That despite Trump making noise, the US Federal govt would at still kick in and do it’s thing in an emergency. That confidence has been deeply shaken, and it’s hard to have faith in the US as a stable country moving forward.
- Any faith I had in the US federal government has completely crumbled.
- Much faith in state government has crumbled.
- The notion that facts, evidence, and science will ultimately win out with the American people. People seem to be largely-meme and social media driven -- on both sides of the political aisle. You could utilize such propaganda to reverse their views in a matter of hours.
- The notion that the American people will hold strong to their beliefs. Which is not true in the least. They are easily swayed. Again, this is on both sides of the political aisle.
Eg. right-wing-leaning preppers stocking gas masks and N95 masks for a theoretical pandemic and then not wearing them for an actual pandemic because "fake news".
- And something positive? At the local level, Americans seem to be rising to the occasion and helping each other out. There's not much dead weight.
I live in Toronto, which has been a super hot real estate market for the last decade. I was almost certain that prices would tank in the next financial crisis. Was in the market to buy for 18 months. Bought my first property early 2020. When covid hit, I was certain I bought at the peak, and that I was in for the biggest financial hit of my life. Turns out the federal government and big banks would bail out land owners at any cost, through emergency relief money and mortgage payment deferrals. The real estate market is now booming again with almost everything listed receiving multiple offers.
It's a moral right: parents (and children) should have the option to choose where they want to go to school, and the funding should follow the child. Now, if you want schools to reopen, you just send your child to one that is reopening. If you want to be cautious, you send your child to an online school or homeschool them with the help of the funding and online educational programs.
I've lost more faith in the US government. I've lost more faith in humanity. I think the stressors of COVID combined with the issues facing blacks/minorities/the poor (esp. at the hands of a subset of cops) and caused a shitstorm where you cannot have a discussion.
What we need is open dialog backed with well sourced data on both of those fronts. But this can't happen.
If you ask, "what existing law allows the state/fed govts to do what they are doing?" -- you are not someone looking out to protect rights and freedoms, you are trying to murder someone's grandma.
If you point out that data suggests masks have little to no effect (and that it is backed by orgs such as the new england journal of medicine), you are trying to murder someone's grandma.
If you say _anything_ not in line with BLM, you are a racist. You can't honestly ask questions, dig at points, are give counter evidence.
If you don't support rioting, looting, vandalism, and violence, then you must be a racist. No room for talking through things, only room for action!
The mob mentality of strong. Twitter and Facebook are worse for society than I realized.
I think there is the real possibility that we've pushed back race relations and willingly sacrificed civil liberties and we are ok with it.
I had a lady at work I look up to. She tweeted something celebrating the firing of an accused racist. Later, in a private slack with current and old coworkers, I said I had heard that darker skinned people might be more negatively affected by COVID due to vitamin D absorption issues at higher latitudes. I was lambasted for bringing that up as the only obvious reason more darker skinned people are getting COVID more is because they are more likely to be frontline workers (racist society) and I must be a racist, right wing fascist for even bringing that up. With that same lady in that chat, I realized that I cannot defend myself, I cannot be inquisitive or bring up things I've heard, etc. I was given a link on how to be anti-racist by switching my buying and reading habits to african american business owners and authors. If this same person celebrated an accused racist's firing, and here I am being accused of racist leanings with her in the channel, I have no choice but to remain quiet. This is not how you move forward on a social problem. Open dialog and discussion, not suppression.
I'm sure some readers have already concluded that I'm evil, far right, and a bad person from reading the above. Nevermind that that is all untrue, but cancel culture is a real thing.
6 comments
[ 4.9 ms ] story [ 28.6 ms ] thread- Much faith in state government has crumbled.
- The notion that facts, evidence, and science will ultimately win out with the American people. People seem to be largely-meme and social media driven -- on both sides of the political aisle. You could utilize such propaganda to reverse their views in a matter of hours.
- The notion that the American people will hold strong to their beliefs. Which is not true in the least. They are easily swayed. Again, this is on both sides of the political aisle.
Eg. right-wing-leaning preppers stocking gas masks and N95 masks for a theoretical pandemic and then not wearing them for an actual pandemic because "fake news".
- And something positive? At the local level, Americans seem to be rising to the occasion and helping each other out. There's not much dead weight.
It's a moral right: parents (and children) should have the option to choose where they want to go to school, and the funding should follow the child. Now, if you want schools to reopen, you just send your child to one that is reopening. If you want to be cautious, you send your child to an online school or homeschool them with the help of the funding and online educational programs.
What we need is open dialog backed with well sourced data on both of those fronts. But this can't happen.
If you ask, "what existing law allows the state/fed govts to do what they are doing?" -- you are not someone looking out to protect rights and freedoms, you are trying to murder someone's grandma.
If you point out that data suggests masks have little to no effect (and that it is backed by orgs such as the new england journal of medicine), you are trying to murder someone's grandma.
If you say _anything_ not in line with BLM, you are a racist. You can't honestly ask questions, dig at points, are give counter evidence.
If you don't support rioting, looting, vandalism, and violence, then you must be a racist. No room for talking through things, only room for action!
The mob mentality of strong. Twitter and Facebook are worse for society than I realized.
I think there is the real possibility that we've pushed back race relations and willingly sacrificed civil liberties and we are ok with it.
I had a lady at work I look up to. She tweeted something celebrating the firing of an accused racist. Later, in a private slack with current and old coworkers, I said I had heard that darker skinned people might be more negatively affected by COVID due to vitamin D absorption issues at higher latitudes. I was lambasted for bringing that up as the only obvious reason more darker skinned people are getting COVID more is because they are more likely to be frontline workers (racist society) and I must be a racist, right wing fascist for even bringing that up. With that same lady in that chat, I realized that I cannot defend myself, I cannot be inquisitive or bring up things I've heard, etc. I was given a link on how to be anti-racist by switching my buying and reading habits to african american business owners and authors. If this same person celebrated an accused racist's firing, and here I am being accused of racist leanings with her in the channel, I have no choice but to remain quiet. This is not how you move forward on a social problem. Open dialog and discussion, not suppression.
I'm sure some readers have already concluded that I'm evil, far right, and a bad person from reading the above. Nevermind that that is all untrue, but cancel culture is a real thing.