Post-Election Fears & Anxieties

[ClareWalks]

Facebook is a pit of insanity. I checked out a trending article about some potential Cabinet appointments and in the comments was a person who was like "OBAMA'S CABINET IS FULL OF MUSLIMS, STUPID!!!!" And people. Liked. It.

[windsprints]

39 minutes ago, lordonia said:

#quitfacebook

Yes. I was only sharing what happened to describe how angry/nasty Trump supporters (in my experience) are behaving even though he won the election. 

[NinjaPenguins]

My brother seriously believes Obama has cousins in ISIS. Literal, blood-related cousins. Some people are just lost and you can only hope they wander back into reality on their own. 

[ClareWalks]

The most frustrating part is they will vehemently insist that you are an IDIOT who doesn't have the FACTS STRAIGHT with CAPITAL LETTERS. You absolutely cannot attempt to reason with them. That is why people think Trump voters are unreasonable, because the unreasonable ones SHOUT ON FACEBOOK.

[NewDigs]

1 hour ago, fastiller said:

Speaking of the Constitution, as a member of the ACLU, I receive from time-to-time their pocket Constitution (like Mr. Khan showed us during his DNC speech) which I sometimes carry with me.  However, I also carry it with my on my phone as an app.  I forget which one I downloaded, it was free and I have an android phone.  I recommend it.  The version I have also has other documents important to our history, among them: the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, MLK's I Have A Dream speech, the wording to the Miranda Warning.

And the ACLU is a great donate-to organization.

They have had a huge uptick in donations (hooray!) and it looks like there lots of work ahead. These are their priorities.

Wonder if we need an activism/activist thread. Could help to make this info more easily available.

I'm just sick. Just when I think it can't get worse. Back to difficulty motivating. This is close to overwhelming.

 

Huh. Sloths. Who knew?

Edited November 16, 2016 by NewDigs

[MulletorHater]

14 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

Facebook is a pit of insanity. I checked out a trending article about some potential Cabinet appointments and in the comments was a person who was like "OBAMA'S CABINET IS FULL OF MUSLIMS, STUPID!!!!" And people. Liked. It.

That's why I can't get down with the whole "Let's try to understand and join hands in unity" schtick.  I'm sorry, but when did stupidity become "a thing?"  And, why are people okay with it?

It's as if the air supply to some people's brains shut off in 2008, particularly after President Obama announced his candidacy and when Senator McCain's team selected Sarah Palin as McCain's VP pick after one date.

I shudder to think of Thanksgiving dinner for some of us next week.  I've already asked my husband to politely pinch me if the topic of the election came up.  However, I know how I am and I can't promise that I won't let loose if someone says something totally ignorant.

All I can say is, Lord--give me strength!

[ClareWalks]

7 minutes ago, MulletorHater said:

I shudder to think of Thanksgiving dinner for some of us next week.

I am thanking the gods that I'm staying home with my husband and son and we will eat and watch lots of football all by ourselves! 

[Duke Silver]

18 minutes ago, MulletorHater said:

That's why I can't get down with the whole "Let's try to understand and join hands in unity" schtick.  I'm sorry, but when did stupidity become "a thing?"  And, why are people okay with it?

It's as if the air supply to some people's brains shut off in 2008, particularly after President Obama announced his candidacy and when Senator McCain's team selected Sarah Palin as McCain's VP pick after one date.

I shudder to think of Thanksgiving dinner for some of us next week.  I've already asked my husband to politely pinch me if the topic of the election came up.  However, I know how I am and I can't promise that I won't let loose if someone says something totally ignorant.

All I can say is, Lord--give me strength!

So many hearts I wish to bestow upon this post.

I get the conciliatory tone many here are opting to take.  I, however, will refrain from that.  I'm tired of seeing MSM getting blamed for the poor choice that 60+ million voters made.  It didn't require individual investigative journalism to decipher the rhetoric Drumph's campaign employed; paying only marginal attention to who he surrounded himself with was also an easy indicator of what type of candidate Drumph was.  EDIT:  To be clear, I have talked some shit on MSM as well, but I admit I was looking for targets of blame beyond those truly at blame for putting this clown car into the oval office:  the idiots who voted for him, AGAINST THEIR SELF-INTEREST!!  I'm over that now.

***I am effing tired of the election autopsies that prescribe  "we need to pay more attention to the pain of Trump voters."  FUCK THAT NOISE.

 Speaking to that demographic is an epic waste of time & resources.  We need inclusion.  Oh, and lest anyone not understand, whites are not the only members of the working class.

