Where are we going with this?

originally posted by: angeldoll
Reading the responses in this thread has made me more hopeful that we haven't all lost our minds, and that we can turn our country around before it's too late. What are "the good ole days?" The good ole days are when we didn't hate each other and wish each other dead because of our political beliefs.

Thank you all. I don't feel so alone now.

Thank YOU for the thread, and the self reflection.

a reply to: angeldoll

Great thread and a really important message you are sharing, I like you vow idea too, a thumbs down may be a good place to start

a reply to: angeldoll

You are right and kind to give people the benefit of the doubt, because it allows them to prove their worth instead of demand it of you.

The hatred is the result of many factors. But I think the most prevalent is that many have successfuly melded or otherwise confused their social media lives with their real ones, sometimes trading one for another. It overflows and spills out. They have foregone the difficulty of human to human reaction in order to retreat into the easy mental kind, where the only things that have consequences are words.

Social media is a misnomer. Social media is anti-social, and pretending it is social only breeds anti-social behavior.

But go outside, talk to your neighbor, have a face to face, the hate wanes.

a reply to: angeldoll


Obviously, we disagree on more than a few issues. Having said that, a few of the posters have hit it spot on in that ATS is intense. Far more so than the reality, IMO. Just go for a walk and observe. One sees things are a lot calmer than supposed.

What I do is take breaks from ATS. Sometimes long ones. When there is less benefit or personal gain than negativity a break is therapeutic.

I do not wish you ill in any way. I'd go as far as to say you raise good points........occasionally....

Yes, I would fight for my beliefs. I would not initiate it, however.

I recall a time when in the midst of the cold war when I could see no out short of all out nuclear war. Accidental, deliberate or even a tragic mistake. A person, fairly recently- a liberal, for goodness sake!!- reminded me that somehow be it a 'luck gene' or divine intervention, we escaped that mess!!

There is a chance we will again....

a reply to: angeldoll

The People who just Hate the President Also Hate what this Country is All About , Personal Freedoms . If they Cannot come to Terms with that , then they should LEAVE...................

originally posted by: JinMI

originally posted by: 3NL1GHT3N3D1
The tone of this place has changed from warm, welcoming, and polite to cold, hateful, and rude.

Imagine a new poster deciding to join this site and deciding to participate only to be met with condescension and hate. Either they will leave the site or they will start posting the same way they see others posting.

This isn't the same place as it used to be and I believe ATS is a microcosm of America and a lot of the world right now, divided and hostile. Things aren't looking good in my opinion.

That's odd. When I got home and walk around the neighborhood, I am not met with condescension nor hate. I can talk politics with the more extreme leftys and rightys and after it's over, we go about our day. When I come to work it's the same. At the store, the same.

What I'm trying to say here is that whatever is here at ATS is amplified and anonymous. It's not the real lifeblood of the U.S. It is this posters opinion that between social media, the media and government, they are blowing everything way out of proportion and amplifying it themselves all for profit.

I quoted this because it is so very true. I encountered some hostility immediately after the election based upon the fact that I am an Anglo and some Hispanics naturallly assumed I voted for Trump. Now withstanding the natural hatred for Anglos many Hispanics harbor I go about my business in a part of Texas that is 90% Hispanic with no problems or verbal or physical attacks. We all, for the most part, pretty much just go about our daily lives peacefully. There are some places and restaurants that dont serve Anglos, but I respect that and walk away, smiling.

The Leftist, anti-American Anglo MSM has amped up the hatred and confusion to previously unheard proportions, but they are entirey out of touch with everyday folk, many if not most of whom have tuned them out altogether.

There are of course the attention grabbing nut jobs on social media who will say anything to garner clicks or likes. They are, I believe, a small minority. A few may go off the deep end and do violence, but they are not likely to attract a large enough following to do any real lasting damage.

As my Grandmother was fond of saying, "This too shall pass". The important thing to do is to stay above the foolish fray.

a reply to: angeldollToxoplasma gondii

may occur when Eagles wonder in to Bear caves...

1 can only hope the lesson has been learned?
But denial may be strong within the avian effected.
It does seem like a psychological operation occurred that has the talons clawing at each other in the nest. Further confusing & destabilizing the nest why the caves however remain stable.

Stable because the Bear also knows that Toxoplasma gondii may occur if the Bear wondered into the Eagles nest and so Bear avoids and pokes at nest with a stick from a distance. To see how stable nest still is or isnt...

originally posted by: angeldoll
Firstly, this is not about Kumbayah, or snowflakes, being triggered, unicorns, or pay it forward, fake news, or who is the smartest.
It's not a joke thead, nor is it an admonishment, for I am as guilty as the rest.

