Chit-Chat: The Feels

[peacheslatour]

9 minutes ago, Affogato said:

The deportation issues are getting so much more screen time that what is in the big beautiful bill, it is a distraction from what is really going on. 

A lot is the definition of rape. Most people would jail someone who stalks a woman at night and rapes her as she walks home from church. Someone she doesn’t know, right, maybe that black guy they saw walking around the neighborhood. But most rapes are committed by people you know, often family and friends, and people want to make excuses. And no one wants to damage the prospects of a promising young white man, just because he showed poor judgement that one time. 

I hope this is sarcasm. My irony meter has been on the fritz lately.

[fastiller]

55 minutes ago, jessiebell said:

 

But do we really want to spend $150 BILLION (or more) on deporting people who have been here for years and are working (and usually working low paying, often back breaking, jobs)? Or changing the rules and cancelling visas and detaining those people?  

 

And who pay taxes.

 

29 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

They aren't OK with putting certain white rapists in jail. Remember Brock Turner?  The judge felt so bad for him and didn't want to ruin his life over "one mistake".

I understand he uses his middle name now: Allen.  Not a formal name change.  But still worth noting.

[Absolom]

3 hours ago, laurakaye said:

All I know is that I have not been this consistently exhausted in my entire life and I am losing my ability to be shocked, which is also very concerning.

Meanwhile from what I've heard the people themselves were dancing to a Tejano band.  Almost everything is contained in a 5 block area if anything is still happening.  The rowdiest group Monday or Tuesday was a group of pastors.

[Affogato]

8 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

I hope this is sarcasm. My irony meter has been on the fritz lately.

I was addressing one topic per paragraph.  I didn’t mean to be sarcastic. 

Yes, the deportations are horrible, but what is being done to dismantle the fabric of our country is happening very fast and it is not getting a lot of attention.  ICE is a distraction. I don’t mean that what is happening is not a violation of human rights, I don’t mean that it isn’t horrible. I do mean that it is a technique to let them do other things, like normalize sending troops to quash protests.  Yes, this is a pretty normal fascist technique. 

Yes, rape/sexual assault is usually not committed by strangers, but virtually everyone thinks that classic definition of rape is something that should be dealt with harshly. Yet, most rape/sexual assault is done by people who know the people they assault. It is hard for people to want to have Grandpa tried and jailed simply on the word of a frightened and confused child. So many factors come into play for people. Sadly, too, a lot of things are horrible for the person being assaulted, and not all that big a deal for the person doing the assault. I heard a story a long time ago about a woman who was grabbed and thrown to the ground, her potential rapist peeled her winter coat off her, and eventually got down to her dance leotard and tights, said ‘oh, fuck this’ and left. A lot of it is casual stuff, a crime of opportunity. Just happened to be near some grabbable pussy.  This is a very patriarchal idea. A stranger violating your wife, maybe impregnating her, is stealing. Someone playing around, maybe crude, but not that big a deal. It is an idea we still struggle with.

[Dimity]

6 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Almost everything is contained in a 5 block area if anything is still happening. 

I don't normally watch the news anymore (and thank you so much for that Mr. Trump) but I was passing through the room while my husband had it on and that was a point that the newscaster was stressing, complete with a map of LA with  a very tiny circle denoting where the protestors have gathered.  Calling in the National Guard and the Marines is just a fascist flex.  But I do wonder if the mainstream American news are pointing out the relative smallness of the protests compared to the size of the city.

[peacheslatour]

3 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I was addressing one topic per paragraph.  I didn’t mean to be sarcastic. 

Yes, the deportations are horrible, but what is being done to dismantle the fabric of our country is happening very fast and it is not getting a lot of attention.  ICE is a distraction. I don’t mean that what is happening is not a violation of human rights, I don’t mean that it isn’t horrible. I do mean that it is a technique to let them do other things, like normalize sending troops to quash protests.  Yes, this is a pretty normal fascist technique. 

Yes, rape/sexual assault is usually not committed by strangers, but virtually everyone thinks that classic definition of rape is something that should be dealt with harshly. Yet, most rape/sexual assault is done by people who know the people they assault. It is hard for people to want to have Grandpa tried and jailed simply on the word of a frightened and confused child. So many factors come into play for people. Sadly, too, a lot of things are horrible for the person being assaulted, and not all that big a deal for the person doing the assault. I heard a story a long time ago about a woman who was grabbed and thrown to the ground, her potential rapist peeled her winter coat off her, and eventually got down to her dance leotard and tights, said ‘oh, fuck this’ and left. A lot of it is casual stuff, a crime of opportunity. Just happened to be near some grabbable pussy.  This is a very patriarchal idea. A stranger violating your wife, maybe impregnating her, is stealing. Someone playing around, maybe crude, but not that big a deal. It is an idea we still struggle with.

So, you agree that all rape is a crime, whether it be acquaintance rape, date rape or any sexual assault on the victim who does not consent?

[Affogato]

15 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Actually I think the road to hell is paved with hate. If we succumb to it in such a big way we become no better than Trump, one of THE most hateful people ever. If we stand against hatred aimed at people based on race, religion, beliefs, gender, etc. we have to stand against all hate, even hate based on political leanings, and yes, even if we think those leanings are wrong. Hatred only fans the flames and makes things worse for all of us. It doesn't solve anything. I don't want to make things worse. Being kind to people we disagree with at least will not make things worse and may actually help.

