Summary
Bernie Sanders criticizes the Democratic Party for neglecting the working class, leading to their recent election losses.
He highlights issues like economic inequality, job displacement, healthcare costs, and foreign policy as key concerns for the American people.
Sanders questions whether the Democratic leadership will address these issues or remain beholden to big money interests.
He’s partially right.
Unfortunately, I think the bigger issue is that a majority of Americans are fascists or indifferent to fascism.
I’m not convinced of that at all. Here’s what I see:
A large portion of ignorant uneducated and easily manipulatable people who don’t even know what fascism is.
Large groups of religious people who focus on voting red because Christianity, their churches, pastors, and religious groups, and the abortion issue.
Actual bigots. There’s a lot of them and they like the racism, anti gay, nationalism, deportation stuff. Want women subjugated.
Bullies, tough guys, “alpha male”, and the “get money” crowd. There’s a lot here too, and many in poor young black and Hispanic groups in addition to a lot of white males. Not necessarily bigots, but generally want women subjugated whether they know it or not (sex objects).
The large group of just vote red without thinking because it’s what family and friend circles do and always have.
The above I think don’t understand fascism at all. Not educated or informed enough.
Edit: I would say to be “indifferent to fascism” you have to actually understand what it is, and I don’t think much of the maga crowd does. My opinion/speculation.
Did you completely miss this:
Yeah I also don’t agree. You honestly have to discard a lot of public information to force yourself into this level of ignorance. For nine years he’s told us he’s a proud piece of shit. If they didn’t listen for that long that’s on them.
Is it really so hard to believe that’s exactly how millions upon millions of people go about living their lives?
Yes, that does seem completely insane to people like you and me who don’t tolerate that level of willful ignorance in ourselves, but to someone else that’s all just noise that they tune out.
Ever heard the phrase, “Hell is other people“? I’m slowly starting to believe this existence is a punishment.
I didn’t say it’s hard to believe. It’s hard to stomach it, is my point. Yeah hell really is other people. After this, I now fully believe that most Americans wouldn’t piss on me to put out a fire.
We will always be known as a shameful group of probable idiots as a country, and we also will be known as happily setting the first huge fascist domino up then slapping it down carelessly. Autocrats around the world just got a blueprint that will work if they take advantage of idiots properly. We fucked the world, not just ourselves.
Existence is a blessing, and the lessons are hard, we just can’t cheat our way to the next level or graduation. We have fallen for the drive through mentality and that’s false hope and not laying change.
Your existence might be a blessing, but I live in constant pain with genetic diseases that I couldn’t prevent and can do very little about. The cost of healthcare has nearly bankrupted me multiple times, and Trump being elected again is most definitely not going to improve any of this for me.
My dear friend, I also have physical, genetic and financial challenges. The Democratic party did zero to alleviate any of them. I could, and in the past did, wallow in self-pity and I sometimes catch myself headed there again. Everyone has their own challenges, affording is opportunities to grow, stretch and develop. The election is a new challenge, an opportunity to free ourselves from “the devil we know.” We can seek new solutions, or go back to old ones forgotten by history. We can organize and demand again affordable living, job safety, living-wage, 40 hour a week jobs, equitability. People fought and died to give us these things and we pissed them away by being complacent, voting blue “one more election.” Roosevelt didn’t embrace the New Deal because it was the right thing to do, he did because it was politically expedient, and may have feared literally heads rolling. While I, we all prefer comfort and stability, peace and tranquility, domestically if not abroad, we’ve grown complacent and cowed. This is our “dangerous opportunity” to get back what was lost, and perhaps more. If we fail to do that, we will face more consequences of our actions and our instrument inaction.
Fwiw, I’m supposed to be on about 20 meds, several considered absolutely necessary. I’m on none, largely due to financial constraints. I’ve found alternatives for Manny, the rest turned out to be oversell. Diet and exercise can heal a lot. Herbs can heal more, but do proper research and mind contraindicate. Perhaps exercise isn’t doable for you. Seek alternatives and please join me in working for change.
Completely disagree, a person doesn’t have to understand what fascism is to be a fascist or indifferent to fascism, any more than they need to be an expert on dogs to not kick or oppose kicking one.
Actually I changed my mind and disagree with my other comment LOL.
I still find it hard to call an extremely ignorant uneducated person a fascist, who is being manipulated by an actual fascist leader. They’re just potentially being manipulated. The dumber they are, the easier to manipulate.
Some or even many of these people conceivably would change their stances and choices if provided with lots of education. Some.
A mage once said that in mistaking poison for wine, the mistake doesn’t forgive and save your life. Bad paraphrase.
Ignorance ultimately doesn’t excuse or justify their actions. Your beliefs aren’t as important as your actions. Not to say that they should be dragged behind the shed and shot, but that actions have consequences and they need to be held accountable for theirs. If somebody votes for a fascist leader and supports a fascist political party, they’re at least collaborators in fascism.
You have to treat these people like they’re in a cult, because that’s what’s happening here. Trump’s rhetoric this past year has been eerily similar to Jim Jones near the time that they all drank the Flavor-Aid (almost identical, even). And when dealing with cultists, it’s important to remember that not all of them can be saved. After a certain point, even if they recognize that they’re in the wrong, most cultists will double down rather than admit that they were wrong - because they’re in too deep and to admit that they were fooled would be to admit that their entire life has been wrong and that what they did wasn’t justified.
Hope that you can make them realize why they’re in the wrong, but be prepared to grab the knife that they might pull on you. Because that’s probably the more likely scenario.
Kindly, I disagree again lol.
Indifferent:
I still argue you need to understand it to be indifferent about it specifically. However, I do believe these people are indifferent to having a desire to learn what fascism actually is and actual historical contexts.
But we can agree to disagree 😀
Edit: oops “to be a fascist” yes I’ll agree with you on that one sorry. They can be fascists without actually knowing that they are and how to define it.
The abortion issue is part of fascism. It creates a lower unequal class out of women.
I’d say most of the maga base don’t know this though. Complete ignorance. Just “libs kill babies” is their thought process.
I have a hard time thinking that someone who is dumb and manipulatable by a fascist, is actually a fascist themselves. They’re just dumb and easy to manipulate.