They don’t need to be paid to be ignorant. A lot of people don’t understand nuance or how the American political system works and it shows in those threads.

I’m honestly still skeptical of that, It seems to me like Lemmy would be too small to be an efficient use of a paid shill’s time, vs having them go to a mainstream social media platform. I think they’re either genuine in intent but have twisted themselves into a completely counterproductive idea of what to do out of anger at how things in the world have gone, or in some cases are people trolling for a position they don’t support, but who are doing it for free to advance their own position rather than for a paycheck.

My dad’s the same way, he hasn’t pleaded with me about my vote but that may only be because I don’t talk to him.
Have you seen “The Brainwashing of My Dad”? I think that’s what it’s called, a friend recommended it to me and I need to make some time for it, sounds like it covers the impact of garbage like fox news on old men

He won’t think about it.

The idea behind tariffs is to increase the prices of imports so that domestic production can compete. Higher prices are definitely the point, but the idea is that at least with domestic production the price increases get circulated back into the domestic economy as jobs/wages. But, if the domestic economy can increase production without increasing wage expenditure then the money from the higher prices just goes to the shareholders.

If it’s something for which there is no domestic production, it’s just a tax, and it should become a question of what does money from the tariffs get used for… probably taxcuts for the rich.

Yes, that’s the complexity I’m talking about. The fact that you have time to post on Lemmy, as I do, and aren’t setting something on fire, knocking on doors, etc. right now is the point. But we’re in it now, make no mistake, this is that developing moment, this is the time it can be reversed, if ever. We’re either lazy, or feel like we have too much relative comfort/friends/career standing to lose to be loud and active right now. But this is that moment, we are the frog in the pot. We’ll never realize it’s actually possible until the day after, because we need to hold on to the hope that it’s actually impossible for it to happen again, but it is possible.

You speaking with confidence here it’s also a way for you to personally calm yourself and reaffirm that same “actually, it will never happen” mentality. That’s “them” not “us”.

As with anything, there’s a spectrum and plenty of the complicit German citizens were all too ready to drop to their knees early - the “anticipatory obedience” that bezos and the LATimes billionaire just demonstrated by not endorsing a candidate. Some of us will always stay quietly defiant, until enough of our comfort is taken away and we’re left with no choice but to be active. But this is definitely a “flood the streets to denounce the steady rise of fascism” moment, and the streets aren’t full, and you and I are both inside right now.

I’m not claiming a moral high ground, or providing forgiveness for bootlickers - I’m speaking to a place in the middle, where capitalism has worked very hard to make us comfortable enough, docile consumers. I include myself, because it’s all fucking hard, and society is engineered so we can find our minor reliefs, while never forgetting about the looming absolute failure waiting for you if you get off the treadmill for too long. Where your life will peel away from you in layers, until you’re left cold in the streets while pandemics rage, atmospheric rivers pour, heat domes wait around the corner and it’s illegal to sleep outside and the shelters (built by the private prison companies) are all full.

Don’t be afraid to talk out loud about this reality we share right now, fascism is on the rise throughout the whole world now. Russia is the instigator, US is the theater and the whole world is given permission as more is tolerated here. We can feel some shame and some anger, that’s okay. Maybe it will motivate us or hopefully, maybe it will piss off the younger kids with less “stuff” and comfort amassed to lose. I was that kid, quick to jump into a dangerous crowd with a cause, with lines of tactical swat cops surrounding major intersections/freeways we occupied. I was able to do that then, because it was my decision, but my decisions are attached to other people now and, again, there’s just more complexity.

Yea I can’t believe no one ever compared trump with Hitler yet