Anytime. Hope things are working out for you.
With some tweaking, I think our new party member will be ready this weekend.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Hopefully.
Oooooh! Cool.
On my end, I report getting fillings today and attempting to find a new cheap car. FML. How is everyone else doing?
Very much looking forward to it Alaina.
@Dulae - preserving conservation of luck, all your good luck was transferred to me (ludicrous amounts of positive things today).
Btw, I'll be driving back to LA tomorrow morning instead of tonight.
@Dulae - I feel your pain. My wisdom teeth are going to be getting removed within a month or two, and I'm not looking forward to it.
A mysterious cloaked figure appears!
It's good you're getting that out of the way early on, Xizoh. I look forward to seeing humorously trippy posts if they give you painkillers. (Although heavy duty ibuprofen worked well enough back in the day.)
Yeah, it's my placeholder alias for dramatic entrances.
Crunch is ready, I just need to confer with the GM on backstory and intro.
Magic. The cloaked figure is a cool character and I'm excited about them.
Btw...
==== GM batman advisory ====
Travel season is almost over for me (just one more work-related trip this year), but tomorrow is the start of an engineering run at one of the labs that will evolve to full data-taking by December. (Hopefully.) I'm on call to get a bat signal 24/7 in case we see something interesting, so there's some chance I sporadically won't be able to post for long chunks of time (12-20 hours) up to mid-January or so. Even during the science run it's highly unlikely a full 24 hours will go by without a post from me, so you may not notice a difference, but I figured I'd give a heads up in case.
Yay for science and batman. In Idahoan news, our chemistry teacher decided we needed a pool on the second story. No one got hurt, though some fool saved the death jar.
Keep datuming the good data!
That sounds like a very memorable chem demo. Dare I ask what a death jar is?
You know, I rather like datum as a verb. (I do wish Merriam-Webster would get around to erasing it from its current irritating existence and making data singular though, amirite?)
The death jar is a gallon mason jar filled with a potassium nitrate solution I used for a science project a few years back. I did fire writing and other SCIENCE-y things for elementary kids. After leaving it in the school during summer break, I came back and it had...grown. I know a guy, got it cultured, and lo and behold my experiment had became filled with enough diseases to drop pretty much anybody. Dude brought it back, took a whiff, and puked his guts out.
tldr:Dispose of chemicals kids. Also, why Xizoh is banned from making ferrofluid and other cool science stuff.
Gotta love the body's natural NOPE response.
Oh man, I totally forgot today was a Tuesday. Do-over Happy Tuesday all.
(Tuesday bot offer still stands, Dulae.)
On the plus side, if Henri comes back she can RP her mother...
:(
Hope all is well, Henri!
In other news, I've started playing Civ 6. Anyone else get it? The title screen music is EPIC.
I can't say that I have, how is the gameplay? Sadly, I'm far too locked into Blizzard games right now, so I'm not sure if I'd get Civ 6 any time soon. I do like the franchise, though!
I'm still surprised you waited this long, Dulae.
In other other news: California seems to overcompensate for not having seasons by being super into holidays. That was really fun for Halloween, but kid you not I have already seen houses with Santas and heard Christmas music on the radio. What. Is. Happening. (ffs, it's not even Veteran's Day.)
Is this a west coast phenomenon, or more broad?
That's nothing, I started seeing Christmas decorations in stores mid-September.
Christmas stuff eclipses thanksgiving already in my town. I think I saw someone dressed as Santa for Halloween actually.
Honestly, I think it's a broad phenomenon. Really, Black Friday is given more focus than Thanksgiving it seems.
Capitalism at work I suppose; clearly there’s a market for it. (1000 years from now there will be creepy discolored plastic Santas next to crucifixes and Buddhas in museum exhibits on ancient religions. Although I’d most like to see what future humans make of Groundhog Day. (Hang on, these people went to the moon, but they had a yearly ritual for rodents to predict the weather?))
Apologies to Alaina for the delay on the intro. Travel season has been unexpectedly extended - I’m apparently going to Ecuador in early December, and it’s coming up quick enough I had to get immunized ASAP even though I’ve been getting over the undergrad plague. (No offense, future Xizoh.) Anyway, that’s been kicking my ass.
Testing...
The world has been updated to v2.0. Everyone should check for a PM from me with new things your character already knows. (Questions welcome/encouraged.)
I haven't finished working out the details in every sphere, so we could conceivably encounter a future glitch in the matrix and you may get further updates, but I think we're ready for Dara to join.
Welcome Dara. (Apologies to Xizoh for multiple nested references from circa 2005.)
Not one of my best birthdays, but certainly not one of my worst either.
