than scared children. they hate people because of how small they feel. They are children who think their penis is too small, so they have guns to compensate. Given the erotic nature of violence and power, that literally true.

Ironically, you and he may actually agree on the same things. You said you were worried about losing your rights and your freedoms. So you are worried about the over-reach of the government and a tyrannical state. Its pretty likely that your friend is worrying about exactly the same thing, only they are thinking about a different group such as business men (for excessive regulation), religious groups (for "freedom of religion") and conservatives. that *might* be a basis for understanding and that you are concerned about similar things, but using different ideologies and labels to explain it. liberals and conservatives can get along if they realise they share more in common than they differ. they're both Americans and neither side wants to live in a dictatorship. But the fear may make it tempting to give them the illusion of safety by having the biggest thugs on your side. they have to clear their heads, accept that what they feel isn't necessarily the whole story and stop watching the TV where people make money by making them scared.

tricky- but not impossible.

 

[Kapalika]

You're reacting this way because you feel threatened. someone just called you a "cancer" and you took it personally. fair enough. being called a life threatening disease is nasty. you are right to react like this based on what you feel. you need a space to express what you think and feel and feel safe. Don't let him dictate terms or force you into a corner. Be selfish and do what you want to do not what he wants you to do. Its then up to you to decide what to do with it. Stay off Facebook for a while and give yourself some time to work it through. It will wear off if you give yourself the chance.

You can unfriend this guy on Facebook if you want. That takes him out of the equation. But I'm guessing you don't want to because you are close. hence the swearing because you think he's ungrateful when you helped him out. so you feel threatened because you feel trapped and surrounded.

First off- be a liberal elitist, put that ivy league education to good use and accept that your friend is a complete moron.

I'll respond to the rest when I can pressed for time, I skimmed the post but this part I wanna say it's not him in particular, but the relationship does make it slightly more personal. I did react though in a way to call it out. I just more and tired of seeing stupid crap like that. Just a single status with that, it had nothing else.

I've seen those around me in general just kind of go crazy. Neighbors, family, people I thought were friends. Our country feels like it's getting more extreme in general and it's baffling to me.

 

[Laika]

I'll respond to the rest when I can, I skimmed the post but this part I wanna say it's not him in particular, but the relationship does make it kind of hard. I did react though in a way to call it out. I just more and tired of seeing stupid crap like that. I saw some right leaning comments about the NFL stuff that didn't bug me too much but just a single status with that, it had nothign else. It's just very off putting. He also had some video about "Morgan Freeman destroys black history month" or something like that. I didn't watch it.

I've seen those around me in general just kind of go crazy. Neighbors, family, people I thought were friends. Our country feels like it's getting more extreme in general and it's baffling to me.

its cool. I was mainly trying to find something funny to make you laugh and feel a bit better.

Yeah. It is pretty scary right now because this is unknown territory for Americans.

For what its worth, most people really have no idea what they are saying. When you feel surrounded by people who are vulnerable its hard not to join in, but that's not something to be scared of. we're social animals and its part of being human to be part of the herd. we want to belong and feel safer in large number. the "herd" is a bit paniced now so we don't feel quite as safe and that's a perfectly normal reaction to the situation. however, its the fear that makes it dangerous because it can give us false certainty to make bad decisions. the concerning thing isn't that people are getting extreme but just the number of people who seem to be getting extreme. that can act in a way that makes it more acceptable and hence make bad decisions become more acceptable.

Amongst the far left and the far right, violence becomes a "normal" part of the conversation but in an extremely abstract way that it doesn't relate to actual individual people. Hence labels like "leftist", "jew" or "capitalist". In fact the number of people who are actually violent remains extremely small. mostly they are people trying to do the "right" thing but with such alien ways of thinking what is "right" and "wrong" comes out completely differently. There is such a huge disconnect between what people are saying and what they do, that you can safely ignore the words coming out of people's mouth. I've been around hundreds of members of the far left online and there is only once when I thought someone was actually crazy enough to be dangerous (although I still suspect he was bluffing). It why they are saying it that is more important and is much more revealing. If you focus on that you'll often be able to see past the insults. people just want to feel safe and think if they make themselves look big and threatening it will scare off "predators". only it doesn't work because then other people start to think they are a threat and the whole cycle keeps going.

basically, "they" are more scared of "you" than you are of "them". If you know that, it gets easier to break the cycle.

 

[Laika]

I'll respond to the rest when I can pressed for time, I skimmed the post but this part I wanna say it's not him in particular, but the relationship does make it slightly more personal. I did react though in a way to call it out. I just more and tired of seeing stupid crap like that. Just a single status with that, it had nothing else.

