The American Apocalypse

[RunningMn9]

Did you already post the gas station story? Isn't that verbatim to another story posted earlier (if not by you, than by defiant)?

And I don't mean similar. That's nearly word for word (but I want to say it was from a female perspective).

[GreenGoo]

Thanks for telling us about your friends' personal experiences.

All this kinda makes the argument that racism has been reduced enough that programs such as affirmative action are no longer required kind of embarrassing for those who have suggested it.

Good luck. Stay strong. The world hasn't ended. It's just gotten a lot shittier for awhile.

Thanks, Obama.

[GreenGoo]

Did you already post the gas station story? Isn't that verbatim to another story posted earlier (if not by you, than by defiant)?

And I don't mean similar. That's nearly word for word (but I want to say it was from a female perspective).

Yes, it is nearly identical.

[Zarathud]

Stay strong. The world hasn't ended. It's just gotten a lot shittier for awhile.

Thanks, Trump.

Mortoned.

[GreenGoo]

Well no shit. It was meant ironically.

[RunningMn9]

Did you already post the gas station story? Isn't that verbatim to another story posted earlier (if not by you, than by defiant)?

And I don't mean similar. That's nearly word for word (but I want to say it was from a female perspective).

Yes, it is nearly identical.

And that doesn't set off any red flags?

[tru1cy]

Did you already post the gas station story? Isn't that verbatim to another story posted earlier (if not by you, than by defiant)?

And I don't mean similar. That's nearly word for word (but I want to say it was from a female perspective).

Facebook story?


edit- just googled the facebook story. I'm calling my friend when I get home from work. If he co-opted this story I'm going to kick his ass

[RunningMn9]

Yeah, earlier in the thread there was something posted from Facebook that was about an African American woman at a gas station threatened by four Trumpian white dudes, and when she protested one of them showed her his gun in his waistband and told her that if there weren't cameras he would have killed her.

The striking similarity in detail seems odd to me.

[RunningMn9]

I don't mean to be an asshole about it, it's just that a lot of the stories I've seen in the past couple of days seem almost too good to be true (well, bad - but "good" in a "we told you Trump would create a racist utopia!!" way).

My aim isn't to dismiss them, because I think there's a non-zero chance that we just lurched closer to a racist utopia than we were three days ago. But it just seems very well packaged and convenient that racists jumped out the woodwork and started doing super racist things out in the open again.

Aside from the stories coming out of schools, because I totally believe kids would act like assholes.

[gameoverman]

I guess this is the part that is confusing to me. We are now finishing 8 years of Republicans doing everything they can to PREVENT the government from functioning. Now that Trump wins, they say "you need to work with us and accept our ideas." But, they haven't worked with anyone or accepted other ideas in the last 8 years.

WHY ARE DEMOCRATS ACCEPTING THIS?

I'm for going along and making this work. The die is cast. he's all but officially President. The Republicans are in control for the next few years. If anything can be salvaged, it's by working together. When you work together that's when you have a chance to have some input. Otherwise you get ignored and have no input at all.

Two ways this can turn out: Trump does alright and the country is doing okay, win/win for everyone. Or Trump fails and we all lose. I think it's in everyone's interest to try to keep the second possibility from happening, unless people want to tank the country just to show him up. That seems self defeating to me. The Republicans did everything they could to undercut President Obama, from day one. That doesn't mean we need to be like them though.

That's how I look at it.

[tru1cy]

I don't mean to be an asshole about it, it's just that a lot of the stories I've seen in the past couple of days seem almost too good to be true (well, bad - but "good" in a "we told you Trump would create a racist utopia!!" way).

.

I don't think you're being an asshole. I don't do alot of facebook, but I see what you mean about the similarities. I'll circle back once I talk to him

[Holman]

In the past I've always complained that the next election campaign ramped up so soon after the last election.

Now I say bring it on. Start now. I want 2018's incumbents worrying about whether they can afford to be photographed with Trump at his Inauguration.