 

7 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

 

Edited November 16, 2016 by Duke Silver

[stillshimpy]

I'm on Facebook under a version of my screen name.  I had sort of an abysmally grim childhood so I've never been the sort to hope I can keep in touch with the spectators for that and I have to tell you?  It's awesome.  I just stick to my actual friends, no family except for my actual husband and oddly enough, my actual friends have not been posting bizarre political rants.  The only people not my friends on my friends list are people I've done work with in animal rescue and I just play it safe and make liberal use of the "unfollow" option for anyone whose politics might drive me berserk. 

So modifying Facebook is also an option.   Find a name you like, sign up, let your actual friends know and experience the joy that is food groups, cute animal videos and people you aren't coming to blows with on a regular basis. 

After outlining my "Oh, dire peril is upon us and I've just remembered, in the flight or fight response system....I FIGHT" (using more words and blathering on with strange metaphors that make people wonder what the closets of my mind must be like) , I figured I'd share an actual anxiety-relieving tip.  

Take back facebook :-) 

Edited November 16, 2016 by stillshimpy

[InsertWordHere]

25 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

The most frustrating part is they will vehemently insist that you are an IDIOT who doesn't have the FACTS STRAIGHT with CAPITAL LETTERS. You absolutely cannot attempt to reason with them. That is why people think Trump voters are unreasonable, because the unreasonable ones SHOUT ON FACEBOOK.

My favorite is when they call me a sheep who has fallen for the agenda of the liberal media and elites. Meanwhile, they mindlessly share easily refuted facebook memes and support a celebrity billionaire reality star.  I cannot deal with this. Please Make Fact-checking Great Again.

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, bref said:

My 94-year-old dad, who is an American historian and lifelong progressive, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, has traveled the world, served in the military, taught, wrote books, marched in Selma, was a tax-withholding war protester, and is one of the greatest and best people I have ever known, wrote me an email today in which he said he is having a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings because he is so depressed.

I have to go cry my eyes out now.

Tell him that he has to keep going in order to outlive Agent Orange. Your father sounds like he would beat the shit out of that thing, but that thing is all shit.

Still ready for the worst. Anybody here into The Challenge? I can totally see "Johnny Bananas" getting a government job because he's won six times and he put the screws to his partner.

[NewDigs]

16 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I am thanking the gods that I'm staying home with my husband and son and we will eat and watch lots of football all by ourselves! 

Footbal!?!? When the Macy's parade is on? Followed by the National Dog Show !

And that Christmas tree doesn't just light and decorate itself!

But we have an off-and-on two weeks with family at Christmas. Luckily we are all equally appalled. Still, two weeks. 

[EyewatchTV211]

More information on how to contact various representatives. Unfortunately, it sounds like your comment will not be considered if you do not give your address. They require proof that you are a constituent, according to this person (have to click to read the rest of her posts):

[fastiller]

@bref -if your Dad is in the NYC area, I volunteer to go hug him and then thank him for being generally great.  If he's not, give him a hug from me.

[Grommet]

1 hour ago, MulletorHater said:

I'm sorry, but when did stupidity become "a thing?"  And, why are people okay with it?

So.much.this. Unfortunately, I think it's been a thing for a while and the Republicans have played on it by decrying intellectualism as elitist. I don't know about other people, but I'd really prefer my doctor to be smart. Education is a good thing, unless you need your voters to be ill-informed and easily misled,

 

53 minutes ago, Duke Silver said:

It didn't require individual investigative journalism to decipher the rhetoric Drumph's campaign employed; paying only marginal attention to who he surrounded himself with was also an easy indicator of what type of candidate Drumph was.  

Word. Listening to what he actually said, in front of cameras, was enough to show who he is. Except, he didn't really mean it! Except that part about bringing back coal and steel jobs. He totally meant that.

My post-election anxiety reduction project of learning to make French macarons has failed miserably. And I still have a pound of overpriced almond flour!

[EyewatchTV211]

Just saw something that really scared me. Won't post here and give others anxiety. But quick, someone post lots of cute animal stuff.

[ClareWalks]

9 minutes ago, VMepicgrl said:

Just saw something that really scared me. Won't post here and give others anxiety. But quick, someone post lots of cute animal stuff.

Seriously?

[EyewatchTV211]

Yeah. Not new information if that concerns you. More someone pointing something out that hadn't quite occurred to me yet.

[Menrva]

 Hope this helps, VMepicgrl.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Menrva
More cute baby animals!

[catrox14]

[Constantinople]

3 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

Facebook is a pit of insanity. I checked out a trending article about some potential Cabinet appointments and in the comments was a person who was like "OBAMA'S CABINET IS FULL OF MUSLIMS, STUPID!!!!" And people. Liked. It.