I may dislike and disagree strongly with Trump supporters but by far most of them are not proud boys, neo-Nazis or anything that vile. Many of them are nice and decent people, not deserving of hate. And I know several of them, including my neighbors on both sides of me. I consider them blinded and misguided, but nowhere near evil enough to hate.

And it's a false equivalency to compare what Trump said in Charlottesville with what I'm saying above. I'm not talking about hateful people here. Not all Trump supporters are anything like those people. We can scratch our heads at how nice and decent people can overlook, rationalize and explain away all the hate Trump encourages and spews and all the hate groups and hateful people that follow him, but even as they do that they are still not on the same level of evil as Trump or those other people mentioned. Not even close.

I don’t think of trump as being full of hate, i think that hate is like love, it requires empathy, and i don’t think he has that much empathy for people. I think he uses people and drops them when they are no longer of use, and uses the emotions he doesn’t feel himself to enflame them.  I think others are things to him, and when they are not useful they can be discarded. I do think he likes to hurt people who hurt him, but I’m fairly sure that is sadism, not hate. I suppose I could be wrong.

It can be hard to define emotions and usually every emotion has a word and that word can have many meanings. I think i equate hate with a feeling of powerless anger.

5 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

So, you agree that all rape is a crime, whether it be acquaintance rape, date rape or any sexual assault on the victim who does not consent?

I believe that rape and sexual assaults are crimes, yes. I also believe that they are damaging to the person being raped or assaulted. 

 

[peacheslatour]

7 minutes ago, Affogato said:

I don’t think of trump as being full of hate, i think that hate is like love, it requires empathy, and i don’t think he has that much empathy for people. I think he uses people and drops them when they are no longer of use, and uses the emotions he doesn’t feel himself to enflame them.  I think others are things to him, and when they are not useful they can be discarded. I do think he likes to hurt people who hurt him, but I’m fairly sure that is sadism, not hate. I suppose I could be wrong.

It can be hard to define emotions and usually every emotion has a word and that word can have many meanings. I think i equate hate with a feeling of powerless anger.

I believe that rape and sexual assaults are crimes, yes. I also believe that they are damaging to the person being raped or assaulted. 

 

I'm still living with the emotional scars of my own assault by a neighbor when I was fifteen.

[Affogato]

This weekend there will be protests. I hope things are peaceful. 

[peacheslatour]

13 minutes ago, Affogato said:

This weekend there will be protests. I hope things are peaceful. 

So do I. Trump is just itching for someone to do something and he'll declare martial law and we can kiss the Constitution and free elections goodbye.

[Anela]

I’ve just seen a video of a federal vehicle ramming a civilian vehicle. They arrested the driver, after letting off something like tear gas.

Homan and ICE are domestic terrorists. 

https://x.com/PplsCityCouncil/status/1932879027594744070

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

So do I. Trump is just itching for someone to do something and he'll declare martial law and we can kiss the Constitution and free elections goodbye.

He apparently posted that he’s sure the military will heap glory on glory in the coming months. This is the same guy who called injured veterans, and MIA/POW “suckers and losers”.

I do hate him.  

[bluegirl147]

2 hours ago, Dimity said:

I don't normally watch the news anymore (and thank you so much for that Mr. Trump) but I was passing through the room while my husband had it on and that was a point that the newscaster was stressing, complete with a map of LA with  a very tiny circle denoting where the protestors have gathered.  Calling in the National Guard and the Marines is just a fascist flex.  But I do wonder if the mainstream American news are pointing out the relative smallness of the protests compared to the size of the city.

There is a news show I watch and this one particular host who always pulls the both sides are bad card keeps referring to the protesters as rioters.  This is someone who should and does know better and I think it's about time I stop watching this show. 

[Annber03]

30 minutes ago, Anela said:

He apparently posted that he’s sure the military will heap glory on glory in the coming months. This is the same guy who called injured veterans, and MIA/POW “suckers and losers”.

I do hate him.  

Same. Can we go just, like, one day where he shuts the fuck up? Please? 

4 hours ago, Dimity said:

It amazes me that we are still at a point where we are being told that we are overreacting and we need to calm down,

 

This. The GOP cares more about their precious guns than they do murdered elementary school children. They are perfectly fine with taking away access to affordable healthcare (or healthcare, period) from vulnerable people and, as Ernst showed recently, will happily mock those who are understandably concerned about the idea that they or their loved ones could die if they can't afford to go to the doctor when they need to do so. 

They supported, encouraged, and aided in a violent attempt to overturn a democratic election, They are fine with taking away rights from women, LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, and other minorities because they can't stand the fact that the world doesn't revolve solely around straight, white, rich, Christian men. They are happy to spread misinformation and blatant lies about things like the pandemic or vaccines or election results and eagerly stoke the flames and rile up their base to do dangerous and risky things, putting others around them and their health and safety in danger in the process. 

And that's just a few notable examples right off the top of my head of their horrific stances and beliefs and policies over the years. There is absolutely NO justification or valid reason for anyone to support or be okay with any of those above things. None. At all. Decent human beings don't think it's okay to treat people that way. 

So again, I ask, why the fuck are we, who bbject to al of the above, the ones being scolded and told to play nice? Why is it always us who need to "reach across the aisle"? When in the hell are those on the right, both the politicians and those who support them, going to get that lecture, going to get told to change their tone and be nicer and learn to hear the other side and so on and so forth? They are the ones causing hte problems, not us. We just want to live safe, happy, healthy lives and live in a world where everyone has full basic and civil rights. If anyone wants to go lecture and yell at someone, go yell at the people actually causing the problems and those who support them, not those of us who are fed up with this cruelty and insanity and trying to fight back and push against it. 

