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[-] Azarova@hexbear.net 110 points 1 month ago

The real power in America is held by a fast-emerging new Oligarchy of pimps and preachers who see no need for Democracy or fairness or even trees, except maybe the ones in their own yards, and they don't mind admitting it. They worship money and power and death. Their ideal solution to all the nation's problems would be another 100 Year War.

Kingdom of Fear is an incredible read.

[-] PoY@lemmygrad.ml 29 points 1 month ago

thanks for the book title

[-] fahfahfahfah@lemmy.billiam.net 78 points 1 month ago

He really underestimated how much it would fuck us millennials too.

[-] Riffraffintheroom@hexbear.net 90 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

He said zoomers would grow up with the worse standard of living, as in never having experienced it. Whereas most millennials have at least early memories of the 90s.

[-] FlakesBongler@hexbear.net 110 points 1 month ago

When I was three, my kindergarten teacher started crying when they announced the Soviet Union was dissolved because "There are no more bad guys anymore, everything is only going to get better now!"

Well, Mrs. Steevy, I hope you're having a wonderful time

Oh wait, you died of covid three years back, nevermind

[-] Omegamint@hexbear.net 51 points 1 month ago

I had AP euro teacher like this. Honestly the straight up dishonest bullshit she said is crazy to think about to this day. She was a Lib, too, not that it’s particularly surprising at this point of my life.

[-] Llituro@hexbear.net 39 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

my AP euro teacher was a capitalist who taught for the health insurance and because capitalism doesn't require anything from capitalism so he wasn't busy. he's a gigantic ayn rand stan and is on the city council in the town i'm from. most of that high school social sciences department were essentially christofascist nazis.

edit: my AP u.s. history teacher was a slumlord who taught because he wanted to coach football (and also the health insurance), and he was genuinely one of the dimmest people i've ever met in my entire life.

[-] Omegamint@hexbear.net 28 points 1 month ago

I should count myself lucky that she had “Germinal” by Emile Zola as a book we could read for extra credit. It was many years later that I realized that was a good leftist (well, I don’t know Emile’s politics that well) book, and maybe one of the things that helped me get to where I am today.

I suspect she hadn’t read it, though.

[-] Belly_Beanis@hexbear.net 9 points 1 month ago

My AP US teacher may have secretly been a socialist because he did not pass over American war crimes. He covered My Lai, how the Soviets did the most during WWII, etc.

My AP Euro teacher, on the other hand, taught us literal Holocaust denial likely stemming from David Irving and was vehemently anti-communist. It's no surprise she ended up getting fired for being a pedophile after her husband caught her with a student.

[-] NewAcctWhoDis@hexbear.net 25 points 1 month ago

My AP Euro teacher constantly taught us not to commit "ethnocentrism" and he showed us the tank man footage, he was kind of awesome. He was a China guy before it was cool, makes me wonder what his exact ideology is.

[-] Frivolous_Beatnik@hexbear.net 21 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The anti-cracker-aktion AP World History teacher at my school, which I mercifully managed to avoid having a class with, had a fun class highlight I heard from a friend where

CW: Racism, SAthe class was covering leaders in modern China. Friend corrects teacher's repeated mispronunciation of "Xi Jinping" to which he responded "Jinping [racist 'chinese name' rhyme] who cares". He also was later shitcanned along with several "hey fellow kids" "cool" teachers for creeping on girls, which tracks.

[-] Omegamint@hexbear.net 19 points 1 month ago

It’s not a real American highschool experience without one or two of the (often liberal arts) teachers getting got or being widely known as a pedo

[-] Frivolous_Beatnik@hexbear.net 15 points 1 month ago

It was like 4 or 5 at least, and it was not a big school agony-deep

[-] Omegamint@hexbear.net 17 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Pretty sure they showed me the tank man footage and the told me that was the tanks going to the square to mow over the protestors. And ofc the guy in front of the tanks was “definitely likely killed”

Edit: honestly thinking about it all it’s really the same vibes as the DARE program. Feed kids bullshit, and it all falls apart once you realize that at least some of it was bullshit. Leading you to dig in and question more

[-] SacredExcrement@hexbear.net 14 points 1 month ago

My AP History teacher in HS was a vet who fought in the Gulf War

Had no impact on his positions, I'm sure

[-] Omegamint@hexbear.net 11 points 1 month ago
[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 31 points 1 month ago

"There are no more bad guys anymore, everything is only going to get better now!"

No more bad guys for the soviet union because they're dissolved and now the bad guys run the show so-far

[-] anotherspinelessdem@lemmy.ml 25 points 1 month ago

Oh wait, you died of covid three years back, nevermind

Those who never connect with reality are doomed to be killed by things they previously chose not to comprehend. In this case, it's that she was the 'bad guy' the whole time.

[-] TrustedFeline@hexbear.net 30 points 1 month ago

The bottom fell out for millenniels in 2008. Before that, the 90s economic optimism was still kinda believed

[-] rufuscrispo@hexbear.net 69 points 1 month ago

if i remember correctly, this was in his sports column for espn's "page 2" website, where most weeks he would gripe about his betting losses on nfl games. lol.

[-] djsaskdja@reddthat.com 25 points 1 month ago

Seems on brand.

[-] GoodGuyWithACat@hexbear.net 23 points 1 month ago
[-] neo@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago

he would've thrived with fanduels, i guess

[-] Ishmael@hexbear.net 41 points 1 month ago

I read Kingdom of Fear in high school and then he offed himself before I graduated. I owe a good chunk of my political beliefs to a guy who I originally just thought was cool because he talked about doing mescaline. This is my favorite quote actually:

"“We have become a Nazi monster in the eyes of the whole world—a nation of bullies and bastards who would rather kill than live peacefully. We are not just Whores for power and oil, but killer whores with hate and fear in our hearts. We are human scum, and that is how history will judge us. . . . No redeeming social value. Just whores. Get out of our way, or we’ll kill you. Well, shit on that dumbness. George W. Bush does not speak for me or my son or my mother or my friends or the people I respect in this world. We didn’t vote for these cheap, greedy little killers who speak for America today—and we will not vote for them again in 2002. Or 2004. Or ever. Who does vote for these dishonest shitheads? Who among us can be happy and proud of having all this innocent blood on our hands? Who are these swine? These flag-sucking half-wits who get fleeced and fooled by stupid little rich kids like George Bush? They are the same ones who wanted to have Muhammad Ali locked up for refusing to kill removed. They speak for all that is cruel and stupid and vicious in the American character. They are the racists and hate mongers among us—they are the Ku Klux Klan. I piss down the throats of these Nazis. And I am too old to worry about whether they like it or not. Fuck them.”

what's wild is that the people he's talking about are like 90% of the adult population of the US now. i fuckin hate this place

[-] speckofrust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 month ago

Incredible. The man was a fucking legend.

[-] happybaby@hexbear.net 5 points 1 month ago
[-] speckofrust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

What an amazing suggestion

[-] Ishmael@hexbear.net 1 points 1 month ago

No, I don't believe I have! I'll have to check that out

[-] Sithlorddahlia@hexbear.net 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

He passed away in 2005. I wonder how he would have reacted seeing Obama continue Bush-era death and destruction.

[-] Ishmael@hexbear.net 3 points 1 month ago

Considering how much people unquestionably believed in Obama's bullshit, he'd probably have been absolutely livid

this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2026
232 points (100.0% liked)

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