[quote=@mdk] That's only half the story though, isn't it? Things are bad enough in this country, for enough people, that [i]Donald goddamn Trump[/i] was more palatable than four more years of the establishment. Think about that. Did you know that's how bad it was? I didn't. I've been in the CNN bubble like everybody else, and they sure as hell weren't talking about it. 58 million people -- that's a very big number -- are that desperate, and here I thought the biggest issue facing america was the use of public restrooms. I don't believe in silent majorities. These people were always trying to be heard, and we've been ignoring them so completely that this result is unthinkable. People moved to tears in the Clinton campaign -- you shoulda been crying for these people long ago, and honestly I think you needed your hearts broken. Granted, now we've got a deplorable in the white house. I mean..... some of that is disingenuous from the same people who cheered for Bill, but putting that aside [i]I don't like this guy,[/i] and I'm gonna have to deal with that. We'll get over it if he's good. [/quote] Pretty much this. It all begs the question - if Donald Trump is so fucking bad and unsuited for president, how the hell could a shrewd politician like Clinton lose in the first place? Maybe, just maybe, the DNC should have chosen Bernie or literally anyone that didn't have so much dirt on them instead. Secondly, playing the blame game is precisely why this shit is happening. No, people aren't dumb and bigoted for voting Trump, they're just unsatisfied with the current status quo, as are people in the EU. Why do you think Brexit happened? Why are right-winged populist parties gaining traction throughout Western Europe in countries like France, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and so forth? It's easy to dismiss everyone you don't agree with as a bigot and a racist, but the truth runs much deeper. The current narrative passed down from our political elite is that the US and its allies are the only bastions of freedom and democracy, everyone else is either a dictator or part of an oligarchy. You don't like TTIP? Well, you're a fucking commie. You don't agree with economic migrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan illegally crossing your country's borders? Shit son, you're Hitler reborn. Think that NATO should focus on the traffickers making millions from the real refugees in the Mediterranean instead of leading an arms race with Russia? Well, its obvious you're sucking Putin's dick. This "them or us" mentality and fear mongering that's prevalent in the western world plays right into the hands of demagogues, populists and extremists. When even moderate criticism is met with accusations of racism, xenophobia and God knows what else, people are gradually driven into extremes. And instead of tackling the underlying issues our politicians are quick to look for scapegoats - terrorism, Russia, the dumb voters who don't know what's good for them. That last one in particular is incredibly grating. Let's face it, the average voter is always going to be, well, average; that's the whole point, right? Many of these people don't care about politics and are swayed by whatever's trending at the time - the economic crisis, refugees, TTIP/CETA, heck even fucking Harambe. When you're struggling to make ends meet, you don't really care where the guy you're voting for stands on the political spectrum, as long as he promises to "make things right". What you're seeing right now in is the shifting of the huge socioeconomic gears that make the world turn. The past 20 years or so have been a period of relative stability and prosperity for the West (I hate using this Cold War era term), but the cracks are starting to show and even normal people like you and me are beginning to see it. The financial crisis of 2008 was a sign of that and since then things have been going steadily downhill. Brexit was a tipping point for the EU, spurred on by the refugee crisis, and Trump's election is a tipping point for the US. As good ol' dialectical materialism teaches "quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes" - look at the last 100 years of our history and you'll see that's a fact. Lastly, a message to you folks that have been plaguing my social media feeds (and the Guild's status bar) all day - politics is a game of logic. The moment you start getting emotional is the moment some politician starts using that emotion for their own agenda.