Working in DC, working for a branch of the military (as a civilian), it was interesting hearing and seeing people's reactions to the parade. Not a single one of my coworkers/friends, active duty...
Exemplary
Working in DC, working for a branch of the military (as a civilian), it was interesting hearing and seeing people's reactions to the parade. Not a single one of my coworkers/friends, active duty or civilian, said anything positive about the parade. Lots of rolled eyes, snide remarks and knowing smirks. No one I know said they were going to the parade. Several said they were going to stay as far away as possible: "It'd be a good weekend to get out of town."
And it didn't matter if these were officers, warrants, or NCOs. I heard comparisons to NK, China, Russia, and Cuba. I don't know these folks' political leanings, who they voted for. I know they're not all left-leaning. But they know the administration is using them for political purposes. And they don't like it.
For civilians, the admin demonizes the hell out of us. Tries to make our life a living hell. Fires people, threatens lay-offs, wants to take away our benefits. Gets rid of our work-life balance (even the active duty had hybrid telework schedules before January). Even having to deal with the increased traffic issues due to road closures—and the region already has serious traffic issues—and then not explicitly telling everyone to telework is another (though some locations closer to the parade area were told to telework). More wasted time just trying to get to/from work.
For DC, in particular, the admin shows its absolute disdain for the district and its residents. There's that whole issue of DC's budget being cut in half. It's more Republicans in Congress than the administration here, but the latter isn't helping either. Keep in mind, this isn't money from the federal government; this is DC's own generated revenue that it all of a sudden it can't spend. Say goodbye to a lot of city services.
Given all of that, who wants to hang out with Trump and his lackeys on his birthday? Sorry, the Army's birthday /s
It's like a school bully who constantly makes fun of you, bodychecks you into lockers, then invites you to his birthday and expects you to be there. Like what? Why would you want to show up?
Obviously Trump is a narcissist king, but this is on a whole different level. A hyper publicly-visible one. And I'm so glad it ended up this way. Too bad it cost several tens of millions.
Feel bad for the Army folks who had to march out there, though. It was muggy as all hell yesterday since it's been rainy and hot.
Ha for sure. Good on the Army for essentially doing the bare minimum here. I imagine a good chunk of that is just lack of planning and time, given that they only had like 2-3mo to figure this all...
Ha for sure. Good on the Army for essentially doing the bare minimum here. I imagine a good chunk of that is just lack of planning and time, given that they only had like 2-3mo to figure this all out. Hell, it was only a week ago that the area was told that DCA airport couldn't operate flights during the parade. The road closures were only announced Wednesday. I've worked on far smaller events that take 6mo to 1yr+ to plan out.
In all fairness, this is likely similar to what a NK parade really is like for the people. Minus the need to pretend to be happy in fear of their lives.
In all fairness, this is likely similar to what a NK parade really is like for the people. Minus the need to pretend to be happy in fear of their lives.
Oh no - there were sponsorships? That is a perfect example for how gross the US feels right now. Absolutely on sale, and absolutely underwhelming. Edit: oh god, so much worse than I thought. (From...
Oh no - there were sponsorships? That is a perfect example for how gross the US feels right now. Absolutely on sale, and absolutely underwhelming.
Edit: oh god, so much worse than I thought. (From this article)
Corporate America did its part. “Special thanks to our sponsor Lockheed Martin,” the MC said around 6:30 p.m., shouting out America’s biggest defense contractor. The MC later thanked “our special sponsor Coinbase,” the cryptocurrency exchange. President Trump sure loves crypto — he reported in his financial disclosure Friday that he made $57 million in the final months of 2024 after he and his family launched their own crypto exchange, World Liberty Financial. (That was before he launched his own $TRUMP meme coin.)