[Enough]

If you need help or resources, check out hashtag #TransLawHelp on Twitter. A bunch of lawyers are offering up pro bono help. Here's a short article.

[LordMortis]

I'm for going along and making this work. The die is cast. he's all but officially President. The Republicans are in control for the next few years. If anything can be salvaged, it's by working together. When you work together that's when you have a chance to have some input. Otherwise you get ignored and have no input at all.

Two ways this can turn out: Trump does alright and the country is doing okay, win/win for everyone. Or Trump fails and we all lose. I think it's in everyone's interest to try to keep the second possibility from happening, unless people want to tank the country just to show him up. That seems self defeating to me. The Republicans did everything they could to undercut President Obama, from day one. That doesn't mean we need to be like them though.

That's how I look at it.

That's more or less my thunk. The best we can possibly hope for is that the masses are wrong and the bigots and politically connected liars that egg them on are in for a major disappointment. Wanting to be right so bad that you'll see the country burn to wallow in it is precisely the problem we've been facing.

The problem is that my hope doesn't appear to be founded in reality, so I'm also all about preparing for the worst, even if I don't know that preparation is yet, so it's not likely to happen until January, unless thugs in the street really do begin noticeably acting like Defiant's reports and they seem to get away with it. Because, quite frankly, that is the single largest fear. Bigger than economic collapse is that Americans en masse violently turn on each other. That charge has already been in the air and I despise that we keep throwing sparks at it.

[Xmann]

I don't mean to be an asshole about it, it's just that a lot of the stories I've seen in the past couple of days seem almost too good to be true (well, bad - but "good" in a "we told you Trump would create a racist utopia!!" way).

My aim isn't to dismiss them, because I think there's a non-zero chance that we just lurched closer to a racist utopia than we were three days ago. But it just seems very well packaged and convenient that racists jumped out the woodwork and started doing super racist things out in the open again.

Aside from the stories coming out of schools, because I totally believe kids would act like assholes.

This was my point about the story about 8 transexuals committing suicide since Trump was elected.

People are assholes and love to add fuel to the fire and create shit storms with exaggerated or false stories.

I'm hoping it's not true, as I'm hoping these stories are untrue. But both would not surprise me as being false.

[morlac]

I don't mean to be an asshole about it, it's just that a lot of the stories I've seen in the past couple of days seem almost too good to be true (well, bad - but "good" in a "we told you Trump would create a racist utopia!!" way).

My aim isn't to dismiss them, because I think there's a non-zero chance that we just lurched closer to a racist utopia than we were three days ago. But it just seems very well packaged and convenient that racists jumped out the woodwork and started doing super racist things out in the open again.

Aside from the stories coming out of schools, because I totally believe kids would act like assholes.

This was my point about the story about 8 transexuals committing suicide since Trump was elected.

People are assholes and love to add fuel to the fire and create shit storms with exaggerated or false stories.

I'm hoping it's not true, as I'm hoping these stories are untrue. But both would not surprise me as being false.

+1. This is the third or fourth time in this thread a "story" like this has been spread around as first/second hand fact with the accompanying outrage!!1!. And this is a beacon of hope web forum on the abyss that is the internet. I expect that from the media but more from this collective group. Stop falling for this and regurgitating it. It doesn't help anything. People were Assholes before Trump, they will be Assholes after. Our democracy has checks and balances in place for a reason, the system will work itself out or Trump supporters are right and it's broken and needs to be fixed.

[Kurth]

I fully understand what papa Smurf is saying. I hold dearly to the hope that the Democrats in the legislature filibuster the crap out of any action Trump or the Republican party puts forth that is the product of hate. I would applaud anyone who got up and talked for 4 straight years to prevent us from deporting anyone from our nation or building a wall between ourselves and the rest of the world - figuratively or (sadly) literally. I would applaud anyone who prevents legislation that clearly ignores the opinions of the scientific community regarding the environment. In short, the vast majority of the ideas put forth by Trump during the campaign need to be blocked in the same manner that the Republican party blocked Obama all these years.

