Alright, so I’ve been seeing these videos floating around where people are legitimately surprised by things Donald Trump has done—things he actually promised to do during his campaigns. The common thread in all of these reactions is something like, “Well, he said he’d do it, but I didn’t think he’d actually go through with it!”

And here’s the thing: if someone votes for a politician who doesn’t follow through on their promises, isn’t that kinda bad? Like, wouldn’t you want the person you voted for to keep their word? So why is this a thing now? Is this just people messing around and trolling, or did they genuinely think Trump wasn’t going to do what he said he’d do?

I mean, maybe it’s because of how unpredictable Trump was during his presidency. He had a habit of saying things one way but then doing the opposite, which could’ve made some people doubt whether he’d actually follow through on his big promises. But now that he is following through on some of those things, it seems like people are genuinely caught off guard.

So here’s what I’m wondering: is this something to celebrate? Like, is it a good thing that people didn’t think Trump would keep his word? Or is it just another example of how the political landscape has changed in ways no one expected?

  • Tehdastehdas@lemmy.worldEnglish
    11·
    1 day ago

    Increased blood lead level in children has been correlated with decreases in intelligence, nonverbal reasoning, short-term memory, attention, reading and arithmetic ability, fine motor skills, emotional regulation, and social engagement. … The effect of lead on children’s cognitive abilities takes place at very low levels.

    High blood lead levels in adults are also associated with decreases in cognitive performance and with psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_poisoning#By_organ_system

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead–crime_hypothesis

    • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      12·
      1 day ago

      That explains the boomers and the older cohort of Gen X but it really doesn’t explain consistently dropping educational success in the past 20 years.

      Maybe microplastics?

      Also, I’m not sure statistics on aggression actually say much about education levels or understanding of propaganda techniques and so on.

      • whaleross@lemmy.world
        2·
        13 hours ago

        It could also be conditioning and culture. A lot of American culture seems to be centered on the ego, the satisfaction of the ego and then a very fast escalation to anger and violence if the ego is perceived to be threatened.

        I don’t think it is realistic to wish it go away with the generation exposed to lead paint. And I doubt it is productive to make microplastics the new excuse.

        Edit: As I saved, it came to mind how difficult it must be hearing all your life that you live in the greatest country ever, having national flags and the anthem and pledges of allegiance drilled into your being from a child. And then life is hard and society is fucked up and you’re supposedly living in the best country in the world so how could you be in this miserable life? I think that might explain people being on the edge all the time and worn down from the stress and the guilt of not being successful and also how easily nonsense like somebody driving past you becomes a threat to the ego.