8 ms·

Does anyone else feel seriously... demotivated(?) by these reckless games with the economy? Like, it's really getting to me. It's a new quality of helplessness

Does anyone else feel seriously... demotivated(?) by these reckless games with the economy? Like, it's really getting to me. It's a new quality of helplessness seeing these shenanigans in my books. More tangible, raw, direct. Much more insulting. My job, the financial security I've been working for hard, honest struggle, if a handful of people can at will gamble with all of that like it means nothing at all, then why the fuck bother? Why should I get my ass up, if some entitled rich fuck can wipe away years of work and sacrifice for some blatant inside trades with their homies? I mean, for them it's just funny numbers, for me it's life changing money and existential security. I don't know, man. I feel like a fucking peasant.

wormlord 2y ago
We are all serfs
- jijijijij 2y ago
  Yeah, but I preferred the theater of decency. Inflation is gonna eat the cash. Now, if you think you are smart and invest, they pull the rug on all of it. Honestly, where are the incentives to save up, to build something for yourself? I mean, the outlook wasn't that great even without this bullshit. It's all so damn bleak.
kashunstva 2y ago
Also contributing is the utter lack of opposition leadership. The current president can marshal his goons to invade and defile the Capitol. What leadership is in opposition? The guy that stands up and gives a 25 hour speech? Props for the feat of endurance; but then what? Or Obama, giving a hyper-intellectual abstract, detached talk? It’s a complete vacuum. For the opposition party it’s business-as-usual, as if you can do your regular Senate stuff and get something done.
- mint2 2y ago
  > The guy that stands up and gives a 25 hour speech? Who isn’t even the top house democrat. The opposition party’s actual leaders were going around saying the best strategy was to lay low… feels like some kind of bad joke.
- throwawaymanbot 2y ago
  [dead]
- mrguyorama 2y ago
  The opposition party has no power in the US, as designed explicitly. If you wanted Democrats to have more power, you should have voted for them more. If you DID vote for democrats, understand that the Constitution largely says they have no power. They can't do anything without swaying Republican politicians. By design. Republicans are not willing to do anything to help them, because their party committing literal blatant crimes has never hurt their election chances, but since 2000, bipartisanship makes it very unlikely to get re-elected. Unfortunately, lots of stupid people did not vote for democrats, and are now complaining that democrats aren't saving them. Democrats cannot save anyone right now. By Design.
  - ddaud 2y ago
    Leadership is not the same as institutional power.
  - tpmoney 2y ago
    > The opposition party has no power in the US, as designed explicitly. This seems to be in direct contradiction to the other story we’re told repeatedly by DNC leaders that the reason they can’t get anything done when they are the majority is because of those “obstructionist” republicans. One has to wonder how the GOP is so successful in obstructing the DNC but the reverse is not possible. The minority parties may be less powerful, but the US government was set up to make “tyranny of the majority” hard to accomplish. So what has gone wrong?
    - specialist 2y ago
      > because of those “obstructionist” aka Vetocracy (h/t Francis Fukuyama). > but the reverse is not possible. Because holding together the GOP coalition is (comparatively) easier. > set up to make “tyranny of the majority” hard to accomplish As you note, USA has always had minority rule, by design. What's different today is one faction has a lock on power. Just like how conservative Democrats had single party rule in the southern states, up until the Civil Rights Era. What's old is new again. -- The correct answer is majoritarian rule. There's no shortage of ideas for reform to get us there. The John Lewis Voting Right Act would be a good start. Just know that any movement will have to arrise from outside of the two party system. The Democratic Party, such as it is, will not and cannot fix this problem. That's just not what political parties do. The parties get candidates elected. They (eg DNC) don't do policy, don't build movements.
- florbnit 2y ago
  What opposition? The recklessness of Trumps political agenda is benefitting the rich elite and despite appearances both parties leadership consist of those in the rich elite. America doesn’t have a party representing the workers because anyone getting any traction in politics almost immediately leaves the working class. That’s why the level of political opposition is currently at “let’s all wear matching ties to show our disapproval of this political development that will absolutely make us tons and tons of money but which we need to look like we oppose”
  - ryandrake 2y ago
    > That’s why the level of political opposition is currently at “let’s all wear matching ties to show our disapproval of this political development that will absolutely make us tons and tons of money but which we need to look like we oppose” Don't forget the "let's all hold little signs up and make frowny faces" strategy from actual elected Democrat Congresspeople. What a joke!
martythemaniak 2y ago
I'd say it's very much by design because it's a common feature of places America's rulers love - Hungary, Russia etc. One of the many ways in which uppity PMCs get put in their place is by the rulers flaunting their lawlessness and gaslighting the PMCs, while of course making PMCs submit to the rules and work with reality. So here's we have blatantly illegal behavior by the party that constantly sings about "law and order" and the grating helplessness you feel is what they want you to feel, because they are your masters and want to yo always be aware of this.
- dimal 2y ago
  What’s a PMC?
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    Private military contractor.
    - aspenmayer 2y ago
      In this context, it’s referring to the professional-managerial class. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional%E2%80%93managerial_class https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional%E2%80%93manageria...

