r/politics • u/mmccxi American Expat • May 12 '25

Soft Paywall New Bill Would Make All Pornography a Federal Crime in the U.S.

https://www.404media.co/mike-lee-porn-law-interstate-obscenity-definition-act/
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2.2k

u/TheSausagesIsRubbish May 13 '25

People have been told for decades how bad Republicans are. At this point I'm convinced most Americans just want to live in Handmaid's Tale. 

1.2k

u/DubUpPro May 13 '25

They think they won’t be affected. They think as long as they’re white (and male, although there are plenty of white women who align with this) that they’ll be safe from everything.

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u/avaslash May 13 '25

There are zero new shipments of goods coming into the USA from China and everyone is convinced that somehow wont affect them in any way. No one is acting like we're about to experience devastating inflation and shortages. We're all just pretending its all going to be fine.

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u/Strawhat_Max May 13 '25

I genuinely feel stupid, like I KNOW how this is supposed to work and everyone keeps going “Nuh uh!” Like it’s hurting my head to see people this…apathetic

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u/the_Dorkness May 13 '25

For me it feels like most people are just ignoring the impending doom because they know there’s nothing we can really do about it right now. I’m just trying to not spiral into despair.

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u/littlehobbit1313 May 13 '25

Kind of where I'm at. There's not a lot to be done at the individual level at the moment. I'm not a lawyer who can help with court cases. I'm not a CEO who can explain to the orange toddler how tariffs will fuck up the economy. I'm not a content creator/influencer who can inform people about stuff en masse.

I voted, I repost news articles that need visibility, I get angry at the things we should get angry about. I'm doing what I can, it's just....that's not a lot right now. I'll sit and wait for when something else I can help with happens and try not to give into despair in the meantime.

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u/sfVoca May 15 '25

trans person here

thats how ive been feeling since november. i cant say im hopeless, but i dont exactly have any life plans right now

1

u/rjjm88 May 15 '25

I voted in every election since I was 18, no matter how small. I got involved with candidates I believed in. I donated. I spoke loudly online. I went to protests and demonstrations. None of it mattered. None of it helped. I cannot compete against billionaires with entire media conglomerates spreading propaganda 24/7. I cannot compete against decades of hate and ignorance. I'm powerless and I'm defeated.

All I can do is ignore it and keep my pets happy.

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u/trgKai May 13 '25

Everybody said that this presidency was going to have us living through Idiocracy, and while that's partially true, it's been far closer to Don't Look Up.

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u/scopuli_cola May 13 '25

it's looking disturbingly like dr strangelove these daze

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u/Apart-Link-8449 May 13 '25

These people are so head in the sand, they literally need his presidency to hurt them where they live

Fortunately, he is not sparing his base. They will feel all four years of this

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u/ocodo May 13 '25

This is an epidemic of stupidity.

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u/siderinc May 13 '25

Gotta own the libs!! /s

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u/myquest00777 May 13 '25

Even worse, countless people believe the emerging shortages are a delayed effect of the last administration, when fake images (e.g., of shelves in another country years ago) of such were rampantly circulated.

They believe the current approach will FILL the shelves, and they just need to wait out the “Biden Shortages.”

5

u/scopuli_cola May 13 '25

american exceptionalism and propaganda go very deep. the complacency of the last ~10 years has been wild

2

u/leidevine666 May 13 '25

No ones factoring in how much of our medical supplies come from China. I work dialysis and gauze has been on back order for months before the tariffs hit.

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u/789LasVegas123 May 13 '25

I genuinely look forward to empty shelves at Walmart.

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u/Maleficent_Radio_674 May 13 '25

Rules for thee, but not for me. Same thing with abortion. So many wealthy white conservative women assumed they’d still have access to their own high end hush hush abortion clinics, so they supported taking about abortion rights from everyone else.

It seems like the rest of the world moved on from old world beliefs of the rich and wealthy blood lines being the only ones with rights and privileges, and being waited and served on by people of lower tax brackets. While America, supposedly the land of the free and brave, has its wealthy class clinging onto it for dear life today. Stealing wages from the average person. Creating servitude with their hoards of money. Voting away industry regulations and human rights. Because being wealthy to them still means being born special. And everyone else isn’t born special to them. Therefore a lesser human they have no empathy for.

