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I can agree that people with different lives have different frames of reference. Though you're also basically implying that your "reality" is the right one and

I can agree that people with different lives have different frames of reference. Though you're also basically implying that your "reality" is the right one and that mine, as you said before, is "distorted beyond recognition". My views are based on reality as I see it. I can link you to a reputable news source on each one happening, in fact I can link you directly to statements from the administration itself proving each of these. You say that "I am not saying you don't have a point here", so you're not exactly denying that what I've said isn't true, but then you also say that things aren't so dark and sinister... I listed actual things that are happening. I didn't say "Trump is going to put us into concentrations camps immediately tomorrow!" If I resorted to hyperbole I'd agree with you. However, everything I've said is based on actual events, and for me as a minority and someone who cares about minorities, no things will not be looking up as indicated by Trump himself and the people in his administration. Maybe you don't care if you're a well-off white male, you probably won't be affected, in fact you'll probably stand to benefit. But no, sorry, this is my reality and the people I know and talked to feel the same way. (I'm not just reacting to some possible future, I'm reacting to what's already happened) I thought Trump would just be harmless and not do much in office, but I've obviously been proven wrong and I'm not looking forward to what comes next, so yes things are looking dark in my future.

rebootthesystem 10y ago
I learned that in life things are rarely true at the extremes. In other words, views that say everything is great (one extreme) or everything is horrible (the other) are rarely true. Some things can be great and some things can be horrible but not all things at the same time. The picture you are painting is one where everyone is about to be tossed into a meat grinder. This is simply not true. If you were painting a more moderate --less doomsday-- view there would be reason to discuss specifics but you are fundamentally painting a "the world is coming to an end" image and that's simply not true. In fact, it isn't possible. As for your "well-off white male" comment. I would urge you to avoid such generalizations. They are also wrong because of the same truth: extremes are never true. Not all white males are well off and not all black (or whatever) males are screwed. There are plenty of white males in skid row and plenty of very intelligent, accomplished and fantastically successful black males, from a prior President to sports and TV starts, CEO's etc. These generalizations are not conducive to seeing the world as what it is: An analog continuum of people from all walks of life who live different lives and exist at different levels of success or failure, luck or lack thereof. This, again, isn't reality. And, of course, whatever someone happens to be has no bearing whatsoever on the validity of what is being discussed. Yes, as I said, it can reveal a frame of reference, but that does not imply that their reality is accurate. A well-off white male in a deep depression sees a very distorted version of reality when compared to someone at the opposite extreme. As for me specifically, yeah, I'm white and very successful. Yet, believe it or not, I am a minority with Middle Eastern and Hispanic heritage as well as a descendant of Genocide survivors. Immigrant also. Naturalized US citizen. And, an atheist to boot. I came up from the bottom. My first job was washing dishes at a company that supplied food to aircraft back when they actually used proper dishes. I did this to help support my family while I attended college. It gets even better, my entire family was deported when I was six years old because my parents came to the US with tourist visas and overstayed. Once outside US it took them two years of hard work to go through the process of applying for and obtaining legal permanent immigration status. In other words, I could point to a dozen reasons for which I could hate or feel hated. Yet that isn't my perspective at all. Why? Because this idea that life is shit because you are a minority is a complete fabrication. No such thing. Life is what you make it. View it as a deep dark place and it will become a deep dark place. View it as a garden of opportunities and it will become exactly that. As for Trump. Forces greater than we can comprehend are fabricating all kinds of doomsday scenarios that are nothing less than fantasy. The world doesn't work that way. The political forces at play are massive. They are using every trick in the book --all sides-- to manipulate people in to frenzied drones that react to every single impulse given in predictable ways. Never forget that their game is votes. That's it. They don't give a shit about you and me. They just want power and power requires votes. And that's the only battle they fight. Trump is a 70+ year old guy who grew up around construction crews (hence the lack of smooth lawyer/politician speeches) who has achieved far more real success than the vast majority of people on the planet. Can we