@Millie_Fink
@womanhood_deferred
So they’re speed-running the Declaration of Independence and stated that “expected” beliefs are sufficient for deportation (and presumably other punishment), so basically anyone who expresses admiration or support for American values can therefore reasonably be expected to find this administration reprehensible, and thus are worthy of deportation.
“Are you now, or have you ever been, loyal to the Constitution of the United States?”
I don’t understand it. I don’t understand any of it.
The horribleness of that man and his cabal has been so obviously apparent pretty much from day one (I didn’t think much of him back in the 80s, during his first bump of notoriety), especially during the first campaign. I cannot get my head around how so many people just cannot, will not see that.
Even when I was a kid, I felt slightly out-of-alignment with the world at large. A good chunk of that was probably being an awkward social misfit, and not always liking the latest “in” things… but this is beyond anything so mundane as that. I’ve wondered about my own sanity plenty of times, but it feels like so much of the country (and the world, because the Far Right is surging globally) is going completely unhinged in the opposite direction. It’s terrifying. It goes against pretty much everything I was taught to believe and value-- and yeah, we all kinda got sold on a lot of things about “the way of the world” that weren’t true, but this is beyond even that. (I remember the Pratchett quote about believing untruths, but it gives no comfort in the face of such rampant greed and depravity.)
Tl;dr: I am not okay.
I don’t understand it either. But I remember the Republicans fielding a whole crowd of awful candidates, I don’t believe it’s coincidence they somehow settled on the very worst one. I think on some level people do see how loathsome he is…and that’s where he gets his support.
On a rational level, I get it, but it’s still hitting me fundamentally, in whatever part of me was still holding on to the illusion that good guys win and bad guys lose, that respect and decency were still valued and valuable, that for the most part we’d learned from history and would keep striving to become better as a society.
I know everyone isn’t so awful and evil, there are still many good people in the fight, and that at some point the tide must turn… but it’s getting harder and harder to hold on to that, as we fall deeper into this destructive chaos. Part of me understands the various historical and social-psychological factors that play into it, but there’s another part that cannot rationalize or accept any of it… like being trapped in a nightmare and struggling to wake up. But it’s real, even if I don’t want it to be.
I can’t explain it any better than that, and it sounds trite, even to me. 
It just hurts.
I don’t think any of us here are. At least we are in good company.
I can only hope it happens soon because things are looking pretty fucking dire right now.
I was just thinking that my worst nightmares are now always less scary that reality. It’s almost like my consciousness and unconsciousness have flipped. 
Here’s a hug for you, and everyone else who needs one!
This is a big part of why I’m glad I went to the Hands Off protest. I got home and described the experience to my spouse (who couldn’t go). He said “I’m glad being around so many other people helped you feel more sane.”
Because it did.
Um…
Maybe that’s a joke, and it really means the opposite?
Cuz hey, I’m in the dumps too, but I also think most of Tramp and Co. are dumb as garden gnomes. And I’m pinning a lot of what hope I do have on their ultimately failing partly or even mainly by tripping and falling over their own stupidity.
You’ve not seen Spaceballs?
The line is spoken by Dark Helmet (guess which one he is in the gif), and the joke is that it’s his attempt at “I know you are but what am I” in his great Villain speech before the climactic duel. (Also see gif for how that turned out.)
It’s the ultimate rhetorical smackdown of an angry six-year-old.
And should be taken exactly as seriously.
I feel this so much. I cannot understand why and how so much of the world is going fascist, as though some kind of virus is stripping people of reason and compassion. I cannot understand why anyone would want any of this or how they’re apparently fine with their heroes being insecure, stupid, lying criminals who have nothing but cruelty to offer. I cannot fathom such a huge percentage of humanity being monsters- not just misguided, ignorant or apathetic, but literal monsters devoid of every positive value that every aspect of culture, history and media has taught me since birth that all humans care about deep down. It’s inexplicable and it feels like being gaslit by the entire planet every single day.
Got it. I know it might be hard to imagine, but no, I haven’t seen that movie. Thanks for explaining! 
You’ve put it into words far better than mine. Thank you for that. I don’t feel quite so alone now.
Better hurry up and watch it so that you’re ready when the long-awaited Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money finally comes out.
I wouldn’t say Spaceballs is in the same league as Young Frankenstein or Blazing Saddles, but it’s a fairly enjoyable Mel Brooks take on Star Wars. And the context of the gif fits, though I can see why it might not be clear if you never saw it. It’s not smart fun, but it’s funny enough for me. YMMV.
I think you expressed it just fine, especially how this isn’t just the usual feeling like a social outcast, or the result of lingering youthful naivety. As most of the world seems to have forgotten, this is not normal. What’s happening right now is traumatic and profane on an existential level. But no, you’re not alone. There are still lots of people who haven’t lost their minds and their morals, and we all have to help and support each other.
I meant it as a joke, but if you’ve never seen the movie I can see how some very important context can be lost.
And if you’ve never seen Spaceballs, that is something you absolutely need to remedy. It is a wonderful lampooning of Star Wars and space operas in general.
