this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2025
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No Stupid Questions

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[–] ___@lemm.ee 9 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (2 children)

I’m going to go on a less extreme take. They’ve been told from childhood they live in the land of opportunity, yet they work in dead end jobs or working fields.

They see money flying away every paycheck they live week to week on while being pumped propaganda (that people in suburbs and urban areas don’t see) that shows people who look different from them getting gov’t housing and getting programs funded with their tax dollars.

The same party they now demonize supports ridiculous looking gay parades that show a mentality they don’t understand, so they begin to hate. They wake up morning after morning in the same place with no change, and they stew and stew and stew.

So now they basically give up and see a hyper-masculine wannabe saying all the things against those who are different, and the long encrusted anger starts spewing out.

Most of the comments here are ignorant and hate filled against the wrong people. It’s not the MAGA supporters that did this, it’s the system. We need to stop polarizing ourselves with hatred and point the finger at those truly responsible. Not the poor (literallly) voters who are so dejected and living in decay that they just don’t give a rats ass anymore.

The more you hate the other side, the less you see the truth. The goal is to make you hate them. The goal is to make them hate you. You can’t define an entire person in a paragraph.

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 0 points 41 minutes ago

I think MAGA represents to Republicans what progressives like Bernie and AOC represent to Democrats. Republicans were able to reimagine their party into a form that isn't just going to follow the status quo that, like you said, has led to a stagnant existence for average Americans over the last 50+ years. And stagnant is probably a nice way of putting it, since buying power has essentially disappeared, on top of wages barely moving.

So Trump comes in, he says drain the swamp, and you hear that to mean the whole machine, everyone who, for the last 50 years (and some folks have been involved in that government for a good chunk of that 50 years, just perpetuating that status quo) has allowed the rich to get richer at the expense of the working middle class.

And so you toss on your blinders. You're not necessarily a bigot, but you believe social issues are a distraction from actual problems (i.e., ones that affect you directly), and you vote in a way that you hope will better your life. It's hard to blame someone, especially someone just exhausted from grinding through their shitty life, for thinking about themselves. It's not the right way to think, but I get it.

[–] boonhet@lemm.ee 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago)

This is pretty much it, in my view.

Americans need to watch the Estonian-Georgian movie Tangerines before demonizing "the other side". Besides an anti-war movie, it's also about a movie about how two sworn enemies realize the other is also human.

A good clip to watch if you're not interested in watching the entire (relatively short) film

[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 hour ago

Why, the same thing everyone gets from voting: stopping the other side.

[–] orcrist@lemm.ee 4 points 4 hours ago

Remember that they accurately believed the DNC were horrible. They stopped Hillary. They stopped Biden and Harris. Good for them? Kinda, not really though.

... We know Trump is worse. Far worse. But they saw a legitimate threat, a group of people who were not going to make their lives better, and they took some kind of action to stop them.

And then lots of bigotry. Can't forget that.

[–] paequ2@lemmy.today 18 points 9 hours ago

A MAGA I know told me this is all worth it because he doesn't want his son to know gay people exist and wants revenge on the people who told him he can't say "Merry Christmas" anymore...

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 6 points 8 hours ago* (last edited 8 hours ago)

they want to be openly fascist

[–] WrenFeathers@lemmy.world 38 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

They will 100% sacrifice their own happiness and rights if they know it’s hurting people who live their lives is ways they don’t like.

This isn’t an exaggeration.

[–] finkrat@lemmy.world 4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

They literally want bloodshed and the world to burn

This is conservative vengeance

And everyone is going to suffer from it

[–] w3dd1e@lemm.ee 4 points 8 hours ago

I realized this during the 2016 election. People always say they are voting against their own interests, but their only real interest is to spite someone else. Hurting other people is a win, for them.

[–] uienia@lemmy.world -1 points 4 hours ago

There are two levels of maga, the exploited and the exploiters.

For the moronic rubes who vote for it, it is purely about the bigotry. Their daily life is going to get fucked up in so many ways, but that is ok because minorities.

For the the psychos exploiting the endless maga train of morons it is pure grift.

[–] militaryintelligence@lemmy.world 44 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

It hurts people they think are lesser, such as LGBTQ and people of color. Racism and bigotry are very much alive in the USA. They would eat a shit sandwich if they thought a lib would smell their breath. Hate is all they know.

[–] IronKrill@lemmy.ca 14 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Check r/conservative and you get a fair idea.

[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 11 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I do. There is no information there i couldn't find written on a bathroom wall.

[–] IronKrill@lemmy.ca 6 points 8 hours ago

That makes sense, it's probably the same people writing both messages.

[–] finitebanjo@lemmy.world 9 points 12 hours ago

They think all of the gov'ment was corrupt and bad, so they're cheering for the destruction of all gov'ment.

[–] Retro_unlimited@lemmy.world 46 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

I normally do not talk politics with people I know, but this one person said they like trump because: “all I know is when he was president, I did good financially”.

I tried to tell him that the government is slow to enact things so he did good because the previous president. He didnt want to hear that and dismissed it.

[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 13 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

If that's all he knows he doesn't know very much.

[–] tacosplease@lemmy.world 13 points 14 hours ago

My cousin said the exact same thing.

They don't know shit, but they still vote with such confidence. It's maddening.

[–] Professorozone@lemmy.world 12 points 17 hours ago

Like most MAGA.

[–] VinesNFluff@pawb.social 22 points 17 hours ago

"We made people we don't like fucking miserable for a bit"

Ultimately the kind of person that goes all in on a cult like MAGA could lose everything to shitty policy or because their great leader started a war or smth -- But they'll still reason it was worth it because all those s were put in their place.