Edited June 11 by Annber03

[SoMuchTV]

1 hour ago, Anela said:

I’ve just seen a video of a federal vehicle ramming a civilian vehicle. They arrested the driver, after letting off something like tear gas.

I saw something similar on tonight’s ABC news. Except it was two federal vehicles boxing in the civilian vehicle, taking away the driver and leaving his wife and two very young children. 

And, this morning “The Daily” (NYTimes podcast) had a story that sounded very similar. I guess I hope it’s all the same situation, rather than it being so common that news media is catching three different incidents in one day. 

Edited June 12 by SoMuchTV
Left out a word

[ProudMary]

23 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I saw something similar on tonight’s ABC news. Except it was two federal vehicles boxing in the civilian vehicle, taking away the driver and leaving his wife and two very young children. 

And, this morning “The Daily” (NYTimes podcast) had a story that sounded very similar. I guess I hope it’s all the same situation, rather than it being so common that news media is catching three different incidents in one day. 

But the protesters are the problem. 😡

[shapeshifter]

4 hours ago, Affogato said:

I think hating a narcissist is a natural way people react to the narcissist, a phase to go through, but it gives 47 too much credit. I think I hate the people around him, his enablers, more. The people who could tell him he is wrong, the people who support his fragile ego, the people who let him think that he is the king of the world. Yeah, I think a lot of the maga people fall into this category, since they should be able to say ‘this is wrong’, so I don’t think it is just his cabinet and so on that do this. Yes, many are doing it because they think they can advance themselves (and many have been proven wrong). 

47 is going to act like he acts, he has no insight or choice, really. The enablers, they have a choice. All of us have a choice. 

I went through my phase of hating The Sexual Assaulter In Chief.
Now I'm just too tired. 
But I do write Wordle limericks about him most days.
This was yesterday's:

Spoiler

With impUNITY pseudo potus destroys us,
A burned CAR LEads to prime photo opp optimus,
Is DT growing more daffy?
Or just stretching truth like TAFFY?
Is it 4 more years or forty? I’m just CURIAus.

Because of people like him and people like those who populate his cabinet and other appointed posts, I don't feel safe going out to see the sunset.
But I can write and post from the safety of my fortress.

 

4 hours ago, Affogato said:

The deportation issues are getting so much more screen time that what is in the big beautiful bill, it is a distraction from what is really going on. 

Indeed. It seems to me that his primary objective is to have more money than Elon. Everything else is theater to further his cause by gaining fans/supporters/voters/contributors/customers.

 

[Anela]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I went through my phase of hating The Sexual Assaulter In Chief.
Now I'm just too tired. 

 

Two days in a row, I got some real sleep. Mainly today. Unfortunately, it's when the weather is beautiful, and I'm missing out on it. But I'm not simmering in rage. I realized in the shower, that my head felt clearer. 

[Lantern7]

My mother doesn’t want me attending the protest. She figures that since the borough is usually politically red, there might be agitators and that I’d get hurt. I don’t think there would be trouble, but I’m toast if the fecal hits the fan. No real survival skills.

If you need yet another reason to get mad (I won’t judge), try to figure out which man has been the most gross to Greta Thunberg in her efforts to bring relief to Gaza:

Trump: called her angry and strange. Suggested she take anger management classes.

Sen. Graham on Xitter: “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!”

David Portnoy (founder, Barstool Sports) on podcast: “I’ll jump on Greta van Thorsten or whatever that girl’s – she’s sailing there. Like whoever that f–k – and I hope they hit a f–king like a missile on her boat. Knock that boat down. Greta or whatever her name is.”

You know, I want everyone that loves this status quo to pay, but I don’t think a hole can be wide and deep enough to kick everyone in there. Also, fuck a young woman for having compassion, right? Where does she get off?!? 🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️

[lookeyloo]

I just read something that bisnlawyers are trying to get his 34 felony case moved to federal court so his immunity will prevail and all that will go away. Except we will remember 

[fairffaxx]

Don't tell me, let me guess:  Fed jurisdiction depends upon Trump having become Pres in the eons during which this case has been pending?  Who writes this stuff?  

 

[Anela]

20 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

My mother doesn’t want me attending the protest. She figures that since the borough is usually politically red, there might be agitators and that I’d get hurt. I don’t think there would be trouble, but I’m toast if the fecal hits the fan. No real survival skills.

If you need yet another reason to get mad (I won’t judge), try to figure out which man has been the most gross to Greta Thunberg in her efforts to bring relief to Gaza:

Trump: called her angry and strange. Suggested she take anger management classes.

Sen. Graham on Xitter: “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!”

David Portnoy (founder, Barstool Sports) on podcast: “I’ll jump on Greta van Thorsten or whatever that girl’s – she’s sailing there. Like whoever that f–k – and I hope they hit a f–king like a missile on her boat. Knock that boat down. Greta or whatever her name is.”

You know, I want everyone that loves this status quo to pay, but I don’t think a hole can be wide and deep enough to kick everyone in there. Also, fuck a young woman for having compassion, right? Where does she get off?!? 🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️

I want to go to a protest - I have a few to choose from, if I can fix my sleep schedule. Dad has the day off on Saturday, but he also said he doesn't really want to go anywhere near the protests. So, I either don't go, or he drops me off close by, and I walk. 