These people are nuts.  

Don't they realize the government's been under Muslim control ever since Truman appointed Omar Bradley as the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff?

2 hours ago, NinjaPenguins said:

My brother seriously believes Obama has cousins in ISIS. Literal, blood-related cousins. Some people are just lost and you can only hope they wander back into reality on their own. 

Since Obama founded ISIS, it stands to reason that some of his cousins would join the family concern.

[EyewatchTV211]

Thanks, @Menrva and @catrox14!

[P2C2E]

10 hours ago, honeydo7 said:

Not a good sign that Trump is thinking about instituting his Muslim Registry, as soon as he's sworn in.........if he's allowed to get away with this, what's to stop him from creating registries for other minorities, gays or Jews?  And how much damage will this man be allowed to get away with before moderate Republicans like Kasich, McCain, Romney, or the Bushes speak out against him?

This is why I will never do a DNA kit to find out my ancestry. I do not want the government getting its hands on that information and using it against me. 

[random chance]

3 hours ago, ClareWalks said:

The most frustrating part is they will vehemently insist that you are an IDIOT who doesn't have the FACTS STRAIGHT with CAPITAL LETTERS. You absolutely cannot attempt to reason with them. That is why people think Trump voters are unreasonable, because the unreasonable ones SHOUT ON FACEBOOK.

This is why I won't even bother to engage, let alone provide facts and the sources to check those facts. It's an utter waste of time. You might as well explain how to program the Tivo to a cat.

2 hours ago, MulletorHater said:

That's why I can't get down with the whole "Let's try to understand and join hands in unity" schtick. 

Not to mention that the radicalized element doesn't even want this. It's not like we're churlishly turning down a polite invitation. They aren't saying "let's all get along," they're saying "eff you, loser, kiss Trump's feet." We've got the misguided optimists saying we should join hands and get along.

2 hours ago, Duke Silver said:

****I am effing tired of the election autopsies that prescribe  "we need to pay more attention to the pain of Trump voters." 

What pain would that be anyway, a sore throat from shouting "build the wall!" at school children? Etc.

2 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

So modifying Facebook is also an option.   Find a name you like, sign up, let your actual friends know and experience the joy that is food groups, cute animal videos and people you aren't coming to blows with on a regular basis.

I never joined Facebook but I do like Twitter, where I can choose who I want to hear from and ditch them immediately if they go off the rails.

[dcalley]

2 hours ago, Grommet said:

My post-election anxiety reduction project of learning to make French macarons has failed miserably. And I still have a pound of overpriced almond flour!

I've never made them, but please keep trying, especially since you have the flour already. And if you turn out to be good at it, I think Trader Joe's is probably a good deal for almond flour.

3 hours ago, stillshimpy said:

That said, yes, I'm willing to grant him the one grain of humanity I think is in the barren wasteland of the beach that is his soul: seems to care about his kids. 

Except Tiffany. #SorryTiffany

[mustbekarma]

I needed this laugh.

[magdalene]

I only read facebook and twitter for frivolous subjects now, like movies and TV shows and the like. For the news I stick to news papers, PBS, BBC, etc.

That way I don't have to see what nonsense the masses of morons are spouting.   I figure that's better for my mental health.

If people want to be distracted for a little while from our political woes I can recommend this new TNT series GOOD BEHAVIOR with Michelle Dockery - I watched the first two hours  and was so compelled  that I did not think of the election result and Trump  at all for these two hours. A first for me since last week - thank you, Lady Mary!

[Iguana]

To those having anxiety about this scary situation, I offer this small comfort. Consider the current make up of sSCOTUS. Trump has only one appointment to fill. Yes it will be a very conservative person and you can expect a rollback on a lot of social issues like reproductive rights, anti discrimination environmental protection etc. And that's going to suck epically for a lot of people. But none of the current members of the bench owe Trump a damn thing. And even the most conservative of the current judges will have issues with laws that blatantly violate the constitution, like a Muslim registry or revoking citizenship would.  And I think that it would be highly likely that at least one of the four conservatives would vote with the liberal foursome to reject them. It's not much I know but there it is. 

[fastiller]

@VMepicgrl - some more cute. My cat just doing good his part to put a smile on your face.

 

[susannot]

I love you StillShimpy.  Delighted to discover this thread because I'm fucking terrified.  I (1) donated to the ACLU and to Foster Campbell in La. who could turn the Senate 51-49; and (2) wrote to my GOP Rep. asking him whether he supports Paul Ryan's plan to privatize Medicare, aka Coupons for Codgers.