Its' about who we are becoming and where are we headed. I'm not talking about this forum, singularly. It is only a collection of many other thoughts and feelings, both on and off line.

I'm referring to our country. Our relationships with one another, and recognizing that we are at a crossroads, and we must make a decision about who we are going to be, and if we choose to stay on this course, because it is a choice.

In other words, are we sure the place we are going is really the place we want to be?

There's alway the folks who hope for civil war, total annialation, the destruction of everything and I'm not talking to them. You are in your own horrid depressing little mind set, and you can stay there or hopefully try to find a way out of your private hell. I wish you the best, but this thread is not for you.

I'm talking to those of us who work and have families, or those who strive for joy in our lives, and peace. Who want the country we seem to be at each other's throats over, to continue to be one we can live in with peace and safety. With some reasonable expectations of what tomorrow might bring.

We are in the process of destroying it. Not Russia, not Congess, not Trump or Hillary, or the so-called "deep state". We are doing it to ourselves. Think about it. The frog is successfully in the warm water, and it's become a lot warmer in the last few months,( or, hmmm, haven't you noticed?)

I think I can mostly say, that the majority of us disapprove of the way Middle Eastern countries, Arabs, live. We dislike their culture; the way women and children are treated. We dislike all the rules they must abide by to simply get through the day without getting into trouble with their governments. But mostly, we dislike how they frequently kill one another over the ideologies of their religion. Killing each other over IDEOLOGIES.
Is that where we are going? KIlling each other over ideologies? Only we are worse. They are killing one another at least over a percieved prophet. And we are killing each over, (or want to at times) over what? A political ideology? POLITICS?

Again think about it. I saw a thread recently here, disdaining how women dress. If they dress like whores, then they can be treated like a whore. Where does that come from?

So, liberals want to kill conservatives. Conservatives want to kill liberals. They are scum, and I really can't remember all the name-calling and insults. ( Some people were so excited about it today. Who can make the first thread?) The worst of us? The threads weren't written as news, were they? What was the tone? They were an invitation to voice hatred and disdain.

***
So to think "I am killing my enemy. A Sunni". "I am killing my enemy, A Shia". Or whatever.
Shall we kill our 'enemy" a Democrat? A Republican? Is that how much of a tiny box we are moving into, like the Arabs? Shutting out all the light, and seeing only in tunnel vision?

Killing someone's Dad? Someone's wife or husband. Someone's son. Someone's grandfather, or grandson. Someone who has hopes and dreams, and wants to raise their kids, and play softball to raise money for kids, or take their wife to dinner this weekend, or go to their granddaugher's birthday party.

But the political ideation/ affiliation is all they see? Where are we going with this, and where did it come from? How did we get here? Is it a phase? Growing pains? Is it temperary? Because if it's not, there won't be much left of us as a country. We'll go down like so many of the ME countries have. Where else is there to go? Where? If we hate each other over political beliefs, where is there to go?

This shallow mindedness, and superficial superiority is like a cement block tied around the ankles, and there is nothing in front of you but the sea. All of us.

And the constant promotion of hatred! My God! We have some of the greatest distributors of hatred now. And for what? Come spew out your hatred here, and give me some meaningless stars!
Ever stop to think some those hateful comments might be the last straw to push an already unstable person over the edge?
Like the shooter today at the ball park. Where did HE post? Where did he go on-line to feed his hatred and distribute his own for others to feed on? Somewhere. He's somewhere on-line and we can take that to the bank. He fed his fear and disdain and fed it and fed it until he could no longer contain it all so he snapped. Who fed him? Did you? Did I? How can we know?

I usually default to thinking the best of people. It's my nature. I don't think most of here want to be a part of the generation who took the great United States of American down.
I don't, do you really? What a sad legacy if you do. But it's happening. Brick by brick. Value by value.

Someone said to me today "You can't hide hatred, it doesn't make it go away".
But you know what? HIDE IT. Hide it out of existence. Because like ebola virus, or herpes, some things are better not shared.


From my heart to yours,
Angelina

Always remember, This is not real life. It's only the Internet.

Well since Trump's election Democrats are or have currently done:

Blocked freeways/highways (numerous times)
Rioted and destroyed/set fire to businesses and private property (numerous times)
Went to opposing candidates campaign stops and physically assaulted (numerous times)
Publicly demonstrated killing the current POTUS (numerous times)
Opened fire attempting to kill Republican candidates (so far only once)

The violence is entirely one sided. And it will escalate since no one is bothering to stop them or even tell them it's wrong.

You can only poke a bear so many times before it wakes up and defends itself.

