My Give A Damn’s Busted

The lunacy of the left has just beat me up. We’re pummeled with their particular brand of hate every day.

In the past, sorting, folding and neatly stacking underwear in a drawer was a priority.

Now, I find, if you just dump the panties into the drawer directly from the laundry basket, you have quite a selection to choose from instead of just the one on top.

There’s a huge difference between one teaspoon of salt and one tablespoon of salt.

Details.

When I add salt I take the salt bowl off the counter. Sometimes I forget to take the salt bowl off the counter. If you forget if you added the salt, don’t add more.

Phones don’t have to make noises.

CRSS (can’t remember shit syndrome) is real. Asking your spouse “who are you?” used to be a prank, now I wonder when it will really happen.

Ice cream doesn’t stay frozen in a propane freezer. It’s easier to eat with a straw anyway.

Amish roll butter is better than stick butter because you don’t need lines to measure it. Everything is better with lots of butter.

You don’t have to peel the carrots or onions you’re using to flavor a soup stock because you’re going to remove them.

Chocolate cake for breakfast is OK after age 55.

If you have good teeth at age 60, you don’t really need to brush your teeth twice a day or even once for that matter.

Velcro on shoes may not look stylish, but I get it now.

Packing for a weeklong trip really only requires 2 outfits now, especially if there’s a washer and dryer at the destination. Remember to bring Tide.

The packing ritual used to be two bags with many outfits and several pairs of shoes. Velcro Tevas and 2 outfits are all one really needs. Old people are invisible aren’t we?

Is my give a damn busted yet?

I love reading.

I love reading at Substack because of the variety of viewpoints all in one place.

I especially love reading the comments.

Comments expose a lot of things, but they’re more a way of taking the pulse of current popular culture.

Sometimes when I read comments, I can’t believe the vitriol (bitterly harsh or caustic language or criticism).

A while back, I collected comments from three very different Substacks, written by three very different authors.

It wasn’t Scientific.

It was mostly random because at the time I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them.

Now you’re reading what I decided to do with them.

My criteria was the writing had to have more than 100 comments and the “commentor” had to have a fair number of likes (which in my mind means the “likers” agreed with the comment) at the time I read the comment.

I did not include the title of the essays here, only the subject matter and a single or partial quote from the essay. I identified (when I could) if the individual was male or female (there are only 2 genders in my world) and if their username was not specific, I tagged them “unknown”.

The comments are as-written, bad grammar and poor sentence structure included.

Essay Topic: Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

(Michael Knowles said that “for the good of society…transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely—the whole preposterous ideology, at every level.”)

403 Comments.

Female—-These are scary times we live in! Christian nationalism, illiberal democracy, and extremist right-wing fascism are forms of terrorist groups - in America and abroad. There is no freedom, liberty, justice, equality, equity, or democracy in illiberal democracy, fascism, totalitarianism, autocracy, theocracy, Christian nationalism, white nationalism, white supremacy, other forms of nationalism, and bigotry. There's only hate, culture wars, structural violence, physical violence, discrimination, enslavement, segregation, inequality, inequity, polyvictimization, child abuse, child neglect, elder abuse, elder neglect, genocide among certain groups (e.g., such as the forms of senicide, or geronticide, that we've seen during this ongoing pandemic - for some, as well as the disabled and immunocompromised), divisions, civil unrest, victim silencing, victim-blaming, victim-shaming, victim-hating, murders, war crimes, crimes against humanity, climate destruction, capitalistic monopolies gone amok, and so on.

Minorities - including women, children, the elderly, non-whites, multiracial persons, the disabled, the obese with underlying conditions, those with invisible disabilities who are still able-bodied in other ways, those who believe in religions other than Christianity, atheists, agnostics, and the LGBTQ+ communities - will all lose their rights, their freedoms, their liberties, and a justice system that should protect them. Minorities will be enslaved, sentenced to death, denied healthcare and thus have a shortened life, raped, maimed, harassed, stalked, murdered, discriminated against, hated, despised, ostracized, shunned, bullied, traumatized, terrorized, and "eradicated." There would be two systems - minority slave caste and the upper ruling white-male superiors.

