Why they want to burn it down

[laterbloomer]

This article does a great job of expressing something I've been kind of thinking.

Why Trump and the GOP are burning the system down

They're doing this because they don’t believe democracy is a good or even viable idea. Seven thousand years of the history of civilization, they’ll tell you, show that the one constant has been autocracy and strongman rule. Democracy is merely an experiment to protect the weak and “average” people from predation by the “supermen” among us, and that, they argue, violates the basic laws of nature...

The transformation of America from a modern “social democracy” with strong protections for the environment and the working class into strongman rule is exactly what Trump, Putin, and some of the billionaires who own the GOP want. Being answerable to the people is bothersome and inconvenient for them.

So here's my question...if they are successful, how do you think you personally will make out? I won't make out so well, I'm not one of the supermen.

[raeoflyte]

Pretty sure I'll be burned at the stake so....

[giramomma]

My DH and I just talked about the part that you quoted, latebloomer.

I think, if things keep going the way they are, I'll be too old to care.

When I was 10,  35+ years ago, my state was a functional state. Like. People know how to disagree and get along.

So, it took 35 years to get to the point where it is now. I'm betting it will take another 35 years to get to the point of billionaires to be successful.

I'll be in my early 80s, and like I said I don't know that I will care. Who knows what kind of mental shape I'll be in at that point.

I will also say that it isn't just the billionaires that feel like they should do whatever they want. In my neck of the woods, it's also haves. Not our socio-economic status, but the next rung up the ladder, before you get to real wealth.

Its a whole lot of parents at my kids school.

So, in the mean time, I will continue to do as I've always done and not worry too much about the future. It's about all I can do, generally these days, anyway.

[laterbloomer]

"For evil to succeed it is only necessary for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke (maybe)

[Tennesseer]

Won't affected me too much due to my age.  Doesn't mean though I will put up with trump's and his followers crap.  I'll make my opinion known.

Fell sorry for today's young people though.

[Tennesseer]

Oct 11, 2023 18:11:14 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

"For evil to succeed it is only necessary for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke (maybe)

That's ripvanwinkle's moniker quote. Rip is the complete opposite of Edmund Burke.

[Tennesseer]

This thread reminded me of this video I watched the other day.

[thyme4change]

Gen Z will revolt.

[pulmonarymd]

I am an upper middle class white male. If it affects me, everyone else is in bad shape. Won’t be good, and eventually it will bring the US down. Too bad Trumps supporters are too stupid to understand that

[lurkyloo]

They are willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power    I thought that was clear.

They don’t actually care about abortion access, trans people, whatever else, one way or another.  They are looking for straw men to work their constituents into a righteous rage.  Rules and laws are for suckers.  They don’t on a basic level respect or care about the country or the government.  It’s all a giant dog and pony show with a side of “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.”

[lurkyloo]

To answer the actual question:  we’ll be fine.  Pissed off and probably looking into moving to another country, but fine.

[giramomma]

I'm reading quite a bit on resiliency, creativity, etc..

One of the things that I've come across is the paradox mindset:

www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201109-why-the-paradox-mindset-is-the-key-to-success

I'm also reading "How Minds Change." Its by David McRaney.  Actually I would highly recommend. I'm not that far in it. And the intro he alludes to the paradox mindset without actually naming it.

The first chapter of his book is about a truther that made his money saying that 9-11 was a hoax. Did this for 5 years. And then he changed his mind. Decided that 9-11 wasn't actually a conspiracy theory.

It's some pretty interesting stuff.

Honestly, I think part of the reason we got to where we are is no one really cares anymore in improving themselves. Or maybe we aren't interested in improving ourselves beyond our health/appearance/whatever external recognition we might get from a better performance, prettier body, or prettier house.  

Or folks have lost the ability to be self-aware. I am always shocked at how many folks are really just not self aware.

From the article...I know it applies to jobs

Rather than seeing the potential conflicts as something to avoid, you can begin to view the competing demands as an opportunity for growth and a source of motivation. (And if there aren’t any external pressures, you could create your own – asking, for instance, how you could increase the efficiency and accuracy of your performance on a particular task, if only for an exercise in paradoxical thinking.) There may be no immediate solution, but the very act of thinking about the possibility of reconciling those issues could still lubricate your mind for greater innovation elsewhere.

But think about the premise. Opportunity for personal growth.

How many of us have time to do that? How many of us can even think about it? Maslow tells us you don't get to think about personal growth until we have a whole bunch of our basic needs met.

I dunno.  

I think part of the problem is that we label this mindsets (growth mindset, paradox mindset, self-awareness) as "leadership" skills. They shouldn't be leadership skills. They should be everyone skills.

And, if we decide that these skills are only for leaders, or we actively choose to say "meh, we don't need self-awareness skills"...I think that's part of the reason why we are in the situation that we are in.

We delegate things we don't want to do, maybe to others. Maybe that's the hope of some when they vote. Or we vote those in power that aren't interested in using these types of skills because we don't see value in them, collectively.

If we don't see value in these mindsets/skills, then why are we upset about the condition of our political landscape right now?

I guess that's enough navel gazing for one day.

[chiver78]

Oct 11, 2023 16:26:33 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Pretty sure I'll be burned at the stake so....

I'd say likewise, but my Canadian birth certificate and passport will get me out of here before that point. 

[lurkyloo]

There is a fairly frightening article at salon dot com, linked from the gai shan life blog.  They are organized and funded in a national attempt to gaslight the entire country, with a starting focus on schools in purple swing districts.  

I am deeply jealous of chiver78’s dual citizenship right about now…