Woke-ists on the left, Trumpists on the right, stuck in the middle?

[SomeRandom]

Definitely. Even in Britain.

For years I considered myself a One Nation or "Pink" Tory (belief in the energy and ingenuity of capitalism and free markets, support of traditional institutions and culture unless they could be shown to be useless or malign, a mixed economy with controls on capitalism, a measure of wealth redistribution through taxation, etc.) I voted mostly conservative, from 1979 through to 1997 and then again up to 2015.

But now, British political Conservatism has been taken over by shrill (and mostly really quite stupid) English nationalists, intent on stirring up pointless and divisive culture wars. (Worse, from a personal point of view, they have taken away my citizenship of the EU, something for which I shall never forgive them.)

As for the term "woke", I find it amusing that this has been energetically adopted by what I would call the new "sneering Right" in the US, as a term of abuse. Woke means "awakened" in vernacular language. So how can that be something to be criticised? The opposite would be to be "asleep". How can that be better?

But then, on a range of issues, the modern American sneering Right does seem to make a virtue of being asleep, or of being stupid more generally. Climate change is perhaps the most obvious example. Dallying with daft conspiracy theories that suit a tribal agenda, instead of keeping a clear head and being rational, is another.

Interesting

Can I just ask, not meaning to be rude or presumptuous. I’m curious as to your position as a conservative on the current Conservative party? Of any country really.

I’ve heard some grumblings, so I ask why exactly do you think the Conservative party lost their way?
I kind of want to know of life long members, so to speak, and their thoughts on the current party as it stands

Yoh don’t have to respond. Or you can PM me, if that’s your preference
I’m merely curious is all

 

[exchemist]

Interesting

Can I just ask, not meaning to be rude or presumptuous. I’m curious as to your position as a conservative on the current Conservative party? Of any country really.

I’ve heard some grumblings, so I ask why exactly do you think the Conservative party lost their way?
I kind of want to know of life long members, so to speak, and their thoughts on the current party as it stands

Yoh don’t have to respond. Or you can PM me, if that’s your preference
I’m merely curious is all

Well, I indicated some of it in my post. In the UK, I think it was mainly a groundswell of Conservatives that did not like the direction of the EU. This groundswell has been present for at least 3 decades, fanned by a Europhobic press. (Bozo himself, as a journalist, penned lies about EU "directives on straight bananas" and so on, as a semi-joke, for years.) These are people brought up on the 1950s teaching of English history and still hanker after a sepia-tinted vision of imperial England (and I mean England, not Britain) that never existed. Never mind that Macmillan saw the UK needed to join the EU or become irrelevant in world affairs. They live in a pre-Suez world. The trouble is that the de-industrialisation of the Thatcher years has left rust belt areas of the country looking back to a supposedly happier (but filthy and dangerous) era of jobs in steel and coal etc.

The aping of American culture wars stuff is a fairly new thing though, imported by these Brexitty people as part of their general populist drive. My hope and expectation is that it will never really catch on here and become as tribal and vitriolic as in the States, because we are a small island without the scope for such alienation between town and country.

I have never been a member of any political party, though. In Britain there is far less mass membership of parties than in the USA. Party members tend to be somewhat nerdy or swivel-eyed. I speak according to how I have voted, and what I have always thought works best for the country.

 

[SomeRandom]

Well, I indicated some of it in my post. In the UK, I think it was mainly a groundswell of Conservatives that did not like the direction of the EU. This groundswell has been present for at least 3 decades, fanned by a Europhobic press. (Bozo himself, as a journalist, penned lies about EU "directives on straight bananas" and so on, as a semi-joke, for years.) These are people brought up on the 1950s teaching of English history and still hanker after a sepia-tinted vision of imperial England (and I mean England, not Britain) that never existed. Never mind that Macmillan saw the UK needed to join the EU or become irrelevant in world affairs. They live in a pre-Suez world. The trouble is that the de-industrialisation of the Thatcher years has left rust belt areas of the country looking back to a supposedly happier (but filthy and dangerous) era of jobs in steel and coal etc.

The aping of American culture wars stuff is a fairly new thing though, imported by these Brexitty people as part of their general populist drive. My hope and expectation is that it will never really catch on here and become as tribal and vitriolic as in the States, because we are a small island without the scope for such alienation between town and country.

I have never been a member of any political party, though. In Britain there is far less mass membership of parties than in the USA. Party members tend to be somewhat nerdy or swivel-eyed. I speak according to how I have voted, and what I have always thought works best for the country.

