As much as I’d like to see this BS punished, I can sympathize with workers who return to their job. I’m sure a lot of the folks affected would like to respond meaningfully to their unlawful termination but in real life the bills need to be paid.
They removed Milley’s portrait because the brains of Trump’s cabinet haven’t developed enough to have object permanence. So if they can’t see the portrait they might very well forget his existence and Milley might be safe from this administration.
I never thought you were being inflammatory or attacking me, but thank you for an apology/clarification even if it wasn’t necessary. I thought your response provided valuable perspective, and reminded us all that people are a diverse group that defies blanket categorization. I asked for your feedback because I legitimately didn’t know how to fold that into my post, which as I said was the truth of what I experienced. I also wanted to help divorce criticism of people like Elon Musk from “accusations” of mental disability, which I don’t feel should be an accusation or “gotcha”.
After over 25 years of work of varying intensity with psychiatrists, I’m legally permanently disabled because of mental illness and I have lived on permanent disability for several years. I’m lucky in that I’m physically and mentally capable, so most people won’t even know until they are close enough to me to start learning about my lifestyle and day-to-day experience. Even so I’ve experienced a fair bit of both well-meaning and malicious misunderstanding. Those misunderstandings are of course worse and more consistent for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities, and I don’t want to be part of that. That’s why I’m taking our conversation seriously.
I’m not going to delete my post because I stand beside what I said, but I did include the following edit: “Edit: Following discussion below, I think it would be right and humanizing to add a reminder to myself and others. Although my time with that particular group was positive, the mentally disabled are people like any of us and each will be different in terms of friendliness, happiness, and social capability.”
I don’t think that short addition will interrupt the flow or message of my post, and will address some of the context you’ve provided.
That’s an interesting addition and I have no reason to doubt you. It’s quite possible the people I saw regularly were there exactly because they were inclined to be friendly and happy. It probably also helps that they were closely accompanied by professionals. I can only comment on my experience with them, and what I wrote was accurate to that. I mean, one guy who was more physically able would do curls with me and call me Superman and I called him Batman. The reason I started talking to them is one really thin girl stopped while doing laps in a group and told me she loved me. I still smile thinking about those moments.
I honestly don’t know if I agree that it’s harmful to relay my couple of years interacting with the intellectually disabled as I did. It’s definitely the truth of my experience. At the same time I can completely believe it’s not the whole truth, and varies by individual. After all, I would only spend 10-30 minutes working out while they were nearby before I moved on. I’d definitely continue to insist that even the nasty folks aren’t doing anywhere near as much damage to global society as Elon Musk though.
Do you think I should change my post? And if so - how, given what I’ve written in this reply? Edit: after thinking about it, perhaps your followup will be enough to provide context?
This is an insult to people that would have been given that label in those days. Those folks are some of the happiest, friendliest people I’ve ever met. Until a couple years ago I used to work out a gym and interact with a group of the intellectually disabled who would come in for exercise. They told me they loved me, worked out with me, laughed with me and they were one of the best parts of gym time.
Musk runs propaganda platforms, fights unions, visits Epstein islands, buys elections, and is THE example of the oligarchy that is in a very real way ruining the world and destroying hope. He has no right to be given a label that would historically would place him in the same category as the people I knew for years.
In addition to my other comment, this is applicable: Harris didn’t lose the election because of Gaza or protest voters - “the election was not close enough for the war to be a decisive factor”. Harvard research and Harris polls place Gaza as 15th among voter’s primary concerns. She lost because she ran what Bernie Sanders called a “disastrous campaign” that abandoned working class Americans. Instead of listening to and solidifying support among her base, she tried to court conservatives with moves like campaigning with the fucking Cheneys(!) and running commercials about wives secretly voting for her and hiding the truth from their husbands.
Democrats need to stop playing center field politically, and stop blaming left-leaning voters or protest voters for their failure to listen to the concerns of their base.
Pick a different subject to talk about Harris vs. Trump votes. There are arguments with a lot of merit, but this isn’t one them.
Trump is going to create a lot of ruin if he accomplishes 10% of what he promises, but stop making a strawman out of Gaza as if Biden would have been better. On that issue it’s not as if either candidate would have done fuck all about Gaza other than continue to support the ethnic cleansing. There’s a reason Biden will be remembered as Genocide Joe. He repeatedly, explicitly affirmed the USA’s COMPLETE support of Israel and acted in accordance with that. He did nothing when Israel crossed “red lines” except sign more arms and aid deals. At least we’re spared the torturous, blatant hypocrisy of “we’re committed to peace” on the same week billions in arms deals are signed.
Let me head off rebuttals that amount to “but at least Harris might have tried”. She also explicitly confirmed continued support for Israel, and offered zero credible objections to blank cheque support as VP. The only thing the world could have expected from her were more “serious concerns” speeches.
