If you missed it, you can find
Part 1 here
”What about Hillary’s emails?” has become the new “Benghazi!” I still can’t believe how many times people retorted with that one over the years. Not “I’m concerned about what happened in Benghazi.” or “Did you hear about what we found out in the hearings about Benghazi?” or anything beyond just the one word (that I assumed they couldn’t spell, or find on a globe, let alone expand on).
I started responding with things like “What about Benghazi?” or even played dumb, and said I didn’t know anything about it, and asked if they could they please explain what it was all about to me. Either question was generally followed up with either dumbfounded silence, or a complete change of subject. Now it’s the emails. Still it’s the emails! You’d think they’d have at least gotten some new material, right? Other than “Hunter’s laptop!” which they generally know as much about as they did Benghazi.
I actually changed that one up more than once. You can find other versions at the end.
I just don’t want to be too repetitive right off the bat here.
Speaking of Hunter’s laptop. Who was investigating that again?
Not to mention that it’s not like Hunter is a boy scout. Plenty of things they could have attacked him with. Valid things even. Why they went with this convoluted story about his laptop is beyond me. If there was actually anything damning on his laptop, and they actually got a hold of it, all they’re saying is that they are completely incompetent.
Hey, Rudy had it. Right? He said he did. He gave it to the FBI. Somehow also to the Delaware state police. Later still, the FBI wouldn’t take it from him? So, Rudy still has it? Why is Rudy trying to protect Hunter??? The American people deserve answers! Anyone else get dizzy trying to follow the things he says?
I can’t tell you how much I would love it if this next one became what MAGAs starting demanding of their representatives! Ya know, so they don’t get labeled traitors by his base.
Is that evil of me? Or funny? Or both? Maybe neither?
Regardless, the idea made me laugh.
In case you were wondering, no. No, I do not believe that I will instantly turn anyone around with a meme. I’m hopeful and optimistic, not naïve or clueless. My strategy is the drip, drip, drip method. A little fact here. A little something that makes people think there. A little “OMG! THOSE tRump supporters are crazy!” whenever, and wherever possible.
I understand that not all people who vote Republican believe that JFK and his son are coming back to rally around the dear leader who was sent by god. So, when people I know spout some less crazy (but still patently untrue) Republican talking point, I like to simply shake my head. Then say something like “Please tell me you don’t believe that Jewish space lasers caused the wildfires too.” In a gentle, joking manner. Obviously, you have to know your audience with that, but putting someone down directly, rarely works. “What are you a fucking moron?” might be what’s in my head at times, but I know that the natural response to an attack is to be defensive. What good would that do anyone? Besides, why be mean?
I have to believe that the majority of Republican voters, not only don’t believe the crazy Q conspiracies, but that they would rather not even be associated with the group of people who do. So, play on how ridiculous all of that is, with them. Have fun with it. Fight with someone, and they are likely to fight back. Laugh with someone, and they are likely to laugh too. The more people distance themselves from “those crazy people”, the more they might notice what else doesn’t make sense coming from the same people.
This came to mind after hearing yet another person on Faux News ramble on with baseless nonsense, followed by “I’m just asking questions.” Ok then, I can do that too.
What? I’m just asking questions. Hell, I bet there are a few people out there who would start to think about some of this, and wonder. I know I’ve heard crazier things these days.
Remember when you were a kid and you were really into something? A toy, a tv show, a band, a game, or even your favorite outfit. Then you starting finding out that it wasn’t “cool” anymore? Maybe in a brutal way that was embarrassing. Maybe we got lucky and just noticed that something had fallen out of favor, or heard another kid say something before we could blurt out our own truth. “OMG! Did you hear that Becky still has a Donnie Osmond album? What a dork!” (I know I just dated myself with that reference, but feel free to insert the boy band of your era — the names change, but the premise doesn’t)
So, you just went along with it, agreed, and laughed. Then immediately hid your copy your beloved record when you got home. It could have been so embarrassing if anyone saw it! Close call, right? What if you had been lumped in with the likes of Becky and her friends? Oh no! Most of us didn’t want to be thought less of. We didn’t want the smart kids thinking we were dumb. Or the cool kids to think weren’t cool. And so on, and so forth.
As adults, how embarrassing would it be to blurt out something like “Someone needs to fire the head of the FBI! What incompetent moron appointed him?” before you actually knew anything about him?
The vast majority of us change our minds about things as we go thru life. Most of us don’t think all the same things we thought 10, 20 years ago. We talk to our oldest friends and make fun of things we thought, said, did, wore, or liked when we were younger.
“Wow, look how stupid our hair was back then.” hahaha
“Remember when we were into that?” hahaha
“I still can’t believe you actually dated him!” hahaha
“Oh yeah? Remember that girl you were so into in college? What did you ever see in her?” “Touché”
We didn’t change our minds about our styles or love interests instantly. Or anything else we were really into. You couldn’t tell your best friend “Your boyfriend is a total piece of shit!” or “You know your girlfriend is the biggest slut in town!” At least not right away. Not while they were in their honeymoon phase, thinking that they’re with the greatest human on the planet, and not seeing any of their faults. Pointing out the reality was just a good way to alienate, or even lose, a friend. It has to be pointed out slowly. Gently. Over time. Most of them figure it out eventually. On their own. With a little help from the well timed comment or eyeroll from good friends. In my experience, many of them will even say “How did I not see it?” Which is better than “Why didn’t you tell me?” because my response to that question was always “Like you would have listened?”
Gently point out things that don’t make sense.
