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UpInArms

(53,465 posts) Thu Oct 2, 2025, 08:25 AM 19 hrs ago

Opinion It wasn't always this way

As I watched the current president of the United States struggle to pronounce the name of the drug he was blaming, without evidence, for causing autism and then later proclaim that autism doesn’t exist within the Amish community, a rather troubling thought struck me.

A bunch of kids think this is normal.

Donald Trump has been—as mind bending as it might seem—the face of the Republican Party now for a decade. His crass, unpolished, bumbling, ignorant, antagonistic, insulting, ill-informed style of rambling in front of a microphone has now been with us for more than 10 years. And a generation of kids now think this is normal.

Our youngest voters—those turning 18 in time for the 2026 midterm elections—have been listening to Trump’s schtick since they were 8 or younger. They’ve grown up through their most formative years listening to the president of the United States call people silly names, lie with abandon and speak like an imbecile.

More at:

https://www.alreporter.com/2025/09/25/it-wasnt-always-this-way/

6 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Opinion It wasn't always this way (Original Post) UpInArms 19 hrs ago OP

I fear the future. Boomerproud 18 hrs ago #1

Mandatory voting - you don't have to mark it, but you MUST submit a ballot. None of this non voting SHIT Blues Heron 18 hrs ago #2

Teach Mr.Bee 17 hrs ago #3

It's pronounced ep-steen-a-meenoh-fen. . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz 16 hrs ago #4

The 18-25 year olds appear to be much smarter than their parents or grandparents Bev54 16 hrs ago #5

It's really unfortunate. Tommy Carcetti 16 hrs ago #6

Boomerproud

(8,977 posts)

1. I fear the future.

Reply to UpInArms (Original post)

Thu Oct 2, 2025, 08:47 AM

18 hrs ago

Blues Heron

(7,663 posts)

2. Mandatory voting - you don't have to mark it, but you MUST submit a ballot. None of this non voting SHIT

Reply to UpInArms (Original post)

Thu Oct 2, 2025, 09:01 AM

18 hrs ago

That’s how they got in- half this country couldn’t even be bothered to vote.

Mr.Bee

(1,290 posts)

3. Teach

Reply to UpInArms (Original post)

Thu Oct 2, 2025, 10:20 AM

17 hrs ago

Your Children Well
Their Father's Hell
Is On FoxNews
They Grow Up
Watching This
Instead of PBS
Will Surely Go Bye

Bernardo de La Paz

(59,143 posts)

4. It's pronounced ep-steen-a-meenoh-fen. . . . nt

Reply to UpInArms (Original post)

Thu Oct 2, 2025, 10:38 AM

16 hrs ago

Bev54

(12,929 posts)

5. The 18-25 year olds appear to be much smarter than their parents or grandparents

Reply to UpInArms (Original post)

Thu Oct 2, 2025, 11:18 AM

16 hrs ago

Trump's approval rating within that group is only at 28%. Perhaps they are seeing right through him.

Tommy Carcetti

(44,248 posts)

6. It's really unfortunate.

Reply to UpInArms (Original post)

Thu Oct 2, 2025, 11:22 AM

16 hrs ago

My formative years were the 1990s, which--at least in the United States--were as peaceful and prosperous as you could ever imagine.

My own children, on the other hand, have grown up in the age of Trump. And there's no indication that it will get any better any time soon.

My parents were born out of World War II (one of them literally fleeing its direct effects), saw tensions rise in the Cold War and times of civil unrest, only to see things stabilize for a while (the aforementioned time where I grew up) and yet now see their later years threatened again, and the prospects even more uncertain than before. They are both in their 80s now, thankfully still in decent health and mind, but I pray that whenever their time does come they won't be worrying about the future that has been left to their children and grandchildren.

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