In addition, of course, to the terrible loss of life on that day, and the damage it did to the American social fabric, one of the great tragedies of 9/11 was what that day did to country music. Country music used to be all about the downtrodden common man. Think Johnny Cash's "Man In Black" or Tennessee Ernie Ford "Sixteen Tons", or even Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road" (about moonshiners evading the revenuers, and branching out into a weed grow op). 9/11 changed all that, and country became all about "HOO RAH USA AND PICKUP TRUCKS 'MURICA FUCK YEAH."
And there used to be songs like John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind” (AKA They Paved Paradise And Put Up A Parking Lot, Florida Edition). That one’s an exercise in Doing Allyship Right, because Anderson went to the trouble of consulting actual Seminole—-who appear in the video as very-much-living presences as well as the reproachful ghost of Osceola.
(And I bleed inside every time I—-as invasive a presence here as the flying carp, Burmese pythons, and Brazilian pepper bushes—-hear someone wailing that song from the karaoke bar across the parking lot from the fancy hotel. Probably to be followed by some iteration of “Beer beer beer and I’m proud of my pride!”
Why yes, that’s another song for Time-Life’s Pay Attention To The Damn Lyrics compilation.)
I am thinking about the movie "Idiocracy" almost every time that I read a news article. It's not a pleasant or positive comparison, I assure you.
I don't have the money to buy a used car, so finding a way to become an EXPAT is even less likely. That means that I need to find ways to fight the Trump Trend.
It's like they grabbed every piece of dystopian fic ever and are using it for a blueprint.
Also becoming an expat may not be the cure-all many people expect it to be. Most of the modern social democracies that are built on the western-European model are dealing with the ascendancy of authoritarian, right-wing parties in their respective countries as well.
Furthermore, if the clampdown on marginalized groups gets worse and more people seek to leave the US, countries may move to expel US citizens who've taken up residency there. Or local hostility toward the USA and its citizens may grow to a point where it's no longer safe to be there. For example, there are large expat retiree communities in Mexico and Panama, two countries which TCF has threatened with military invasion, in the first case to fight the drug cartels and in the second to seize control of the Panama Canal.
Yeah, I know some people who are dreaming about moving to France or Spain. France! The government just collapsed there! I mean, they're not being ruled by a Terror Clown, but I don't think there are a lot of places to go, now. Someone else suggested going to Ireland, working, becoming a citizen and then you're in the EU. But I don't know how feasible that is.
Also, my family lived in Italy for a year when Reagan was busy putting missile bases everywhere, and the hostility was intense. Hard to blame ppl, but it was still unpleasant.
I remember reading 1984 in school (because it was 1984, LOL) and the most COMMON joke that the teenage "wits" made about our then-current culture was, "The book was a warning, not an instruction manual!"
That seems oh, so naive now.
Especially after /trying/ to read Project 2025. I couldn't get more than five pages in before the urge to either vomit or scream was almost too much to control.
I know that expats are in a fragile position, and that wealth protects people more than "the law," but I honestly can't think of anything that I, a single person of limited means and no political power to speak of, can do to even MITIGATE the brewing nightmare of political events.
Why should I waste my energy fighting for Pakistani civil rights in their own country when right in my own neighborhood, people are facing civil rights violations that can and do get people k*lled?
Worse, longer-term processes, like trying to reduce my carbon footprint or transition to a mostly-vegan diet seem utterly pointless.
There are so many, many issues to get upset about, JUST within the American culture and political sphere, that it feels like I'm standing in a burning house. The question is, is the fire in the attic while I'm on the first floor, or in the basement while I am on the second floor? Survival rates depend on knowing those facts, and changing the escape plan accordingly.
I read it in 1974; not as a school assignment, but to understand the context of Bowie’s Diamond Dogs.
And consider the whole Evangelical Left Behind scenario under the Antichrist’s regime, where you need to take The Mark Of The Beast to be able to buy or sell, and where there are mobile guillotines ready to take out dissidents on the spot. I don’t believe that situation is Biblically predestined, but I do believe that a bunch of megalomaniacs looked at it and thought, “If we were the ones in power, that would be awesome.”
I helped my dad study for his Doctor of Divinity degree; for the first time since I was old enough to ask "Why?", I learned that Christianity started as an apocalyptic Jewish sect. So, many Christians support the nation of Israel /because/ having a Jewish state in the area is one of the precursors to the apocalypse.