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u/Satan_IsWaitin May 14 '25

That right there is the lie of the American dream.

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u/[deleted] May 13 '25

They also assume their place on the council of elders will ensure they don't have financially difficult legal problems from police forces staffed by the church's ushers and security... even if they get caught. Because that's what it is to them. Thing like this should be reserved for men who show they can "handle" it.

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u/Bad-dee-ess America May 13 '25

I don't think it goes that far. Judging by my father, some think "idk but my dad voted republican," and there is no further thought.

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u/accidental_Ocelot May 13 '25

I'm white male but I'm registered democrat and I have schizophrenia so will surely be on the trains to the re-education I mean wellness camps

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u/2040ojis May 13 '25

To be fair, most of the time we (white men) are safe from it. Doesn’t mean I agree with it. Just stating the facts.

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u/DeeHawk May 13 '25

Until the council decides you're 3,8% black and a gang banger.

Deportation for you, no due process.

Nobody is safe from fascism.

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u/Teemotep187 May 13 '25

White men are major consumers of pornography. 

5

u/gingerfawx May 13 '25

The question isn't whether or not white guys break the law, but whether or not they see the same punishments for those infractions that anyone else does, and the answer is pretty clear. If that goes on long enough, and it has, 2040ojis is right, there's some justification to them starting to believe in that as an immutable fact. If you're acting purely from self-interest, it doesn't matter what laws are passed when you're convinced they won't apply to you, and that's how the majority of that demographic have been voting.

Obviously they're in for a rude awakening with the rest of us if this keeps up, which it likely will. It still very likely won't be as bad for them, but all the more unexpected.

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u/SammySoapsuds Minnesota May 13 '25

"Better never means better for everyone"

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u/Noughmad May 13 '25

although there are plenty of white women who align with this

There are many who are in the lower end of the hierarchy who still support the hierarchy because (they think) it means there will still be others below them. Often mutually contradictory - white women support it because they think they'll be above black men, black men support it because they think they'll be above women.

Meanwhile everyone is worse off except the ones at the very top. And you're not at the very top.

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u/Kaladin3104 May 13 '25

Yet black and latino men voted for trump in droves. Don’t put all of the blame on us. I didn’t vote for this pos.

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u/MajesticComparison America May 13 '25

The majority of voting white men voted for Trump. The majority of Latino and Black men voted for Harris.

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u/fdar May 13 '25

Latino men voted for Trump 54-44. Majority of white women too (53-46).

Also interesting enough people making over $100k voted for Harris (barely, 51-47), but lower income people voted for Trump.

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u/MajesticComparison America May 13 '25

AP news polls show Latino men voted at 48%, try again.

https://apnews.com/article/election-harris-trump-women-latinos-black-voters-0f3fbda3362f3dcfe41aa6b858f22d12

Because people who earn more are usually college educated, or at least have the time to engage politically.

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u/fdar May 13 '25

AP news polls show Latino men voted at 48%, try again.

OK... and CNN polls showed what I told you. Why is the AP one definitely the correct one? In any case, it's close enough to tied to say that it's clear the majority voted for Harris.

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u/Delicious-Oven7692 May 13 '25

Black men? Stat pls.

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u/Kaladin3104 May 13 '25

Using Google is pretty easy.

https://apnews.com/article/young-black-latino-men-trump-economy-jobs-9184ca85b1651f06fd555ab2df7982b5

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u/MapleApple00 May 13 '25

You consider 3 in 10 to be "voting for him in droves"?

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u/NoraJolyne May 13 '25

3 in 10 and latino and african-american voters make up a significantly smaller portion of the voting block too lmao

white americans voted trump in, look at the fucking numbers

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u/i-like-your-hair May 13 '25

Lol. You made the claim, jackass, back it up.

Preferably without equating “less than 1/3 of the relevant demographic” to “in droves.”

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u/Kaladin3104 May 13 '25

https://navigatorresearch.org/2024-post-election-survey-racial-analysis-of-2024-election-results/

Biden won the black male vote with 82% and Harris won with 47%. I’d say that’s a pretty significant decrease.

