• Azarova [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    89·
    4 days 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.

      • FlakesBongler [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
        86·
        4 days 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 [comrade/them, doe/deer]@hexbear.netEnglish
          39·
          4 days 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 [he/him, they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
            29·
            4 days 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 [comrade/them, doe/deer]@hexbear.netEnglish
              21·
              4 days 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 [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
              7·
              3 days 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 [any]@hexbear.netEnglish
            19·
            4 days 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 [comrade/them, any]@hexbear.netEnglish
              17·
              4 days 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, SA

              the 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 [comrade/them, doe/deer]@hexbear.netEnglish
              14·
              4 days 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

        • anotherspinelessdem@lemmy.mlEnglish
          21·
          4 days 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.

  • rufuscrispo [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    54·
    4 days 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.

  • Ishmael [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    37·
    4 days 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.”