How do you stay optimistic with politics?
I find myself regularly optimistic with the environment, overpopulation, and the state of the economy/poverty in the world. We have it pretty damned good and it’s only getting better.
But what gets me is the rise of the extremism, more specially right wing populism. I’m gay myself which already means I’m a target. While I’m safe where I live and not subject to any discrimination, I worry about the future a lot and if acceptance will continue or reverse.
Why scares me the most though is the state of democracy and the US, and specifically what may happen if Trump wins again. I’ll rattle off some highlights:
- Just last week it was reported by WaPo that national service is an idea being discussed, with two GOP senators acknowledging that. I’m a young-ish male in my mid twenties. I don’t want to serve in the army. I’m a pacifist, I’ve got ADHD, I’m gay and scrawny, I’d be ridiculed and would perform miserably.
- Then there’s the fact that even if he’s term limited, he can still screw around with the next election and ensure someone else favorable wins, effectively further ending true democracy.
- There’s also the fact that he just suggested replacing income tax with tariffs, which would screw the economy from my understanding. Not to mention further balloon the national debt which while often overstated, can’t be ignored.
- Threatening to effectively nullify NATO, which, while not universally popular or considered part of his platform, is a realistic assumption given how he talks about refusing to support allies if they don’t pay up. This would effectively shatter any last bit of the world order that has developed over the last fifty years.
- While I’m optimistic about climate change, it’s gonna get way worse if he’s back.
I try and stay open minded and I know that a lot the news is inflammatory, but when I see stuff like in the news like Salon posting about “Trump Unleashed” or “Democracy’s Last Thanksgiving” it scares the shit out of me.
To be honest, I’m not scared of him but of the people around him where the real insipid ideas come from. He’s just a rubber stamp for them at this point.
I take breaks for months from my phone but pride myself on being up to date with news. Every time I check, it’s always a storm of anxiety. How do you all not stress over this? Besides just thinking “oh he won’t win” or “go and vote”, is there anything that I’m missing as to why I shouldn’t be as scared of what I’ve named above? I lean to the left (obviously) but if there’s any conservative or moderate people who have a good explanation as to why what I’ve mentioned specifically isn’t cause for concern, I’m all ears.