[ProudMary]

This is a very brave action. I hope they'll be OK.  PRIDE

Drag performers plan to protest Trump's attendance of 'Les Mis' at the Kennedy Center

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/11/nx-s1-5429801/trump-les-miserables-kennedy-center-drag-performers

A group of drag performers is planning to show up in protest of President Trump and Vice President Vance's scheduled attendance of the opening performance of Les Misérables at the John F. Kennedy Center on Wednesday night.

Four to six drag performers are expected to be at the event, after some attendees — who no longer wanted their tickets after Trump took over the performing arts center — donated them, according to Qommittee, a network of drag performers, fans and allies.

[Lantern7]

38 minutes ago, ProudMary said:

This is a very brave action. I hope they'll be OK.  PRIDE

Drag performers plan to protest Trump's attendance of 'Les Mis' at the Kennedy Center

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/11/nx-s1-5429801/trump-les-miserables-kennedy-center-drag-performers

I'm not comfortable about drag performances, so I don't seek them out. Simple. Really, if there was an army of roving drag queens invading America, forcing people outside their comfort zones with the force of a million cracked-out Dr. Frank N. Furters, then I'd totally get where the right wing is coming from. But that's not the case, so the right can shut the fuck up forever.

[Notabug]

On 6/10/2025 at 11:07 PM, annzeepark914 said:

My way of looking at this is Terry was at the end of his contract with ABC and is now 65. So, what a way to go out! He can be retired and write a book. He's also a very good reporter so another news outfit might hire him. 

I'm wondering if Terry, whose contract is expiring in the next week or so, hadn't already decided he wasn't going to renew and decided to go out in a blaze of glory rather than keep quiet.  He's a pro, he surely knew the terms of his contract in terms of posting on social media. I'd like to think he did it deliberately to flip the bird one last time at the current administration as well as to point out the cowardice of his former employer.

[Anela]

Terry Moran posted that he's going to substack. That he'd be back in a few days, or a week. 

[ProudMary]

So, one of the only accomplishments that came from the first Trump administration, something that was actually benefitting Americans, is having the rug pulled out from under it. If you read the full article, this could be the death knell for the development of any future generic drugs. 😡

Former FDA commissioner: ‘Cost-cutting’ may undo one of Trump’s best drug pricing achievements

https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/28/fda-division-policy-development-generic-drugs-doge-cost-cutting-trump-glp-1s/

President Trump often touted during his first term that his administration had “approved more affordable generic drugs than any administration in history.” He had good reason to highlight these accomplishments. Over the first two years of his presidency, the Food and Drug Administration made significant investments in staffing and policies for reviewing and approving generic drugs with an explicit goal: ensuring that once valid patents on expensive branded medications expired, these products would promptly encounter vigorous competition from lower-cost generics.

...

The investment quickly bore fruit: The FDA approved a record-breaking number of generic drugs in 2017 and 2018, yielding an estimated $26 billion in savings for American consumers.

Recently, however, the FDA team responsible for paving the approval pathway for these complex generics was entirely disbanded as part of cuts demanded from the agency’s current leadership. This abrupt reversal threatens to undo the historic progress achieved during the president’s first term. It could stall the arrival of affordable generic alternatives to some of today’s most expensive medications.

...

The FDA’s political leaders reconsidered cuts initially made elsewhere within the agency’s drug programs, even rehiring some key scientists. However, the regulatory policy team in the generic drug group was dismissed wholesale, with no plans to restore this uniquely specialized team.

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Dimity said:

Looking the other way is another form of collusion.  And pretending that all the people being rounded up by masked men and sent "away" are criminals is, at best, being deliberately ignorant.  Anyone who can watch children being arrested and having their hands tied behind their backs with zip ties and can shrug that off is someone I do not want to know.

Looking the other way is not an active form of collusion and there is no law against that. Usually not unless it can be shown that you were actively involved and intending to commit a crime are you held responsible for it. And there is no good Samaritan law either. So the offense is not on the same level as actively committing it.

Is it morally right not to speak up against it? No. But I can't hate people I think have been scammed and believe things that aren't true because they were duped into it. They fell for the scam and the lies that the people being arrested, bound and gagged deserved it. I pity such people, I don't hate them.

And who can say who is being deliberately ignorant? Maybe some are but some aren't. If they have been fed and believe lies that the people being bound and arrested deserved to be so they accounts for why they can be OK with it. I don't agree with them and I'd be pretty angry at them for not seeing that, but equating that with the action itself is in my opinion not warranted.

Should every German citizen that didn't speak out and protest Hitler when his crimes were in front of them deserve to be hated and thrown in jail for their inaction?  They were fed lies too, that Jews were responsible for their country's problems, etc. and deserved what they got (note that most Germans didn't know about the "final solution"). And they believed them. But the average German citizen that simply looked the other way when horrific crimes were being committed were largely not held responsible. And because they were duped and bought into a fiction I can forgive them for it. We think they should have resisted it or at some point have woken up and seen the reality but that's not how being brainwashed works. Are they responsible for letting themselves be brainwashed? Again, I can't judge that. When millions of people fall prey to something like that I can't vilify all of them. I have to believe that if many of them knew what they were really doing they would do better.

And forgiveness is not about being OK about people doing things that are wrong nor is it condoning it. It's about knowing they did wrong even if they don't know it or care about it and forgiving them anyway. It's hard to do but in my opinion it makes us the better people. And we should be the party of better people, not people that let inhumanity toward other humans make us become more like those people ourselves. I realize that this is an unpopular opinion here but this comes from my Christian principles and I believe very strongly in it. And this is not from the "wacko", psychologically dysfunctional end of Christianity either. It is from the very heart of the true Christian message itself. And you don't have to call yourself a Christian to see the value in it either.

