" ...this is normal to us...”
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
excerpt
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I so agree with Molly Jong-Fast that we can not allow the anti-democracy extremism of Trump and his cultists to become normalized….by the media, or anyone else.
Every day, as she points out, coverage of specific events or the overall framing of today’s politics normalizes far too much of it: “[T]he media needs to call a lie a lie, and not worry if doing so appears partisan, while making clear that Trump’s authoritarian agenda would mark a radical break from America as we know it. This isn’t just another normal presidential race.”
BUT….I want to add a perspective someone shared with me a few years ago—that both complicates what she is saying, but also makes it even more urgent.
It was 2016, just a few months before Trump won (when most still didn’t think he would). Still, from the moment he went down that escalator, to those truly bizarre debates, to open misogyny, to the rallies that got wall-to-wall coverage, to the proposed “Muslim ban,” to asking Russia for help, and so much more, the campaign had already taken countless disturbing and dark turns. Chaos I had never seen before.
Alarmed by it all, I said to this group of young folks (looking back, they all were probably born around 1995-1998), with gusto: “Just so it’s clear, none of this is normal.”
When I said it, I didn’t expect it to be disputed.
But then one of the the students—a young African-American woman—raised her hand.
She didn’t ask a question. Instead, she offered a polite correction:
“Mr. Pepper,” she said. “For us, this is normal. It’s all we’ve ever seen.”
As the rest of the room nodded, I went quiet. Rare, I know 
And as she finished her sentence, and as I did the math in my head (of what these young people had all seen at what age), it was clear how right she was. And I’ve never forgotten those words since.
There I was, carrying on about how not “normal” it all was (and is), without realizing that for younger generations (her age and all those after her), all this crazy and awful and “not normal” politics is all they’ve seen and known politics to be.
It is their normal!
Think about it.
Since that young woman and her fellow students were around 12, the birthplace (and legitimacy) of the sitting President had been questioned due to color of his skin. And the guy who had led that conspiracy theory was, at that moment, on the verge of being President. Then that group would watch him become their president—kicking off with that atrocious inauguration speech and only going downhill from there—until they were in their mid-20s.
“For us, this is normal. It’s all we’ve ever seen.”
Now think about the young people born five or so years after that group—now voting in their first or second presidential election.
Since they were 12 to 14, Trump has either been President, or—even after he lost—his far-right politics (including an attempted insurrection) have still dominated the scene. This includes calling human beings “animals,” promising to be a dictator on Day 1, admiring other nation’s dictators, and open racism he’s unleashed across the country. And amid all this, he absolutely crushed his GOP primary opponents to emerge as the GOP candidate again. All as people cheer for it all.
They’ve also watched as America’s system of justice seems unable to hold him accountable, including for that insurrection. That too is their normal.
At a more personal level, in contrast to almost everything most parents tell our kids as they grow up, they’ve watched Trump do the opposite…
.....
if you’re 20 or 25 today, watching JD Vance and Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and Vivek Ramaswamy rise to high heights by doing little to no service (and hardly pretending to) while making tons of right-wing noise (including changing their views on a dime), you’d be excused for thinking that politics today has absolutely nothing to do with public service. It’s just a wild, nasty, ugly free-for-all—nothing to do with service and everything to do with extremism and power and endless disrespect for others.
You’d also be forgiven for believing that idle talk of civil war and defying election outcomes, open talk of violence and racism and conspiracy theories like replacement theory and rampant voter fraud by voters of color, are all part of usual political discourse. Because all of that poison and bile have permeated politics since you came of age.
“For us, this is normal. It’s all we’ve ever seen.”
So our challenge goes beyond simply not normalizing Trump’s current wave of disturbing and anti-democratic behavior.
Once you listen to what that young woman told me—and realize her insight applies to all who’ve come of age since—you see we have a far higher hill to climb.
We have to convince an entire generation of Americans that there is—that there can be—a different normal than the one that’s been baked in for most of their lives.
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‘Mocking the disabled…”
All one needs to know. Indefensible.
the fact that kids graduating from high school this year dont know of a time when trump was not a normal part of the political landscape should scare all of us
Yeah, that’s really scary, but look on the bright side, many, many kids graduate from high school and aren’t proficient in reading or math.
Nor do they know how safe & secure the US once was, nor do they know that a family could live off of one income, nor do they know that a dollar was once worth a dollar.
Pre 1942?
As to one income families, that died with 'freedom to work' legislation. As to $1 = $1, have you not learned that the gold standard was dropped by all sane nations in the early 1930's?
I have no idea what 'golden' era you wish to return to but none of them were golden.
We do know that it is pre civil rights. But might be even farther back than that.
When was it a family could live off of one income????????????????????????????
A time that was mighty white.
And the band played on
Lol.
How about a media that asks a President actual questions in an interview, and not appear in performances where the President "answers" pre selected questions from notecards?
