• PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world
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    4 hours ago

    I don’t understand what it’s going to take for someone to do something. Protests are not going to work when they’re holding all our money, services, rights, data, etc hostage, and threatening all our public servants. We already had a hard time protesting before this, because health care is tied to employment. It’s not a coincidence that they’re going after Medicare and Medicaid. They want an entire nation of indentured servants. Unable to own anything, including our own freedom. When we can’t work anymore we can just go die in the wilderness like animals I guess. Hmm where have we heard that before?

    Everyone is terrified and exhausted. It seems pretty evident that the election was outright stolen, and I have a hard time believing nobody in power suspected something that many of us immediately called, not with the mountains of evidence that’s been stacking up for months, years even. So why didn’t they do anything? Why did they wait until Trump was sworn in to even talk about it?

    I see Canadians online talking about Americans like we chose this. But we didn’t, it was forced upon us, and we’re begging for help! Who can we turn to if not our allies? What is going on???

    • sleepmode@lemmy.world
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      47 minutes ago

      The Canadians I talk to are either furiously pissed off and lashing out at me like I’m about to annex them myself or dead ass silent. This is a weird fucking timeline to say the least.

    • randon31415@lemmy.world
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      1 hour ago

      In 2016, people thought that Trump was the problem. That if Trump left, we could have civility restored to the electoral process. Defeating Trump won’t solve the problem because he isn’t it - it is the electorate. The voters need to SEE what will happen when this or that occur.

      Deport all the immigrants, see the damage that brings, then bring them back with legal protections this time.

      Cancel all the science, see how far behind we get, then bring it back with all the funding to make the next moonshot.

      Get rid of all fogien aid, watch as our global power dimishes, the vote to bring it back with a clear and true purpose other than empire building.

      The people don’t know WHY these things are important, and are unwilling to listen or learn. Thus, the only teacher is to experience. But to quote Trump: “There will be some pain” when doing it.

      • PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world
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        57 minutes ago

        I don’t disagree with you and I would love it if people had to experience the consequences of their poor decisions and learn hard lessons that they’ve been evading for years. The problem is that millions of innocents are and will be caught in the crosshairs. This is a matter of life or death for many people who did not vote for him and it is unconscionable to allow all those people to die just so a bunch of loud racist hillbillies with lead poisoning can learn a lesson.

        • randon31415@lemmy.world
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          12 minutes ago

          Fair, I just see no other way of swaying minds without consequences. We tried 4 years of shielding people from Trump’s baser urges, and we ended with thousands of people dying each day to COVID. Then 4 year later THEY VOTED HIM BACK IN.

    • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 hours ago

      It wasn’t stolen and it wasn’t forced on you. Depressingly enough, turkeys, it seems, do sometimes vote for Christmas. I totally agree with you about the awfulness of the situation but - he told you how he was going to govern, he told you what he was going to do and then he won the election that enables him to do it. You did, as a nation, choose this.

      I don’t know how any nation state can really intervene on that basis. Its not like Hitler steam rolling Poland or Putin annexing the Crimea - this isn’t an invasion or a hostile takeover, it’s an elected President carrying out the will of the people that voted for him.

      • PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        I’m not going to argue with you, I get enough of that on reddit. But there is a literal mountain of evidence, including their own statements and sketchy behavior, hard data, unsecured voting machines, various voter suppression tactics, ballots that were tossed, code that was published online months (possibly more than a year) before the election, and one of the twerps currently taking over the treasury wrote code that can falsify ballots while he was an intern for Musk.

        Also, it is like Hitler, they’re using the same exact playbook, and while there are some key differences there is no arguing that this is the exact reason NATO exists. Justin Trudeau could invoke article 4 for threats of invasion. Someone from our government should still be able to invoke article 5. These international agreements exist because when the highest power in the nation is compromised, we need outside help.

        • sdfric88@lemmy.sdf.org
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          32 minutes ago

          I’m sorry, I’m Canadian, and what exactly do you think all of NATO could do, allied and organized against the American armed forces? Do you seriously believe we could stage an effective military campaign against America? That would he suicide.

        • pyre@lemmy.world
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          58 minutes ago

          did they falsify 86 million votes? because that’s how many people voted maga by sitting this one out.

        • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 hour ago

          This is literally the first I’ve heard of any of these things and whilst I’m not in North America I follow the political situation pretty closely. I’m not saying your wrong about any of it but who are the people saying this and where are they saying it? Has it been reported on either internally or externally to the US?

          The overall playbook is fascist I agree but the situation I was trying to compare was Hitler invading a sovereign nation. Trump hasn’t done that (yet anyway). I’ve got good friends in the US and I am very worried about them, I’m just not sure you’re betting on the right horse by asking for outside nation-state aid. Rightly or wrongly they’ll see that Trump was elected legally and they’re never going to invade a country on that basis. There was zero talk of repercussions for Germany until Hitler invaded Poland because he followed the democratic process (or successfully manipulated it) to get elected and assume total power.

          • PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world
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            1 hour ago

            With all due respect, if this is the first you’re hearing of any of this, then no you are not following the situation “pretty closely.”

            The hundreds of bomb threats from Russian servers on election day alone should be enough to convince people that some hinky shit was going on.

            There’s all kinds of stuff on Bluesky, discussion on reddit and lemmy, lots of reliable sources like AP News, The Atlantic, and Gizmodo, as well as recordings of interviews with Musk, and of Trump rallies. There’s also hard ballot data from at least a few counties that has been studied by highly qualified analysts, and matches trends we see in elections in other countries that we know were a sham.

            I could keep going but I’m tired and it’s just not worth it. You’re obviously skeptical, and that’s just human nature, but how am I supposed to convince a skeptic from another country who isn’t witnessing or experiencing this first hand? I’m not going to spin my wheels tracking down evidence for you, it’s not a good use of the limited energy I have left. If you’re truly curious the information is out there.

            • Leraje@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              36 minutes ago

              I’m not skeptical at all - I’m simply unaware of what you’re talking about. When I say I’m following the situation pretty closely I mean the political situation as reported in the mainstream press. I don’t think anyone who’s from a country not directly involved is going to be aware of every resource unless its a special interest of theirs or its their job. I wouldn’t expect someone not from the UK to be up to date with the latst developments of the Reform Party and how they’re trying to swing the narrative here. If you have links, link 'em, I will definitely read them all. I’m asking you to lift my ignorance on the subject.

    • tonbo@lemmy.world
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      2 hours ago

      What are you asking outside forces to do? Invade America and install a foreign government because americans are unable to maintain their freedom?

      • PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world
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        1 hour ago

        You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing? If that’s what needs to happen so that Elon Musk doesn’t irreparably damage our country and cause the deaths of millions, then yes. Please. Invade us. We’ve done it to plenty of other countries, maybe it’s our turn.

        Also yeah, that’s pretty much what NATO does when shit really hits the fan.

        • Azzu@lemm.ee
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          42 minutes ago

          There is no way to invade you.

          military spending

          Your military is 37% of the whole world. It would require literally you vs the whole rest of the world, and even then with you being a literal island, an invasion would probably still not be possible because of the supply line advantage.

    • gearheart@lemm.ee
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      3 hours ago

      I hear you… The problem is no one is going to come save us.

      Change can only happen internally.

      Unsure what can be done though… Voting and protests don’t seem to be effective…

      If nothing changes everyone will have to get comfortable enough to feel like freedom is fighting for.

      This means first amendment up, train, and be ready for the day to when we need to defend our constitution.

      The confederacy already lost once, they will lose again.

      At the rate this is going I honestly don’t see any other future.

    • Tm12@lemmy.ca
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      3 hours ago

      I don’t understand what it’s going to take for someone to do something

      Who is someone? Who is something? Organize and mobilize. I know all Americans didn’t choose this, but you’ll need a lot of support/like minded folks (which it sounds like you have). Trump’s shock doctrine has clearly worked. Try and focus on tangible steps to take whether it’s annoying the heck out of your elected officials, joining a grassroots org, or attending a public rally on an off day.

      • PagingDoctorLove@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        Someone: NATO. This is the exact reason they exist.

        Something: Remove the tyrants by force.

        Myself and everyone I know have been doing all of the things you mentioned since November, if not earlier. There have been multiple massive protests. We have been calling our reps demanding recounts, asking why democrats are capitulating to unconstitutional actions, and begging for them to intervene. We have been protesting at every opportunity. We have joined and even started our own organizations trying to get people organized. Why aren’t we gaining any traction? Because they already stopped listening to us ages ago. Because all our means of large scale organization (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) are actively suppressing information. Because every group we start gets brigaded and eventually shut down by internet trolls with nothing to lose. Because people are tired, sick, broke, and traumatized. The other day I watched an ICE raid happen in real time. These people were members of my community, good people, and now they’ve probably been sent to a concentration camp.

        I don’t want to hear shit about “tangible steps.” What tangible steps can the average citizens of this country take to stop the richest man in the world, and multiple other billionaires, who already have their dirty paws in every single aspect of our government infrastructure? We can’t even get in the same room as the guy. He has choked our skies with satellites and has all our personal information.

        Please tell me what else we’re supposed to do, I’m all ears.

        • Murkbeard@lemmy.world
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          Stop begging. Start demanding. They need to understand that democracy and unionization was the compromise. And, apparently, they won’t listen to words.

          That’s neither easy, nor pretty, nor civilized. But they fucked around, and need to find out.

