Just the opposite.

With the potential of medical expenses rising, medication costs going up, insurance becoming shittier (if you’ll be able to afford it at all), staying healthy to continue to earn a paycheck (that is a depressing phrase), the potential of wide spread violence, I think its imperative to be as healthy and strong as you can be.

You may also find yourself in a position where you’re the only one you can count on and if you are sickly, and weak then it will make things that much worse. Or you may find yourself in a position to help someone that has less ability to move and you’ll need to be in good health for their sake.

I think that most billionaires are clueless to how savagely hated they are by the larger population.

I’ve always thought that most trump supporters just projected what they wanted trump to be on to him and trump never corrected them. Why would he?

so it’s no surprise to hear these regrets because their false images of him are cracking and they don’t know what to do.

This is a realization that I’ve come to:

that humans survive (and thrive) when there is a genuine organization based in part on empathy. When a human tries to disrupt this organization for their own gain then it’s in the best interest of the group to ostracize and remove that human from the group.

it was 2 years ago but I got perma banned for saying some trump’s cult members are mouth breathing rednecks. Or at least I think that was the case all I was told was my account was banned for violating the “rules”. I appealed by asking what rules I violated - the canned response was “we reviewed your appeal and are holding up our ban of your account.”

Haven’t been back to the site since and don’t miss it.

Ex-spouse: (on the phone with parents) My ex-wife has invited us over for beef wellington.

Ex-spouse’s parents: Hasn’t she tried to kill you like four times before? Why would you accept this invitation?

Ex-spouse: well her beef wellington is to die for!

Ex-spouse’s parents: Well that’s good enough for us, were in see you a 6

Yet to many of this followers these stories are all just bullshit lefty propaganda to smear the name of their great leader. They aren’t completely dumb they just have been brainwashed to only believe certain people and certain news organizations.

This is a great starting list from @Doctor_Satan@lemmy.world to questions I had about running for office, because it does seem overwhelming:

Definitely good questions. I couldn’t find any “Beginners Guide to Running for Office”, so I sat up for a while chugging coffee and reading a whole bunch of local election board websites and other related sources, and this is what I came up with. This is by no means a comprehensive list or plan, but I tried to break down the main components of running for a local office in the most general terms possible, so it could be applied more broadly.

Preparation

Figure out which office you want to run for, where you think you can make the most difference with your skill-set in your community.
Research the responsibilities of the office you’re seeking. Attend school board or city council (or whatever) meetings to see how they operate. Take lots of notes or record it if allowed.
Identify key issues in your community, your potential opponents, and the demographics of your district.
Clearly articulate why you’re running and what you hope to achieve. This will be the foundation of your campaign.
Check your local election board for eligibility requirements like residency, age, filing deadlines, and paperwork.
    Here’s a portal to all state and local election offices - https://www.usa.gov/state-election-office
    Leon County, Florida Supervisor of Elections has a great breakdown that should give you a general idea of the necessary requirements, deadlines, and paperwork - https://www.leonvotes.gov/Candidates-Elected-Officials-and-Campaign-Finance/How-to-Run-for-Local-Office

Campaign Team

Campaign Manager: Appoint someone to oversee operations. Preferably someone with some political savvy and/or managerial experience.
Treasurer: Appoint someone to manage finances and ensure compliance with campaign finance laws.
Volunteers: Recruit a team of dedicated volunteers for canvassing, phone banking, and event support. The number of volunteers will vary, depending on the size of your campaign, but there’s no such thing as too many.
Advisors: Network with local community leaders and activists who share your vision, and listen to them. They have their ears to the ground, and can offer critical advice on what your community needs.

Campaign Strategy

Set a budget and determine how much money you’ll need for materials, advertising, and events. Focus on grassroots fundraising. This seems to be the most difficult part with no clear answer, so look into the campaign financing of previous candidates running for the same office to get an idea of how much it’ll likely cost.
Develop a clear, concise message that resonates with voters.
Identify your base and tailor your outreach to their concerns.
Map out key milestones like filing deadlines, debates, voter registration deadlines, and Election Day. Set realistic goals to accomplish by those dates.

Build Your Brand

Create a professional logo and a memorable slogan that reflects your values. Say what you want about Trump, but “Make America Great Again” and “MAGA” are a great slogan/logo combo. It’s simple, clear, and easy to remember.
Build a simple website with your bio, platform, and contact info. Use social media to engage voters and share updates.
Print flyers, yard signs, and business cards to distribute in the community.