It was directly related to the post above. “People should do this” -> “I actually just finished doing that.” It’s not like I came here to brag out of nowhere. Why are you ignoring that in favor of picking a fight?
Thanks for the heads up. I can see how that would happen. In my case I posted literally once or twice a year since 2020 or so, and the last time I talked to anyone other than family was 6 months ago. I have several dozen “friends” that will see the post, but leaving likely won’t affect much other than them being able to see photographs on FB/Instagram. Everyone I actually interact with knows other ways to contact me.
I wrote my deletion post just a few hours ago actually. Cited sexism, homophobia, anti-immigration, no more fact-checking etc. I said I’d leave the account up for a few days in case anyone wanted to arrange a way to stay in contact (since I’ve had friends there since 2007), but after that I’m gone.
Come on now. “Jewish” can of course refer to the religion of Judaism but “Jew” is definitely a term for an ethnicity, both in common usage and more formal realms.
Who is a Jew? “Jewish identity is also commonly defined through ethnicity. Opinion polls have suggested that the majority of modern Jews see being Jewish as predominantly a matter of ancestry and culture, rather than religion.” “The term “Jew” lends itself to several definitions beyond simply denoting one who practices Judaism.”
If you don’t like Wikipedia “Jews are a distinct ethnicity due to a combination of shared cultural, historical, and ancestral ties. Below are some examples of key factors that make Jews an ethnicity…”
University of Michigan, “Religion or Ethnicity? : The Evolution of Jewish Identities”. “Jewish identity has been defined as an ethnicity, a nation, a culture, and even a race.”
Pew Research “Religion is not central to the lives of most U.S. Jews. Even Jews by religion are much less likely than Christian adults to consider religion to be very important in their lives (28% vs. 57%).”
Israel is not Jewish people.
That’s exactly what I said, and I said it because it’s necessary to remind people of that. Antisemitism is absolutely on the rise, so the distinction matters to me.
Israel claims that the 27 hospitals and 12 other health facilities they’ve bombed hid Hamas. Rape, murder, torture, hiding behind civilians, illegally abusing things like medical immunity…every accusation is a confession. What a wretched country. And to be clear: I don’t mean all Jews - just the ones perpetrating this ethnic cleansing and their allies whether Jewish or not. Couldn’t care less about where they were born or their genetics, just what they’re doing in full view.
I still love you guys. You’re our closest ally by far. It’s just sometimes I hear stuff like that and have to remind myself heh. Plus I know it was like 75m to 77m in total votes for Trump so it’s not like there isn’t opposition that continues to this day and foreseeable future.
Trudeau wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t going to win again. I only voted Liberal once (otherwise NDP who are center-left to left). I did so because Trudeau promised to get rid of first-past-the-post elections, and when that didn’t happen they lost me. My take on his time as leader is that he was decent during hard times. Not great, not terrible - life got harder as Canadians but we fared better than a lot of countries.
I’d much rather have him than the MAGA-lite conservative government which I fear my nation is headed for. My right-wing family members seem to share very similar faults to MAGA. I really don’t want Americans to get fucked by Trump and his reality-show appointees, but it looks like that’s what the US is headed for regardless of my wishes. I can only hope that our undecideds look at the mess the US Republicans are already and move away from voting in that mindset here.
BTW, Trump responding by continuing to call Canada as the 51st state and referring to our office of Prime Minister as the “governor of Canada” is shit behaviour and likely to burn through some goodwill. I know the folks reading this have no control over that clown, but I’m not looking forward to getting that attitude from the over 50% of US voters that parrot his verbal diarrhea.
“Many people in Canada LOVE being the 51st State,” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social. “If Canada merged with the U.S., there would be no Tariffs, taxes would go way down, and they would be TOTALLY SECURE from the threat of the Russian and Chinese Ships that are constantly surrounding them. Together, what a great Nation it would be!!!” Fuck right off you spray-painted felon sex offender.
Bullet vending machines? Just in case you find yourself running low on bullets while out and about in the city? “Damn it. They’re out of Snickers bars so I guess I’ll just settle for some 9mm.”
I disagree that “their humiliating defeat on November 5 was due largely to their undeniable role in the Israeli war and genocide in Gaza.” I definitely think it played a role and Dems would have won more voters with concrete promises to halt Israel’s genocide and enforce US laws like the Leahy Law. People are justifiably upset with Israel crossing lines without consequences, and the huge amounts of money going to fund genocide as opposed to being used domestically.
Was it really THE major issue affecting votes though? IMO the more significant issues were things like a feeling of “more of the same” when people are struggling and focusing on trying to win “moderate” Republicans instead of motivating a base they thought was guaranteed.
Rare W for separation of church and state in Republican territory. I hope it lasts.
Good. In the USA, slavery isn’t ok for private citizens. Only prisons are allowed to engage in blatant actual slavery.