Thank you for this kind reply; I needed it this morning.

I’m a bit perturbed by the overlap of “toxic-tech-broism” and authoritarian support; to a point where I sometimes want to escape corporate tech all together. I’ve posted a while ago on Beehaw asking how to transition from corporate to a possibly non-profit or government job instead; but my battery for this effort is depleted right now. There is an end in sight within a few months for this project, and my plan is to find a different job with a more progressive team hopefully.

May you also find peace in your own journey in this world; it’s nice to know it’s not a lonely route.

Because your protest is failing to consider the ramifications of a Trump Presidency should he win. Project 2025 is no hidden secret and Trump has made it clear he will act like a dictator and purge dissidents. It is hard to take you concern for Palestinians as sincere when Trump has advocated for “finishing the job” and you’re willing to set Trans, Minority, and Reproductive rights on fire. A protest vote was already attempted in 2016 with Hillary and instead we have 1 million plus dead due to a botched pandemic response. There are those less privileged who can’t just escape should we fall into theocratic fascism.

Guess who benefits from a Trump win: Russia, China, and Isreal. And no doubt they appreciate “useful idiots” to sow discord and create voter apathy because that is the best way to allow Republicans to win. Ukraine will fall, China will be more emboldened to attack Taiwan, and Netanyahu will have his buddy back in office rubber stamping even more terror.

Recently learned that an individual who is causing the most strife and division on my team is super hard-core MAGA Trumper. It really brings a clearer picture on why he is attacking I and the other women on the team and why those he hired are only white men. I’m already nervous about the upcoming election, but to see a supporter so emboldened in his views in the workplace gives me a more in-your-face view of how these people want their day-to-day.

Hillary won the democratic nomination because older voters turned out more to vote in her favor. While young voters primaries for Bernie, the overwhelming majority of those voting in the primaries were older.

Like Barack Obama eight years ago, Bernie Sanders captured the vote of younger voters under 30, and they made up a greater percentage of the electorate in 2016 (17 percent) than in 2008 (14 percent). And Sanders fared better among these younger voters, winning 71 percent of voters under 30 (compared to 59 percent for Obama in 2008). Voters between 30 and 44 made up 23 percent of Democratic primary voters, and they were almost evenly divided between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. In most of the states where exit polls were conducted, the candidate who won the vote of 30 to 44 year olds won the primary. Six in 10 Democratic voters were over the age of 45, and as she did eight years ago, Hillary Clinton won the support of older voters. Clinton won 64 percent of voters between 45 and 64 and 71 percent of voters 65 and older.

Source

If more youth turned out to vote in the Primaries in an equal or stronger force than older voters, Bernie would have had the nomination.

Regarding Democrats not doing anything to support immigrants, DREAM Act and DACA were ushered in with greater force and an expansion was attempted due to Obama despite Republicans consistently fighting it or Republican Governors suing against it. The expansion was stalled by our conservative Supreme Court, but would have been successful if we had more left leaning judges. General overview. It’s not that democrats are not attempting these things, but more so we lack the majorities in Congress and on SCOTUS. There is the potential of more justices retiring in the next presidential cycle and whoever wins has the ability to make the court more right or left leaning which will have an impact on this.

I currently live in a very red state with an anti abortion law that took affect the moment Roe was overturned. There are no exceptions and we even had our own case of a young girl being forced to give birth from a rape because her mother could not afford the hours long trip to the next closest abortion clinic. That young girl’s life is forever hindered by giving birth too young; now multiply that by 1000s should a nation wide ban be placed. Or the radicals who want to remove no-fault divorce and keep abused women in dangerous relationships. I have the means to escape, but that’s a very much a “fuck you, I got mine” mindset when I recognize the abject poverty that exists for the majority here.

We’ve already been through this 8 years ago after Hillary lost the election. Democrats didn’t “wakeup” and over a million people died in the US from a botched pandemic response. Accelerationism is a privileged view when you have nothing to lose, but those less fortunate are hurt by its repercussions.

Our current system is broken and no means perfect, but burning it all down isn’t how we change it. It is far more likely that an authoritarian takeover will occur instead of the rose-tinted glasses utopia that these non-voters think will happen. All the death, pain, and destruction won’t magically shock people into changing it because they’ll be too focused on just trying to survive the hellscape wrought on them.

It is not more of the same when one side clearly wants to instill a Christian Theocratic takeover. Trans rights, minority rights, reproductive rights, environmental protections, and so much more are also on the line. Both are bad candidates, but one is not calling for Christian Sharia law. You’re throwing the baby out with the bath water when it comes to fallout of what will happen to those less fortunate.

