this post was submitted on 05 Nov 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The best ones are thoughts that many people can relate to and they find something funny or interesting in regular stuff.

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These might be the good old days. Go outside, feel the grass, say wassup to your neighbors,... whatever you do that means community, because sh*t might get bad for a while.

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[–] [email protected] 96 points 1 day ago (1 children)

As a person from Europe, who's is living next to Ukraine, who's girlfriend is ukranian, who's many friends are Ukrainian, who's many friends died due to that terrorist state: If you were eligible to vote in the US and didn't, fuck you.

Any vote that didn't go to Kamala, is a vote for fascism, a vote to accelerate and finish the genocide of palestine, a vote to cease support for Ukraine and a vote to help terrorists in ruzzia. If you support any of that, Fuck. You.

But I know my ukranian brothers, they will not surrender. Even if you selfish American pricks don't support them. They will fight until they can't fight anymore, and then they will still fight.

Unlike you, they are brave. They are heroes. They know whats fucking right.

And frankly, for all terrible things coming to the US, if you didnt vote, you deserve them all.

If you are from the LGBTQ+ community, not white or a woman, and you didn't vote, you have just commited suicide.

I will still support Ukraine, financially. Its not much but I don't care. And if its not enough and the worst comes, I am ready to die to save my brothers, just like my people did in the past.

I am willing to do my part, if you didn't vote, you didnt. So one, last fuck you.

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[–] [email protected] 70 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (4 children)

I'm seeing a lot of "democracy is going to die" posts.. But... I hate to break it to you:

America is not a democracy. And if somehow it is a democracy, then it's an incredibly bad one. It's the least democratic democracy in the Western world.

The two party system, the first past the post voting system, the indirect method of counting votes, lobbying, gerrymandering, the electoral collage. Systems to try and manipulate what a vote means. Systems that try to remove as much democracy from democracy as possible, while still being able to keep up some mock appearance.

Your whole country is fucked and backwards from the very beginning, and that wouldn't be so bad. But if America does something we all have to suffer for it!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 day ago

I don’t think it was ever a true democracy, we’re just cycling back to the white male landowner as the only vote being counted as the norm. Another rally at MSG, all the racist rhetoric, all the dog whistles are just regular shouting now

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[–] [email protected] 117 points 1 day ago (3 children)

as an european, i am watching in absolute shock. i really dont understand how HALF the USA can still vote for this Chicken Nugget of a person.

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Some people only have information from one side of the story. If Trump wins, he will likely try to mimic what both Putin and Orbán did with the media.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 day ago (3 children)

While you're mostly right, it isn't really half because we have this fun thing called the electoral college, that likes to make Republicans win.

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 day ago

It's not even close to half. Republicans are a quarter to a third of the country.

It's voter suppression and Democrats being the biggest possible fuckups they could be at every fucking opportunity.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well and so far the popular vote is more red then blue. I think the USA will get the government the voters deserve.

Here's hoping the rest of the world can not get pulled down.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 day ago (4 children)

I'm someone smack in the middle of a liberal city in an always blue state, I don't know what else there is for me to do. I've attempted helping educate and getting people to vote in other states who normally choose not to, I've voted in every election down to local boards and try to know who I'm voting for. Locally, we had a lot of successes so far this election in our state...but that won't help much if, y'know, fascism.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

People turn fascist when they're desperate and angry, same as always. So when people experience economic hardship they look for somone to blame, often immigrants. So we call them racists, and I guess that's true, but it comes from something else; economic inequality.

In Europe we do the same thing, in the French elections the rural population voted overwhelmingly for the fascists - here in brown.

In the German elections, the poorer former East-German provinces also supported the fascist AfD, here shown in the darker colours.

Even in Denmark, where I live, the more right-wing and extremist parties are popular in the southern, western, and northern parst of the country - the poorer rural areas, who's seen their jobs disappear, their shops close, and their income stall even as the country as a whole gets richer.

So the challenge of liberal democracy is clear; show the population outside the cities that they, too, can get their piece of the pie. If we cannot solve that, then we'll see more countries turn fascist in the next decade.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yes, thank you for putting it in plain language. People are not in a good place all over the world and telling people the economy (markets and stats people no longer have faith in) is great has the opposite effect then what the Dems intended.

This mess stems from a combo of a two party system (you know that thing the US founders warned you about) and a fundamental failure (real or perceived) of society's ability to reward people fairly. Now you don't have a middle class to pander to, you just have levels of poor and a few ultra wealthy (both demographics that tend to vote more right then left).