I disagree with putting forth a sleaze candidate to try and snake oil sales the people though. Had Hillary focused more on what she wanted to do for the middle class and the under served rather than on how dangerous Trump would be in office I'd like to think she would have swung that 1% she needed in so many areas to win.

Also, I read this morning that Trump tweeted regarding the protests going on around the nation and said "Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!"

The day he moves against the media to silence them the entire nation had better rise in their defense or we take yet another step down a dark path.

I agree with all of this, BUT that day is not here yet.

People need to chill out, let the dust settle, and see what actually happens. I really believe we need to put the campaign shit show behind us and approach the government with an open mind. It may end up being as bad as many of us fear, but maybe Trump will surprise us. Who knows? We should stop acting like we all know what a Trump presidency is going to be about. Who knows how well he's going to get along with congress? It's not like there's any love lost there. And who knows which red meat soundbites of his stump speech he's actually going to try to move forward with? To date, Trump's only real consistency has been his inconsistency.

I think the word of the day has to be vigilance. More than ever, this isn't a time for people to detach from politics because things are so depressing, which is something I've heard a lot from dejected friends, family and colleagues since the election. We need to suck it up, pay very close attention to what's going on, and get loud if our worst fears about a Trump administration come to pass.

[GreenGoo]

Did you already post the gas station story? Isn't that verbatim to another story posted earlier (if not by you, than by defiant)?

And I don't mean similar. That's nearly word for word (but I want to say it was from a female perspective).

Yes, it is nearly identical.

And that doesn't set off any red flags?

Yes but tru1cy gets the benefit of the doubt.

He's following up, so we'll see.

If people start making up stories, the country is in even more trouble than originally thought.

[Isgrimnur]

Start?

[RunningMn9]

I'll give tru1cy the benefit of the doubt. I don't know his friend though.

[Anonymous Bosch]

It would seem the Canuckian is unfamiliar with the workings of the Intarwebs. I hate to break it to you GreenGoo, but those emails you've likely received from Nigerian royalty? Made up stories.

[Holman]

An Alt Right group in Oklahoma somehow acquired the ID's of African-American freshmen at my wife's university and added them to a GroupMe dedicated to racist text messages, lynching photos, and pro-Trump memes.

This isn't an urban myth or a social media legend. My wife is in the university administration and has been personally dealing with this asshole racist bullshit all day.

[Arcanis]

Did you already post the gas station story? Isn't that verbatim to another story posted earlier (if not by you, than by defiant)?

And I don't mean similar. That's nearly word for word (but I want to say it was from a female perspective).

Yes, it is nearly identical.

And that doesn't set off any red flags?

Yes but tru1cy gets the benefit of the doubt.

He's following up, so we'll see.

If people start making up stories, the country is in even more trouble than originally thought.

Too late. We had a big dust up here as a woman claimed she was attacked by 2 white men wearing Trump hats. The were in a truck and hit her with a piece of metal and then stole her head wrap, the only thing missing were the banjos from Deliverance. Once the police began investigating it was announced that she confessed to making it.

I've seen tons of people alluding to stories of Trump supporters attacking people, but no one every seems to have specific cases or they get debunked pretty quickly. So for now I'm assuming everyone is full of it until there is something more than a claim, too many people wanting their 15 minutes of fame and wanting to start drama.

[Holman]

How about what I just posted? Did I make it up?

[Arcanis]

How about what I just posted? Did I make it up?

I doubt it, but I'm not going to just go with it until there is some evidence released. I'm far beyond the point of being tired of piece of shit people making up stories like this. All it does is hurt people who are real victims. I've become the adults from the boy who cried wolf, I just can't care anymore until there is something more than words to say it happened.

Giving you the benefit of doubt that it is true I hope that the ass clowns that did that to someone get tossed in jail.

