Alright, so I’ve been seeing these videos floating around where people are legitimately surprised by things Donald Trump has done—things he actually promised to do during his campaigns. The common thread in all of these reactions is something like, “Well, he said he’d do it, but I didn’t think he’d actually go through with it!”
And here’s the thing: if someone votes for a politician who doesn’t follow through on their promises, isn’t that kinda bad? Like, wouldn’t you want the person you voted for to keep their word? So why is this a thing now? Is this just people messing around and trolling, or did they genuinely think Trump wasn’t going to do what he said he’d do?
I mean, maybe it’s because of how unpredictable Trump was during his presidency. He had a habit of saying things one way but then doing the opposite, which could’ve made some people doubt whether he’d actually follow through on his big promises. But now that he is following through on some of those things, it seems like people are genuinely caught off guard.
So here’s what I’m wondering: is this something to celebrate? Like, is it a good thing that people didn’t think Trump would keep his word? Or is it just another example of how the political landscape has changed in ways no one expected?
As an American, I can confirm this.
America isn’t the only place with stupid people.
And, Americans are some of the most heavily propagandized people in the world. it’s subtle, but it doesn’t have to be subtle for it to be effective. It just has to be pervasive.
Is there a problem with poor education? absolutely. Are stupid people voting for trump? absolutely.
This isn’t saying Americans aren’t stupid. we are.
This is a warning.
it can happen anywhere. And it will happen everywhere people believe it can’t happen.
edit: to add, it’s really only a relatively large handful of americans that are shocked by this. Most of the people being surprised wanted to hurt people- and are really just being surprised he’s also hurting them. they thought they were “special” and that “he loved them” or something. stupidity and bigotry go hand in hand. Others knew it would maybe make things worse, but it was some how “worth it”. Others are in a christian fundamentalist cult and convinced to vote that way because some asshole preacher told them they’d go to hell if they didn’t. Others- the rich fucks- all want this to happen.
Speaking as a Canadian, there is also some much arrogance and ignorance about things outside of your country that baffles my mind (not from all but from a large portion of the population). American exceptionalism and decades of really effective propaganda that has gotten increasingly more unhinged from reality and crumbling education system probably isn’t helping either. (I don’t mean that as an insult, every country has issues, and we were very good neighbors and allies until recently)
That superiority enables leaders to be assholes. It was an intentional effect of the propaganda, and is a standard part of the Asshole-Authoritatian™️ playbook!
But, eh, America is truly exceptional- in how fucked up it is.
It absolutely can happen anywhere and that’s the “The Wave” movie was about.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(1981_film)#%3A~%3Atext=The+Wave+is+a+made%2Cas+an+ABC+Afterschool+Special.
Somebody else dropped that elsewhere and the trailer for it, made me think of like a very dark version of the Dead Poets Society.
A, uh. Very dark version. Gonna have to watch it soon.
It isn’t just propaganda, though. Our education system has been being slowly dismantled since Reagan and was kicked into high gear with Bush’s No Child Left Behind where they would shut down schools with bad grades. This lead to a lot of grade inflation to make sure schools could actually keep their funding. It hasn’t even been law since 2015 but the effects still reverberate.
Yes, though, this can happen anywhere. It’s humans that are the problem, not Americans specifically. The dismantling of education and a propagandized populace can happen anywhere. Pretty sure the same shit is on display in Russia we just don’t hear about it as much.
I’m not saying it’s not a problem. I’m saying that stupid people exist everywhere, and yes, you’re right about education being intentionally dismantled to enable all the propaganda to take hold.
But that can happen literally everywhere. and like falling prey to scam artists (which is really what this is,) if you believe yourself immune, you’re the easiest mark.
Perhaps I wasn’t clear in my response. I do agree it can happen anywhere.