Gonna say something kind of ugly and no doubt controversial -

[cilla4progress]

Last edited Thu Nov 7, 2024, 06:09 PM - Edit history (1)

America is a joke and a lie.

[montanacowboy]

1. All True

nt

[Magoo48]

56. Right here, Right now I agree that our government is a joke and a lie.

The fourth estate is a pretender.
Half our population is hypnotized.
Greed and corruption reins supreme at the top of our socioeconomic structure.
And, more than half of our population suffers from anxiety, or ptsd, or depression, or substances abuse from the constant, prolonged financial insecurity which is the hallmark and the reality of this capitalistic chaos so many millions of us are boxed into.

[richdj25]

57. I wholeheartedly agree..

as a 66 year-old African American man, I have a multitude disappointments in America for as long as I can remember, but I simply kept plowing ahead, despite the usual headwinds against me.

As to the American voters, who decided to ride the Trump train, because of lack of forethought, they're going to wonder why they voted for him....sooner than later.

[TheProle]

2. It's neither, but everyone deserves to vent.

[cilla4progress]

13. Thank you

for being understanding and not harsh with me.

[TheProle]

15. This whole thing hurts

[MMBeilis]

3. Add "and we have to start fixing it right away" and it works for me.

[Hekate]

4. Sorry, no

[City Lights]

5. There is nothing ugly and controversial about what you said.

It's the honest truth.

[Dem4life1234]

6. No lies told

Country fell hard.

[zorbasd]

55. It was sliding for a number of years due

to massive RW propaganda funded by billionaires.
The internet age was the coup de grace.

[bikes and bunnies]

63. And Trump is the "Coup de Gras"

The "blow (or strike) of fat."

"Coup de gras" is how most Americans mispronounce "coup de grace."
"Gras" means fat (Mardi Gras= Fat Tuesday), and it's related to our word "grease," which comes from French. Americans say "coup de grah," when they should pronounce the S sound in "grace," just like English "grace" but with the ah sound instead of the long a sound: "Coup de grahce" is how the French say it.

[1WorldHope]

7. White folks are just figuring this out.

Yes, I'm white.
Native peoples, black Americans, Brown Americans and Asian Americans have always known this. So have LGBTQ+ persons.
I'm in a state of hopelessness.

[cilla4progress]

14. No, I know.

Have thought - feared? - this for some time.

[markodochartaigh]

48. I grew up gay a half century ago in

Amarillo Texas. My schoolmates beat me up and tried to set me on fire. I was sent to the principal's office because of my burned shirt. The principal told my Mother that I would need to learn how to fight. A couple of years later my world geography teacher (the tennis coach and a local star) told my class that I should be killed. Every single day was hell. After I graduated I worked at the only job in town for those without education or connections that paid more than minimum wage, the factory slaughterhouse. I stayed 18 months, made enough for junior college and left that place behind.

Almost everyday I see someone on the internet saying that "This is not the America that I grew up in" or "This is not my America". Well, great. I'm happy for you. But for many of us this is exactly the America that we know.

I think that I have a good idea of where we are headed. I'm not too afraid for myself. I'm tough and I have already lived longer than about one fifth of my high school class. But I'm very afraid for the youth of this country.

[cilla4progress]

54. I see you.

[misanthrope]

77. Great points

Did your time in the slaughterhouse affect your diet in any way?

[markodochartaigh]

80. Growing up we didn't eat a lot of meat,

we struggled to stay in the working class. And when I was in elementary school I pretty much stopped eating meat anyway because I didn't like eating animals, birds, or fish. Working in the slaughterhouse didn't change my eating habits, to this day I have never bought or cooked chicken, beef, pork, or fish. But working there did confirm my views, and more. The guy on the line next to me stabbed me. I was bleeding all over. I told the foreman. The foreman fired the guy on the spot, which surprised me and him both, "ain't no law against stabbing queers". But the foreman told me that there was only twenty minutes left until the end of the shift so I should just stay and keep working. Anyway that guy might have been waiting for me in the parking lot. So I stayed, boning chucks until the end of the shift and bleeding all over the table. I was also there when a lady got her finger cut off by a saw. They shut the hamburger meat belts down for a while but they never did find her finger.

