And with the death of PC, the browser won't be far behind. And with apps, delivered through restricted app stores, being the only thing left, the absolute fantasy of grassroots Internet counterculture somehow saving us will fall to the cyberpunk dystopia most people seem so eager to bring about.
He's apologizing because the scale of the protests is giving them cold feet that they could be subject to consequences, but make no mistake... The moment things let up or cool off, the conscience they've found will immediately evaporate.
Fuck off already, you useless scumbags! YOU ARE A CO-EQUAL BRANCH OF THE GODDAMN GOVERNMENT! YOU AREN'T SUPPOSED TO GIVE FANCY, POINTLESS SPEECHES AND BOOTLICK AND BEG FOR THE PRESIDENT TO DO THINGS YOU EXPLICITLY HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTROL!
Let's stop pretending these stories of people "turning on Trump" mean ANYTHING for actual policy or activity going forward.
The first time anything MIGHT have any impact is after the midterm elections, and that comes with such a laundry list of qualifications...
It will require people willing to stop Trump to win those elections, but that's just step ONE, and that's the EASY step. Next, it will require democrats to be willing to grow a pair and stand for at LEAST one principle, it will require the executive branch to not simply IGNORE any directives or legislation (which they are ALREADY doing - talk to me when the Epstein files are released as required by law), and it will require the Supreme Court to not invent batshit reasons to neuter congressional power.
We are not at a turning point. Things will not get better until they get far, far worse.
I intentionally ignore the vast majority of everything on my phone until I can get to a real computer. Phones and tablets feel like unmitigated torture and I loathe it every time I have to use one to do something
I was already out of the country during... the last time bad event happened... and I decided to stick it out and build a new life and get a permanent residence in case things did not improve. And then they didn't. I just managed to get my permanent residence right before... the current time bad event happened (2024).
The simplest thing I can say is, I don't regret the decision. I gave up a lot on the journey to my new life, but what I gained is knowledge and understanding of just how much crap you don't actually have to put up with... how much you SHOULDN'T have to put up with. Some things are worse, sure, but so much has been better for me as well... but one of the big problems I didn't think about is, the survivor's guilt is real. For what it's worth, I don't think in absolute terms there's any shame in fleeing. A nation is a societal construct in the first place, and I don't think you particularly owe anything to the nation you happen to be born in, especially one that shows such utter contempt for its citizens on a daily basis. But the people you know and care about... and the innocent people that don't have the opportunity you do to do the same... leaving them there leaves a wound, even when you KNOW deep down there is very little you can do personally by virtue of suffering through it with them. I know ultimately, my being here means I no longer pay taxes to support a US government that does heinous things... I no longer work for a company that actively makes the world worse... and I still vote from here, still support those that I believe in to help see change in the system... and I use that as a salve, but the simple reality is I don't get to be here with a clear conscience. It's a weakness, and I feel selfish for the choice I made. I don't know anything about you - perhaps none of this is an issue for you, and I'm not saying it should be, but if you know your own conscience to be prone to this kind of thinking, it is something you should also consider.
I mean... I would expect most happy people don't really fully appreciate it unless they consciously work on it... our brains are wired to notice pain - we adapt to comfort. It's why people who already have the world still want MORE.
Also what's it called when you consider asking others for help, but you watch everyone in your vicinity do everything in a way that's completely the opposite of how you would, so you HAVE to do it yourself anyway, or else your OCD will cause you more stress than you've supposedly been relieved of?
It sure won't be pretty. But peace without justice is not peace - it's stagnation, and any society that accepts that is already dead.
It's like stopping a fever... Sure, it looks fine at first... But the virus is running rampant and it WILL kill the patient. You have to let the fever go, and hope the patient outlasts the infection.
It's also not helpful that this happens to coincide with an extreme cold snap that has shut down schools and businesses anyway. No way to tell the actual effect from the incidental effect due to the weather.
You're right, of course.
And with the death of PC, the browser won't be far behind. And with apps, delivered through restricted app stores, being the only thing left, the absolute fantasy of grassroots Internet counterculture somehow saving us will fall to the cyberpunk dystopia most people seem so eager to bring about.
It's just a matter of time.