Journal of Other Forum Analysis (Volume II, Issue 1)

[clockwork5]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/atlasintel-disapproval-of-trump-is-at-83-for-people-who-didnt-vote-in-2024.1140855/page-4

Nepenthe:

I'm not telling people to do nothing. I'm telling people to organize. I've been telling people to organize in this forum. For literally years. To either join an organization, or to start one.

This very framing that if you aren't voting you are inherently doing nothing reveals the very nature of how people cannot actually conceive of the full breadth of political action, how little initiative and imagination people have.

It's why I just shrug when non-Americans here complain about seeming American inaction in the face of what's happening. Granted I think some of it is inaccurate and, depending upon the country the complainer is from, quite hypocritical, but I get it. Like, they're broadly right.

A lot of y'all truly don't do anything for other human beings, and it is fucking weird (well, is really not; y'all think everyone else is a fucking moron who doesn't deserve your grace). Meanwhile, bored Nazi moms will just make a Facebook group over some fake news and suddenly have people showing up in school meetings and shit.

I don't believe in accelerationism or a defined path for humanity like MLs will go in on, that if x happens, y will definitely happen, so we need to make sure x happens. Trump isn't a necessary evil; he's just evil.

I think the result is actually quite banal. Trump (or any Republican) getting elected was simply a statistical likelihood simply given the mathematics of how American elections work. It was basically a foregone conclusion, if not in 2024 then in 2028. This should not have surprised or shocked anyone. Again, it is literally impossible for us to elect Democrats forever. You might as well have hoped for God to have come down and handle it, and then be shocked that he didn't appear to turn the Republican Party into pillars of salt or whatever. Like, huh? What are you doing?

Even if we ignore the math, it seems excessively clear to me that there is a deep rot in the American life and psyche due to the economic system and its resulting culture. The necessities to live are getting more expensive while wages aren't growing enough to keep up with demand, our social and emotional outlets are being wrenched away and/or paywalled, our work lives are hostile as fuck. Urban decay is everywhere. Small towns are dying. Prisons are overflowing and are basically allowed to be torture chambers. Guns and alcohol are everywhere. People are spending years of their lives in traffic. Student loans are crushing a generation. People feel a sense of hopelessness.

So what are they doing? They are merely voting for the person who promises some sort of change from the status quo underpinning all of this bullshit. Any change. Something to make all this bullshit go away. Now Americans, being as anti-intellectual as they are, largely don't understand the fundamental reasons for the decay or the fact that both Parties are unwilling to address it because they are literally paid by lobbyists to keep things shit for us. This ignorance and inability to define the problems of the world, and where one's self fits into that world and its problems, leads inevitably to reactionary thinking and behaviors like leaning into bigotry and scapegoats, conspiratorial thinking, horizontal violence like general crime or shit like mass shootings. Americans live in a miasma of political ignorance, media-influenced brainrot, and a contradictory understanding that things are wrong but an ignorance about why things are wrong, which is pretty much by design.

You start to slowly fix this from a ground level by education, by making sure you understand the problems of the world and who your actual enemies are (it's capitalists and will always be capitalists), and then taking this understanding to the masses through education focused on including them in the process of learning itself, by allowing them the leeway to state how they view their world and challenging that viewpoint without any saviorism, by understanding the conditions of their living situation earnestly and thoroughly. But this cannot be done, fundamentally, if you don't respect the oppressed masses, and Era as a community not only disrespects people on the regular but just fucking hates them, so I mean. I don't know what y'all want, to be honest.

If I wanted to accuse you, specifically, of not doing anything for anyone, I would've said so. I don't know you or your station so I didn't presume. I clearly said "some of y'all," and even you agree with me that certain people don't actually do anything for others because you are complaining about the Americans annoyingly asking "What do you want me to do about it?!" regarding Trump's foreign policy. Funnily enough, we agree on this point: Lots of people don't do anything! I'm insisting that they should, specifically that they should organize!

To your point about effort, I don't think the reason people don't vote is because it's inconvenient. I think it's because they are emotionally disconnected from the political process and don't believe it will fundamentally change their lives. They don't believe that their vote translates meaningfully into agency. Given the state of American society, they are largely correct. The best time to have lived in this country economically (as a straight white male) was the aftermath of WWII, and it's honestly been downhill ever since.