[JustHereForFood]

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

If you need yet another reason to get mad (I won’t judge), try to figure out which man has been the most gross to Greta Thunberg in her efforts to bring relief to Gaza:

Trump: called her angry and strange. Suggested she take anger management classes.

Sen. Graham on Xitter: “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!”

David Portnoy (founder, Barstool Sports) on podcast: “I’ll jump on Greta van Thorsten or whatever that girl’s – she’s sailing there. Like whoever that f–k – and I hope they hit a f–king like a missile on her boat. Knock that boat down. Greta or whatever her name is.”

You know, I want everyone that loves this status quo to pay, but I don’t think a hole can be wide and deep enough to kick everyone in there. Also, fuck a young woman for having compassion, right? Where does she get off?!? 🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️🙄🤦‍♂️

To be fair, her publicity stunt was colossally stupid and I'm glad it got less attention than she planned due to the other stuff happening. She is obnoxious and too self-righteous to be taken seriously anymore. But the best way to deal with her is just to ignore her and don't give her the attention she wants.

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Affogato said:

I don’t think of trump as being full of hate, i think that hate is like love, it requires empathy, and i don’t think he has that much empathy for people. I think he uses people and drops them when they are no longer of use, and uses the emotions he doesn’t feel himself to enflame them.  I think others are things to him, and when they are not useful they can be discarded. I do think he likes to hurt people who hurt him, but I’m fairly sure that is sadism, not hate. I suppose I could be wrong.

Hate does not require or involve empathy. In fact hate is the very opposite of empathy. It is "othering" on the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from empathy. Empathy is the antidote to hate. Don't agree? Google on it and see what you find.

Here's a snippet from Google AI:

Quote

The absence of empathy can be a key factor in hate.

When we don't understand or care about the feelings of others, we are more likely to harbor resentment and anger towards them. Empathy helps us bridge the gap and find common ground, even when we disagree. 

Trump is the very embodiment of the above. When we hate others because they like and condone Trump and his behavior or because "Trump made us hate" we all become a little more like him. And that is what I'm against and will resist with all of my being. I will NOT let him or his followers make me more like HIM or THEM.

Here's more from here:

Click for Google AI Link on Hate and Empathyg

Quote

No, hate and empathy are not related in the way that one necessarily involves the other. While empathy can be a powerful antidote to hate, hate itself doesn't require empathy. In fact, hate often stems from a lack of empathy and understanding. 

Here's why:

Empathy involves understanding and sharing the feelings of others.

It requires putting yourself in someone else's shoes and seeing the world from their perspective. Hate, on the other hand, often involves judging or dehumanizing others, making it difficult to connect with their emotions. 

Hate can be a response to fear, anger, or a perceived threat.

These emotions can narrow our focus and make it difficult to see the other person's perspective. Empathy, conversely, encourages us to consider the other person's experiences and motivations, which can help us overcome fear and anger. 

The absence of empathy can be a key factor in hate.

When we don't understand or care about the feelings of others, we are more likely to harbor resentment and anger towards them. Empathy helps us bridge the gap and find common ground, even when we disagree. 

Hate can be a barrier to empathy.

When we are filled with hatred, we may be less open to understanding and connecting with others. Empathy can help us break down these barriers and build more positive relationships. 

In summary, while empathy can be a powerful tool in combating hate, it is not a necessary component of hate itself. In fact, the lack of empathy can often be a driving force behind hate. 

 

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

So again, I ask, why the fuck are we, who bbject to al of the above, the ones being scolded and told to play nice? Why is it always us who need to "reach across the aisle"? When in the hell are those on the right, both the politicians and those who support them, going to get that lecture, going to get told to change their tone and be nicer and learn to hear the other side and so on and so forth? They are the ones causing hte problems, not us. We just want to live safe, happy, healthy lives and live in a world where everyone has full basic and civil rights. If anyone wants to go lecture and yell at someone, go yell at the people actually causing the problems and those who support them, not those of us who are fed up with this cruelty and insanity and trying to fight back and push against it. 

We can complain about that all we want but we can't give up on being the "better people" no matter what the other side gets away with or how that puts us in a no-win situation. We have to be true to our principles, not let others dictate who we are. Otherwise they win. We have to work according to a higher moral standard, not their rules.

We can't control what others do and say but we can control ourselves. And "we" do yell at the people actually causing the problems. But we can't let them compromise us on our principles either, even when that feels hard to do.

[Anela]

21 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Hate does not require or involve empathy. In fact hate is the very opposite of empathy. It is "othering" on the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from empathy. Empathy is the antidote to hate. Don't agree? Google on it and see what you find.

Here's a snippet from Google AI:

Trump is the very embodiment of the above. When we hate others because they like and condone Trump and his behavior or because "Trump made us hate" we all become a little more like him. And that is what I'm against and will resist with all of my being. I will NOT let him or his followers make me more like HIM or THEM.

Here's more from here:

Click for Google AI Link on Hate and Empathyg

 

We can complain about that all we want but we can't give up on being the "better people" no matter what the other side gets away with or how that puts us in a no-win situation. We have to be true to our principles, not let others dictate who we are. Otherwise they win. We have to work according to a higher moral standard, not their rules.