[Enough]

On election day here at CSU the Trumpsters had a huge presence on the student plaza with all the other political campaigns (Clinton, nuns, evangelicals, etc). I went into the student center to return my ballot and get a bagel. On my way back through the plaza it was still prime time on election day. Everyone else is still out in force, but now the huge Trump signs and other paraphernalia has been dumped unceremoniously into a big homeless camp heap of a pile and the people were gone. At the time I thought that quite odd. Why would they take everything down literally at the most important time to reach their voters and what's with the giant mess?

Welp, they were shouting at students of color and international students, indicating they would be deported or subjected to negative repercussions thanks to DT. They got shut down by campus police for the threats they were making. No local press coverage and I am pretty sure the university has kept it mostly quiet to avoid bad press.

Another recent incident was back in October when a new Muslim grad student was walking with a traditional headscarf on. While she was walking along the street a woman pulled over and yelled at her, telling her that she should go back to her home country because Muslims are not welcome here. These are just two stories I had verified for me by a dean of one of the colleges on campus, I would bet there are more stories being kept quiet.

So these are two incidents that happened I know are factual. I have no way of knowing if the second incident was a DT supporter or anything of course, but this is the culture we live in apparently (even in progressive FTC) and we just got a POTUS who got there by playing the boogeyman card. DT and his most fervent supporters are going to have to do a lot to convince me that he isn't still wanting to build wall after wall of hate.

[Holman]

How about what I just posted? Did I make it up?

I doubt it, but I'm not going to just go with it until there is some evidence released. I'm far beyond the point of being tired of piece of shit people making up stories like this. All it does is hurt people who are real victims. I've become the adults from the boy who cried wolf, I just can't care anymore until there is something more than words to say it happened.

Giving you the benefit of doubt that it is true I hope that the ass clowns that did that to someone get tossed in jail.

Your benefit of the doubt is oh so generous.

You think I'd come in here and lie about a personal connection to this? Does OO mean nothing?

[malchior]

The NY Times ran an editorial talking about this subject today - calling on Drumpf to denounce racial hatred. It's a thing. Really.

[Enough]

Oh, and I actually predicted this to a friend but am amazed how quickly it has come to pass. Electing Trump is really bad for the gun industry. We all know that when the evil Obama was in office it created a ridiculous demand for guns and ammo. We've learned that just 3% of Americans own half the guns (and I bet bought a bunch of those over Obama's terms). Now without being able to scare gun nuts into spending all their money to prepare for the Barackolypse, gun stocks have plunged 20%.

Is this when MSD says, thanks Trump?

[Defiant]

Well.. Depends on whether he follows through on his promise to ban guns from people on the no-fly list.

[Enough]

The NY Times ran an editorial talking about this subject today - calling on Drumpf to denounce racial hatred. It's a thing. Really.

And let me add, that sure there are false flag stories. There always will be for anything newsworthy (paging Tareeq lol). But we don't live in a fucking nursery rhyme, we live in the real world that is too whacked to just go, welp boy who cried wolf! There were some confirmed false flag stories, therefore, I am now going to chose (yes we get to make this choice) to ignore any and all future stories, cause false flag man. That's total bs. We are better than this and Trump can help make it better or he can keep blowing that dog whistle as hard as he can like he did all of the last year.

[Smutly]

My facebook feed is starting to fill with people wanting electors to ignore the outcome and "vote with the will of the people." What a bunch of undemocratic bullshit. I hate that Trump won and lament just how few votes it would have taken to get a better outcome but elections have consequences and he won. Instead of trying to undermine the basis of our democracy (which these same people feared Trump would do if he lost) they need to get to work making sure Trump can't undo years of progress.

Agreed, The only way is forward. Better buckle up though, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Maybe we can convince the buffoon in the the driver seat to avoid the deepest pot holes or avoid driving into the sea.

I guess this is the part that is confusing to me. We are now finishing 8 years of Republicans doing everything they can to PREVENT the government from functioning. Now that Trump wins, they say "you need to work with us and accept our ideas." But, they haven't worked with anyone or accepted other ideas in the last 8 years.

