this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2026
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A lot of replies here (obviously from people not already aware of The Discourse on this point) were genuinely confused variants on "But why, they're right, that's a valid concern." Let me leave a short thread for future readers explaining why that stuff is always unwelcome on here. (1/n)

It's totally understandable if you're dooming about any facet of the American experiment right now. So your feelings are "valid" in the sense that they represent real anxiety, and I get that. But to vent that anxiety in other people's spaces is wrong for three reasons.

First, it's factually wrong. There will be elections in 2026 and 2028 under Trump, just like there were elections last year under Trump and during his first term. This despite one of the two major parties now harboring a lot of anti-democratic elements and ideas.

I'm not particularly interested in convincing anyone on this point and won't try, the future is the future. But if the left side of the political spectrum is still the domain of scholarship and expertise, take note that you don't find scholars and experts you worrying about canceled US elections.

Second, and probably most importantly, it's tactically wrong. "No point discussing political opposition to fascism, there won't be elections anyway" cedes victory to your enemies. It's defeatism and nihilism.

Finally, it's wrong AS A MATTER OF ETIQUETTE. Entering a total stranger's discussion and leading with your private anxiety is as off-putting in social media replies as it would be in real life. If you wouldn't interrupt a stranger at a party to announce that America is doomed, don't do it here.

If you are anxious and sad about the state of the world, that's fine, and there are plenty of strategies for dealing with that. But I think you already know that drive-by online dooming isn't a strategy. It's selfish and adolescent. It's a contagion that only spreads the worst of you, not the best.

Take a second and think before posting the easy Eeyore reply. You might have something substantive to say instead. Or, even better, you can say nothing at all.

https://bsky.app/profile/kenjennings.bsky.social/post/3mbuedepurs2x

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[–] hesh@quokk.au 98 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I do believe there will probably be elections (and that they'll do everything they can to make them unfair).

But to think there's a 0% chance Trump could move to cancel elections is naive at this point. Add it to the mile-long list of things "he'll never be able to do" that he has done. He's literally already threatened to do it.

[–] DomeGuy@lemmy.world 17 points 1 week ago (12 children)

If Trump calls to cancel elections, and some red states don't hold them, the.correct response is "ok, you have left X seats vacant in congress.", which would be worse for Republican power than a 20-point D swing. (Especially since it makes the 2/3ds vote for removal after impeachment correspondingly lower.)

If Trump rolls out ICE to physically stop elections, then we're in a state of violent civil war. Which cannot be collectively planned for.

This isn't abortion or gay marriage being overturned by the court. It's a very straightforward bright line whose precedent was set during the US civil war, and there is zero benefit to spending any time spreading the presumption that cancelled US elections mean MAGA peacefully stays in power.

[–] cheesybuddha@lemmy.world 28 points 1 week ago

Trump has already called for cancelling elections. He use his normal prevarication bullshit like "People say I should cancel elections. You should cancel elections, but I'm not going to say it" or some doublespeek nonsense.

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[–] CileTheSane@lemmy.ca 78 points 1 week ago (2 children)

It's not about "there's no point discussing opposition because there won't be an election anyway," it's about "don't wait until 2028 to act and hope on voting your way out of fascism."

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[–] jontree255@lemmy.world 71 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I think we should at least be prepared for him to try to suspend elections this year and in 2028 (if he’s still alive). Now that the violence is ramping up and they’re threatening military action against the entire Western Hemisphere, the only way they stay out of prison is by staying in power through force.

[–] makyo@lemmy.world 25 points 1 week ago

Absolutely - it doesn’t take a genius to see the through line from their recent actions to suspending elections. Not to say it definitely will, but that it is a definite possibility

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[–] drosophila@lemmy.blahaj.zone 60 points 1 week ago (2 children)

If you wouldn’t interrupt a stranger at a party to announce that America is doomed, don’t do it here.

Apparently the microblogging format has made people so socially dysfunctional that they've forgotten what a conversation is.

[–] tomiant@piefed.social 55 points 1 week ago

The entitlement is bizarre. It's the whole fucking point of a forum. "They're invading my space" is a rich god damned thing to say online.

[–] sem@piefed.blahaj.zone 10 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

This is such an interesting point to me (the third one) because it has no true IRL analog and both people are correct.

