Open Thread for Personal Stuff: September 2014 Big Cat and Big Dude Edition

Sorry to hear about these depressing election results, Dvarg. When are people ever going to learn. . .

I mean, the Swedish Democrats haven’t called themselves nazis in a long time, they say nowadays that they’re AGAINST racism, even though they wanna more or less put an end to immigration. But the fact is that the same people that are at the top of the party today were part of a real nazi organization a few decades back. And it wasn’t that many years back they still wrote in their party program that they wanted to make it illegal for Swedes to adopt orphan babies of colour, stuff like that. It was only last year that some members of parliament for this party tried to attack a famous non-white comedian with iron pipes, shouted racist slurs at him and filmed the whole thing themselves because apparently they were so proud of what they were doing. It was just this very election that one of them made a public slip about how, when they have even more votes behind them, they’re gonna put an end to media criticizing them. So they try to style themselves a real democratic party nowadays, but that’s just a load of BS. And still 13 % voted for them.

I’ve developed a conspiracy theory about politics. It’s come about after years of being completely fucking baffled at the things conservative, right-leaning people do, as if they have no notion about consequences, or the future, or the big picture, or compassion, or anything.

My theory: The very rich and very conservative have conspired to destroy the global economy in order to a) maintain and increase their own wealth, and b) obtain and increase political power.

My observation: When people are content and fairly well off, they’re more open to sharing the wealth, and are more open and tolerant of change. When people are desperate and poor and hanging on by their fingernails, they are hostile to change, and hostile to other people in need of their limited resources.

It all sucks.

In other news, I just learned that an old friend that I haven’t seen in 20 years, or spoken to in about 10 years, has suddenly and unexpectedly died. Her spouse called to let me know. I haven’t spoken to him in even longer. He’s shattered.

I hung up and immediately thought of who I could talk to tomorrow, to reminisce and mourn together, and I can’t think of anyone. All of our mutual friends have either died, or I’ve lost touch with them.

I feel very, very off-kilter.

Thanks, Kittehs.

Seconding the internet hugs, Unimaginative. That sounds awful. 🙁

Also, more ranting on the political situation here, but the situation for beggars is just getting worse and worse. We have tons of beggars in Stockholm – besides Swedes, there are people, mostly romas, who come here from Romania and other Eastern European countries where racism against romas is even worse than in Sweden (it’s pretty bad here, so I have a hard time imagining what it would be like to be roma in a country where it’s worse). They’re totally unable to get a job or any means of support in their home country, so they pool up all the resources they have, go to Sweden by bus, sleep in in some crappy tent or make-shift shed somewhere and beg in the streets during the day. They really don’t make much that way, begging in the street is really no lucrative business, particularly when there are so many beggars around that I pass like ten of them just walking from the commuter train to the underground, but apparently they somehow manage to scrape by that way. And there’s so much hate against beggars. Rumours go that they actually make loads of money through begging (HOW is that supposed to work?) and that they’re all part of some big criminal network.
Part of the Swedish Democrats election campaign was to put an end to street begging. And I believe this campaign really helped fuelling anger against the beggars. Recently, there’s been several attacks on beggars. At one point a camp where beggars slept were put on fire. At another point a man tried to frame a beggar for theft (fortunately, she was cleared, but still). There’s been lots of this stuff. It’s so horrible.

Hugs if they’re wanted, Unimaginative & Dvärghundspossen. The Romani hatred is something else. Pure racism.

Like other oppressed cultures, the Romani have also found ways to influence the culture that oppresses them.

So I found out I didn’t get the job I wanted that I interviewed for last week. 🙁

I have another interview tomorrow, though. Maybe that will turn out better.

Thank you Aitch. I will happily take the hugs.

Uggs, Blahtastic. At least you have the kitten.
Me, I’m just failing to focus. Again and again :>

Hugs for both grumpycat and pendraegon. Good luck on the next interview!

Also, Blahlistic, hugs for you if you want. Dissociating sounds really terrifying to me, but that might be because I’m a control-freak when it comes to my headspace.

Hope things even out, and things go back on schedule?

I’m sending pats and belly rubs to the rescue kitten, so that xie might be encouraged to new heights of playful chomping and cuddling.

Yes, I am sorry Blahlistic. I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry.
Um, if it isn’t too frivolous – Hedgehog! Axolotl! Kukaburra!!