That's the real kicker. I think the same thing. It's almost as if there is a psychological phenomenon at work here. The real question is now, if both of us experienced the same thing...who is actually right? Or perhaps...it's because it's working as intended to keep us divided. Who has the power to play both sides, to pit us against each other? So we are so busy worrying about right vs left, moral dilemmas and "atrocities" to focus on where all the money goes amd why things perpetually get worse, and who is actually responsible. You have to wonder if its all actually just made up to make you mad in the first place. Its feeling like nothing you believe ever mattered, because nothing ever changes in the grand scheme of things. One big giant political theater, with really well payed actors and volunteers from the audience who think its all real. Like wrestling even.
You felt that way 2008-2016, correct?
I was a skeptic towards Obama during primary season, and I didn't vote for him then. The narrative made it out to be as though there was this big difference between him and Hillary. I watched a few debates, though, and he appeared to be quite similar to her regarding positions. They were both centrist moderates; why everyone I knew was making him out to be a revolutionary, I'll never know.
I did vote for him in the general, despite my skepticism. I tended to give him the benefit of the doubt during his administration. There were two issues in his second term for which I didn't, neither of which I will address here.
I did like his speeches about bringing the country together; black and white, red and blue, male and female, etc. I came to believe briefly (during the first half of 2015) during the end of his term that he'd begun the process. I went out in the world with my girlfriend at the time, and the things I did and saw actually did give me hope. It did feel like there was some kind of healing going on.
This didn't come to pass, regrettably.
You wrote that nothing ever changes in the grand scheme of things. This may be obvious, but I think some want to keep things the same, and some want to change things.
Of the people who want to keep things the same, I think Obama is one of those. I've seen him intervene too many times in favor of the status quo for this to not be the case. The fact that this campaign slogan included the word "change" in it doesn't override my observations. I've seen him make that stop gesture too many times when making press conferences. I did give him the benefit of the doubt, but I never felt he was in my corner.
Of the people who want to change things, some changes are good and some bad. I think my judgment on which changes are which is encapsulated by a relevant slogan: the one I found most appealing was "Not me, us." I don't want a personality cult, whether it's Democratic or Republican. I want things to be better. "Not me, us" acknowledges that it's not just about having one person in a position of authority from which you follow decrees, but it's about what all of us do. It's the message that if we work together, we can accomplish this. Unfortunately, part of the problem was that there wasn't enough working together. Some people were too harsh and aggressive in going after Buttigieg and Warren supporters and were blinded to the idea that Biden could have even been a threat.
