Clout learns there’s been some serious turnover in Sen. John Fetterman’s office. In the last month, all three of Fetterman’s top communications staffers have left Capitol Hill.

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[–] 131 points 2 years ago (22 children)

Fetterman wouldn't stop talking about how only progressives could save America and how he was a progressive...

Then he had his stroke and suddenly he'd get belligerently angry anytime someone called him a progressive.

Either he was lying to get elected, or he had the relatively common stroke side effects of a personality change.

Either way, it makes sense all his staffers and donors are running from him. Dudes a fucking joke these days.

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  • [–] 101 points 2 years ago

    At least he spared us from Oz becoming a senator. Even with the personality change, he isn't nearly as bad as that grifter. Now hopefully someone can primary him when his seat is available, or better yet maybe someone can convince him to step aside since he's no longer the person he used to be.

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  • [–] [S] 27 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (12 children)

    The stroke may well have been part of it, but he honestly told us who he was when he pulled a shotgun on an unarmed Black man out for a jog, all because he thought he’d heard gunshots and assumed the man was running away.

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  • [–] 58 points 2 years ago (11 children)

    So in psychology they break racism down into implicit and explicit. Basically subconscious and conscious racism.

    The subconscious is about how you determine your in group as a toddler. So being around other races prevents it from forming along racial lines, but even seeing them on TV helps.

    Grow up in a homogenous environment tho, it'll form along racial lines.

    To prevent explicit racism, you have to use critical thinking, but in situations like you're example, someone reacts fast and those implicit biases against other races presents.

    A stroke can damage the part of your brain that does that critical thinking, and suddenly someone "becomes" racist.

    The details are important because we have zero control of what we're exposed to during our formulative years. It's literally out of our hands. And while we can over ride those biases most of our lives, even just normal aging makes them more pronounced.

    But like, that shit where people kept blaming racist shit they said/did on popping an Ativan and staying awake on Twitter?

    That has a valid scientific reason for making them say things they legit never would have normally.

    Acting like implicit/explicit racism is the same just confuses those older people who are legit "from a different time" and is why they make such a big deal about how they're being persecuted.

    It's terrible they're racist, but it's literally because they're losing important brain functions. I spent a couple years working with people with intellectual disabilities, they don't respond well to being yelled at, but if you break stuff down so they understand what's happening, everyone is better.

    So, yeah.

    Fetterman likely has always had implicit biases, but this isn't "mask off" this is a man who may no longer be capable of recognizing things on a deeper level than "you don't look like my tribe, you're dangerous".

    Which for most of human evolution, was a big deal.

    We just need to ensure future generations don't view their tribe as only people of the same race so this stops happening to them when they age or get fucked up.

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  • [+] [S] -6 points 2 years ago (9 children)

    He pulled a shotgun on a man back in 2013, so before he was even elected, and well before his stroke, so I have no idea how any of what you said relates at all.

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  • [–] 25 points 2 years ago (8 children)

    but in situations like you’re example, someone reacts fast and those implicit biases against other races presents.

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  • [–] -3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    So you agree- he’s racist.

    Having worked in security for decades, including training people to use firearms… everyone is fucking racist.

    Most people have the decency to not act on it to that extreme, though,

    The only ones who do, are the ones who don’t care that they’re racist. For example, in bias training the “shoot, no-shoot” test (which is actually kinda flawed), most cops, and most anyone whose had similar training know better- and on the test can flash the correct answer.

    This doesn’t mean, in the field, knowing they can get away with it, that racist cops always behave appropriately.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Most people have the decency to not act on it to that extreme, though,

    And if you'll scroll up a couple comments, you'll see a very in depth explanation of why he likely can't control his implicit biases....

    You're acting like someone that can't control them, is always choosing not to.

    While also implying someone who controls it because they know those implicit biases are wrong, is the same as someone who believes they're right, but hides them for optics. There's literally no way to change implicit biases once you're old enough to understand what they are, it's already too late.

    But I can't explain it any better than I already have. Those were the cliff notes already.

