29 votes

America is being sold out by its leaders

11 comments

  1. [6]
    Comment deleted by author
    Link
    1. [5]
      pesus
      Link Parent
      Just being pedantic and pointing out that it wasn't a majority, just a plurality of voters. There are way too many people that wanted to sell out the country for sure, but they want you to think...

      Just being pedantic and pointing out that it wasn't a majority, just a plurality of voters. There are way too many people that wanted to sell out the country for sure, but they want you to think they're more numerous than they actually are.

      13 votes
      1. [5]
        Comment deleted by author
        Link Parent
        1. [3]
          PelagiusSeptim
          Link Parent
          I think what pesus was saying was that it wasn't even a majority of voters, it was slightly less than 50% of those who voted

          I think what pesus was saying was that it wasn't even a majority of voters, it was slightly less than 50% of those who voted

          8 votes
          1. [2]
            pesus
            Link Parent
            Yup, this is exactly what I meant, thanks for clarifying. Trump supporters have always lied to try to convince people they're the majority of the population, and I think it's important to not let...

            Yup, this is exactly what I meant, thanks for clarifying. Trump supporters have always lied to try to convince people they're the majority of the population, and I think it's important to not let any of their bullshit seep into the public consciousness, as much as possible.

            7 votes
            1. blivet
              Link Parent
              They also like to push the idea that rural white people are the "real America", despite the fact that the majority of the population lives in or around cities.

              They also like to push the idea that rural white people are the "real America", despite the fact that the majority of the population lives in or around cities.

              1 vote
        2. RoyalHenOil
          Link Parent
          A lot of people weren't eligible to vote; a significant portion of the population were too young, are residents but not citizens with voting rights, etc. There were also issues with voter...

          A lot of people weren't eligible to vote; a significant portion of the population were too young, are residents but not citizens with voting rights, etc.

          There were also issues with voter registrations being purged without the voters' knowledge (this was a big problem in my home state, Georgia), polling stations being closed (particularly in blue-leaning districts), stiffer ID requirements suddenly getting tacked on, and various other unexpected obstacles. Every time you add friction to the voting process, a lot of people who fully intend to vote discover that they can't — and there was a lot of additional friction in 2024.

          3 votes
  2. [4]
    X08
    Link
    Seeing a short video reel of Musk in pornstar sunshades/sunglasses accepting a chainsaw gift to "rip" into bureaucracy while chanting "down with bureaucracy" is truly a sad sight to witness. There...

    Seeing a short video reel of Musk in pornstar sunshades/sunglasses accepting a chainsaw gift to "rip" into bureaucracy while chanting "down with bureaucracy" is truly a sad sight to witness. There should be some kind of profit limit so these baffoons never get into positions of true power. It's just insane.

    17 votes
    1. honzabe
      Link Parent
      It was like a scene from Idiocracy.

      It was like a scene from Idiocracy.

      6 votes
    2. [2]
      teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      I believe that at a certain level of wealth seeking people should be committed to mental health facilities. They have something wrong with them and they are causing too much harm to others in the...

      I believe that at a certain level of wealth seeking people should be committed to mental health facilities. They have something wrong with them and they are causing too much harm to others in the process.

      8 votes
      1. hobbes64
        Link Parent
        Yes they’re hoarders but their hoard is well organized so they aren’t featured on that AMC show. But they’re just as mentally ill. In fact I’ve noticed that people like Jay Leno, with his...

        Yes they’re hoarders but their hoard is well organized so they aren’t featured on that AMC show. But they’re just as mentally ill.

        In fact I’ve noticed that people like Jay Leno, with his collection of thousands of cars, are hoarders. But at least he doesn’t seem to use his money to influence politics or spread disinformation.

        4 votes
  3. hobbes64
    (edited )
    Link
    The article talks about lot about possible strategies that Musk and Trump are trying to implement. It’s conjecture of course, we are trying to figure out why they are doing things that are...

    The article talks about lot about possible strategies that Musk and Trump are trying to implement. It’s conjecture of course, we are trying to figure out why they are doing things that are unlikely to accomplish a good outcome for the United States or the world at large. Also their actions are unlikely to accomplish their stated goals.

    It are they likely to even have coherent strategies and ends in mind? The part that isn’t discussed here is that they are both mentally ill and unfit to lead.

    Mental illness is a broad category but it’s clear that both of them have serious personal problems, addiction problems, they abuse people around them, they’re unable to conform to social norms or accept criticism. I won’t bother labeling their exact illness, because I’m not qualified, it’s a spectrum, and they exhibit multiple types. Also, since 2016 I’ve seen quite a few articles about how mental illness is contagious. It could help explain authoritarian followers and the cult-like support for Trump and other prominent destructive people.

    Let’s say that mental illness I’m describing is simply behavior that’s maladaptive and harmful to themselves and people around them. It is behaviors that aren’t accidental, they keep repeating the same things over and over again. The behaviors exhibit a shocking lack of concern for the safety and happiness of other people. The behaviors are often criminal but since they aren’t held accountable they escalate to new and worse behaviors. They also surround themselves with other mentally ill people- criminals, opportunists, sociopaths, psychopaths.

    There’s a long history of current and past world leaders who are mentally ill in the sense that they don’t have normal adult relationships and harm themselves and those around them. They are not treated because from their perspective the illness is a benefit. You wouldn’t be concerned about being a narcissist or bipolar if you lived alone on an island or if you were rewarded for it by being elected president or became the richest person in the world.

    So anyway I’m sure many other world leaders recognize that the leaders of the US are mentally ill. This makes them more dangerous than a healthy leader with normal morality and empathy. But they are also more easily manipulated than someone who is healthy and surrounds himself with moral, healthy advisors.

    The real problem is that the whole society has a sickness at a fundamental level which doesn’t emphasize ethics and morality and mental health, so we end up led by the worst of us.

    Edit: There have been a number of articles on The Atlantic recently that sort of indirectly say that Trump and Musk are a bad actors and doing things out of spite or malice. In other words, they're mentally ill (because you'd have to be to do these things on a world stage). There was one article in particular that said this pretty plainly but I can't find it right now. But here's another:

    https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/rubio-putin-trump-ukraine/681730/

    13 votes
  4. Deely
    Link
    Heh, saw on reddit some claims that Trump is actually recruited by russian KGB. If its turn out to be true, I, honestly, will not be surprised.

    Heh, saw on reddit some claims that Trump is actually recruited by russian KGB. If its turn out to be true, I, honestly, will not be surprised.

    3 votes