A Trump supporter....

[Boatrocker]

This is my family. When talking politics, they always say: they're both the same. When you press them for specifics, they can't provide any and just say nobody helps poor people.

Unfortunately they're pretty much right that nobody helps poor people, but it would seem obvious that only one party actively tries to cause greater harm to poor people.

I think many people fail to grasp that these people live in a different reality than most. If you've spent your entire life in a little shit hole town and that's all you've ever known having rarely if ever traveled more than 100 miles away, that becomes your only basis of reality. You don't read books. If you do it's shitty mass market fiction. You receive your news from blatantly biased news-entertainment. A lot of your knowledge comes from word-of-mouth gossip from the equally as ignorant acquaintance who's fallen down the talk radio/internet conspiracy rabbit hole, but because he sounds like he's knowledgeable in contrast to your utter ignorance you take what he says at face value as truth.

These people inhabit a bubble.

Shit- how do you know my in-laws?!

I think we come from the same place, just opposite sides of the country !

You should also include one of the most destructive of influences- mindless evangelical fanaticism, especially of the pentecostal variety.

[Vrede too]

Neo-Nazi Skins Played Role in Pro-Trump Rally

[Vrede too]

Passenger from hell threatens to accuse Uber driver of rape (video)

... “Donald Trump going to send you and your family back,” she seethes. “Get the f–k out of my country.” ...

Uber rewards driver who suffered passenger from hell

Uber bans rider for life over threat to accuse driver of rape

[Vrede too]

Airbnb Bans Host Who Dumped Guest Because She’s Asian
“I will not allow this country to be told what to do by foreigners,” the host texted. “It’s why we have trump.”

[JTA]

Saw this exchange om Twitter and got some chuckles (in response to someone saying Trump spends too much on vacations)

[Vrede too]

I like the avatars. One side seems more desperate, like homerfobe, the other more chill.

[Vrede too]

Less than an hour. Sorry, I called him forth.

[bannination]

Less than an hour. Sorry, I called him forth.

:cussing:

[Vrede too]

[Boatrocker]

A Loose Cannon, This Trump Supporter Personifies One Of Our Worst Fears From The 2016 Election Year

The man screaming in the video clearly thinks it’s okay to act this way, and say the things he is saying to other human beings based on the color of their skin and their presumed religion. But no problem—Donald Trump has got this man’s back.

MrB/Homo/Seth on vacation. Here's ya trumphole base. Here's what we're up against.

[Vrede too]

A Loose Cannon, This Trump Supporter Personifies One Of Our Worst Fears From The 2016 Election Year

"You will never ever stop me (and) my Christianity ..."

Opps. A Trump supporter.... after being arrested:

[Vrede too]

"I ain't payin' you nothin!", the MAGA-hatted man sneered at me.

One of the things I've loved the most about what I've gotten to do after launching my campaign for the House of Delegates here in the 58th District of central Virginia is listen to people- their stories, their motivations, their trials and tribulations. You find every stereotype imaginable, and then as you get to actually talking to folks- a novel idea, I know- you watch those stereotypes get thrown right out the window.

I already knew that was true, of course- I'm an ER Nurse, and if you want to watch stereotypes be inverted, the ER is a great place to see it.

For instance, the only person I've ever had tell me they weren't going to pay their bill was a beefy gentleman in his mid-thirties, who sauntered into my ER, blood-red "Make America Great Again" hat atop his head, planted his hands on my triage desk, and said "HEY. You need to get me to see a doctor right now, I ain't gonna wait." ...

So it was this time. My MAGA-hatted friend had been drug to the ER by his significant other, who had convinced him to take his blood pressure somehow, and discovered it was about 200/100- which our vital signs monitor confirmed.

However, when informed that we were currently full in the back, and he would have to wait for a few minutes to get a bed, he went off on me.

"****ing Obamacare!" he snarled, an accusation I hear leveled fairly often when people hear they have to wait, "this is bull****. Ain't this an emergency room? Why should I have to wait?"

... Of course, I say exactly none of that aloud, and neither do I let any of those emotions play across my face. I just nod understandingly at the patient, and say, "I'm sorry, sir, I don't like making anyone wait- but I can promise we'll get you back as quick as we can."

"Just so you know," he sneered back at me before he stalked off to the waiting room, "I ain't payin' you nothin’ for none of this. You can make Obama pay for it!"

Which wasn’t an idle threat, of course. See, in the ER, we're governed by a law called EMTALA. EMTALA says a lot of things, but the most pertinent is that we're not allowed to screen people by their ability to pay- we have to see them and, at the very least, stabilize their condition. It's been the law of the land since that noted socialist commie Ronald Reagan signed it into law in 1985.

We certainly don't mind this law, it's a million times better than pre-EMTALA alternative. But it's one reason most of us in the ER welcomed the "individual mandate" of Obamacare; or, as we always called it, the "No Free Rider" law. And I gotta say, watching "the party of personal responsibility" agitate vociferously against a law that required everyone to have at least a little skin in the game always darkly amused me.

Especially in instances like this.

But ER nurses take care of everyone- regardless of their background, regardless of their circumstances. We don't discriminate by race, religion, color, creed, sexual orientation, political affiliation, or even if you hurl abuse at us- if you've come to us for help, we'll take care of you. In my ER, we’re proud to operate as the ultimate “safe space”, where the people in our community know they can come without being judged, regardless of the reason. We’ll take the stress, the overworked burden, all onto ourselves- and do everything in our power to get you feeling better, and back home where you belong.

And that's precisely the attitude I want to bring to the General Assembly building in Richmond next January, on behalf of the men and women of the 58th District. I want to give the folks in my district someone in Richmond who works as hard as they do. Someone who'll represent everyone, not just the folks who agree with me, or voted for me. Someone who'll work and fight for them, not refuse every chance to do meaningful work, as long as it means they’ll win re-election....