Question, I haven't been reading anything under a spoiler tab that doesn't list Cel or a grouping of people involving Cel to help avoid metagaming. Should I be reading spoiler tabs?
*shrug* IDK.
Hey wow, Happy Birthday Alaina! Do anything fun?
@Cel - fair question. tl;dr: Nope.
I've been writing them so that everything a PC observes or experiences is accessible in spoilers with their name (or general posts). I've also been assuming some players read spoilers for other PCs anyway (for the lolz). When there's something that would both be surprising and have some significant impact on other PCs' knowledge or view of each other, I give that an additional 'spoiler' warning. (Two levels of spoilers, effectively.)
Also, busy day of science today. I should be able to post after work this evening.
(P.S. Has anyone seen Doctor Strange yet? I am dying to know if it's good.)
I loved it! Fiance and I went on Saturday night, and we had a blast. I've heard mixed opinions on the writing and character development, but I have yet to hear anyone say that it wasn't at the very least completely worth the ticket just for the effects. Personally, I thought the writing, characters, and effects were all great, but I'm also a pretty easy sell.
Also, totally misunderstood, I thought the birthday reference was for the new character (hence prompting my, "should I be reading this" question). So, highly delayed, happy birthday!
Saw it yesterday, absolutely loved it. But I would not recommend the 3D version if you're susceptible to motion sickness or vertigo though.
Happy birthday!
Sorry all - my work has exploded recently but I'm still alive. I'll be back as soon as I can but until then give me a bot or two.
Note: Dulae's workload exploded. His experiments are going fine, as far as I know. (And if not, don't get any on you?)
I am so f*cking excited to see it, but it'll have to wait 'til I get back. Speaking of which...
==== GM travel advisory ====
Tomorrow: en route to DC. You are more likely to hear from me tomorrow morning than in the evening - looks like chances are ~30% after my flight I will be curled up under a table in a bar somewhere losing my faith in humanity and wishing my body could process alcohol. (Also, still need to write my talk for Wednesday morning.)
Wednesday and Thursday: standard conference schedule, should be able to post at night eastern time at least.
Friday: conference plus a flight back to LA (I get in very late, but I'll do my best to post at least once).
Saturday: Back to regularly scheduled posting (for almost a whole month!)
==========
Happy early Tuesday, all. Go vote tomorrow. (Do it.)
P.S. If you or someone you know is voting Trump I'd be fascinated to ask them about it. With 44% of the country okay with it, there must be something about the American experience I am totally missing.
Well, it's looking like Trump's going to win. Thanks America for a really bad early birthday present -_- Also, anyone really surprised at how this is turning out?
Early birthday, eh? I should start keeping track of these. It's not the dark day of November 8th, I hope.
Surprised? Yes. Disappointed? F*cking disaster wreck is probably a bit closer to my current state.
I was hoping as politics evolved that not being a straight white male would be less of a thing and not more of a thing (particularly as I am only 2/3 of the SWM trifecta myself). Somewhat less related to being a human who feels feelings; funding for science research also just got very uncertain in a big way (and not just because global markets are tanking). And in about 7 hours I'm meant to give a big talk about the giant, let's say 'large investment' physics experiment I work on at the opening session of a conference full of people who also realize that. So, brb.
I will post tomorrow, I promise.
I'm sorry to hear that for both of you! I'm the full on SWM, and middle class to boot, but I'm also a pragmatist. There's a fairly strong part of me that almost wonders if the republican sweep including Trump might eventually result in a good thing. It has to get a whole lot worse before it gets much better..."let them eat cake" style. I can hope for that at least, I can honestly say I'm less looking forward to a near future of continued inneptitude and infighting on the governmental level that accomplishes so little than I am the concept of just start the whole damn thing over. But I also recognize that many of these thoughts will piss off many people out there for a multitude of reasons, so I'll probably just be sticking with neutral indifferent statements with my patients for the next many many many months.
Yeah, I might not go with ‘let them eat cake’ when some of the cake to be eaten is open religious, racial, and gender/SO discrimination. Even an optimistic ‘it’ll all work out in the end’ pretty much discounts any acute suffering the groups targeted by the Trump campaign might soon be facing. I’d go with “I’m here to support you," which, knowing you, is true.
And sure, we could burn it all down to rebuild. But keep in mind if they keep their campaign promises a lot of people will be in that fire, not just watching it. (Myself included.) Muslims, people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ+. Hell, even journalists and political opponents. And that’s just in the US.
Before yesterday I felt like an up-and-coming physicist with very good prospects. But today during my talk I looked out into the usual sea of white guys and I have never felt my "other"-ness so keenly.
I’ve never been able to walk through the world the same way a SWM would. But even though s%$#ty things have happened, I’d always thought that most people were behind me in not standing for it. The ‘arc of the moral universe bends toward justice’ and all that. But now….