Finally, it's wrong AS A MATTER OF ETIQUETTE. Entering a total stranger's discussion and leading with vour private anxiety is as off-putting in social media replies as it would be in real life. If you wouldn't interrupt a stranger at a party to announce that America is doomed, don't do it here. If you are anxious and sad about the state of the world that's fine. and there are plenty of strategies for dealing with that. But I think vou already know that drive-by online dooming isn't a strategy. It's selfish and adolescent. It's a contagion that only spreads the worst of you, not the best.

If you are Ken Jennings or someone reading his posts and comments, and a random person posts on his post with a derailing comment, it is like why should anyone tolerate that? Times 1000x for all the people who reply to popular accounts.

If you are the random person who follows Ken Jennings and his post comes up on your feed, and it feels like he is personally posting on your feed, and it is starting a conversation with you, and you feel strongly about it, why wouldn't you respond? (Without a well-developed sense of internet etiquette that is not universally agreed on).

This one-to-many communication which allows publicly viewable replies is such interesting technology for humans, with a lot of nuance and shades of gray.

[–] cheesybuddha@lemmy.world 19 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Yea, I've never used Twitter, but doesn't the same general etiquette apply as forum posting?

If I post something on a public forum that says something about US voting, how is that not inviting other people to continue the conversation? If you don't want people to respond, make a blog.

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[–] cheesybuddha@lemmy.world 54 points 1 week ago (2 children)

"Entering a total strangers discussion" - They posted it on a publicly accessible forum, my dude.

Also, you are probably right the US will have elections, but will they be fair? Will they be free of federal tampering? Will ICE be posted at polling booths and arrest anyone brown who tries to vote? A rigged election is not a legitimate election

[–] grue@lemmy.world 21 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Will ICE be posted at polling booths and arrest anyone brown who tries to vote? A rigged election is not a legitimate election

Will voters stay home for fear of that because of what ICE is doing now, even if ICE doesn't actually interfere on election day?

[–] M0oP0o@mander.xyz 8 points 1 week ago

The chilling effect of ICE, dang.

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[–] Glytch@lemmy.world 39 points 1 week ago (5 children)

He lost me at "but to vent that anxiety in other people's spaces...".

It's not "your space", it's a public forum.

Don't want people commenting on your opinion? Don't air it in public, or just block and move on.

No need to write a book about how they're wrong to express their opinion in the same way you just did. It just comes off as sanctimonious.

Fell free to point out my own hypocrisy and we can go in circles.

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[–] Chozo@fedia.io 38 points 1 week ago (28 children)

Gotta disagree with Ken on this one. First, as other have pointed out, there is a very real possibility that Trump may find a way to cancel the elections. Laws do not matter to him or his base, and to ignore this fact is leaning too far toward "optimism" that you land in "gullible" territory.

Second, Ken is not the Arbiter of Conversation. I mean, have you seen him make small talk on Jeopardy? For crying out loud, the guy is one of the worst conversationalists on TV today. He's a fucking genius, but not somebody I'd like to spend more than 2 minutes with at the bar. People can input whatever they want, especially when you are having an open conversation. As he mentioned, their thoughts and anxieties are valid, so fucking stop trying to invalidate them.

If you don't want to see doomerism in your feed, I totally get that. I'm tired of it, too (even though I regularly contribute to it). You can totally just block or mute people if you don't want to see that, but to suggest that they shouldn't be saying it to begin with is crossing a line, IMO.

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[–] mavu@discuss.tchncs.de 38 points 1 week ago

If you wouldn’t interrupt a stranger at a party to announce that America is doomed, don’t do it here.

I would totally tell that to a stranger at a party, if he talks about the next election. You are technically correct though. There will be "elections" just not free, equal, democratic ones.

Let me ask one question: Do you expect there to be ICE officers at voting locations?
that answer alone constitutes the difference between free elections and a something you would expect in russia.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 34 points 1 week ago (2 children)

The entire point of saying there won’t be (fair) elections is to plan what the fuck to do it that proves true.

God damn these people for blocking those on their side because they aren’t saying what they want to hear.

There are plans in place to split this country and to destroy 100 million Americans.

