General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI just had a very loud discussion with my son. It was very disconcerting.
According to him, the U.S. economy is terrible, on the verge of a major collapse. Under Trump things were great beyond belief (notice my Trumpian take). Full disclosure, he is working in a commodities related industry and is earning far more than he has ever made in his life. Demand for his companies products are down, prices are down and he is worried about layoffs. I tried to explain that that is the curse of commodities. When they are hot they are hot and when they are not they are not. It's all Joe Biden's fault. The true genius of right wing media is the ability to tie every individual's personal bad outcome to Biden and a promise that Trump will make things all more wonderful than anyone has ever seen before.
I quickly rattled off a dozen statistics showing the excellent condition of the economy. His comeback is, that's not true. I'm being lied to. I am a retired engineer and I think I know how to read and analyze numbers, but he thinks I'm too stupid to tell the difference between fact and fiction. In our town McDonalds, Dairy Queen and the local lumber yard are begging for help at $20 an hour. That's a fact. You all are familiar with the rest of the numbers and I won't go on.
Oh, and BTW, Trump is the peace candidate. WTF?
I do not understand why a person that I know to be of above average intelligence can be so easily led around by right wing nonsense. All I can do is shake my head and hope he comes to his senses sometime soon. I do my best to avoid these loud conversations but it always deteriorates into a shouting match.
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SharonClark
(10,014 posts)"The true genius of right wing media is the ability to tie every individual's personal bad outcome to Biden" is so true.
pwb
(11,509 posts)My sisters and I are estranged forever. It is always them making the demands and finding differences so fuck them. Their loss.
deurbano
(2,898 posts)seemed so excited and proud to be able to reveal what a reactionary asshole she always must have been. Even before that, she was the kind of loon who'd attend Rush Limbaugh's short-lived TV show... but she didn't seem so personally invested. (I always thought she was largely influenced by her husband's politics, but now she comes off as the more radical one.)
MOMFUDSKI
(6,378 posts)who they were with the MAGA cult. Dropped every last one. Not interested in being friends or family with such ignorant people.
getagrip_already
(15,385 posts)That is an actual rw talking point.
Never mind that it was putin who invaded Ukraine and the US has no troops involved there.
Never mind Hamas/Iran started the war in Gaza and the US has no troops on the ground there.
But logic has nothing to do with it.
BootinUp
(47,428 posts)Prof. Toru Tanaka
(2,071 posts)Trump and his supporters have built-in excuses for any information or circumstances they dont like.
BootinUp
(47,428 posts)Other than that he needs to be convinced by some personal circumstances involving himself or someone he knows.
Response to flashman13 (Original post)
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Dan
(3,675 posts)So, don't argue about statistics with him - just inquire if he agrees with the the morality aspect of things under the Trump/GOP plan?
Assassinating his political rivals?
Throwing millions of people out of the Country?
Marriage equality?
Eliminating Dept of Education, DOJ, ...
Consolidating all powers under the President...
Ignoring the Courts and laws you don't like...
Internment Camps for the homeless...and ...
Insurrection act on the first days of his presidency and putting troops in major cities (Blue)...
Assuming the powers of a dictator on day one?
Getting rid of a Free Press...
And question him about Germany, at the beginning of Hitler's rule.
Inquire is it okay to rape , steal, cheap ...
Does he have respect for woman? POC, the non-straight..
Should the nation only have respect for one religion?
and is he willing to die for that which he believes, cause if Trump wins - there is the chance of war.
And then, you will know what type of son you raised.
blm
(113,287 posts)for those spending their stimulus checks, unemployment add-ons, and the PPP loans that were forgiven.
But, back in 2019 there were warnings about the economy tanking from Trumps tax and economic policies.
Donald Trump Built a National Debt So Big (Even Before the Pandemic) That Itll Weigh Down the Economy for Years
https://www.propublica.org/article/national-debt-trump
Even if the Fed cuts rates to zero, market bear David Rosenberg predicts a recession is less than 12 months away
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/22/recession-will-hit-the-us-within-12-months-david-rosenberg-warns.html
GreenWave
(7,311 posts)(Obviously that is not good that he has none.)
Don't accept that border crap. Remind him Trump had 4 years to get something done and 2 with control.
Ask him if Trump is smarter than our best doctors and scientists.
Why is Trump so in love with Russia? GOP were vehemently anti-Russia for 70 years. Why did those folks immediately change from hate to tolerance? What was the reason?
ETC...
CrispyQ
(36,815 posts)Probably during a dem term so people like this kid will blame Biden.
