• mhague@lemmy.world
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    11 months ago

    What’s the point of thinking of our government as “the government”? Or changing “We could solve this.” to “They could solve this.”?

    • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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      11 months ago

      Considering the military budget is now up to 1.2 trillion a year and we pay for other country’s wars, the government clearly exists to make warmongers wealthier.

    • AlwaysNowNeverNotMe@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      Because the government has on multiple occasions during my lifetime refused to consider measures with over 90% popular support.

      Because they do not serve us as it is written in the Constitution. They serve the wealthy, they bend and scrape and lick their boots, never hold them accountable to the law, and never. Ever. Act against their best interest in any scenario. And the wealthy benefit from the social safety net having a big hole above a pit trap their workers are afraid to fall into.

      • mhague@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        Our leaders serve the people making noise at the bargaining table. We the people have the most power. We just leave after the first victory. We don’t become educated voters and choose to instead focus on exciting narratives. Elite interests try to affect change and so focus on reality. We the people seem to be after catharsis and so focus on symbolic victories.

        But what can you expect from people who constantly tell themselves they have no power? No agency? They don’t conceptualize themselves as being able to affect change and it colors everything they do.

    • gregorum@lemm.ee
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      11 months ago

      Oy. Arguing with nihilists is about as useful as pissing into a black hole. You’ll just get your dick turned into spaghetti for the effort, so why bother?

      • mhague@lemmy.world
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        11 months ago

        All I care about is that people can see what kind of mentality pairs with rhetoric like, “They control us!” It’s not a productive, insightful perspective that speaks helplessness into themselves and others.