Community Engagement

Knock on doors to introduce yourself and listen to voters concerns.
Show up at community gatherings, fairs, and town halls to build visibility.
Organize meet-and-greets, town halls, or fundraisers to connect with voters.
Seek support from local leaders, organizations, and activists to boost your credibility and visibility.
Volunteer at homeless shelters, food banks, and other places. Even just a day here and there can make all the difference. Engage with employees, customers, and residents about your campaign. Listen to their concerns, and offer viable solutions.

Fundraising

Focus on grassroots fundraising by asking friends, family, and community members for small contributions.
Set up a donation portal on your website and promote it on social media.
Keep detailed records of all donations and expenses to comply with campaign finance laws.

Messaging

Send press releases to local newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations to announce your candidacy and major events.
Participate in candidate debates and forums to showcase your platform.
Post regularly about your platform, events, and endorsements. Engage with people in the comments.
Send postcards or letters to targeted voters highlighting your key issues.

Get People to Vote

Help eligible voters register before the deadline.
Encourage supporters to vote early or by mail if available.
Organize volunteers to remind voters to cast their ballots and offer rides to the polls if needed.

Again, this is by no means a comprehensive, foolproof plan. I didn’t include many resources, because requirements, deadlines, and paperwork all vary by state and county. These just seemed to be the most common points I picked up from a number of sources, and should at least give you an idea of how and what to research further.

Personally, I have no ambition to run for office because I’m already 50 and don’t want to add to the pool of geriatrics running this country. We need to hand the torch to young people. That said, I will help any way I can if someone younger wants to run. Speech writing, phone banking, logo design, or pretty much anything else, I will gladly offer my services for free.

What are the realistic potential outcomes of everything going on?

Not sure. I don’t think anyone really is.

Part of the reason that there are not big protest yet is that many many people that do disagree with the administration have/had been looking towards the Democratic party to fight back. But that isn’t happening which is adding to the shock and awe of things. Truly Americans don’t really know what to do and without a large organizing presence to help drive a big push back there really isn’t anything being done.

I do hope that someone steps up soon and starts to organize a push back. Haven’t seen it yet.

There are a lot of European keyboard warriors that don’t seem to know much about America (other than social media) that keep trying to call out Americans for not “protesting right.”

It shows that they have no clue about the size of the country or the fact that the shock and awe that started this administration knocked everyone on their heels and only now are we starting to mobilize.

I can understand your point of not wanting to travel to the US and you’re correct that there is a high number of people that have a negative view of anyone “different” than them. And I would probably say it’s a good idea not to for the reason you gave and more, but there are many very passionate people that are fighting for the rights of everyone in America, they just don’t get the press so it can be easily interpreted that no one in the US cares.

There are rotten people in power and due to their station they have control of the microphone which makes it sound like that is what everyone thinks. That isn’t true.

although apparently the rape thing and being an overall creep was never an issue.

Well that is because the rape or creepiness didn’t happen directly to them or an immediate family member. There is no empathy with trump voters.

I honestly think that both parties like to not be in power for this very reason. All the money and none of the responsibilities. Pretty sweet setup

because of a long established undercurrent of competition within departments (and even between professors) for recognition and advancement. That and there are some people that have very large but very fragile egos that can’t allow another person or discipline to grab more sunlight than them.

I understand not wanting to go 100% weird with most people, but damnit weird is interesting. So be a bit weird.

You know if you just use a sharpie to draw the line going up instead of down there isn’t a problem anymore.

It’s true that politicians don’t usually lead, they look to the voting base to see what they can do. I think the issue right now is that there isn’t (yet) a unifying leader that can mobilize a big enough population of people to make it impossible for the media to ignore. while I think smaller protests have their place they are useless if they don’t move to something bigger. And something bigger - that being millions of people filling the streets of multiple cities - won’t happen without a big charismatic leader like Martin Luther King, jr.

Yet the middle of the road, center right democrats that hold power see this as a challenge to their control. They only have to look to how the GOP was hollowed out by a big charismatic leader in trump. The more “moderate” republicans lost control to the more extreme right - the moderate democrats don’t want that and will do what they can to hold down that yet unknown person from gaining a voice for the left.

JFC I’d actually appreciate the maga version of the Democrats.

These fictional Democrats are organized, well funded, cohesive and seem to have a great long term strategy for ruining republicans. With an organization like that you’d think that they would be in control of the government?

I think nothing would elevate the hatred of billionaires more than if they buy up the national parks for their own private estates.

Great Smokey national park is now the walton’s family compound

Rocky Mountain National park is now the gates compound

Yosemite becomes musk’s outdoor playground

The grand canyon is bezo’s now

Just writing that elevated my blood pressure

Great list, thank you for putting it together!