Organizing, however, gives you agency. No matter what little you are doing, even if it's something as politically frivolous as working in a dog shelter, the work directly results in a change in the environment that you directly affected. When you clean up that shit, wash the bed and blanket, and refresh the food and water, that dog has a better living environment than it did before you came in. It's a tangible, positive difference, and you likely did it with the help and guidance of other human beings with whom you can connect with, which provides a social aspect that voting cannot since it must be done discreetly.

I largely agree with that. I think specifically part of the problem is that liberals in general only engage politically through the voting booth and electioneering. Organization is not actually in the cards as far as praxis is concerned, and in many ways it's looked down upon and routinely mocked as "firebombing a Walmart" or some other nonsense (but ask them what they think of the civil rights movement and it's all glowing fucking accolades. That's a whole rant in itself.) So when an election doesn't go their way, they're the ones who descend into nihilism and hopelessness, whining and gnashing that there's nothing to do, that it's all over, that they're just so tired and want to tune out.

It's actually fucking annoying if you wanna know the truth.

They are completely unwilling to reckon with even the possibility that- yes- there's still things to do, that no, history has not fucking ended yet, and that maybe- just maybe- their attitudes and beliefs should be subject to rigorous scrutiny. But again, look at this thread. Look at how many posts are people complaining that everyone else is a moron. Everyone else is stupid. Everyone else is evil. And they don't care about anyone else's thoughts and opinions or even their quality of life. If they suffer, then good. They deserve to suffer. But yet you want these same people's votes and loyalty. This is a textbook superiority complex. How about some humility for once, especially after your Party fucking lost to Trump again?

I don't expect the average Era user to change, which in turn potentially makes me also stupid for even typing all of this out. Again, I'm screaming into a void when I should probably be in bed. But my lack of faith in this specific community isn't necessarily a refutation of my overall belief that humans at least have the capacity for change. Indeed, I think change is all we know how to do and is inevitable. We're still not in caves, after all!

As for that Adam Conover video, I actually made a thread about it before! It's a really good overview of how we've lost the spirit of organization and community and desperately need it back. But, again, to organize and commune, you have to, like...respect people. Folks here

I’m not reading all of that drivel but she was busy last night.

[Snoopy]

One ree's horrifying tale of traveling to Nazi Land America -

I remember arriving at Newark airport in 2022 and the border control officers at the airport were not friendly or polite at all. They were very intimidating and I felt like I was being interrogated. I had to prove I had a return flight booked and they looked through my bag. I'm like I'm just here to go to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty! It wasn't a good first impression of arriving in the country.

Imagine going to a foreign country and having to show some agent your tickets while he checks your luggage.

[Besticus Maximus]

A lot of words for a Trump's midwife

[DavidCroquet]

We finally got to the fireworks factory!

[Steven Snell]

Wait did Echoes request a self ban?

[HaughtyFrank]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/caught-on-video-driver-cuts-off-harasses-tesla-owner-in-seattle-area.1141191/

[Alpacx]

I cannot believe that the she responded with “I predicted this with math and history”.

"You're asking for Anne Frank to fight for Poland.", "I predicted this with math and history".

This season of Era is cooking. Great forum B-Dubs

[killamajig]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/caught-on-video-driver-cuts-off-harasses-tesla-owner-in-seattle-area.1141191/

If you're curious if the person driving the Tesla near you is an asshole, look at the car's badging. If it's the Tesla T logo they bought their car when Musk was just an annoying d-bag. If it says the word Tesla on it, they bought it after he started pulling his Nazi bullshit.

[killamajig]

Wait did Echoes request a self ban?

yep

We are missing so many wlw Autogyno fantasy threads.

[JoeBoy101]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/caught-on-video-driver-cuts-off-harasses-tesla-owner-in-seattle-area.1141191/

If you're curious if the person driving the Tesla near you is an asshole, look at the car's badging. If it's the Tesla T logo they bought their car when Musk was just an annoying d-bag. If it says the word Tesla on it, they bought it after he started pulling his Nazi bullshit.

Where's the before video? Maybe the Tesla driver was being an asshole or had Nazi shit on her car.

So… what you’re asking is if they are no Angel?

[malfoyking]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-devastating-impact-of-trump%E2%80%99s-slashing-foreign-aid.1141287/

Look how no one has posted here yet. It's not about Gaza so they don't give a shit.

