this post was submitted on 19 Aug 2025
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[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 11 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I desperately wish it was this straightforward to the majority of people who shape our future in this country.

I am firmly convinced that most of our population doesn't have internal language, no internal tools for abstracting ideas into mental words for comparison and evaluation, and just spout rhetoric by instinct. Literally, this is why everyone seems so stupid... they've changed the way their minds work by scrolling all day, every day, and not socializing and not changing habits.

Nuance is something that you can only arrive at if you have this mental narrative tool that lets you see multiple angles of an issue.

This means that our future of politics is going to be entirely grifters riding on this fact and creating over-the-top caricatures and WWE theater style politics. And people will eat it up because everyone just wants something to be all-in for or all-against so they can fight with the opposing fans. We're so fucking cooked.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Yeah it can’t be that people are frustrated about living in a country where they’re in a permanent minority and will never be happy with their government.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Thank you for the non-sequitur response. I will return in kind with "Banana kneecap caterpillar establishment."

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world -2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Libs and dismissing any criticism from progressives. Can’t name a more iconic duo.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I am dismissing your complete lack of effort in engaging with a point, if it makes you feel better to think of someone who called that shit out as a "lib" then have it, meanwhile I will continue to rally people behind the point that a third of our population is too stupid with to continue to engage with using the same liberal political methods of inclusion and mediocrity and financial status-quo. I don't know where that leaves you, but please do it over there on the other side of the curb.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

You said people are stupid and lack a sense of nuance.

I pointed out that people are frustrated and don’t give a fuck about nuance anymore, and that’s why we’re fucked.

Sorry I didn’t spell that out for you.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yes, you do have to make an effort to connect topics when communicating.

And sure, there is a problem with apathy, but that's not THE problem. The last three presidential elections have seen the highest voter turnout in American history, it's not a problem with people not caring as much as being too easily swayed to care about the wrong things, and this comes from a lack of education, lack of language skills, lack of cognitive ability broadly. When you say "People are too frustrated to care about nuance" yes, this IS stupidity. Stupidity isn't some magic potion, it's caused by things. In this case, it's been designed by corporate interests using fascism to further this goal of a dumb, easily manipulated population.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world -3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I think ignoring emotions and just calling people stupid is simplistic and insulting.

Strong emotions are known to make people stupider. The more they fall behind the more frustrated they get and the less they care that the official economic metrics say things are fine.

They see children being shot in the streets of Gaza and they’re infuriated at their impotence to do anything to stop it.

Just calling them stupid is only going to make them more angry and irrational.

[–] ameancow@lemmy.world 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I consider this entire line of conversation and semantics "frustrating" and "infuriating" when there is so much at stake. It reminds me of every leftist failure we've endured for decades.

There, I am trying to be better.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world -3 points 4 days ago

I feel the same way, but for the opposite reason.