Early last week, I was at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library for its first weekend. At the library itself, despite President Donald Trump inserting himself incongruously into the opening ceremonies, I did not see a single person sporting a Trump-branded clothing item.
The town of Medora, North Dakota, itself was, however, a different story. It wasn’t overwhelming. But for someone who lives in an urban center of a blue state, where even in the ruby red rural areas most people have become sufficiently shamed to shut up about their MAGA tendencies, a single errant MAGA cap is a rarity.
They are clueless. Protesting we will get overwhelmingly massive honks and waves and thumbs up and other signs of approval and then once or twice amidst it you get the maga yelling loser or fuck you. Its like are they congniscant of how overwhelmingly in the minority they are. Does all the adulation happening in the midst of their vitriole make its way into their senses at all.
I wish someone named this effect. Maybe it is some variation the Overton Window overlaid with Dunning-Kreuger. But whatever it is it is pervasive. There are so many people I know that once you get them talking about it they absolutely are anti fascist, anti-Trump, anti-Republican. But they’re not vocal. I think decent people are not vocal in general. They rightly feel that it is just common sense to work toward a society that has equity and treats people fairly and the idea that it takes work to maintain that is inconceivable. Like these fascist fuckers will figure it out if you give them enough time. Maybe that’s just the way human civilization works… It has to get really bad for the majority of people before ordinary decent folks are forced into action. Maybe one more voting cycle will fix things, so just wait for the next election.
I agree, and I think that’s why Project2025 is a thing, and why they’re slow-walking the destruction of everything. They’re avoiding to, as Admiral Yamamoto once said, “awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” I think our society still has this kind of backbone and character, but only under sudden and extreme conditions.
I don’t see america surviving if there is not a monumental shift in the next election.
Their entire world is built around being the ‘righteous asshole’.
In my town they would plaster their trucks with stickers, fly Trump and Confederate flags, then drive around blocking traffic and saying “Fuck You!” to the rest of the world. One good thing about Trump’s $6 gas is it has them doing a lot less driving around lately.