this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2024

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‘Exhausted’ Americans are tuning out politics, according to cable news ratings and recent poll (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 2 weeks ago by ByteOnBikes@slrpnk.net to c/usa@midwest.social

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[–] Shortstack@reddthat.com 61 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Yeah no shit. I’ve certainly reached my personal breaking limit.

I’m sure I’ll catch flack for this, but I’ve been unsubscribing from any political related news or USA community in my feed because I just can’t do this anymore. Including this one after posting my thoughts.

I’ve resigned myself to knowing it’s going to be a truly very bad 4 years for me and a lot of other people but there’s nothing I can hope to accomplish or change for the better by being enraged and depressed every day by looking through my feed. We all know damn well you don’t need a social media feed to hear bad news, it’s going to trickle in from real life anyway.

Can’t help anybody if I can’t look after my own well being first.

[–] orcrist@lemm.ee 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

When national politics is shit, see about your own community first. And also, what many people call "US political news" is total nonsense, empty coverage of nothing at all. Anyone who shuts off cable political TV news is doing their brain a favor.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

State and local politics affect you a lot more, but because they need more reporters to cover that the media doesn't bother with it.

[–] Itsamelemmy@lemmy.zip 6 points 2 weeks ago

Same. I will make sure I vote in the midterms and in 4 years. But I can't take another 4 years of being bombarded with trump and musk shit.

[–] darthsid@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

Same - I’m just finding it blissful not to worry about the future of the world, just to focus on making my personal ends meet.

[–] Coach@lemmy.world 36 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Maybe they're not tuning out politics. Maybe they're tuning out cable news.

[–] 5in1k@lemm.ee 6 points 2 weeks ago

My stepdad watches msnbc and cnn a lot and yet didn’t know who Peter Thiel was. They don’t tell you anything, they’re garbage.

[–] Rentlar@lemmy.ca 34 points 2 weeks ago

As a Canadian I'm fucking exhausted with American politics too, because for the next 4 years it's gonna be 50% some dumb Trump thing, and 25% how the government will more efficiently fuck over people to serve the wealthy.

[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 15 points 2 weeks ago

I was hyper aware during the first term, and look where that got me.

[–] Thatuserguy@lemmy.world 12 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

2/3 of Americans tuning out Trump news, but that means that many of them didn't vote at all despite not wanting this, or acknowledging they voted against their interests and are tuning it out anyways. Fantastic. Thanks guys.

[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

And also, ok, the fascists are in power now? Time to tune out of politics....

What?

[–] immutable@lemm.ee 24 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I’m in the “fuck it, I’ll check back in in 4 years camp”

If I watch the news every day and get angry, the fascists are in power. If I don’t, they are still in power. The amount of news watching and angry I get does absolutely nothing to change how much power they have right now.

Especially after nearly a decade now of the never ending

Trump does or says something outrageous or awful or fucking stupid
News talking heads go on and on about how this time he will really face consequences, this time is different. Mueller is a pit bull, Jack Smith is not someone to fuck with, the southern district of New York put Capone away. This time for really real, he’s going down
No consequences
go to step 1

What’s the point. I know the stories already. Maybe one day the magats will kick down my door to carry me off to the gulags, at least I have the power to not give them rent free space in my brain until they do.

[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago

I agree.

The two extreme opposites aren't healthy.

If you completely tune out of politics, you risk endangering yourself, by not keeping up and recognizing trends. These are quick changing times and some bad actors, willing to see the world burn, are just waiting for their chance.

Otherwise, obsessing over it, will mess up your mind. Nowadays, the way news is published & consumed, offers all kinds of fake news a perfect way to sneak in and be able to reach your screen. This, in addition to the danger doomscrolling already poses, without the presence of fake news, would make me ultra paranoid and angry.

Personally, i like to keep human history in mind. How did things play through in the past? We had similar political and social "situations" in the past.

The Internet went the opposite way of what i imagined, when seeing projects as Wikipedia being realized in those first online years. Soon everyone on this planet, will be able to reach all kinds of knowledge, on their finger tips. Now we have both, valuable information and bullshit. People chose bullshit.

When i add this, to the things happening around our world, i can only see earth becoming a very bad and dangerous planet to live on.

Sprinkle climate change over that and we're in, to be featured in the most cruel chapter in future history books.

You are right, the pace Trump is just pushing away obstacles, that would deter anyone on day one, is exhausting. Nothing happens, so much, that there are no consequences of any kind. On the contrary, he's about to be the fucking president again. His followers must be power tripping by now, barely holding it together. Just like this "Border czar". Instead of therapy or prison, he gets to live out his wildest fantasies. The "sheriffs'" very vocal eagerness to join him and be part of this, are even more scary than him.

Everything around Trump seems like satire. The people he is picking for the government, for example. The Onion couldn't have done a better job.

Everyone in this country and abroad, kneeling to the new emperor, fills me with disgust.

Either way, obsessing over anything, isn't healthy.

[–] 5in1k@lemm.ee 2 points 2 weeks ago

It’s convenient for them to let minorities take it hard and to ignore it, beneficial even. It’s that privilege we hear about. Good for them not having to care about others just as they are put in danger. Real quality people.

[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 8 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I added filters to all my social media to filter out everything involving politics or candidate names, everything. Man, my mental health has been so much better. Blissful ignorance for me from now on!

[–] Cjwii@lemm.ee 9 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Odd that you ended up on a post here, on social media of all places, about politics of all things!

[–] carl_dungeon@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Haha yeah you’re right. This post didn’t hit any of my filters and that’s why I saw it. Since it was about exactly what I was doing/feeling, I left a comment :p

[–] tkohldesac@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago

Same exact thing happened to me. I’ve got a mile long filter list and I still ended up with the puckered butthole on my feed. It happens so infrequently now though haha

[–] kandoh@reddthat.com 7 points 2 weeks ago

Pretty confident 2/3rds of Americans don't understand that reality tv is fake so I'm doubtful they were ever paying attention to politics at all

[–] EleventhHour@lemmy.world 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

“ after electing a fascist monster that will destroy the United States and every concept of democracy, the dumb fucks who voted for him don’t wanna hear any criticism.”

What a shock

[–] Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

I voted against him, but I simply cannot, for my own mental health, be aware of what's going on for another trump term. Being active and involved during his first presidency was horrendous for my emotional and spiritual well-being, and I refuse to let myself burn at both ends for another one. At this point, I did what I could. Whatever happens happens, but I'm tuning out and focusing on what's going on in my immediate surroundings.