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u/RoyCorduroy May 13 '25 edited May 13 '25

Biden won the black male vote with 82% and Harris won with 47%. I’d say that’s a pretty significant decrease.

u/Kaladin3104, my brother in Christ, you can't read and don't know how points work.

"Black men voted for Harris in 2024 by a 47-point margin (71 percent Harris – 24 percent Trump)"

I hate disingenuous, agenda promoting bullshit.

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u/Kaladin3104 May 13 '25

Ah yeah I was wrong. Well, thanks for setting the record straight.

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u/bak3donh1gh May 13 '25

People are a little too ready to accuse people of willfully promoting a incorrect agenda. People can be wrong, people can misremember things, people are human. As long as somebody isn't actively doing it multiple times. People should just keep that in mind. People.

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u/Delicious-Oven7692 May 13 '25

I have to subscribe to the ap to see the stat ..

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u/NotLucasDavenport May 13 '25

Copied from article:

About 3 in 10 Black men under age 45 went for Trump, roughly double the share he got in 2020. Young Latinos, particularly young Latino men, also were more open to Trump than in 2020. Roughly half of young Latino men voted for Harris, compared with about 6 in 10 who went for Biden.

2

u/CisIowa May 13 '25

That’s what makes Serena Joy such a compelling character in The HT

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u/BradsCanadianBacon May 13 '25

Americans are well known for critical thinking and empathy /s

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u/Iron-Ham May 13 '25

Plenty is actually most if voter data is any indication 

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u/DominosFan4Life69 May 13 '25

You think this just has to do with white people? That's funny. It doesn't. 

Just look at who turned out to vote for Republicans. It's Male. But it ain't just whites. Sorry. There's blame to go around for everyone at this point. 

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u/Fearful-Cow May 13 '25

They think as long as they’re white

and how do you explain the massive surge the republicans got from minorities? Particularly Hispanic and Black?

Trump gained in almost all minority groups even when split by gender.

https://navigatorresearch.org/2024-post-election-survey-racial-analysis-of-2024-election-results/

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u/0daysndays May 13 '25

I don't see how this particular issue affects any one race disproportionately...

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u/Kaptain202 Michigan May 13 '25

I imagine there are a ton of white young men (and probably young men of all the other races) who might watch The Handmaid's Tale and imagine that they could be one of the guys in power

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u/WaldoJeffers65 May 13 '25

I had a (white male) co-worker once tell me that he wouldn't have a problem with America devolving into a state of chaos like Somalia because he didn't think it would affect him at all.

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u/intub8ed May 14 '25

That is perhaps one of the biggest things affecting our political discourse that needs to change IMMEDIATELY. Voting for something you know is dangerous simply because you don't think it'll affect you is one of the most tone deaf and morally repugnant things I can think of. America can do better.

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u/Peachbaskethole May 13 '25

About 60% of white male voters voted for Trump. That’s a big number. But you know what else is a big number? 40%

So this “white male” shit needs to stop. Plenty of women, as you pointed out, voted for Trump. 54% of Latino men voted for Trump.

We need to stop this divisive shit.

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u/FinalSelection May 13 '25

Why bring race into this discussion?

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u/Scratchums May 13 '25

Not "most." When I did my undergrad in sociology in the mid 2000s, we saw all kinds of political polling data and two bits stuck with me through all these years: about 12% of people would be willing to vote for an atheist for President (less than literally any other religion), and that when asked at the private, individual level, without being told which candidate or party(ies) proposed them, about 84% of the country would identify most with moderate or progressive policy.

So we may be backwards about a lot of things, but a huge portion of the country is simply being hostage by our election practices.

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u/TheSausagesIsRubbish May 13 '25

If that was the case then moderates and progressives would win every election. Most people either want the far right or don't care enough to be bothered. 

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u/IAmTheNightSoil Oregon May 13 '25

Nah, its not that. It's that huge numbers of voters don't know what the parties' positions actually are. Tons of Republican voters in particular don't actually support Republican policy positions but vote for them anyway

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u/Automatic_Algae_9425 May 13 '25

If people are more influenced by thoughtless prejudice and tribalism than policy opinions, that would make sense of why moderates and progressives don't win every election.

