I dunno, man, it just feels like the ol' fascist/totalitarian tactic of flooding the zone with shit until people get exhausted from fighting it has worked, people are exhausted, and there's this energy of elated resignation, like, we can't swim upstream anymore, so fuck it, riding the current is kind of fun (and the inevitable waterfall is out of sight and out of mind for the moment).

Most of the safeguards were removed in trump's previous term, and now the way's open.

Good luck.

I’m starting to really consider the whole “reality is a simulation” angle, and whoever is running the game has put in a cheat code. (not really really, but more than I ever have before)

🙄

I have some reeeeeeal bad news for you: the American voters handed Trump and the Republicans not just 1, not 2, but ALL 3 fucking branches of government, on top of a media in which at least 33% is in his fucking pocket and at least another 33% is too stupid to see through his bullshit.

I'm not sure what kind of push back you're expecting or who you're expecting it from exactly, but to whatever extent there IS push back it's gonna be 90% performative gesturing and hand-wringing until at least 2026. And that's the best case where people are smart enough to vote in their best interest, which knowing how fucking stupid you all are, I'm not gonna hold my breath.

GLHF.

All I’ll say is you’re not taking the “reality is a simulation” angle far enough, because you still believe that there is some sort of outcome that is both objectively good AND long term stable. But the only such outcome is that the simulation goes on, with or without you.

You are still on the acid trip, just ride it until it's over. It'll be more fun if you just let it do its thing.

Did you not see Obama and Trump joking around? If it was serious Obama wouldn't be joking like that. He'd be busting heads.

You are experiencing what they want you to experience in this situation: A state of shock.

This is "Shock and Awe." It's a blitz to make the enemy feel like the task to fight back is insurmountable and to give up before trying.

Shock and awe (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military strategy based on the use of overwhelming power and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight

This is not a military battle, but it is clear that Trump is practicing rapid dominance. He is using the Project 2025 pre-written Executive Orders to execute rapid dominance over the US government and make us feel shocked, confused, and desperate.

Naomi Klein wrote The Shock Doctrine in response to the Iraq War, and this is the Shock Doctrine being used on the US citizenry to whip them into submission.

We must resist this shock. The feeling you have, that it is hopeless, that no one is pushing back, is exactly how they want you to feel.

Get involved in Mutual Aid. Give back to your local community. Check out of national politics, we can't affect it anymore. Focus on building parallel systems (food banks, community gardens, community mesh-networks, community first aid) for people to rely on since we can no longer rely on the systems that Trump is actively trying to dismantle or twist to harm the American populace.

Losing hope right now means losing the long-term battle against this. Losing hope is what they intend to force you into, broken, submissive, no hope. Do not go silent into that good night.

If you're asking for someone to push back with effectiveness, you can be one of the first by giving your skills to your community.

In Klein's own words:

Trump is a rolling shock machine, which a recipe for keeping us scattered and reactive to the latest shocking news. There will be moments when we need to react forcefully and meaningfully to protect one another.

EDIT: This also seems relevant right now:

When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping."

-Fred "Mister" Rogers