Hmm interesting

I’m from Australia so we have a similar political system to you guys.
So the whole “culture war” thing is something somewhat foreign to me, even now.
Something mocked on South Park and The Simpsons and shows similar
But not really taken that seriously in the broader public.
Though I have seen some very informative breakdowns from US based content creators in the form of video essays. Mostly from the left, if I’m being completely honest. Though in my defence I did try to seek out a counterbalance. Couldn’t find it, alas. At least not one that was compelling and gave the appropriate amount of evidence. Just an observation

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

More and more I'm hearing that both woke-ism and trumpism bear many strong resemblances to religions. That certainly seems like a reasonable argument. They both have their dogma, they both promote the idea of blasphemy, they both often resist logical discussion and so on.

I'm feeling stuck in the middle, what with holding truth, evidence and logic in high regard and all.

Anyone else feeling stuck in the middle between the extremists?

You think "woke-ists" are the extreme end of the left? Really?

 

[pearl]

More and more I'm hearing that both woke-ism and trumpism bear many strong resemblances to religions. That certainly seems like a reasonable argument. They both have their dogma, they both promote the idea of blasphemy, they both often resist logical discussion and so on.

"I bristle when I hear the term “woke” being used as a slur or term of derision. Why? It mocks the real suffering and struggles for justice. To me, it says: “I don’t know you. I don’t care to know you. I damn sure don’t care if you are suffering. Your efforts for justice are a joke to me.” It is a convenient excuse for remaining detached from or opposed to combatting the evil of racial injustice. I tell myself these people must not really mean this. They must just be unaware, through no fault of their own. I repeat this to myself and pray they will have their eyes and hearts opened. I pray they will wake up."
The term “woke” can be misused as well, such as when it is used to exclude or silence other human beings. In the cause of justice, there are abuses. But people who claim and misuse the term are not “woke” as I understand it. For me, anything that violates or misrepresents the truth of who and what the human person is and what the human person is due, in accordance with Divine Law, stands apart from and is contrary to being woke.
What it means to be ‘woke’ and Catholic | America Magazine

 

[Brickjectivity]

Being a party member does not make one an extremist.

In my opinion.

Ok, however consider that one factor is how your parties operate and how the voting system functions. My experience is living under a winner take all two party system, and the two opposing teams are bat crazy when they come up with scary things to say about each other. I can go back into history a couple of centuries, and they're still doing it. Its always been like two dragons wrestling. They always claim the other team is murderous, insane, stupid and at the same time ingeniously clever, disruptive and conspiratorial. That's why nobody paid any attention when a truly evil politician stepped up. It was all so Boy Who Cried Wolf.

 

[exchemist]

Hmm interesting

I’m from Australia so we have a similar political system to you guys.
So the whole “culture war” thing is something somewhat foreign to me, even now.
Something mocked on South Park and The Simpsons and shows similar
But not really taken that seriously in the broader public.
Though I have seen some very informative breakdowns from US based content creators in the form of video essays. Mostly from the left, if I’m being completely honest. Though in my defence I did try to seek out a counterbalance. Couldn’t find it, alas. At least not one that was compelling and gave the appropriate amount of evidence. Just an observation

I see. It strikes me that Australia has some of the same conditions as the US: vast continent, comparatively thinly and recently populated by hardy, self-reliant frontiersmen and a big fossil fuel industry with influential access to government. So I would not be surprised to see Australia develop some of the same traits in politics as the US.

One common feature too is the lack of a real aristocracy. I should have mentioned this before in my comments on the UK. Here, the social classes with money retain some sense of guilt about their position. We are well aware that people get born into a class and there remain invisible barriers to moving out of it. We have had centuries of this, ever since the Norman Conquest. It's even in the language. The fancy words for things, as once used by the Plantagenet court, which spoke French for several hundred years, are French. The basic, rude, simple, lower class words for things are Anglo-Saxon in origin. [see also later footnote]

So there is a vague acknowledgement that people cannot "be whatever they want" if they apply themselves, as the facile American myth would have it. They may need to be helped and the better off ought to lend a hand to the less well off. Noblesse oblige and all that. In contrast, some parts of the US right make self-reliance into a religion, whereby anything the state does is to be despised. This leads on to making selfishness (basically) into a political creed, Exhibit A being Ayn Rand, whose ghastly books are widely read on the Right in the USA.

