DandomRude

There's a word for that: corruption

I think this issue is exactly the same as many others that are, in principle, supported by an overwhelming majority: it is the influence of lobbying that makes it possible for the will of the people to be ignored. While this phrase is widely used, it doesn’t quite capture the essence of the matter - it is simply corruption.

Yes, that much is certain, but it’s not at all certain whether there will be a "way out" like you imagine. The reason: If this "administration" were to leave office, everyone involved would likely face prosecution, even in a system as corrupt as that of the U.S.

They won’t risk that, especially since their first coup attempt last time went unpunished. Now the orange despot has ICE, a secret police force whose budget far exceeds that of all other federal agencies combined—such as the FBI, CIA, etc. There can only be one reason for this, and that is the establishment of a true autocracy with all the constraints that come with it. I am now convinced that the sham democracy the U.S. has been for decades has come to an end.

I simply cannot understand how American citizens fail to see this, why they still cling to the idea that the U.S. is a country governed by the rule of law—it isn’t; it hasn’t been for a long time.

Edit: I'm from Germany and we have a history with that kind of thing.

I have no idea how you can still believe there’s even the slightest chance that the U.S. justice system would deliver justice.

It’s really remarkable how blatantly corrupt a government can be. Well, not really, because it’s just the logical consequence of the fact that even the most serious crimes go unpunished in the U.S.

What’s almost funny is that so many U.S. citizens still insist they live in a country governed by the rule of law. I have no idea how they can still believe that, given what happens there every single day.

But then it’s not funny anymore, because the consequences for the whole world are so dire.

Printer cartridges and razor blades

Yeah, that’s true: Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob, and his team certainly had some socially critical intent when they created the show and its characters - after all, there are often deliberately exaggerated everyday situations and the like which address social issues in a humorous way.

But also yeah, exactly: I added /s because, while the underlying message is at least somewhat recognizable, I presented it in such a pretentious way. I was just lazing around in bed and thought I’d have a little fun with some kind of pseudo-intellectual silliness.

So /s - mainly so no one here thinks I'm some completely out-of-touch political theorist or something who actually takes this exaggerated view all too seriously :)

Mr. Krabs’s relentless emphasis on profit -expressed through wage suppression, obsessive cost-cutting, and the conversion of social relations into transactions - renders him a concentrated embodiment of profit-driven logic. SpongeBob’s boundless cheerfulness and dutiful labor on the other hand present the idealized worker who performs emotional compliance as part of his job; his behavior makes visible the moral contradiction at the heart of an economy that prizes surplus extraction over workers’ wellbeing. The Krusty Krab’s daily rhythms - timed shifts, commodified leisure, scripted upselling, and constant attention to margins - show how extraction becomes normalized through routine rather than force.

The rivalry between Mr. Krabs and Sheldon J. Plankton further highlights the system’s subtly coercive nature: their ceaseless competition is less about innovation than about maintaining status atop the same extractive order, a ruthless free market theater in which two capitalists conserve and contest power while workers absorb the costs. The comedy works because it literalizes these dynamics - affection as account entry, friendship as transaction - so that the satirical clarity of the show forces viewers, even while amused, to recognize how profit as an organizing principle reshapes everyday life and renders cheerfulness itself a technique of compliance.

/s

Du bist ja ganz schön clever, mein Freund...

It would be great if that were the case, but unfortunately, I’m afraid it won’t last long. Gun lobbyists are already scrambling to strike deals that will sooner or later sway corrupt politicians. The fact that Western countries have still not imposed any sanctions - neither against the U.S. for its blatant violation of international law, nor against Israel for the same offense and, additionally, genocide - shows that this is a thoroughly realistic assessment.

Thanks, that’s a shame to hear. I’d read about his case some time ago, but now that he’s so openly siding with those responsible for precisely this kind of ridiculous abuse of the legal system, I’ve immediately lost interest - it’s inexcusable to me, because I firmly reject everything this criminal regime stands for. Besides, as I said: calling Afroman a musician would really be an exaggeration - no matter what standard you apply.

Afroman

Edit: the one on the left is a rapist and war criminal