If that's too much to ask, how about a media that simply points out that Biden was only famous for being the biggest liar in politics before Obama needed an "experienced" counterweight to his untested ignorance and remains a compulsive liar who lies about every aspect of his life and job when he gets caught deviating from his script?
Or maybe even a media that simply makes a pretense of not being the public relations arm of the Biden campaign. Can we start with that?
making clear that Trump’s authoritarian agenda would
Trump was President for four years. His admin complied with every court ruling and did nothing when his administration was sabotaged by a "resistance" who bragged quite openly of subverting the government. The entire tenor of his administration was to remove power from the federal government and return it to the people/states (the opposite of authoritarianism)
Biden brags about circumventing the Supreme Court and Congress with executive orders. He instructs his administration to ignore immigration law to allow the country to be overrun with illegals. And just yesterday, his administration bragged about removing protections from alleged wrongdoers, a move straight from the soviet union.
Is this because a 7-year-old gave Biden the finger?
The kids family is probably struggling.
Yeah, the people who thought it was acceptable to call Bush, McCain etc Nazis at every opportunity have suddenly developed respect for political office holders.
Like every other issue the progressives whine about, they refuse to ever look in the mirror and see how they've been doing the same thing for decades. They've done as much as anyone in creating an environment where a Trump can thrive.
That is why we see them so giddy about gagging a defendant (a former President) and saying he should listen all day to people smear him while his opponent is out campaigning.
well meaning but naive people sometimes ask "why cant we just get along with trumpsters". Your and Vics replies show us why not.
I think it has a bit more to do with Marxism being taught in American universities.
And I am not looking to get along!
As in comparative economics?
As in comparative political structures?
As in its effects on the industrial revolution?
You know, actual history and all that sort of thing ... ? Maybe we should flood all the malleables with Ayn Rand fictions /S.
He must have learned that from the former 'president'. The turd is so classy.
See how magats see telling the truth as 'smearing'? Unfuckingreal.
The last sentence says it all - just like the turd you look up to.
Without saying trumps behavior is acceptable if people think these traits didn't exist before trump they are being willfully ignorant. It is called bad parenting.
The point is that Trump has set an extremely poor example of presidential behavior for this younger generation. Their real time example of a PotUS is Trump. You could pick any other PotUS in our lifetimes and they would all provide examples of presidential behavior (even when they screw up like Nixon and Clinton) that are dramatically different than the junkyard dog scoundrel Trump.
Trump should have never been allowed to soil the presidency and it is unacceptable for anyone to allow this to happen again.
So, your reasoning is that:
Open borders
Inflation
a fantasy climate policy
Politicizing and weaponizing the DOJ, the FBI and our criminal justice system
the emasculation of our local police and the military
and weakness which led to two wars
is all less important than setting an example of civility.
Well, Mr Critical Thinker, I think your priorities are ridiculous.
And you of course neglected the fact that Trump is the only PotUS to attempt to steal a US presidential election through fraud, coercion, lying, and incitement. That he pissed on the CotUS and sought to disenfranchise voters. That he is a loose-cannon and a scoundrel who attempts to exploit every person and every situation to his advantage. A narcissistic, pathological liar who places the good of the people and this nation second to his personal desires.
Anyone who would even thinking of voting for this reprehensible demagogue should be ashamed.
"Gettysburg ... wow!"
In every case, you criticize Biden or run to Trump's defense. Do you find Biden to be worse for the nation than Trump?
Yea, because the younger generation looks to the president as an example of of moral or ethical behavior. Most of them barely know who the president is and almost none of them really care what cable news says day after day about him. And for the ones that do know what an idiot he is most of them say he is an idiot, not that they learn moral or ethical cues from him. Don't kid yourself.
Try to blame Trump as you will but it is still called bad parenting.
I guess there are millions of people that don't subscribe to the whole reprehensible demagogue definition.
It is like being a single issue voter. Nothing else matters except Trumps behavior.
It is but it also seems to be common. Second amendment to abortion there are plenty of people that will vote based on one issue.
“…but it is still called bad parenting.”
And how in what world does one justify their support for trump. He exhibits behavior any reasonable parent would not tolerate in their children.
Biden is just another politician, one in a long and indistinguishable list. To hold him to a standard that is purely and puerilely partisan is but giving cover to an individual that is demonstrably dishonest, disinterested, and ultimately dangerous.
Don’t let ‘parenting’ become just another specious excuse. Let one’s conscience, one’s sense of right or wrong, one’s understanding of what this country is all about be the deciding factor.
Biden lies about every aspect of his life and has for decades. His education. His athletic achievements. His test scores. The jobs he worked. He bullies and insults people and challenges voters to fight when they question him. He even falsely accused someone of drunk driving and killing his family to gain sympathy. He stole people's work in school. He stole another politician's speeches. He literally had to end a presidential campaign when he got caught stealing the life story of a British politician The idea that he's just another politician is laughable. Tim Kaine is "just another politician."