We can't control what others do and say but we can control ourselves. And "we" do yell at the people actually causing the problems. But we can't let them compromise us on our principles either, even when that feels hard to do.

I am picturing myself in any kind of situation with trump, and I'm sure that I would treat him better than he would treat me. For one thing, I'm the enemy within. I'm also a nasty woman, who didn't vote for him. Do you think he would show me empathy - real empathy - if I simply disagreed with him? Would he be looking deep into my soul for answers as to why I don't like him, and voted against him?

Nah. 

[Yeah No]

6 minutes ago, Anela said:

I am picturing myself in any kind of situation with trump, and I'm sure that I would treat him better than he would treat me. For one thing, I'm the enemy within. I'm also a nasty woman, who didn't vote for him. Do you think he would show me empathy - real empathy - if I simply disagreed with him? Would he be looking deep into my soul for answers as to why I don't like him, and voted against him?

Nah. 

No, he wouldn't. I try not to imagine that because I'd try to avoid him if I at all could. It's not worth how bad it would likely make me feel to be in his midst.

I just don't want to wake up one morning to a NYT article entitled, "Has Trump turned Democrats into a party of Hard Hearts?"

I am fighting to stay true to my idealism and my soft heart. Where Trump is concerned that's a real challenge for me. I have admitted to feeling hatred for him. I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I have succumbed to hatred. It doesn't make me feel good about the world or myself.

[Makai]

Personally, I feel like it is too soon for many people to even begin to contemplate forgiveness or having empathy when so many are actively being harmed. 

During Covid people kept saying that we were all in the same boat and some people pointed out that we’re in the same storm but we’re not all in the same boat. That has stuck with me and has been on my mind a lot lately.  I am in a place where I am not confident in how well I will weather the next few years but I am a lot more fortunate than so many. The day to day impact for me is still mostly theoretical. So I am really trying to remember that my experience, is only my experience.

I don’t feel comfortable judging anyone for how they are coping because, while we may all hate Trump’s actions we are definitely not all being equally impacted. 

Edited June 12 by Makai

[Makai]

1 hour ago, Yeah No said:

I just don't want to wake up one morning to a NYT article entitled, “Has Trump turned Democrats into a party of Hard Hearts?”

I understand your point, but I am seeing the average Democrat go in the exact opposite direction. Yes, many are hard hearted to Trump and MAGA but that has come hand-in-hand with an increase in empathy for people who are suffering due to Trump’s policies. People are caring about things that would have been largely ignored a year ago. 

Edited June 12 by Makai

[Affogato]

4 hours ago, Yeah No said:

Hate does not require or involve empathy. In fact hate is the very opposite of empathy. It is "othering" on the extreme opposite end of the spectrum from empathy. Empathy is the antidote to hate. Don't agree? Google on it and see what you find.

Here's a snippet from Google AI:

Trump is the very embodiment of the above. When we hate others because they like and condone Trump and his behavior or because "Trump made us hate" we all become a little more like him. And that is what I'm against and will resist with all of my being. I will NOT let him or his followers make me more like HIM or THEM.

Here's more from here:

Click for Google AI Link on Hate and Empathyg

 

We can complain about that all we want but we can't give up on being the "better people" no matter what the other side gets away with or how that puts us in a no-win situation. We have to be true to our principles, not let others dictate who we are. Otherwise they win. We have to work according to a higher moral standard, not their rules.

We can't control what others do and say but we can control ourselves. And "we" do yell at the people actually causing the problems. But we can't let them compromise us on our principles either, even when that feels hard to do.

So little love for being countered with AI. i cannot express. 
perhaps I do not know hate. When ai see some of the things that are happening to people I am angry and frustrated, even triggered. Would I offer sympathy to trump, Noem, Vought, etc? No, if I could I would remove them for from power and have them make retributions. Sometimes ai feel ai would enjoy their pain. But then I recoil from that. 
Thinking that for destruction, ice is also great. 

you are right, hate has no heart. But personally, ai do. 
i woll have to think on this more. 
 

 

[shapeshifter]

This article about Trump’s opening night at the Kennedy Center captures what feels to me like a Hitlerian-Caligulan moment in America: https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/politics/trump-kennedy-center-les-miserables-reaction

[Eri]

17 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

He is truly losing his mind. He's mixing up wars now.

https://www.thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/2025/06/trump-mixes-up-world-wars-days-civil-rights-in-latest-remarks/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link&ICID=ref_fark

“Recently, other countries celebrated the victory of World War I, France was celebrating, really,” Trump told troops at Fort Bragg on Tuesday afternoon. “They were all celebrating. The only one that doesn’t celebrate is the USA and we’re the ones that won the war. Without us, you’d all be speaking German right now. Maybe a little Japanese thrown in. But we won the war.”

The soldiers present were apparently screened to so that supporters would both be supporters of Trump's regime and also not be fat.

But more importantly, his MAGA merchandise was on sale at the event, breaking with the military's supposed non-partisanship to endorse political merchandise or the views it represents. He's prepping.

[Spartan Girl]

4 hours ago, Makai said:

 

Personally, I feel like it is too soon for many people to even begin to contemplate forgiveness or having empathy when so many are actively being harmed. 

 

For me, it’s not too soon. It’s nonexistent. Whoever didn’t vote for Harris is dead to me. Simple as that.

Edited June 12 by Spartan Girl

[Yeah No]

3 hours ago, Makai said:

I understand your point, but I am seeing the average Democrat go in the exact opposite direction. Yes, many are hard hearted to Trump and MAGA but that has come hand-in-hand with an increase in empathy for people who are suffering due to Trump’s policies. People are caring about things that would have been largely ignored a year ago. 