          If you feel something, you’re never alone. Organize through meatspace, use no digital tools. Which manual are you following? There are plenty to find if you look. Don’t expect “others” to do it for you.

        • humble_dot@feddit.org
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          1 hour ago

          You think NATO should attack its own most powerful member just because hou have a hunch that the election was stolen? So like Jan 6 but on steroids?

          You must be a russian troll-bot. This is the problem with the Internet, anybody can say their own crazy ideas and others will take them seriously.

    • john_lemmy@slrpnk.net
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      Yeah, that is a great first step. Especially if you try to connect and network with other people during the protests to form longer lasting groups or find and participate in already existing ones.

      This shit won’t be fixed with protests alone, but if they help people get a taste for what it feels like to organize and take some power back, then it is already worth it. Hell, even being around people that feel the same way is already a net plus for a lot of people who are ideologically isolated.

    • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      3 hours ago

      Yeah like every day… none of this “we will spend one hour during our lunch break on one Wednesday!” bullshit.

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
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    8 hours ago

    Kudos to the person who is sending the correct message. Everyone who believes in protecting the US Constitution should fly the US flag upside down.

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      5 hours ago

      I think we need to do more than that. The flag is a distress signal. We have to help the people who are distressed

  • ClanOfTheOcho@lemmy.world
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    11 hours ago

    That seems like a very bad sign. Someone wanted a message to get out to the public, but I’m not entirely sure what can be effectively done about it. Credit to the person with the balls to send out the warning, though.

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      9 hours ago

      I’m not entirely sure what can be effectively done about it.

      History offers no control groups; there is no “right” way to proceed. What’s certain is that “nothing” is not the answer.

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          35 minutes ago

          I’m not even joking but if this doesn’t happen there’s no hope for the future. we’re past the point of simply prosecuting and hoping they get some time in prison. examples need to be made so others know that just because the supreme court said it’s legal to do whatever the fuck you want doesn’t mean you’re getting away with it from the public.

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        8 hours ago

        Maybe we should double down on capitalism again.

        It’s the only move the US has used in living memory.

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              5 hours ago

              Prosecution is one possibility. Getting gunned down is another. Getting sent to Gitmo is another. Having your family retaliated against is another.

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              5 hours ago

              I assure you the last thing to be dismantled will be methods of enforcement on the populace.

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      8 hours ago

      There’s nothing that can be done. Republicans have every bit of power there is. At least for the next two years.

      • echolalia@lemmy.ml
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        8 hours ago

        This is the message of the enemy. I am not sure what there is to be done, but to say this:

        There’s nothing that can be done.

        is to give up. The only thing that we ordinary people can know is that the democratic party is unable/unwilling to form an effective resistance right now.

        • Hemingways_Shotgun@lemmy.ca
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          6 hours ago

          I know how anyone could organize something so large, But a mass strike/walkout would have more impact than anything else right now.

          None of the common people go in to work until shit stain “abdicates”

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            5 hours ago

            Ya seem to not gwt what he is saying, let me make it damn simply. The Tree of Liberty is watered by the blood of tyrants and patriots alike, and Freedom is earned through the barrel of a gun.

        • jj4211@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          This is a strong reason why I would think it would be a tactical error to mess with the elections. Elections are the pressure valve that people are willing to wait for. You can do so much harm and all is forgiven if you step down after an election loss.

          Take away that mechanism, and you put all your leadership at huge risk, for minor benefit (history has shown they can get their way like 90% of the time anyway, the “left” will barely even say anything about their material goals and let them stand).

    • espentan@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      Definitely. Do we know if the people who wanted a criminal moron in charge are still cheering him on, or are they starting to catch on to the fact that his plan always was to thoroughly fuck everyone over? Well, everyone but his clique.

      • taiyang@lemmy.world
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        7 hours ago

        Everyone just giving their opinion but the answer is mixed. Some regret, many don’t. And it’s not just disinformation, people have to deal with their own cognitive dissonance. Just on the radio earlier was an Arab man still defending vote for Trump because “it’s just rhetoric” right now. He’s willing to say it’s terrible rhetoric, but won’t come to terms with the vote being a bad decision.

        • Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          5 hours ago

          They will deny it until they can’t and go right back to denial the moment they can.

          He’s their security blanket, their binkie. Any parent knows it’s nonsense but to the child’s mind the magic of the binkie it is real. Arguing the reality of the binkie is futile.

          Parents can rely on their child growing out of magical thinking but since these are adults, we’ve got to accept they are forever lost to the magic.

          Their need for president binkie cannot be argued with. It can be slipped from their grasp by logic or trickery. The magic must be shattered, utterly and irrevocably. Only they can choose when that occurs.

        • SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world
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          10 hours ago

          As long as the right people get hurt they’re happy.

          Republicans would shit their own pants just to make us smell it.

          They’re gonna be a lot less happy when they try putting armed citizens in camps and they get fucking shot.

