Sorry if the premise is inflammatory, but I’ve been stymied by this for a while. How did we go from something like 1940s era collectivism or 1960s era leftism to the current bizarro political machine that seems to have hypnotized a large portion (if not majority) of the country? I get it - not everything is bad now, and not everything was good then. FDR’s internment camps, etc.

That said - our country seems to be at a low point in intellectualism and accountability. The DHHS head is an antivaxxer, the deputy chief of the DOJ is a far-right podcast nutball, etc. Their supporters seem to have no nuance to their opinion beyond “well, Trump said he’d fix the economy and I don’t like woke.”

Have people always been this unserious and unquestioning, or are we watching the public’s sanity unravel in real time? Or am I just imagining some idealistic version of the past that never existed, where politicians acted in good faith and people cared about the social order?

  • BaroqueInMind
    1·
    19 hours ago

    I think you’re in denial that deterrence using threats of violence works better than pacifism and you are I am likely a pathetic loser.

    Do you treat people who bully you with respect hoping they reciprocate?

      • BaroqueInMind
        1·
        19 hours ago

        They don’t, unless you are capable of hurting them. I don’t know what more to say to get this through to you, but I think you’ll find out for yourself soon.