Doomerism is burying your damn head in the sand and pretending they aren’t legally starting to set up their split in LAW (which they are starting with Texas right now). Come on!

[–] tomiant@piefed.social 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Blocking anyone for disagreeing with your point of view is such narcissistic and self-important behavior that only serves to show that you are not prepared to actually stand up for your beliefs and that the purpose of your online discourse is to create a masturbatory safe space for people to jerk each other off without opposition. I hate that it's a function and that it's being weaponized, it's quite literally cancel culture.

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[–] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 31 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

If you actually think the current American regime is ever gonna get prosecuted then I have a bridge to sell you.
"Just vote out Hitler next election"
Good luck with that, we will see how that goes for you. I am preparing my thoughts and prayers.

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[–] Peruvian_Skies@sh.itjust.works 31 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is a pretty bad take.

[–] magnetosphere@fedia.io 13 points 1 week ago (3 children)

I don’t think so. If someone has nothing more to add to a conversation than "No point discussing political opposition to fascism, there won't be elections anyway”, it’s like ignoring climate change because “we’re already screwed and there’s no way to help ourselves.”

Denial and doomers never help. They just give people an excuse to be complacent with whatever we’re given, and disempower those who are trying to improve our situation. I refuse to let the fascists win by laying down and accepting them.

[–] architect@thelemmy.club 17 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

It’s your projection onto the words doing that.

“We aren’t going to have elections” isn’t them saying give up and don’t do anything.

“We aren’t having elections” is them saying… we are past this and we need to plan for the next thing.

[–] JohnnyCanuck@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago

It’s your projection onto the words doing that.

“We aren’t having elections” is them saying… we are past this and we need to plan for the next thing.

Except now you're literally projecting onto the words they're saying.

And that's the problem... They are making an off-hand comment without substance and a ton of negative space. It doesn't add to the discourse, it sets it off in wild tangents as everyone fills that negative space with whatever they want to project onto it. And from what Ken said somewhere in his replies, he gets 100s of comments like that.

[–] Peruvian_Skies@sh.itjust.works 10 points 1 week ago (2 children)

I agree with that but I think you're throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Why is it a bad thing to remind people of the possibility? If nothing else, hopefully the feeling of dread will stick with them for many elections to come and prevent us from having to deal with this every 80-odd years.

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[–] cheesybuddha@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (5 children)

OP didn't say anything like "No point discussing political opposition to fascism"

IMO they were discussing an important part of that opposition - realizing the Regime is going to tamper with elections, and discussing the effects and potential remedies.

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[–] tomiant@piefed.social 26 points 1 week ago

You don't have a right to privacy or your "own space" in a public forum, and the fucking self importance to tell people what they may or may not say online because you personally feel morally superior to them is straight up juvenile. You can always leave.

[–] Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org 26 points 1 week ago (4 children)

They don't need to cancel the election. All they need to do is install a few armed ICE people outside every polling place in Democrat areas.

[–] BlameTheAntifa@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago

They’ve been rigging elections for decades and we’re at the endgame now. There will always be the appearance of elections, but it will be performative. Even North Korea and Russia pretend to have elections, even if the outcomes are predetermined. That is how the US functions now.

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[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 22 points 1 week ago (4 children)

I've been saying that all along. These people who say we can't run on punishing Trump, we have to have something to vote FOR, need to understand that until we crush MAGA, and purge it from our government and society, we can NEVER move forward. MAGA is a SERIOUS National Security Threat, and if they aren't dealt with decisively, they'll keep destroying any good in this country, until they are.

I've got a list of improvements America can make, including Medicare 4 All and Campaign Finance Reform, but right now, crushing MAGA is absolute top priority. The time for diplomacy is far past. We need Warriors to be candidates, not appeasers. It's time for LEGAL retribution for their CRIMES, not their politics.

[–] Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I’ve been saying that all along. These people who say we can’t run on punishing Trump, we have to have something to vote FOR, need to understand that until we crush MAGA, and purge it from our government and society, we can NEVER move forward. MAGA is a SERIOUS National Security Threat, and if they aren’t dealt with decisively, they’ll keep destroying any good in this country, until they are.

Democrats ran on that once already but were unwilling to actually do it. They have no credibility now.

