(no subject)

[lliira]

My dad unfriended someone on Facebook he's been friends with since college because she constantly posts about how much she loves Trump. We were trying to figure out why she's a Trump fangirl when she's against literally everything he stands for and couldn't do it. She cares about civil rights, she cares about women's rights, she hugely cares about the environment, she's against cutting welfare, she cares about personal kindness, and etc. The only idea we had was maybe she doesn't like immigration? But she's never said or posted anything about that, and considering she has no trouble trumpeting her Trump-love to her friends who hate his guts, I don't think she'd keep quiet about any of her opinions.

Idk, she acts like he's Paul McCartney and she's back in 1965. As a "why do Trump's supporters love him" example, I think she's a Spiders Georg. We haven't learned a damn thing trying to figure her out, only been saddened by this extraordinarily nice woman turning out to be... not so nice I guess.

Comments

[iosonochesono]

I'm basically disowning my mom over this. I'm leaving the country over this. Not that the U.K. doesn't have all the same bullshit going on right now.

Like. We cannot interact with each other about anything other than the weather anymore.

Anyway, I'm sorry. It sucks when seemingly nice people who are progressive on issues* turn out to be Trump Lubbers.

*To be fair, my mother was never one of those people. We've never gotten along: From me fighting with her about Same-Sex marriage (and even interracial marriage) to immigration (SHE'S A FLIPPING IMMIGRANT?) we have never gotten along and her ability to fangirl over a guy that wants to be a dictator is just... The last straw. It's very much a 'family by blood alone' type of relationship. Which is hard. It hit me so badly the last time I visited her that we were never going to be close.

[lliira]

That really sucks and I'm sorry to hear it. A lot of immigrants get in and want to slam the door behind them, it seems.

I've been lucky -- my family's political arguments are over how far left we are, not about being on the left (by U.S. standards) generally. Though lately they're about how I don't think Trump is actually going to cause the end of the world and some of my older relatives do.

[iosonochesono]

Yeah, I find the attitude odd. But hey. I'll be going to Europe so next time she pulls that... Bahahaha.

I don't think Trump alone will cause the end of the world (mostly because other countries' governments largely see him as a joke.) Since he's not taken seriously, that drastically reduces chances of someone actually going to war with him.

However, the trend of denying science and rising Christian evangelical extremism/religious tribalism against Muslims or anyone perceived as 'outsider' I do see as far more concerning

But that's happening all over the world, not just the USA. It's happening in European countries. I've even heard of a rise of that sort of thinking in Brazil.

I think it's going to be a bumpy ride for a while, anyway.

[lliira]

There's a rise in all religious extremism. Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism. I think Sikhism, of the really big religions, has so far avoided it, but I'm not holding my breath. I believe this is part of a worldwide increase of authoritarianism under various banners -- religious authoritarianism and nationalism are the easiest to see, but it's happening with every group.

[iosonochesono]

I'm not sure all religions are rising in extremism, but certainly the ones you've mentioned have been gracing the news a lot more (the constant barrage of news compared to the past might make something that always existed more visible.)

I feel like there's this tug of war going on and it's going to ultimately make or break society as we know it today. On the one hand, wealth increasingly belonging to just a few individuals is increasing a lot of rage, which becomes part of this extremism.

On the other hand, we're getting to a point where technology could make it so there is a much smaller workload for everyone - if we were all willing to share the spoils.

Like. We could work toward a more dystopian world, or utopian world. But I doubt the latter will happen. If everyone would just realize we're at a point where we could work toward that latter point...