I’m deeply uneasy in my own skin.
F*ck.
Sorry guys, I just can't do this right now. I need another day. (Hopefully a better day.)
Conferences are exhausting on their own, and instead of my usual well of boundless energy I have nothing. The last time I had trouble posting, the five alarm fire in June, my grandfather passed away. We were close and that was rough. But this... I'm shattered.
I shall return.
"History doesn't repeat itself, but it does rhyme."-Mark Twain
Honestly, I feel a need to speak, and I trust you, my group, to at least listen to the ramblings of a foolish youth. So I apologize in advance.
When this election drew to a close, for the first time in my life I realized that you cannot hope your beliefs will grow and prosper without your efforts and sacrifice. This was not the world I thought I would come to age in. However, peering through this downpour of hate and dislike from both sides, I saw past the gilding. America has discovered the a quiet hatred that's been silently growing, and in that I honestly thank both candidates for running. Now, much like the Progressives of the early 1900's, we have a chance to correct that hatred before it consumes us.
This might have just spurred a new wave of people who care about other people and want to see the nation bettered. You can not cure that which you cannot see, and my generation as well as the older ones just awoke to that war cry. Apathy has shown what it breeds. That is not what we need. However I also watched as a few people questioned, and began to understand each other even as they disagreed.
You have my support Mikkel for simply being you, as well as the rest of you. I do not believe we have to be carbon copies in order to have harmony. Good night, and allow me to use the words of someone far more eloquent than I.
"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them."-Albert Einstein
Back in LA, and I should be able to post again starting tomorrow. I can't quite stomach getting into the villain mindset yet.
I think I have what I imagine cravings to play immersive first-person shooters must feel like, except instead of killing people I want to run around fixing/healing sh!t. That would be so satisfying. (Someone make the app.)
That’s a lovely sentiment, Xizoh. Thanks for sharing, I appreciate it. I’ve been working at academic campuses since I was an undergrad and I’ve interacted with a lot of students near your age. They tend to make me hopeful.
I think you’re right that progress comes down to listening and empathy. That’s wise of you. I also agree everybody’s been shouting into an echo chamber (including me, tbh). I’ve been trying to educate myself about the concerns that drove this - I had an enlightening conversation with my Uber driver on the way to the airport in DC about why he voted for Trump. He felt a lack of control, and was worried about a surveillance state and loss of protections for individuals. I disagree with his conclusions, but fair enough really.
Meanwhile, my perspective is undoubtedly shaped by the liberal echo chamber. In my view, electing Trump and Pence was an endorsement of ideas like banning all Muslims, mass deportation, punishing women for seeking reproductive health care, and manipulating Supreme Court appointments to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges. But before trying harder to reach out, I’d been thinking Trump voters were pretty much saying "we see the damage this would do to you, and your well being is less important than our discontent." Now I see many were missing the first part, although it’s still hard for me to disentangle the broader body of Trump voters from chants of "Build the wall" and the crowd cheering on Trump’s encouragement to assault protestors at his rallies.
When I say ‘shattered’ I mean I’m trying to say to the world, "Hello, yes, excuse me - there’s a bunch of people in immediate danger right now" and the response is "Stop whining, you lost." Like we’re arguing about tax rates or public campaign financing or something instead of people getting attacked in the street or harassed at work. (Ironic, given that the Trump movement seems to stem from a feeling of not being heard.)
I can see it may be hard for people to understand how ubiquitous bigotry was even before the election. Maybe they’ve never had a stranger’s truck block them from crossing the street to ensure they hear the insults shouted at them. Or walked faster when someone who wouldn’t stop staring starts walking behind them. Or crossed the street when a rowdy bunch passes by because just being in their field of view is inviting trouble. (Hard to imagine all the women who voted Trump never experienced any of this, but clearly they felt like they had bigger concerns than the normalization of assaulting women.)
I would very much like to think most Trump voters would be staunchly against hate crimes, but regardless of their intentions, this is reality now. And this.
I reached peak shattered when I was first hearing about this sh!t; in particular about a man who called the library where my friend works and called the woman who answered a c*nt, because, as he stated, "I can do that now." In response, one of my family members shared a pundit’s diatribe on facebook about how we have no right to object to ‘what America really wants’ or criticize bigoted Trumpian rhetoric, with the charming added caption: “*cracks knuckles*”
But I see I was wrong to associate this with Trump voters in general. Shows of power like this are coming from a relatively small number of hateful or misguided people to intimidate those they consider different/unwelcome/inferior and their allies. Hell, who knows how many are opportunists who didn’t even vote for Trump. It doesn’t matter. Hopefully the vast majority can agree on ‘let’s not commit hate crimes’ for now and build on that.