WHY ARE DEMOCRATS ACCEPTING THIS? The voters just voted that they don't want the high road. They don't want compromise. They don't want facts, or science, or intelligent discourse. So, why would Democrats continue to pursue these failed policies?

Why not say "we are going to investigate Trump at every turn. We are going to make up false stories and push lies in the media. We are going to put up a candidate in 4 years that panders to the public, is a demagogue and means nothing of what they say. We will take the low road because it's what America wants." Why not?

I'm not saying that's a good thing, but if I'm a politician and my job is to get elected, that seems like the way to do it. I'm just confused by all the Democrats saying "we'll compromise with Republicans" which means "we'll roll over and do whatever they say." Republicans are the party of "Never compromise" remember?

You don't like a particular policy or a particular president? Then argue for your position. Go out there and win an election. Push to change it. But don't break it. Don't break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building. That's not being faithful to what this country's about.

[Smutly]

The day he moves against the media to silence them the entire nation had better rise in their defense or we take yet another step down a dark path.

Seriously.

Know your history people...

Step 1: Eliminate the intellectuals and the press.

I think the press has eliminated themselves based on their biased behavior.

[Skinypupy]

Now without being able to scare gun nuts into spending all their money to prepare for the Barackolypse, gun stocks have plunged 20%.

Is this when MSD says, thanks Trump?

I find this to be absolutely hilarious, and completely unsurprising.

[Defiant]

I’m a Coastal Elite From the Midwest: The Real Bubble is Rural America

When you grow up in rural America, denying rights to people is an abstract concept. Denying marriage rights to gay people isn’t that much different than denying boarding rights to Klingons.

We, as a culture, have to stop infantilizing and deifying rural and white working-class Americans. Their experience is not more of a real American experience than anyone else’s, but when we say that it is, we give people a pass from seeing and understanding more of their country. More Americans need to see more of the United States. They need to shake hands with a Muslim, or talk soccer with a middle aged lesbian, or attend a lecture by a female business executive.

We must start asking all Americans to be their better selves. We must all understand that America is a melting pot and that none of us has a more authentic American experience.

If we pin this election on coastal elites, we are excusing white working-class and rural Americans for voting for a man accused of violating the Fair Housing Act by refusing to rent apartments to black people. If we pin this election on coastal elites, we are excusing white working-class and rural Americans for voting for a man who called Mexicans rapists, drug dealers and criminals. If we pin this election on coastal elites, we are excusing white working-class and rural Americans for voting for a man who called for a complete ban on Muslim immigration.

I have friends and acquaintances who are Trump supporters. They genuinely do not understand today’s shock, particularly from minorities. These Trump supporters do not understand that many minorities believe the people who voted for Trump endorse his racism and bigotry — that those voters care more about sending a message to the political establishment than they do about the rights and welfare of human beings.

What we are seeing is a reaction to a rapidly changing world. A world that is becoming more connected. A world that is more diverse. A world where education and skills are necessary for good jobs.

Change has not been kind to the Midwest and rural America.

And rather than embrace it, rural and white working-class Americans are twisting and turning, fighting it every step of the way. We will never return to the days where a white man could barely graduate high school and walk onto a factory floor at 18 and get a well-paying job for life. That hasn’t set in for much of the Midwest.

[gilraen]

Change has not been kind to the Midwest and rural America.

And rather than embrace it, rural and white working-class Americans are twisting and turning, fighting it every step of the way. We will never return to the days where a white man could barely graduate high school and walk onto a factory floor at 18 and get a well-paying job for life. That hasn’t set in for much of the Midwest.

