Notices by Whisper of Reason (sensiblequiet@mstdn.social)

Sometimes, it's difficult to understand what is happening in another country. As an outsider, I can't see the whole picture. Still, I've been following American politics for quite some time. Neither 2016 nor 2020 was a big surprise to me.

The outcome of the 2024 election was... disappointing to say the least. Now, as I watch the slow-motion trainwreck unfolding, I scratch my head more and more with each passing day: how could all of this happen, really?

If it were a "technical victory" due to ultra-low turnout, I would have no questions. People become disenfranchised and hopeless sometimes. Shit happens. But 77 million votes for Trump in 2024 - who are they? Do they actually believe they'll somehow benefit from this disaster?

You need to be pretty stupid to vote for someone like George W. Bush, but you need to be a very special case of completely out of your mind crazy to vote for Trump *after* what happened the first time.

In historically authoritarian countries, people sometimes vote for populists promising the return of the glorious past (never mind that past being a totalitarian nightmare). The US has been a democracy since day one. Moreover, Americans not always reward competence but are usually quick to reject any utter incompetence.

So, what gives? What is this "great again" thing that makes tens of millions vote for their own suffering? It might've been a novelty in 2015, but it's 10 years later now.

Today I completed my migration to @mstdn. My old account was on mastodon.social, but the instance is becoming too crowded and very unstable.

Migration is surprisingly easy. Huge thanks to @madeindex for writing this quick guide: https://mastodon.social/@madeindex/113452685775347051