The last few weeks as an American have been a whirlwind, to put it lightly: from devastating natural disasters to watching executive order after executive order signed that eliminated diversity and inclusion programs, stripped LGBTQ+ rights, withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, and, unfortunately, so much more.
Recently, redditor TraditionalMix4250 asked the question we’re all thinking: How does it feel to be American right now? Here are Americans’ brutally honest answers about how the last few weeks have felt.
“I grew up in a conservative family in Texas. The consensus in my family, and the state in general at the time, was ‘so long as they’re not hurting me, let them be.’ Hippies and rednecks bonded over joints and bass fishing. We’ve been intentionally divided.”
“And half of your friends and family keep commenting on how great the fire is and how it will hurt people they don’t like.”
“Same. The rhetoric is getting downright violent, and nobody seems concerned. Heck, even when it’s not explicitly violent, it’s worrying. For instance, in 2017, most Americans opposed laws forcing trans people to use restrooms that match our sex at birth, but now every poll seems to show that a majority/plurality supports those laws (which serve no purpose other than to punish trans people). We’re going backward.”
“Me too. I have panic attacks. I’m trans with a trans teen. The news doesn’t make me feel good, so I’m taking a big step back from most social media and the news in self-preservation. It’s just overwhelming and terrifying.”
“ER here. It’s not just that. We’re already seeing certain supply chain issues and being prepped for both med and supply shortages. We thought his inaction during COVID-19 killed a lot of people. That’s going to look quaint if shit continues on this trajectory in such a short amount of time.”
“I appreciate this take. My dad was/is exactly the same as you described. That is how it feels right now: trapped with no control.”
“This is me, too. I don’t feel as strongly about how cooked we are as others do, but I just can’t stand what Trump has done to the nature of politics as well as the moral character of the country. We all hate each other, and because the Trump supporters are such a cult and have been for, like, nine whole-ass years, the entire country has a ‘you’re with us, or you’re against us’ mentality that I think is almost entirely the result of Donald Trump.”
“The MAGA crowd has completely lost their minds and would chew their own foot off if it owned some imagined ‘libs’ who don’t exist. Every made-up slight, from ‘trans kids use kitty litter in schools’ to ‘the DOE funds satanic worship,’ is taken as a fact, or at best, something you could negotiate over, while the actual conspiracy is happening right in front of us.
I understand now how Hitler rose to power. I feel like I’m screaming, and nobody is listening.”
“Not just that — while the toddler plays with a gun, much more competent, evil people are coaxing him to use it to shoot all the things you hold dear so they can make a buck.”