The Presidency of Donald J. Trump, Episode VI: No Witnesses, One Defector, No Checks or Balances

I also grew up poor, and now I am not poor (I am not going to try to categorize myself more specifically, because that take will take us to the inevitable “is $X really rich?” debate that is not productive). Suffice to say - I am “rich” enough to have people that I could be mean to. We have a cleaning service, we have a dog walker. I have always tried to be as nice and reasonable and accommodating as I can be to them, because they just seem like people to me because I grew up with lots of people like them and, you know, I am not a sociopath. Sometimes their reactions catch me off guard - like they expect to be mistreated so they act like my basic acts of decency are huge acts of kindness. I can’t imagine what kind of shit they must have to usually deal with.

5 Likes

I got a letter in comic sans from one of our business partners last week, I almost burst out laughing.

I’m thinking about responding in wingdings.

5 Likes

Unfortunately I worked in call centers for years so I have a sample of casual cruelty that is statistically relevant. Upper middle class white women with time on their hands are the absolute worst and it isn’t remotely close.

On a related note my sales metrics were always completely insane, which means it definitely wasn’t me triggering their cruelty. If you called a call center and got me you pretty much hit AA. I was going to fix your problem quickly and competently and then leverage that to sell you stuff you probably wanted (Karen in particular usually had a landline back in the day and I’d usually get her to save herself 50 bucks a month switching that phone she never used to the cable company… it was easily the biggest sale I could make and a ridiculous hitrate on it with middle aged callers was at the core of my overperformance)

1 Like

They really are the absolute worst. I don’t know how these service industry people refrain from telling them off.

1 Like

We would lose our jobs and it would take 5-6 weeks to get another paycheck from the next one. You know what’s worse than being treated like a subhuman by some asshole? Being homeless. You get really good at dissociating from situations like that or you end up homeless at the bottom of the ladder in America.

If I had slightly less self control as a teenager I probably would have ended up in the justice system as a 15 year old for plunging my managers hand into the fryer at my first McJob (it was a Jack in the Box). That lady was seriously emotionally abusive and I had anger issues combined with enough childhood abuse to make violence seem like a pretty normal way to resolve something like that.

I fantasized about it nearly every day until I finally quit after a few weeks/months (I honestly don’t remember… I think I lasted long enough to get 4-5 checks). My typical check at that job was like 180 dollars for 40 hours of work. This would have been in 2000 so it wasn’t much even with inflation.

2 Likes

No wonder they eventually drink too much or develop an oxy habit.

The biggest privilege in the world is the privilege to fail. I spent the better part of a decade as basically a compete fuck up, making many poor decisions that would have had serious life altering consequences for a poor person. When I finally got my shit together, it was basically all fine. And I always knew if I got in real trouble somebody would bail me out.

8 Likes

https://twitter.com/NatashaBertrand/status/1217823259938508803?s=19

2 Likes

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1217825047102066688
( twitter | raw text )

Of course in a normal world this would be huge and likely guarantee an impeachment conviction it will instead just lead to attacks on the GAO by republican senators.

3 Likes

He broke the law!?!?!

Wow, when is the arraignment?

2 Likes

It would be awesome if they marched one copy of the impeachment articles to the Senate and another straight to the President. It would be like serving a summons - the President has to be handed it in person.

I had an experience like this recently with the lawn service where I freaked out when they got there because I realized I hadn’t picked up the dog poop. They seemed mildly amused that I cared because apparently everyone else just lets them run over it with their mowers and get sprayed with it.

I’ll never understand people who get mad at fast food employees for providing lousy service. That person makes like 250-300 bucks every two weeks at this job. The people getting mad generally make that in a day. They seem to expect these people to basically work for free AND do it with a smile… and if anything is wrong apologize after they’ve hurled a bunch of abuse at them. Honestly everyone in this country should be required to work a menial job for a couple of years when they are young. Fuck national service, I want everyone to work some combination of retail, fast food, call centers, landscaping, or hotels before they are allowed to be considered an adult.

7 Likes

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1217827468230434818
( twitter | raw text )

I wouldn’t be able to handle that job. I see enough cruelty in others in my current job and it’s rarely directed at me and it still has a serious affect on my mental health.

On a related note, I really think one of the best, short-hand metrics for judging a person’s character is how they treat people in the service industry. It’s not perfect (sometimes people can just be hbu g a bad day and snap at someone they normally wouldn’t), but if you treat people doing service/menial jobs like shit, I’m quick to judge you as a shitty person.

11 Likes

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1217829723222478848
( twitter | raw text )

Same obviously. Both my wife and I have a really hard time with people who are shitty to lower class people. I don’t think it would work for us to even be acquainted with people like that.

Speaking of people who are an absolute lock to be abusive to the service staff @realDonaldTrump :angry:

2 Likes

GAO confirmed full of disloyal deep-state never-trumpers.

But seriously, TIL the GAO is part of the Legislative branch, not the Executive branch. The current head of the GAO has worked there since 1973.

Obv you can’t have the executive branch doing oversight of the executive branch.

This GAO report would never have been released if the Dems didn’t take the House, so solid work everyone, make sure we contribute getting people out to vote.

2 Likes

haha as a server i can confirm this. they’re the most demanding customer, the rudest, and they complain the most. they’re more likely to ask for substitutions and off menu items and ask me if we have any specials and ask me for a desert menu and to go over the menu with no intention of ever getting a desert. its like they want a song and dance from their server. i can’t be just a guy who takes their order and makes sure it arrives at their table and that they enjoy their meal. i’ve gotta be something else to these people. like if i arrive at a table full of normal people before they have a chance to look at the menu they’ll say come back in 5 minutes but if i do this at karen’s table it means i have to spend 5 minutes going over the menu and reading it to them, while my entire section goes down in flames and i start losing money because karen thinks shes the only person in the entire world and doesn’t see or care that i’m helping 20 other people.

9 Likes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/01/16/latenight-parnas-ukraine/?hpid=hp_hp-morning-mix-for-right-rail_mm-latenight%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

Late night hosts are bad at crime I guess. If the person directing your crime is the POTUS you document absolutely EVERYTHING. 1) you’re a criminal nobody will believe on his own and 2) you want to avoid getting thrown under the bus, and the best way to do that is to cover yourself in spikes that would damage the bus if it ran over you.

Epstein documented fucking everything and it kept him a free man for 23 years raping kids.

2 Likes