I'm halfway around the world and I felt it, same as you. Everything about community, looking out for each other, coming together for a greater good etc has been thrown out because money, sticking it to the enemies and 'I got mine'.

I said in another thread that if aliens ever invaded, we wouldn't be able to stand as one human race, because we have too many lazy, selfish, uneducated, self righteous, myopic, entitled pricks around. We'd sell our our brothers and sisters for a handful of sheckels so we didn't get woke. It happened to my country during WW2 but hey, 'that was a different time', right? Right? Yeah right.

I was watching Kimmel rattle out a LONG list of things we could say good bye to post election, and the gravity sort of hit me, because it wasn't clear what we would lose, or just how much.

I hope it was worth it, america. I really do.

Yeah, I’m not part of any of the demographics that are gonna get hit hard, except for the financial bits, that I’ll probably be screwed on since I’m not making 6+ figures, though I am over the median income in my area.

But just thinking and remembering how chaotic the first term was, and realizing that he’s gonna have sycophants and a freaking playbook, I had to take the day off.

I was one of those people that was thinking at how great all those states were in enshrining abortion access in their state constitutions, but then frickin voting for the people that will very likely enact a national ban. Then remembering that my wife and i are trying for a girl and that if the ban happens during that she could end up like the other stories of women (already mothers or looking forward to being one) dying from infections and/or sepsis because docs wouldn’t treat them. We’ve already gone through losing a pregnancy, she bled for a week and a half, but luckily nothing extra needed done. Who knows what could happen we go through that again.

Then these folks are also typically against renewables, the area i work in. My team is fighting for extra help and our company has benefited and expanded greatly thanks to the IRA. Red team thinks solar/wind = green new deal = IRA = BAD so Im anticipating that affecting many aspects of my workplace. Of course our CEO sent out a letter stating they are “looking forward” to working with Trump and team…….right.

When I got back to work my lead was asking me how i was doing, he pretty much pooh pooh’d my concerns away saying its not gonna be that bad and people were making mountains out of mole hills pretty much. This dude is ex-military. Trumps comments alone on folks that served should have been enough alone to discredit him. Guess what else is probably gonna get hit hard? The VA that my lead uses. He’s also on disability and pretty much gets what i make a month alone on top of his salary. Very much a Joe Rogan/Ticker Carlson “just asking questions” type.

All I can think is that bo matter the general subject, its gonna get very much worse for the next 4+ years. And hopefully I’ll still have my wife around if we continue trying.

I've been channeling my anxiety into, upon recognizing that I cannot escape this sinking ship, that I might actually be able to help others escape with their lives, should it come to that. In fact, several times PER DAY over the past week, it was the reminder that other people need me more than ever right now and that I can't help anyone if I'm gone that has become the most reliable terminator for self-destructive ideations.

OP, if you hear about anything like an "Underground Railroad" network forming to assist people in evacuating the united states, please keep me in mind and let me know. I'm no Oskar Schindler myself, but if someone is stepping up into that role, I want to be working with them. We can't save everyone but we can save some and that will have to be worthy enough.

The modern Reichstag hasn't burned yet... but we will not get any more warnings between now and when it does. Mean time, I'm sure it's crossed your mind, and I can only offer preparation encouragement:

• Cancel all entertainment subscriptions, embargo your household against restaurants and fast food, and shun all luxuries, throw every last penny you can into the survival fund.
• Make sure the identification documents for every member of your household are in order at hand
• Acquire and/or ensure maintenance is up to date on personal defense equipment.
• Pack a go-bag for all household members with all essential "restart our lives from scratch" supplies.
• Optionally, establish mustering/rallying points with family or other households you trust.

Goodness forbid it should ever be necessary... hopefully by the time the brownshirts come knocking, you and yours will be somewhere they can't find you.

I felt such an ominous sense of dread on wenesday followed by anxiety and anger the last few days. As a Canadian, I am not going to be a direct target or victim, but I am so worried about the cruelty and suffering this will bring on others. The harassment and violence have already started to spread, the amount of people contemplating suicide is heartbreaking. There will undoubtedly be so much damage beyond the USA, be it from foreign policy, idiotic economic shortsightedness, or malicious decisions on environmental policy. I have had to start blocking out news and social media related to the election because it was really affecting me mentally, I feel bad avoiding/embracing ignorance, but I need a break

2 things that made me feel better -

1. Tucker complaining about Mitch not being maga enough this week- there's so much infighting in their party that even when they agree on the desired outcome the path is so muddy that it's often slow and messy.

2. We have a real opportunity (obligation) to help the people who will be hardest hit by this. As much as i want to pull the covers over my head or drink myself into political amnesia, there are other people who really need help. It's small, but i found 3 things i can do - I'll look more into the Auntie Network, they help women traveling for reproductive healthcare - When I'm cleaning out my mom's house I'll donate items to groups that directly help my community instead of trying to sell on marketplace - I'll look for ways to offer support to my school kids in immigrant families. They're often afraid to take kids to the doc because they don't want to be 'in the system.' Find resources I can offer/recommend to them.

Can't fix what ain't broken or is fundamentally broken.

Currently, intelligence and the ability to reason seems to be an unintended side effect of evolution. At its core, the sense of self is in contradiction with the natural state of things, because it can and will go against the other at any point.

If we consider the natural state as a river flowing in a set direction, then free will can be considered as an object within that river which can divert its flow, obstruct it or even aspire to reverse it. However, swimming against the current is tiresome and rarely brings out the sought results. So, eventually, the obstruction gives way and is smoothed out into nothingness.

Sadly the natural state is currently seen as hurtling inescapably towards decay. Due to this, it's easier to self-destruct, it's easier to accelerate the flow and it's easier to be horrible than to take responsibility for decency.

Honestly, we indeed are our worst enemies. But the natural state of the world itself ain't that much of an inspiration either.

Not everyone wants to be a hero and seeing the ones we have being destroyed left and right, well, it's kind of hard to want being one. So we fall. Because fuck it, we deserve to, don't we?

FYI, [email protected] had a few threads recently on how to deal with thé aftermath of the election