I’ve got a list of improvements America can make, including Medicare 4 All and Campaign Finance Reform, but right now, crushing MAGA is absolute top priority

Centrist democrats won't crush MAGA. They're ALLIES. Schumer and Jeffries just fucking proved it.

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[–] morphballganon@lemmynsfw.com 19 points 1 week ago

Ken Jennings is not prepared for the possibility of no elections, emotionally, so he tries every trick in the book to shut down that topic. That or he's being paid off.

If you find the subject distasteful, translate that into action rather than whining about words.

[–] sp3ctr4l@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Wow that's a lot of projection from someone terrified that erudite and well reasoned civility politics might not actually be a good assumption to just carry forward.

But if the left side of the political spectrum is still the domain of scholarship and expertise, take note that you don't find scholars and experts you worrying about canceled US elections.

Oh, really Ken?

Its that simple huh?

https://theweek.com/politics/america-competitive-authoritarianism-trump

Yeah try maybe actually catching up with the experts on how fucked the situation actually is.

Yeah yeah there are likely to technically be elections, but they're likely to not really be legitimate or actually serve truly democratic (small d) purposes.

This is a cope turned into a scold about Ken's little fantasy hugbox reality not being respected by actual reality.

Grow the fuck up.

[–] fishos@lemmy.world 7 points 1 week ago

Hugbox is the right term. The line about invading someone's personal discussion, that you posted yourself in the fucking internet, reeks of so much entitlement. This wasn't a good take by Ken at all. Very out of touch.

[–] favoredponcho@lemmy.zip 18 points 1 week ago

Lemmy is crawling with this shit

[–] Jhuskindle@lemmy.world 16 points 1 week ago (2 children)

This is gonna age like milk lol

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[–] Daft_ish@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

What a fucking waste. You will all deny the reality of the situation until the last second and go, "who could have known?"

Dont be a pussy and block the people who are issuing you a warning. Realize this is the world you are living in right now and stand up.

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[–] fishos@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago

Entering a total strangers discussion

Yeah, you lost me here. You posted it ON THE FUCKING INTERNET FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. Heaven forbid someone comment and interact. Oh no! Woe is you!

What a load of entitled bullshit.

Suck an egg.

[–] jpreston2005@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

This is a well thought out explanation of an amorphous feeling I would always get when discussing stuff with my now ex-wife. We'd be talking about some terrible thing that the republikkkans were undertaking, and she'd always, (always) inevitably point out "...and it's even worse for black and brown women."

And while, yeah, it is. It's a true statement, but it also kind of shuts down the conversation, ya know? So now are we only allowed to discuss the plight of black and brown women? Do bad things not happen to the rest of us?

I don't know, every time it happened, it's like she was trying to make me feel bad for thinking about anything BUT the plight of women of color, and I couldn't really explain why it wasn't adding to the discussion, but this write-up gave me the words.

[–] cheesybuddha@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago (3 children)

Couldn't you just acknowledge that fact and move on with the conversation? Or does she try to turn the entire conversation into a discussion about minorities?

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

If you are anxious and sad about the state of the world, that's fine, and there are plenty of strategies for dealing with that. But think you already know that drive-by online dooming isn't a strategy. It's selfish and adolescent. It's a contagion that only spreads the worst of you, not the best.

This is the juice for me. Worried about the next election? Me too! What are you going to do about it? Dooming in the comments isn't action, and if you're trying to get me to act, then insisting that there's no point in any of this is a weird way to do it.

If you believe that and don't think there are any action steps, fine. But don't slather that despair everywhere. We don't need it; we've already got enough despair. Some of us are trying to do something about it.

Have a plan, try to get people on board with it. But just insisting that everything is doomed is just as useless an online activity as insisting that everything is great.

If you think you've already lost you're guaranteed to lose. Hope is NECESSARY to make a successful attempt.

[–] Furbag@lemmy.world 11 points 1 week ago (3 children)

But if the left side of the political spectrum is still the domain of scholarship and expertise, take note that you don’t find scholars and experts you worrying about canceled US elections.

Sure Ken, that's because all the scholars and experts on fascism have already fled the country.

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[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 9 points 1 week ago

its hardly pointless dooming when trump has literally expressed vivid interest in getting rid of elections because he is terrified of losing and facing accountability.

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