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Things really are getting scary. Tech people with bold ideas. Don’t go to America. Don’t build your companies there. Don’t employ Americans. Build it anywhere

Things really are getting scary. Tech people with bold ideas. Don’t go to America. Don’t build your companies there. Don’t employ Americans. Build it anywhere else. America ain’t what it used to be. It’s slowly but surely becoming a dictatorship and it’ll be run by the dumbest American to ever live: Donald J Trump.

nielsbot 1y ago
Also, he’s pretty dumb but the real problem is his absolute and total lack of empathy. What a sociopath.
nielsbot 1y ago
I think you mean his cronies and conspirators: Steven Miller, SCOTUS, Russel Voght, et al.
bdcravens 1y ago
> the dumbest American to ever live: Donald J Trump While like many, I can't stand him, I'm not sure if that's an accurate statement. He (or his handlers) have done an amazing job of leveraging the anger and fear of tens of millions. He's built a "tribe" that those pitching all those podcasts and courses a few years ago could only dream about.
- breadwinner 1y ago
  There was a viral post on this topic recently: https://old.reddit.com/r/thebulwark/comments/1ljbvtw/hottest_take_stupidamericans_are_the_new/ https://old.reddit.com/r/thebulwark/comments/1ljbvtw/hottest...
  - spwa4 1y ago
    But ... the whole reason Trump got elected is the fact that the electorate has split into us-vs-them group identities, he works through polarization. And although this post captures how one group (let's call it the "internet generation") feels about the world, it's probably not helping with polarization. You have to admire, in fact, how smart Trump is. Look at the central "problem" according to that post: "But see, not everybody was thinking that Hillary Clinton was an alien, that global warming was a Chinese hoax and that what America needed most of all was a plywood wall stretching from Texas to California. Only the stupid people were" Holy crap this is polarizing. AND WE DON'T EVEN DISAGREE ON THESE. These sort of statements are the exact opposite of what we need to defeat Trump. Because no, this is NOT a difference between "smart" and "dumb". If you abstract just a little bit ... Hillary Clinton is an unpopular war hawk. Would you like her as president? I wouldn't, just about the only big positive I see in her is that it's long past time for a female president. But please: not her. She IS an alien in that I don't know who this woman represents. Not me, certainly, and I frankly don't see or know any group that she does represent. I'd MUCH prefer AOC, but frankly, I'd prefer Nikki Haley over her. "Global warming is a Chinese hoax". This is the one I would most describe as "dumb". But ... not really global warming policy has not worked for 50 years. This is, of course, not a reason to give up on it, but it probably is time to change course bigtime. And, sorry, the protests about global warming ... are equally dumb as Trump's (made-in-china) MAGA caps. "what America needs most ... wall stretching from Texas to California". Obviously "dumb" Americans like this because life has become ever more difficult and immigration (specifically pressure on the job market and housing market) is a huge and growing problem. Trump only gets points because he does something. The ("our") internet generation is getting old. Perhaps not dying yet, but we are not young anymore. And the train has definitely left the station: nobody's growing up to be internet generation anymore. The only thing that is happening to the internet generation is that people are leaving it. Not in great numbers. Not yet. But we'll only be shrinking from 5 years ago forward. Yet another reason to find a way to agree with Trump's electorate. I feel like these viewpoints (I hope) represent "the internet generation". My conclusion is Trump got elected because he convinced me and the "real Americans" that we disagree. We don't. These are superficial, not worth having a fight over and CERTAINLY not worth having a president like Trump over.
    - gigatexal 1y ago
      maybe he's just the cancer and we're the ones who have been ingesting the poison all along (doing nothing about income inequality, social and financial mobility, a sense of civic duty, the courts not bringing him to justice, etc etc). That doesn't change the fact that you excise the cancer with extreme prejudice otherwise it kills you.
      - spwa4 1y ago
        You can't "excise the cancer" of Trump's voters, and that isn't the goal. My first point is that we shouldn't do that. These are normal people just like you and me. That they can live, have a job, and participate in discussing the future of America is a great thing. A good second point is if we try to just cut them out, we'll lose, because the "internet generation" shrinks while their generation grows. And a third point is that Trump is anything but a champion of "real Americans", so putting a wedge between those two is very doable.
