1. When Did We All Lose Our Mind and Our Way?
Part of our “As Told To” series.
Meet Jessica, 35. She shares how she’s reached breaking point over the ignorance in America right now.
“I’ve lived through enough political cycles to know ignorance is part of the equation. But people screaming about ‘freedom’ while banning books, billionaires launching into space while families can’t afford insulin, and conspiracy theories being pushed as news is not only disgraceful, it’s dangerous.
The stupidity isn’t just in online comments— schools do active shooter drills while lawmakers refuse to address gun reform, and politicians are gutting voting rights while screaming about election fraud. I love my country, but healthcare is a joke, wages don’t match inflation, cruelty is mistaken for strength, and the loudest, dumbest voices hold all the power.”—Jessica Monroe, Illinois.
Continue reading about the key issues triggering many Americans right now >>
2. Hate-Filled Politicians Campaigning for ‘Family Values’
Nothing screams hypocrisy like a politician standing at a podium, preaching about morality, only for it to come out that they’ve been juggling multiple affairs behind closed doors. These people love to position themselves as the protectors of “traditional values,” yet their personal lives are a dumpster fire of scandal. Public attitudes towards politicians’ infidelity have evolved, but the hypocrisy remains evident when politicians preach morality while engaging in scandalous behavior. For more on political scandals, see BBC News.
They push laws that dictate what other people can and can’t do with their bodies, all while doing whatever they want with theirs. They tear down marginalized communities under the guise of “protecting families,” yet their own families are barely holding it together. If you’re going to act like a moral authority, at least have the decency to live by the rules you push on everyone else.
3. People Telling Minimum Wage Workers to ‘Get A Better Job’
The sheer ignorance of telling minimum wage workers to “just get a better job” is infuriating. As if better-paying jobs are just lying around waiting to be picked up like apples off a tree. As if society doesn’t rely on minimum wage workers to function. Essential workers, who often earn minimum wage, comprise about half of all workers in low-paid occupations and are crucial for society’s functioning. Learn more about essential workers from the Brookings Institution.
Who do these people think makes their food, stocks their shelves, and cleans their offices? If every low-wage worker quit tomorrow, the entire system would collapse. These jobs aren’t “unimportant”—they’re essential. Instead of blaming workers for trying to survive, maybe start questioning why full-time work doesn’t even pay enough to cover basic living expenses.
4. Voters Who Only Show Up For Presidential Elections (or Don’t Show Up)
It never fails. Every four years, people line up to vote for president, then vanish like ghosts when it’s time to vote in local elections. Then, when their roads are crumbling, their rent is through the roof, and their public schools are a mess, they suddenly have plenty to say. Local elections have a profound impact on daily life, influencing issues like education, public safety, and infrastructure, yet often receive less attention than national elections.
Newsflash: local and state elections impact your daily life way more than the presidency ever will. The mayor, the governor, the city council—these are the people making the decisions that affect your neighborhood. If you only show up for the big spectacle every four years and ignore the elections that actually determine your quality of life, you have no right to whine.
5. The Obsession With ‘Defending The Rich’
Somehow, people have been convinced that protecting the wealth of the ultra-rich is more important than helping struggling families. The same folks who rage against food stamps and free school lunches will fight tooth and nail to keep billionaires from paying a fair tax rate.
They’ll tell you that taxing the rich is “punishing success” but don’t seem to care that millions of Americans are one medical bill away from financial ruin. They have an endless well of sympathy for CEOs who would happily slash their jobs but zero compassion for a single parent working two jobs just to survive. It’s beyond backward.
6. The Complete Lack of Empathy
Nothing is more frustrating than people who assume that if something hasn’t happened to them, it must not be a real issue. Just because you’ve never faced discrimination, struggled to pay rent, or needed government assistance doesn’t mean those problems don’t exist.
Empathy isn’t supposed to be limited to your own personal experience. Just because your life has been relatively smooth doesn’t mean the system works for everyone. Dismissing someone’s struggles just because you don’t personally relate to them is peak ignorance.
7. Acting Like Universal Healthcare Is a Radical Idea
In every other developed country, universal healthcare is a basic right. People go to the doctor without worrying about bankruptcy. They get prescriptions without having to decide between medicine and rent. But in the U.S.? Even suggesting that healthcare should be accessible sends some people into a full-blown panic.