The real telling stat here is women voters. At what point would a woman vote contrary to her own body autonomy, safety and general rights? Like anyone else, when she is poor, hungry and angry.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Jesus, been scrolling for hours and finally someone has said it. It's why someone like Bernie trended so well and actually had a chance if the DNC would've ran him in 2016. He wanted to raise EVERYONE up, regardless of any identity or ideology. He came with receipts and actual plans that he non-stopped harped on every second he had a mic in front of him. This election cycle I didn't hear a single actual legislative plan fleshed out like they did with the healthcare for all in 2016 debates. You're not gonna win a mud-slinging contest of "he said, she said" when people just don't care.

A lot of people (white and/or rich mostly) also know that they have benefited from racial discrimination and opportunities stolen from other people. They saw their parents buying homes, getting loans and jobs. They vaguely heard how difficult it was for POC or displaced individuals, they don't want the system turning on them. In their bleak futurism that the right-wing paints, we will all be treated equally so everyone is a target. Instead of targeting voters concerns in an economical way, they went with a polisci approach like Harris's horrible housing innovative.

Harris proposes to provide $25,000 down-payment assistance to first-time homebuyers who have paid rent on time for two years, with more generous support for qualifying first-generation homeowners. .... The proposal stems from an idea the Biden-Harris administration presented earlier this year, which called on Congress to implement $25,000 in down-payment assistance exclusively for 400,000 first-generation buyers, or first-time buyers whose parents weren’t homeowners, and a $10,000 tax credit for first-time buyers.

You're parents had a shack? sorry. Get no economical support from parents but they effect your government support? sorry. Congress didn't pass it? sorry. We've decided to change the definition of a "starter-home". Sorry.

The piece of the pie was a perfect way to put it, I've seen so many shit takes from everyone on here I'm flabbergasted. From people "getting popcorn to watch everyone get their just desserts" to "maybe we shouldn't of ran a woman-POC this election cycle".

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago

Back in 2016 I was living in the middle of Trump country, but when I told them I was supporting Bernie and not Clinton they'd say something like "I don't agree with him on a lot of stuff but I respect him and like that he hates billionaires."

I really think he could have won.

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[–] [email protected] 82 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

So as far as I understand it as of now it's pretty much decided early with almost no chance of Harris making it.

So there you are. You're right. I was right. We all were.

We hoped for sanity.

But it seems a massive criminal openly stating he will run a dictatorship has been voluntarily elected.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

It's like allowing someone in your house telling you that he's going to rob you, but he promises to do it LEGALLY. It's hilarious and maddening at the same time.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 day ago

There's a play by max frisch calledThe fire raiders where exactly this happens. You just made me realize that this book fits what has happened perfectly. Obviously it's also a metaphor for the political turmoil of that time.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 day ago

I didn't understand what this post meant yesterday. "I'm still afraid of what would happen?"
Now it makes total sense. Fuck.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Technically there are 2 months until Jan 6 in which anything can happen. I'm just not hopeful that anything will and don't think it's in my best interest to take a stand and make change happen.

This is how they win. We let them.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

I really hope Orange Hitler doesn't have a heart attack and die in the next 4 years because Vance is a competent evil, but OH is only concerned with his own enrichment and will hopefully only do the bare minimum to keep his party happy while spending all day golfing like he did last time.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

What happens if he dies peacefully of old age before the inauguration? Do we still get Vance?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 16 hours ago

This relevant article suggests it'd be up to the party.

[–] [email protected] 92 points 1 day ago (16 children)

NYT is calling it for Trump. America as we know it, may be over.

The war in Ukraine is about to end, with Russia probably getting everything they want, NATO might disband, China likely takes Taiwan, 100 years of authoritarianism and tyranny may be upon us after Trump truly consolidates powers, and nukes the Federal government.

I fucking wish I was being hyperbolic.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Nah, we're gonna balkanize sooner or later. Economy is fucked beyond fucked. (Thank you Reagan) It won't be able to keep going. Especially not with republicans at the tiller. The end of the US will be the same as every other empire. But with nukes.

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So this is how a democracy dies...it votes for its own death.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is what I don't get...everyone keeps saying it is going to be a bad 4 years but most likely this is it we are done. Trump is going to pardon himself for all the shit he did last time in office and now he doesn't need to worry about breaking any laws since SCOTUS gave him immunity. This is going to be horrific. We are witnessing the death of America.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Something tells me this day will eventually live in greater infamy than 9/11.

Like in 2230, provided there is still something resembling the human race, "9/11" will be just another boring date to memorize together with shit like the Alamo w/e.

The day the republic fell, however, will be a lot more recognizable and memorable.

248 years. Empires "always" last around ~250 (Let's ignore the Romans for now) so we're exactly on time.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Bull fucking shit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_empires

They last from 0 years to 1427, and 250 is not the average.

This 250 years nonsense needs to die off.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Democracy died, not with a cry, but a cheer

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[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 day ago

Nope we’re in those times right now.

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