Chit-Chat: The Feels

[Lantern7]

11 minutes ago, Trini said:

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As to the U.S. being united question: Miracle on the Hudson?

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

Sully! I was thinking of moments that the nation watched as they happened, but Sully landing the plane? I think it qualifies. Thanks!

Edited 5 hours ago by Lantern7

[Annber03]

I just wonder what all those evangelicals who support Trump are thinking about him not putting his hand on the Bible. If it were a Democratic president who didn't do that, they'd have a meltdown. 

 

[Yeah No]

9 hours ago, Bastet said:

That reminds me of when I met Gloria Steinem after a protest.  I was heading to a little hole in the wall deli to get a sandwich, rounded a corner and damn near collided with her.  Did I open with my thoughts on her inspiring speech, my thanks for Ms. Magazine, or anything like that?  Nope, I got so befuddled by seeing her face to face, I fixated on the fact she was carrying food from the same deli and started babbling about sandwiches!  I did then pull myself together to talk about more important things, so it's a great memory, but I will forever roll my eyes at myself for how it began.

That's similar to the way my mother and I almost bumped right into her in NYC in the '70s, although it wasn't after a protest. We gushed like fangirls about how much she inspired us and how we subscribed to Ms. Magazine, so we weren't much better, lol. And my mother was rarely at a loss for words, either.

9 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

When I argued that maybe we should try to not focus on stuff like this, it was as if I'd said that I was voting for Trump. At least I felt a little validated when Brandeis eventually removed the list of oppressive language from their site (afaik), but the real reason this incident is memorable for me is because I was stunned at the lack of tolerance from people who indentify as socially liberal. It didn't matter either if the POV was from a woman or a minority or a person who votes like they do. 

I want my party to at least be open to hearing different points of view. Ideally too, my side is going to be okay with people having a different take on a minor topic without it turning into this thing where they're questioning their basic humanity. If I vote the way that you do, support the same causes, advocate for the same political issues, is it really that big of a deal if we're not necessarily on the same page in terms of, say, what strategy I think the party should use for the midterm or if I think it's unnecessary to push a ban on words like picnic? As long as a person is in step on the bread and butter issues, that should be enough to keep people from making comments that indicate they think you're essentially supporting a party that doesn't care about the things you value.

I'm honestly nervous about even posting this just because of that experience when I made the choice to wade into this topic. At the end of the day though I feel like people are more tolerant here than some other places, so that's what's giving me the courage.

Thank you SO much, your entire post resonates with me as I have been in that position myself, quibbling over minor things and being made to feel like I might as well be a Trump supporter. Only it was right here on this board, LOL. But that was months ago now. Since then I am feeling much better heard and understood.

8 hours ago, Dimity said:

And the timing is interesting.  Could they be making it any clearer that the reason $Trump wanted back in the White House was to keep lining his pockets by picking the pockets of everyone else...oh and to stay out of jail too of course...but mainly it's all about the money.

My very political friend has been chanting just this for months now and I believe him (and you).

8 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

This is one of the reasons why I didn't understand why this word made the list of banned words. It should be okay for people to question stuff like this without people automatically suspecting that you're an advocate for the other side. 

Exactly. Again, been there over similar stuff, have the T shirt.

8 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

I understand that it isn't reasonable to expect every topic to be able to be discussed without the discussion turning heated. I think when it comes to minor topics like the ones I mentioned, I think that's where I'm hopeful that everyone would be able to weigh in without it turning into a metaphorical knife fight.

As one who has felt "knifed" in a discussion about something minor, I wholeheartedly agree!

[Yeah No]

7 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I just asked a question for the public on Facebook, but I know that I’ll get responses here.

When was the last time that the United States were truly united, even if it was for a brief period?

Here are my rules:

• No tragedies (9/11, Oklahoma City, Challenger)
• No deaths (bin Laden, Hussein)
• No sporting events (Miracle on Ice, USWNT winning World Cups)

Are wars considered tragedies? Because if allowed I'd say during WWII after Pearl Harbor before the death of FDR.

Actually right after WWII might qualify too.

[Lantern7]

5 minutes ago, Yeah No said:

Are wars considered tragedies? Because if allowed I'd say during WWII after Pearl Harbor before the death of FDR.

Actually right after WWII might qualify too.

I think that's under people dying.

I'm not saying The Daily Show wasn't funny tonight. I'm just saying that I didn't laugh. I'm probably not alone there.

[Yeah No]

16 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I think that's under people dying.

How about after the war? I think the period after WWII straight through the 1950s was one of the most talked about eras of unity in the US thanks to an economic boom and the unity still felt after fighting a common enemy. That period lasted for more or less a decade. It's one reason why they named a show "Happy Days", LOL. I was born in the late '50s so I don't remember much of that decade but I do remember enough about it to know how things were, and learned more thanks to my parents who were both WWII vets and talked about such things a lot.