But, don't lose hope. There are MANY WHITE ALLIES for minorities, and there are MANY MULTIRACIAL PERSONS who add to the growing MINORITY GROUP. We democrats, liberals, leftists, progressives, or whatever other left-leaning group that exists, OUTNUMBER the rich, the right-wing extremists, the right-winged terrorists, the fascist dictators. Even though we, together, have less money than the rich, I'm sure that there are ways in which money can't buy everything. Sooner or later, people would want to end their indentured servanthood (their own form of being enslaved) to join the growing need to defend democracy.

NATO, the UN, Ukraine, the democrats and moderates of the USA, other democratic nations, and even other moderate nations will see the evils of authoritarianism, fascism, right-winged extremism, nationalism in all forms, white supremacy in all forms, theocracy in all forms, etc. In fact, I believe WWII should have proved that, but yet Naziism still exists.

Apart from voting (which has now been suppressed for all minorities), what else can we do? Will this come to a civil war or world war? When will it end, if ever? Are there any decent rich, white, male allies out there to help us? Are there any decent rich people period to help us?

Those RW domestic terrorists perverted our flag! How dare they drape our sacred flag across their bodies while attacking our nation's capitol, our democracy, and our own Constitution. How dare they affiliate the flag with their form of un-American fascism, hate, bigotry, etc. 87 likes

Female—-And it's not just words. The American flag has also been commandeered by the far right. 47 likes.

Female—-We have a disagreement in our household. I still fly the National Colors, properly illuminated at dark, and positioned correctly in its prominence (per US flag code). I now alternate between the Pride flag, the Ukrainian Flag, and the COPS (concerns of police survivors; a group founded by and supporting of those who have an LEO who is killed in the line of duty) flag, not to be confused with the "thin blue line" flag that is subdued National Colors with a blue line for one of the stripes of the flag.

My family would prefer not flying the National Colors full time, but in accordance with the display of the flag for national holidays. So far, I am winning. I am NOT going to let them steal my flag. 85 likes.

Female—-You are so right! It’s a sickness! It’s an effort to say: we’re more patriotic than the rest of you. Today at the beach, we saw a woman, in a beach chair, surrounded by little American flags she had stuck into the ground. It was like her “fence” against the rest of us. Crazy!!! 104 likes.

Female—- I just about choked on DeSantis’ statement in Iowa this week “Greetings from the free state of Florida”. Free state?!?!?! Are you effing kidding me?!?!? Where books are being banned, speech is being limited, schools are being told what they can/cannot teach, where LGBTQ citizens are being ostracized and erased, where corporations must be careful what they say/support or be penalized, where the press is being asked to register with the state if they want to print anything about “dear leader?!?!?

Oh, and let’s not forget, where people , especially the elderly and minorities, are free to die because the “leaders” give you false information about a deadly virus. Not to mention voter suppression. That is one “free state” I personally will never set foot in again. And all of that is what we can look forward to in a so-called Christian Democracy, which has nothing to do with Christianity and everything to do with power. 137 likes.

Male—-Further proof that the Right is The Enemy and must be stopped by every means necessary. 125 likes.

Essay Topic: Bernie Sanders.

And although he’s blunt, he’s anything but an asshole. When he growls “this grotesque level of income and wealth inequality is immoral,” he means it.

917 Comments.

Unknown—-If only every politician was as ideological and honest as Bernie. 74 likes.

Male—-Bernie IS our future whether obsolete, useless billionaires like it or not! America IS quickly moving left, as is only natural progression. Bernie, Mr. Reich, Elizabeth Warren and a few others are to "blame" for this. God bless 'em! 72 likes.

Male—-Bernie is originally from Brooklyn, NY. The center of the universe afaic. His old neighborhood is near my old neighborhood, so he sounds like an uncle. An uncle that says the right things, sticks to them, and is always there. I love him. He should have been the candidate running against Tangerine Torquemada, but instead we got Mrs. Clinton, who was not in good favor with many. Bernie would have won. Oh well, cest la vie. 53 likes.

