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Life in the Empire

If we subtract narcissism, the cult of celebrity and love of money, I would disagree that there is an ideology that can be labeled as “Trumpism,” beyond what he represents as a symbol of the inchoate anger of the vast majority of Americans who realize they have been betrayed by elites willing to decimate democratic institutions and their standards of living in slavish subservience to a transnational global corporate kleptocracy and permanent militarism, both in the process of eating the world and probably destined to bring about the collapse of the American empire.  The democrats are as guilty of it as the republicans.

“Removing Trump from office without confronting the anomie that defines the lives of tens of millions of Americans would do nothing to restore democracy.  In fact, it would probably consolidate the power of a Christianized fascism rapidly filling Trump’s ideological void.” – Chris Hedges tinyurl.com/y8sxew45

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Good to see you back Stonefruit.

I think your description is incomplete. There is a nostalgia in play here - for the imagined bliss of the 50s when "America was Great" - when men were men, women were women, queers were closeted, no one ever heard of trans; White was might was right; Christians were the best, Jews were to be feared, and there wasn't any of them Mooslims anywhere; and America was the only country that had a manufacturing base that survived the War.

Yes, "Trumpism" is a reaction to the continuing redistribution of wealth upwards that started with Reagan and has expanded by both Parties since but it is also the resentment of white men (and women) of being called racists when they are racist, or being told that they can't use certain words or treat different humans poorly.

While the "Left" has concerns about the ever present military imperialism that is the US and Eisenhower's military industrial complex that played a role in their distaste/disgust with HRC, I really don't see it being a major factor in "Trumpism" - many of these folks were calling to "turn the Middle East into glass" by dropping a nuke on those "sandniggers".

"Trumpism" seems to be stupid rich prickism.  Everybody has worked for a rich person.  Everybody has worked for a stupid person... and everybody has worked for a prick.  Stupid pricks are found in both public and private sectors... although they appear to do well in the military.  Smart pricks can be found across all economic classes... as can stupid people and nice people.  Stupid rich are fun to work for if they're nice... and most of us know what it's like to work for a stupid rich prick. 

Stupid rich assholes come in all genders... but stupid rich pricks are "special" boys.    

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won a prestigious science-fair prize for research involving free radicals
https://qz.com/1481551/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-won-a-2007-isef-sci...

That's us, kids! Time to hit the streets again.
France Considers State of Emergency Following Worst Riots Since 1968
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/12/yellow-vest-protests-fr...

Who remembers 1968? I DO! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_of_1968

Frexit. Good for them.

Only if they have it much more well planned as to how to make it happen than Brexit.

An assessment from my host in Portugal last Summer is that the reason why France is having these problems and Portugal isn't is because Portugal has truly welcomed the immigrants from their former colonies and provided them with equal opportunities whereas France has not.

While neo-liberalism is a big part of this, one mustn't overlook the impact of a calloused approach to postcolonialism.

Of course, neo-liberalism really is just next phase colonialism...

my landlord moved to Portugal, way back, 8 years into my protected tenancy, with my husband across the landing.  little rooms big enough to be homes, old houses full of people

I met the new landlord on the stairs after the roof was burnt off.  He was from Cyprus, and threatened to bury me under a deluge of cement if I advised any other tenants about their rights, and his ears were long.  someone told me he was a boxing promoter.

We lived there for months more under the cracking tarpaulins, got used to the smell of burnt things, bejoyed bathing with the whole of London stretched out twinkling before us

before it is censored, try this

https://youtu.be/taRQz99cCSY

that was 40 years ago in London.

Right now the situation in South Africa is so horrifying, yet the silence and lies of the British media keep people deluded here.

A Suidlander speaks here at the European Parliament to a few listeners 

Same thing happening here in the US. Hardly any truth to be found and Americans repeat media lies like their lives depended on it  -- happily enslaving themselves. Oh well. Guess we should be happy to be one of the last generstions of humans to inhabit the planet. 

Some of the best manipulation of statistics and facts to promote hatred that I’ve seen for a very long time.

That was the response from my cousin up north to the education video.  I watched it myself after a neighbour asked me to read the article to him, that I had passed over to ask if he had heard anything about the incident in the local paper.  He mulled over the newspaper for a few minutes before passing it back, just yesterday.

So I read it aloud, the horrid report of a woman found unconscious outside the library, surrounded by a group of men.  She had been sexually assaulted.  The police were asking for help in identifying the men, but no description was given.  Reminded me of other reports from Sweden and Germany.

So, are the yellow vests a last gasp in the fight against making the planet a third-world corporate globalist shit hole, or the beginning of the rebellion to end all rebellions? Pretty sure it's the former, but it is refreshing to see people try again. If they managed to take out a couple of oligarchs, that would make the whole attempt worthwhile.

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