I also hope some Trump voters are right in thinking Trump’s just been trolling the country and won’t actually build the wall or prosecute his political opponents. Seems counter-intuitive to me, but gods I hope so. Otherwise, somebody’s going to hide me in their basement when I’m on the run for political dissent, right? (80% kidding)
If you’re hearing the call Xizoh, then alright, let’s go do some good in the world. I’m glad you’re feeling brave, because it’s going to be hard.
Also, Happy Belated Veteran’s Day all. Everybody do something nice for a veteran?
Hi all.
I'd say back to your regularly scheduled programming, but I'm still very worried for my colleagues, many of whom were informed by our institution this week they may not be able to get their US visas renewed, and my friends and family and neighbors. (And myself.)
This is still affecting me, which affects the game, so even though I'm back in posting form you're very likely to hear more about it. If for whatever reason this bothers you I want to know so we can talk about it, but I can't carry on like it's not happening.
Also important: Xizoh, I was so buried in all this bullsh!t I totally missed your birthday, didn't I. When was that, exactly?
I grew up in northern Indiana, the first state called for Trump and it only took 7% of the vote count to call it. In the end, there were only 3 counties in the entire state that voted blue: Marion County (Indianapolis), Monroe County (Indiana University), and Lake County (effectively Chicago). These people come from a very specific culture, and most of it is rural. Many of them are uneducated, but embody "midwest hospitality" to their core. They are good people. However, their culture (right or wrong) is one where you ask for no help. If your truck breaks down, you fix it yourself. They are largely industry towns too, where only one industry exists, and when it dies or moves the livelihood of these people dies with it. Flint, MI got a lot of press coverage for the whole collapse, but it's far more prevalent in the middle than not. When they turn on their TV and what they see is lots and lots of campaigning for our inner city youth needing support and education. When polliticians visit the nation's largest cities to put on a good face for these disenfranchised people, then hear the other side of the story of how much exploitation there is in government support programs (or hand-out programs as they'll say) they get upset. Their pride (again, for better or worse) doesn't allow asking for hand-outs, but they also aren't getting support as things get worse for them. Yes, there are plenty of people in the middle who accept handouts, exploit the system, etc. but they aren't the wider majority of the people there.
Every candidate runs on about "more jobs" coming with their election. It falls on deaf ears, but HOW these candidates express that message makes a big difference. The middle people have seen politician after politician make promise after promise, demonstrate pure corruption, and things keep getting worse in the middle. Then, comes with aligning with one of two parties simply because it's a wasted vote to vote green or libertarian. On the left, we have candidates specifically taking action and making legal things that you fundamentally believe are wrong, and you're told that party that what you believe is reprehensible! That sentence isn't whether it is correct or not to believe if gay marriage should be allowed, it is simply a statement none of us ever react to: What you believe is wrong! How could you possibly think that way!
There are plenty of examples about differences in culture that are exemplified by this whether it's "Obamacare" taking away freedom to choose what you do with your life or how the only community you have (your church) is required to allow certain things that are against what your community believes in. Now, enter Donald Trump. He's not a politician, he speaks his mind so you always know where you stand, and he makes statements that are much more in line with your fundamental beliefs than any blue party candidate could be. The response immediately goes to, "But he's a racist bigot!" Maybe he is, or maybe he's an excellent manipulator. Nothing he has said hasn't been said in every single locker room in America, including the blue states. It doesn't make the statements okay, it also doesn't make the statements true. They are only statements, and many people can ignore them because we've all said terrible things behind closed doors before. So, you have someone who stands up, doesn't hide behind some slimy grin, and promise to help you when you know that all that's going to happen is they get richer and often at your expense.
There's a strong chance that Donald Trump really is a racist bigot. His first 100 day plan has some things in it that are really a setback to the environment and relationships to foreign people, but there are also some REALLY good ideas in there too. Pledging to reform campaign finance, lobbying, and ending life-long terms to government positions all need to happen, and there are very few people in both red and blue states who don't agree that our government is broken. We're setting aside for a second that many of the things on the 100 day plan simply cannot be done. He can't build a wall, there isn't enough concrete, and he sure as hell can't make Mexico pay for it. He gets no say in who finances what campaign or how people can lobby. He'll be completely overridden if he tries to push limiting government positions to single or double term. He cannot deport all non-citizens, our entire economy would collapse starting with the tech industry.