[–] Breve@pawb.social 27 points 20 hours ago

Crabs in a bucket. They don't care if things get worse for them as long as they inflict the same suffering on everyone else.

[–] UncleGrandPa@lemmy.world 46 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

if you ask a hundred of them..

you will get a hundred different answers.

they voted because it made them feel good and addressed their anger. not for any rational reasons. it's why they are so surprised at what is going on.

they had NO IDEA what they were voting for or why they were voting.

[–] GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago

True.

One conservative acquaintance voted for trump to bring Jesus to the country and to stop abortion.

Another voted for trump because they worship money and believe that another trump administration will help him get richer.

[–] Goodmorningsunshine@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago

Are they surprised about what's happening? I don't actually think they realize or care at all as long as it's their boy doing it

[–] yourFanatic@sh.itjust.works 29 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Many years ago, I was at a friend's house and his parents were watching Bush on Faux News. Friend said, "We're loyal Republicans. We'd rather have an idiot in office than a Democrat."

Edit: Before the inauguration, I got back in touch with another Friend who went to a few protests but converted to maga because he started listening to the JRE podcast and whatever the algorithm also recommended. We know the type of influence that jre guy has on vulnerable minds. The podcast host literally twisted his mind 180 degrees.

Edit 2: I'm not sure that I consider them friends anymore as they would rather have their guy in office and not care that people like me get screwed over.

[–] ArchmageAzor@lemmy.world 36 points 21 hours ago

MAGA doesn't know.

They're fearful, hateful, instinctive idiots who are more afraid of being proven wrong than anything. The definition of ride or die.

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 25 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Hurting their perceived enemies.

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[–] meyotch@slrpnk.net 62 points 1 day ago (5 children)

The way it is playing out in my family has led me to have to totally reevaluate my perception of my own father.

He is a generally kind man. He stayed with my mom for two decades as she declined with Parkinson’s. He took good care of her when so many people might have ghosted.

But based on his inability to see the danger here to things he himself values, I can no longer think of him as a good man. He has always valued knowledge and reason yet he swallowed the cat-eating crap out of Ohio in spite of the clear bullshit of it.

He is Mormon and very faithful. So I don’t know what he gets out of this all, except that it has required me to grieve him before his passing.

He is not actually a good person I am afraid, but he is very obedient. Learning that distinction is very painful. He does not possess the moral clarity to know the difference between what is legal/popular and what is right.

I always idolized my dad as a child because he was in so many ways a good father. We will probably never speak again.

[–] MothmanDelorian@lemmy.world 19 points 23 hours ago (5 children)

“ He is not actually a good person I am afraid, but he is very obedient.”

Sadly this is the legacy of the LDS faith.

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 14 points 22 hours ago

I shared with my mother, only yesterday, that I consider her somewhat of a bad person for voting for orange for a second term. I said that she could be forgiven for not perceiving what he is the first time (though it was obvious to anyone with limited understanding of the world), but after seeing him in action and voting for him again, she should be ashamed of herself. I don't expect the relationship to ever fully recover, as I will not forgive her for endangering my loved ones and all of us collectively.

[–] fine_sandy_bottom@discuss.tchncs.de 15 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Sorry for your loss.

Religion sucks so much, especially the more dogmatic ones. Mormonism is gross.

One insight I would offer is that categorising people as "good" or "not good" may not be helpful. I suspect that your dad probably invests a lot of effort in being a good man, he's just unable to acknowledge that his perspective has been corrupted.

We judge ourselves by our intentions but others by their actions.

It's not wrong to never speak to him again, but maybe this will make the mourning easier.

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[–] ozoned@lemmy.world 73 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I've talked to friends that were very excited Trump won. Recently tried having an open conversation with someone that left my community afterwards over the conversations because I didn't come to his side.

They just believe it'll be better. What better? They don't know. They can't verbalize, because they're told it's terrible now and will be better.

They believe Trump isn't a criminal, didn't incite violence on Jan 6, the woke people are out to get them, etc. I've literally asked people to define "woke" for me when they use it that way. They can't. They don't know. They're not bad people, they're brainwashed at this point.

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 11 points 20 hours ago

I agree. I’ve heard people say that they willingly voted for a criminal rapist huckster and I don’t believe that. They thought he was something different. They are fucking dumb, not evil.

[–] Briaaahn@lemm.ee 14 points 21 hours ago

They're too deep to take it back now they gotta go full nazi and act like everyone else is the problem

[–] joel_feila@lemmy.world 15 points 22 hours ago

Some believe that we are reclaiming American greayness. That the tariffs are just china writing a big check to the usa. That majes feel like we are finally fighting back.

You have other that just feel good that dei, woke, sjw, litard, liberal, etc etc policy are goibg away. So society cab finally put good compient people in jobs and not be held vack by forced racial quotas.

You have other that love tge nazi salute stuff and really feel lije the government is finally working for them.

You have many who just feel good its not a democrat in office

[–] Tedesche@lemmy.world 23 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (7 children)

Pretty sure the common denominator is “owning the libs.”

It’s not just liberals that are voting against their opposition more than they are voting for the political candidates they vote for; the other side is largely doing the same. That’s why American democracy is failing: we’re so disillusioned with our own parties that we’ve been reduced to voting for them just to keep the opposition from power. Hence, no matter how we vote, we’re dissatisfied, but we tell ourselves pretty stories to make it all right. The only real winners are corporations, which have all of these clowns in their pockets.

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They get to be part of a cult of hate?

[–] radix@lemmy.world 116 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Causing a complete collapse of society to own the libs.

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