"Something positive to read" ?

wv wrote:

I spose there’s lots of non-political writings out there
that are inspiring. Such as…?

w
v

“The Art of the Deal”?

Zooey wrote:

Tell them to fucking set down their reading material, and go play with their kids, or take a hike along a river with a friend, or lend a hand in some charity. Get back to living life, and make some positive connections with other humans.

Stop all this mopey bullshit and make a stranger smile somewhere.

Seriously.

Yeah, that’s a great idea. Mock and make fun of people who genuinely feel afraid and are grieving right now.

Real classy, people.

I have family and friends who are going through that right now, young, middle age and elderly, and most of us know lots of people who have every right in the world to be seriously afraid of a Trump/GOP presidency. That is, if we know black and brown people, women, Muslims and LGBT folks, especially.

It’s to be expected that more than a few Trump voters would do this, given their support for an authoritarian bigot and lying, chickenhawk bully. But too many people on the left are piling on too. And that does surprise me.

I mean…the truth is Trump won, and Republicans control the Senate, Congress, and will soon control the Supreme Court.

And in 2018, things will possibly get worse because the Dems have 5 Senators up for re-election in red states, and 4 up for re-election in purple states, so the Republicans could get a filibuster proof absolute majority in the Senate.

I don’t know what to say. “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul” isn’t going to have much impact in the face of that. I’m sorry I was so blunt. I obviously struck the wrong tone.

Zooey wrote:

I mean…the truth is Trump won, and Republicans control the Senate, Congress, and will soon control the Supreme Court.

And in 2018, things will possibly get worse because the Dems have 5 Senators up for re-election in red states, and 4 up for re-election in purple states, so the Republicans could get a filibuster proof absolute majority in the Senate.

I don’t know what to say. “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul” isn’t going to have much impact in the face of that. I’m sorry I was so blunt. I obviously struck the wrong tone.

Zooey, my reaction was cumulative buildup/general observation. Not directed at you.

And I agree with your prescriptions.

Would just add blue skies. Science tells us they’re really good for us too. Helps us sleep as well. I don’t always follow my own advice, etc. but getting sunshine when we can is really helpful for our mood, our sanity and our sleep.

Oh, and religion isn’t the only thing telling us to help others. I think we’re hard-wired to do that, and to feel damn good about it when we do. Science confirms this as well.

Recent study at UVA showed the impact of just holding someone’s hand in moments of high stress and fear. It surprised the researches when they discovered that this also applied to fear and stress (because of concern) for others. Brain waves were hard to tell apart — when one is afraid for oneself or for a friend or family member. Just that hand-holding seemed to calm the waters for the test subjects.

Anyway . . .

I have to agree with Zooey here.

My son texts me about how scared his friends are(most are Latino or African-American and even a married lesbian couple)and he tells me how fearful he himself is for he and his girlfriend(also African-American). He says he wants to get a concealed carry and I basically told him, “Good idea”.

There’s nothing comforting I can tell him to blunt the reality of what happened. It happened. It’s real. I get sick of hearing about Clinton and the popular vote. It’s meaningless. It changes nothing.

Better to deal with it.

Don’t hide behind a feel good book. Get involved.

But don’t pretend everything will be okay.

And yes–move on with your life.

Do not get trapped in anger and despair. Don’t let the election destroy YOU. Live your day to day life and find a way to deal with the challenges you may face. There is no other way.

I will be the first to point out all the things I see that I feel are bad for individuals and the country. I’ll be right on top of any fingerpointing to the left when things go wrong.

No sell.

No blaming the media, the democrats–anyone. If their program fails they must accept PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. That is not just for Democrats and liberals.

In the meantime. Just live your life. That’s all you CAN do.

You don’t have to feel good about any of this. But you can’t wallow in misery forever, either. You have to move forward.

edit: sorry if I double posted this. Thought it got lost…

Posted this on Facebook. Tried to post this before, but it didn’t work, so here goes gain. This forums software…argh. Anyway… I included a preamble which you all don’t need, but here’s the whole post.

Just got back from the Trump Protest in Sarasota and wanted to share some thoughts.