[Skittles]

72. OH LET'S BE REAL

WOMEN have known this longer than ANYONE

[1WorldHope]

83. I agree, but again, black, brown asian LGBTQ women have always had it double.

[TwilightZone]

8. It that supposed to be news?

Similar sentiments have been made about as long as the country has been around.

[IzzaNuDay]

9. Correction: The United States is a joke and a lie

Just wanted to distinguish the US from the rest of North America, Central and South America.

[SoCalDavidS]

11. Not United nt

[IzzaNuDay]

70. More like Untied States! nt

[markodochartaigh]

82. Very appropriate.

And in Spanish it rolls right off the tongue too, estados desatados.

[SoCalDavidS]

10. TRUTH nt

[BluenFLA]

12. FACT!

[republianmushroom]

16. Shades of 2016

[soandso]

17. That's an awfully sweeping statement

Is there someplace else you'd prefer? A different system of government, maybe? If it's so awful, why do you suppose so many people want to come here?

[cilla4progress]

20. That's what I would like to know as well.

Scandanavia?

[soandso]

24. Every place has it's pro and cons

Some more in the pro column and others more in the con column. Then there's the matter that most places don't accept immigrants unless they can prove they will not be on public assistance/have their own money and health insurance, can provide a highly valued skill that the particular country wants, etc, etc. Some places are much cheaper to afford but have serious drawbacks like threats of violence and others have virtually no crime but are extremely strict about the rules, like Singapore. You have weigh, very carefully, what you want and then determine if you can even get in.

[cilla4progress]

25. Yes, I know.

Thanks.

[dpibel]

37. You do know about migration to other countries, right?

The US is by no means the only destination for emigrants.

I do congratulate you for not quite saying, "Love it or leave it."

[soandso]

43. Yes, I just posted about it

Many of the places that people would like to move to are not easy to get into.

Your "love it or leave it" interpretation of what I said is YOU, not me.

[cilla4progress]

18. We were supposed to be the beacon of democracy,

freedom, liberty for the WORLD! Especially for the repressed parts. For NAVALNY for fuck's sake!

It's been a lie for a long time.

Thanks trump for exposing our hypocrisy. No pretending any more.

[Keepthesoulalive]

19. We have always known that

But many of us have tried to see what she can become and many times we are disappointed.
With liberty and justice for all, nice inspiring words but to say them is to repeat the lie.

[cilla4progress]

21. It hurt me a lot to hear Kamala keep saying

"We LOVE our country."

And Obama - that we are "exceptional."

Fucking breaks my heart.

[Keepthesoulalive]

22. They have to say that

Americans get really pissed when you tell the truth and the backlash would be biblical.
Most of the people on DU are woke , we get it but they don’t want to.

[cilla4progress]

23. 100%

agree

[LearnedHand]

31. JFC don't use that term to describe people of DU

We ARE woke in the purest sense of the word, but the whackjobs stole it from Black vernacular and turned it into to a slur against people who love fairness, inclusiveness, and social justice. We haven't managed to reclaim it, so it's just echoing RW slurs against us.

[Keepthesoulalive]

34. Woke meaning the opposite of sleeping

I will not let anyone tell me how to use language mainly a bunch of cretinous traitors. We let them define patriots ,The constitution, the flag which they wear on their buttocks. I will use it in its traditional meaning. Stop letting them control the narrative or we will be screwed more than we already are.

[cilla4progress]

40. Well,

don't let them.

Just like the flag and patriotism!

[blueknight73]

26. And

it always has been

[Texin]

27. It's certainly become that.

[Skittles]

28. the American experiment is indeed dead

I know what side Trump voters would have been on during WWII.

[ariadne0614]

29. If we ever get through this, it would be nice if we grew some humility.

It would improve our likability in the family of nations.

