Better or Worse

One of the things that would probably be most shocking to anyone not living in the United States right now is how very uniformed a lot of the people living here are about what is happening.

Tens of millions of people didn't even vote in the last election. Not kidding. The estimates are right at 90 million people just didn't bother. Thirty six percent of the voting population sat it out. Do you think if they knew what was going on they would have? I mean really knew it.

And it's not like it wasn't out there. Project 2025 was written and ready to go and his administration has been following it. He was clear in his speeches what he was going to do. Tariffs, mass deportation, villainizing trans women. Escape a jail sentence.

But there are people who voted for him because he was going to lower inflation so their groceries and gas would be cheaper again. He had no plan to do this, and the things he said he was going to do would make it worse, but that's what they believed because that's what they heard in the media.

Trumps says...insert lie here. And then don't actually correct the lie or call out the lie.

The media has been systematically dismantled and defanged over the years. What used to be considered mainstream media, middle of the road reporting, has been bought out by conservative outlets (like Sinclair Broadcasting) or billionaires with alternative motives. The LA Times and Washington Post, for example. And now that Trump is in the White House he has more than just Fox News operating as State Owned media.

Illegal and unconstitutional withholding of funds and dismantling of programs is framed as "Conservative Cuts" or if they are feeling a little spicy "Controversial Cuts." Lies are misstatements. Musk is somehow someone to be believed even though he stood in the Oval Office and said sometimes he was going to say things that weren't true.

There is no mention of the fact that when Musk reposts Trump's Napoleon quote about being above the law he did it with 14 flags and who that is signalling to. I mean, they ignored an actual Nazi salute so I guess all of the 14 and 88 references are easily dismissed as well.

It's so frustrating to know what is happening, to see what is happening and to know that so many people have no clue.

Last night we went to a town hall with one of our state representatives. The people in that room know. The fear and the anger and the frustration was thick.

We all know. We all see it. We were the ones who voted and told everyone to vote and stressed how important this last election was and see that everything we have held dear in our country is disappearing at a rate that is beyond belief. We see the courts are having their say but we also see that nobody is able to enforce those rulings so what does that even mean?

Everyone in that room knows what's happening.

And feels powerless to stop it.

I'm not sure which is worse. Knowing that there is a large section of my country that has no idea what's happening, and won't realize it until it's too late, or knowing that even those of us who know can't do anything but make phone calls and go to meetings and shake our fists in rage.

I'm just not sure if ignorance would be bliss or if forewarned is forearmed.