#american bullshit

[hole34]

i feel i should say the reason I havent been able to donate to any gofundmes for palestinians and refugees is because currently my only bank account only supports national transactions

i do donate all extra money to charities i can though, medglobal and doctors without boarders mainly, occasionally neverstop if i have the money

i'm going to set up another bank account but it's such a hassle because i don't have a driver's license and stupid daily american shenanigan bullshit

[hulahoopsoupgroup]

ive ranted about this to my friend like 3 times this week but ill rant again because im just so fed up and angry.

21st century american capitalism is so dismal. we put everything behind a paywall. you cant exist without paying money and you cant go anywhere or do anything without paying.

you have to pay to be born and you have to pay to survive. if you cant pay to survive, you have to pay to die. theres no escaping it.

most jobs in the usa require a college degree, but a lot of people cant afford to go to college. its honestly infuriating that people cant get the jobs they want because the education is so expensive. why do i have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to the government so i can get a job that will probably only barely keep me afloat in todays economy?

why do we pay writers and artists so little when they are one of the most vital parts of society. where would we be without the painters and authors who create beautiful scenes and impactful stories?

weve overcomplicated society so much that you have to jump through so many financial hoops to just, exist. you have to have insurance for everything. everything costs so much. why do i have to pay over 2 dollars for a bottle of water at work? why are the bags of candy 5 dollars?

all of this just makes everyone miserable, no doubt. i had a conversation with 5 other people and all of us have had severe depression/anxiety, had to be medicated, or needed a lot of therapy/not been able to afford it. and im not stigmatizing therapy in any way. if i could afford it, i would absolutely go, but my job doesnt pay much, so even one session would set me back so far regarding money.

the fact that its so normal for 11-13 year olds to start experiencing severe depression is so concerning. its almost like a rite of passage. ask anyone in gen z if they were depressed in middle school and theyll probably say "yeah." thats concerning.

young people's suicide rates have risen over 50% in the past 10 years. 42% of gen z considered suicide in 2021-22. the fact that i know 3 or 4 people (myself included) who have attempted suicide before age 16 or 17 is insane.

we're so depressed about the future and reasonably so. its so bleak. the world is burning, people are killing each other over such trivial things, nobody listens to each other, and the government is just going insane. how badly do you have to screw up to make a 13 year old want to kill themself because they feel like the future is so bleak?

how badly do you have to screw up to prevent so many people from going to college and getting jobs to support themselves?

how badly do you have to screw up to bar people from something as simple as going to the doctor and earning a basic living wage?

and to think that there are still people who think this is fine. there are some people who sit back and say this all makes sense, that it makes sense that you have to pay thousands of dollars for a few stitches in your hand if you have a cooking accident, that you have to insure every last bit of your life, that people killing each other over ideological differences is natural and cant be helped.

america needs to wake the fuck up and get shit done. its destroying its own future. its making the future generation kill itself because of how miserable it is. fucking do better and maybe you wouldnt burn to the ground in a dumpster fire

[galactic-dragoness]

THAT FUCKING WRINKLY CREAMSICLE SON OF A BITCH JUST COST ME A JOB APPLICATION

[mjrtaurus]

PSA for everyone in the USA

There's going to be National Emergency Drill on Oct. 4th (unless unfavorable weather conditions postpones it to Oct. 11th). It will effect your phone, TV and radios for one minute, and it will be very clear that IT IS JUST A TEST.

Everything is fine. It's just gonna be like your standard school fire/tornado/lockdown drill. No need for undue stress.

And if your fundie relatives are spouting conspiracy theories about it, ignore them. They just want a reason to be upset at all possible times.

[mzyraj]

Saw a post that I wanted to add on to but didn't want to cause trouble or offense, so:

OP had screenshots of current stuff about child labor and child marriage in the US, and about how conservatives should see how hearing about trans people is not hurting kids like those things are.

I understand the sentiment, but they don't understand evangelical christians, or not the True Believers, anyway - and there *are* true believers.

Because to them it's ALL about Heaven or Hell, and the things they have interpreted as leading to one or the other, what they think God likes or dislikes. As we know, they tend to think God hates gay people and trans people and the rest of us queers as rejecting his design for humanity. They think God wants us all to be according to the agab/sex we were born as and settle down to procreate with somebody of the opposite sex. And so child marriage isn't a big deal, Mary was young too anyway, and better than risk the sin of premarital sex. Child labor's not a big deal, protestant work ethic and all that.

But us queers, we're a seductive path to hell in their view. Even if their kid was born with 'homosexual tendencies' they can keep them away from information and bad influences, pray the gay away and find them a nice spouse of the opposite sex to stay in God's good books.

Their child is sad? Their child is depressed? Doesn't matter as long as they're supposedly going to Heaven. 70 years of misery is nothing when followed by infinite paradise! And so anything is validated in the name of Heaven. These people will beat the shit out of their kids, and feel fine about it if it's to keep their kids on the heavenly straight and narrow.

An extreme case, in 2001 Andrea Yates had postpartum psychosis and murdered her kids. But her mindset at the time was that her kids were turning out too sinful and if they lived to the age of spiritual responsibility they'd go to Hell, but if they died now they'd get into Heaven automatically, so she sacrificed herself to get her kids to Heaven by murdering them.