I’m sorry, but this reply reeks of privilege. My reproductive freedom is on the ballot this year after already losing so much after SCOTUS was able to be stacked with conservative judges. If Trump wins, SCOTUS will forever be this way in my lifetime and my rights will erode even more as a woman. After the overturning of Roe, a 10 year old rape victim from Ohio and those who assisted her were harassed all due to providing her an abortion. States are disbanding maternal mortality boards or putting extremists over them. For the love of God, we are headed into a Handmaid’s Tale if Trump is elected!

“Well the democrats should have encoded it.” I literally don’t care. That was then, this is now. Women are suffering now and the alternative will make it worse. When the Republican party wants to codify Christian sharia level law, that’s an immediate danger to me and other women. We can’t continue to protest the atrocities of Israel if we are forced into reproductive servitude. There are way to many Republicans advocating against anti child marriage laws in an age where they can be raped without a means to terminate.

I am equally frustrated about Biden’s handling of Palestine, but setting my own rights on fire removes all energy and possibility to advocate for them! This attempt to accelerate us into punishing the democrats for giving us bad choices is only going to hurt those who lack the funds and privilege to easily escape a Fascist takeover.

The scary thing is, this is legit how the marketing course I had to take taught the concepts. The whole course was from the perspective that people are too dumb or overburdened to make decisions on what products they should buy, so marketing and ads are our savior to take that oh so hard critical thinking away. I wish I was kidding, but everything about that class felt like “how can we abuse psychology to force people to consume.”

We already attempted this accelerationist approach in 2016 with Clinton and received Trump and things are much worse due to the 4 years of his first term. Trans rights, reproductive rights, minority rights, and so much more have been eroded in that time. Trump was also able to stack SCOTUS with conservative judges that will have lasting ramifications and two more justices are nearing retirement age in the next presidential cycle. If Trump is elected again, the court will become even more conservative with lasting ramifications that will nearly impossible to undo.

Trump has outright stated he wants Isreal to finish the job and Netanyahu supports him. Biden is not perfect, but literally abstaining from voting for him will make the situation immensely worse for both Gaza and here in the US. To ignore that reality shows ignorance in voting as a single issue voter and shows you have nothing to loose from your privilege. I don’t have that grace as a woman in a red state now relagated as reproductive cattle nor do my Trans or Minority friends who just want to live as they are. Voting for Biden avoids the 2025 Handmaid’s Tale that the Christian Right desperately wants and still gives us the ability to complain his actions are not enough for Gaza. With Trump that ability absolutely dissolves.

I’ve heard that about charities and non-profits; it’s just the nature of the work they do. I am worried about the grass not exactly being greener if I were to go that route. But at the same time if I found the right one, I know I would feel more motivated for the work if it was for a good cause. I’ve had to put in the crunch and grumble over last minute changes, but it’s one thing if it’s for keeping up with a competitors marketing promo vs assisting a system to support refugees. I like working with people, but I hate it when those people are profit driven.

Thank you for sharing your own experience. While part of me wants completely out of tech, I really think the right company culture plays a role in that. I wouldn’t mind staying in the field if I found something similar to your own job.

Out of curiosity, how did you find your current job? I’m used to using LinkedIn, but I feel it has become very Facebooky and very corporate America. I’ve heard of Dice and Indeed, but haven’t heard if one is better than the other for these types of jobs.

I’m so happy for you! You got this and you’ll do well!

I’ve been using y’all in corporate America for about five years now and have yet had a manager condemn its use. It’s widely accepted now and I’ve had coworkers mentioned it makes them fondly remember family from the south. It’s just a good colloquial for referring to a group. Oddly enough “you guys” has slowly been entering my diction too due to working with more folks from the west and midwest.Midwest.

Ain’t is one I still unconsciously avoid in professional settings though.

Growing-up in the US, you get raised under this grand illusion of how perfect the country is when reality there is an ugly history to its founding. No, the pilgrims and natives didn’t have that perfect crayon picture view of Thanksgiving. No, successionist states didn’t start the Civil War due to states rights. No, Manifest Destiny wasn’t some righteous calling for expansion from God.

Apparently acknowledging these flase-truths and taking efforts to actually learn them is such a threat to conservative ideals. For a group that complains so much about safe spaces or accuses leftist for seeking an utopia, there’s so much projection of them literally doing the same in a racist and conservative ideal. The mayor recognizes this and wants those with the opportunity to choose a college athletic department that does as well. Why would you want to represent a state that doesn’t even acknowledge your own history?