There is one thing that I'm trying to watch objectively, and that's how much of a con artist he really is. He has very little other than good things to say about Clinton in her concession call to Trump. He spoke very highly of Obama in their "passing of the guard" conversation. Actions speak louder than words, and a lot of his words were unacceptable during the campaign, but just acceptable enough by different cultures in our country to be passable. So far, there have been no actions as Trump the president, but his very recent behavior almost suggests that the election was con one side to vote for him more than the other. Then, as president he may try to do what he thinks is truly best for the country. The environmentalist in me weeps at his version of what's best, but much of what he's supported in the past politically is far more left wing than right. If he's conned an entire country into getting him in office only to try to make real change for the better, that could dare I say it turn into as decent a president as one could expect. He could also be the worst president in history, but catastrophizing now won't help anyone's inner turmoil and we don't even know what will happen yet.
The cited people who have been openly violent and threatening have always been there. This current population may be citing Donald Trump as their empowerment, but lets not forget, the Westboro Baptist Church existed long before Trump's election. Violent protests, rape, murder, racism, and the like have all been there all along. Sadly, none of that will change. If you are a rapist, you don't need empowerment from a new president to do the action, and to look at his loudest supporters as the majority is no different than calling Islam a terrorist religion simply because the loudest most outspoken terrorists get the microphone. Hell, Seattle has already had 5 shootings from within the anti-Trump protestors. Idiots are present everywhere, and they are the loudest. What happens to this country remains to be seen, and I as a human really want the Holleywood movie style version where it turns out Trump is just the greatest con man ever and does good for this country. I'm highly skeptical that this possibility could happen, but hey, he did behave very commendably toward both Clinton and Trump in recent days, far better than past presidents had to the opposite party. I'm also highly skeptical that he will ruin the country and create a civil war. Both extremes are part of the Bell curve, and his presidency is more likely to be somewhere in the middle much like every presidency has been in the last 5 decades. It's unbelievably hard, but try not to lose too much sleep over this. The health professional in me worries far more about your lack of sleep and constant, severe stress than what might come from Donald Trump in office. No one can function well in those states, including those who are spurned to action over this debacle of an election.
Nah, I meant realllllllyyy early, should have probably stressed that. My birthday is sandwiched between Christmas and New Years.
Also, as a prospective health care provider(High Five Cel!), and someone who deals with depression pretty regularly, please get some rest and find some way to channel your stress positively.
What is this rest and positivity?
I seem to recall those words in my vocabulary before grad school, but the knowledge has slipped away...
Re:Trump:
Did you know! The F-bomb can be used as every part of a speech in a sentence? *Cue The More You Know Music* In other news, Republican states rights advocates were stunned today when the entire liberal population changed their minds and embraced them.
... *cough* anywho...
While I can understand the motivations that lead people to vote for Trump, I find the appointment of the alt-right insanity bringer who shall remain un-named to senior white house counsel disturbing.
Re: Cel's devils advocate: I really appreciate you giving your perspective, especially considering how few people I know who have lived in a red state. However, there is one thing in particular I take issue with:
Nothing he has said hasn't been said in every single locker room in America, including the blue states.
My locker room experiences have been in Hudson MA, Syracuse NY, and Amherst MA, in chronological order. Never once have I heard the kinds of things Trump has said in them. Sexually charged comments sure, but never bragging about/advocating for sexual assault. Granted, those are very blue places (Syracuse less so, but it was a college so not exactly representative), but please don't generalize to all locker rooms in America. I don't mean this as an attack on you - I truly do thank you for the perspective - but this was one of the defenses of the Trump campaign that I found most distasteful.
Thanks for sharing, Cel. I do appreciate it. I’ve been trying to do a lot better about collecting perspectives from outside my usual bubble of hyper-educated liberals. (Roughly 90% of people I talk to regularly IRL have PhDs or are currently acquiring a PhD, and that makes for a nice cozy self-assured echo chamber.)
I agree with Dulae's point... I very much hope that's not true (although I can't attest to it since a large portion of the population doesn't consider speaking around me to be 'behind closed doors').
Otherwise I am still thinking about what you've said, Cel.
Xizoh too - I was awake very late worried about the world last week (Thursday night?). My phone went off at about 3 am eastern and I was like Who the f%*&... oh, it's Xizoh. Well that's very nice. So thanks for that. (Even though that pin was helpful in the middle of that particular night, I did figure out how to turn off Pinterest notifications.) Also, I know those feels.
---
What is this rest and positivity?
I seem to recall those words in my vocabulary before grad school, but the knowledge has slipped away...
Shhhh, Xizoh can hear you. (In all seriousness though Xizoh, I don't regret going to graduate school, but I would definitely recommending cultivating a strong support network if/when you do.)
Re:Trump:
Did you know! The F-bomb can be used as every part of a speech in a sentence? *Cue The More You Know Music* In other news, Republican states rights advocates were stunned today when the entire liberal population changed their minds and embraced them.