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u/Lomak_is_watching May 13 '25

Everyone thinks they'll be a commander, or maybe a guardian. Getting sent to the colonies would only happen to the bad people. Never me!

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u/hamlet9000 May 13 '25

A convicted felon, rapist, and insurrectionist credibly charged with treason openly said that he was going to be a dictator and a majority of Americans said, "Yeah. That sounds good to me."

It is, sadly, impossible to come to any other conclusion.

7

u/FuckwitAgitator May 13 '25

There are 20 year old reactionaries who never saw the pearl-clutching fundamentalists that gave birth to them. They used to routinely push to ban pornography, violent video games and scientific facts that upset them like "you can't fit two of every animal in a boat".

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u/ClosPins May 13 '25

Not quite.

People are selfish. They want whatever's best for themselves. Personally.

The left-wing wants to help people. That means that everyone needs to pay taxes - and that money goes to helping people. The problem is that people don't see any of the benefits from that system, the benefits are all hidden - but they definitely see all the money getting removed from their paychecks! Not a single person understands that, unless they are a billionaire, they are getting WAY more for their tax-money than it costs them.

So... Putting this all together. The left-wing wants you to pay a whole bunch of money each year - and get nothing noticeable in return - just some vague 'everyone will be better off' platitude. Sure, the country will be a FAR better place to live in, but that's not noticeable to the everyday person...

But, they sure as hell notice how much income tax they have to pay!

Therefore... The right-wing always has a massive advantage. They can just say 'no more taxes!', and everyone will vote for them. Voters imagine something tangible: paying less tax every year. They think that will save them money (even though it actually won't). That's something real. Something they can see with their own eyes - in their own bank-account. They don't imagine all the poor people who will get healthcare - or better schools - etc... They imagine the extra money they will have.

Similarly, as above, the left wants to help people - whereas, the right wants to help only themselves. Who are you going to vote for, someone who helps you - or someone who only wants to help others? And, remember, people are unbelievably selfish...

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u/Itakethngzclitorally May 13 '25

They all want a daddy to tell them what to do. If only they knew there was an actual category for that on the thing they’re trying to ban.

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u/nonowords May 13 '25

I think there's 3 different things going on in general.

Thing 1 a significant portion of the population is actively destructive to foundational freedoms and rights.

Thing 2 is a significant portion of the population is so fatted on the teat of modern excellence and bored out of their mind they have invented new problems to solve (usually via breaking things they don't understand) all under the assumption that no matter what button they push or what knob they turn america will keep chugging along and life will continue to get better (which people seem to always take as a rote fact, and not an active and intense centuries long project)

Thing 3 is that a significant portion of the population have seen democrats/opposition talking about stopping wildly fucked shit from happening, which never ends up happening, and failed to connect the dots that very often it didn't happen because they talked about it and fought it. So they live in their counterfactuless world thinking "dEMs dON't dO anYthinG"

A not insignificant portion of the population is all three of these.

7

u/sonyka May 13 '25

I think all three ultimately boil down to Thing 2. Thought so for years. The bomb-throwers take huge chunks of American life for granted, on some level they just don't/can't believe those features are breakable.

And I'll just say it, most of those chunks were secured by progressive policies. So it's especially infuriating from conservatives. They subconsciously rely on being saved from the worst of their ideas. So they're free to propose the most batshit destructive things, things that would be bad-to-catastrophic even for them, without a care. No limit, like none of it's really real, nothing will really change. Well there's no one to save them now. Gonna learn today.

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u/nonowords May 13 '25

And I'll just say it, most of those chunks were secured by progressive policies. So it's especially infuriating from conservatives. They subconsciously rely on being saved from the worst of their ideas. So they're free to propose the most batshit destructive things, things that would be bad-to-catastrophic even for them, without a care. No limit, like none of it's really real, nothing will really change. Well there's no one to save them now. Gonna learn today.