That's a good point. Too bad it underlines how Trump stages these things just to get that effect so that his base will continue to think that Democrats care more about those people he's hurting than they do about THEM. Unfortunately he manipulates people's hearts to his advantage. And I hate that. Of course that won't stop me from having more empathy for the people being hurt by Trump, but the whole thing angers me, also because the stuff he's staging is hiding how his base is going to be hurt by him too. So he manipulates them too.

[Affogato]

Did anyone believe getting rid of musk would help. Protests, signs, hands up?  Trump dying wouldn’t either? And he isn’t an evil mastermind. Something has happened over years.  Does anyone believe hating the lumpy, ugly messengers helps at all?

14 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

That's a good point. Too bad it underlines how Trump stages these things just to get that effect so that his base will continue to think that Democrats care more about those people he's hurting than they do about THEM. Unfortunately he manipulates people's hearts to his advantage. And I hate that. Of course that won't stop me from having more empathy for the people being hurt by Trump, but the whole thing angers me, also because the stuff he's staging is hiding how his base is going to be hurt by him too. So he manipulates them too.

Which is pretty much a narcissists handbook. This happens all around us. It is tiring. 

Edited June 12 by Affogato

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, Affogato said:

So little love for being countered with AI. i cannot express. 
perhaps I do not know hate. When ai see some of the things that are happening to people I am angry and frustrated, even triggered. Would I offer sympathy to trump, Noem, Vought, etc? No, if I could I would remove them for from power and have them make retributions. Sometimes ai feel ai would enjoy their pain. But then I recoil from that. 
Thinking that for destruction, ice is also great. 

you are right, hate has no heart. But personally, ai do. 
i woll have to think on this more. 

Ironic, isn't it? AI has more empathy than Trump does. A sad and scary prospect. 

I was never a vindictive person. In fact, just the opposite. But I think justice needs to be done. Not in terms of violence but the law making these people pay for their actions. I don't think AI would enjoy seeing this happen and neither would I, but I admit I would feel a sense of justice if they were punished for what they've done.

7 minutes ago, Affogato said:

Did anyone believe getting rid of musk would help. Protests, signs, hands up?  Trump dying wouldn’t either? And he isn’t an evil mastermind. Something has happened over years.  Does anyone believe hating the lumpy, ugly messengers helps at all?

My friends don't think it would help if Trump died because we'd be left with Vance, who is in some ways worse because he actually knows how government works and is probably easily manipulated. I don't even know if Trump is the only "evil mastermind". He has a lot of help behind the scenes. They all are guilty. But the point is it's not just Trump. The "movement" may not have as much impact without him but there are other ways it can cause harm.

12 minutes ago, Affogato said:

Which is pretty much a narcissists handbook. This happens all around us. 

Unfortunately I know this all too well having known malignant narcissists in my own life. I worked for a particularly toxic boss at the end of my career that scarred me. She made everyone's life in my office miserable. It's a very long story but let's just say she ended up being one of those people I can count on one hand that I hated.

[Affogato]

41 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Ironic, isn't it? AI has more empathy than Trump does. A sad and scary prospect. 

I was never a vindictive person. In fact, just the opposite. But I think justice needs to be done. Not in terms of violence but the law making these people pay for their actions. I don't think AI would enjoy seeing this happen and neither would I, but I admit I would feel a sense of justice if they were punished for what they've done.

My friends don't think it would help if Trump died because we'd be left with Vance, who is in some ways worse because he actually knows how government works and is probably easily manipulated. I don't even know if Trump is the only "evil mastermind". He has a lot of help behind the scenes. They all are guilty. But the point is it's not just Trump. The "movement" may not have as much impact without him but there are other ways it can cause harm.

Unfortunately I know this all too well having known malignant narcissists in my own life. I worked for a particularly toxic boss at the end of my career that scarred me. She made everyone's life in my office miserable. It's a very long story but let's just say she ended up being one of those people I can count on one hand that I hated.

For years people working farms in the, mind you, Andes have been dying of kidney failure because of heat and dehydration. When I say diatraction I also mean that the bros AI power plants will hasten the demose of the planet as we know it. So that also is a distraction. Musk maybe believes and wants to sell ticketa to mars colony at the end if the world. 

[bluegirl147]

11 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

I just read something that bisnlawyers are trying to get his 34 felony case moved to federal court so his immunity will prevail and all that will go away. Except we will remember 

Trump is not going to remembered for anything good.  He rightly or wrongly will be compared to Hitler. His legacy will be undermining our country in such a way our enemies could have only dreamed about. I feel like his grave will have to be in some locked mausoleum because otherwise people would piss, spit and who knows what else on it.

9 hours ago, Notabug said:

I'm wondering if Terry, whose contract is expiring in the next week or so, hadn't already decided he wasn't going to renew and decided to go out in a blaze of glory rather than keep quiet. 

Aren't contracts usually negotiated before the current one is so close to expiring?  If ABC knew he wasn't resigning this makes them look even worse.  Trying to curry favor with Trump by parting ways with Moran when they knew he was leaving is pathetic. 

5 hours ago, Yeah No said:

I just don't want to wake up one morning to a NYT article entitled, "Has Trump turned Democrats into a party of Hard Hearts?"

