Summary
Anthony Muro, a Marine veteran and former VA hospital worker, regrets voting for Trump after being fired amid sweeping government cuts led by Elon Musk.
Muro was one of 25,000 probationary (new) federal employees terminated, including 1,700 VA workers. Despite court orders deeming the firings unlawful, he remains on administrative leave.
Muro criticizes Trump’s efficiency drive as harmful to veterans, saying cuts damage morale and care quality.
Many VA staff and veterans fear reduced services and long-term impacts on healthcare. Muro hopes to continue helping veterans despite his uncertain future.
Just gonna keep putting this out there. All of us, by just being here aren’t average or normal people. They are. And while it can be fun and cathartic to ridicule them. Local news papers everywhere have gone bust. Local television stations across the country were struggling and swept up like a lot of AM radio stations. Into a national propaganda sphere. Cocooning these people in a sealed misinformation bubble.
It doesn’t matter that the facts are available on the internet. Lots of people still live their lives without it. Even then, there’s just as much misinformation and confirmation bias on the internet. We desperately need to find some way of reaching these people and exposing them to the lying media they rely on. Plenty of them would be up in arms and outraged if they fully understood. We need to focus on outreach to groups like this more than ridicule. Their regret may be too little too late. But ultimately something is more than nothing. Fascist groups like Sinclair will get us all killed if we don’t.
Were not going to find ways to reach this aging population. Short of bringing back all the small town news papers and removing Sinclair from local news station, nothing will help them. They let the world pass them by and now they will rage at how much their lives suck until they enter the next phase of the human lifecycle. You can’t save them and frankly I think peoples efforts are better spent on literally anything else.
You certainly won’t save any if you don’t try. Personally I have saved a few. It’s not easy. And there’s definitely some work to put in. But moments of heavy cognitive dissonance like this. Are the perfect time to reach out and put in the work.
Personally I’m focused more on pulling young men out of the manosphere, I don’t imagine most of these dinosaurs will make it to the next election cycle. If it’s rewarding keep up the good work I guess.
Both are absolutely things worth doing. With a lot of overlap ironically. Though it’s going to be some time till any other generation surpasses the boomers etc. Still another decade or two. Definitely a bit early to write them off.
I think two decades is generous, a lot of this cohort doesn’t take care of themselves especially with the cuts in social security, medicaid, and general social services.
I’ve never had success changing the viewpoint of a boomer other than perhaps my parents
There is still silent generation out there kicking. Hell a lot of them are serving in federal government. You’d be surprised. And while they would be more than fine screwing over xers like myself. They will try to generally take care of their power base. Which has traditionally been the Boomers. They are the ones that fell Hook Line and Sinker for that morning in America bullshit.
Yea that’s true but I personally won’t waste my breath on them. I get a couple conspiracy theorists in my store from time to time and i do my best to challenge their bullshit, but i can see it going in one ear and out the other.
They all parrot the same podcast talking points like fucking NPCs, “california is wasting water all for one tiny fish!” Sir its called a river etc
Yes you bring up many valid points. But the very same networks that they consume were showing trump, and trump saying that he would do these very things, or at the least how he hates veterans.
Part of the most powerful aspects of propaganda is repetition. If anything they watched touched on it. It was minimal, and framed with targeting “others”. Then countered with 10x other praise and positive coverage. To allay their fears. It’s how propaganda works. And we would be foolish to think that we are immune to it ourselves. We just have to take our openings to break through the propaganda where we can find them.
No, you know what? Fuck that. This man watched as Trump’s goons stormed the capitol and tried to overthrow the government. Those are the enemies this jackass swore to defend the constitution from. What, I’m supposed to cut him some slack because he was talked out of moral outrage by people like Jesse Watters? Fuck that guy. He deserves zero sympathy.
No they’re still responsible for their actions. No one’s asking you to absolve them. Just not crucify them. I had a similar discussion with a loved one who saw the very same thing and was repulsed by it initially. But ultimately voted for trump in 2024 The repetition of propaganda is very powerful. It can make you disbelieve your eyes and ears. Anyone not just them. But they are going to have to live with it now. However bringing them to our side. Having them fight along with us. Despite their sins. Would be far more preferable than facing them and the actual fascists.
The people of Nazi Germany weren’t monsters. Though they enabled and even did monstrous things at the behest of monsters. The least we could do is not make it easier for the actual monsters to do this again. Offer those “unclean” an opportunity to escape the path they’ve set themselves on and possibly do something to remedy it. If they still refuse then it’s on them and whatever God they’ve failed.
You know what historians call the German people who voted for the Nazi party because of propaganda, or economic reasons, or because they just plain liked the cut of Hitler’s jib? Nazis. Historians call them Nazis.
You’re talking about fighting “the actual fascists”, but if this guy’s joined the cult of fascists, then he’s a fascist too.
Edit: also - the fuck you mean offer them a second chance? This election WAS the second chance. Third, actually. Just how many chances do you want to give out? They aren’t free, you know.
You know what a lot of historians would also tell you. They weren’t hardcore ideologically aligned. They were responsible for their own actions. But they weren’t predestined to be monsters. But if we consign them to being monsters there’s no better way to make sure they absolutely are monsters.
And like seriously friend, I have no idea who you’re debating against. It isn’t me. I’ve not made any of these claims or statements that you are attacking. And I’m not sure what your goal or objective is beyond looking foolish or overzealously radicalized? But that being the case, mission accomplished? You are honestly behaving as bad as many of the people you are railing against.
If you think that me calling someone who voted for Trump a shithead is “behaving as bad as [the shithead I’m] railing against”, then you are a complete buffoon. That man voted for a fucking traitor. Probably multiple times. His actions have directly led us to this state. You’re saying I shouldn’t crucify him… why the fuck not? He crucified all of us first.
Again with the arguments I never made. It’s not about what you’re saying. It’s about your behavior. You’re behaving just like them. There are absolutely some of them that are lost. Just like you are a lost cause. But there are some that can be reached if we simply take the time.
Please enlighten me as to which cause I am lost from. I would like to know what noble calling I am failing to meet.
It would have to be some kind of deprogramming technique.
Realistically you can only deprogram the ones that are open to it. And the best way to do that honestly is by listening and treating them like adults. Holding back on ridicule Etc. Asking questions about their beliefs that they themselves have never asked. That if they honestly look into what expose the Sham they’ve allowed themselves to be victims of.
They’re convinced that there’s an immigrant crime wave. There isn’t we know there isn’t there’s no data to support that claim. But don’t just shout that at them and dismiss them out of hand. Ask them to go Source information on that. Not from drudge Breitbart or Fox news. From an actual law enforcement source that is required to be truthful and accurate. Similarly they are convinced that all government waste and fraud occurs with entitlements. Which again is often the furthest thing from the truth. Again we have plenty of information and numbers to show that most waste happens in defense spending Etc. That generally entitlements while not perfect are some of the lowest fraud. Because of all the bullshit Hoops that have been put in place to hurt minorities and vulnerable people. Again don’t dismiss it outright or shout them down. Ask them to cite numbers from the organization’s involved to confirm their beliefs.
If they are honest, sincere, they will struggle and flounder. Even then don’t admonish or shout them down for being wrong. Follow up with more questions such as if you can’t find evidence of your beliefs. Maybe someone’s been lying to you and what you’ve been told isn’t true. Even if you do not leave there with them converted. You’ve planted the seed that might break them free. That’s about the only deprogramming the average person will be able to do.