[StandingOvation]

FWIW, the profile of https://x.com/trannefrank does not yet exist, should someone want it

[Straight Edge]

Tranne Frank: She’s Coming Out……of the attic!

[StandingOvation]

Tranne Frank: She’s Coming Out……of the attic!

Honestly, not the worst Drag name I've seen.

[Uncle]

found this meme being shared unironically

[BIONIC]

This was never about whether Kamala Harris was a good candidate.
It was about whether you'd rather have her or Donald Trump in power.
You made that choice when you didn't vote.

Wrong.

Not voting for either candidate because of the valid reasons explained previously does not mean they wanted Trump over Harris. That's just factually wrong.

For the 200th time, it is the job of the candidate to get your vote. The voter doesn't owe them a damn thing.

If you want the support of voters who are struggling financially, you need to give them a reason to believe you'll fix their issues.

If you want the support of voters who had the ongoing genocide as their top priority, you can't openly support said genocide and belittle those who want it to end.

We had three elections in a row where the democratic strategy was "at least were not Trump." It failed twice. (And let's be honest, it only worked in 2020 because of the pandemic.)

At a certain point, you have to stop pointing figures at everyone else, reflect on why people don't want to vote for your party, and start listening to your base.

[Propagandhim]

All or Nothing thinking.  The true sign of a sophisticated thinker than knows the analysis.

Different administrations' approaches to the Israel-Palestine conflict are "all equally genocidal" - there are no policy differences and diplomatic strategies, military aid conditions, and humanitarian assistance, as you have seen.  It's all exactly the same.  If you chose to vote Democrat?  That means you think you are on Team: "The Good Guys" who can do no wrong, and even though many Democrati voters and critics of Republican policies also criticize Democratic policies but still recognize meaningful distinctions in approach and outcomes - you must know those people are straight up, bitches.   Genocide has been "happening for decades" in exactly the same way - so there's no point in voting because it's all one long, homogenous genocide, flattening all historical context and escalations, de-escalations, and policy shifts that have real impacts on human lives.    All politicians are equally complicit or none are.   There' moral purity and complete moral abandonment.  The conclusion that political disengagement is justified because "all sides are equally bad" just benefits those with the most extreme positions by removing moderate voices from the political process. Political engagement, even with imperfect options is necessary for incremental progress.  But incremental progress and moderate voices are for bitches.  The analysis, that only Nepenthe is capable of producing, is now complete.





THIS IS LITERALLY HOW YOU TALK TO OTHER PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT YOU BELIEVE

[Eric Cartman]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/ap-%E2%80%98it%E2%80%99s-not-personal-trump%E2%80%99s-deportation-efforts-find-support-among-south-florida-latinos.1140321/page-2#post-137287506

Nah, Americans. The last election showed how many only care about themselves.

How many countries are fighting for liberation of humanity from capitalism compared to how many have been willing to let the Global South rot for the convenience of online shopping and their own prized, comfy social democratic safety nets? Hell, how many countries are actually decolonizing themselves and giving autonomy back to their Indigenous groups?

I have no affinity for America, but the reactionary sentiments I've seen on this forum now that the fascism no one cared about wrecking havoc on Black and Brown groups is now hurting the white countries has been making my blood boil.

A lot of y'all need to stop acting like y'all actually care for other people. You don't, and you never did.

Wow, so true, 2deep4me

How many countries are fighting for liberation of humanity from the lizard people and sending troops into the vast undiscovered lands inside our hollow earth?
Hell, how many countries are actually fighting Big Cartography propaganda that the earth is a spherical body in a heliocentric solar system?

Wake up sheeple, how are you all soooooo stupid that you just don't get this?

[Eric Cartman]

I can't understand all these people who spend all day telling us their enemies are literal actual Nazis and can do anything they want. Then create fantasy scenarios where no, they don't act like Nazis and don't actually do whatever they want. Instead they always act in ways that the person yelling at you can win against.

The followers must feel humiliated by the ostentatious wealth and force of their enemies. When I was a boy I was taught to think of Englishmen as the five-meal people. They ate more frequently than the poor but sober Italians. Jews are rich and help each other through a secret web of mutual assistance. However, the followers must be convinced that they can overwhelm the enemies. Thus, by a continuous shifting of rhetorical focus, the enemies are at the same time too strong and too weak.