agree one does not get there by being a moron? Or that one does not get there without making more good than bad decisions? Or that one does not get there without surrounding oneself with extremely intelligent talented people? Or that one does not get there without listening to valuable advice? I think these are reasonable assumptions to make about this guy. And if these are reasonable and logical it only stands to reason that he is not going to blow up the world, he is not going to destroy the US and it is actually likely that he might do a lot of good. I don't agree with everything he has said. It's been crude at times and even embarrassing. Yet politicians have done a tremendous amount of damage to this country over the last 50 to 100 years while delivering well-written eloquent speeches. And this is so precisely because all they really care about is their own political survival and rise in power. And we all got caught in the middle of that mess. Politicians were not ever going to solve the problems they created. That much is clear from decades of unfulfilled campaign promises. Please not I take no sides here. I truly don't care about political parties and mono-cultures, I think they are evil. We needed a massively different approach and one contrary to what career politicians would ever even consider (because if you are a career politician it would be suicidal). And then along came Trump. Einstein said: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them". Sage advice. This is precisely where we are. I urge you not to allow yourself to be influenced by the insanity of the political games being played by all sides. Give the process time and watch for results. That's really the only thing that matters. And, yes, mistakes will be made here and there. What matters is results over time. Above all, please realize that the world is not all negative. It's exactly the opposite almost. We have never lived better or had more opportunities. Focus on negativity and you will help promote negative outcomes. Focus on what's positive and you will become a force for positive change.
- cooper12 10y ago
  I still don't get how you think I'm exaggerating. Again, I didn't say: "Trump is literally Hitler and will instate himself as dictator!" Instead I listed off actual things that he and his administration have done, or have promised to do. Maybe by denying that what I've said is close to reality is your way of coping, and if so, more power to you. A lot of people didn't expect him to actually be serious about things like repealing the ACA, including many Trump supporters who rely on it. I also think you're reading more into my comment then what I actually said. My concern wasn't just with the scapegoating of minorities, but things that will affect every American, especially the poor (even white) with things like the crippling of the EPA and repeal of the Affordable Care Act. > Trump is a 70+ year old guy who grew up around construction crews (hence the lack of smooth lawyer/politician speeches) who has achieved far more real success than the vast majority of people on the planet. Can we agree one does not get there by being a moron? Or that one does not get there without making more good than bad decisions? Or that one does not get there without surrounding oneself with extremely intelligent talented people? Or that one does not get there without listening to valuable advice? Sigh, I'm also tired of this shtick that because he ran a business he's suddenly competent enough to run a country. His father was rich, he isn't some self-made man. Trump has left tons of failed businesses and bankruptcies in his wake. The USA is a government, not a business, and your whole point about listening to others is negated by the fact that he won't even receive security briefs. The guy can barely read or string together a sentence yet somehow people think he's some kind of genius businessman. Again you think I"m saying he's going to destroy the US. No I do not think that. I already clearly said what I think he's going to do. And his plan does not have my best interests at heart. Lastly I strongly disagree with this notion that we need to shake things up so bad, we had to hire the most incompetent buffoon there is. He's already proven he can't keep to his promises like making Mexico pay for the wall, jailing Hilary, draining the swamp, etc... For some reason every one of his defenders thinks he's more competent than he is, and that every misstep by him is some ingenious 5D chess. Sorry but I gave him my good faith on the day he was elected and it was succinctly taken away. As for focusing on the positives, none of those positives are for me. I'm not a coal worker who cares more about my obsolete job than the environment. I can't just sit by and ignore the negatives just so other people can justify their choices. I'm going to be loud and speak truth to power. Why don't you go to your local LGBT center and tell them to focus on the positives? Why don't you talk to immigrants from the travel ban countries and tell them to focus on the positives while they can't even visit their country out of fear of not being allowed back? I think your perspective doesn't give enough empathy towards those who aren't all with the idea of a Trump presidency; unity requires understanding the other side as well.