They’ll cry about socialism, as if public schools, roads, and fire departments aren’t already government-funded. They’ll act like paying a little more in taxes is worse than going into medical debt. Meanwhile, other countries look at us like we’ve lost our minds because we have GoFundMe campaigns for basic medical care. The fear-mongering is ridiculous.
8. Those Who Want to Control Our Bodies and Behavior
The irony is staggering. The same people who rage against “big government” suddenly have no problem with laws that control people’s personal decisions. They’ll scream about freedom until it comes to reproductive rights, gender identity, or anything that doesn’t align with their beliefs.
You can’t have it both ways. Either you believe in personal freedom, or you don’t. If you only want the government to stay out of your business when it benefits you, then you’re not for freedom—you’re for control.
9. People Who Say ‘America First’ But Can’tName Three U.S. Policies
The loudest voices screaming “America First” seem to have the weakest grasp on what actually benefits Americans. They’ll chant it at rallies, slap it on bumper stickers, and repeat it like a mantra—but ask them what policies actually improve life for working-class Americans, and they go silent.
Healthcare? Too “socialist.” Higher wages? “Bad for business.” Student loan relief? “Personal responsibility.” If “America First” really meant putting Americans first, it would mean supporting policies that actually make life better for the average citizen—not just the wealthy elite.
10. People Who Treat Basic Human Decency As ‘Wokeness’
Somehow, we’ve reached a point where basic kindness is seen as a political stance. If you believe people should be treated with respect, if you acknowledge that discrimination still exists, or if you think we should do something to help struggling families, you’re suddenly accused of being “woke.”
Since when did being a decent human being become controversial? Caring about people outside your own bubble shouldn’t be a radical stance. But in today’s climate, some folks would rather double down on cruelty than admit that empathy isn’t a weakness. If treating people with dignity makes someone “woke,” then maybe the real issue is how many people are comfortable with ignorance.
11. People Who Take Every Unchecked Conspiracy Theory as Fact
There’s no shortage of wild conspiracy theories floating around, from secret government plots to outrageous claims about celebrities. But somehow, the people who fall for these theories never seem to notice the real scam that’s playing out right in front of them.
They’ll spend hours ranting about “shadow elites” while ignoring the fact that corporations are bleeding them dry. They’ll obsess over microchips in vaccines but won’t question why billionaires hoard more wealth than entire countries. They’ll talk about “the system being rigged” but will vote for politicians who ensure it stays that way. It’s like watching someone drown while insisting the life raft is the real danger.
12. The Way We’ve Normalized Hustle Culture And Burnout
There was a time when working a steady job meant you could afford a home, provide for a family, and still have time to enjoy life. Now? People wear exhaustion like a badge of honor, bragging about how little they sleep and how much they grind.
The idea that your worth is tied to your productivity is one of the biggest scams of modern society. People are burned out, underpaid, and barely scraping by, yet they’re told to just “work harder.” News flash: the problem isn’t laziness—it’s an economy that demands people sacrifice their well-being just to survive.
13. People Who Are More Outraged Over Property Damage Than Human Lives
Any time there’s a protest, you can guarantee someone will start clutching their pearls over broken windows while completely ignoring the actual issue being protested. They’ll cry about “law and order” but have nothing to say when innocent people are harmed.
Property can be repaired. Lives cannot. If your biggest concern in any situation is whether a store window gets smashed, but you have no empathy for people fighting for basic rights, then maybe your priorities are seriously out of whack.
14. People Who Say ‘Just Move’ Like That’s A Realistic Solution
Housing is unaffordable? “Just move.” Your job doesn’t pay enough? “Just move.” Your city is struggling? “Just move.” As if uprooting your entire life is as simple as packing a suitcase and heading out.
Moving requires money, stability, and resources—not to mention a support system. For many people, it’s just not an option. Yet, the same folks who throw out this advice never seem to have an answer for why affordable living should only exist somewhere else.
15. People Who Are Proud Of Not Reading
There’s something truly bizarre about people who brag about never reading a book, as if ignorance is some kind of personality trait. They act like learning is for nerds and wear their lack of curiosity like a badge of honor.
Reading isn’t just about books—it’s about expanding your understanding of the world. The people who dismiss reading altogether are often the same ones who fall for misinformation, refuse to grow, and have the most stubborn, uninformed opinions. If you’re proud of not reading, you’re just proud of staying ignorant.