NOT being a Christian literalist, however, I would like to point out that the word "apocalypse" ORIGINALLY meant "to uncover, reveal"
"ecclesiastical Latin from Greek apokalupsis, from apokaluptein ‘uncover, reveal’, from apo- ‘un-’ + kaluptein ‘to cover’."
It was a sudden bloom of understanding NOT THE END OF THE WORLD.
"At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN. I have decided to immediately terminate multiple individuals from the Board of Trustees, including the Chairman, who do not share our Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture. We will soon announce a new Board, with an amazing Chairman, DONALD J. TRUMP!”
How, how did this motherfucker beat Kamala. (I know. I know. RACISM. But it's still just. Such a nightmare.)
Daresay it might be "THE GREAT TRUMP CENTER, NAMED AFTER YOUR FAVOURITE PRESIDENT (ME!) DONALD J. TRUMP!”
Of close what's lost in all his buffoonery is "Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP." I've seen that mentioned on the news stories, but glancingly. Ugly memories of library story hours being literally targeted.
Yeah, I was afraid all along the misogynoir would be overwhelming. It was horrible. And she ran an amazing campaign! She OBLITERATED him in the debate.
I knew it would be, having been both Blacka nd female in this country all my life, but I deliberately hoped. I'm still not sorry I hoped though I am of course unhappy this fucking bigoted country proved me right.
I’d argue he already has, at least to the point where if his EO survives court tests, any jurisdiction could simply claim that anyone seeming to be wearing clothing associated with the other popular sex is representing themselves as transgender.
Which might prove interesting if you happened to be a butch lesbian or a queen.
Here you have a trans woman (I'm not USian but a Brit) with her husband and her new great nephew and what I'm representing myself as is me- someone's wife and someone's great aunt.
As well as someone's sister, aunt, cousin, friend etc etc..........
If that law passes either Federally or locally, I am going to SWIM to Greenland or something. (Hyperbole, but only barely.)
Why?
Because, I have many personal reasons NOT to wear skirts or dresses. Yet, many Christian sects argue that women wearing slacks ARE "cross-dressing." Is making such a law an incredible overreach and intrusion into personal lives? YES.
But apparently, that's okay because of the number of people who "agree" with the idea. Don't even get me started. I'll sum up briefly: If I can wear jeans and a hoodie to the grocery store because I like them, someone else can wear a skirt and kitten heels.
I'd rather wear a burqua than a skirt--at least with the former, no one would or should see that I'm wearing leggings underneath.
It's part of the playbook. (CW: discussion of Nazis; group photo of Nazi officials, some in uniform; image of a document stamped with a Reichsadler symbol)
Gah. I see it now. And TYK for the link, which I'm going to show to a friend who is reasonably anti-Trump but still argues with me about what I would call "playbook comparisons". This one is very clear.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
malionette
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 10:08 pm (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CORANvT8l9A
no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 02:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 06:36 pm (UTC)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cR-h8FU7rI
(And I bleed inside every time I—-as invasive a presence here as the flying carp, Burmese pythons, and Brazilian pepper bushes—-hear someone wailing that song from the karaoke bar across the parking lot from the fancy hotel. Probably to be followed by some iteration of “Beer beer beer and I’m proud of my pride!”
Why yes, that’s another song for Time-Life’s Pay Attention To The Damn Lyrics compilation.)
no subject
Date: 2025-02-11 08:13 am (UTC)makes a note
Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 09:07 pm (UTC)I don't have the money to buy a used car, so finding a way to become an EXPAT is even less likely. That means that I need to find ways to fight the Trump Trend.
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 09:22 pm (UTC)Also becoming an expat may not be the cure-all many people expect it to be. Most of the modern social democracies that are built on the western-European model are dealing with the ascendancy of authoritarian, right-wing parties in their respective countries as well.
Furthermore, if the clampdown on marginalized groups gets worse and more people seek to leave the US, countries may move to expel US citizens who've taken up residency there. Or local hostility toward the USA and its citizens may grow to a point where it's no longer safe to be there. For example, there are large expat retiree communities in Mexico and Panama, two countries which TCF has threatened with military invasion, in the first case to fight the drug cartels and in the second to seize control of the Panama Canal.
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 09:26 pm (UTC)Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 11:37 pm (UTC)Plus, if you happen to have a few million dollars they have a golden visa program.
