The hard part here is the kind of epistemic closure some folks have around what is and is not illegal or improper or frankly immoral. I asked about how people view Musk potentially self-dealing from the government purse, and more than once I heard "well, they all do it so why not him too." - ThreadSky

neonflag.bsky.social • 7 days ago

The hard part here is the kind of epistemic closure some folks have around what is and is not illegal or improper or frankly immoral. I asked about how people view Musk potentially self-dealing from the government purse, and more than once I heard "well, they all do it so why not him too."

Comments

neonflag.bsky.social•7 days ago

The idea that there might be some difference in scale or scope or permanent harm doesn't register - it's a distinction without a difference because they believe the government is fundamentally corrupt and *any* spending cut designated by Musk is defensible as "waste."

neonflag.bsky.social•7 days ago

There's some class resentment going on here that's worth mentioning because Democrats don't usually get this part.

Talk to a construction guy or a cashier or a cop about a "sit down job" sometime. Literally, a job that lets you sit at work. More broadly, an office job that can be done remotely.

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

There are 2.5 million civil servants (or there were). Those jobs range from manual labor to white collar “sit down” jobs, and everything in between. The American public is just plain ignorant af about the Executive Branch of the US government. Period.

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

& to put a fine point on this again: some of those “sit down” jobs they’re deriding? The fed gov’t has made a concerted effort to hire qualified, hard-working Americans who have some disabilities where they have no option but to “sit down” ffs! I mean, have these ppl ever once left their counties?!

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

Or lemme guess, bc I know from witnessing this myself time and time again- do they and people they know just choose to get on disability and live off that rather than work (even though they’re able to)? & nobody fucking @ me bc I can think of 20 people just off the top of my head that applies to.

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

Please go back & ask them how many relatives, friends etc they know who’ve been living off disability checks for 25 years yet they & everyone else knows almost every one of ‘em cld work somewhere if they wanted to- like at one of those “sit down” jobs they believe are just for lazy civil servants?

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

Class resentment based on mostly bs RW propaganda spoon fed to them since Reagan. Most of the things they’re resentmentful about is bs spewed by RW politicians and RW media they’re info-siloed into. The fact they think civil servants aren’t largely working class regular folks is just ignorance

guwonder.bsky.social•7 days ago

Big time class resentments, and the billionaire Republicans’ propaganda machines have really done a job on convincing “on their feet” lower middle income workers that MAGA is their savior and “the others” are the root of all that is wrong in their life and the world.

neonflag.bsky.social•7 days ago

The folks at the CDC or air traffic controllers have good, cushy sit-down jobs on the government dime. They also have job security, pension benefits and clout that working-class Republican voters do not. "They can go get a real job they have to show up for like everyone else." Direct quote.

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

“I wish I had the same worker protections that civil servants have, which all Americans should have & might if the party I keep voting for & now have a cultish devotion to didn’t make it their generations-long mission to destroy, so I hate them & want everyone to feel shitty bc ‘Murica!”

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

“Oh & never mind I’ve become so selfish & ignorant I can’t look past my own personal bs & entrenched biases that & I neither know nor care to know DEAI included ppl in rural & underserved areas & also ppl with disabilities [all of whom are just as valuable to the workforce as any other person].”

potrzebiesystem.bsky.social•6 days ago

“& the fact that 30% of the fed workforce are vets compared to abt 5% in general workforce? Don’t know & don’t care because patriotism & ‘rah rah military!’ is just performance art to me. What really fuels me is grievance & I’ll hate whatever my RW faux populist golden idols point at & tell me to.”

neonflag.bsky.social•7 days ago

The line on this only starts to break down when people start considering the impact of federal disruptions on working families. People can't miss a week's paycheck without warning, one fellow said.

Everyone acknowledges that things are moving fast. People aren't considering the long term yet.

rottenapplemama.bsky.social•7 days ago

Well, this is all disappointing. There will be substantial long term negative impacts for all Americans save for the few at the top.

treatmaven.bsky.social•7 days ago

So they won’t get it until it hits them directly

neonflag.bsky.social•7 days ago

One last thing. I'm seeing more Trump flags flying today in rural Georgia than I did during the election. I don't want to read more into that than it is, but it's noticeable. And, generally, people were perfectly willing to talk about their politics to me, without a lot of guarded language.

cv-danes.com•6 days ago

Well, they are certainly getting the America they deserve.

dottiedino.bsky.social•7 days ago

pure vengeance

they want revenge against the Other

they’ll pay ANY price to get vengeance

repkavrosdegraw.bsky.social•7 days ago

Thanks for this coverage. Appreciate you.

josemanolitocaldas.bsky.social•7 days ago

Perverse talismans. Warding off the evil eye. Public statements of compliance, even enthusiasm. Munich and Nuremberg redux.

jenbeee.bsky.social•7 days ago

I know it’s not fair that government jobs are more secure than others. (Or are they? Ha.) The thing is, we want everyone to have those protections. Expand them, don’t destroy them. It’s republicans who have destroyed unions and created at-will work states that screw everyone. Too abstract I guess.

Comments

Posting Rules

Reply