I needed that laugh. (Have you seen the 'Biden prepares for Trump' meme? It's kind of magical.)
This is my game plan moving forward.
1. Protect the most vulnerable targets of hate post-election. If I see hate speech, intimidation, or violence, I will intervene. I will talk to friends and family members who make off-color jokes about how this is harmful. I will probably not be doing the safety pin thing, but I’ll offer proactive support to all. I’ll march/protest peacefully whenever I can (as I should have been doing before for issues I had serious concerns about but didn’t directly affect me).
2. Protect and support immigrants, refugees, low income communities, people of color, non-Christians, LGBTQ+, women, the disabled, veterans, first responders, and the environment. I will devote time, energy, and a significant portion of my salary to the following causes (in no particular order):
- The American Civil Liberties Union
- The Southern Poverty Law Center
- The Anti-Defamation League
- The Sierra Club
- The National Immigration Law Center
- The Council on American-Islamic Relations
- The Sylvia Rivera Law Project
- Planned Parenthood
- The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
- Groups supporting first responders and their families
- Groups supporting veterans and their families
- Free clinics supporting those with limited access to health care
I will also organize opportunities for scientists who win major prizes to donate some or all of their winnings to one or more of these causes.
3. Monitor the ever-loving f*ck out of local, state, and national legislation. I will pay attention. I will check what’s happening at least once every couple weeks. Recognizing that calling is the most effective way to be heard, I will devote a couple lunch breaks a month to call my representatives and advocate for or against proposed bills. I will register protest when I do not agree with their vote, and I will offer praise when I do. I will encourage others to do the same.
4. Bridge the gap. I will stop consuming as many low fact-to-word ratio liberal opinion sources. I will buy subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times to support quality investigative journalism. I will check everything that’s presented as fact when I’m in my liberal bubble, not just when I hear it from a conservative. I will talk to people who don’t agree with me, and I will listen.
5. Support young people with injections of hope. I will donate a lot more of my time to schools in low-income and rural areas. I will demonstrate that people who aren’t straight white men can be successful scientists while I show them some mind-blowing astrophysics that humans around the world did together.
I’ve already made a lot of progress toward these goals, which feels better, but not enough.
If you want to help, let me know. Otherwise, I will take support in the form of coffee. Lots of coffee. (And your patience when this inevitably spills into my posting time.)
I've been searching for an analysis of Trumpism that seems to agree with what I've observed and what I've heard from Trump supporters I know. I think this gets it pretty close.
It's quite long, but the summary analogy seems to be:
"You are patiently standing in the middle of a long line stretching toward the horizon, where the American Dream awaits. But as you wait, you see people cutting in line ahead of you. Many of these line-cutters are black—beneficiaries of affirmative action or welfare. Some are career-driven women pushing into jobs they never had before. Then you see immigrants, Mexicans, Somalis, the Syrian refugees yet to come. As you wait in this unmoving line, you're being asked to feel sorry for them all. You have a good heart. But who is deciding who you should feel compassion for? Then you see President Barack Hussein Obama waving the line-cutters forward. He's on their side. In fact, isn't he a line-cutter too? How did this fatherless black guy pay for Harvard? As you wait your turn, Obama is using the money in your pocket to help the line-cutters. He and his liberal backers have removed the shame from taking. The government has become an instrument for redistributing your money to the undeserving. It's not your government anymore; it's theirs."
And as you say Cel, part of waiting in line seems to be 'doing everything you should be doing' and that means not taking money from the government.
Is this analogy consistent with others' assessment of commonality among Trump supporters? Is there anything you'd alter to make it a more true reflection?
(Tangentially related: can someone help me understand the consistent draw of self-made millionaires and billionaires? Is it not widely understood that the very rich almost always start with significant resources? And why do people think that the rich will act against their own self-interest and spontaneously create jobs in places where factory jobs are long gone?)
I understand pride and social pressure are huge motivators - that limits our options for helping these people. There are not a lot of natural resources to generate factory jobs in these places, and they won't accept financial help that people they consider inferior are taking (which has some racial undertones, but, okay).
So, assuming also they have responsibilities with their jobs and families and it's hard to find time to call their reps and impossible to protest, how do we get them at the table to advocate for themselves? Is it possible they would accept help/funds to relocate to somewhere else with more opportunity? Would they consider accepting free training/education for a different type of work? Can we re-brand financial assistance from the government to be somehow more palatable?
EDIT: I realized this only would address those near or below the poverty line when I remembered the median Trump supporter income was something like $70,000. So.... not sure what to do there. We could tax the very wealthy more to lessen the burden on the middle class, but they seem against that as well.
