There's an expression that I hate hearing these days.

[barbtries]

Tears still fresh on my cheeks after hearing the testimony of Shay and Lady Ruby. Adam Schiff, who is usually a wonderful speechmaker in my opinion, lets drop that expression that I can't hear anymore without yelling back, "yes it is!"

He said, "This is not who we are."

Well, I've been paying attention for awhile now. Sadly, yes it is. The minority make enough noise for everyone. They are hateful and murderous fascists. And they are us. Most of them were born here. Virtually all of them live here. They are us.

I don't even know how to turn "us" into people most of us would like to be, caring, democratic, acting in good faith, peaceful, loving, willing to promote the common good, ethical and honest. Living in reality.

It rings hollow at this point. I hear it all the time and I simply don't believe it anymore. I pay attention.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. When he said that, I said, "YES IT IS." It totally fucking is.

Many individuals are not, no. But Trump was fucking president of the whole goddamn country, and so far - he has gotten away with this obscene cruelty to individuals and incalculable and probably irreparable damage to the system that is supposed to work for everyone, which it never has and sure as fuck never will going forward.

[barbtries]

8. that's response from me anymore

anytime I hear it. Only I yell it. At the computer.

I'd like not to hear it again. Find a better expression that reflects reality.

[SunSeeker]

2. Yes, there has always been this hateful segment of us, going back to the Salem Witch Trials.

We need to acknowledge this and brace our democratic institutions to be able to withstand their hate. One thing that became very evident from today's testimony is that we need to protect our election workers, or we won't have any.

[barbtries]

9. I think we need to find a way

to get to the point where we can all essentially agree on what is the truth of the matter. Until and unless we do, I have little hope for improvement. I looked at twitter today. I blocked probably 5-10 people in a very short length of time. Trumpies and fringies are out in numbers and they are at this point immune to facts. I'm afraid these hearings won't budge many if any of them. I love that it's happening.

I don't know the answer. Getting the money out of politics would be a start. Start thinking about some rules around the abuse of the First Amendment, which in my opinion is what fox news etc do. But I don't see very many other people approaching these topics. feel helpless.

[cynical_idealist]

3. consensus reality is being hacked

and attacked from many sides.

[barbtries]

10. almost exclusively from the right.

i don't know if i quite understand your comment

[cynical_idealist]

15. i agree

by many sides, I mean all the right wing influences and some foreign influences
that generate and amplify all the lies, hate and negativity.

Thinking about "we as a country", its certainly more barbaric than we would hope.
Absolute corruption in the GOP and TFG.

[barbtries]

17. ah, yes.

i didn't forget off shore influence. but it's republicans all day and into the night (which they're like zombies who never sleep). Bad faith, corruption, dishonesty, lies, lies, lies and hypocrisy. I think they just need to be gone. Build a second viable party and the Democrats can be the conservatives and I'll join the liberals. I don't see republicans ever contributing to an ongoing democratic nation. i don't believe i ever have, though i know there were occasions.

and the thing is there are millions of "us" who believe they're good, all American, blah blah. I don't think I'll get my wish until after I've passed on, but I hope there is the will to make that change in time for my children and grandchildren etc.

[AntiFascist]

4. I haven't watched the hearing yet, but I'm sure this was the same issue during the Civil War...

The Confederacy wanted to secede and draft their own Constitution. It was more of a geographical separation back then, although states like Missouri were divided. My ancestral family, being politically active in Missouri, decided "this is not who we are" and became Unionists.

[sop]

5. Schiff was calling for all of us to be "touched...by the better angels of our nature."

[barbtries]

7. as we all should be.

but it's not the current reality.

[BlackSkimmer]

6. True.

Sad.

[Voltaire2]

11. I agree. This is very much who we are.

Millions of people are all in on the fascist agenda. Using violence to seize power is just fine with them.

[llmart]

12. I thought the same thing when he said that.

My son and I were talking about that on the phone last night - how uncivilized, crude/cruel, hateful, vengeful, self-centered our fellow citizens are now. I told him that looking back I truly believe that it started in the 80's and got worse each decade. He said he finds himself being very choosy about who he is around these days and not just because of Covid.

[barbtries]

13. yeah, i think there are timepoints to look at,

and reagan is one of them, though nixon as well. Obama's presidency was a great triumph yet at the same time let the dogs of racism and bigotry loose in such a big way that we were then treated to the single worst president in history (my opinion). A man who is such a huge piece of shit he redefined the bottom because he can always sink lower. Sadly enough, millions of us worship that man.

I think you're right. We just seem to be meaner than we were before. Am I dreaming this? People harangue total strangers for wearing a mask. Karens abound and seem to exist just for the pleasure of making life worse for the rest of us. I mean they must be totally miserable people - then keep it at home! But no. Trump spent over 4 years childishly dissing anyone who said "boo" to him (well he still does but at least he doesn't have quite the audience he once did) and it's as if we have become a nation of sociopathic toddlers.

[llmart]

14. +1

We also have a lot of people who are whiny, entitled, wallowing in self-pity and ungrateful humans. I have them in my own family. It sickens me. They can have everything that is necessary for a comfortable life and yet they're miserable. I have no idea how to grasp that concept. Growing up we were always taught to be grateful for what we had and yet we had very little. How did all those insurrectionists at the Capitol manage to take a day off work, get to D.C., buy the stupid guns and bullet proof vests and everything else they had? There are more jobs than people to fill them.

[maxsolomon]

16. "This does not reflect our ideals".

It's not even that different, but it's far more accurate.

[barbtries]

18. there you go.

I can stand that. Even really get behind it, because it can be amplified and laid out for the less well-informed among us. Starting with the Declaration of Independence and going on to the preamble of the Constitution itself:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

but yeah. Let's talk about what we aspire to instead of pretending we accomplished it.

[Novara]

19. It's not who we want to be but sadly it IS who we are.