For me it was politics, it was all about politics. I couldn’t believe the 60% of our country were blood thirsty pro-war fanatics who salivated at the chance to torture our enemies. Selfish old people. Vile religious fanatics. Hate fueled nuts. This is who we live with, this is the other half of society. It’s depressing when you go from thinking “we just have an honest difference in opinion on what the government should do” to “holy shit these people are evil!”.
I wonder what the shift is. I’m sure there’s a psychological or social term for it. These problems don’t really exist as a kid, or even a teenager. You have categories like jerks or your enemies, you’re indifferent to a bunch, and then there’s your friends. That’s kinda it.
But at some point people start to change. Their hatreds and prejudices really take hold of how they interact with the world and people around them. Even some of the people you thought were good as “friends” start going off the deep end.
So there’s this falling away as you get older of the cadre you started life with, and of the population as a whole around you, as you find out many of them have turned into horrible people full of willful ignorance, petty hatreds, and prejudices.
At least that’s how I feel as what I think should be normal viewing this happen, I guess? Why treat others so badly? Why aggressively stay ignorant and unaccepting of evidence?
What happens to people?
*Including myself
No one warns you you spend your 30s watching your and all your friends first dogs they got as adults die either
Getting old is a bitch sometimes
you guys can afford dogs?
If you don’t have kids and survive on ramen it’s possible. That’s only half sarcasm. I probably spend more per meal on my dog’s food than my own, they have health insurance while I don’t, and they see a doctor at least once a year while I only go… never.
It might seem bad now, but later in your twenties you’ll lose respect for people you don’t know, too! By your early 30s you should be on track to lose respect for entire institutions, and eventually just humanity in general!
Mid to late 30s is an awkward phase of losing faith you didn’t even know you had. Like, dozens of times. You’ll hit rock bottom again, and again, and again, and whatever new low your brain just established for human malice and stupidity will be gut punched as your peers enthusiastically elect a pedophilic antichrist. Twice.
Eventually you realize there is actually no bottom, and you start to go numb - which is fucking great compared to the decades of getting dragged through through the coals!!
I’m at the numb part too. Congratulations for making it this far!
50s here. it gets worse before it gets worse.
I lost most of my faith in humanity with COVID. I lost all of my faith in my countrymen in 2024.
In 2025 I found out that even losing your faith in everyone still isn’t rock bottom. There are still somehow ways they can disappoint you even further.
Not sure what 2026 will bring at this point
I suspect 2026 will prove disappointing.
This has been my experience. I am pushing 40 and the last few years have beaten the optimism right out of me, and I already thought that was long gone.
I have often wondered if this is what most people have experienced throughout history or if this another fun millennial game we were forced to play. I’m sure every generation has had their stupid trends and societal problems but watching a country collapse under the weight of it’s own stupidity seems less common. Not new, but certainly not something every generation deals with.
Today I learned I lived through my 30s in my 20s
My biggest issue is finding friends with no kids! All my earlier friends are off doing their own stuff and don’t care about me anymore. Which is fine, I’m good at being alone. I just want pals to hang out with.
Not to mention a non existent family due to maga brainwash.
Perfect age to realize how bad your parents were at raising kids too!
I think that’s really when you’re raising your kids (hopefully in your 30s). That’s when you look back and say “this isn’t so hard, wtf were they doing?” “How could they have done that to their kid?” and you can’t believe anyone ever thought that was ok. When you haven’t been a parent you’re more willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, but once you are that goes away.
I think realizing Hulk Hogan would celebrate a fascist pedophile authoritarian if you paid him enough was the worst part for me, personally. Chuck Norris, too.
Hulk Hogan would celebrate a fascist pedophile authoritarian if you paid him enough
Are we talking about the current admin or McMahon? Because the Hulkster has always sucked: he helped quash a wrestling union in the 80s, but I don’t anyone knew about it until much later.
https://411mania.com/wrestling/hulk-hogan-admits-revealed-jesse-ventur-union-plans-vince-mcmahon/
Same with Snoop Dogg. Who could have guessed a gangster rapper would love the government so much?
So* many comedians I grew up with turned out rotten too. Fuck.
They’re both pretty gross people if you delve further into their history and it makes it less surprising.
The most surprising one for me is how MC Hammer was a legit gangster but low key about it after his fame.
What? Why does his Wikipedia page not cover this?
Not sure. Maybe because it’s all word of mouth. It pops into the news occasionally when others in the scene are interviewed and then i guess his PR sweeps it back under the rug. He was known for rolling with a massive security detail and as someone not to be trifled with. Rodman spoke about some of the stories if you want to look it up.
We call them posers. So many posers.
Had to Google this. I didn’t know about Snoop Dogg… deep sigh
Stop worshipping celebrities.
Don’t fuckin sit there and pretend you have zero childhood heroes.
Still respect Attenborough
I genuinely can’t think of any at the moment. I didn’t follow sports or anything—i played video games. Not only that but i never cared about the VAs, or publishers, or anything like that.
The closest thing might be Marty O’Donnel—the video game composer—who is an Israel supporter. But, when i found out, i didn’t really care, tbh.
However, i promise that I’m much more disappointed in my parents than you are for some celebrity.
I’m similar, in the 80s all my hero’s were cars, trucks, helicopters and planes.
Knight rider, couldn’t have cared less who was driving. Magnum PI was only watched for the Ferrari 308, Brown Vanagon and matching Hughes 500 helicopter. Riptide, Miami Vice with the Spyder and Testarossa, Chips, Airwolf, Simon and Simon, Hardcastle & McCormick.
There is a hero I’m ashamed of though. The fucking General Lee from Dukes of Hazzard.
Yeah but esme weatherwax and baba yaga stayed cool
But everybody else isn’t on the cereal box! You can see the bind we’re in.
That’s the process of life. Adults are incredible, nigh all-powerful beings to a child. Then you get older, and all the esteem you had for people is burned away as you realise we’re all just idiots with a few talents and trainings.
except yourself. you are pure infallible genius who knows all that is worth knowing…
Finally, someone has read all my Lemmy posts.
He looks like Hasan Piker
Facebook helped a lot with that.
Pretty sure that dude is 55
Jokes on you, I never respected any of those fuckers to begin with. Except my dad, he gets a pass.
I probably have to talk to a therapist, but I’ve changed so much, I am upset at everyone who was my friend in the past. TF was wrong with them??? What assholes, they respected me when I was like I was?
Then you don’t know good people or you are setting unrealistic expectations.
In the first case, you need to reevaluote your circles.
In the second, be gentler. Many people (most likely you included) try do do the best their knowledge+awareness allows them to. I started to lose respect for some people too, but when you realize that we are all improvising, that nobody “knows” how to live, you start seeing people with more compassion.
Keep it up, stranger :)
Got a whole Geraldo thing going on there.
so we’re just going to name drop and make others feel old as fuck?
ok, fine.
Sally Jessy Raphael called and she wants to know if your wild teen needs bootcamp!
I’ve got a “Phil Donahue” on line 2?
