there are two major cohorts in the US that i would characterize as being in a position with sensitivity to how "bad" Trump Part Deux has been, materially, for the working class just in the US.

• people without enough power under US political economy to be buffered from being ground between the gears. there were people who didn't realize they were always going to be grist for the mill that are now feeling the stone grind them down. the cruel racialized and extrajudicial executions of people in our streets, which alone should be enough to give anyone pause. but if you're super white and rich and do not give a fuck about anyone... i guess all that's imperceptible? too gross to even contemplate, for me. further, we laugh about the treat machine breaking down, but heating oil (aka diesel) is a serious survival dependency in parts of the country and autumn has only just begun in the hemisphere. note: there are people in this group who have been ground between the gears long before trump and may not notice a significant distinction yet, and i acknowledge that. but Nat is not a farm-prisoner working a cane field in the Mississippi delta.
• people who work in or adjacent to public service delivery that are seeing the DOGE cuts percolate through the diffuse network of community and regional organizations. it's worth noting that most of what the federal government "does" in the US, it doesn't actually do, operationally. the neoliberal state functions by making grant funds available to non profit organizations and state agencies. my critiques of that are a whole other topic, but what it does mean is that thousands and thousands of programs of all sizes and scopes are still only beginning to sputter as the funding streams run out. further still, the 2027 medicaid cuts aren't even here yet. they were the thing republican legislators would back channel anonymous concern about to legacy media, which should give a hint how fucked up it's going to be that a few of these careerist goblins were concerned about the impact on their careers to cut these so deep. [that was all BEFORE trump started an unwinnable, very public fight causing the global energy system to stroke out.] this is the group where materially secure people who LARP as policy wonk lanyard dorks and NPR libs should be, seeing the fairly unprecedented collision course we are on now, but... well, this bozo is telling on themselves as being asleep at the wheel, tuning into their own brunch vibes. i loathe people like this.

i get how sometimes self-care means not staring into the abyss 24-7-365 if you don't "have" to, and finding joy where you can with a mental vacation from the work... but pretending like it's all good is some delusional toxic positivity shit. we all have our coping strategies. i'm an ironic detachment guy who is unafraid to present haunting critical analysis to friends and colleagues when prompted or inspired. it works for me. sort of. sometimes i just focus on what i can in front of me and try to operationalize things as best i can while being a human. i've had a few big wins of late and been able to deliver some good news to great people, but i would never in a billion years even think the last 18+ months have been "not so bad". what a demoralizing sentiment to share to all those anxious and suffering.