Reply #6: Me too. [View All]

I'm usually somewhere between Realism and Optimism, but I've had a sinking feeling for the past week or so. My usual political online stomping grounds have gotten really, really depressing lately..

And, what's worse, I actually find myself rooting for some of these things to happen. Not necessarily Peak Oil (yikes!), but debt sell-offs by China, for example. The EU challenging America economically on as many fronts as possible, for another example. Unemployment skyrocketing. A stock market crash?

What would it take to wake people the fuck up? Are Americans really this retarded?

I guess I'm learning how to handle loss. It's only been since 1992 when I started paying attention (when I was 14), so 1992/1996/2000 all got me used to winning elections. I thought I'd cry my eyes out after Black Tuesday, but no tears have come. The prospect of people living longer and longer, combined with the idea of Bush putting some young, 40something Scalia clone on the bench scares the bejeesus outta me, but no tears, no bawling. Just anger.

It's like being numb, like not really giving a damn about the American people any more. I'm not one to feel anger towards my fellow citizens, and I didn't think that the anger would stay for very long, but it's still here in my mind, and it's still pretty strong. Strong to the point where I'd, say, laugh in Republicans standing in bread lines. Something I usually wouldn't do.. since they're still human and all.

I'm looking into preparing for the "irreversible" changes you're talking about. Planning an off-grid home in a rural area. A food garden. Some livestock. Killing debt. We may be in for some scary times, indeed. And I'm not entirely convinced that we don't, in a collective sense, deserve them.