That's exactly what I've been saying the entire time. They can tell me all about how things are unfair for hardworking miners and factory workers and other blue-collar workers in the Midwest, and how they voted for something different because they feel "left behind" and "forgotten". Well, newsflash: it doesn't matter who they vote for, those jobs are not coming back. Also, I can be sympathetic of middle-aged and older population, who have families, who had those jobs all their lives and don't really know how to do anything else. It's hard and not always financially viable to retrain and rebuild your prospects from scratch.
I have zero sympathy for rural millenials who should have seen it coming and chose not to find ways to improve their lives (and yes, when you're white in this country, there are almost always opportunities). I see a prime example of that on my husband's side of the family, folks that live in rural New England. Kid who could have at least gone to community college and made something of himself, instead knocked up 2 (or was it 3?) girls and will be working McJobs for the next 2 decades paying child support.

[Rip]

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump -- who said he has a concealed carry permit -- called for the expansion of gun rights Friday, including making those permits applicable nationwide. In a position paper published on his website Friday afternoon, Trump called for the elimination of gun and magazine bans, labeling them a "total failure."
"Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own," Trump wrote.

It's not a departure from what he's said on the trail this year, though it does mark a shift from a position he took in his 2000 book "The America We Deserve," where Trump stated that he generally opposes gun control but that he supported a ban on assault weapons and a longer waiting period to get a gun.

"Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like 'assault weapons', 'military-style weapons' and 'high capacity magazines' to confuse people," Trump wrote Friday. "What they’re really talking about are popular semi-automatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans."

Liberals have long argued that guns should be regulated like automobiles. So what's not to like?

Trump said in the paper he has a concealed carry permit. The permits, which are issued by states, should be valid nationwide like a driver's license, Trump said. "If we can do that for driving -- which is a privilege, not a right -- then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege," Trump said.

Trump just called their bluff. Hoo boy.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/2016/11/11 ... led-carry/

[Enough]

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump -- who said he has a concealed carry permit -- called for the expansion of gun rights Friday, including making those permits applicable nationwide. In a position paper published on his website Friday afternoon, Trump called for the elimination of gun and magazine bans, labeling them a "total failure."
"Law-abiding people should be allowed to own the firearm of their choice. The government has no business dictating what types of firearms good, honest people are allowed to own," Trump wrote.

It's not a departure from what he's said on the trail this year, though it does mark a shift from a position he took in his 2000 book "The America We Deserve," where Trump stated that he generally opposes gun control but that he supported a ban on assault weapons and a longer waiting period to get a gun.

"Opponents of gun rights try to come up with scary sounding phrases like 'assault weapons', 'military-style weapons' and 'high capacity magazines' to confuse people," Trump wrote Friday. "What they’re really talking about are popular semi-automatic rifles and standard magazines that are owned by tens of millions of Americans."

Liberals have long argued that guns should be regulated like automobiles. So what's not to like?

Trump said in the paper he has a concealed carry permit. The permits, which are issued by states, should be valid nationwide like a driver's license, Trump said. "If we can do that for driving -- which is a privilege, not a right -- then surely we can do that for concealed carry, which is a right, not a privilege," Trump said.

Trump just called their bluff. Hoo boy.

https://pjmedia.com/trending/2016/11/11 ... led-carry/

Hot damn, it's cool with Trump and PJ Media to treat guns like automobiles now? When do we start requiring insurance? Especially for folks with nationally valid conceal permits? Do we institute national licensing for anything else besides conceal carry? Will we permit the NSF to research gun deaths like they do automobile deaths? Hoo boy indeed!

[GreenGoo]

I'll give tru1cy the benefit of the doubt. I don't know his friend though.

If he hadn't already said he was going to follow up I was going to ask him to.

Given the documented open racism at Drumpf rallies, while I'm incredulous at the stories coming out, I don't dismiss them out of hand.

I always want confirmation on everything no matter the subject.

[Kraken]

I'm skeptical of virtually everything that comes from the twitter. Probably because I don't use it myself, it seems like it's easy to spoof and doctor tweets, and everybody's trying to be a sensation.

This morning she read me a bunch of these outrageous tweets from some web page, getting more and more upset with each one while I stood there saying to myself "right...uh huh...yeah, that happened." When I don't know what to believe I tend not to believe anything.

That makes me a curmudgeon, doesn't it?