I can't really understand this outside of a webcomic format like the popper paradox of intolerance - you're saying not only do english jews control everything they're also fat?

[Eric Cartman]

That thread about the guy sending reviewers an email about their Xenoblade reviews has been emblematic of my point about the hypocrisy of Era.
Anyone who has worked with people on the spectrum can tell you that email was not sent with any malicious intent, it was just a person on the spectrum who's really into Xenoblade. But of course, management can't have this embarrassment on their hands so we cast out anyone pointing out the obvious as "ableist" despite the fact that nobody who was pointing this out was accusing this person of any wrongdoing or moral failings. It's almost as if moderation sees people saying this person is on the spectrum as inherently negative, huh, that seems pretty ableist of the staff if you ask me.
Obviously, no one gives a shit about some rando mass emailing games journos, what's really going on is Resetera approved games have been taking nothing but L's these past few months and the community just needs a heckin feel good dunk on a ""gamer"" so we can remember who the real enlightened ones are here.

Also since we're on the topic, the new assassin's creed scoring 1 mil players is nothing to celebrate, Veilguard had more than twice the CCU that Shadows has right now and was still deemed a flop by EA, 1.5 mil players reached (not sales btw) when they wanted at least 3 million. Era is so desperate for a win, they're like the DarkSydePhil of internet forums.

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

Much like my namesake, I'm a little drunk so apologies for any grammatical errors.

You mean significantly funded by crossingeden?

[Polident]

One ree's horrifying tale of traveling to Nazi Land America -

I remember arriving at Newark airport in 2022 and the border control officers at the airport were not friendly or polite at all. They were very intimidating and I felt like I was being interrogated. I had to prove I had a return flight booked and they looked through my bag. I'm like I'm just here to go to the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty! It wasn't a good first impression of arriving in the country.

Imagine going to a foreign country and having to show some agent your tickets while he checks your luggage.

Back in my day airport stories involves getting pulled out of line and some TSA lady gloving up to play proctologist. Both ways at departure and arrival. Now it’s “somebody spoke to me”.

[Eric Cartman]

People's situation in America is not actually getting better no matter how they vote, and it's due to solely to extreme wealth inequality and the inherent contradictions and bigotries of capitalism. Telling these people to engage in a system that does not deliver anything to hope for is a fools' errand.

Maybe we should acknowledge that and endeavor to make it a principle to fix it instead of saying "You should vote for me even though it's not going to actually materially benefit you or your future."

You fucking slacktivist piece of shit. Promotes violence but is too lazy to vote. 

It kills me that nobody dares to call her out even in that thread.

Oh my God she's full of shit. Life is clearly about to get worse for people who rely on social benefits, what the fuck is she talking about.

She always talks about the global south but in reality she doesn't care at all
The US stopped funding shelters for HIV positive women in South Africa, they're on the street now. Why doesn't she give a shit?

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2025/feb/28/usaid-funding-health-development-hiv-aids-antiretroviral-mothers-lgbt-sex-workers-south-africa

read a book nigga

[HaughtyFrank]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/the-devastating-impact-of-trump%E2%80%99s-slashing-foreign-aid.1141287/

Look how no one has posted here yet. It's not about Gaza so they don't give a shit.

Global South #1 fan somehow missing in thread about Global South suffering consequences of her actions.

She could at least tell HIV people to organize or something

[Eric Cartman]

Frequently when I see you in these threads you're one of the only people talking sense.

I've settled with recognizing that if I end up disagreeing with Nepenthe on anything, it's time to take a step back and reassess. Thankfully, I don't think it's happened with any sort of regularity that I could actually count on one hand.

A lot of people find themselves disagreeing with trumpenthe and then having to step back and reassess.
For periods usually ranging from 2 weeks to a month or two. Sometimes permanent.

[Eric Cartman]

Because I am capable of contributing more interesting analysis than you are.
...
you cannot engage in work to free the masses if you constantly dehumanize them and think you're above them. It's counterintuitive.
...
I don't fundamentally think anyone here is interested in learning and growing

[Besticus Maximus]

It becomes easier when you realise the audience she's talking to here that doesn't exist is actually her perception of herself. There's a dissonance forcefield that she luxuriates against which prevents her from seeing what everyone with eyes and a brain can.