        gigatexal 1y ago
        My excise comment was more about Trump and poor-exploiting-rich-people like him that feign care for structural ills but run and act in a hostile autocratic xenophobic and populist way. I like to think that people voted for him despite his policies on immigration and others because they thought this idiot real estate mogul turned reality TV star was an actually competent business person and yet … The man failed at selling steaks in America, casinos, ran fraudulent universities, stole from veterans in charity money … the list is nigh infinite.
        spwa4 1y ago
        This is because you attack the symbol that they're proud of, rather than pointing out the policies. The problem is that the democrats are doing the same, like the blog post this is about. The problem isn't Trump, and it certainly isn't Trump voters, it's the policy. Trump is nothing but a tasteless symbol of failure. But if someone wants a bust of him on an altar, who fucking cares? The problem is that we AREN'T discussing policies. We aren't discussing whether cutting medicare is good or bad, we're discussing whether all democrats are terrorist lovers, and all republicans are dumb broke versions of uncle scrooge.
- gigatexal 1y ago
  Much of my anger is actually for the minds behind project 20205 and the decades long effort by a cabal of people to basically create a king and dunk on the libs at the expense of everything America used to stand for. I also legit hate the orange idiot in office now. But that’s maybe a me thing. Also the eroding of the rule of law is very very disconcerting.
- thisisit 1y ago
  I honestly don't get this take. It treats US as special outlier. Right wing populists have won elections in many countries. While in other places RW populism is finding some foothold. Truth is people all over the world are frustrated by how their lives are turning out. On one hand they see politicians who want to keep the status quo and make promises which wouldn't change their lives. That is the Democrats in US. Too comfortable with their power. On the other hand Right Wing populist promise simple answers to complex questions. Many of these populist leaders are seen as "outsider". Many places are seeing rise in anti-immigrant and anti-poor sentiments. Because that is the simplest answer - outsiders/freeloaders are to blame for all the issues. By the time people realize that they have been fooled by the RW simplistic answer it is already too late. Either there is catastrophic damage (ex.. Brexit) or dictatorship (ex. Hungary). Nearly every country thinks it is unique and can come out of this unscathed. But no one can escape the damage. Some people still think that Trump as a dictator is long shot. But that is what is happening. And people cheering him on have something to gain or they have fallen for the simple answer - "outsiders are to blame".
  - gigatexal 1y ago
    Why is the answer right wing populists though? Look at the policies of Zadani in NYC. I’d take a liberal populist over a xenophobic autocrat every day and twice on Sunday.
    - thisisit 1y ago
      > Zadani in NYC Zadani? You mean Mamdani? RW often promise one shot "obvious" fix - build the wall, deportation - which the unnamed "they" aren't doing because of vested interest. People don't want complex answers. Its the same as dieting - a magic pill is much better than a well laid out diet plan. Even if the magic pill is going to create long term damage. The other side is branded as communism or socialism. Like Mamdani. And many places have being pushing nationalistic pride and stories about the glorious past. This leads nicely into full on fascism. Its always ironic when American RWs like to call others fascist while being the picture perfect example of fascists themselves. Always harping on "MAGA" or "USA! USA!" slogans
imiric 1y ago
Trump will eventually go away. What's really concerning is the replacement being someone much more intelligent and competent. Some of whom are already running the show behind the scenes.
- dylan604 1y ago
  The people behind the scenes running the show rarely migrate to center stage. They just find the next performer to manipulate from behind the curtains.
- SpicyLemonZest 1y ago
  The fact that Trump will eventually go away is precisely why people should avoid the US until he does. At age 79, he probably doesn't have enough time left to massacre too many citizens, but he's got plenty of time to send immigrants who displease him to CECOT. I'm not saying people who already have a life in the US need to flee, but if you don't the US will still be here whenever he's not.
computerthings 1y ago
[dead]

nielsbot 1y ago

Also, he’s pretty dumb but the real problem is his absolute and total lack of empathy. What a sociopath.

