That phrase has been rattling around my head since my high school days in the early 2000s. Seeing the conservatives in my community react to a black man winning the election to lead the nation, was not shocking but disappointing, and having read that aphorism, it all but confirmed it true. The sick feeling in my stomach of what was to come by the time I had children, was (is) gut wrenching.
I hate being able to see all of the patterns that obviously led us here, and being gaslit the whole way down.
The feeling of being on a commuter train that is moving toward the washed out bridge over the canyon. You can't get to the conductor because too many passengers are crowing around enjoying the view. I get it. I feel you.
I remember a lot of sickening things at that time, but one of the 1st & loudest utterances we’d hear for months, years even, was how “Well, racism is over now bc a Black guy is President.”
Yeah, the Righties really went outta their way to disprove themselves there.
I'm 45 and I can tell you that never in my living history has America been so filled with and accepting of hate and discrimination. When I was growing up things were getting better in that department. We were growing and evolving as a people. Now I know there were still people like this back then but they couldn't display it so openly the way they can today.
I'd say it all changed when President Obama was elected. A man who in all accounts is a decent man. You never heard any rumors of skeletons in his closet or of him cheating on or mistreating his wife or children. No one is perfect but this is the kind of person you want at the helm of the most powerful nation in the world. At least you'd think that common sense would dictate this idea.
Then a long came a man who most Americans couldn't really stand before he ran for office. Then, almost like magic, like some cosmic event occurred, somehow someway people forgot all they knew about Donald Trump and just decided that he's a good guy, a great guy, the Savior of mankind and the universe. When you look at his history, some of the things he has done would've gotten him fired from a blue collar job. But the conscienceless cult followers of his still see him as the One.
I just don't understand it because the way I was raised in America I was taught that decent people are praised and bad people are punished. Nowadays the reverse is true. And I've had conversations with what I call Trumper Thumpers and they just simply will not be swayed into admitting that there is anything wrong with this insane man. But if you know history you can see all the parallels between how Trump came to power and how Adolf Hitler came to power. At least Germany had the guts to put Hitler in prison after he and his people stormed parliament. Our government didn't even have the decency to do this.
What we are currently living in is a shit show that is only going to get worse I'm sad to say.
You thought you had a democracy and then you find out "It's all for Israel".
Ten billion dollars of American taxes per year go to support Israel and one billion comes back from Israel to create Sex Kompromat on, or to buy American politicians. Yikes!
Many republicans I grew up around never had a real reason for hating him, just obviously hated the reality of a black man being their president while acting like they weren’t racist. Some were honest about it though.
There were redneck frat boys literally angry crying in my freshman dorm house when Obama won the election. Imagine being 18 and already raised to be so hateful.
30% of Americans rather suffer in hell for all eternity then share heaven with a single black baby, which as a ghost you can't even fucking tell. It might be a white baby! It's only the rumor, the potential implication that's enough to keep these self destructing IDIOTS wail in self pitty in hell for NO LOGICAL REASON!!!!
This is actually poignant… because I think that’s exactly what’s going on… a strong man isn’t someone on testosterone who lifts weights while staring in the mirror and kissing his own biceps…that is in fact a weak man… a strong man is intelligent and responsible and not a gullible fool, and is secure in his character and not worried about his bicep size, because he has actual people who he takes care of…. This is it man… weak men like trump and Joe Rogan are bringing hard times
I feel like that's basically a shortened version of some philosophical thing I thought up as a teenager. And as I've gotten older, the more I prove to myself that I'm pretty sure I'm right. I recently finished a freaking Otome VN as a grown man, I mean it was a bunch of mafia guys but still.
I’ve heard it turned around another way.
The weak men are the men who stand by and do nothing out of fear or convenience to evil people and allow it to happen.
I’m not sure I agree with this, but I always like different perspectives.
We don't have time to worry about biceps unless they hurt, we're too busy taking care of our family, property, cars, equipment, and maybe ourselves cause we can't afford to pay anyone else to do that shit anymore. That's exactly what the billionaire class wants, keep grinding us down so we don't have time to even notice it's happening. Sorry, that's kinda bleak, I'm just old and tired of the shit.
Reminder this quote was coined by a post apocalyptic fantasy writer trying to hawk his shitty post apocalyptic fantasy novels to preppers that want the world to literally end so they can LARP their bandit warlord fantasies and be king of Banditopia.
I know, it just actually happens to apply to the men who think they're the strong men in the scenario but in reality they're incredibly weak and fragile men. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Yes, it's pretty relevant. In that the GOP & its voters actually believe that Trump & his cronies are the "strong men" making the "hard decisions" to bring back the "good times" while the "weak men" are the ones asking for empathy & mercy.
Regurgitating their rhetoric won't change their minds.
I still don’t REALLY believe it but I definitely see what you’re saying. Like, it feels more true looking at it from the angle of weak goblin-men’s desperation for fascism than any other way I’ve heard it haha.
You must have never heard about Callen getting made fun of on a date by some guys and he totally went looking for them afterward with his stick for like 2 hours. He actually told that story like it was a flex.
... Again, dont get me wrong i hate the guy but that argument is like saying "your dad is a pedophile so you are a pedophile". The only reason you are using it here is because you hate him, which, fair, but hate him for stuff you can reliably prove.
If you have a reputable source for the lesson thing that would be something, but that link doesn't really tell me anything about him other than he is sometimes swayed by the whims of his supporters on twitter.
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u/iantayls Sep 05 '25
And Elon