I've seen people say that they considered suicide/had suicidal ideation as young kids to get to Heaven (I think the change is at 7?) because they were scared they'd be bad and go to Hell if they got older.

And like... for those of us who are atheists or believe in a kinder God/afterlife this is like... batshit. Horrifying. But unless these people deconstruct you can't get through that mindset.

They don't really care if they're hurting people now, it's only ever about what they think comes after.

[madam-miss-fortune]

OK so I'm a hs senior rn, right, and so next semester I know I'm having an economics/personal finance class and honestly I needed one FOREVER ago. This is something that there should be multiple courses on. Idk what I'm gonna be taught but those fuckers better tell me what tf a checkbook is and how to balance one, how exactly taxes work, and wtv the hell else I need to know because as a daughter of immigrants I know utter dog shit. There's no one in my family to teach me any of this and I'm at such a disadvantage that I don't even know how far back I am. Do you know how shitty that is? I hate hate hate it. Do better America.

Ok so my kid had an ear infection, right? As kids often do.

The doctor scraped out a bit of earwax to have a better look inside.

I was sent a bill for $200 PER EAR for this 5 second procedure which I did not give permission for them to do.

That was key- they did not ASK me if they could do this "procedure". And, as I OWN a medical practice (it's me. The medical practice is me, sitting in my house on video calls) I knew to call them when this bill came in to be like "You did not obtain informed consent for this procedure, and it was not en emergency procedure. You had full ability to gain my consent and didn't. I'm not paying."

And the massive hospital who owned the bill said "yuh-huh you do have to pay."

And I said "I own a practice. I know these laws. I do not owe you money for this."

And they conducted an "internal review" and SURPRISE! Decided I totally owed them money and they had never done anything wrong ever.

And so I called my state's Attorney General office, and explained the situation because, as I mentioned, I know the law. The AG got in touch within a couple days to say they were taking the case and would send the massive hospital conglomerate a knock it off, guys letter.

Lo and Behold, today I have a letter where said hospital graciously has agreed to forfeit the payment.

"How not to get screwed over by companies" should be part of civics class.

Know your rights and know who to call when they're infringed on. This whole process cost me $0 and honestly less effort than I would have expected.

May this knowledge find its way to someone else who can use it.

[birzein]

My coworker asked what I would do to fix the american political system and I've thought a long time about this shit - years have been spent brainstorming with some of the smartest people I know to come up with plausible solutions.

Not wanting to actually go into it, I offhandedly said, "Make it so only women can hold any state or federal office."

I now realize I've come up with possibly the best solution to the american political problem.

[ashacoelomate]

You know how people outside the us make fun of how litigious Americans are? I wonder if they realize that litigation is literally part of the healthcare system. In order to get healthcare, sometimes just. You have to sue someone.

I work at a law firm. I don’t do much with the cases, I just process invoices. A lot of them involve medical record requests, and there’s so many radiology and ortho and spine records being processed. Usually from 5 different doctors for the same individual. And all I can think of is how much medical debt these plaintiffs are in.

If a person slips and falls they can get seriously injured. Like, really bad. If a person gets in a car accident they can become incapacitated for months, and be unable to work.

Sometimes, all you can do is sue someone. Because even though injury does not imply liability, sometimes that’s your only option.

[cricketcat9]

AH AH yes, let's look for "problematic" everywhere. The indigenous people where I live will gladly take you shopping for their outfits, and happily take pictures with you wearing them. The Japanese and Korean said it 10,000 times: they don't mind, and even like it. Personally - wear a Krakowianka outfit, drink vodka and eat kielbasa all day long if you so desire. Don't inflict your problems, created by you and your culture, on the whole world. 🙄

“Two other people took my picture before you, so I was already popular.”

[capitalism-is-parasitism]

"The greatest fighting force the world has ever known"

The grandiosity of these claims is no doubt meant to paper over a dismal record: a bloody stalemate in Korea that still lacks a peace treaty, a devastating loss in Vietnam, a forever war in Iraq, a blowback-generator of a conflict in Libya, the Taliban’s victory in Afghanistan, a dead end in Syria, an unending stalemate in Somalia, failures in the African Sahel, and on and on.

[owlnoises]

Holy shit i'm feeling hope for the first time since . . .

when was the last time i felt hope?

oh, yeah. it was eight years ago.

[reasonsforhope]

Literally begging anyone who can vote in US elections to vote, and to vote against Trump. Which means voting for Harris, not abstaining or voting third party.

My family actually did move here from an authoritarian country, where voting literally didn't matter, they literally did throw out your vote, and they literally did assassinate citizens who spoke out against them.

We would all very much like to keep living in a country where those things are not the case!

You know, the same things that Trump and his stooges have openly said they want to do. And two of the main propaganda lines for why people in the US shouldn't vote, which is a lie.

Voting matters. The parties are not the same.

And make sure to vote in down-ballot races!!!

And like. The fact that voting matters in the US is a very real reason for hope. It is something you should genuinely appreciate. We can make a difference.

