Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I’m one of the smartest people anywhere in the world — it’s true! — but when you’re a conservative Republican they try — oh, do they do a number — that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune — you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged — but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me — it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are — nuclear is so powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what’s going to happen and he was right, who would have thought? — but when you look at what’s going on with the four prisoners — now it used to be three, now it’s four — but when it was three and even now, I would have said it’s all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don’t, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years — but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us, this is horrible."
Oh man. I’m not an American. Where I’m from most conservatives here look at your country like you’re insane for electing him. It’s wild.
omg we’re so fucked. Even if he doesn’t get elected, the fact that people are encouraging this guy to be president is an expression of ourselves. We’re sick, and unless the healthy people make an indomitable stand against this cancer, we’re all fucked. I am truly scared for us all because the disease is taking control.
The march towards fascism is worldwide right now. Unfortunately, people by and large don’t want to think meaningfully about the world past their own personal existence. They want to live on autopilot - go to work, come home to entertainment, and if there’s an issue be provided with a reason for that issue to be upset with.
They want to feel but don’t want to try, they want feels provided. Positive emotions are hard to cultivate though. It takes effort, connection, thought, compassion. For most people (some people just have issues), love requires a shared experience/reality. You and I share in our experiences and learn that we enjoy each other’s company and that grows into love and/or appreciation.
Hate is easy. Fear is easy. Hate doesn’t need any of that. Hate and fear just need to be pointed in a direction. They don’t need validation. That makes it more accessible, more addictive.
Whenever we go through this, we always get the “people are scared” narrative to explain why people support people like Trump, policies like the Republicans are pushing. I think it’s more base than that - people are indifferent and apathetic, just going with whatever thing makes them “feel something, anything” more. They then mostly sway to the right because blaming X, Y, Z for your problems is easier than traveling, meeting new people, and seeing that we’re all basically the same, all running on the same treadmill.