I could imagine similar ideas, derived from a frontier spirit, new country mentality, could perhaps be a feature of Australian politics too. But I do not know anything about Australian politics so I may be missing the mark.

Footnote: I should also have added that in the US the "aristocracy" are not landed gentry, as they traditionally were in England, but businessmen. As such they feel no obligation towards the less well off, nurturing instead the convenient notion, often a myth, that they have achieved everything by their own efforts and don't owe anyone anything. As such, they tend to be admired as "winners", who have succeeded in living the American dream. (This attitude was satirised in Death of a Salesman.)

 

[Sand Dancer]

More and more I'm hearing that both woke-ism and trumpism bear many strong resemblances to religions. That certainly seems like a reasonable argument. They both have their dogma, they both promote the idea of blasphemy, they both often resist logical discussion and so on.

I'm feeling stuck in the middle, what with holding truth, evidence and logic in high regard and all.

Anyone else feeling stuck in the middle between the extremists?

The extremes engage in black and white thinking. The centrists see the gray areas.

 

[SomeRandom]

I see. It strikes me that Australia has some of the same conditions as the US: vast continent, comparatively thinly and recently populated by hardy, self-reliant frontiersmen and a big fossil fuel industry with influential access to government. So I would not be surprised to see Australia develop some of the same traits in politics as the US.

We already have, arguably. The anti mask/anti lockdown/anti vax movement seem to echo the same thoughts as their US counterparts.
Something I blame social media for. Maybe that’s unfair of me to do so, but there it is
Though the US does still seem to be seen as kind of “weird.” (No offence to US users.) In fairness that was mostly due to Trump and his international reputation. But I mean we have our own Murdoch sponsored party. Our own version of Republicans. Though since we do not have the same political system as the US, that specific “style” of politics seems to be kept at bay for now.

One common feature too is the lack of a real aristocracy. I should have mentioned this before in my comments on the UK. Here, the social classes with money retain some sense of guilt about their position. We are well aware that people get born into a class and there remain invisible barriers to moving out of it. We have had centuries of this, ever since the Norman Conquest. It's even in the language. The fancy words for things, as once used by the Plantagenet court, which spoke French for several hundred years, are French. The basic, rude, simple, lower class words for things are Anglo-Saxon in origin. [see also later footnote]

So…white guilt?
“Colonial hangover syndrome” is a thing here I suppose.
In saying that we do not really lionise our past the way the US seems to do theirs. And we lack the dogmatic and mindless loyalty to our forefathers and our past as a country, very unlike our US counterparts.
(No offence US users. Merely an observation.)
We have no pledge of allegiance and we do not ignore how awful the settlers were in hindsight. To acknowledge our past as a bunch of murdering outlaws fleeing the colonies is a national sport, really. Though I suppose there’s problems with that mentality as well. But whilst there are mythical figures (often derived from folk songs old and new and almost mythic like historical figures aka Ned Kelly and the like) we are not afraid to shy away from acknowledging their faults either. Something that doesn’t seem to happen in a lot of parts of the US with regards to their history
Again, merely an observation

So there is a vague acknowledgement that people cannot "be whatever they want" if they apply themselves, as the facile American myth would have it. They may need to be helped and the better off ought to lend a hand to the less well off. Noblesse oblige and all that. In contrast, some parts of the US right make self-reliance into a religion, whereby anything the state does is to be despised. This leads on to making selfishness (basically) into a political creed, Exhibit A being Ayn Rand, whose ghastly books are widely read on the Right in the USA.

I don’t think we have the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality either. Though maybe within our version of the Republican base that’s a thing. But I don’t know many folks regardless of political affiliation who would oppose welfare support and we have universal healthcare by default. So in terms of social politics I’d argue as a baseline we probably have more in common with the UK than the US even today
Interestingly from speaking to folks from working class backgrounds (from suburbs and city areas anyway) they seem to be vaguely aware that as long as Labor is in charge, they have more disposable income. Thus that’s why they vote the way they do. But again, anecdotal and your mileage will vary.
I do know at least one hardcore traditionalist. And I mean an actual honest to god monarchist. Though I doubt they’d find much in common with the US Conservative party. Even taking away the culture war stuff.

I could imagine similar ideas, derived from a frontier spirit, new country mentality, could perhaps be a feature of Australian politics too. But I do not know anything about Australian politics so I may be missing the mark.