Female—-Have we all forgotten the interference in the 2016 election by Putin and the Russians? Putin detested Hillary because she stood up to him as Sec of State, and, as president, would be fearless in keeping America strong against Russian oligarchy.

Putin badly wanted Trump to win because he was so easily manipulated by money. In fact, Russian cyber manipulation determined Bernie Sanders would not fly with most Americans, many who call him 'Communist,' the farther south and west away from Vermont the country goes. That was the reason he was promoted as Hillary's opponent, sure to lose against MAGA Trump.

Hillary won the popular vote by a good margin. IMHO, the gerrymandering and electoral college manipulations so deftly crafted by the Russo-Republicans, are the reason she lost. She was, and is, a loyal Democrat and American. She is a proponent of health and education, of racial fairness and minority rights. While both Clintons are a little too enchanted by wealth, they pale in comparison to Trump. As for the question of feminism, "yes, she is", but calling her brash, a person who cackles, diminishing her abilities by gender, is indeed misogyny. 25 likes.

Female—-It is always refreshing to hear Bernie. He hits the nail on the head every single time, clarifying every confusion and distortion. His reason for criticizing the press for not covering the heart of issues came to light in his recent interview with Margaret Brennan on Meet the Press. He said the media would rather talk about elections than about the enormity of the wealth gap. Despite the fact that one in four Americans can not afford the cost of their prescription drugs, none of the networks are presenting specials on that. 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, fearing that one slip could plummet them into poverty, and republicans want them to struggle more! Bernie is the rock that I go to so I can fend off the spin and speculation and pure nonsense that proliferates out there and garner my strength and focus on my part to phone bank as much as possible to get progressives elected and to promote strong policy and clinch progressive appointees everywhere. 51 likes.

Female—-I love Bernie because he tells the truth, and he tells it in an excellent delivery that gets his message through clearly. I love Bernie because he never gives up and never sells out. I'm glad he doesn't come across like Obama, who has deprived so many of hope. Some of those $27+ Bernie donations came from me. I have a nice collection of Bernie stuff, including Bernie-wearing-mittens t-shirt and a Feel the Bern mug. I totally love Bernie. 40 likes.

Female—-I agree I love Bernie too. If only the American public were as educated in Civics as they should be they would know that Communism has never existed in any country any where, that Socialism can co-exist with regulated Capitalism, that unbound Capitalism requires regulation to prevent it from drifting into oligarchy. That names are meaningless - only practice, tells you the truth. Adolph Hitler's thugs and monsters called them selves the National Democratic Socialist Party - but in reality were cold-blooded dictatorial fascists. Instead, we have an electorate so clueless they only believe what they can absorb in 30 second sound bites. Heck, most people don't even know what a true democracy is or how it differs from a representative republic which is what we are currently in danger of losing to the MAGA maggots. 37 likes.

Essay Topic: Covid Masking.

This tweet went viral with over 1M views in just 24 hours: I offered $10,000 to the people sitting next to me to remove their face masks for the remainder of the flight. No takers. This shows you how strong the brainwashing is.

959 Comments.

Male—-I’m an airline pilot (never vaxxed, never even tested.) I’ve thankfully noticed a steady decline in the number of mask wearers week over week. That said, there’s no doubt there is a minority, maybe 2% or so, who will be wearing masks until they drop dead.

It’s funny because here are us crew members, who have traveled the country and even the world extensively from the beginning of Covid, unmasked (mostly, we still have the 2% too) and yet people still can’t fathom removing their mask.

I’d love to hand out studies and literature on boarding but I’d certainly lose my job. Maybe…65 likes.

Female—-I’m so worried about flying. Can I request an unvaxxed pilot? 15 likes.

Male—-I won't wear a mask, but for $10,000 I'll put one on and then take it off if that will qualify me. :) 50 likes.

Female—-Whenever I see anyone still wearing a face diaper, the voice in my head says, look at this idiot. 27 likes.

