Oh yeah the Bush years, those were probably the last years where a Americans felt somewhat redeemable tbh. I feel like I am kinda in the cross section of old internet and new, bc I remember vaguely being way too young to be on SA, and a couple visits to 4chan, but then my teens were on reddit and instagram (I don't think I'll ever get twitter). Life's weird lol, everything is accelerating, something something fascist spiral
the Bush years, those were probably the last years where a Americans felt somewhat redeemable tbh
In the Bush years, crazy Republicans didn't believe that power politicians and media figures were a secret pedophile cabal deep state who belonged in jail. They thought that Democrats were literally the Antichrist, and thought that we needed to destroy the middle East in order to let the Jews build the Temple and bring about the second coming of Christ. Believing that the Rapture was imminent (or even that we had the duty to bring it about!) was more common among actual Republican politicians in 2006 than QAnon is now, and this fact was reported on with far, far, far, FAR less intensity or concern. It was a joke on a "hip, edgy, radical, left wing" show like Jon Stewart if anybody even mentioned it at all.
People were even fucking dumber and more insane in the Clinton and Reagan years. Look into Satanic Panics, the West Memphis Three, the tale of the Parent's Music Resource Council, the entire context of the OJ trial, the circumstances around Clinton's impeachment, I mean just pick a week in the news!
Honestly, it's only since about 2015ish that Americans have felt somewhat redeemable at all. The fact that insane, fascist right-wingers want to put politicians and CIA agents in jail instead of wanting to literally killy everyone on Earth so that they can go to Heaven is actually a lot of progress.
Oh yeah the Bush years, those were probably the last years where a Americans felt somewhat redeemable tbh. I feel like I am kinda in the cross section of old internet and new, bc I remember vaguely being way too young to be on SA, and a couple visits to 4chan, but then my teens were on reddit and instagram (I don't think I'll ever get twitter). Life's weird lol, everything is accelerating, something something fascist spiral
In the Bush years, crazy Republicans didn't believe that power politicians and media figures were a secret pedophile cabal deep state who belonged in jail. They thought that Democrats were literally the Antichrist, and thought that we needed to destroy the middle East in order to let the Jews build the Temple and bring about the second coming of Christ. Believing that the Rapture was imminent (or even that we had the duty to bring it about!) was more common among actual Republican politicians in 2006 than QAnon is now, and this fact was reported on with far, far, far, FAR less intensity or concern. It was a joke on a "hip, edgy, radical, left wing" show like Jon Stewart if anybody even mentioned it at all.
People were even fucking dumber and more insane in the Clinton and Reagan years. Look into Satanic Panics, the West Memphis Three, the tale of the Parent's Music Resource Council, the entire context of the OJ trial, the circumstances around Clinton's impeachment, I mean just pick a week in the news!
Honestly, it's only since about 2015ish that Americans have felt somewhat redeemable at all. The fact that insane, fascist right-wingers want to put politicians and CIA agents in jail instead of wanting to literally killy everyone on Earth so that they can go to Heaven is actually a lot of progress.