The other element to remember here is that poverty is not the voting population for the most part. It's the people who are educated enough to value something like voting. There are certainly crazy people on the far wings of both parties who may or may not be educated, but for the most part the voting population isn't extensive in the poor
I'll tell my story as an example of what this article was trying to demonstrate. I grew up a SWM in a middle-class home. My parents were divorced, but I split time living with them equally. My dad barely graduated high school, but is incredibly gifted in fixing anything and everything. He was able to do handiman style work for a living and was in that mid-$30,000 per year range income. My mom spent most of my life working a full-time job, a part-time job, and going to college for 17 years to become a teacher. She was in the upper $20,000 range to lower $30,000 for most of my life...still technically middle-class. In my life, we filed for backruptcy 3 times, we were nearly homeless on 4 separate occasions, and I can count on two hands how many times I can remember that we could pay all of our monthly bills in a single month.
In high school I was a 3.8 student. I graduated with a college degree in psychology as a 3.4 student. Because I was a middle-class SWM who couldn't quite make 4.0 there was zero support to be had. It turns out there are VERY little scholarships for middle-class SWM who aren't the absolutely top tier student or on athletic scholarship...I spent a great deal of time looking. So, my college was entirely on student loans. After graduation, I was overqualified for a decent paying technical job and underqualified for anything in psychology. I worked two jobs from 2005 to 2008, constantly looking for better work, and the best I could make was $7.25 per hour.
Fortunately, I had bigger plans. Over that 3 years my student loan debt increased. You have to start paying student loans 6 months after graduation, unless you are still taking classes. I took 1-3 classes per semester gradually increasing my student loan debt, but deferring having to pay. This allowed me to save enough to prepare for PT school that would again be devoid of any scholarships or grants. I finished all of my schooling at 29 years old with $152,000 of student loan debt at 6.7% interest. I will be paying $986 per month for the next 26.5 years, which is just shy of 25% of my monthly income not just as a PT, but as a clinic manager.
I'm not writing any of this to garner sympathy or to say that "my life is the worst." I live a comfortable life because I've been smart with my money. I came from rougher circumstances, but certainly there were worse upbringings than mine. I always had a meal. However, there is a part of me that is and always will be furious not because there was not support for me for being a middle-class SWM, but because I'm not allowed to be upset about it. That there are the disenfranchised who don't have it as good as a middle-class SWM. That I have NO reason to complain about a lack of support because I've never been subjected to bigotry, racism, or any of the other terrible things that the non-middle-class SWM people have been subjected to. These things are all factual, and I must accept it, but there is a part that seems unfair and even as I type this sentence I feel shame for feeling it.
I did not vote for Trump, and I never would, but my story is not one in isolation. Add in traditional ideals and religious beliefs, and you have the person who chose to vote for Trump. This isn't the loud, ridiculous TRUE Trump supporter. They are idiots, but there aren't enough of them for him to win. There are, however, enough in the middle of the country who have the traditional moral values and religious beliefs coupled with stories similar to mine to result in a Trump win.
(Tangentially related: can someone help me understand the consistent draw of self-made millionaires and billionaires? Is it not widely understood that the very rich almost always start with significant resources? And why do people think that the rich will act against their own self-interest and spontaneously create jobs in places where factory jobs are long gone?)
Hope. Desperate hope that they can do it too. It's really easy to put on blinders to that fact when there's a chance you can get out of the money pit that doesn't end. The lottery is based on that. I don't know what it is here in Washington, but I assume it's the same as Indiana. The vast majority of people buying lottery tickets are not people of upper middle class or higher status. They are the downtrodden who hope so bad for relief they'll believe a business owner has "the little person's" best interst in mind.
So, assuming also they have responsibilities with their jobs and families and it's hard to find time to call their reps and impossible to protest, how do we get them at the table to advocate for themselves? Is it possible they would accept help/funds to relocate to somewhere else with more opportunity? Would they consider accepting free training/education for a different type of work? Can we re-brand financial assistance from the government to be somehow more palatable?
I don't really have anything I can contribute on the first sentence, but the second I do have some kind of answer for. It's highly unlikely you'll be able to get someone with those traditional values to leave. Those values have a very strong sense of the proverbial "home" whether it's a rational value or not. They are the people who refuse to evacuate for Katrina. Is it stupid? Absolutely, but it is what they value. It isn't about if they will accepting funds for the promise of a better life, it's about being forced to leave their home. My dad has since moved from Indiana to a much more successful, happier life in Colorado where he is a business owner doing great work as a contractor that people love him for, and more importantly can afford to pay for. However, he still longs to move back to Ft. Wayne, Indiana where he had dirt floors until the mid-70s because it's "home." I can't help by roll my eyes at him when he says those things, but there you have it.