nielsbot 1y ago

I think you mean his cronies and conspirators: Steven Miller, SCOTUS, Russel Voght, et al.

bdcravens 1y ago

> the dumbest American to ever live: Donald J Trump While like many, I can't stand him, I'm not sure if that's an accurate statement. He (or his handlers) have done an amazing job of leveraging the anger and fear of tens of millions. He's built a "tribe" that those pitching all those podcasts and courses a few years ago could only dream about.

breadwinner 1y ago
There was a viral post on this topic recently: https://old.reddit.com/r/thebulwark/comments/1ljbvtw/hottest_take_stupidamericans_are_the_new/ https://old.reddit.com/r/thebulwark/comments/1ljbvtw/hottest...
- spwa4 1y ago
  But ... the whole reason Trump got elected is the fact that the electorate has split into us-vs-them group identities, he works through polarization. And although this post captures how one group (let's call it the "internet generation") feels about the world, it's probably not helping with polarization. You have to admire, in fact, how smart Trump is. Look at the central "problem" according to that post: "But see, not everybody was thinking that Hillary Clinton was an alien, that global warming was a Chinese hoax and that what America needed most of all was a plywood wall stretching from Texas to California. Only the stupid people were" Holy crap this is polarizing. AND WE DON'T EVEN DISAGREE ON THESE. These sort of statements are the exact opposite of what we need to defeat Trump. Because no, this is NOT a difference between "smart" and "dumb". If you abstract just a little bit ... Hillary Clinton is an unpopular war hawk. Would you like her as president? I wouldn't, just about the only big positive I see in her is that it's long past time for a female president. But please: not her. She IS an alien in that I don't know who this woman represents. Not me, certainly, and I frankly don't see or know any group that she does represent. I'd MUCH prefer AOC, but frankly, I'd prefer Nikki Haley over her. "Global warming is a Chinese hoax". This is the one I would most describe as "dumb". But ... not really global warming policy has not worked for 50 years. This is, of course, not a reason to give up on it, but it probably is time to change course bigtime. And, sorry, the protests about global warming ... are equally dumb as Trump's (made-in-china) MAGA caps. "what America needs most ... wall stretching from Texas to California". Obviously "dumb" Americans like this because life has become ever more difficult and immigration (specifically pressure on the job market and housing market) is a huge and growing problem. Trump only gets points because he does something. The ("our") internet generation is getting old. Perhaps not dying yet, but we are not young anymore. And the train has definitely left the station: nobody's growing up to be internet generation anymore. The only thing that is happening to the internet generation is that people are leaving it. Not in great numbers. Not yet. But we'll only be shrinking from 5 years ago forward. Yet another reason to find a way to agree with Trump's electorate. I feel like these viewpoints (I hope) represent "the internet generation". My conclusion is Trump got elected because he convinced me and the "real Americans" that we disagree. We don't. These are superficial, not worth having a fight over and CERTAINLY not worth having a president like Trump over.
  - gigatexal 1y ago
    maybe he's just the cancer and we're the ones who have been ingesting the poison all along (doing nothing about income inequality, social and financial mobility, a sense of civic duty, the courts not bringing him to justice, etc etc). That doesn't change the fact that you excise the cancer with extreme prejudice otherwise it kills you.
    - spwa4 1y ago
      You can't "excise the cancer" of Trump's voters, and that isn't the goal. My first point is that we shouldn't do that. These are normal people just like you and me. That they can live, have a job, and participate in discussing the future of America is a great thing. A good second point is if we try to just cut them out, we'll lose, because the "internet generation" shrinks while their generation grows. And a third point is that Trump is anything but a champion of "real Americans", so putting a wedge between those two is very doable.
      - gigatexal 1y ago