[rstrong]

It amazes me how Trump supporters will go ballistic over someone wearing a hajib/veil, often citing their Christianity to justify their tantrum.

Meanwhile the Christian Virgin Mary wears a hajib/veil in every depiction of her. Really. Do a Google image search.

[Boatrocker]

It amazes me how Trump supporters will go ballistic over someone wearing a hajib/veil, often citing their Christianity to justify their tantrum.

Meanwhile the Christian Virgin Mary wears a hajib/veil in every depiction of her. Really. Do a Google image search.

They are ignorant, clueless and tone-deaf to their own hypocrisy and double standards, even more so than most people. The stock narrative that most trumphole voters are/were educated while middle class professionals disillusioned with "the system" or weary of "insiders" is bullshit. It plays into the central wingnut belief that folks of means are obviously smarter and more worthy, and we should venerate them. If the current president* (an insider who has enriched himself as part of the system) demonstrates nothing else, he certainly provides a glaringly relevant illustration of how idiotic that rich folks reverance is.
I don't give a fuck how much they are worth- trumphole supporters are deeply lacking in intellect and judgement. Deeply lacking.

[Boatrocker]

"I ain't payin' you nothin!", the MAGA-hatted man sneered at me.

At a recent gathering of my wife's family, down in Lower Alabamastan, a fire pit conversation turned to all things trumphole, as they will when amongst the unwashed rural ignoranti. My SIL, whose three children and 5 of her 6 grandchildren were all born on the state nickel, began to go off on the carefully scripted Messicans Using the Emergency Room For Free! routine. My inner boatrocker took control and sat me up in my chair, in preparation to go off on her in classic style. My wife used her Jedi powers to still me before I could take a breath, and I went in the house(trailer) to watch fishin shows on the sattylight TV.

I should point out that, in my SIL's defense, her failure to pay was "cause ain't me or my girls got no money!" and not because they were intentionally taking advantage of "the system, like them messicans and ni**ers."

The pure, clueless, unadulterated fucking stupidity gives me migraines.

[Vrede too]

I get that bigots will be bigots, it's all about targeting entire groups in order to avoid facing their own inadequacies. However, screeching for the denial of healthcare to immigrants is particularly stupid. Unhealthy people can't work as well and be as productive and contributory, and infectious diseases don't care about about citizenship/residency status. Everyone should want everyone that's here, however they got here, to be as healthy as possible.

In my WNC hospital small world the Mexican and other Latin Americans are the politest, most humble, most responsible, most appreciative, most family-centric, least demanding and least likely to be abusing the system. I'm sure that there have been some, but I can't recall a single bad experience with them. Same for Asians, but the sample size is small. This is not true for other races and ethnicities.

[JTA]

.

In my WNC hospital small world the Mexican and other Latin Americans are the politest, most humble, most responsible, most appreciative, most family-centric, least demanding and least likely to be abusing the system. I'm sure that there have been some, but I can't recall a single bad experience with them. Same for Asians, but the sample size is small. This is not true for other races and ethnicities.

This is my experience in working with the public as well. Back when I worked at that shit hole gas station. Mexicans for the most part were nice and honest.

My sister in law is an RN and says she likes working with the Latin American patients because they're typically respectful to her. She said the white/black patients are the worst.

[JTA]

"I ain't payin' you nothin!", the MAGA-hatted man sneered at me.

At a recent gathering of my wife's family, down in Lower Alabamastan, a fire pit conversation turned to all things trumphole, as they will when amongst the unwashed rural ignoranti. My SIL, whose three children and 5 of her 6 grandchildren were all born on the state nickel, began to go off on the carefully scripted Messicans Using the Emergency Room For Free! routine. My inner boatrocker took control and sat me up in my chair, in preparation to go off on her in classic style. My wife used her Jedi powers to still me before I could take a breath, and I went in the house(trailer) to watch fishin shows on the sattylight TV.

I should point out that, in my SIL's defense, her failure to pay was "cause ain't me or my girls got no money!" and not because they were intentionally taking advantage of "the system, like them messicans and ni**ers."

The pure, clueless, unadulterated fucking stupidity gives me migraines.

Yeah, people back home have said similar things. They have no qualms taking food stamps or whatever themselves because "they've worked for it and paid taxes" but will bitch and moan about the mythical welfare people bleeding them dry.

[JTA]

I really think social media is a HUGE game changer. Could Trump have gotten elected without it? Possibly, but I don't know.

I know it's already been discussed, but with social media we get to pick and choose "news" sources that already align with our worldview. Anything that challenges it can simply be un-followed and ignored. I think it was somewhat like this with television news networks like CNN and Fox, but not nearly as extreme.

On social media you choose your information silo, only read what affirms your worldview, only read comments from those who agree with your worldview, and hardly venture outside of that bubble.

Go to Donald Trump's Facebook page sometime. Or Trey Gowdy even, and read some of the comments.

It's really fascinating.

[JTA]

Edward Bernays: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Bernays

Bernays touted the idea that the “masses” are driven by factors outside their conscious understanding, and therefore that their minds can and should be manipulated by the capable few. “Intelligent men must realize that propaganda is the modern instrument by which they can fight for productive ends and help to bring order out of chaos.”[64][65][57]

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.

...

One way Bernays reconciled manipulation with liberalism was his claim that the human masses would inevitably succumb to manipulation—and therefore the good propagandists could compete with the evil, without incurring any marginal moral cost.

...

Previously, it was believed people/masses could be manipulated by using reason to appeal to their rational rather than instinctual side. Then guys like Bernays came about and argued that that's not actually the case; in order to manipulate the masses you need to appeal to their baser instincts.