A lot of replies here (obviously from people not already aware of The Discourse on this point) were genuinely confused variants on "But why, they're right, that's a valid concern." Let me leave a short thread for future readers explaining why that stuff is always unwelcome on here. (1/n)
It's totally understandable if you're dooming about any facet of the American experiment right now. So your feelings are "valid" in the sense that they represent real anxiety, and I get that. But to vent that anxiety in other people's spaces is wrong for three reasons.
First, it's factually wrong. There will be elections in 2026 and 2028 under Trump, just like there were elections last year under Trump and during his first term. This despite one of the two major parties now harboring a lot of anti-democratic elements and ideas.
I'm not particularly interested in convincing anyone on this point and won't try, the future is the future. But if the left side of the political spectrum is still the domain of scholarship and expertise, take note that you don't find scholars and experts you worrying about canceled US elections.
Second, and probably most importantly, it's tactically wrong. "No point discussing political opposition to fascism, there won't be elections anyway" cedes victory to your enemies. It's defeatism and nihilism.
Finally, it's wrong AS A MATTER OF ETIQUETTE. Entering a total stranger's discussion and leading with your private anxiety is as off-putting in social media replies as it would be in real life. If you wouldn't interrupt a stranger at a party to announce that America is doomed, don't do it here.
If you are anxious and sad about the state of the world, that's fine, and there are plenty of strategies for dealing with that. But I think you already know that drive-by online dooming isn't a strategy. It's selfish and adolescent. It's a contagion that only spreads the worst of you, not the best.
Take a second and think before posting the easy Eeyore reply. You might have something substantive to say instead. Or, even better, you can say nothing at all.
https://bsky.app/profile/kenjennings.bsky.social/post/3mbuedepurs2x
This is a well thought out explanation of an amorphous feeling I would always get when discussing stuff with my now ex-wife. We'd be talking about some terrible thing that the republikkkans were undertaking, and she'd always, (always) inevitably point out "...and it's even worse for black and brown women."
And while, yeah, it is. It's a true statement, but it also kind of shuts down the conversation, ya know? So now are we only allowed to discuss the plight of black and brown women? Do bad things not happen to the rest of us?
I don't know, every time it happened, it's like she was trying to make me feel bad for thinking about anything BUT the plight of women of color, and I couldn't really explain why it wasn't adding to the discussion, but this write-up gave me the words.
Couldn't you just acknowledge that fact and move on with the conversation? Or does she try to turn the entire conversation into a discussion about minorities?
No any time she mentioned it I yelled and hit her. Of course I acknowledged it, mate, what kind of question is that? She made that point during every conversation about anything, there was nothing that we could talk about that wasn't, evidently, worse for women of color. It's an invalidating response that tells your partner that you don't actually care about their troubles, because someone else has it worse.
Because some people will actually just yell and hit her, or ignore her points or whatever, then get on the internet and tell sob stories to get people to sympathize with them.