The US Election

[snoringdog]

I've had an anxious day. A pit in my stomach and a feeling of doom.
I'm afraid we're creeping toward some form oligarchy and authoritarianism.
People can be so stupid and ugly and wantonly ignorant, but I've known that all my life, haven't I?

And I've always felt somewhat alien and detached, out of step....
And afraid of discussing my worldviews in any depth because they're negative, and I don't want to bring anyone down.
Such a sad and ugly place....

Thinking back when I was in grade school, visiting a friend's house. His brother's rec room and bedroom were in the basement. Walls were painted black with really nice Day-Glo spray-painted characters and decorations on the wall. What a cool hang-out!

Asked where his brother was, and was told he went off to the Viet Nam war, and didn't come back the same. Maybe institutionalized? Made an impression on me, but I didn't ask any real questions... Was that my first inkling of things?

I feel like just going to sleep now, or getting drunk

[snoringdog]

Well, It's Christmas Morning in America!

I hope everyone gets what they were wishing for...

Let the looting and chaos begin.

[Mental Fairy]

Madness!

There’s space down here in the southern hemisphere!

[troebia]

I feel sorry for a lot of marginalised people in the US, and also for the women who will lose their reproductive rights. And for example trade protectionism and back-pedalling on renewable energy (Drill, baby, drill!) will probably backfire on the economy. Even an oligarch can't turn back the clock to the good old days when USA had global dominance. The world has changed.

[snoringdog]

So, spoke with a neighbor down the street about things.

She is aghast as well. Her two adopted girls from Mexico and Peru who came here at the turn of the century, now 20s~30s were asking about the chances of being deported. That makes me so sad.

In the last few days, people have asked me how I am, and I tell them I'm in shock about the election results. I tell them

"Donald Trump, who we've known about for 40 years here in NYC is a deeply damaged human being.
An ugly man who attracts ugly people around him. I'm shocked at how much people can overlook to vote for him".

Simple, short, concise, low-key.

The woman who called me for platelet donations today was silent. I think she must have voted for him...

[Mental Fairy]

I can’t make sense of it. Our ex prime minister is happy and gleeful. I can’t understand why.

Is anywhere in the world still sane?

[snoringdog]

Woke up at three and couldn't get back to sleep. Still have the feelings of dread.
This reminds me of when I was a boy, worrying about the bomb.
Feels similar.

For many people it really *is* a cult mentality. (The evangelicals actually think he's from god. Fuck them!)
Personally, I cannot look at the man nor listen to his ever-more addled and sing-songy bullshit. Makes me viscerally angry.

But maybe this is inevitable, and time for the USA to slowly (or quickly?) decline into a one-party destructive authoritarianism.
Unbridled consumption and destruction of the environment. Injustice in the courts. On and on.

And they'll piss on us and tell us it's raining.

[snoringdog]

Heading to the woods for a few days with books and binoculars.

[troebia]

Heading to the woods for a few days with books and binoculars.

That sounds awesome, a bit like Thoreau.

[snoringdog]

I'm feeling what seems like some dissociation over this lately.
We're in an interim period between presidential terms, and I've decided to mostly tune out since there will be plenty of time to reengage when the shit starts to hit the fan.

On a business trip travelling thru the airport, and seeing so many people going about their business -
Why aren't they running and screaming like I feel like doing?
And it feels like a Body-Snatcher movie where I don't want to see the weird tell-tale glint their eyes.

I guess there are lots of reasons that people voted for the deeply-damaged one but I really don't want to know right now.
I just cannot respect anyone who can overlook so, so much, and pull that lever....

At an after-dinner-drinks session with some Canadian and European colleagues, I couldn't help but bring it up and make sure they knew that I "wasn't a fan".

I still have a queasy feeling about it all.

We're at an inflection point...