Biden is one of the most prolific liars in American history. No reasonable parent would tolerate their kid acting like Joe Biden. But he has a D after his name so it just gets ignored.
Lots of things you can blame Trump for, bad parenting is not one of them no matter how much you try and how much you hate him.
People make their own decisions what is important and what is not important to them. Rather than say they have that right it seems more and more people get upset that they think as an individual
Yep. Using politicians as an example to look up to went away decades ago. But lets blame it on Trump anyway.
Like clockwork.
I blame Trump for setting an outrageously bad example for a president. I do not claim to know the degree to which that affects younger (or older) people, but his horrible behavior is an undeniable fact.
That is kinda what the article and my comments are about though
But you run away from the question of which one (Trump or Biden) is worse for the nation. It is clear that they are not equally bad (that would be nearly impossible) so most everyone has the ability to determine which of the two is better for the nation.
But you run away from that question at every turn while routinely criticizing Biden and defending Trump. Your refusal to answer coupled with your comment history shows that you believe Trump is better for the nation than Biden.
And some don't think it is important to go through the exercise of determining that since it has no effect on their lives or who they are going to vote for.
A prime example of voter apathy.
Happens to everyone here and the only way to avoid it is by leaving.
Not at all.
Yea, I don't want either the Raiders or the Steelers to win the super bowl but I should determine who I want less.
I thought it was people that should determine what is and is not important to them for themselves based on their own standards and not anyone elses.
I guess I was wrong
Is that what you think ... you think that people who actually vote to choose the next PotUS are being apathetic? Trump or Biden will be the next PotUS. This seems inevitable so given that, the very core of democracy is for voters to engage and make the decision. Apathy would be disinterest in who will be the next PotUS.
Except in this case, he is misrepresenting what he wrote.
Funny how they support him by voting for him, but won't admit supporting him.
The definition of support changes on a whim
Is that even a thing?
Trump lies
Biden spins or likes to tell stories
At least that is what some would like us to believe
I cannot believe you're lecturing/talking down to TiG about priorities, or any subject for that matter.
Happens all the time. People cannot go back and change their comments (when wrong or embarrassing) so some pretend they wrote something different or produce a laughable distorted interpretation of their words.
Or perhaps, just spitballing here, your interpretation of their word is what is laughably distorted?
It is more likely that the misunderstanding is on the receiving end and then when the original poster tries to clarify they are accused of changing their stance.
It all depends on what it is used for.
For instance, if you are voting for someone ONLY to keep someone out of office, that may be considered not supporting, even though they are readily giving that person their vote.
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[✘] Lefties as a whole never seem to admit it when they are wrong and have no tolerance for any views contrary to progressive orthodoxy. Their thinking is anything but critical.
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Trump could fuck a baby goat in the middle of Times Square and his cult would still vote for him.
It is a sickness.
I’ve never seen baby goats in Times Square. Maybe at Radio City Music Hall at Christmas time or at Family Traore, 4173 Third Ave, Bronx.
"Once you listen to what that young woman told me—and realize her insight applies to all who’ve come of age since—you see we have a far higher hill to climb."
So you listen to what one person says and somehow draw the conclusion everyone of a certain age agrees with that.
Sounds like someone failed statistics class.
There are people here who will defend this to the bitter end.
Memes are silly things designed for laughs. Why would anyone take it seriously?
Because its true.
Which one of the claims do you dispute?
Science is stupid
Was it TRump calling the lab leak theory a conspiracy?
Or that Covid was dangerous if you protested Democrats but safe if it you protested racism?
Or that its impossible to define a woman?
If people were taught science is stupid, it because of people pushing nonsense like this.
Have you ever seen Trump apologize?
Or say he was wrong about something?
Or stop calling people stupid names ?
Or show empathy?
Or stop cheating, or bullying ?
Stop attacking dead people?
Stop distorting the truth ?
Stop blaming others?
Stop taking credit that belongs to others ?
Which one of the claims apply solely to Trump?
So it's ok as long as trump isn't the only one doing it? WTF? Could you set the bar ANY lower?
What bar? The one set by the meme?
Just like Biden!
Amazing how that works. It's almost like you constantly attack Trump for the same actions you ignore in Biden.
The bar is so low for magats a snake could slither under it
I agree. It is impossible to set the bar any lower than biden
Right?! Remember when Biden said these crazy assed things?
And then just Thursday...
And this is the EXTREMELY short list.
But yea, 'Biden bad"...
GTFOOH.
Yes, some are comforted by the inane proclamations of our presidential candidates.
"I'm going to be working for you. I'm not going to have time to go play golf." --Donald J. Trump, August, 2016
This is a little dated but good info!
And trump is still saying Obama golfed more than he did?
Really.
Exactly
You forgot the pee tape
Yep, that meme is just as accurate as the first...
Nope, who could ever forget the pee tape?
Maybe if Biden was found guilty of rape he would get your vote.
Mostly peaceful demonstration
"Revered journalists"? ....
The fact that they all apply to Trump is the point.