If it was Rip-its or Wild Tiger, that would've been the greatest thing ever but, nooooooo, it's some stupid Dana White drink that I'll make sure to never purchase.
some energy drink I don't remember
If it was Rip-its or Wild Tiger, that would've been the greatest thing ever but, nooooooo, it's some stupid Dana White drink that I'll make sure to never purchase.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/685690/big-tech-trump-military-parade-america250 Nothing the public can really boycott except Amazon. I did what little I could by cancelling prime a few months...
Nothing the public can really boycott except Amazon. I did what little I could by cancelling prime a few months back.
But yes. I've seen plenty of military marches given my background and it was truly surreal seeing part of an otherwise typical routine cut to saying "sponsored by Coinbase". We truly have embraced Idiocracy.
While I didn't expect to hear it being a thing given TrumpCoin and what I can only describe as blatant corruption with it... It's certainly a special kind of disgusting tbh. As if it's a sport...
While I didn't expect to hear it being a thing given TrumpCoin and what I can only describe as blatant corruption with it... It's certainly a special kind of disgusting tbh. As if it's a sport event. And with the military involved, well, that sets a precedent that's very ugly.
The Army does not have an SOP for driving vehicles as part of a pass and review. Usually inspection vehicles are parked for those sorts of things and Drill and Ceremonies (DNC) has been MASSIVELY...
The Army does not have an SOP for driving vehicles as part of a pass and review. Usually inspection vehicles are parked for those sorts of things and Drill and Ceremonies (DNC) has been MASSIVELY under-emphasized in the last... Decade and a half following the surge (in Iraq, not the fun souls-like) so this already was a huge ask in such a short timeframe. I'm expecting they also didn't want to tear up the road too bad, so 'lighter' vehicles could fill more of the road while heavier ones needed space but even then you had to get drivers for outdated equipment and a standard DRAW (Deliberate Risk Assessment Worksheet) would've included "Give Jenkins space, he sucks at driving that thing but he's the best we've got."
What is DNC in this context? Google is unhelpful (because the AI thinks it's the Democratic national committee and I think thus influencing the results)
What is DNC in this context? Google is unhelpful (because the AI thinks it's the Democratic national committee and I think thus influencing the results)
I understand your frustration with Trump and embarrassment over his authoritarian act here. But I’d prefer if Tildes didn’t aggregate tabloids just because they have a feel good headline....
I understand your frustration with Trump and embarrassment over his authoritarian act here. But I’d prefer if Tildes didn’t aggregate tabloids just because they have a feel good headline. Reporting on Reddit comments is not journalism.
I'm really loving the coverage from military.com I've previously avoided them as a fairly biased source, but seeing how even this, a source that is proud of what the military does, has quotes like...
I'm really loving the coverage from military.com I've previously avoided them as a fairly biased source, but seeing how even this, a source that is proud of what the military does, has quotes like below, is really telling of the state of affairs:
It was all too much for Wind Euler, 62, who flew from Arizona to join the protesters. “My father was a Marine in Iwo Jima, and he was a Republican," Euler said. "I think he would be appalled by the fascist display this parade shows.”
Or this one:
In a camouflage jacket and Army baseball hat, Army veteran Aaron Bogner of Culpeper, Virginia, decried how he believes Trump is using the U.S. military to advance a personal agenda. “I think it’s shameful," Bogner said. “It’s just an engineered birthday party. It’s an excuse to have tanks in your streets like North Korea.”
I've seen some footage but... The protests seemed far, far more impressive with people in the millions taking the street. Coincidentally, a very large protest in the Netherlands is happening now...
I've seen some footage but... The protests seemed far, far more impressive with people in the millions taking the street.
Coincidentally, a very large protest in the Netherlands is happening now against our government stance with Israel.
While it's still a long, uphill battle. Those events do give me hope for the future. Especially when you look at the contrast. Because whole force can opress people and kill them, they're terrible at killing ideas, and even worse at making people genuinely cooperate as opposed to coercing them.
