Anyone else getting worn down by the news?

[KathyLauren]

I have become aware that the news out of Florida and Texas and Montana and all those places is getting to me. 

 

I am in a relatively safe place for now, but it feels like it is only a matter of time before the Gestapo comes for me, even here.  There are a few people fighting the good fight for us, but it is mostly too slow, too little, and too late.  Most allies seem happy to throw us under the bus.  The absence of credible opposition to all these insane laws is emboldening other rednecks to come out of the woodwork, even here in Canada.

 

In two weeks, a local pub is having a "Drag the Family to Dinner" event with drag queens reading stories to kids over dinner.  It has lots of support and is sold out, but there are people on Facebook trying to organize a protest.  I think the counter-protest in support of the event will be well attended, and the protest itself may come to nothing. 

 

But still, it is an indication that the cancer has spread to our community.  Will it be held in check?  Or will the "unhealthy politics" gain power here and give us similar laws?  Will I have to come up with survival strategies?  My survival strategy right now is to stay away from the US, but how will I survive if the madness comes here?

 

Like I said, it is starting to get to me.  My joy at finally being free is fading.  There is no going back.  My life as Kathy is and will always be far better than my life as that other guy.  But how will it be if I have to keep looking over my shoulder?  If I have to play games and lie in order to use a bathroom?  Or if I have to fight, figuratively or literally, to do so?

 

These are rhetorical questions.  I don't expect any answers, even though I know that a lot of you are already living with that as a reality.  I just need to vent that 2023 is bringing me down.

[Charlize]

I think this stuff unfortunately affects all of us.  I remember back during the election of 2016 when i first heard a bit of this coming from the right.  Since then the rhetoric and party line has incorporated hate to a greater extent.  It seems to spread.  I can only hope it settles but i'm sure like so many civil rights issues it will be used to garner votes and disturbed people will act out.  I have no plans to be any different than i have always been but then again i am in an accepting neighborhood.  I lock the door now at night.  We never used to do that on the farm.  I'm glad i don't live in the south where so much of this seems to originate.

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[MirandaB]

It's insane how many laws are being debated and/or passed.

 

Seeing the right wing media post multiple anti-trans articles or tv stories every day while the 'liberal' media is 'just asking questions' or both sides-ing the 'trans debate' can get awfully depressing. 

[KymmieL]

Hearing all this anti- trans BS on the news. turns my stomach. I cannot believe that people are that stupid to let politicians run their lives.

 

Kymmie

[Sally Stone]

It is exhausting and I find myself just wanting to to tune out, ignore the rhetoric, but then I tell myself that by doing so lets the haters and the narrow minded win.  As difficult as it is to deal with, we need to stay our course and fight (no violence of course) to be seen and heard.  

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Yes, I get worn out by the news.  I despise the constant media propaganda, and I'm thankful I don't have a TV.  I limit the amount of time I look at it on my phone or laptop in an effort to retain my brain.  It just gets old, especially since I can't do anything about it.  What happens is what happens, and often it seems that what we stress out about in the moment ends up not being important later.  Taking a long view reduces some of the outrage and panic. 

[Vidanjali]

@KathyLauren this is a good idea for a thread. I imagined it goes without saying news these days is potentially upsetting. We discuss this on individual threads where folks have posted news. But, having a space to talk about it in general could be soothing - to get stuff off our chests and encourage each other. 

 

When I was younger, I never understood ppl whom I'd categorize as "news junkies". I'd read newspaper headlines and sometimes articles, and mostly rely on word of mouth to relay anything vital. Later, when I was old enough to drive and privileged enough to own a car, I discovered NPR on the radio which I'd listen to for news and cultural programming. With the advent of the internet and social media, we get bombarded with news, and although we have therefore have access to fact checking, many don't avail themselves. 

 

I've always been a history buff. I find it fascinating and "stranger than fiction" & that knowledge provides so much intricate context for current events. I'd say since 2016 I've been following current politics more closely than I ever had. I admit I've even dipped my toe into the realm of news junkie. It happens usually during states of anxiety - as if the anxiety wants to justify itself - I delude myself thinking I'll find the news that will extinguish my worry, instead it gets further justified. I'm trying to be more mindful of this tendency and to turn to something actually soothing instead, like enjoying nature, or listening to or reading something inspiring. 