That’s probably sort of a thing with country voters, if I’m honest. Seems to be a common attitude from my perception, anyway.
The rest of us are more “domesticated” so to speak.
Though again your mileage will vary

Footnote: I should also have added that in the US the "aristocracy" are not landed gentry, as they traditionally were in England, but businessmen. As such they feel no obligation towards the less well off, nurturing instead the convenient notion, often a myth, that they have achieved everything by their own efforts and don't owe anyone anything. As such, they tend to be admired as "winners", who have succeeded in living the American dream. (This attitude was satirised in Death of a Salesman.)

We seem to have roughly the same estimation of the myth of the “American dream.” Likely due to pop culture, even some from the US itself, calling this out. Plus we started as a prison, let’s be real here lol
Though we do seem to be a country that prides itself on fairness and giving everyone a “fair go.” I don’t think it’s quite the same thing, though.
I will admit that we have adopted some US style attitudes throughout the years. We do seem to have remained more “UK than US” overall. At least to my perception. Make of that what you will

 

[icehorse]

"I bristle when I hear the term “woke” being used as a slur or term of derision. Why? It mocks the real suffering and struggles for justice. To me, it says: “I don’t know you. I don’t care to know you. I damn sure don’t care if you are suffering. Your efforts for justice are a joke to me.” It is a convenient excuse for remaining detached from or opposed to combatting the evil of racial injustice. I tell myself these people must not really mean this. They must just be unaware, through no fault of their own. I repeat this to myself and pray they will have their eyes and hearts opened. I pray they will wake up."
The term “woke” can be misused as well, such as when it is used to exclude or silence other human beings. In the cause of justice, there are abuses. But people who claim and misuse the term are not “woke” as I understand it. For me, anything that violates or misrepresents the truth of who and what the human person is and what the human person is due, in accordance with Divine Law, stands apart from and is contrary to being woke.
What it means to be ‘woke’ and Catholic | America Magazine

You and many others dislike the term "woke". I'm not at all attached to that term, I'd be happy to use a different term. So could you provide a term to categorize folks like Ta-Nehisi-Coates, Kendi X Ibram, Robin DiAngelo, the Yale campus screaming girl, and so on? They all promote a similar set of extreme left ideas.

 

[icehorse]

You think "woke-ists" are the extreme end of the left? Really?

See my post #30. I've made a short list of some of the folks I was talking about. I'm more than happy to use a different term, can you provide one?

 

[icehorse]

So…white guilt?
“Colonial hangover syndrome” is a thing here I suppose.
In saying that we do not really lionise our past the way the US seems to do theirs. And we lack the dogmatic and mindless loyalty to our forefathers and our past as a country, very unlike our US counterparts.
(No offence US users. Merely an observation.)
We have no pledge of allegiance and we do not ignore how awful the settlers were in hindsight. To acknowledge our past as a bunch of murdering outlaws fleeing the colonies is a national sport, really. Though I suppose there’s problems with that mentality as well. But whilst there are mythical figures (often derived from folk songs old and new and almost mythic like historical figures aka Ned Kelly and the like) we are not afraid to shy away from acknowledging their faults either. Something that doesn’t seem to happen in a lot of parts of the US with regards to their history
Again, merely an observation

I would call myself a classical liberal or perhaps a liberal centrist. (As time has gone on, the Overton window has shifted and some might say I'm a conservative - yikes!) I live in the US. I think we should have universal health care, a strong infrastructure, and be carbon-neutral. We should tax the rich and profitable corporations like we did in the 50s. And I also believe that we should continue to fight against misogyny, racism and the like. And, I believe our history is littered with horrible, shameful, egregious acts. I also believe that fighting for any of the ideas listed above is a commendable way to spend one's time.

To me, fighting for truth and critical thinking and the environment and against the oligarchy is what I want to do.

What I DO NOT want to hear is that that makes me a racist or a transphobe or whatever.

 

[pearl]

More and more I'm hearing that both woke-ism and trumpism bear many strong resemblances to religions

I simply referred to What it means to be ‘woke’ and Catholic | America Magazine in answering the question posed in the OP as it concerned a religious

You and many others dislike the term "woke"

Personally, its a term that means little to me at all.

 

[SomeRandom]

I would call myself a classical liberal or perhaps a liberal centrist. (As time has gone on, the Overton window has shifted and some might say I'm a conservative - yikes!) I live in the US. I think we should have universal health care, a strong infrastructure, and be carbon-neutral. We should tax the rich and profitable corporations like we did in the 50s. And I also believe that we should continue to fight against misogyny, racism and the like. And, I believe our history is littered with horrible, shameful, egregious acts. I also believe that fighting for any of the ideas listed above is a commendable way to spend one's time.