[lark]

30. That was proven to be true on 11/5/24, to our great dismay. n/t

People voted to end America or there is something big that happened and everyone missed. The onkly thing I've heard is that there are millions (think t he number was 10) of mail in ballots missing. Plus tcf told his people not to vote by mail, vote early and he himself voted early this time. For over a decade he always voted by mail prior to this time. How in the world this could be done, I don't know.

[TBF]

58. The mail thing is interesting. He did tell them to vote early, in person.

All you have to do is google DeJoy and missing ballots and stories keep coming up about missing ballots.

All the usps (which DeJoy runs) had to do was make ballots disappear in swing states. Maybe this is the "secret" Donald was so giddy about. It would surprise me 0%.

[EarthAbides]

32. Not a minority.

There are 72 million people in this country that are racists, ignorant, gullible, in a rage, hate women and don't care about democracy. We were told they were a minority....

[Blue Full Moon]

35. Ayn Rand Russia's best weapon.

Maximum selfishness

[Blue Full Moon]

33. A neon sign and glitter

I always liked An American Tail. There are no cats in America.

[paulkienitz]

36. America is a beacon of liberty and democracy, and also a land of assholes.

Our values defend human rights, but our culture embraces sociopathy. For an awful lot of us, the word liberty just means "I get to be an asshole."

[Trueblue1968]

38. You got that right. I say send All GOPigs to the moon. One way trip.

[mvd]

39. And that's a big part of the problem

A lot of Americans are just ignorant and stupid people. Ever wonder why Repukes trash public education? How we get through to them is likely above my pay grade.

[Boomerproud]

41. It appears I've been lied to by my parents, teachers,

Well, everyone who told me we were a generous, intelligent country.

[misanthrope]

79. That would only be one of the many lies I was told in my formative years

I was told that if I was a good person, then it would make my life better. When I grew up I saw the opposite was true and this world seems to reward liars, thieves, the selfish, the greedy, and sociopaths more than it does truly good people. Being a good person allows you peace of mind only.

I was told those who work hard always get ahead. As I went through life I saw plenty of people who labored intensely and only received weariness as a result, never seeming to get ahead or gain material comfort.

I was told we can be anything we want to be. The truth is that we have limited opportunities often dictated by the happenstance of when and where we are born, with what gifts and to whom. Those opportunities and choices slowly winnow away with every day you're alive. There's often more luck involved than we want to admit.

[oldmanlynn]

42. I disagree

I would say America is under a spell that is a blend of right wing Russian style propaganda.

Americans are susceptible. More education and critical thinking skills makes you immune

[Jmb 4 Harris-Walz]

45. I agree with you. As an American myself, I believe the best of people. I consider myself to be intelligent but I was

totally ignorant of the threat TFG posed until I heard about Project 2025.

[Jimvanhise]

44. WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND. . .

is why 15 million fewer people voted for president in 2024 than they did in 2020. Their absence won Trump the day and that will slap them in the face for the next four years, and beyond.

[NJCher]

59. agreed

So many people fail to understand the value of their vote.

I'm in education and I think we need a national education effort on it. Focus on raising the percentages of people.

We work hard on this as it is! And it's not enough.

I was, for example, one of the people who wrote postcards.

[Rizen]

46. This isn't controversial to anyone with a brain

We're a country of human dog shit I wouldn't give the time of day to.

[Chicagogrl1]

47. And don't forget, dumb and racist

[Give Peace A Chance]

49. people love to hate

Trump not only gave them permission but lead by example.

[onecaliberal]

50. Shit hole country.

[TomSlick]

53. I resist that idea.

I spent 28 years in uniform serving this country.

The country is sorely misinformed. (See Earl G' post: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219680430)

Any problem created by technology can be solved by technology if we have the will. The Democrats will find an answer.

All of the above is dependent on there being an election in four years. If there is not, then I will join you in your opinion.