[Menrva]

I hope everyone is taking care of themselves as best they can. Last week was quite the shit show but I feel like I have some purpose and direction now. People in my town are organizing for the protest in January and are already setting up charity events to help those in need in our area. Facebook has actually been good to help find like minded people. I started a new Pinterest board filled only with adorable animals which I find soothing. And my family took me to see Doctor Strange last weekend as an early birthday present, which was lots of fun.

But man, what I wouldn't give for an Infinity Stone, right about now.

[ClareWalks]

1 hour ago, VMepicgrl said:

Yeah. Not new information if that concerns you. More someone pointing something out that hadn't quite occurred to me yet.

Whew, you had me worried, LOL. Imagine that, me feeling anxious right now :-P

[Lantern7]

Is that Photoshop? Is that really Michelle? Either way, funny as hell.

[mustbekarma]

Just now, Lantern7 said:

Is that Photoshop? Is that really Michelle? Either way, funny as hell.

I have no idea. I found it on Twitter.  I loved it.  I shared it.

[EyewatchTV211]

I'm guessing she really held up some sort of sign for a different message and someone just changed up the message on the sign.

[Lillybee]

I am going to donate to the water protectors at Standing Rock. The Donald has a chuck of cash invested in that damm pipeline.

[Bastet]

Quote

That's why I can't get down with the whole "Let's try to understand and join hands in unity" schtick. 

I always think of one of my favorite moments from The West Wing.  The Chief of Staff admonishes the White House Counsel for calling a Supreme Court Justice an idiot, telling him to practice some tolerance.  The reply: "I believe as long as [fictional justice] is intolerant towards gays, lesbians, blacks, unions, women, poor people, and the First, Fourth, Fifth, and Ninth Amendments, I will remain intolerant towards him."

Quote

Is that Photoshop? Is that really Michelle? Either way, funny as hell.

They've replaced the sign she was really holding (from the #Bring Back Our Girls Twitter campaign) with that one.  (It has happened before --Know Your Meme entry.)

Edited November 17, 2016 by Bastet

[SoSueMe]

5 hours ago, windsprints said:

I was just on Facebook (mistake) and stupidly replied to a post that was complaining that the Trump name was being removed from Trump Towers. I explained that it wasn't Trump Towers but instead building that were developed by Trump with Chinese investors years back and that Trump does not own them. I also commented that there's news articles from every major outlet online if they wanted to go read more about it.  The replies I got? "Hillary got campaign money from foreigners!", "the name was good enough when they moved in. All liberals are as dumb as you", "you're (sic) candidate lost so your (sic) mad and saying Chinese people worked there", "who cares, its probably all welfare people living in the building".  Proves that reading comprehension is not a strong suit of these Trump supporters. They couldn't even read enough to know which building it even was then only looked to be nasty. Their candidate won and yet they're still so incredibly awful; hate and anger comes through on just about every comment they post.

I don't do Facebook (at this point I'm glad) but I was pretty active on another right-(very) leaning board and I have had to step away precisely because of those sort of exchanges. I think that is the most demoralizing thing about this election. It has driven home to me that there are way more people with that mindset than I ever realized. Right now I am holding on to the hope that maybe 2018 will at least turn around congress somewhat.  Scary to think beyond that.

[Pixel]

I'm watching Rachel Maddow. If the stuff she's reporting is true, this is just getting more scary and embarrassing by the day.  The glaring incompetence in how he and his team are handling things at the moment is amazing. Is there any point at which someone can say no to this if he doesn't start showing some level of professionalism and competency? Or do we just have to wait for him to implode completely?

[SoSueMe]

@stillshimpy,

Your post was so on-target. You said so much that I felt and you said it so well. Kudos.

[EyewatchTV211]

Edited November 17, 2016 by VMepicgrl

[Duke Silver]

WOW!!!  Anthony Romero, head of the ACLU is on the Rachel Maddow show.  He just said that in the last 6 days, 150,000 new mebers & $6 million raised.  Nice!!!

[sistermagpie]

3 hours ago, Grommet said:

So.much.this. Unfortunately, I think it's been a thing for a while and the Republicans have played on it by decrying intellectualism as elitist. I don't know about other people, but I'd really prefer my doctor to be smart. Education is a good thing, unless you need your voters to be ill-informed and easily misled,

I was recently reading one of the latest “The problem is you don’t understand the Trump mindset” articles. Honestly, it didn’t say anything I didn’t know, mostly. But one of the things it explained was that guys like the author’s father respect rich people but not experts. He never said the word “doctor” without putting “quack” before it, and lawyers were schysters etc.