All Mixed Up
(597 posts)Pisces
(5,608 posts)Is voting for Trump because she cant afford her rent and groceries which she blames on Biden. She said she has never struggled as much under any other President for the basics and knows it was better under Trump. She doesnt care about Covid, the stock market etc. She and her husband are blue collar workers and I have to think this is why people keep saying the economy is bad.
I think we are deluding ourselves that these people will understands facts and reason.
Response to Pisces (Reply #10)
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Nasruddin
(763 posts)It's kind of like single-issue voting. We can hope there are a lot of people moving in the other direction that don't get reported on.
But see my other comment about main character syndrome. I wonder if the COVID stimulus checks had enough of an effect that
she doesn't remember what it was like before? It's certainly true that food is a lot more expensive than 5 years ago.
I recall in 2016 a woman wrote an article in a national level journal that she was voting for Trump because she was really angry how expensive Obamacare was and it needed to be fixed and made better for her. She was an immigrant I think - tech field. Curiously, the article was unfindable a few months later - link dead.
cilla4progress
(24,960 posts)about trumpers as nihilists.
Maybe sound familiar?
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100218717577
Liberal In Texas
(13,765 posts)Maybe even TikTok. His pals and guys he hangs with are also commodities types and from what I've heard about it, it's worse than sitting at a poker table in Las Vegas. He and his pals have to blame their losses on somebody. Might as well be Democrats and President Biden. I can imagine that his attitude is reinforced by all of these things.
And that "loud discussion" is pretty normal talking with trumpers. They can't make a rational point or have a difference of opinion without t hem t ryiing t to shout you down.
Good luck. Some day he may reprogram himself.
flashman13
(763 posts)And there is a vast sea of right wing blogger/screamers out there. It's a full court press.
mike_c
(36,281 posts)...and DUers, although even here I'm pretty circumspect. Same with religion.
richdj25
(167 posts)are pure comedic gold.
Response to flashman13 (Original post)
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babylonsister
(171,215 posts)I have two brothers, both trumpers. One I haven't spoken to in years, don't discuss politics with the other. Neither are idiots.
Abolishinist
(1,421 posts)What a totally disgusting comment.
yonder
(9,722 posts)It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.
― Upton Sinclair
Perhaps it applies in your son's case?
CousinIT
(9,387 posts)mountain grammy
(26,794 posts)I honestly don't know what I'd do if my sons turned on me, and that's exactly how I'd see it.
My daughter has many problems but at least that's not one of them.
Johnny2X2X
(19,726 posts)Better than any year under Trump.
Response to flashman13 (Original post)
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Chicagogrl1
(429 posts)The common denominator always seems to be money. Anyone w/ half a brain can tell the economy is good; restaurants are full, stores are full, planes are full. Unemployment rate is 3.7% which means there are more jobs than there are candidates to fill them. When presented with these truths, they deny them just like tRump. It is completely perplexing. Truth is no longer truth, facts are no longer facts. This is what he has done. Its like he is their dog whistle & they can not be reached. They will even support him if hes convicted. I guess all we can do is keep gently presenting the facts until they wake up. Hope your son comes around.
Eliot Rosewater
(31,255 posts)we are broken...
orleans
(34,214 posts)(thank god!) and i consider myself pretty left
while i tend to view things with an emotional bent (such as vitriol or anger - lol) my kid sails through political disagreements calmly and rationally and then mops the floor with those who disagree. (she had a handful of very good friends who were republicans/conservatives like their parents. that was back when they were in 8th grade? 9th grade? i'd hear her talking george bush era politics with them and i was so proud of her! i used to tell her she should go into politics. she did not. not yet. )
sorry your son is a trump fan.
SWBTATTReg
(22,582 posts)and he's blaming Pres. Biden?
The labor market is hot, and I don't know how the son ever missed this detail, the help wanted ads are everywhere! No wonder the son lost money.
ProudMNDemocrat
(17,288 posts)It is difficult when facts get in the way.
JohnSJ
(92,775 posts)or the actual economic numbers
I will hold my tongue because he is your son, and not say what I really think
SupportSanity
(320 posts)"I do not understand why a person that I know to be of above average intelligence can be so easily led around by right wing nonsense."
From the movie "Deja Vu"; Denzel Washington speaking to a group of ivy league scientists:
"Alright. Ill tell you what. Ill speak slow so those of you with PhDs in the room can understand."
Silent Type
(3,596 posts)to the economy is great for everyone. Im reasonably satisfied and dont blame anything on Biden, but thats what we are up against.
Its gonna be a fight over military too. trump will say there were no major military actions under his term. Well counter with it was trumps mismanagement and policies that caused trumps buddy to invade Ukraine, and hell try to blame October 7th on Biden. Hopefully, he wont be successful, but guess how many youngsters will believe that crud.