To me, fighting for truth and critical thinking and the environment and against the oligarchy is what I want to do.

What I DO NOT want to hear is that that makes me a racist or a transphobe or whatever.

I wouldn’t call that position racist, misogynistic, transphobic etc

But I’m wary also. People like to claim they support such measures. Indeed many a smokescreen has developed in many online spaces over the years.
A person can claim to be against bigotry, just as I can claim to be an Ethiopian prince needing a wife.
If a person casually brushes off concerns pertaining to the fight against various modes of bigotry or instead pivots to a position of defensiveness because they are perceived to be racist, homophobic whatever, then there’s usually some smoke to the fire, so to speak.
I’m not saying that about you, to be clear. I’m talking more in general.

And it’s important to remember that attitudes held in the past will not always hold up to scrutiny in the present. What was once a highly progressive stance might well be considered racist by today’s standards, even if the intentions were pure
As we learn more about the nuances of social issues and how they are addressed, it’s inevitable that even good intentioned allies seeking to rid the world of such inequities will hold some positions that are outdated or considered racist, homophobic etc
That’s not to say said allies are themselves racist or whatever. It’s just that certain biases were overlooked in the past. That’s just how society works. It’s how it’s always worked. It’s why there are three waves of feminism, each more critical of the last. It’s not that those earlier waves were bad, necessarily. It’s just that as our perception pool widened and issues were looked at by previously marginalised voices, it was understood that more work had to be done.
Basically with the addition of more and more nuances it essentially meant that previous biases had to be challenged and were subsequently called out. This caused some doubling down, sad to say. And folks who previously championed for marginalised communities instead chose to take criticism personally and allied with those opposed to the very minorities they once supported.

All of us have biases. That’s just human nature. But if we dig our heels in whenever they’re pointed out, instead of reflecting and seeing if we can grow from criticism, then the fault lies with our stubbornness. And we cease to be good allies, imo

Even the harshest and most unfair criticisms levelled against me have been beneficial to me as a person in the long run. For various reasons

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

See my post #30. I've made a short list of some of the folks I was talking about. I'm more than happy to use a different term, can you provide one?

Anti-racists.

I think it says more about you than it does about them that you see opposition to racism as an "extreme" position.

 

[Left Coast]

You and many others dislike the term "woke". I'm not at all attached to that term, I'd be happy to use a different term. So could you provide a term to categorize folks like Ta-Nehisi-Coates, Kendi X Ibram, Robin DiAngelo, the Yale campus screaming girl, and so on? They all promote a similar set of extreme left ideas.

I do think folks on the left who you mentioned have some problematic ideas. When you divide literally everything in experience into either "racist" or "antiracist" categories, that binary lens operates very similarly to the way any other fundamentalist worldview does.

I'm growing increasingly concerned, also, that recent efforts to improve "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" (DEI) is basically becoming a euphemism for companies hiring people for positions on the basis of their race (or perceived race) rather than their qualifications.

 

[icehorse]

Anti-racists.

I think it says more about you than it does about them that you see opposition to racism as an "extreme" position.

I don't think you read my post carefully.

I have no problem with people who want to fight racism. The problem here is the people I mention want fighting racism to be EVERYONE's job 1. And if you don't make it YOUR job one, you're a racist.

 

[exchemist]

We already have, arguably. The anti mask/anti lockdown/anti vax movement seem to echo the same thoughts as their US counterparts.
Something I blame social media for. Maybe that’s unfair of me to do so, but there it is
Though the US does still seem to be seen as kind of “weird.” (No offence to US users.) In fairness that was mostly due to Trump and his international reputation. But I mean we have our own Murdoch sponsored party. Our own version of Republicans. Though since we do not have the same political system as the US, that specific “style” of politics seems to be kept at bay for now.