I've seen those around me in general just kind of go crazy. Neighbors, family, people I thought were friends. Our country feels like it's getting more extreme in general and it's baffling to me.

I think I will leave this thread alone. My apologies if what I said came across as rude but I was hoping that political differences won't end friendships. In more normal times you could step back and treat one Facebook post in isolation. However, It is getting harder to know how to react to the tension and uncertainty and I don't really know how to deal with it either (even if I'd like to). So I will wish you the best of luck.

 

[Lester Tryon]

I truly wish I had some words of wisdom here. I was born in 1965, so by the Time I was old enough to vote, Reagan was running for a second term. Issues like Iran Contra, Nicaragua, The School of the Americas, and of course the height of the Cold War. The biggest difference between that world and this one, I believe is the dessemination of news. There are so many "news" sources now, with the internet and cable etc. Couple that with the 1996 Telecommunications act Clinton signed into law (which allowed the owning of multiple outlets, TV, Radio, and Newspapers in the same market). Before, as a country, regardless what political point of view you had, we basically all received the same information to base our choices on. And if you flipped channels to hear a different source, it wasn't owned by the same people saying the exact same words from different mouths, you got another point of view to contrast and compare with. It's a very sad state of affairs we find ourselves in, and I share in your pain, and anger. Use the pain to focus, and try to channel the anger in a productive manner at the causes, not the brainwashed masses of ignorant and misinformed.

 

[PureX]

EDIT: typoed... should be idiocy

I don't really like to associate with conservative nutjobs but there was this dude I knew in highschool and helped out spiritually a few years ago. Tonight on facebook he posted "Leftism is cancer".

Despite our past together all the reasons I cut out 90% of conservatives out of my life came flooding back. But most of all, I was filled with this intense rage. All the **** people said, all the **** justified and all the way extreme conservatives tried to screw me over out of their ****ed up ideology. Abuse, assault, discrimination, straight up hate... anything they could do or justify. It's the right, not anyone else, who's CONTINUALLY curtailed my freedoms, rights and access to medical care. Who've made my life hell, who ****ing tried to brainwash me.

They are always about free speech... their own. Until someone does something like kneel in front of a flag. I mean holy crap people are so enraged at the idea that some NFL players protested ****ING LITERAL MURDER AND THE IDIOTS JUSTIFYING IT.

I just... I'm so tired of being quiet but I don't know how to not come off as belligerent. I used to be able to force some measured statements but they always took it as hostile even when super polite. You are either weak spined or "militant" despite the "right" having REAL militants who ****ing are chanting **** like "blood and soil" but hey that's just freedom of speech right?! Those ****tards defend that then attack NFL players. WTF. It's like they are damn pro-murder.

What the hell is going on??? I've heard this theory that we are rediscovering all the stuff that had us divided before the post 9/11 era, now entering our post post 9/11 era or whatever but was it really this bad before the turn of the century? I was born in like 1990 so **** if I know what it was like before 9/11.

I feel like I'm watching my country destroy itself and a lot of this crap, the dangerous stuff... doesn't even make sense. I'm too unfocused to really spell it out but I'm sure you know what I mean. **** conservatives now days are so extreme they try to pass nonsense bills that make no sense totally ignoring what works in other countries and in our own past. It's all about image, about culture war. And it's a stupidity that will kill everything that America stands for.

And I can't suppress these feelings about the state of affairs anymore.

End rant.

This kind of bigotry happens when people are feeling ignored and disregarded (marginalized) in their own society. They need to abuse and belittle someone else to get back their own sense of importance and superiority, because they feel it has been taken from them.

So as our new corporate oligarchs use their ability to corrupt our government to squeeze every last cent out of the American people, and as we the people are seeing that over and over and over again our elected officials will completely ignore our needs, or rights, and our well-being in the service of their rich corporate backers and cronies (and their bribe money), we are all feeling ignored, abused, neglected, and "marginalized". Which is why you are seeing this big increase in bigotry and hatred and social division. It's nothing more than scapegoating. It's our more frightened and ignorant citizens blaming and accusing their fellow citizens in a foolish attempt to re-establish their own idea of control and self-esteem. Of trying to 'get their power and respect back" at everyone else's expense. And I say foolish because it ignores the real problem, which is the near total corruption of our government by a very small but very powerful wealthy corporate elite.

The more corrupt and greedy our government and commerce becomes, the more they will together squeeze the life, freedom, and opportunity out of the citizenry, and the more some of our citizens will turn on each other for scapegoats, to express their anger and frustration and to try and gain back what they've lost.

 

[Brickjectivity]

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