Gonna be a tough 10 months.
Aussie105
(5,664 posts)It is Joe's fault!
Trump promised (vaguely) . . .
Couple of questions:
Does Trump deliver what he promises?
How are the coal miners doing? They all got their jobs back?
Tell sonny boy there is no magic wand, and to disbelieve anyone who says he has one.
Real life isn't Harry Potter.
Son should write Trump a letter outlining his concerns, and ask for a guarantee he will keep his job if #45 gets voted back in.
He will feel better, if nothing else.
Nasruddin
(763 posts)Some of this is the main character syndrome perhaps.
I see it working in me & also think it is quite common.
If things are going great for me, obviously I am very competent & master of the universe &c.
If things are NOT going great for me, obviously I am very competent but those other people or the president or the Bolsheviks or something are really messing things up, and should be disabled and punished.
I don't think this is narcissism exactly more like a built-in distortion of viewpoint.
Aussie105
(5,664 posts)Externalise our fears, and blame someone else. And expect them to answer with a fix.
Part of being an adult is to accept things as they are, and do your best despite difficult current or imagined circumstances.
It takes some people a long time to get to that point.
viva la
(3,466 posts)LOL.
I remind myself these kids were fortunate enough not to grow up (as I did) with constant 7% inflation, miniscule minimum wage, unemployment rate over 12% in my state when I graduated from college. Oh, and my first mortgage-- a discounted 'first-time homebuyer rate!'- was 11.8%. Not to mention cancer was still usually a death sentence, and every kid got measles and chicken pox. I could go on... women getting fired when they got married or pregnant... black people in the south still dealing with "whites only" signs....
And, of course, phones wired to the wall!
I think there's always a tendency for young people to get gloomy. I was positively certain that Social Security would not be there for me, and here I am collecting $ every month. I thought we'd never be able to afford a new car or a house, and then we did.
Now I think the upside for young people now-- much higher wages than even a decade ago, a brilliant job market, more legal equality-- is there. But there's also a downside in the extreme housing prices (rent and own) and the pernicious student loan issue, where so many end up paying multiples of what they borrowed. And things are so frenetic and stressful these days.
But... well, it goes without saying that Trump would make it all much, much worse.
And my kid's chosen candidate is even older than Biden!
Freethinker65
(10,194 posts)NBachers
(17,343 posts)On edit I just tapped the Google app on my phone, hit the microphone button and said What is the unemployment rate in the United States right now? The reply I got was 3.70%.
I then hit the microphone on my Google app again and said What is the rate of inflation in the United States right now? The answer I got was 3.1%
If he doesnt wanna believe what comes out of your mouth, hes welcome to disprove the statistics of people more authoritative than yourself or himself.
JI7
(89,412 posts)He could be opposed to regulations in his industry .
Aussie105
(5,664 posts)Life is meant to be a bed of roses, right?
At the first stumbling block you realise your life is sh#t and not worth living, right?
And it is everyone else's fault, right?
And they should do something about it, right?
And they don't - nobody cares, right?
Meanwhile, the very young will complain loudly, or sulk quietly. Or destroy something.
(Phone boxes were popular when they were around.)
But getting off the pity train and doing something positive yourself to make things better takes a very long time to appear as an option.
Maturity - time to bottle the maturity of a 50 year old and sell it to the very young.
If only!
griffi94
(3,734 posts)Yer son believes those things because he wants to believe them.
From yer post, it also seems that yer son has at least bit of a persecution complex and victimhood
mentality. Biden is going to cost him his job. He's the victim.
I'm no contact with two elderly parents who have gone full nazi. They believe what Trump says because they want it to be true.
My parents are white, successful, and wealthy, but they've also been very unhappy their entire lives.
No amount of wealth, success, or expensive toys will fill that void. Trump tells them, or at least implies, that their unhappiness
is someone else's fault. RW media has been telling them that for 30 years.
No amount of facts or logic or reality will pierce that bubble, so explaining it using facts is, sadly, probably a waste of time.
John1956PA
(2,779 posts). . . which intensifies the persecution complex suffered by many young males who are INCELs. (This may not be the situation of the son mentioned in the OP, since few details of his personal life are offered.) I have seesn Putin's trolls warp the minds of INCELs by presenting propaganda which holds that liberal messaging in all aspects of society has stripped males of their masculine identity and ability to function in their naturally intended mode. The trolls masquerade as authors, philosophers, poets and other types of web influencers. Putin knows the psychology of the many facets of our country's demographics, and he has trolls working to brainwash each segment. Sadly, too many Americans in the targeted groups have drank the Kooaid.
jmbar2
(5,056 posts)The stock market is being lifted by a handful of high flyer stocks in AI. It is due for a pretty sharp pullback - totally normal - but likely to fuel economic anxiety.