Male—-Lost all faith in 2021. I was at wall mart. An elderly ex-marine was actually tackled for trying to enter a wall mart in Arizona because he did not have a mask. He had COPD and an oxygen concentrator. He had a mask exemption from his doctor. The brutality of the wall mart people was beyond belief. I called the police, and they just ignored me. How is it that people can be so evil? 15 likes.

Female—-Look what you started on Twitter. All the lunatics have come out!

You’re 1,000% right that people truly believe the fackackta narrative. But I have to admit, when I see people wearing masks outdoors with no one around, I feel sorry they have become so demented. They are showing us how weak minded they are. But at least they’re showing us who they are. 15 likes.

Male—-Well, now you know what carbon dioxide poisoning does to the brains of lemmings. 25 likes.

Male—-Some people are still driving alone in their cars with masks on. They are irreparably damaged individuals. 17 likes.

Could you distinguish the liberal/leftist comments from the conservative?

Did it feel like night and day?

Did I butcher a sacred cow in harvesting comments like this?

Do I care if I butchered a sacred cow?

People are mean these days and I think it leads to a whole lot of give a damn’s being busted…

What do you think about these comments?

Are people braver at the keyboard than face to face?

The lunacy of the left (liberal/leftists) has just beat me up.

We’re pummeled with their particular brand of hate every day.

I asked my husband to read my collected comments. After reading them, as a man who has perfected the idea of “an economy of words” (uses very few, but precise words) said, “there’s a lot of angry women out there.”

I agree.

There’s a lot of hate, laser focused, on American conservatives these days.

And it’s pretty interesting where that hate comes from, considering that hate comes from the arena of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) (encompasses the symbiotic relationship, philosophy and culture of acknowledging, embracing, supporting, and accepting those of all racial, sexual, gender, religious and socioeconomic backgrounds, among other differentiators).

The funny thing is, all the lunacy makes conservative independents run further right. I know that’s where I’m headed…

Do you think they’ve (leftists who want our votes) thought about that?

On the topic of the school shooting in Nashville, TN:

Male—-You’re preaching to the choir. The people you need to convince don’t read your column. You’d have a better chance of succeeding if a child of every Republican member of both houses was slaughtered by an AR-15.

Do I need to analyze?

AR-15s are good for blowing up Tannerite® in the base of precarious dead trees. I guess that never occurs to the gun haters.

This girl (she hasn’t matured to the status of woman yet), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, makes my skin crawl (to cause one to feel disgusted). Is she representative of the generations to come?

She has 8.6 million Instagram followers and this video (link below) had 131K likes and 5,709 comments when I looked at it. Many of the comments were praise:

AOC Warns of What ‘Predatory Cisgender and Often Straight Men Do When Left in the Presence’ of Women and Children

The video is annoying.

Have you ever listened to her talking - about anything?

Who voted for her?

One of my 7 cats. Photo Credit: Collette Greystone.

My cats are smarter.

Then there’s the irrational, mind boggling hate:

Some women have penises. If you won’t sleep with them you’re transphobic

The trans stuff is just being crammed down our throats on a daily basis. You can’t avoid it. It’s everywhere.

We’re going to have practically a whole generation mad as hell when they are “trans adults” and realize they were (at a young age when they were supposed to be able to trust) coached into being something they are not.

What kind of hate will come from that?

I could keep running with this “they hate us” theme, but instead I will leave you with this pearl of wisdom given to me by someone I admire(d) and love(d) deeply.

My dad once told me that when you’ve realized you’ve lived a rich and full life, and when you feel like you don’t belong anymore, and that popular culture has disappointed you so much, that popular culture has erased your generation’s morals and mores (the accepted traditional customs and usages of a particular age group), you’re at ease with being in God’s waiting room and you’re not afraid to die.

My dad passed away in 2016 at age 87.

He was a decorated WWII veteran.

He was a Reagan Conservative (good government comes through lower taxes, less government, few restrictions on individuals and businesses, and a strong military).

Hopefully, when your give a damn’s busted, you will have lived a rich full life.

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Joe Diffie - My Give A Damn's Busted - (Original 2001).

Jo Dee Messina - My Give A Damn's Busted (Official Music Video 2005).