Nihilism
From Nick Carraway
How does one expect to get through to people when their rationale for voting for someone is that they get to shove the proverbial middle finger at polite society? That is Charlie Sykes at the Bulwark is postulating in his recent piece. He is actually quoting someone else here but I think most people fully understand the idea.
Simply put, they don’t care about you, them, or even themselves. They could all suffer and could buckle under his lies. It doesn’t matter. In the academic world we have a different word for this: nihilism. I’ll have to dust off my copy of “Fight Club” and dig in.
That’s part of it but underlying that is the undying resentment of the person who feels no control over his life.
It will never matter how often we point out trump’s flaws. The people who love him wish they could stiff their creditors, bang Playboy bunnies, play golf instead of work. They can’t do that but they can enjoy watching him do it.
1It’s America! Live the Dream!!!
2What I don’t understand is businesses that fly Trump flags. There are 4 within 15 miles of me, in a pretty diverse part of the state. They may be thinking they’re owning the libs, but the flags say “This business supports a liar and a cheat, it approves of disparaging the military and disabled.” What kind of marketing is that?
3Another thing that struck me about Jared’s interviews was that at least he admitted, hell he was proud of how f**king trump has taken over the repugnantcan party. And acknowledged that it had nothing to do with policy. It’s the attitude. We’ve talked about that for years. Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t give a crap how big an asshole he was if his actions helped the American people. MAGAts don’t give a crap about his actions (except when they make all Americans assholes on the world stage). But the fact that he is such a huge asshole is what they love about him.
4It normalizes it. They wallow around in it like it’s a mix of sweet tea, Bud Light, and barbeque sauce.
I have never seen Fight Club, although I’ve seen many memes about it. If it explains Trump and his family and his ilk, I guess I need to watch it.
5I’ll discuss this using my my family, brother and sister. My brother (younger) has always wanted to be the tough guy. I think a lot of Trumpfers like the tough guy persona. Then they get brainwashed by Fox News and right wing social media (for my brother it’s been just Fox News).
6My sister spent years in the southeast while her 2nd husband was in the Air Force. They became very entrenched in white supremacy while in South Carolina, so supporting Trumpf has been a natural.
Until Trumpf came along, we could be cordial and politics were not a problem. We never discussed it. This election has brought out the worst in them, and I’m the bad guy socialist. I’m all for rioting and against the police. I’m just what Trumpf and barff describe- which is not me.
I think the Trumpf cultists are my sister and brother. I honestly don’t know what the next week will bring. At this point I frankly don’t care because I am not going to stoop so low as to apologize for my beliefs. I just hope Biden and Harris kick their asses.
Steve@6:
7I, and I imagine others here empathize. My family and I haven’t been able to talk politics for a,.. never. Which has really affected our relationships. I wish I had more comforting advise. But your next to last sentence is heartbreakingly true. We can’t help the choices our loved ones have made. We can only keep trying to be our best.
And hope our peeps see the (at least some) light.
It’s not your fault.
To clarify, trying to be our best does NOT mean apologizing for anything.
8Off topic but
9Where is Mike Pence?
We haven’t heard word one since his staff test positive.
If Trump wins, we all lose. If he loses, we lose, too. In the end, likely in a few years, we will look back at this period as a time of waste and dispare, much like the Dark Ages or the Great Depression.
10Stay masked: do NOT quit wearing it arounds for any reason!
On a side note, Texas is now easily the most infected state, with a 14,000 case lead over California, the #2 state. 934,813 cases, and a million looks possible by Election day.
https://ncov2019.live/data
11For GOPs nihilism looks like Tay-haas and Georgia going Biden/Harris with a slice of Dem Senators…
12Eons ago when I was a kid in school, a teacher interpreted nihilism as “No Hope”. Dang it! She was right!
13The Supreme Con of the Rigged Elections War to End Democracy
14~ S.C.R.E.W.E.D.
I saw a FB comment a few months back from a woman living in the Missouri Ozarks, saying that there the culture was all about bullying and badassery. Because Democrats tend to rely on the rule of law and on logic, they consider us less than, cowards who would hide behind police, rather than settle it (it being any disagreement) with threats, fists and guns. Anybody who gets sick is weak, and anybody taking precautions to keep from getting sick is just fearful, and therefore inferior. Such Americans would find Trump’s unapologetic thievery, lust and self-dealing honest and refreshing. I’ve known folks like that. If you’re a Walking Dead fan, it’s Daryl.
15Conservatives for all their whining about the glory days of the past have become concentrated on the annihilation of whatever elements were somewhat good in their past leaders. If Ike was honor, Abe the truth, TR courage and US Grant decency, that all went away with Nixon, Reagan, Bush1 and Bush2. Donnie* and Fox Not the News are the culmination of listening to guys like Norquist, Gingrich and Paul Ryan.
As much as The Lincoln Project would like to reserve a place for Republicon policy in future government, their time has passed. Forget rebranding, bois, start rebuilding circa 1865 and give us a call when you approach the 21st century.
16This headline from HuffPo makes my day: “Wisconsin Republican Party Says Hackers Stole $2.3 Million”
17This post was mine actually. Fight Club doesn’t explain Trump so much as it is a great example of nihilism. Not to give too much away because it is a terrific book/movie but the idea is tantalizing at first, but the main character(s) take it too far.
18Brad in Dallas. You would enjoy Joanne Freeman’s “The Field of Blood,” which is about bullying in Congress 1830-60. (My great great great uncle appears as one of the worst bullies and is also my claim to Texas as he also negotiated the release of the prisoners from the Mier expedition, who included Bigfoot Wallace.)
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