this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2025
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Leopards Ate My Face

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 19 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

An Epstein survivor that voted Trump...

I mean, talking about missing brain capacity here, this is THE example, ladies and gentlemen

Get raped and vote your rapist for president. I have no words

You are simplifying things. Trump is only one of hundreds of rapists that were involved with Epstein.

[–] jaschen306@sh.itjust.works 3 points 5 hours ago

Reminds me of the dude who is homeless in a small town that was closing down a Tyson plant. He is also a Trump supporter.

[–] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 26 points 13 hours ago (3 children)

I am genuinely baffled by how stupid people are on a daily basis. I can basically not identify with people any longer. My life is like watching a really long, boring, unbelievable horror movie that never seems to end by myself.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 8 points 8 hours ago

I was always thinking, when watching horror movies, "how can you be so stupid, why would you do this obviously bad thing?"

Ever since trump came into power, horror movies suddenly started to make sense. People are gigantic brainless idiots who can only think about themselves

[–] Credibly_Human@lemmy.world 4 points 8 hours ago

All those horror movie characters, as it turns out, were actually toned down, because if they were realistic, it wouldn't seem believable .....

[–] Manifish_Destiny@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

Same.

I honestly don't understand how they fail to notice something seems inconstant with their beliefs until trump is personally stomping on their balls. Its baffling.

[–] LucidNightmare@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 17 hours ago
[–] Itdidnttrickledown@lemmy.world 9 points 17 hours ago

Stupid. Stupid is the reason these assholes should come last.

[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.zip 39 points 1 day ago (3 children)

Far too many people on Lemmy genuinely not understanding the level of propaganda these people are existing in. Breathing it. Eating it. Sleeping in it.

[–] MiddleAgesModem@lemmy.world 15 points 17 hours ago

They choose to be. Never been easier to find different sources of information.

[–] fracture@lemmy.blahaj.zone 21 points 1 day ago

which is even more incredibly fucked when you consider the illusory truth effect, or the effect of something seeming more truthful by the mere repeated exposure to it (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illusory_truth_effect)

[–] Zexks@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Not a valid excuse antmore. We all have access to the internet and can look any of this shit up.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 17 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

Facts don't counteract propaganda, at least not on their own. This is well studied.

[–] Zexks@lemmy.world -1 points 6 hours ago (1 children)

Yeah they do. Its on the person to verify them. The only time they dont is when the individual decides for themselves to ignore the facts. Its people choosing to hold onto thier own prejudices and assumptions rather than accepting the truth for what it is. This is what propoganda depends on, stereotypes, assumptions, and a lazy mind unwilling to challenge itself.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 2 points 2 hours ago

Yeah they do.

That's just not borne out by statistical evidence. Study after study (not to mention my own experience) disprove this idea.

Its on the person to verify them.

Sure, but relying on that to help assumes that the propagandists haven't captured sources of verification, or convinced victims that they're unreliable.

The only time they dont is when the individual decides for themselves to ignore the facts. Its people choosing to hold onto thier own prejudices and assumptions rather than accepting the truth for what it is.

That's literally what propaganda does to someone. It seems like you're thinking of just standard misinformation. Propaganda is a whole different thing; it has been intentionally crafted by very intelligent people who have been paid a lot of money to make you believe what they want you to believe. It's not just a choice someone makes, it's a virus that they're infected with.

This is what propoganda depends on, stereotypes, assumptions,

Your mind isn't magically immune to propaganda, either. You likely have a stereotype of conservative people as dumb and uncurious, for instance (and, to be sure, many are), but in reality many are quite clever; that intelligence is just turned toward selfishness, or some other warped view of reality.

A lot of propaganda works on that exact kind of binary, black and white view that dehumanizes other people. Propagandists know that you can be convinced to act more easily if you can first be convinced that others are fundamentally worse than you in some inherent way.

This is what I mean about "intentionally crafted." Propagandists have been honing enough messages that they can likely tailor one to you. The only way you can escape one is if you (1) know it's happening, and (2) are willing to think about it critically and with nuance. I'm probably being targeted by propaganda right now without realizing it.

and a lazy mind unwilling to challenge itself.

The mental gymnastics required to believe some of the things that propagandized people accept actually require more mental work, not less. You can call it cult programming, or even mind control, but it's not laziness.

[–] MiddleAgesModem@lemmy.world 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Then why haven't you fallen for the propaganda? Obviously there's more at play here. Like a willingness to question things or an unwillingness to reject things just because you don't like it.

These people are not infants.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 10 points 12 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

I did fall for it. I was a vehement conservative/Republican all through high school and the first year or so of college; I bit down hard on the propaganda and bought it fully. What got me out of it was meeting people not like me and learning that they aren't as evil as the conservative media machine says they are. Once I realized that that was a lie, it was just a process of investigating the other lies. In the meantime, friends from the conservative world started to insult and even threaten me for voicing questions, while progressive folks welcomed me to hang out with them and talk about what I was learning.

That process started in about 2006 or so.By the time Trump came down the escalator, I was fully deprogrammed. At this point, I more or less identify as a democratic socialist.

My experience matched pretty well with the research: it's almost exclusively personal relationships that break people out of the bubble.

[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 6 points 12 hours ago (2 children)

It's important to remember that none of us are immune to propaganda. Doesn't matter how smart we are, we can still fall for it.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 3 points 11 hours ago

Absolutely true. I like to think of myself as pretty intelligent, at least. Definitely not someone who would fall for something obvious. But propagandists are subtle and good at their craft.

[–] Zexks@lemmy.world -4 points 6 hours ago (2 children)

No. Propoganda depends on a lack of willingness to question your own assumptions. Its a laziness of the mind that allows this.