Not much different, but I liked the addition about his staff.
Getting out of a cult, and getting deprogrammed isn’t a small feat. It isn’t fast, or easy. Fortunately, we don’t need to get to the ultra MAGAs to make a difference. We just need 3-4%. The Lincoln Project calls it the “Bannon line”, and wasn’t it helpful of Steve Bannon to point this out for the rest of us?
Maybe he’s good for something after all.
I’d be stunned if at least 3-4% of people on the right didn’t understand this.
There seems to be a lot of talk about manliness, and testosterone on the right these days. A lot of old school “tough guys” voting for the GQP. Displaying disgust at anything and anyone they see as weak. As long as I live, I will never understand what this crowd sees in a spoiled, rich, obese man who continuously whines about how people are picking on him. Not to mention the slew of other spineless men around him that lick his boots. For these people, I like to point out what a snowflake he really is. No matter how you view the importance of someone being a “tough guy” — we can all agree that this guy isn’t one of them, right?
This was mostly for my own entertainment. It all sounded so cartoonish that I had to turn it into a cartoon. Sometimes, I’m easily amused.
Then I thought maybe that was slightly too many words for a cartoon? (hint — I have a tendency to overthink things from time to time — even things as inconsequential as this)
But, there I was making an edited version. Like I said, it did amuse me after all. I actually spent a lot more time on this one than made sense. If only I had any artistic talent at all, I could have just drawn the cartoon that was in my head. Instead of searching for existing pictures that fit my vision just right. My photo editing skills aren’t terribly impressive either, so it was definitely a long process. I guess once I got the idea in my head, I just had to keep going until it was finally done. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn (sometimes).
Other times, you can say so much with so little.
I know that most people aren’t likely to actually look up the voting record of people they are interviewing for a job. That is after all what people running for office are doing. Asking us to give them a job. I think a lot of people would be shocked if they only knew.
Happy to point out bullshit! And a Nixon comparison seems appropriate.
Also happy to call out hypocrisy.
Especially HUGE hypocrisy! Think this will get a MAGA’s attention? I’d be willing to bet that Faux News didn’t report that phone call. You might surprise a few people by pointing that one out. Be prepared to follow it up with the news report on that one.
Click here for a follow up on that under reported story
The right has taken the “slippery slope” idea to the extreme over the most ridiculous things. Unfortunately, I don’t think enough people see it with Roe v Wade. Or simply dismissed the extreme places it could lead, as unlikely to happen. To be honest, even I didn’t see how extreme it would be, and definitely not how soon it would start. It’s getting outright scary. Remember when the Democrats were the terrifying, controlling, “Big Brother” party that wanted to control people’s lives? For anyone who was afraid of that, imagine how they’d feel about this.
I wonder how those red blooded, manly men would feel about this?
Honestly, I don’t even understand this one. I suppose I could look it up, but I can only handle so much crazy at a time. I can’t imagine the explanation would be anything other than crazy, so that google search will have to wait for another day. I’m just not up for it at the moment.
Does the Donald even remember that he was the President? It was one thing to be a guy on a reality show, railing about the government not doing its job. Yelling “Why don’t they do this?” and “Why didn’t they do that?” the way people who have never played sports will yell at their tv during a game. He does realize that being President was a job, right? He loved to brag about all his power (even if it wasn’t as absolute as he sometimes thought it was) — so, if he didn’t use his awesome powers for this, whose fault was that exactly?
I can see a number of MAGAs agreeing with this completely, and only later getting it.
Interject comedy whenever you can. People may be motivated by angry rhetoric, but they are also receptive to anything that makes them laugh. Remember when Jon Stewart was the most trusted name in news? I am partial to Jon myself, but Trevor Noah always makes me laugh too. I love how he can’t help but laugh at the ridiculousness of the excuses.
Maybe we should start something like a “Daily Show vs Fox News challenge”. Suggest that if people can learn something from Comedy Central that their “news” network didn’t seem to know, maybe their “news” network sucks? Something along those general lines. Get people to question why their favorite anchors didn’t tell them something. This study gave me hope. Maybe we need to start a GoFundMe to pay more people to do this? Extend the study.
At the end of the day, if you made just one person think, just a little bit more. That’s progress, right? 3-4% can’t be that hard, right? Ever since a friend of mine posted this one on a couple years back, it has become a regular public post for me.
I ran across this one today, and really think people need to be reminded of this. Yes, there are different standards. For all his whining, nobody else was treated as well as he was, for the same (bigger?) violations. I can’t imagine anyone else will in the future either. He may be too narcissistic to see it, but maybe some of his followers might?
Reality check time
Sorry, Donnie, but you’re not that special
We’ll see if he makes it onto either of these lists
We can all make a difference. Even if in the smallest of ways. If we all made it a goal to do just one little thing to make our world better, every day, imagine how it might add up! Every time this one shows up in my memories, I always re post it.
Spreading knowledge is surely a patriotic act!
Our founding fathers definitely saw the necessity for it.
For now, that’s all I have. Except the variations on the first one. I just couldn’t decide. Rather than overthink it any more than I already have, I’ll just share them all, and if you would like to post any of them yourself, I’ll let you decide which you prefer.
I’ll end with my own personal favorite. It has nothing to do with the rest, except that she motivates me to do all of it. Keeps me from being complacent, and inspires me to try. Attitude is everything sometimes. The world has been just a bit crazy in recent years, so a good attitude isn’t always easy to maintain. I’m working on it, and I’m grateful to everything and everyone that makes having a positive attitude a little easier.