          • chingadera@lemmy.world
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            6 hours ago

            Time has shown that these motherfuckers don’t even care if “the right people get hurt”

            As long as there is hurt, and their preferred propaganda machine tells them, they’re happy.

      • gwheel@lemm.ee
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        11 hours ago

        They’re completely caught in the misinfo and still cheering him on. Anyone getting hurt must have deserved it and if they’re getting hurt it just shows how important it is to hurt the others back.

      • Bronzebeard@lemm.ee
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        9 hours ago

        The majority did not vote for this. The majority of voters didn’t even vote for this. He only won a plurality (<50%)

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
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          9 hours ago

          He got the support of all the people who voted for him and all the people who didn’t vote against him.

          • idiomaddict@lemmy.world
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            9 hours ago

            Lucky the USA allows everyone to vote no matter what; doesn’t schedule it for a standard workday, meaning nobody has to choose between feeding their kids and voting; plans out enough polling stations so that people don’t have to wait for hours without access to food, water, or seating; doesn’t surprise deregister voters with little notice; and sends out absentee ballots reliably with sufficient time to return them…

            • ripcord@lemmy.world
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              8 hours ago

              Georgia had both mail-in absentee voting and, especially, 2 weeks of early voting including on weekends. In most places the early voting lines weren’t terribly long. On election day most places were short.

              Most people still didn’t vote.

              Some people couldn’t vote. Millions of assholes just didn’t bother and are partly to blame.

        • Majorllama@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          No vote. No opinion.

          He got the majority of votes. He got the majority of the electoral.

          The majority of participating voters wanted this.

          Just because you guys cannot fathom how anyone would want this doesn’t mean this is the same panic inducing situation for them. The majority of politically active people in the United States of America wanted this to happen as evidence of the election we just held.

          • Bronzebeard@lemm.ee
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            9 hours ago

            No. He got a plurality of the votes. Not a majority.

            The majority of participating voters voted against him.

            How many times do you need that repeated to understand?

  • Xaphanos@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    The State is in distress. Who will answer the call? Who will come it’s aid? We have all been summoned.

    • M137@lemmy.world
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      You write that like you’re sure it’s not real, and/or that others would or should think so. There’s no obvious thing pointing towards it being fake by just looking at the photo, no clear editing signs or anything like that. But we should make sure it is real by finding other photos, there must be more if it is real. And if there was ever a time in our lifetimes where this would be real, it’s now.

    • rational_lib@lemmy.world
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      This does appear to be the state department flag pole (on 21st street looking East from the state department). And it does appear to be winter, and there is construction in that area around the fed building. But that’s all I can say. The photo is weirdly blurry and grainy so be suspicious.

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        2 hours ago

        It clearly does have stars. They just blur into the field because the quality isn’t high enough. Zoom in and you can see there’s slightly whiter dots where the stars should be. You just can’t really make them out.

          • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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            10 hours ago

            It really makes me wonder how people were able to pull this shit off in the 50s, 60s and 70s when we can’t make it happen today with everything available to us.

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              9 hours ago

              They still had third places where they could organize face-to-face. Think union halls, fraternal organizations (which us Millennials only know about from old cartoons), churches, etc.

              See also this Adam Conover video, which isn’t specifically about organizing to protest but nevertheless is pretty insightful about it.

            • 51dusty@lemmy.world
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              10 hours ago

              they didn’t use maligned, monitored areas for communication… people today should coordinate face-to-face or at worst via telephone if they haven’t already exposed themselves.

              • nickwitha_k (he/him)@lemmy.sdf.org
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                4 hours ago

                Telephones have been insecure for at least 20 years. Cellphones have backdoors built into the protocol standards. Face-to-face or good encryption are the options.

          • taiyang@lemmy.world
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            7 hours ago

            Oddly, the recent thing in LA was via TikTok, but to be fair their knee bending is probably superficial at best.

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          11 hours ago

          Based on white people Twitter ban this is similar to Luigi situation…

          People are just overwhelming their modding ability.

          It will be taken down and the opposition sentiment will be supressed in due course.

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    9 hours ago

    Performative resistance from inside the machine. Cute gesture, but distress signals only work when someone’s actually coming to help. Meanwhile, career diplomats keep writing memos and processing visas while posting their quiet protests on social.

    Remember when we thought these symbols meant something would change? Now it’s just content for the outrage cycle. Tomorrow there’ll be a strongly worded letter, maybe some resigned LinkedIn posts from mid-level FSOs.

    The machinery keeps grinding, upside down flag or not. Though I suppose watching institutional despair go viral is peak 2025.

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      I disagree. Yes, this isn’t the same thing as direct sabotage or anything like that, but I think symbolic gestures like this can be extremely important for morale.

      I know that it makes me feel slightly better to see that I’m not alone in my frustrations.