        My excise comment was more about Trump and poor-exploiting-rich-people like him that feign care for structural ills but run and act in a hostile autocratic xenophobic and populist way. I like to think that people voted for him despite his policies on immigration and others because they thought this idiot real estate mogul turned reality TV star was an actually competent business person and yet … The man failed at selling steaks in America, casinos, ran fraudulent universities, stole from veterans in charity money … the list is nigh infinite.
        spwa4 1y ago
        This is because you attack the symbol that they're proud of, rather than pointing out the policies. The problem is that the democrats are doing the same, like the blog post this is about. The problem isn't Trump, and it certainly isn't Trump voters, it's the policy. Trump is nothing but a tasteless symbol of failure. But if someone wants a bust of him on an altar, who fucking cares? The problem is that we AREN'T discussing policies. We aren't discussing whether cutting medicare is good or bad, we're discussing whether all democrats are terrorist lovers, and all republicans are dumb broke versions of uncle scrooge.
gigatexal 1y ago
Much of my anger is actually for the minds behind project 20205 and the decades long effort by a cabal of people to basically create a king and dunk on the libs at the expense of everything America used to stand for. I also legit hate the orange idiot in office now. But that’s maybe a me thing. Also the eroding of the rule of law is very very disconcerting.
thisisit 1y ago
I honestly don't get this take. It treats US as special outlier. Right wing populists have won elections in many countries. While in other places RW populism is finding some foothold. Truth is people all over the world are frustrated by how their lives are turning out. On one hand they see politicians who want to keep the status quo and make promises which wouldn't change their lives. That is the Democrats in US. Too comfortable with their power. On the other hand Right Wing populist promise simple answers to complex questions. Many of these populist leaders are seen as "outsider". Many places are seeing rise in anti-immigrant and anti-poor sentiments. Because that is the simplest answer - outsiders/freeloaders are to blame for all the issues. By the time people realize that they have been fooled by the RW simplistic answer it is already too late. Either there is catastrophic damage (ex.. Brexit) or dictatorship (ex. Hungary). Nearly every country thinks it is unique and can come out of this unscathed. But no one can escape the damage. Some people still think that Trump as a dictator is long shot. But that is what is happening. And people cheering him on have something to gain or they have fallen for the simple answer - "outsiders are to blame".
- gigatexal 1y ago
  Why is the answer right wing populists though? Look at the policies of Zadani in NYC. I’d take a liberal populist over a xenophobic autocrat every day and twice on Sunday.
  - thisisit 1y ago
    > Zadani in NYC Zadani? You mean Mamdani? RW often promise one shot "obvious" fix - build the wall, deportation - which the unnamed "they" aren't doing because of vested interest. People don't want complex answers. Its the same as dieting - a magic pill is much better than a well laid out diet plan. Even if the magic pill is going to create long term damage. The other side is branded as communism or socialism. Like Mamdani. And many places have being pushing nationalistic pride and stories about the glorious past. This leads nicely into full on fascism. Its always ironic when American RWs like to call others fascist while being the picture perfect example of fascists themselves. Always harping on "MAGA" or "USA! USA!" slogans

imiric 1y ago

Trump will eventually go away. What's really concerning is the replacement being someone much more intelligent and competent. Some of whom are already running the show behind the scenes.

dylan604 1y ago
The people behind the scenes running the show rarely migrate to center stage. They just find the next performer to manipulate from behind the curtains.
SpicyLemonZest 1y ago
The fact that Trump will eventually go away is precisely why people should avoid the US until he does. At age 79, he probably doesn't have enough time left to massacre too many citizens, but he's got plenty of time to send immigrants who displease him to CECOT. I'm not saying people who already have a life in the US need to flee, but if you don't the US will still be here whenever he's not.

computerthings 1y ago

[dead]