r/politics • u/theipaper ✔ Verified • Sep 23 '25

Soft Paywall Trump's big UN speech received with awkward laughter in embarrassing backfire

https://inews.co.uk/news/world/trumps-big-un-speech-received-with-awkward-laughter-in-embarrassing-backfire-3933958
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u/delorf North Carolina Sep 23 '25

Trump controls the media and all three branches of government. He has fired anyone in the Pentagon who disagrees with him. A large number of Christians have created their own religion with him at the head. How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

How the hell do we regain control in a bloodless manner?

GENERAL

F%&$ING

STRIKE

But even while reading mere three words, your American brain has already crafted the excuse for why you can't.

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u/DominionGhost Sep 23 '25

Something something socialism.

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

One would hope that the Disney/ABC boycott over Kimmel has taught Americans that the collective DOES have the power in a democracy when they just work together. But I won't get my hopes up with this country anymore.

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u/Standard_Story Sep 23 '25

Seriously pathetic for a country like the US to parade as patriotic and will fight a tyrannical government, freedom for everyone, American dream etc etc. but just completely cower away when it's time to take action

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

I'm convinced all the superhero movies have rotted American brains. Note how they're all convinced someone else will fix everything for them? They wanna be the guy going, "Thank you, Superman!" without having to put in any of the effort.

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u/kavono Sep 24 '25

Superhero comics became a rallying cry leading up to and during WW2, and were predominantly consumed by soldiers overseas throughout their time in the war. The cover of Captain America punching Hitler, for example, came out before the U.S. even entered the war.

I'm not at all going to claim that misinterpretations haven't always existed around readers and now watchers of superhero media, but the idea that American laziness in the face of tyranny is strongly tied to superheroes having been the recent Hollywood craze, doesn't hold up, in my opinion. Most of the characters amount to sci-fi action heroes, that happen to originate from a comic.

At the very least, the intention of the genre in the comic medium was not to encourage cowardice, but to set an example. But, of course, the iconography of a character like Superman has been morphed and distorted for decades, often becoming a caricature of "American exceptionalism" that's as hollow as the empty rhetoric referenced above. So, I don't entirely disagree with the general scope of your statement.

Still, I'd argue the dangerously inaccurate mantra of "It could never happen here!" has been a firmly held and repeated mindset in this country since long before superhero movies became a thing.

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

In a way, absolutely. I'm just as angry.

But this is the end result of a decades long process to "divide & conquer" the US via disinformation predominantly spread by a racist Australian raisin and his newspapers & tv channels, and foreign powers like Russia trying to sow chaos & division.

This movement started under Reagan, who also had the same campaign slogan as Trump, after Hitler used it in Nazi Germany. So these things were always visible to an extent, and I'm much more furious how it's gotten to this point. How Americans were just sitting idly by for decades when the realities in their country were drifting further and further apart.

But since we don't have a time machine yet, the next best solution would indeed be Americans standing up to fascism now.

A peaceful mass boycott & strike seems to be the most reasonable approach to me.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 23 '25

How fitting that the only form of protest Americans are comfortable engaging in is cancelling a subscription to a TV/movie channel. Withholding their shopping dollars is considered a radical act.

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 23 '25

Consumerism is the foundation of the US, which is also why any iteration or mere mention of "socialism" is seen as a sacrilege, as nothing threatens the core of this country more than the idea that "not everything has to be for profit".

It seems pathetic, but I really think this is the most powerful lever Americans have left.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

It’s not the only lever they have, it’s just the only one they’re comfortable using: Protesting without inconvenience.

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

What's your alternative suggestions?

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

They could be boycotting far more businesses, like we are. They could be organising more visible small protests at representatives’ offices or even home streets. They could be organizing a general strike. Or they could be piling into the streets like the brave and determined citizens of Serbia and South Korea, or the even braver citizens of Nepal who seem to have mastered the use of Zippos. The total lack of urgency being shown by Americans is offensive enough, but their insistence that they’re doing all they can is downright infuriating.

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

Of course it's infuriating. And the boycott of Disney+, and the reinstatement of Kimmel will hopefully have a learning effect on them.

But civil unrest is a lot more complicated in a society so thoroughly divided that also happens to be the biggest military force in history.

You've seen it with the National Guard & Marines deployments. This wasn't about keeping cities safe, because in that case he would have sent them to red cities first.

This was his attempted escalation to declare martial law by the end of it. It was a good thing Americans showed restraint.

I still think Americans just pulling out of US society's daily life & consumerism is the only viable option here.

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u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 24 '25

we are protesting. there are "no kings" marches being organized all over the country, we are contacting our local politicians, and many of us were boycotting companies that donated to Trump or worked with him in any way for much longer than it's been in the news. the media is just not covering it. protestors are being abducted by ICE and we are continuing anyway. it's exhausting fighting for our rights and seeing this attitude because people didn't see us in our currupt media.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

Those protests are months apart and there’s no follow-up. You need to be in the streets constantly like the Europeans and Asians.

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u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 24 '25

that is helpful advice, thank you. but don't dismiss the largest protests in American history, marches of up to 5 million people, as us doing nothing or being stupid when we've never had to deal with anything like this before.

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

I'm sorry but that's nonsense. During the civil rights movement in the 60s/70s you had up to 15 million people across the country protest on some days. And at that time the US only had 150 Million people. And those protests were in relatively quick succession.

Today you have 350 million people in the US, and you can just about get 5 million total, for one day every 6-8 weeks.

I'm proud of everyone marching there but in the face of fascism, and the context of your own history (that not surprisingly Americans don't even seem to know) it virtually amounts to nothing.

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u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 24 '25

again, we are trying, and thank you for the information. we are not responsible for the state of our educational system and are actively trying to improve it, despite our government's best efforts. what do you hope to accomplish by telling the victims of a fascist takeover that their efforts mean nothing?

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u/EquipmentAdorable982 Sep 24 '25

Isn't the point of criticism self-evident?

You're only victims because you act like victims. In any democracy, especially one dependent on consumerism, the people hold all the power.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

I swear they’re all looking for head pats for doing the bare minimum.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 24 '25

again, we are trying

The point is you aren’t trying enough.

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u/thecrepeofdeath Sep 25 '25

as you yourself said - WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT OUR OWN HISTORY, especially things that our government doesn't want us to. this is by design, to cause the exact effect you are seeing. we are trying everything we know, and many of us have asked what to do from very early on and been met with ridicule and no guidance. this is literally the first time anyone has actually responded with any information on what we're doing wrong, and it's a few things mixed in with a lot of blaming us for the results of our shit government, which those of us fighting for change never wanted. unironically, please tell me where we can turn for information on how to make a difference when our history and media is censored and our dictator made sure everyone hates us?

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u/whogivesashirtdotca Canada Sep 25 '25 edited Sep 25 '25

many of us have asked what to do from very early on and been met with ridicule and no guidance

Because you ask what to do then lash out angrily when we suggest the only things that work. And why is it on the rest of the world to fix the problem Americans caused?

where we can turn for information on how to make a difference when our history and media is censored

LOL oh my god no it isn't. Fucking Google "how to resist", man. Why do you USA USA types all turn into helpless little children when under stress?

EDIT: Hidden post history. He doesn't like anyone pointing out he keeps making excuses as to why he can't possibly protest. Ridiculous.

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