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Comment on Maybe Trump's Presidency Will Make Everything So Awful It Will Facilitate Actual Positive Change Nationwide

Have you read U.S. history?

Despite the land of freedom hype, we started as a country where only land owning white men could vote, and slavery was law. As flawed as things are now (and there will always be a need to improve and fight injustice) slavery has been abolished, all men and women can vote, child labor abolished, 40 hour work week, gay marriage legal.

We should be realistic and honest about the bad things happening right now. But if we don’t believe it’s possible for things to get better (doomerism) then it’s much less likely they will, and believing that ignores the actual historical evidence.

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Montagge@lemmy.zip ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

slavery has been abolished

Took a civil war

all men and women can vote

Not all and women voting took violent riots to come to be

child labor abolished

40 hour work week

People died in gun battles against the government and hired guns to get these

gay marriage legal

It’s legal but easy to take away, and also took violent riots

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- LesserAbe@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I’ll quote my reply to the other person:
  
  OP said “maybe something good will come out of this” and you said look at history, the best that will happen is some minor temporary improvement. I pointed out several significant long lasting advances. I don’t see where anything you said here disproves that.
  
  As I said, yes, there are significant problems we need to address. But being negative to the point of denying reality isn’t some act of resistance, it’s capitulation. Telling people there’s no hope helps the enemy.
  
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spankmonkey@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

As flawed as things are now (and there will always be a need to improve and fight injustice) slavery has been abolished,

Except in prisons

all men and women can vote,

Except for the ones who can’t because of felonies that are arbitrarily decided to be disqualifying.

child labor abolished,

Except for family businesses, and if you haven’t noticed Republicans are bringing child labor back.

40 hour work week,

Except for exempt employees.

gay marriage legal.

Conservatives are working on getting this overturned just like they overturned Roe v Wade.

Yeah, we aren’t as shitty as we were 250 years ago but the gains we have made in those centuries is pretty fucking basic. We still have massive problems and Republicans and their half of the voting population are working turelessly to bring back the absolute worst things.

Yes, I have read history.

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- LesserAbe@lemmy.world ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  OP said “maybe something good will come out of this” and you said look at history, the best that will happen is some minor temporary improvement. I pointed out several significant long lasting advances. I don’t see where anything you said here disproves that.
  
  As I said, yes, there are significant problems we need to address. But being negative to the point of denying reality isn’t some act of resistance, it’s capitulation. Telling people there’s no hope helps the enemy.
  
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veniasilente@lemm.ee ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

slavery has been abolished

[citation needed]

all men and women can vote

[citation needed]

child labor abolished

[citation needed]

40 hour work week

[citation needed]

gay marriage legal

[citation needed]

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- fluffykittycat@slrpnk.net ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  I mean, gay marriage is legal at least for now
  
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  - veniasilente@lemm.ee ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Are you sure? Legal means it has to be legal everywhere, otherwise you can just get the same treatment eg.: doctors get for providing abortion. Nowadays, that means you can get ICEd by an out-of-state order.
    
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- AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  [citation needed]
  
  [citation needed]
  
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  - veniasilente@lemm.ee ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    It’s called observing reality. For example, gay marriage is illegal in several states, slavery only got legalized to ~40 hrs a week, incarcerated men and women are deprived the right to vote, etc.
    
    Come on it’s not that hard.
    
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    AwesomeLowlander@sh.itjust.works ⁨10⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    You seem to have missed the humorous intent of my comment
    
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