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-10 01:53 am (UTC)The government there recently reneged on the major treaty with the Maori.
I don't really think there is a country without someone's blood on its hands.
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-10 02:22 am (UTC)Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 09:27 pm (UTC)Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 09:50 pm (UTC)Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 10:08 pm (UTC)That seems oh, so naive now.
Especially after /trying/ to read Project 2025. I couldn't get more than five pages in before the urge to either vomit or scream was almost too much to control.
I know that expats are in a fragile position, and that wealth protects people more than "the law," but I honestly can't think of anything that I, a single person of limited means and no political power to speak of, can do to even MITIGATE the brewing nightmare of political events.
Why should I waste my energy fighting for Pakistani civil rights in their own country when right in my own neighborhood, people are facing civil rights violations that can and do get people k*lled?
Worse, longer-term processes, like trying to reduce my carbon footprint or transition to a mostly-vegan diet seem utterly pointless.
There are so many, many issues to get upset about, JUST within the American culture and political sphere, that it feels like I'm standing in a burning house. The question is, is the fire in the attic while I'm on the first floor, or in the basement while I am on the second floor? Survival rates depend on knowing those facts, and changing the escape plan accordingly.
Also, least of all: TCF?
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 10:23 pm (UTC)And consider the whole Evangelical Left Behind scenario under the Antichrist’s regime, where you need to take The Mark Of The Beast to be able to buy or sell, and where there are mobile guillotines ready to take out dissidents on the spot. I don’t believe that situation is Biblically predestined, but I do believe that a bunch of megalomaniacs looked at it and thought, “If we were the ones in power, that would be awesome.”
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-09 10:58 pm (UTC)NOT being a Christian literalist, however, I would like to point out that the word "apocalypse" ORIGINALLY meant "to uncover, reveal"
"ecclesiastical Latin from Greek apokalupsis, from apokaluptein ‘uncover, reveal’, from apo- ‘un-’ + kaluptein ‘to cover’."
It was a sudden bloom of understanding NOT THE END OF THE WORLD.
Re: Oh, wonderful
Date: 2025-02-10 02:20 am (UTC)The Current/Convicted Felon.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 09:30 pm (UTC)How, how did this motherfucker beat Kamala. (I know. I know. RACISM. But it's still just. Such a nightmare.)
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 09:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 09:57 pm (UTC)Of close what's lost in all his buffoonery is "Just last year, the Kennedy Center featured Drag Shows specifically targeting our youth — THIS WILL STOP." I've seen that mentioned on the news stories, but glancingly. Ugly memories of library story hours being literally targeted.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 10:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 10:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 02:08 am (UTC)I knew it would be, having been both Blacka nd female in this country all my life, but I deliberately hoped. I'm still not sorry I hoped though I am of course unhappy this fucking bigoted country proved me right.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 03:11 am (UTC)Me too, bella. //hugs you
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 10:24 pm (UTC)I wonder if he'll try to outlaw drag. I wouldn't put it past him.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 12:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 01:17 pm (UTC)Here you have a trans woman (I'm not USian but a Brit) with her husband and her new great nephew and what I'm representing myself as is me- someone's wife and someone's great aunt.
As well as someone's sister, aunt, cousin, friend etc etc..........
no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 09:16 pm (UTC)(What a heartwarming family photo—are you the sort of couple who color-coordinate a lot?
And I wish I could assure the little guy that his apprehensiveness is unwarranted, but…)
no subject
Date: 2025-02-11 12:03 pm (UTC)Outlawing drag
Date: 2025-02-09 11:04 pm (UTC)Why?
Because, I have many personal reasons NOT to wear skirts or dresses. Yet, many Christian sects argue that women wearing slacks ARE "cross-dressing." Is making such a law an incredible overreach and intrusion into personal lives? YES.
But apparently, that's okay because of the number of people who "agree" with the idea. Don't even get me started. I'll sum up briefly: If I can wear jeans and a hoodie to the grocery store because I like them, someone else can wear a skirt and kitten heels.
I'd rather wear a burqua than a skirt--at least with the former, no one would or should see that I'm wearing leggings underneath.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 11:55 pm (UTC)it's kind of hilarious, in that absurd way fascism can be.
no subject
Date: 2025-02-09 11:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-12 06:26 am (UTC)y*worries about her*
no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 01:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 02:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 07:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-10 07:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-02-11 08:17 pm (UTC)