It's not just Trump that has angered us.  It's Mitch McConnell stealing a SCOTUS seat by refusing to have a confirmation hearing for Merrick Garland because it was an election year.  It's Mitch McConnell then breaking his own made up rule and letting ACB be confirmed in the month before election day. It's decades of gerrymandering and voter suppression.  If my heart is hard it's with good reason.

4 hours ago, Makai said:

Yes, many are hard hearted to Trump and MAGA but that has come hand-in-hand with an increase in empathy for people who are suffering due to Trump’s policies. People are caring about things that would have been largely ignored a year ago. 

One thing Trump did do is he brought out a lot of people's true colors.  For everyone who found empathy for people suffering from Trump's actions there were people who found pleasure from seeing people suffer.

45 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

I don't even know if Trump is the only "evil mastermind". He has a lot of help behind the scenes.

Trump is a puppet. His vitriol is all him but his policies are whatever someone tells him to do. The man is not an idealogue like some of the people around him. 

47 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

The "movement" may not have as much impact without him but there are other ways it can cause harm.

What is MAGA without him? What are their policies?  And who steps up to replace him?  

[Dimity]

2 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

One thing Trump did do is he brought out a lot of people's true colors.  For everyone who found empathy for people suffering from Trump's actions there were people who found pleasure from seeing people suffer.

A positive fallout from Trump has been the way the spectre of Trump has helped defeat Conservative governments in a few countries.  In Canada this is most notably because he is threatening invasion, annexation - whatever - because that's how Trump rolls.  When Quebecers start waving Canadian flags, well, thank you for that at least, Mr. Trump.

On the flip side though, as you note, we're seeing the Maple Magas.  People who had started to show their true colours during the pandemic and who are now out there front and centre jockeying for position just in case Trump does get his way here.

Never happen.  But of course the Vichy Government in Waiting is living in hope.

 

[Dimity]

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/tlg/d/washington-seat-fillers-needed-june/7857143452.html

T-Mellon Events is looking for seat fillers and extras to provide their time for space maximization and attendance perception for an event taking place in Washington DC on June 14th. Extras and Seat fillers will check in on the morning of June 14th at 9:00 a.m.
Extras are required to wear Red, White and Blue clothing and will be provided a RED hat to wear. GOLD accessories are acceptable as well. The team will advise the extras where to stand or sit according to the line of sight from a VIP viewing platform area.
Extras and Seat fillers will be paid a flat daily fee and will be provided a lunch of fast food and soda.
We encourage people of color and ethnic groups to sign up for maximum perception control and these individuals will be prominently displayed on the televised broadcast and local viewing screens to be seen by the VIP platform.

I honestly can't tell.  Is this legitimate or satire?

[bluegirl147]

7 minutes ago, Dimity said:

https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/tlg/d/washington-seat-fillers-needed-june/7857143452.html

T-Mellon Events is looking for seat fillers and extras to provide their time for space maximization and attendance perception for an event taking place in Washington DC on June 14th. Extras and Seat fillers will check in on the morning of June 14th at 9:00 a.m.
Extras are required to wear Red, White and Blue clothing and will be provided a RED hat to wear. GOLD accessories are acceptable as well. The team will advise the extras where to stand or sit according to the line of sight from a VIP viewing platform area.
Extras and Seat fillers will be paid a flat daily fee and will be provided a lunch of fast food and soda.
We encourage people of color and ethnic groups to sign up for maximum perception control and these individuals will be prominently displayed on the televised broadcast and local viewing screens to be seen by the VIP platform.

I honestly can't tell.  Is this legitimate or satire?

I would believe it. Trump has paid people before to show up at his events.

 

Edited to add:  It does appear to be fake but the fact that it is so believable says a lot about Trump. It's all about optics to him and you know he isn't going to want the people routinely show up to his rallies to be front and center.

Edited June 12 by bluegirl147

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Trump is not going to remembered for anything good.  He rightly or wrongly will be compared to Hitler. His legacy will be undermining our country in such a way our enemies could have only dreamed about. I feel like his grave will have to be in some locked mausoleum because otherwise people would piss, spit and who knows what else on it.

May I live long enough to see that day.

 

 

 

[fairffaxx]

33 minutes ago, Eri said:

Any person who supported this baboon ...

I am a fan of baboons, a highly intelligent species, & I resent this comparison! 

[Bookish Jen]

31 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

May I live long enough to see that day.

 

 

 

And a lot of books will be written about his Hitler-like regimes. And I hope I live long enough to read them. And hopefully, Ken Burns will live long enough to make a documentary about the two Trump regimes, and the damage they've done to our country.

[Kemper]

10 hours ago, ProudMary said:

So, one of the only accomplishments that came from the first Trump administration, something that was actually benefitting Americans, is having the rug pulled out from under it. If you read the full article, this could be the death knell for the development of any future generic drugs. 😡

Former FDA commissioner: ‘Cost-cutting’ may undo one of Trump’s best drug pricing achievements

https://www.statnews.com/2025/05/28/fda-division-policy-development-generic-drugs-doge-cost-cutting-trump-glp-1s/

 

 

At the end of the day,  pharmaceutical companies must always always always come first. Thanks to their lobbying efforts on both sides of Congress.

[Sharla]

19 hours ago, Absolom said:

Meanwhile from what I've heard the people themselves were dancing to a Tejano band.  Almost everything is contained in a 5 block area if anything is still happening.  The rowdiest group Monday or Tuesday was a group of pastors.

Why is Trump losing his mind over Los Angeles and their demonstrations when 100 miles south San Diego is also having demonstrations?