As a person who built plastic tanks models as a kid, and sometimes watches a YouTube channel called The Tank Channel, and I often bore people when I explain to them the name and model of a...
As a person who built plastic tanks models as a kid, and sometimes watches a YouTube channel called The Tank Channel, and I often bore people when I explain to them the name and model of a military vehicle when it’s in a movie, and whether this particular one is a Sherman Easy 8, or if it has an aircraft engine or some Chrystal car engines in it: I had zero interest in watching this fascist bullshit. I’m glad it sucked and nobody watched.
Do we have any reason to believe that Trump was actually humiliated as the title says? I would probably be humiliated, but the man spent 45 million dollars (per the article) of other peoples'...
Do we have any reason to believe that Trump was actually humiliated as the title says?
I would probably be humiliated, but the man spent 45 million dollars (per the article) of other peoples' money to make himself a parade for his birthday. He may well see that as a rousing success. He and I clearly are not on the same wavelength.
Despite the obvious problems, President Trump continued to grin from his seat as dozens of troops and tanks ran along Constitution Avenue.
This isn't the kind of line that tells me he felt any humiliation.
"Owning the libs". "Humiliating Trump". These as the key points of public discourse are symptoms of a pretty dangerous disconnect between the public and real power.
"Owning the libs". "Humiliating Trump". These as the key points of public discourse are symptoms of a pretty dangerous disconnect between the public and real power.
More and more I'm seeing the front page of reddit has headlines like that or "whitehouse in meltdown over XYZ". It feels like a regression towards how we saw extremely pro-Trump media write...
More and more I'm seeing the front page of reddit has headlines like that or "whitehouse in meltdown over XYZ". It feels like a regression towards how we saw extremely pro-Trump media write articles over the last decade.
Working in DC, working for a branch of the military (as a civilian), it was interesting hearing and seeing people's reactions to the parade. Not a single one of my coworkers/friends, active duty or civilian, said anything positive about the parade. Lots of rolled eyes, snide remarks and knowing smirks. No one I know said they were going to the parade. Several said they were going to stay as far away as possible: "It'd be a good weekend to get out of town."
And it didn't matter if these were officers, warrants, or NCOs. I heard comparisons to NK, China, Russia, and Cuba. I don't know these folks' political leanings, who they voted for. I know they're not all left-leaning. But they know the administration is using them for political purposes. And they don't like it.
For civilians, the admin demonizes the hell out of us. Tries to make our life a living hell. Fires people, threatens lay-offs, wants to take away our benefits. Gets rid of our work-life balance (even the active duty had hybrid telework schedules before January). Even having to deal with the increased traffic issues due to road closures—and the region already has serious traffic issues—and then not explicitly telling everyone to telework is another (though some locations closer to the parade area were told to telework). More wasted time just trying to get to/from work.
For DC, in particular, the admin shows its absolute disdain for the district and its residents. There's that whole issue of DC's budget being cut in half. It's more Republicans in Congress than the administration here, but the latter isn't helping either. Keep in mind, this isn't money from the federal government; this is DC's own generated revenue that it all of a sudden it can't spend. Say goodbye to a lot of city services.
Given all of that, who wants to hang out with Trump and his lackeys on his birthday? Sorry, the Army's birthday /s
It's like a school bully who constantly makes fun of you, bodychecks you into lockers, then invites you to his birthday and expects you to be there. Like what? Why would you want to show up?
Obviously Trump is a narcissist king, but this is on a whole different level. A hyper publicly-visible one. And I'm so glad it ended up this way. Too bad it cost several tens of millions.
Feel bad for the Army folks who had to march out there, though. It was muggy as all hell yesterday since it's been rainy and hot.
Ha for sure. Good on the Army for essentially doing the bare minimum here. I imagine a good chunk of that is just lack of planning and time, given that they only had like 2-3mo to figure this all out. Hell, it was only a week ago that the area was told that DCA airport couldn't operate flights during the parade. The road closures were only announced Wednesday. I've worked on far smaller events that take 6mo to 1yr+ to plan out.