 

Basically, his father thought a rich man had worked hard for his money, I guess even if he inherited it. But one thing guys like him hated was the kind of people who went to college and then were put in positions to tell them how to do their jobs. So this is connected to this knee-jerk idea that anybody who’s studied something is a fool. Apparently this even does apply to doctors.

[theredhead77]

5 hours ago, bref said:

My 94-year-old dad, who is an American historian and lifelong progressive, husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, has traveled the world, served in the military, taught, wrote books, marched in Selma, was a tax-withholding war protester, and is one of the greatest and best people I have ever known, wrote me an email today in which he said he is having a hard time getting out of bed in the mornings because he is so depressed.

I have to go cry my eyes out now.

Please tell your dad he's very much needed. We need his knowledge, his guidance, his wisdom. We have no idea WTF we're doing and we need experience!

[Pixel]

A couple of things have just dawned on me (and yes, maybe I'm a slow learner):

1. I need to just stop watching politics. It's causing me so much stress. But I'm afraid if I'm not vigilant I won't know to raise my voice to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. 

2. I realized tonight that a large part of my anxiety is coming from seeing the apparent willingness of the people who could correct Trump's course to allow him to completely disrespect even the most basic rules of the game. Appointing his son-in-law is illegal, according to Maddow.  He won't sever his ties with his businesses. Will he get away with it? I'm guessing yes. If nobody is stopping him from these transgressions, how do I have any confidence he will be stopped on bigger ones?

[EyewatchTV211]

[Grommet]

1 hour ago, fastiller said:

some more cute. My cat just doing good his part to put a smile on your face.

Hey, that's *my* cat!

My DVR is set to record the MSNBC nightly lineup but I just keep deleting them. Maybe I'll watch Rachel's show, though. I was going to wait until next week, when I'll be going back to work part time and re-entering society, but I feel like I should start being informed again.

I'm not active on Facebook but I have pushed back a little against the "both sides are awful!" bullshit, in a civilized way - like pointing out that peaceful protests are not riots, nor are they divisive. And I've repeated my stance of not apologizing for hating racists. Not gonna do it.

I think I'm going to go to the Million Woman March. I hate crowds and it will mean a lengthy bus trip, but I think it just might be fucking awesome.

[random chance]

16 minutes ago, SoSueMe said:

I hate that Trump has made me become mean enough to comment on people's appearance also. 

I feel ya but I think that when someone's going to be in a position of power their appearance is fair game, so far as it relates to their ability to do the job. He's got the look of a drunk - red nose and eyes, mottled skin, poor grooming and hygiene.  He's slovenly - if he can't dress himself so that he doesn't look like a bag of dirty laundry, maybe he doesn't have the mental faculties for this job. He's overweight - perhaps he lacks the necessary stamina. Etc.

Also, I read somewhere that he's 42, so if that's true he looks about 20 years older than his actual age. That can't indicate anything good.

Edited November 17, 2016 by random chance
typo ... it would be really great if we'd get a five minute grace period for these!

[SoSueMe]

1 minute ago, random chance said:

I feel ya but I think that when someone's going to be in a position of power their appearance is fair game, so far as it relates to their ability to do the job. He's got the look of a drunk - red nose and eyes, mottled skin, poor grooming and hygiene.  He's slovenly - if he can't dress himself so that he doesn't look like a bad of dirty laundry, maybe he doesn't have the mental faculties for this job. He's overweight - perhaps he lacks the necessary stamina. Etc.

Also, I read somewhere that he's 42, so if that's true he looks about 20 years older than his actual age. That can't indicate anything good.

I did a quick google search. He's 62, so your approximation was spot on. Thanks for the validation. You're right, there is such a thing as respect for a position and decorum.

[Bastet]

Quote

I think I'm going to go to the Million Woman March. I hate crowds and it will mean a lengthy bus trip, but I think it just might be fucking awesome.

I encourage you to do it.  I hate crowds, too, but demonstrations are my major exception to that.  I remember my first one (in college), and the powerful, nearly euphoric feeling of being part of it.  However many of them later, it still feels the same.  It's a heady, positive experience, and there really isn't anything quite like it.  (Not that there isn't anything that feels as good, or better, just that it's [at least to me] a unique set of feelings.)

It has been a while since I've attended as a demonstrator (I think the last time was a protest against the invasion of Iraq); now, I'm generally there as a Legal Observer (or I'm not there, as I may wind up representing some of the demonstrators).  But since this would be out of state, perhaps I'll go.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Bastet