    I think it would be best if you just read this thread again after calming down.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    And if you were paying attention, you’d have seen how that the shotgun thing happened before he was in office. Before his stroke.

    I liked the guy before too. I was fooled. It’s okay, I’m not omniscient.

    Edit: Here’s a 2022 article on the 2013 incident.
    and a 2013 article

    He jumped in a truck and chased down a guy that was running after getting spooked by fireworks. Getting spooked is understandable. Chasing a guy down in a truck is not. Brandishing a weapon to detain the guy you have no cause to detain; after chasing him down?

    This story reads more like Ahmad Arbery, than hero mayor. Maybe he tried to right the wrong, but he still did wrong- and very nearly got a man killed.

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  • [–] [S] -5 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    He held an innocent man basically hostage with a shotgun. Folks love making excuses to handwave racism and now are shocked that Fetterman is what he is now.

    If only there was this much sympathy for the man he pulled a gun on.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Remember when the dude forgave him and endorsed him? No? That doesn’t fit your narrative, does it?

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  • [+] [S] -11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    How does that change what he did? Or how he’s acting NOW?

    Oh yeah, it doesn’t.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 years ago*

    How does that change what he did?

    What was done after the incident to rectify the situation is some pretty important context. You should be doing your best to give the whole story when offering your viewpoint on it. What value is getting people to agree with you when the information you've shared has details removed?

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago

    excuses

    Not a single person have made an excuse for Fetterman...

    I've given a possible explanation, and a rather detailed one at that.

    Because this is something that's important to understand.

    And for some reason, that's made you belligerent and you've went from agreeing with me to accusing me of defending racism.

    This has happened before more than a couple times you know?

    Seriously, you agree with me but then as I get deeper than

    Bad thing is bad and not good

    You just do this and start accusing me of endorsing something for explaining the"why" it happened.

    If people stop where you are, we can't prevent anything, the problem never changes, and it just splits us into two "teams" who tell at each other on the Internet.

    Your strategy will never help anything.

    But to be honest, this is at least the fifth time and I never see any improvement...

    I'm probably going to have to give up on you soon champ.

    Your hearts in the right place, just don't know where your heads at

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (3 children)

    What’s he done? I was a fan from a distance during his campaign.

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  • [–] 10 points 2 years ago (2 children)
  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Is it the stroke? This seems insane.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago

    A stroke can affect many things that get chalked up to "personality change".

    We think of ourselves as a single entity, but really what's make us "us" is a collection of a whole bunch of things and changing some of them can change the overall result.

    So I think it's the stroke.

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  • [–] 13 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

    They probably aren't fans of Israel's genocide in Gaza.

    EDIT: Looks like @Pogogunner is pro-genocide.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago

    I used to think he seemed cool because I knew nothing about him. Fuck him. Fuck Israel.

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  • [+] -39 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    I have been saying from the start that this dude is a silver spoon baby, playing the role of the every man. "look I wear a hoodie, cause I can't be bothered to show respect for my job" and I'm supposed to cheer his wealthy ass? Anyways I'm not surprised that he's not who even his volunteers thought he was.

    He made his money as a corporate stooge in the insurance industry, in surprised people bought into his shit

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  • [–] 55 points 2 years ago

    For two years Fetterman worked in Pittsburgh as a risk-management underwriter for Chubb.[15]

    While Fetterman was studying at UConn, his best friend died in a car accident; this impacted Fetterman's life and career.[16] After his friend's death, Fetterman joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, pairing with an eight-year-old boy in New Haven, Connecticut, whose father had died from AIDS and whose mother was slowly dying from the disease.[17] During his time as a Big Brother, Fetterman says he became "preoccupied with the concept of the random lottery of birth", and promised the boy's mother he would continue to look out for her son after she was gone.[18]

    In 1995, Fetterman joined the recently founded AmeriCorps, and was sent to teach Pittsburgh students pursuing their GEDs.[19] He later attended Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, graduating in 1999 with a Master of Public Policy degree.[20]

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Fetterman

    So... 2 years at an insurance company is a "corporate stooge" to you? And AmeriCorps and a Harvard MPP is... nepotism?

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