Thanks Cel, this is really helpful.
I'm still processing it, but there's one thing I don't follow:
However, there is a part of me that is and always will be furious not because there was not support for me for being a middle-class SWM, but because I'm not allowed to be upset about it.
If you're willing, can you tell me more about why you feel you're not allowed to be upset? This really surprised me - I've never witnessed shaming of complaints about being under-supported getting through school/life. (That I can think of.) Probably well over 90% of people I know of every gender, color, and creed would be right there next to you shouting from the rooftops about the ridiculous price of higher education and advocating for your debt to be forgiven.
Does this stem from comments people have made to you? Or do you feel like the message is sent in things like the existence of affirmative action programs? Or is it along the lines of you think people's outrage that Trump's rhetoric should have been a dealbreaker overlooks/dismisses your own struggles?
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Also: f#!+, in my last post I did that super s+$$ty thing that liberals tend to do where I rhetorically positioned myself as a solutions driver to 'help these people' instead of treating everyone affected as (at least) equal partners in addressing their own grievances. F@!$ me. My sincere apologies - I'll be over here wearing an appropriately sized cone of shame. (And you are strongly encouraged to call me out on any such future b~!@*$#~.)
Revised position on middle America: I want to understand these grievances and I'm actively looking for input. I'm eager to help, ideally with concrete, actionable solutions proposed by people who actually know wtf would be helpful.
Also, ABSOLUTELY no apology necessary. I get that you're asking me/us to call you on those kind of statements, which makes you a great human being, but I do need to specify one thing. I am not middle America, I am only from there. I left because I couldn't stand the culture. The humanist in me that drove me to a healthcare position weeps for the middle (a WHOLE different post entirely), but the pragmatist in me finds the their pride thing incredibly stupid. I'm also offensive to a fault when things don't line up rationally, so that's my thing I should probably have people call me on.
Anyway, your solution really does make sense to me, and this discussion is more my attempt to help you with your final statement. The more you know, the better you can do that. My story is to give you a glimpse of their perspective. I love that you want to help. Again, it's what makes you a great person. But the way a liberal leaning person helps is by being a true humanitarianism. That will only serve to piss off the very people you want to help in this case. It will take an entirely new approach than being a humanitarian trying to find solutions that make sense to humanitarianism, and the biggest evidence to that is that they elected Trump as president.
The rebuttal by so many is that I get enough <insert thing here> for being a middle-class SWM.... Most people I know personally wouldn't be upset with me for complaining about no financial support for being a middle-class SWM, but in our culture if I were to be vocal about that to the general populace I'd be strung up for it.
I'm curious what has happened or what you've observed that's shaped this experience. Even though most people both you or I know wouldn't be upset if you said that, the picture of 'strung up' I am imagining is that you could post on facebook right now 'I could have used more support for college, my debt is outrageous' and you'd get a hundred angry emojis and comments like 'SWM alert: you are not entitled to an opinion about resource distribution.' I believe you, but I don't see their logic there, and I've never witnessed this kind of behavior myself. How does this go down? In what forum does being 'strung up' happen? Who are the 'so many' doing the stringing?
But the way a liberal leaning person helps is by being a true humanitarianism. That will only serve to piss off the very people you want to help in this case. It will take an entirely new approach than being a humanitarian trying to find solutions that make sense to humanitarianism, and the biggest evidence to that is that they elected Trump as president.
Okay then... inquiring minds want to know: how do conservative leaning people help? Because they do - I saw at least hundreds of people in their personal boats rescuing and helping their neighbors during the flooding in Louisiana. That very red community offers support when they hear someone has fallen on hard times. I'd say most consider it a duty, even. They take pride in it. What is the key to help being viewed as expected 'hospitality' versus unwelcome 'charity'? Do you have to be a community member for your help to be accepted? Is it a status thing, like being able to offer help signifies you're at least better off than some, and accepting help signifies you're somehow lesser (excepting times of tragedy like natural disaster, death, or illness)?
Though as a prospective SWM college student, Cel's words are pretty accurate. There are less opportunities for the average SWM to get aid for college, or at least that's how it seems. Out of my grade of roughly 180 kids, I'm among probably 8 to be getting serious merit based scholarships, and I've heard people talk about
t's that I'm not allowed to be a middle-class SWM and complain that I can't get <insert thing here> support.
quite often.
*I'm assuming middle as in middle class. Suddenly I'm doubting whether it's financial or locality.
@Mikkel-Sorry about the whole pinterest thing, I probably did it on accident. Still learning all this new fangled social media. Also, I apolgize if this is disorganized/disrespectful. I honestly have a circadian rhythm that's about 6 hours off it seems, and starting to crave my sleep.