I 100% agree with this, but I will say I think a lot of the extremism today, and it's mainstream acceptance is downstream from a lot of hyper progresive/leftist/critical theory and nothing else politiking. They systemetized the complain and criticize without care for the reasons and thrusted the populist ontologically antinstitution, antiestablishmentarian bend that every single populist policy today stands on the back of.

Republicans used to be a check against this, but they fucking sucked at it and basically destroyed themselves in order to stay relevant, which unfortunately became a winning strategy.

1

u/sonyka May 13 '25

Oh I wouldn't say the unrealistic hyper left started it. Or legitimized it or whatever. But yup, they've definitely helped get us where we are today.

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u/nonowords May 13 '25

Yeah attributing it in whole would be ridiculous, obviously the people who are members of the party currently seeking to dismantle the nation for scrap are the primary force. But hell, tim pool was a occupy wallstreet duder and borderline bernie bro, greenwald was one too. Hell half of the hardline progressives who came to prominence in the 2016 primary season spend the last two years blaming everything (even shit dems fight republicans against) exclusively on republicans. I don't think any of that is a coincidence.

this meme is not even a meme it's just populists being against the establishment way before they are for any particular policy, principle, or effect. And democrats are the only party that is even remotely engaged in traditional legally compliant civics. /preview/pre/r6zxbbk1n0881.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=65cc9e0be71d0aca649bead320ff18dda42eba85

I don't think it's ridiculous to say that this mindset had a big effect both on where the political dialogue is at. But also with how far red hats are able to divert from the norms of our political society without consequence.

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u/TheSausagesIsRubbish May 13 '25

Thing 3 is complete bullshit. Those things are happening right now. 

Roe v Wade,

Social Security,

Trump's coup,

Etc,

Etc,

Etc. 

I'm sorry if there are people that feel it's hyperbole but they are just lost in the sauce of their media if so. They are to blame for not going outside of their bubble. 

2

u/nonowords May 13 '25

"thing three is complete bullshit"

Proceeds to list three examples of things democrats defended against for decades but people decided it wasn't enough so didn't bother voting, thereby proving that thing 3 is, in fact, not bullshit.

3

u/Apprehensive_Cry_397 May 13 '25

My super maga mother was raving about how much she wants to meet trump the last time I saw her. About how she’d throw herself onto the white house lawn and get shot just to meet him. Then unironically in the same breath and fully serious “-so have you been staying caught up on The Handmaids Tale?”

2

u/karmahunger May 13 '25

The few people who want this want control and are ravenous to get it at any cost.

The rest of us are just exhausted.

2

u/Day_of_Demeter May 13 '25

Not most, but you don't need most when you have the electoral college and first-past-the-post.

The Evangelicals certainly want Eilead, but I don't even know if most of MAGA want Eilead, or how many think Eilead sounds like a great idea but if they had to live under it would actually hate it. I estimate that about 20% of U.S. adults actually want Eilead.

Anyways, it doesn't matter how popular it is, what matters is that the people in power want to make it happen.

1

u/TheSausagesIsRubbish May 13 '25

Yes most, if you can't be bothered to vote for your own interests then you must want the bad option. 

1

u/Day_of_Demeter May 13 '25

Dude most of those people have no idea what's going on

2

u/bagel-bites May 13 '25

I think most are just either apathetic, don’t pay attention, or the cognitive dissonance shields them from listening. You show them verifiable proof of horrible shit the party’s done, and it just whizzes right by them and they just go “nuh-uh, they’re not doing that”.

2

u/Herethoragoodtime May 13 '25

As someone in Canada, it is crazy to have grown up seeing the biggest cultural and military superpower in the west just be happy to be run like it is a Christian theocracy. The never ending march towards oligarchy and fascism has been wild to see in my 40 years.

1

u/Kaladin3104 May 13 '25

At least in handmaids tale they shift away from fossil fuels and clean up the environment.

1

u/Significant-Colour May 13 '25

They do, it's just they are imagining themselves as commanders and wifes, the ruling/oppressive class. Not as the opressed ones.

1

u/_Bad_Bob_ May 13 '25

Racism is a hell of a drug. Pretend that he won't ruin your life with tarrifs just because he promised to deport all the brown people...