Remember................ The expression-by-aggression phase we are witnessing now ..... sprang up from the Political-Correctness mindset
Also the 'I am Special & entitled' attitudes we stressed so that no-body would ever feel slighted by society

then the progressive degeneration of respecting the viewpoints/opinions which are opposite 'mine'...
No, my opposition is driven by Evil, Lust, Greed and the other 4 Deadly Sins...


this is just the start, sons & daughters will betray and scorn the parents, retirees will be euthanized if they are not volunteers in a myriad of social programs..... dystopia descends upon us now

It's called "doom porn" apparently. Each person, trying to get in the spin, takes on a tone and it all gets mimicked, partway because people "like the way it sounds" when there's a gloomy tint on everything. Magazines and movies capitalize, blogs capitalize, the only problem is that people find it hard to get out of the word rut and go out riding. Im not saying "be ignorant" but yeah..everybody's taking on "a tone...". We are dooming ourselves by wanting to sound gloomy, my whole take on this mess. Oh yeah and bad stuff happens..

Cheers....

a reply to: boozo

Wise post and oft in need of reminders some people are. This place, your phone/ is not a "snapshot of forever" and people here don't read MINDS...

a reply to: angeldoll

Good, OP. S&F. I am sick of the two-party divide. People can try and call it 'Left vs. Right,' but it's not true. They just don't want to own their party loyalty.

It is, indeed, 'Democrat vs. Republican,' and the voting stats prove it.

***

To fight the 'Divide & Conquer' goal of the two-party system, I am always willing to vote for the independent/third party candidate of any two-party voter's choice -- in any election -- as long as they vote for them, too.

I wish someone would have the courage to take me up on my generous offer.

Thing is it is a very small group of people using every thing at there disposal to create hate and make it grow .
And the other 85% of people are falling for it .
Hate the Muslims all terrorists . Hate the Mexicans all illegals. Hate the blacks all Criminals .
Hate the whites all oppressive . Hate the Jews all rich and stealing money .
Hate the Chinese all using us to there own gain cheat to do it .
Hate the Russians ( do i even need to put anything here ?
The world could be called 1000001 ways to hate .
Thing is it has always been and will always be this way this generation hasn't got the lock on it .
So if you feel things may be hopeless its only because things are hopeless .
Heck father and son hate each other mother daughter do you expect strangers to act differently ?
We will continue to find reasons to hate and kill until there are two left and Cain kills Able .
When i was young I though of ways to solve this problem give each group there every own planet go back and check in a 100 years and they will once again be hating
Dont tell me you never once thought I would just bet the heck out of that person or even man i wish they would die or i would just love to kill them .
Its in our nature The human race is self destructive . Look at the trash on the side of the road and tell me i am wrong.

originally posted by: midnightstar
Thing is it is a very small group of people using every thing at there disposal to create hate and make it grow .
And the other 85% of people are falling for it .
Hate the Muslims all terrorists . Hate the Mexicans all illegals. Hate the blacks all Criminals .
Hate the whites all oppressive . Hate the Jews all rich and stealing money .
Hate the Chinese all using us to there own gain cheat to do it .
Hate the Russians ( do i even need to put anything here ?

I don't think the amount of people who believe any of those is anywhere even remotely close to 85% of us. Wherever you get your information from, you need to stop. If anyone's being taken for a ride, it's you.

originally posted by: Krakatoa

In the spirit of free and open exchange of ideas, it is not cool to shout down a differing opinion like that.

You're mixing up "an invitation to dialogue" with "sit there and be lectured, you uneducated redneck peon".

I believe the expression is "libsplaining".

a reply to: midnightstar

I don't hate you. In fact I'd like to buy you a coffee and a piece of pie. Or a Margarita...you chose.

It's all theater....

I too have been wondering this very point.

Excluding everything you hear, see and red in the MSM - is your life filled with all the hate, all the gender dysphoria, all the racism, all the sexism? If your life is anything like mine as a woman living in a first world Western society - No.

The MSM is pushing all this hate and division. In every day life these are isolated and remote occurrences. The MSM has its agenda pushing in full swing trying to convince people that small issues are BIG ones, that life is s**t, that America is divided when in fact it's not so much

a reply to: angeldoll

We are seeing the effects of long term living in fear-based societies. There may or may not be objective reasons to fear, but that does not make the fear any less real.

And fear is the basis of hatred.

The list of things to fear is endless, and social media has indeed made that worse.

Once a society lets fear rule it, the way ours does now, the future is not bright. It is not easy to even take one personal life that is steeped in fear and let that fear go, it is orders of magnitude harder for a culture.

Good topic, S&F...