The warning bell keeps clanging.

William Lindsey :toad:

William Lindsey :toad:

@philip_cardella Yes. Along those lines, after seeing the film Moffie last year, I got ahold of the book on which the film is based, and found the story it tells of the confluence of deep racism, religion, and toxic masculinity in South African white culture — a story told by an insider — very disturbing. But also very true-sounding.

William Lindsey :toad:

@JosephMeyer Thanks so much for letting me know they're worthwhile. I share your exhaustion and commiserate with you. I try to maintain hope, but by nature, I tend to be a more glass-half-empty personality than an optimistic one. It's trueling.

William Lindsey :toad:

@CatHerder Yes, I remember not sleeping at all that night. It was like a truck had rolled over me. On social media, I kept encountering people living in places unlike my deep red little state dominated by white evangelicals who were laughing and mocking and thinking Trump was a joke and couldn't possibly win. I knew better, but even so, was deeply shocked at the outcome, even though I expected him to win.

William Lindsey :toad:

@zachvat Yes, a good point. I myself haven't watched news on t.v. or streamed on my computer for a very long time. It's just no longer how I absorb news, though that was the norm when I was growing up, along with newspapers, of which my family always took two daily.

William Lindsey :toad:

@Dzeep So it seems.

William Lindsey :toad:

@GreenRoc I honestly don't see a distinction between people being obedient sheep and also wanting to exterminate people they don't like. I think fascism thrives on convincing many of us that if we obey, toe the line, be "good," we won't get the punishments we'd like to see the fascist leader dish out to those other "bad" people we despise.

William Lindsey :toad:

@HolgerFiallo I've long thought that many of those who claim to be undecided are really Republican voters too ashamed to say so openly.

William Lindsey :toad:

@Trez13 Yes, Niemoller, anyone? for sure. I agree that many people who effectively vote fascist are not well-informed about what the term means or about the history of fascism.

William Lindsey :toad:

@adrianlegg And the UK has stepped up to the plate to combat all of that, do you mean?

Holger Fiallo

@wdlindsy In the CNN hall town one of them was democrat. She was more worry about the poor Palestinian people than those in the US. Do not give me wrong I feel for them but they elected hamas in 2007 knowing what they plan for Israel. We need to focus on us before helping others. Long live the Constitution.

Cat Herder for Harris-Walz 💙

@wdlindsy
I read a verbatim transcript of one of his rallies in 2016.
I did not believe anyone that was a competent reader would ever vote for him.
He wasn't shocking anymore after a year; the people that fell for his schtick were the ones that shocked me.
I haven't spoken to those I knew that voted for him since that election.
We obviously don't see the world the same way.

William Lindsey :toad:

@HolgerFiallo I do not see Hamas and the Palestinian people as synonymous with each other, and do not think that the atrocious violence being visited on the Palestinians is in any way justified by their political history or choices. I also see the violence Hamas perpetrated against Israelis a year ago as atrocious — but don't think a response of even more horrific violence in any way moves toward a just, humane solution to the problems of the region.

William Lindsey :toad:

@CatHerder I'm with you. From the outset, I've asked myself how anyone could listen to the man and vote for him. I can only conclude, as you do, that they and I see the world very differently.

William Lindsey :toad:

@BootsChantilly @MiriShuli Same here.

DavidMiller

@wdlindsy it's right to sound the alarm, we just need to temper our expectations based on the evidence we've already seen.

Ivey Janette McClelland

@wdlindsy No, they're cheering Soon-Shiong. He too is right-wing conservative.

William Lindsey :toad:

@IveyJanette I see. Because I don't know the history of the publication, I wasn't sure. Soon-Shiong is closely connected to Elon Musk. That tells us something very imporant about him, I think.

William Lindsey :toad:

@davidmiller I don't read any of the commentators in the thread to be denying that we need to temper our expectations based on evidence. I also suspect they'd agree with Timothy Snyder that obeying in advance and allowing those who want to make us feel hopeless are not options, either.

Ivey Janette McClelland

@wdlindsy And it's not good.