[–] ilinamorato@lemmy.world 1 points 48 minutes ago

If you think you're above it, the propagandists have already won.

[–] oftenawake@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 5 hours ago

That's why they like to get em young!

[–] AdolfSchmitler@lemmy.world 6 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

So proving OP's point that you genuinely don't understand how powerful propaganda actually is and the level of it these people are drowning in.

Heavens Gate got a group of people to commit mass suicide. It's clear you have no idea how powerful propaganda can be and what it can make people do.

[–] Manifish_Destiny@lemmy.world 4 points 9 hours ago

Sounds like you need to listen to the audio recordings. A large amount were not suicides

[–] x00z@lemmy.world 5 points 23 hours ago* (last edited 23 hours ago)

Most of them are too distracted by the endless stream of propaganda and brainrot to take the time to look into things. There's also an excessive amount of denial and it takes character to be open to change your beliefs.

[–] Bakkoda@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 day ago

That's what's called an opinion. I agree with it. Just doesn't make it true because you want it to be or because it's easier.

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 206 points 1 day ago (7 children)

I just can't imagine how she Justified supporting him to herself at any point. His involvement with Epstein is not new information. We've known for years and years.

[–] Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 6 hours ago

This is not uncommon among sexual assault victims.

So common It's one of the things people try to twist as evidence they aren't victims or it wasn't that bad.

It's often part of the abuse; like a battered spouse that stays or goes back. Blaming them for their reaction contributes to abuse.

Support don't judge.

[–] kingofras@lemmy.world 137 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Not just that but the “grab them by the pussy” dude will bring justice to rape victims? That’s a serious moment to repose and question your judgement skills.

[–] chaogomu@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Old men who lust after teen girls are not looking for intelligent conversation.

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He's admitted on television to sneaking into locker rooms at beauty pageants, and talked about his own daughter like his trophy girlfriend. How those don't trigger anything for her is astounding.

[–] Goodeye8@piefed.social 78 points 1 day ago (10 children)

I'm starting to believe the average conservative is just that stupid. They can't connect the dots on their own and they can't tell the truth from lies. If you tell them A -> B and B -> C they won't come to A -> C. You have to explicitly show them A -> C for them to see that. And that works only if there's nobody else (like Trump) telling them A can't lead to C.

I can imagine her justifying supporting Trump because Trump said he had nothing to do with the kids stuff. We've known for years but for her all it takes is Trump saying he didn't do it and in her eyes we're wrong.

[–] MiddleAgesModem@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

There's a smaller group of smart, but selfish, ones that benefit from Republican policies. There's a larger group of idiots that that smarter group preys on.

[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 25 points 1 day ago (5 children)

"Conservative". Self identifying conservatives need lean into the question "conserve what?" harder.

Methinks many succumb to mistaking politicians mean the same as their best hopes of conserving community standards against degeneracy, rather than conserving the corrupt establishment.

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[–] Sam_Bass@lemmy.world 57 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Why the hell would a real survivor vote for the thing that assaulted her?

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 36 points 1 day ago (1 children)

its like a gay/trans person voting for trump.

[–] Typhoon@lemmy.ca 26 points 1 day ago

Or an immigrant voting for Trump

Or a person married to an immigrant voting for Trump

Or a farmer voting for Trump

[–] LodeMike@lemmy.today 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Perhaps the operation was so big she didn't know :(((

She didn’t know he was involved with Epstein maybe but it’s not like it’s been a secret that Trump is a creep and a rapist

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[–] titanicx@lemmy.zip 36 points 1 day ago

What a dumb bitch.

[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 48 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Genuinely: how do you do those mental gymnastics. That’s fucking wild.

[–] TommySoda@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago (6 children)

The problem is that they believe what they want to believe, not what he actually says or does. It's like a game of telephone where nobody actually fact checks each other. One person sees a speech by Trump that says he's going to solve affordability by defunding stuff that he doesn't care for or doesn't benefit from. He tells his friends and coworkers that Trump is going to solve affordability but barely mentions how. Those friends are also conservative so they don't ask for more details they just say "hell yeah, about time" and then move onto the next topic without elaborating. Next those people tell their friends the same thing and if they get asked how they just say "I don't know, it's just what x was saying."

Fast forward a few months and it's election day now everyone associated with that person, some of who don't spend a lot of time on the internet so they aren't really up to date on current events, have this vague idea that Trump will solve their problems. They're too busy with their own lives and never get a good opportunity to do look things up or actually research what candidates are doing what, but they heard Trump had some good ideas and they've voted for Republicans before, so why not?

This is the reason why republicans and Trump love the poorly educated and love making life expensive. It makes people so caught up in their own bullshit and so uninformed that they make poor decisions because they either don't have the time or don't understand what's going on.

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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)
[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 4 points 23 hours ago

Stockholm syndrome isn’t even really Stockholm syndrome.

[–] TribblesBestFriend@startrek.website 27 points 1 day ago (2 children)
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[–] Digit@lemmy.wtf 20 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Given the propaganda going around at the time (both times, even), I imagine a lot of people are in the same boat. A lot of people got real drunk on desperately guzzling the hopium, and are now "enjoying" the hangover.

Maybe I should have leaned into the sarcastic tone harder every time I said things like "maybe they care". I didn't realise their rose tinted hopium steamed glasses would have them interpret that literally!

~ Just in case it's not too late (especially with all that "third term" noise going around), I'll re-tell this little story:

In 2004, an ex-colleague of Trump's was back in our home town, in our fave pub, telling us stories about what a joke Donald Trump is, what a played narcissist, being primed by his psychopathic handlers for a puppet presidency. ... It seemed a bit too far out there implausible in 2004, and remained seeming implausible for about a decade... :/

Moral of the story:

He's their boy.

(So, stop falling for it.)

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