In all fairness, this is likely similar to what a NK parade really is like for the people. Minus the need to pretend to be happy in fear of their lives.
Oh no - there were sponsorships? That is a perfect example for how gross the US feels right now. Absolutely on sale, and absolutely underwhelming.
Edit: oh god, so much worse than I thought. (From this article)
Energy drink? Idiocracy again. Brawndo: the Thirst Mutilator.
If it was Rip-its or Wild Tiger, that would've been the greatest thing ever but, nooooooo, it's some stupid Dana White drink that I'll make sure to never purchase.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/685690/big-tech-trump-military-parade-america250
Nothing the public can really boycott except Amazon. I did what little I could by cancelling prime a few months back.
But yes. I've seen plenty of military marches given my background and it was truly surreal seeing part of an otherwise typical routine cut to saying "sponsored by Coinbase". We truly have embraced Idiocracy.
While I didn't expect to hear it being a thing given TrumpCoin and what I can only describe as blatant corruption with it... It's certainly a special kind of disgusting tbh. As if it's a sport event. And with the military involved, well, that sets a precedent that's very ugly.
The Army does not have an SOP for driving vehicles as part of a pass and review. Usually inspection vehicles are parked for those sorts of things and Drill and Ceremonies (DNC) has been MASSIVELY under-emphasized in the last... Decade and a half following the surge (in Iraq, not the fun souls-like) so this already was a huge ask in such a short timeframe. I'm expecting they also didn't want to tear up the road too bad, so 'lighter' vehicles could fill more of the road while heavier ones needed space but even then you had to get drivers for outdated equipment and a standard DRAW (Deliberate Risk Assessment Worksheet) would've included "Give Jenkins space, he sucks at driving that thing but he's the best we've got."
Edited to clarify Jargon.
What is DNC in this context? Google is unhelpful (because the AI thinks it's the Democratic national committee and I think thus influencing the results)
Apologies, Drill And Ceremonies is often shortened to DNC.
No worries I could tell it was something like that but search failed me
I understand your frustration with Trump and embarrassment over his authoritarian act here. But I’d prefer if Tildes didn’t aggregate tabloids just because they have a feel good headline. Reporting on Reddit comments is not journalism.
I'm really loving the coverage from military.com I've previously avoided them as a fairly biased source, but seeing how even this, a source that is proud of what the military does, has quotes like below, is really telling of the state of affairs:
Or this one:
I've seen some footage but... The protests seemed far, far more impressive with people in the millions taking the street.
Coincidentally, a very large protest in the Netherlands is happening now against our government stance with Israel.
While it's still a long, uphill battle. Those events do give me hope for the future. Especially when you look at the contrast. Because whole force can opress people and kill them, they're terrible at killing ideas, and even worse at making people genuinely cooperate as opposed to coercing them.
As a person who built plastic tanks models as a kid, and sometimes watches a YouTube channel called The Tank Channel, and I often bore people when I explain to them the name and model of a military vehicle when it’s in a movie, and whether this particular one is a Sherman Easy 8, or if it has an aircraft engine or some Chrystal car engines in it: I had zero interest in watching this fascist bullshit. I’m glad it sucked and nobody watched.
Do we have any reason to believe that Trump was actually humiliated as the title says?
I would probably be humiliated, but the man spent 45 million dollars (per the article) of other peoples' money to make himself a parade for his birthday. He may well see that as a rousing success. He and I clearly are not on the same wavelength.
This isn't the kind of line that tells me he felt any humiliation.
"Owning the libs". "Humiliating Trump". These as the key points of public discourse are symptoms of a pretty dangerous disconnect between the public and real power.
More and more I'm seeing the front page of reddit has headlines like that or "whitehouse in meltdown over XYZ". It feels like a regression towards how we saw extremely pro-Trump media write articles over the last decade.