So…white guilt?
“Colonial hangover syndrome” is a thing here I suppose.
In saying that we do not really lionise our past the way the US seems to do theirs. And we lack the dogmatic and mindless loyalty to our forefathers and our past as a country, very unlike our US counterparts.
(No offence US users. Merely an observation.)
We have no pledge of allegiance and we do not ignore how awful the settlers were in hindsight. To acknowledge our past as a bunch of murdering outlaws fleeing the colonies is a national sport, really. Though I suppose there’s problems with that mentality as well. But whilst there are mythical figures (often derived from folk songs old and new and almost mythic like historical figures aka Ned Kelly and the like) we are not afraid to shy away from acknowledging their faults either. Something that doesn’t seem to happen in a lot of parts of the US with regards to their history
Again, merely an observation



I don’t think we have the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality either. Though maybe within our version of the Republican base that’s a thing. But I don’t know many folks regardless of political affiliation who would oppose welfare support and we have universal healthcare by default. So in terms of social politics I’d argue as a baseline we probably have more in common with the UK than the US even today
Interestingly from speaking to folks from working class backgrounds (from suburbs and city areas anyway) they seem to be vaguely aware that as long as Labor is in charge, they have more disposable income. Thus that’s why they vote the way they do. But again, anecdotal and your mileage will vary.
I do know at least one hardcore traditionalist. And I mean an actual honest to god monarchist. Though I doubt they’d find much in common with the US Conservative party. Even taking away the culture war stuff.



That’s probably sort of a thing with country voters, if I’m honest. Seems to be a common attitude from my perception, anyway.
The rest of us are more “domesticated” so to speak.
Though again your mileage will vary



We seem to have roughly the same estimation of the myth of the “American dream.” Likely due to pop culture, even some from the US itself, calling this out. Plus we started as a prison, let’s be real here lol
Though we do seem to be a country that prides itself on fairness and giving everyone a “fair go.” I don’t think it’s quite the same thing, though.
I will admit that we have adopted some US style attitudes throughout the years. We do seem to have remained more “UK than US” overall. At least to my perception. Make of that what you will

That's all very interesting. I do find the Australians I meet (or met, before I retired and largely ceasing meeting people from other countries apart from France) seem or seemed not too dissimilar in outlook from the UK. When I lived for a while in Houston it was almost like going to Mars. Every day I seemed to trip over some aspect of culture or assumption that was unlike Britain.

I have to confess that US politics holds horrible a fascination for me at the moment. Half the country seems to have given up on their own democratic processes. As authoritarian China rises, the US has never seemed weaker.

 

[SomeRandom]

That's all very interesting. I do find the Australians I meet (or met, before I retired and largely ceasing meeting people from other countries apart from France) seem or seemed not too dissimilar in outlook from the UK. When I lived for a while in Houston it was almost like going to Mars. Every day I seemed to trip over some aspect of culture or assumption that was unlike Britain.

I think culturally speaking we are much more similar to the UK. Even as the younger generation embraces US pop culture.
Maybe because we didn’t have that “Independence Day” battle the US did. We are by and large still a part of the Commonwealth. For good or bad. Our government and society are still very reminiscent of the structures in the UK.
I found a much bigger culture shock in California than I did in London, for instance. Though the local Californians were very friendly, I will say. It was a bit weird to be constantly greeted walking down the street all the time though

I have to confess that US politics holds horrible a fascination for me at the moment. Half the country seems to have given up on their own democratic processes. As authoritarian China rises, the US has never seemed weaker.

Legit me whenever watching something to do with US politics

I even watched the Insurrection happening on livestreams. Granted it was through lefty streamers reacting to said livestreams but still

I have the same horrible fascination for the so called “conspiracy theory right.” Things like Qanon and the like. It’s like a car crash I just can’t look away from. There’s even a lefty streamer I follow, Hannahreloaded. She covers a lot of conspiracy theorists (Tinfoil Tuesday.) Among others.

 

[exchemist]

I think culturally speaking we are much more similar to the UK. Even as the younger generation embraces US pop culture.
Maybe because we didn’t have that “Independence Day” battle the US did. We are by and large still a part of the Commonwealth. For good or bad. Our government and society are still very reminiscent of the structures in the UK.
I found a much bigger culture shock in California than I did in London, for instance. Though the local Californians were very friendly, I will say. It was a bit weird to be constantly greeted walking down the street all the time though



Legit me whenever watching something to do with US politics
View attachment 57881

I even watched the Insurrection happening on livestreams. Granted it was through lefty streamers reacting to said livestreams but still

I have the same horrible fascination for the so called “conspiracy theory right.” Things like Qanon and the like. It’s like a car crash I just can’t look away from. There’s even a lefty streamer I follow, Hannahreloaded. She covers a lot of conspiracy theorists (Tinfoil Tuesday.) Among others.

I like Tinfoil Tuesday.

An excuse to reprint my favourite tinfoil hat pic: