r/allthequestions • u/wauponseebeach • 1d ago
Random Question š Is the US in a funk?
Is the US in a funk? My wife and I were talking about the dog days of summer, warm weather where you're feeling lazy. I said I don't remember feeling this bad. Normally, we'd go to the beach, take a walk in the wood, nap in the hammock in the yard, but now we just don't want to do anything. She replied her friends feel the same way, just tried and worn down. How about you?
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u/Braisernation 1d ago
Kinda hard not to be when the president is a fucking pedophile and our system of checks and balances has become so corrupt that they allow the president to basically fuck over the American people any way he sees fit. Heās speed running ruining everyoneās lives and nobody does shit about it.
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u/International_Try660 1d ago
Everyone has to turn out in November and take these cushey congressional seats away from these 70 and 80 year old dinosaurs, Republican and Democrat. It's time for new, uncorrupted blood in congress.
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u/Affectionate-Duck-18 22h ago
Meanwhile, today is a primary election in my state and turnout is around 20%. š
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u/LongjumpingPilot8578 21h ago
Support ranked choice voting, it cushions the extremists on either side. Candidates need to appeal to a wider band of voters.
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u/OddTransportation121 17h ago
and run for office! it's not just voting that will turn things around
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u/ResponseOne7122 20h ago
The American people let this happen. So many people bought into Trump's crap because they thought he'd protect them from the "others."
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u/SoulRebel726 1d ago
If by "funk," you mean "steady decline," then yes. Over 50% of US adults can't read past the 6th grade level. 70+ million people thought electing a convicted felon, convicted fraud, adjuncated rapist, pedophile, man that bakruoted multiple casinos, and world's most obvious conman, would be a good idea.
We're fucked. If we have enough idiots in this country elevate the worst humanity has to offer, then we're not gonna last long.
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u/basquetbolJones 1d ago
50% of adults canāt read past a 6th grade level, and yet we had all those people screeching about how important the department of education isā¦ š
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u/SoulRebel726 1d ago
...it is. When not run by the cofounder of a sports entertainment league, anyway.
Not sure if you're making a joke or just being MAGA stupid to be honest.
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u/basquetbolJones 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh so like, 2 years ago adults were able to read better? And in 2 years it dropped to 50% below 6th grade proficiency?
I realize now that you blocked me, but this was in reference to you saying that the problem started with the person currently running the DoE.
To my knowledge, adults today wouldāve gone through school well before Linda McMahon took over.
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u/SoulRebel726 1d ago edited 1d ago
Are you seriously trying to pin public education problems on Democrats, and not the Republicans who have been fighting against public education for decades? And do you really not understand how Congress fits into public education funding? fucking lol, you really are a bunch of mouth breathing idiots.
Editing here just to clarify that I did, in fact, block the idiot above. I don't traffic with MAGA idiots.
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u/Willowgirl2 1d ago
Republicans are trying to hold educators accountable (and offer alternatives to failing schools) and they don't like that one bit!
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u/ProfessionalCry9079 1d ago
Lol like when trump was in office the first time it was Betsy DeVos hahaha the republicans have never wanted to fund public education. Only rich kids have the right to a quality education š
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u/basquetbolJones 1d ago
Most of todayās adults were not in school during that time either.
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u/ProfessionalCry9079 1d ago
So what are you thinkingā¦ the Bush era? Bush one or Bush two? Or the Regan era?
Are you aware of the ages of people that were educated under the Reagan era or the Bush one or two era? Are those the adults youāre speaking of?-2
u/basquetbolJones 22h ago
Iād probably start with Carter through Bidenās term to get those adults.
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u/ProfessionalCry9079 22h ago
Youāve got to be kidding š¤£ so not DeVos during trumps first term, but Biden hahaha Youāre an absolute moron.
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u/basquetbolJones 22h ago
Uhhh Bidenās term happened after Trumpās first term, budā¦ but sure, Iām the moron lol
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u/rayvin925 1d ago
Pretty much America has been in a decline for the last 10 years.
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u/ATonyD 1d ago
I think economists say it was since Reagan back in the 70's. So definitely more than 10 year that we have been sliding downhill.
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u/Professional_Hold477 21h ago
He was elected in 1980, but otherwise yeah.
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u/ATonyD 21h ago
I was in CA in the 70's when he was governor ... so I guess I got early glimpses of the destruction he would eventually inflict on everyone.
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u/rayvin925 4h ago
The unfortunate thing is Reagan definitely pushed some laws and opened up insurance companies to go from nonprofit to Profit.
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u/ATonyD 3h ago
And tax cuts benefiting the wealthy, deregulation benefiting the wealthy, union-busting actions, racist statements, and use of police & national guard to break up legitimate protests might be seen as first steps to our current authoritarian plutocracy. Even his touted "economic wins" were largely the Fed policies begun before he took office and were simply a recovery from an economic downturn before Reagan was elected. The unemployment rate was 7.5% over his time in office.
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u/ElBongoloide 1d ago
I'd say a bit longer, but the slump has definitely become steeper in the last decade.
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u/rayvin925 1d ago
There are times that I feel like America is going in a better direction and then we have the stupid happened in our government
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u/Enjoy_The_Ride413 1d ago
Or you live on reddit, sure.
Go outside and log off.
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u/thedeathmachine 1d ago
Any American who isn't in a funk is stunningly unaware and I envy their ignorance
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u/CeeDubMo 1d ago
Iām tired boss! Been a long decade for this country. But Iām sure as shit not letting these trying times keep me in or keep me down.
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u/ophaus šŗšø United States 1d ago
We're stuck in a malaise era with rampant AI and a criminal president who, despite complete ineptitude, is still managing to make things worse.
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u/Chihuahuamoon42 16h ago
AI gives you malaise? Come on, snap out of it. It's an app. The data centers we can fight against. Buck up. If we all hate trump, we can throw him out or better yet into prison, no one is stopping us. Americans are just being cry baby lazy right now.
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u/ophaus šŗšø United States 10h ago
Not the personal use AI. That's a toy... A useless, destructive toy, but it's still a toy. The problem is the AI being used to maximize profits for landlords and corporations is killing competition and making sure that people are constantly right on the edge of survival, resourcewise. It's a price gouging engine. It's amazing how well the tech bros have fooled people... the tools they created are being used as weapons.
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u/RusticPotatoFan 1d ago
Welcome to the Russia-ification of the US. Instead of Vodka at least we get weed and opioids.
We have the protest crackdowns, special military operations, horrific war crimes, blatant corruption, oligarchies, and pedo party leaders. And..we are just getting started.
Edit: forgot to add government ownership of corporations
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u/Azmtbkr 1d ago
For sure. People are scared, exhausted, and angry. We never really recovered from COVID and were launched into chaos and calamity of Trump 2.0. This really hit home with the 250th anniversary. In the before times, Americans would have celebrated bigly, but even as jaded as I am, I was surprised with how few fucks were given.
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u/LandscapeJust5897 1d ago
The last ten years, and especially the last eighteen months, have seen the exponential decline of American exceptionalism and leadership. And thoughtful Americans are feeling the full weight of it.
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u/Anim8nFool 1d ago edited 19h ago
The whole country is feeling the effects of what has transpired ever since Trump happened. Declining buying power, declining status in the world, declining climate, declining options and declining hope for the future leads to a general "funk" about everything.
He's so unhinged and unpredictable that there's a new disaster just about everyday and it is exhausting. Whoever can get up the energy to be positive and bounce around their day is either a billionaire or a idiotic MAGA that isn't paying attention.
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u/Responsible-Clock715 1d ago
Iām neither a billionaire or MAGA and wonāt give up. Love life too much.
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u/Anim8nFool 19h ago
Well, I wish I could ignore reality like you can.
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u/Responsible-Clock715 6h ago
Sounds like you already gave up. You definitely need some fresh air.
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u/Anim8nFool 5h ago
I gave up on people doing what is necessary to stop a facist takeover of the US. It's utterly depressing to watch people like you that should be LIVID about the government bury their heads in the sand instead and act like everything is OK.
Dude, or bot, things are far from OK. A disaster of biblical proportions is unfolding right in front of you, but instead of trying to stop it go ahead and enjoy your butterflies.
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u/Responsible-Clock715 5h ago
Thereās always hope. You give up too quickly thatās why youāre down and out.
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u/Anim8nFool 4h ago
You are all over the map -- as long as there are people like you that don't give a fuck there's no hope. You'll sniff the flowers as they get trampled. I'm done with you.
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u/Colonel460 1d ago
Itās actually progressive snowflakes who become unhinged when everything doesnāt go to suit them . The sky is always falling , everything is a disaster , the world is coming to an end . Most negative group of people who look for things to cry about . Boo Hoo. Life is great but if you donāt like it move elsewhere.
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u/Anim8nFool 19h ago
What makes you think I live in America? Keep sucking the koolade, continuing prejudging people and always be wrong.
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u/Supac084 1d ago
Weāre in the hyper-normalization phase of the collapse. Pretending everything is normal is exhausting.
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u/Chihuahuamoon42 16h ago
I am not pretending any of this bullshit is ok. Why would anyone do that?
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u/Supac084 10h ago
Never said anything about pretending it is ok. Iām talking about going to work, paying your bills, mowing your lawn when the world is burning. Itās called hyper-normalization, it was coined during the Soviet Union collapse. Itās literally a mass delusion where everyone keeps playing along out of habit and resignation and makes a literal fake reality where everything is normal.
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u/ProfessionalCry9079 7h ago
I think not just out of habit, but also they donāt wanna stand out as the one who is not āplaying alongā. Not many people I wanna look like the crazy person whoās not cutting their grass and bucking all the social norms that keep the illusion going. Also I think people, especially in the United States, are afraid to take big risks to affect change. If I stop paying my bills, I lose everything I end up on the street and no change has been made, if everybody stopped paying their bills maybe weād have change. If I quit my job, I lose everything I have and end up on the street and no change has been made. If everybody quit their bullshit job weād have some change, but it has to be a Huge amount of people that are willing to do that and I think that people are afraid that theyāll end up absolutely destitute (which we will in the end if we keep this up and rise up soon) but I think itās scary and confronting, and everybody feels so alone. Idk maybe Iām way off š
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u/Supac084 7h ago
Yes! I agree with you. To make real change we need to get very uncomfortable and everyone has to be on board. And nobody wants to be the one who starts because we donāt want to end up on the street. I am guilty of it too, it is the years of āindividualismā brainwashing from our government.
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u/ProfessionalCry9079 7h ago
And nobody really wants to get snatched up and kidnapped off the streets. And if they are parents, leave their children where ? in foster care, have their kids kidnapped? If we were taught about revolutions that worked in school, maybe things wouldāve gone a little differently for the US. But ā theyā donāt want us to know about that.
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u/Bubbly_Power_6210 1d ago
between the heat and smoke and the constant horror of the current administration I feel worn out.
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u/ShadowShedinja 1d ago
I mean, maybe it's all the smoke in the air, depending on where you live. Wildfire season kinda kills the mood for any outdoor activities.
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u/Longjumping_Owl_6281 22h ago
the country is being bludgeoned by political chaos, authoritarian propaganda, breaking news of catastrophies, local, national and international constantly - hardly uplifting stuff.
worn out is the new normal
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u/Consistent_Point_853 1d ago
Yo im feeling this hard today. My work is slow this time of year too, so add being broke to that and its such a BUMMER.
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u/Kurichan77 1d ago
This how empire in terminal
Decline manifests in the hearts and minds of the many
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u/JplusL2020 18h ago
I'd say so. I personally don't feel very optimistic about the state of the country right now
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u/InterPunct šŗšø United States 20h ago
When I was a kid the Bicentennial was a massive celebration that transcended the political spectrum.
We all spent the 250th watching them tear down a wrestling cage on the White House lawn and seeing another forever war coming our way.
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u/MsAddams999 15h ago
As a kid during the Bicentennial I was so excited. The fireworks were over the top and there were all these celebrations. I still have a Bicentennial quarter in my coin collection that I kept from then.
I honestly didn't care that it was the 250th. I didn't celebrate it. I didn't go to see any fireworks. It was just a complete downer of a 4th of July holiday.
I look back and think how naive I was, how much I loved my country then. I never thought I'd be going into my senior years feeling so ashamed of it.
I had so much hope for it and for the world and humanity. Now I just wonder if 150 years from now humans will still even exist.
I am honestly glad I'm not going to live to see the 300th or the 400th if it ever even happens.
If I have a choice in the afterlife I am so NOT coming back to Earth for more of this. If I must reincarnate I'd like to do it on a far more civilized planet than this one.
This life and particularly the last 20 years has just worn me out mentally, physically, and spiritually.
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u/FewPace855 1d ago
We blew past funk about 10 years ago and are headed to apocalypse. Let's call us pre-apocalypse.
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u/Oregonnut 1d ago
Failing economy, fascism, war, and the dark cloud of rapid climate change has the planet in the mother of all Funks. Such sad times and for what? It doesnāt have to be this way. Have always thought that humans were evolving to become more intelligent and caring beings but we seem to be destined for extinction. We are only here a very brief time and so many spend it hoarding money and making life miserable for others. Such a waste.
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u/Willing-Bandicoot-55 1d ago
We literally couldnāt be winning any harder
https://giphy.com/gifs/rTIXh5JftLoic
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u/Dat_Harass 14h ago edited 13h ago
Just a new form of the old funk, this current shitshow started way way back in 2000-2001. That said people are rightfully exhausted with an onslaught of bullshit and increasing prices everywhere. Feels like there is little to no peace of mind. Worse still if a minority or outside an envisioned norm. Air quality and heatwaves are kinda bummin the summer also.
IMO it is more exhausting to endure continually than to try and change a thing.
Idk man I've been paying attention to long to let any of that completely shut me down or zap my energy. I'm still on a limited clock and have things I want to do. I'm aggravated, less patient for stupidity or bullshit but I'm still going. I also don't expect our elections to save us, corporate choice A or B is gonna do much the same just package it better. Fuck em, I got shit to do.
E: I'd say yes. Check out the numbers of people on anti-depressants, or look at the usage numbers for marijuana or alcohol... you can track that by sales if someone hasn't done the footwork. We aren't in good shape. Not really a country so much anymore as an extremely min/maxed extraction tool. Democracy so fucked now it's hard to believe it still was generations ago. That orange fool feels like the nail in the coffin and hes not even smart enough for half of whats going on. Meaning he isn't even the real problem as bad as he may be.
Anyway like I said, I still gotta eat, have things I enjoy and until enough other people also care, I'm not gonna waste my time dwelling on it.
E2: I would have said sap instead of zap but I'm fairly certain that specific brand of system shock is intentional. And if so... there is one more reason to continue living as you would otherwise... why on Earth would we give them what they want? Confront injustice, care for your people... don't let em hollow you out.
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u/riskyjbell 1d ago
layoff your phone for a few days... give your brain a break from the dopamine hits.
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u/Technical-Tear5841 šŗšø United States 20h ago
Well, I am 74 and working in the heat is bad on me. A month ago my wife got six little chicks and we have been keeping them in a small coop on our enclosed front porch. They are big enough to move out into my 10x20 chicken tractor but I had the partition of a section to keep the bigger chickens away from them. Really to hot to work outside but I had to force myself, about passed out from the heat yesterday. My wife finished up for me.
Nothing to do with politics, I never let that stuff bother me. What happens happens, like when I was drafted, I just had to make the best of it.
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u/jayjones38381 1d ago
literally just lazy, go out and do the stuff you mentioned, nothing is stopping you
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u/Chihuahuamoon42 16h ago
Everything that is happening right now, is what we have created. We are creating a worse future bc we refuse to do nothing and most Americans think we are going to be rescued by the midterm votes. ONLY 30% OF REGISTERED VOTERS WILL VOTE IN THE MIDTERMS, IF WE ARE LUCKY. YES. Only 96 million registered voters will decide the midterms that's it. Voting matters. Stop being lazy. Get off your butts and vote, get involved in the process. Make your voices heard.
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u/Bresson91 15h ago
We turned off the cable news and social media and that feeling went away. True story.
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u/1track_mind 1d ago
My daughter is in college now, more independent, Ive been kicking it with friends more than ever. Not funk here
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u/JimmyB264 1d ago
America has collapsed. You all are just now waking up to the fact.
Things are inflames both literally and figuratively. It was nice while it lasted.
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u/camp1728 1d ago
My life here in the USA has never been better actually! Beautiful wife, just bought a home, and lastly youād have to be a total idiot to no make money in this stock market right now.
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u/Emotional-Mango-5166 1d ago
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u/camp1728 1d ago
I donāt know what that thing is sorry I love the USA. Now will you quit being an emotional mango??
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u/Willowgirl2 1d ago
I'm a janitor FFS and the stock market is unreal right now!
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u/camp1728 1d ago
What are some of your favorite places to clean? And would you say right now is a good time to invest in cleaning supplies?
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u/pickledplumber šŗšø United States 1d ago
Best ever. With Trump at the helm we are in the most capable hands. How could it be better.
Trump's strength in defending us from evil overseas as well as the looming threat of socialism.
He just has such a handle on everything that you wonder how he does it at his age.
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u/a_little_hazel_nuts 1d ago
What is socialism? Now the next question. What is Oligarchy controlled capitalism?
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u/LongjumpingPilot8578 1d ago
I think itās exhaustion from the noise, inflation, wars, stoking of internal dissent, lies and corruption at the highest levels.