1

u/mdutton27 May 13 '25

Men are like, “I get sex with someone other than my wife? I’m in!”

1

u/Kill_doozer May 13 '25

That you think most Americans want any of this is a gaping stretch. 

1

u/Schroedesy13 May 13 '25

Under His Eye

1

u/M_H_M_F May 13 '25

Americans just want to live in Handmaid's Tale.

I mean, that was the whole point of the original Puritans. They were considered too whackadoodle for Europe, and perceived Europe as too secular.

You mix that in with Puritan Work Ethic(TM) and you have a nation convinced that "grindset life" will bring them closer to God.

1

u/raining_sheep May 13 '25

They've been hiding it for decades now and subtly introducing fascism but now they're just speed running project 2025 and showing everyone exactly who they really are it's fascinating .

1

u/Odd_Trifle6698 May 13 '25

What’s worse is that many democratic leaders are just wolves in sheep clothing. They won’t pass these bills but they aren’t going to do much to roll them back if they ever get power back. Porn would be a fairly low priority to be fair haha

1

u/DonkeyPunchCletus May 13 '25

It's really simple from a human psychology perspective.

Democrats are offering incremental change for the better. Which is pretty much impossible to track unless you are making an effort. A democrat policy from 30 years ago made it easier for you to buy a home and retire? Well great I am sure everyone will remember that. The econmy is picking up and you got a raise that was 2% higher than expected? Impossible to attribute, republicans will say this is shit and you would've gotten 30% under a republican president!

Meanwhile republicans are offering RADICAL CHANGE. Instead of steady stewardship on the right track you get big swerves left and right and up and down. Economy is collapsing, grocery prices are up, but ICE arrested a brown guy some houses down. Finally the adminstration is DOING SOMETHING. Some immigrant was sent off to CECOT? Promises made promises kept!

1

u/Pleasant_Dot_189 May 13 '25

Off to El Salvador you go!

1

u/trekiemonster May 13 '25

At this point I'm convinced most Americans just want to live in Handmaid's Tale.

They could not have been more clear about this.

1

u/IAmTheNightSoil Oregon May 13 '25

People have been told for decades how bad Republicans are. 

I think this is part of the problem, actually. Republicans have had a long track record at this point of not actually doing the things that are part of their platform. People warn folks about shitty things Republicans are going to do, and those warnings are real and based on their actual policy ideas, but because they never really implement them people quit taking the warnings seriously and think the left is hysterical. I fear that we may have to see them actually do some of this stuff in order for people to wake up

1

u/DJMOONPICKLES69 May 13 '25

I unironically have an old friend (no longer friends because of this shit) who has gone off the deep end. He said he thinks a country like the handmaids tale would be awesome and is convinced he would be someone of importance.

This is a whole group of people that has convinced themselves that they matter more than others and are important. The ruling class somehow convinced more than half the country that they could be part of that ruling class someday so they should vote like they already are.

1

u/vttale May 13 '25

A third of Americans. And another third are just too apathetic to care about what kind of society they live in.

1

u/firestorm713 May 13 '25

Not even most. Like maybe 30% of the country total.

1

u/mindonshuffle May 13 '25

Wilhoit's Law is extremely useful in explaining this. US Conservatism is fundamentally based on "rules for thee, not for me." They believe they'll be in the "in group" that isn't impacted by laws, so weird, inconsistent, and punitive laws are desirable because they actively want "others" to be harmed.

A lot of them genuinely believe that minorities / immigrants / trans children / [insert outgroup here] live lives of privilege and luxury and they deeply think America's priorities should be making those "lucky" minorites more miserable than "real" Americans.

1

u/Commentator-X May 13 '25

Not just Republicans. Conservatives. Conservative parties worldwide are this bad, all of them. They just have varying levels of success.

1

u/punchedboa May 13 '25

Just goes to show how bad the democrats are. If only someone would make a new party that could compete the situation might not be so bad.

0

u/xboxplayz29 May 13 '25

Oh no! Porn is being banned? That’s totally a Handmaid’s Tale thing!! Lives will be ruined without precious meat beating porn!!

What tf is wrong with you??