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Can you help me stay sane while I try to help you do the same?
by digby
THESE are the times that try people’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but they who stand by it now, deserve the love and thanks of man, woman and non-binary alike. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. — Thomas Paine — with a little update for the modern world.
(h/t to MS.)
This Trump era is so crazy I sometimes feel as if time is elastic — rushing by on the one hand with a Groundhog Day sameness on the other. Three years on, I still wake up each morning and the first thing I say to myself is “what fresh hell awaits?”
The question almost always applies to whatever Trump and his GOP accomplices are up to, terrifying news about climate change or another mass killing. It feels as if the world is coming apart at the seams. And now we can add to that list the ongoing anxiety of another presidential primary and upcoming election, which will determine whether we can halt this descent into a world we don’t recognize.
It’s a lot. And it’s taking its toll on everyone. It’s not the kind of trauma one suffers from a major disaster or a war, of course. It’s different. It’s the emotion rising up from the pit of your stomach when you see powerful people on TV parrot Trump’s insanity as if it makes sense and you realize, again, that we are truly in a world in which reality itself is being challenged. It’s feeling impotent and frustrated when you see that nearly half the country is brainwashed by disinformation and propaganda disseminated by Republicans, foreign nations and the media and they simply can’t be budged. It’s watching the mainstream media try to work their way through all this and continue to fail as often as not.
All of this combines to make you feel crazy. That’s the point of gaslighting although I don’t think that most Republicans understand they are being gaslit themselves. Psychiatrists report that they and their patients are feeling this as a form of mass generalized anxiety, which I think makes sense. The assault on reality is disorienting and it’s taken a toll.
The good news is that despite all this most of us are not succumbing to despair, as tempting as that may be. But it’s not easy. It’s exhausting trying to keep up with what’s happening and maintain a normal life.
That’s what I’m here for.
I have been independently documenting this descent into madness for 17 long years, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. Those of you who’ve been with me for a while know that we saw this coming for a long time.
Obviously, I can’t be your only source of information. We all have to do the work of fighting our way through the cacophony of lies and propaganda to figure out what’s true and what isn’t. But if you check in with me, you will at least be be reassured that you have not lost your mind. This is really happening.
I am here to hit the highlights of the news cycle in ways that you can use to keep your equilibrium in this disorienting time. It’s how I’m keeping mine.
So, once again, I’m hitting you up for support to allow me to keep doing what I do. My trusted morning man, progressive organizer Tom Sullivan, your resident movie and culture maven Dennis Hartley along with OG bloggers tristero, Batoccio and Spocko are all here to try to help us keep our perspective.
I am so grateful for all the years of support my readers have given me. It is honestly what gives me hope more than anything else. This country is full of decent people who are doing what they can in big and small ways to make this world a better place and the generosity shown toward me over the years is proof of that.
If you would like to help us help you keep your grip on reality for another year, you can donate here. If you would rather send something via snail mail, you can do so to the address on the sidebar on the left.
And again, thanks to everyone for their support. It has meant the world to me. Together we’ll get through this.
Happy Hollandaise!
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