wormlord 2y ago

We are all serfs

jijijijij 2y ago
Yeah, but I preferred the theater of decency. Inflation is gonna eat the cash. Now, if you think you are smart and invest, they pull the rug on all of it. Honestly, where are the incentives to save up, to build something for yourself? I mean, the outlook wasn't that great even without this bullshit. It's all so damn bleak.

kashunstva 2y ago

Also contributing is the utter lack of opposition leadership. The current president can marshal his goons to invade and defile the Capitol. What leadership is in opposition? The guy that stands up and gives a 25 hour speech? Props for the feat of endurance; but then what? Or Obama, giving a hyper-intellectual abstract, detached talk? It’s a complete vacuum. For the opposition party it’s business-as-usual, as if you can do your regular Senate stuff and get something done.

mint2 2y ago
> The guy that stands up and gives a 25 hour speech? Who isn’t even the top house democrat. The opposition party’s actual leaders were going around saying the best strategy was to lay low… feels like some kind of bad joke.
throwawaymanbot 2y ago
[dead]
mrguyorama 2y ago
The opposition party has no power in the US, as designed explicitly. If you wanted Democrats to have more power, you should have voted for them more. If you DID vote for democrats, understand that the Constitution largely says they have no power. They can't do anything without swaying Republican politicians. By design. Republicans are not willing to do anything to help them, because their party committing literal blatant crimes has never hurt their election chances, but since 2000, bipartisanship makes it very unlikely to get re-elected. Unfortunately, lots of stupid people did not vote for democrats, and are now complaining that democrats aren't saving them. Democrats cannot save anyone right now. By Design.
- ddaud 2y ago
  Leadership is not the same as institutional power.
- tpmoney 2y ago
  > The opposition party has no power in the US, as designed explicitly. This seems to be in direct contradiction to the other story we’re told repeatedly by DNC leaders that the reason they can’t get anything done when they are the majority is because of those “obstructionist” republicans. One has to wonder how the GOP is so successful in obstructing the DNC but the reverse is not possible. The minority parties may be less powerful, but the US government was set up to make “tyranny of the majority” hard to accomplish. So what has gone wrong?
  - specialist 2y ago
    > because of those “obstructionist” aka Vetocracy (h/t Francis Fukuyama). > but the reverse is not possible. Because holding together the GOP coalition is (comparatively) easier. > set up to make “tyranny of the majority” hard to accomplish As you note, USA has always had minority rule, by design. What's different today is one faction has a lock on power. Just like how conservative Democrats had single party rule in the southern states, up until the Civil Rights Era. What's old is new again. -- The correct answer is majoritarian rule. There's no shortage of ideas for reform to get us there. The John Lewis Voting Right Act would be a good start. Just know that any movement will have to arrise from outside of the two party system. The Democratic Party, such as it is, will not and cannot fix this problem. That's just not what political parties do. The parties get candidates elected. They (eg DNC) don't do policy, don't build movements.
florbnit 2y ago
What opposition? The recklessness of Trumps political agenda is benefitting the rich elite and despite appearances both parties leadership consist of those in the rich elite. America doesn’t have a party representing the workers because anyone getting any traction in politics almost immediately leaves the working class. That’s why the level of political opposition is currently at “let’s all wear matching ties to show our disapproval of this political development that will absolutely make us tons and tons of money but which we need to look like we oppose”
- ryandrake 2y ago
  > That’s why the level of political opposition is currently at “let’s all wear matching ties to show our disapproval of this political development that will absolutely make us tons and tons of money but which we need to look like we oppose” Don't forget the "let's all hold little signs up and make frowny faces" strategy from actual elected Democrat Congresspeople. What a joke!

martythemaniak 2y ago

I'd say it's very much by design because it's a common feature of places America's rulers love - Hungary, Russia etc. One of the many ways in which uppity PMCs get put in their place is by the rulers flaunting their lawlessness and gaslighting the PMCs, while of course making PMCs submit to the rules and work with reality. So here's we have blatantly illegal behavior by the party that constantly sings about "law and order" and the grating helplessness you feel is what they want you to feel, because they are your masters and want to yo always be aware of this.

dimal 2y ago
What’s a PMC?
- JumpCrisscross 2y ago
  Private military contractor.
  - aspenmayer 2y ago
    In this context, it’s referring to the professional-managerial class. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional%E2%80%93managerial_class https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional%E2%80%93manageria...