rebootthesystem 10y ago

I learned that in life things are rarely true at the extremes. In other words, views that say everything is great (one extreme) or everything is horrible (the other) are rarely true. Some things can be great and some things can be horrible but not all things at the same time. The picture you are painting is one where everyone is about to be tossed into a meat grinder. This is simply not true. If you were painting a more moderate --less doomsday-- view there would be reason to discuss specifics but you are fundamentally painting a "the world is coming to an end" image and that's simply not true. In fact, it isn't possible. As for your "well-off white male" comment. I would urge you to avoid such generalizations. They are also wrong because of the same truth: extremes are never true. Not all white males are well off and not all black (or whatever) males are screwed. There are plenty of white males in skid row and plenty of very intelligent, accomplished and fantastically successful black males, from a prior President to sports and TV starts, CEO's etc. These generalizations are not conducive to seeing the world as what it is: An analog continuum of people from all walks of life who live different lives and exist at different levels of success or failure, luck or lack thereof. This, again, isn't reality. And, of course, whatever someone happens to be has no bearing whatsoever on the validity of what is being discussed. Yes, as I said, it can reveal a frame of reference, but that does not imply that their reality is accurate. A well-off white male in a deep depression sees a very distorted version of reality when compared to someone at the opposite extreme. As for me specifically, yeah, I'm white and very successful. Yet, believe it or not, I am a minority with Middle Eastern and Hispanic heritage as well as a descendant of Genocide survivors. Immigrant also. Naturalized US citizen. And, an atheist to boot. I came up from the bottom. My first job was washing dishes at a company that supplied food to aircraft back when they actually used proper dishes. I did this to help support my family while I attended college. It gets even better, my entire family was deported when I was six years old because my parents came to the US with tourist visas and overstayed. Once outside US it took them two years of hard work to go through the process of applying for and obtaining legal permanent immigration status. In other words, I could point to a dozen reasons for which I could hate or feel hated. Yet that isn't my perspective at all. Why? Because this idea that life is shit because you are a minority is a complete fabrication. No such thing. Life is what you make it. View it as a deep dark place and it will become a deep dark place. View it as a garden of opportunities and it will become exactly that. As for Trump. Forces greater than we can comprehend are fabricating all kinds of doomsday scenarios that are nothing less than fantasy. The world doesn't work that way. The political forces at play are massive. They are using every trick in the book --all sides-- to manipulate people in to frenzied drones that react to every single impulse given in predictable ways. Never forget that their game is votes. That's it. They don't give a shit about you and me. They just want power and power requires votes. And that's the only battle they fight. Trump is a 70+ year old guy who grew up around construction crews (hence the lack of smooth lawyer/politician speeches) who has achieved far more real success than the vast majority of people on the planet. Can we agree one does not get there by being a moron? Or that one does not get there without making more good than bad decisions? Or that one does not get there without surrounding oneself with extremely intelligent talented people? Or that one does not get there without listening to valuable advice? I think these are reasonable assumptions to make about this guy. And if these are reasonable and logical it only stands to reason that he is not going to blow up the world, he is not going to destroy the US and it is actually likely that he might do a lot of good. I don't agree with everything he has said. It's been crude at times and even embarrassing. Yet politicians have done a tremendous amount of damage to this country over the last 50 to 100 years while delivering well-written eloquent speeches. And this is so precisely because all they really care about is their own political survival and rise in power. And we all got caught in the middle of that mess. Politicians were not ever going to solve the problems they created. That much is clear from decades of unfulfilled campaign promises. Please not I take no sides here. I truly don't care about political parties and mono-cultures, I think they are evil. We needed a massively different approach and one contrary to what career politicians would ever even consider (because if you are a career politician it would be suicidal). And then along came Trump. Einstein said: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them". Sage advice. This is precisely where we are. I urge you not to allow yourself to be influenced by the insanity of the political games being played by all sides. Give the process time and watch for results. That's really the only thing that matters. And, yes, mistakes will be made here and there. What matters is results over time. Above all, please realize that the world is not all negative. It's exactly the opposite almost. We have never lived better or had more opportunities. Focus on negativity and you will help promote negative outcomes. Focus on what's positive and you will become a force for positive change.

cooper12 10y ago
I still don't get how you think I'm exaggerating. Again, I didn't say: "Trump is literally Hitler and will instate himself as dictator!" Instead I listed off actual things that he and his administration have done, or have promised to do. Maybe by denying that what I've said is close to reality is your way of coping, and if so, more power to you. A lot of people didn't expect him to actually be serious about things like repealing the ACA, including many Trump supporters who rely on it. I also think you're reading more into my comment then what I actually said. My concern wasn't just with the scapegoating of minorities, but things that will affect every American, especially the poor (even white) with things like the crippling of the EPA and repeal of the Affordable Care Act. > Trump is a 70+ year old guy who grew up around construction crews (hence the lack of smooth lawyer/politician speeches) who has achieved far more real success than the vast majority of people on the planet. Can we agree one does not get there by being a moron? Or that one does not get there without making more good than bad decisions? Or that one does not get there without surrounding oneself with extremely intelligent talented people? Or that one does not get there without listening to valuable advice? Sigh, I'm also tired of this shtick that because he ran a business he's suddenly competent enough to run a country. His father was rich, he isn't some self-made man. Trump has left tons of failed businesses and bankruptcies in his wake. The USA is a government, not a business, and your whole point about listening to others is negated by the fact that he won't even receive security briefs. The guy can barely read or string together a sentence yet somehow people think he's some kind of genius businessman. Again you think I"m saying he's going to destroy the US. No I do not think that. I already clearly said what I think he's going to do. And his plan does not have my best interests at heart. Lastly I strongly disagree with this notion that we need to shake things up so bad, we had to hire the most incompetent buffoon there is. He's already proven he can't keep to his promises like making Mexico pay for the wall, jailing Hilary, draining the swamp, etc... For some reason every one of his defenders thinks he's more competent than he is, and that every misstep by him is some ingenious 5D chess. Sorry but I gave him my good faith on the day he was elected and it was succinctly taken away. As for focusing on the positives, none of those positives are for me. I'm not a coal worker who cares more about my obsolete job than the environment. I can't just sit by and ignore the negatives just so other people can justify their choices. I'm going to be loud and speak truth to power. Why don't you go to your local LGBT center and tell them to focus on the positives? Why don't you talk to immigrants from the travel ban countries and tell them to focus on the positives while they can't even visit their country out of fear of not being allowed back? I think your perspective doesn't give enough empathy towards those who aren't all with the idea of a Trump presidency; unity requires understanding the other side as well.