収束ゾーンでのライフ: Life in the Convergence Zone

Hey team.

Been a bad month. But I’m still here, and I’ve been thinking about something and I think I should get it out there.

I think we should hold our fire on the economy with any Trumpy family or acquaintances we might have.

About bad economic news, anyway. Talk about how the economy had been improving all you want. That’s fine, ’cause the fundamentals are solid, unemployment has fallen through the floor, we’re finally seeing wage growth, Biden-Harris actually delivered the damn near mythical soft landing after the COVID economic nightmare and now that Their Guy is about to be back in office, magically the MAGAts think the economy’s a lot better too.

(Seriously: an over 16-point swing amongst Republicans on the state of the economy. Christ, it’s pathetic.)

But when it comes to talking about tariff-driven inflation and mass deportation crashing the farming and construction industries?

Hold your fire. For now.

Keep that powder dry, and wait.

I know. I know. You want to talk about it. I do too. And amongst people who aren’t MAGA chucklefucks, I will.

But to MAGAts? No. Until it actually starts to hit, every day is Shut the Fuck Up Friday. Do not catastrophise, do not predict.

Wait for it.

Sure, massive tariffs and workforce devastation will send food prices and housing prices and gasoline – the one they really care about – and everything else through the roof, but the key word there is will, not has, so I want to… but I will not say it to them yet.

(Prices are already spiking in some sectors, by the way. Just the possibility of another trade war is doing damage, just not in places they see it yet. I bought ahead a bunch of high-durability SATA SSDs because I’m fully expecting Trump to actually do all this shit, and they’re over 40% more expensive than last time for the exact same in-production models, and hon, that ain’t Bidenomics at work, it was the election. It’s adventure times for at least some number of data centres right now.)

So. Why am I not going off about this yet? Two reasons.

1: While I’m pretty dang confident he won’t, he could back down, point at the inflation he caused in specialised areas already and blame it on Biden, then when the tariffs aren’t as high as he was threatening or don’t happen at all he can take credit for not breaking shit and say the mere threat of his tariffs fixed everything.

That’s absolutely the kind of game Team Fuckface McSharttington likes to play.

He can also just not do the mass expulsions and say he did. He did that with “the wall,” so why not this too? I don’t think that’s going to play out that way either, since what he and MAGAttry truly want is an ethnic purge, and we all know it. But it’s still possible.

So that’s one reason, with two examples.

But I think – from a strategy standpoint – the second reason is way more important. To wit:

2: Unless and until it’s happening in ways even they can’t miss, all you’re doing by going off about it beforehand is giving them time to get their defences up and their denials ready. You’re giving them the forewarning to find someone else to blame other than Dear Leader, which they absolutely will do unless it hits them in the face before they’re ready.

So don’t give them that time. Keep your mouth shut about this. Go at ’em for everything else, absolutely. Make sure they know damned well what they did and that you do not forgive them – or however you’re playing it. Take all of that to town.

But on kneecapping the economy in both knees at once? Farm and construction labour and imports?

Wait.

Wait until it’s hitting them in the face.

Then, and only then, tell them:

This is what you voted for, you stupid-ass motherfucker.

Or however you choose to put it. However you’d personally phrase that. Me, I’m out of tolerance and niceties and if anybody complains my response would be something along the lines of “Oh, are you not playing ‘Fuck Your Feelings’ anymore? Did you get tired of that? Too bad I finally warmed up to it. Fuck your feelings.”

You could explain further, if you like:

We told you what they would do, they told you what they would do, telling you outright that little NPC shits like you would have to “embrace the pain.” But you absolutely refused to listen – even to them! – and now here we fucking are.

Reap the goddamn whirlwind. This is exactly what you voted for.

You jackass.

Or, you know. Something like that, only in your own, probably nicer words.

I may be clean out of nice words – not giving a fuck anymore can be kind of liberating, really – but maybe you aren’t. It’s your call. Make it however you see fit.

But either way…

…I’d keep this particular powder dry.

Dry, but ready.

Until it hits them in the face.

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.