In addition, there are a LOT of layoffs going on, and they are not finding new jobs quickly. For many younger workers, it is their first experience going through mass layoffs, so their anxiety is understandable.
A good stock market does not necessarily lift all boats.
Elessar Zappa
(14,324 posts)Wages have gone up in nearly every industry, at every level. Were at full employment. Were objectively doing much better than weve done in a long time.
jmbar2
(5,056 posts)MOMFUDSKI
(6,378 posts)up their asses that will vote for a lousy life. We are fighting on 2 fronts.
AkFemDem
(1,837 posts)And above who vote that way. Original posters son is not in the majority for his age group. The worry with young people is they wont vote at all. The MAGA base is older though.
Mariana
(14,870 posts)wolfie001
(2,547 posts)I'm sure many of his co-workers are riling each other up with the usual anti LGBTQ stuff. They become a stirred-up hive of bees looking to sting and hurt people. Heavens to Betsy, if anyone shows a little empathy and kindness. Scary times.
LastLiberal in PalmSprings
(12,635 posts)I heard TFG spew that gem during one of his 90 minute wanna-be-dictator screeds. If that were true, how was Biden able to rally the NATO members together to help non-member Ukraine fight Russia? And why are they dreading the possibility of T***p regaining power?
marble falls
(58,886 posts)... I'm about a month late calling him to meet for dinner. Love when the kid shows up, but my bro has a hair trigger temper. And it's a guess whether he will remember the agreement to not discuss politics or covid (the kid is vaxxed).
Love him, don't like him so much sometimes.
Pepsidog
(6,263 posts)KS Toronado
(17,913 posts)Boggles the mind of us that have critical thinking skills or plain ole common sense.
Sky Jewels
(7,326 posts)Pun intended.
Jimbo S
(2,965 posts)the educated are better at rationalizing their beliefs.
Mariana
(14,870 posts)LoisB
(7,354 posts)I guess the apple can fall far from the tree.
jaxexpat
(7,072 posts)I have a son in law who is a LEO. With him, "It's just common sense that liberals are too stupid to do anything but lie and believe lies."
Groundhawg
(628 posts)Melon
(76 posts)and vote. They also dont see the world as I do, but I accept that. They are entitled to their opinion, but they need to excercise their rights.
Ferrets are Cool
(21,152 posts)![](/emoticons/banghead.gif)
Polybius
(15,750 posts)States show good news, but the majority believe bad news.
Pisces
(5,608 posts)Bank balance and judge for themselves how the economy is going. High rent and high groceries tell them the economy is bad no matter what the news says. It doesnt seem that boggling to me.
mopinko
(70,749 posts)whether its high prices or low. if traders r making money, someone is losing it. consumers r paying more or producers r making less. and instability makes everything harder.
my ex worked at cboe. used to always say- the only threat to our business model is a long stretch of peace and prosperity.
Emile
(24,370 posts)before the election.
Some of them are flying flags that say Trump or Death.
Mariana
(14,870 posts)Tree Lady
(11,633 posts)make good money, smart women, one is a CPA other top manager over 300 employees. Both going to vote republican and if I dare to mention women's rights or anything else in the news I am being negative, don't you have anything positive to say mom? Both started out voting dem and turned recently WTF!
I am very worried about this election.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)Tree Lady
(11,633 posts)lower taxes.
SharonClark
(10,014 posts)Mariana
(14,870 posts)These are essentially religious beliefs. You can't reason him out of them.
LiberalFighter
(52,172 posts)The Trump administration has taken credit for reshoring manufacturing jobs, but the data show that isnt true. Nearly 1,800 factories have disappeared under Trump between 2016 and 2018, said Scott. Additionally, the U.S. trade deficit in manufactured goods rose significantly between 2016 and 2019. In fact, the real U.S. trade deficit has increased in every year since 2016, reducing GDP growth by roughly 0.25% annually over the past three years. Compounded with the devastation left by the coronavirus pandemic, the blue collar manufacturing workers need serious help from policymakers.
Overall, the U.S. has lost more than 91,000 manufacturing plants and nearly 5 million manufacturing jobs since 1997. The U.S. did gain roughly 500,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs from 2016 to 2019, but much of that was due to increased domestic purchasing spurred by tax cuts and heavy federal spending. Further, these gains are exactly on par with gains across the entire period from 2010 to 2019, during which 166,000 manufacturing jobs were added each year, on average.