[Abolishinist]

76. And ya'll are movin' to where?

[TomSlick]

51. America is neither a joke nor a lie.

However, American has been lied to. (See Earl G's post: https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219680430)

[NJCher]

60. that is the heart of matter

for the people who vote.

Then there's the people who don't even bother, per my post above.

[TomSlick]

73. I agree, with both of your posts.

Teach.

[bucolic_frolic]

52. The last thing crooks in this country wanted was a prosecutor as President

Too many people going down lately. Let's not get that started.

Make sense?

Did Barr or Garland really, really go after anybody?

Did the Mueller Report succeed? We haven't even read it.

Was Rod Rosenstein defending the Republic like he said? Or protecting DOJ?

Too many proseceutions lately. Trump 1,2,3 .... Menendez .... all the J6 insurrectionists.

Something might change and not in a good way if we start putting people in jail.

Don't you think so, citizen?

[Politicub]

61. America is a brutal country oftentimes, but

it’s also our home. It’s worth noting that tens of millions of people voted for the Vice President. The cities are pretty great.

The electoral college? Now, that’s a bad joke. And a lie, if you think about it. It doesn’t reflect the will of the people. If we didn’t have to coddle five swing states, the Dems could focus on the cities and major urban areas.

Republicans and MAGA are cowards and snowflakes. They aren’t able to navigate through life without a strongman to guide them. Remember that collectively, we are stronger, at our core, than them.

[wolfie001]

62. The whole "Shining City On A Hill"....

.....is a metaphor to work harder and fairer. I guess we've all done the Jack and Jill trick. All the way down.

[hay rick]

64. A country can't elect Donald Trump and pretend to be a functional democracy. No joke.

[Hassler]

65. No argument from me. Polls showed 49% of

Americans think Chump is a fascist, then they voted him for just that reason.

[moniss]

66. Much of the "myth" has been known

by vast numbers of the population for a very long time.

[Beacool]

67. The U.S. has always thought too highly of itself.

The thought that we are a beacon of democracy that other countries wish to emulate, that we are the guys in white hats, that we want to spread goodwill around the world, has always been propaganda. The truth is that we are no better than any other imperialist nation. White Europeans stole the land and killed the indigenous people. Once we became a republic, we expanded our imperialistic tendencies to other lands. Thanks to the U.S., the Philippines was under the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos for 21 years. Chile was ruled by Pinochet for 30 years. Ditto for Argentina and their various generals who ruled for years. We never cared about the wellbeing of the people who were under these dictatorships, as long as these dictators were our allies. We are not inherently good, that's just a myth.

Back home, we are what we have always been: a racist, misogynist, xenophobic and homophobic country. Trump is just a symptom, under our veneer of tolerance and inclusivity, we are rotting from within. Trump just gave his followers a voice, he legitimized their feelings and resentments. One could even argue that 2016 was a fluke, but this election proved that it was no fluke. I mistakenly thought that we were a better people than the MAGA folks, that we should appeal to people's better angels. Boy, was I wrong!!!

[Evolve Dammit]

68. Totally. And now going back to more lies.

[Xavier Breath]

69. Any argument I would have had with that statement died a painful death Tuesday night.

[catsudon]

71. 50% of Americans are garbage, either on purpose or ignorant

unless proven otherwise, i'm going to view every strangers with suspicion (a MAGA)

the country has been expertly divided by propaganda.

[Duppers]

74. And by ignorance...

Willful or otherwise.

[Abolishinist]

75. So profound.

Can't wait for your next OP.

Not.

[The Wandering Harper]

78. lil bill

[0rganism]

81. America: the land of broken promises and shattered dreams

An endless wellspring of betrayals and disappointments from which every hopeful American "generation" will drink deeply to learn disillusionment and cynicism. This time our wellspring threatens to drown the entire world in sorrow and wrath.

[1WorldHope]

84. Wow. That's good. I wish I had said that! 🙏🏼

[0rganism]

85. Thanks! Feel free to use & recycle as needed

Got a hunch this won't be the last time it comes up...