[HaughtyFrank]

Because I am capable of contributing more interesting analysis than you are.
...
you cannot engage in work to free the masses if you constantly dehumanize them and think you're above them. It's counterintuitive.
...
I don't fundamentally think anyone here is interested in learning and growing

   

"You absolute pieces of shit, you deranged morons, you need to learn to treat people with some respect if you want to win them over. Alas, you guys are way too moronic to ever understand that you subhuman pieces of shit"

[Eric Cartman]

Its so rare that trumpenthe actually enumerates what the fuck she actually wants that I thought I would remind people:

https://www.resetera.com/threads/cnn-33-of-all-americans-express-a-favorable-view-of-the-democratic-party-an-all-time-low-in-cnns-polling-dating-back-to-1992.1086531/page-6#post-134605161

I am so sick of this attitude that people are too mean or too focused on Democrats.

If I vote for you, I'm going to be calling you when you fuck up. I'm going to be emailing you when I need to get in touch. I'm going to be going to your town halls when I want to speak my mind. You are going to be my focus because you're my "representative" and thus I'm going to hold you to account, not some motherfucker in another county or state whom I didn't vote for! It's your job to navigate the political systems, negotiate with other representatives, and figure this shit out. That is literally what I put you in office to do. It's your only job!

If you tell me "It's not my fault" or "Why aren't you blaming the other guy?!" then you're a weak, soft, and feckless leader and have no ethical business being in a position of power! Your obligation is to me! End of! You have a responsibility to your constituents to implement what they want. If you can't do that, take responsibility! Even if there was literally nothing you could have done, accept responsibility anyway and figure it out! That's what real leaders do! They take ownership of the situation!

Democrats never take ownership and responsibility for shit. They never say "I failed you" or "I'm sorry." They're awful leaders! And you all have gotten so used to it that you think holding them to account to protect you is literally something you shouldn't do! If they're always goddamn victims of Republicans and the system, then what is the point of electing them if they're ineffectual?! I don't need a victim in charge of my quality of life! I need an actual leader who will stand up and fight for me, day and night, 24/7, using everything at their disposal!

You think Malcolm ever said "Well, it wasn't me, it was white people" to the people in his organizations whenever something didn't go their way? You think MLK said "I can't fight for you because of systemic barriers?" Ture? Garvey? No! They didn't! Because they were real leaders!

Like holy shit, I've literally taken more responsibility and apologized more for this goddamn forum than you all expect from actual politicians who have a direct impact on whether you fucking live a dignified life or not, and I don't even own it nor was I elected to this position! What is happening here?!

People think that just because the political opposition is evil, then that perpetually lets the less evil guys off the hook. It's the opposite! Democrats have even more responsibility to you! They're your representatives! They owe you everything! You don't actually owe them shit, certainly not fealty. The fuck do you think this is?

The fact that you all think you have no power over them, that in fact they are the real victims in all of this, and you should never hold them to account, is why they get away with doing fuck all, or even blatantly ignoring basic platform and ethical principles, leaving you stupidly holding the damn bag of defending them even when they're openly committing a genocide!

It's a grift at this point. Get elected, reap the economic benefits, and never have the threat of the masses show up to kick you out because I'm by default the better politician. Hell, I can just victimize myself. "It's the Republicans' fault. Not me. I'm just doing my best. 😔" You're a sucker if you fall for this in 2025 going forward.

Hell, put me in office. I want my student loans paid off and some free healthcare. Maybe some stocks and a second house. Why the fuck not at this point? You all won't actually do shit to me if I don't fight for you!

[Snoopy]

On the plus side the next time some Janice brags about taking her kids to Disney World you can call her Titler

[TylenolJones]

https://www.resetera.com/threads/caught-on-video-driver-cuts-off-harasses-tesla-owner-in-seattle-area.1141191/

If you're curious if the person driving the Tesla near you is an asshole, look at the car's badging. If it's the Tesla T logo they bought their car when Musk was just an annoying d-bag. If it says the word Tesla on it, they bought it after he started pulling his Nazi bullshit.

Where's the before video? Maybe the Tesla driver was being an asshole or had Nazi shit on her car.

So… what you’re asking is if they are no Angel?

Guess the mod who owns a Tesla saw those posts cause now they’re banned for victim blaming.