And a lot of people risked their lives or even died to earn that right, and it's a right not everyone has.

[cricketcat9]

Couldn't agree more

general thoughts about the 2025 小红书 boom

i feel like we're at a really interesting point in time right now, particularly in regards to the shift in american consciousness + changing world order, so i thought it would be fitting to document my thoughts about the xhs situation as a chinese american. however, please note this post is NOT speaking on behalf of any community, and i am only speaking to my own personal opinions.

the good

american propaganda is getting dismantled in real time. there's so much cross-cultural communication right now in relation to america's political issues, everyday life, and what china is really like

im already seeing people starting to learn the language, becoming interested in visiting china, etc. and i truly haven't seen this kind of mass interest in chinese culture in a long time

to be precise, the last time there was really "chinese soft power" in america was during the mid-to-late 2000s. notably this time period included the 2008 beijing olympics which was monumental for china on the global stage, as it showcased their prosperity, openness ("北京欢迎你"), and equal footing in the modern world. ive seen people compare the xhs phenomenon to this event and while both are drastically different, i do think this is an apt comparison (though obviously this xhs thing is on a muchhh smaller scale...)

so many new friendships and connections are being made!

the bad

to add on to what op said, theres definitely a difference between just generally understanding that as diaspora, most people around you will hold sinophobic views about china and chinese people VERSUS actually having empirical evidence that most normal people didn't see chinese people as human before. its jarring to say the least. like everyone is praising chinese people on xhs now, but just last week everyone was fearmongering about us?? really reminds you that in the eyes of the public, favor for any asian culture (and by extension, its people) is fleeting and will often change easily with the season

and yes, its definitely weird to see people talk about chinese people as if they've never seen a chinese person in america before. like obviously there's a HUGE difference between mainlanders and diaspora, but there's also international students that come to america to study so... ??

the memes are funny, and i like how the people on xhs are playing along with them, but something about the "chinese spy" memes rubs me the wrong way. tbh, most mainlanders actually have a positive view of westerners and america, and if they don't study abroad themselves or know anyone that went abroad, they will never truly understand what it's like to be discriminated against simply for being chinese (there's a difference between knowing and understanding ofc; not saying that they're ignorant & don't know anything lol). this is just the honest truth, just like how i'll never understand what it's like to live and grow up in mainland china since im diaspora. anyways, i kind of question if mainlanders are actually aware of the loaded context behind those words. while americans are using the "chinese spy" memes as jokes now in reference to why tiktok is getting banned, it doesn't change the fact that many other americans truly do believe that there is mass chinese surveilliance/planted chinese spies in america (i.e., see modern-day mccarthyism, like how chinese researchers are often stripped of their titles/reputations, interrogated, and then silently deported). like language and framing does matter, and it has actually affected chinese people in america, but now you guys are treating it like a joke?

anyways, even with all of the bad there's still overwhelming good that has come out of this, and i do feel like its better to be more positive than negative about these things in the long run! who knows where tomorrow will take us but at the very least i hope everyone actively continues pissing off the american government 💖 amen

[aqlstar]

The ADL tweet about Elon Musk begins with the words “this is a delicate moment.”

To any goyim reading this- understand that is a literal cry for help. The ADL is telling all of us that they are walking on eggshells here.

Do not take the rest of their tweet at face value- take it in the context the ADL is giving you. The are fully aware of the problem of right wing antisemitism, but they do not believe they can call out Elon Musk without making things worse for themselves and for all American Jews. This is in part because a good portion of the left has been trying it’s hardest to discredit the ADL and alienate American Jews for the last few decades, and the rest of the left just kinda went with it.

They are telling us straight up- we are doing our best while stuck between a rock and a hard place.

[touchstoneaf]

Wouldn't it be awesome if everybody who votes for Trump is used as a census for malcontents, and they automatically get deported and lose their citizenship as enemies of the state and the Constitution? You know, since they're always saying, "If you don't like this country, you should leave"? They don't seem to really like this country the way it actually is, they only like it the way they want it to be inside their twisted, inaccurate mythology. I would like to turn their words back on them! And bonus, if they were gone, we would have more room after that for people who actually contribute to this country. We could bring in as many hard-working immigrants and refugees as we wanted, since statistically they are less of a "drain on resources" than these bootstrap-preaching, holier than thou so-called patriots. Because there would be so much extra space, all the people who need housing could have it. Medical care, jobs... It's too bad it's such a pipe-dream, because it would be really nice.

So tired of this vitriolic, reality-denying, self-aggrandizing bullshit.

[parasiticstars]

Friendly reminder that sexualizing/blorbofying Luigi Mangione and your support for him being a quirky little trending meme is exactly why 1. he's been almost forgotten about when any other time his actions would've had far more rippling consequences, 2. why nothing will ever get done in this fucking ass country, much less the positive-- if violent-- change we need, and 3. goes to show the sheer imbecility of the "lol be gay do crimes" demographic.

Where was your support for Briana Boston, who was falsely arrested just for quoting him? Oh, right, she's not a conventionally attractive white man for you to turn into your next Tumblr sexyman.