4 hours ago, PRgal said:

You guys are in for a long four years unless mid-terms go full on blue.  And the whole world better be ready for another economic crash. 

My political friend is insistent that things will turn blue in 2 years. So I'm going with that!

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I just wonder what all those evangelicals who support Trump are thinking about him not putting his hand on the Bible. If it were a Democratic president who didn't do that, they'd have a meltdown. 

Oh for sure, but he's the profane instrument that God is using to bring good out of, remember? They've deliberately twisted things in their minds to forgive his profane ways.

[anony.miss]

2 hours ago, Trini said:

😠

I know Trump has no morals, but how can anyone else be okay with this? No matter which 'side' you're on? PEOPLE DIED.

It's shocking (and despair-inducing) but at this point, it seems clear  (to me) that many Trump voters didn't care that the capitol was stormed, or that people were killed, or that cops were permanently handicapped, or that the seat of American democracy looked like a prison break on January 6th.  It didn't disgust them, or repel them - or even cause them to sit the election out, because they just couldn't vote for the monster who set that in motion - none of that mattered.  Trump knows many of his voters are now fine with what happened that day, and others are demanding terrorists be seen as "hostages" so it's all gravy for him politically (as you say, he has no moral skin in this game). And maybe I'm wrong and there will be a wave of outraged Republicans demanding Trump retract his pardons, but I doubt it.  I think they'll be mostly fine with it. So many of his voters misread, excused, or waved away Trump's criminal nature, and I think that's going to cost them. They voted for the Trump they hoped he'd become, not the Trump he actually is. And that same thuggish streak in him  - the one they waved away  - is going to be used against them.  They're going to get everything they voted for, and it will be a reckoning.

And after discussing Trump's Republican followers for months here, I want to also acknowledge the Republicans who voted for Harris. From private citizens to Never Trumpers to Republican officials, they all broke with political tribalism and put country over party, and I'm grateful they tried  to stop this disgrace from happening.

Edited 3 hours ago by anony.miss

[kittykat]

51 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I think that's under people dying.

I'm not saying The Daily Show wasn't funny tonight. I'm just saying that I didn't laugh. I'm probably not alone there.

I definitely laughed a little.  It's all I've got.  Probably the most entertained I've been by one of Jon Stewart's takes in a while.  Josh Johnson at end was all too real. I'm glad TDS was the only footage I watched of the inauguration.

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

I just wonder what all those evangelicals who support Trump are thinking about him not putting his hand on the Bible. If it were a Democratic president who didn't do that, they'd have a meltdown. 

 

In all seriousness, I'm sure a lot didn't even notice.  They (indeed, we all) see or don't see what we do or don't want to see.  It's not willful, it's the human condition.  Of course, some Republicans/supporters will have noticed, and they will have some reason to dismiss it.

[CheshireCat]

8 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

It was just a matter of time.  And CNN going out of their way to not refer to as a Nazi salute but instead as a Roman salute. 

Considering that the Roman salute was used in Italy in the 1920s and 1930s and adopted by the Fascist movement and that slavery, gladiator fights, brutal wars, oppression of women and persecutions of Jews as well as Christians are part of the Roman empire's history, I don't think that's more favorable.

I think it's simply seen as more acceptable because the Roman Empire is a lot more abstract and a lot less present in our minds than the 3rd Reich. 

In my experience, these gestures are no accident but dog whistles. They're deliberately murky so that, as Ancaster said (even if in a different context) anyone who doesn't want to see it doesn't have to see it but those who it's intended for understand. 

I believe that any politician should avoid any gesture that could be seen as any Fascist salute that exists and I'd also say that any politician who doesn't want to make such a gesture does. Otherwise, I would think we'd see a lot more do it and from a broader political spectrum. But I'm only aware of far-right politicians/advisors who get caught up in controversies over fascist gestures or rhetoric. 

 

[Soapy Goddess]

6 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Yeah, but hey, at least we didn't elect someone whose laugh was a little unusual. Whew. Sure dodged a bullet there. 

You mean the one who did absolutely NOTHING for 4 years? 

 

6 hours ago, kittykat said:

Let's face it, January 6th worked.  It was not a failure.  They did their job, they'll never face consequences again. Can't wait to see the pundits jumps through fire hoops to justify pardoning the rioters after attacking Joe Biden for pardoning Hunter.  

And it's okay for Biden to pardon 4900 criminals? Guess all the prisons can now undergo full renovations since there will be no residents.

13 hours ago, Dimity said:

He's made it clear his personal heroes are Putin and Kim Jong Un.

He never said that. Have you ever heard the phrase "keep your enemies close"?