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CousinIT

(12,782 posts)
Mon May 25, 2026, 12:27 PM 7 hrs ago

"The American experiment is over..."

I'm not saying to give up or stop fighting. That's IMO not an option. But this is where we are ar at the moment.

Sadly, every word is true. The American experiment is over. Killed in the middle of Fifth Avenue and no one in power blinked an eye to stop it.

Mark T. Sneed (@marktsneed.bsky.social) 2026-05-25T07:50:43.169Z
18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies

Irish_Dem

(82,480 posts)
1. I said the same thing to a friend this morning.
Mon May 25, 2026, 12:29 PM
7 hrs ago

250 years is not a bad run.

But our democracy is over now.
Ironic on the 250th anniversary of our democracy.

FoxNewsSucks

(11,937 posts)
8. No it's not. It's the bucket of cold water thrown in the faces
Mon May 25, 2026, 01:09 PM
7 hrs ago

of all the pollyannas who think 'everything will just be fine, you'll see'.

Realistic points of view are often uncomfortable.

LymphocyteLover

(10,200 posts)
14. it's still defeatist, especially the idea that Dems are impotent and that we can't win the midterms
Mon May 25, 2026, 03:25 PM
4 hrs ago

Dems have no real power, so of course they seem impotent to people not paying attention.

wnylib

(26,507 posts)
17. There's a difference between realistic and defeatist.
Mon May 25, 2026, 07:40 PM
33 min ago

Realism says things are bad, even very bad, but by facing up to each problem with open eyes, we can tackle the problem.

Defeatism says that things are so bad, that we should just give up and accept that they will never improve and we can't do anything about it.

Realism is good because it brings focus and definition to solving problems. Defeatism is giving in to hopelessness.

snowybirdie

(6,754 posts)
3. I really hate this
Mon May 25, 2026, 12:35 PM
7 hrs ago

Giving up and walking away with you tails between your legs. Shame on the defeatist and shame on not trying. As a nation, we've been down before and got back up! We all are better than this and this gets posted on Memorial Day! Double shame!

FoxNewsSucks

(11,937 posts)
9. Where does it say to give up and walk away?
Mon May 25, 2026, 01:10 PM
7 hrs ago

I read the opposite, the problem is those who have power but done nothing.

Easterncedar

(6,499 posts)
4. I won't be celebrating the 250th
Mon May 25, 2026, 12:42 PM
7 hrs ago

Democracy died here already. But acknowledging that isn't being defeatist. It doesn't mean we should stop fighting against the fascist authoritarian regime. We have to build a better government and society. We have to keep fighting, together, with all we have in every way we can.

bucolic_frolic

(55,919 posts)
5. Cheer up and take the opportunity that is offered
Mon May 25, 2026, 12:47 PM
7 hrs ago

The collapse of the financial and economic system loom. AI debt will level everything. We build anew from the ashes.

CousinIT

(12,782 posts)
12. Men have little ground to stand on when claiming that women..
Mon May 25, 2026, 01:28 PM
6 hrs ago

...are not leaders or are "too emotional" to do so, or whatever. Not after Trump. Not before either, but Trump just put the cap on their invalid arguments.

Phoenix61

(18,897 posts)
10. Is it being challenged? Absolutely!
Mon May 25, 2026, 01:11 PM
7 hrs ago

But it's been challenged in the past and we're still here. The Civil War, the Great Depression, the anti-war demonstrations during the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights movement and the atrocities that were committed during it. We will get through this the same way we got through those, determination and hard work because failure is not an option.

harumph

(3,426 posts)
11. I think the US can have a real democracy - but it needs a real constitution first.
Mon May 25, 2026, 01:18 PM
6 hrs ago

Anything else we do is just building a temporary dam. Article V. Maybe the only thing that will provide the motivation to fundamentally amend (more than just bandaid) the constitution will be when we hit rock bottom - and I mean rock bottom. One, private money needs to be banned
from elections. Two, bodily autonomy. Three, right to privacy - which means inter alia, no surveillance state. Four, right to basic healthcare. Five, right to a standardized world class education for all children K-12. Six, absolute separation of church and state. Seven, curtail presidential pardon power. Firewalls between the president and the DOJ. Create and fund virtually untouchable independent agencies charged with ferreting out accounting fraud and corruption. National secrecy cannot extend to more than 20 years before public disclosure ( accountability for those involved before they die). Representatives and senators must put their money in a blind trust. Penalties for defrauding the public include inability to run for election or to even serve in government - forever.

sinkingfeeling

(58,075 posts)
13. I agree it's over. It will take a hundred years to rebuild, if ever. Our
Mon May 25, 2026, 01:36 PM
6 hrs ago

leadership in science, education, medicine, engineering, and foreign relations is gone. The America I knew and loved died in November 2025.

MorbidButterflyTat

(4,773 posts)
18. Happy to report this guy's damning post mortem of America didn't keep him from hyping his podcast
Mon May 25, 2026, 08:04 PM
9 min ago

And he publishes on the evil, dreaded Amazon!!


#blueskybannedbooks Check out my podcast about publishing, self-publishing, writing, or are interested in a different kind of movie review. Hosted by award winning author and #1 Amazon Afrofuturistic Science Fiction writer Mark Sneed. Click the link below. www.buzzsprout.com/2502980/epis...

Mark T. Sneed (@marktsneed.bsky.social) 2026-05-25T21:36:56.268Z



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