Because I thought he was lazy.

Alright smartass, tell me how I could have convinced millions of Americans thousands of miles away to vote different.

That’s one level of the divide, yes, but it’s reinforced by the rest of the structure. “Bioregionalism” suggests that cultures are more stable when they are contained within bioregions of climate and geography. People are more invested in what they perceive as their local environment and they are more likely to “feel heard” by others with that same stake. The current political borders, arbitrary as they are, push people to seek that connection in either protective isolation or a broader social identity.

It’s a relatively new idea (1970s) as far as political science goes but I find it compelling.

The other problem is that we let a right-wing propaganda apparatus operate unchallenged that began with the Nixon fallout and accelerated with Rupert Murdoch’s creation of Fox News in 1996 and that’s gonna take a few generations to unfuck no matter what else is going on.

I just recognize that the enemy is a well-connected and near-infinitely-resourced christofascist propaganda movement, and there’s no point in making a political or literal martyr of myself when I can support my family and friends through the current and future uncertainty.

I didn’t vote for him, but I expected his first term to be appoiting halfway competent people to run everything so he could fuck around and take the credit. I doubt I was alone.

The US shouldn’t even continue to exist as the single entity it is today. I think five to eight large states is probably ideal. Cascadia, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, New England, the South, the Great Lakes region, and something needs to be done with the Alaska, Hawaii, and our various non-state territories like Puerto Rico and American Samoa.

It’s simply too big and diverse to effectively govern.

Easier to hold the mountain passes than march on the capital. My elected representatives are already some of the better ones and anything more drastic needs large, organized groups and actions beyond my skill or resources.

Really, I’m banking on this fascist regime eating itself or outside help in the civil war.

“My position is so tenuous yet so important to my identity that I will not tolerate the slightest challenge.”

Alternatively, “That’s why my favorite book is Moby Dick, no frou-frou symbolism. Just a good simple tale about a man who hates an animal.”

Psychonauts is about trauma. Fallout is anti-war. FFVII is environmentalist. Samus as a woman was an intentionally subversive choice. Video games have had socual commentary for as long as it’s been able to be expressed.

Yeah, “simple” does not mean “easy” or even “doable” in this case.

Simple solution there is to replace long-haul trucks with rail freight and use cabovers, box trucks, and sprinter vans to connect train depots to retailers and “last mile” delivery hubs. We could do with broad re-zoning to allow smaller shops rather than centralize everything into giant all-in-one grocery stores and mini malls as well but that’s not an entirely connected issue.

The field of Anthropology has gone through some WILDLY problematic periods. So-called “scientific racism” is a big one but shallow assumptions about historical cultures based on current-day social norms was very common.