Sorry if the premise is inflammatory, but I’ve been stymied by this for a while. How did we go from something like 1940s era collectivism or 1960s era leftism to the current bizarro political machine that seems to have hypnotized a large portion (if not majority) of the country? I get it - not everything is bad now, and not everything was good then. FDR’s internment camps, etc.

That said - our country seems to be at a low point in intellectualism and accountability. The DHHS head is an antivaxxer, the deputy chief of the DOJ is a far-right podcast nutball, etc. Their supporters seem to have no nuance to their opinion beyond “well, Trump said he’d fix the economy and I don’t like woke.”

Have people always been this unserious and unquestioning, or are we watching the public’s sanity unravel in real time? Or am I just imagining some idealistic version of the past that never existed, where politicians acted in good faith and people cared about the social order?

  • PlausibleDupont@jlai.luEnglish
    11·
    11 days ago

    Here in Europe we always used to think Americans were stupid.

    And it’s not like it’s prejudice from people never leaving their hometown. Nope, actually TV shows and movies make Americans look way smarter than they are.

    Nope, the conclusion comes from people that met real Americans, either in Europe or in the US.

    Last time I saw an American in Paris he was asking for ketchup on top of his duck breast. The most barbaric thing I’ve seen in a while 😂

    • tranceFusion@lemm.ee
      3·
      10 days ago

      As an American, the stereotypical Western European was always unjustifiably condescending and stuck up, and you’ve put that on display here.

      I’d imagine the reason someone might want to cover their duck is that as a gamey, stringy meat it lacks in both taste and texture. Do “you people” act superior about eating squirrel, too?

    • kreskin@lemmy.world
      0·
      11 days ago

      Of all the ways to quantify stupidity you could have chosen… and thats what you went with huh.

      • Bloomcole@lemm.ee
        1·
        11 days ago

        I get his point.
        What bothers me more than their stupidity is their boorishness and vulgarity of which they are totally unaware of.

    • Bloomcole@lemm.ee
      11·
      11 days ago

      Yes I don’t know what’s worse, their stupidity or their total lack of taste and style.
      Peasants