 

At present, I have found myself occasionally in a state of anxiety or depression over the news, especially as a resident of Florida. The recent legalization of medical discrimination really freaked me out. I overheard a conversation at a recent lunch party the other day. The gist as I understood it was one person was expressing to a second person that they were worried about DeSantis getting elected president claiming that he had a better chance than Trump because "DeSantis is smart". I thought to myself, is he though? I read his quotations and justifications for his actions and they are chock full of logical fallacies and contradictions. (As a trained mathematician, I can't help but notice. And as an aside, I've found one silver lining of my having quit my professor job due to disability is that I've been spared being in the thick of the "war on woke" going on in higher ed.) I don't agree with DeSantis' assertions which I find to be emotional & histrionic, to say the least, and neither well-reasoned nor in the spirit of service (also, putting it mildly). For example, his justification to gut DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) initiatives in higher ed stating that we shall rightly be a meritocracy - contradicting the fact that meritocracy is an ideal predicated on all things being equitable, which they clearly are not. But what possible justification can one conjure for licensing medical discrimination which is in direct opposition to the medical creed to do no harm. It seems to be the case that trans healthcare bans don't go far enough for h8ers taste - do they want to be sure healthcare providers across the board also have the right to refuse all types of services? It's most certainly not a direct parallel and is not meant to be, but what came to mind was historical Fort Lauderdale Black pioneer Silvia Alrige who founded a Black hospital after some Black men who were injured in a motor vehicle accident were denied treatment at the segregated hospital. One would hope medical ethics have come some way forward since then. 

 

I love living in Florida for the sunshine, the warmth, the year long greenery. But, between the Tallahassee near-despotism & concerns about climate change, my thoughts have more and more been turning to concocting an exit strategy. I lived up north for 30 years during which I struggled with rather extreme mental illness which was exacerbated by seasonal affect disorder (SAD). But, I've now been thinking a lot about reordering my priorities concerning where I live, with the SAD moving down the list. Mercifully, I've overcome a great deal of the mental illness. 

 

Okay, rant complete. Thanks for the space. Y'all may consider any questions posed above as rhetorical; I do not wish to introduce political debate to this thread which would be more appropriate in the politics section. If anything I've said was out of line for this forum, I apologize & will stand duly corrected by moderators. I'll end on a hopeful note. That which keeps me from losing my sanity is spiritual discipline. Lately, a mantra is TRUST. TR is a trident scraping away all doubts. U(H!) is an intense powerful gutteral utterance which instantly drives away all fears. ST is steadiness, that is tranquility of mind having surrendered the lower self to the care of the Divine. Peace. 

 

 

[miz miranda]

Absolutely. Unfortunately we receive news shaped as propaganda from media outlets that bias news to increase profits. It happens from both sides of the political spectrum.

 

I am sick of republicans banning  medical care, books, ideas and progressive banning speech and people.

 

"Nobody's right if everybody is wrong" (Buffalo Springfield)

[Ivy]

Yeah, it's getting to me.  I didn't realize how much till lately.  It seems like every day when I look at the news there's another hit.  In my state (NC) our Democrat governor was a kind of moderating force.  But since that woman switched parties, the GOP now has a super majority and they're starting to use it.  They make their own rules.

The Lieutenant Governor (he's a preacher) is running for governor now and he has openly called us demonic etc.  Where I live is so red the Democrats don't even bother to run a candidate for the house, and the GOP has taken over the school board.

 

Most people I meet in daily life are not hostile, but they're not really allies either.  They don't really care about these things.  But the ones that are on a mission against us are gaining power.  I don't understand why they can't just leave us alone.  What's the point?  I'm scared they will cut off my HRT.  My Dr just increased my dose, and I'm considering hoarding the increase.  Maybe I'm overreacting, but maybe not.  

I'm also scared DeSantis may become president.

 

I just go on the best I can, and try not to think about it so much.  There's not much I can do about it anyway.  I can't really leave.   Seems kinda hopeless.  But I'm not going back.  I intend to die as Ivy.

[Mmindy]

I agree that the 24 hour news cycle is driving negative focus on the transgender community. I’m avoiding most news outlets other than my own local Indy news media. As for the legislation being passed? I’m relying on the Supreme Court to see it as discriminatory, and strike it down. 
 

Hugs, 

 

Mindy🐛🏳️‍⚧️🦋

[KathyLauren]

2 hours ago, Mmindy said:

I’m relying on the Supreme Court to see it as discriminatory, and strike it down. 

 

Let's just say that I am not holding my breath for that.

[Ivy]

40 minutes ago, KathyLauren said:

I am not holding my breath for that.

I don't have much faith in them either.  I guess there is a chance they would do the right thing.