A primer to my posts to those that don’t know me (normally I post in forums):

1) my posts are long. If that’s not okay. Don’t read, but don’t complain about the length. I hate bumper sticker sloganeering. I want to get into the weeds on issues, so I take the time and space to articulate my thoughts.

2) I am very thoughtful and mindful. I don’t come by these thoughts cavalierly, nor are they unsupported by facts, evidence, logic, reason and substantive deliberation.

3) I want to be part of a conversation. Don’t mistake my stridency for authority. If I’m wrong, I’ll be the first to admit it. What I have is enthusiasm, not ego.

4) What governs my drive is principle, not politics, partisanship or personal gain. I won’t take the time or space to articulate every instance where I’ve lived my principles.

I dunno how this foray into social media will go, but… here goes.

So… just got back from the protest. I have some thoughts.

Firstly, I’m always heartened when individuals exercise their rights under the Constitution, especially the First Amendment. To me that is key to fulfilling the promise of the Declaration of Independence which was the preamble to our democracy and ultimately a promise of our principle and promise, which states that: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. So to see people across this land exercise their rights…and be ABLE to do so. Well, I was heartened.

Secondly, based on the appointments, it’s clear that Pence is setting himself up to be the next Dick Cheney. Virtually every appointment looks to be a hard right Conservative and many are actually against much of what Trump ran on. Many people opposed Bush not realizing they were really fighting Cheney. Well… when people think they’re fighting Trump, they’re really going to be fighting Pence and the hard right. We haven’t seen the kind of fight we’re going to need since the 60s. NOT KIDDING. We are going to need MILLIONS in the streets on a weekly basis to truly drive the change that must happen.

Thirdly, I’m sorry that this didn’t happen sooner. Yes, Bernie had YUGE crowds, but we knew in freakin’ MAY after that disgrace of a primary season that the DNC had no faith in democracy. At least the Republicans had faith in democracy. They were willing to let their party burn to the ground, but…they let the people who showed up at caucuses and primaries decide WITHOUT anyone at RNC HQ deciding the outcome. Contrast that with the DNC essentially trying to fix the outcome for Clinton even as solid data came in that Hillary looked weak against Trump, but Trump would get roflstomped by Sanders. Heck, Alan Grayson did a poll two days after the Election and Bernie wouldn’t have just won… Bernie would have won TEXAS!!! Think about that. So while we’re fighting, we have to ALWAYS remember that half measures often count for nothing at all. Buh-bye corporate sell-out Dems.

Fourthly, I’m mixed, though I pass for white. I’m a Service-Connected Disabled Vet. I could sit back and hope to protect my trans child under my umbrella of supposed “protection” or privilege or whatever. But actually…I can’t. Because…until, we’re all free, NONE OF US IS FREE. And that’s just not abstract. Hey Bush and Obama fans. Here’s a reason why those of us on principle hated Patriot Act. Suspension of Habeas Corpus for one. And the killing of the Dallas shooter was the first use of a drone (technically a bomb bot) against a US citizen on US soil. How long before THAT line is crossed by the DOJ, NSA, FBI, CIA or other Federal, State and Local agencies under President Trump. And how long before we see a return of Extraordinary Rendition, Torture, Black Sites and the like. Think that’s crazy? Did anyone not see what the Boston PD looked like after the Boston Marathon bombing? They looked better equipped than our troops were during the Surge in Iraq.
The culture wars are just the beginning. Couple that with authoritarians who have access to the least accountable, most powerful and secretive intelligence apparatus on the planet and…well, there is serious cause for concern. We MUST support our Constitution. ALL of our freedom depends on it.
Lastly, in many ways the fog has been lifted. In ways great and small, the racists, corporatists, the political manipulators… all have been exposed. And all, but the racists prefer the fog of obfuscation and misdirection. The clarity of this moment must be recognized so that people of conscience can truly see what is happening and act accordingly (and no, signing an online petition isn’t “action”).
In the coming days, there will be distraction, diversion, dismissal and derision. That cannot be allowed to stand. Clarity and focus must be maintained.

I joined the US Navy because I wanted to continue a family tradition of service, to support and defend the Constitution, to serve my country….all of it.

I still want every last person in this country to be able to live their truth. I want part of that truth to be what is enshrined in our Declaration of Independence…the self-evident truth that as an American…as a human being… that all are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Mackeyser.