A patriotic alternative scam

Comments

9 responses to “A patriotic alternative scam”

1. 

   twiliter

   May 10, 2026 6:33 AM

   590,000 people don’t know Trump and family are a bunch of rip-off artists? That’s like a seventh of the US population.
2. 

   twiliter

   May 10, 2026 6:41 AM

   Bad math, more like a sixth. That’s a hell of a lot of people who got scammed, and that’s only one of their scams!
3. 

   Bjarte Foshaug

   May 10, 2026 8:25 AM

   I sure would like to see the math behind those estimates ;)
4. 

   twiliter

   May 10, 2026 9:01 AM

   It definitely looks like a big class action suit in the making.

   (Bjarte, yes the math in my head is atrocious, even as I type on a device that can do all of that for me.) :)
5. 

   Ophelia Benson

   May 10, 2026 9:06 AM

   Well start with the US population is 342 million and then note that 590,000 is not even 1 million and go from there.
6. 

   Artymorty

   May 10, 2026 1:25 PM

   In some ways, Trump World’s obvious con-job nature mirrors what’s going on at the other end of the political spectrum with trans ideology, which is in many ways an obvious con job, too.

   It’s so comically obvious to outsiders that the Trump Phone was a scam, and the comedy is heightened by the fact that the right-wing saps trapped in Trumpland can’t see it.

   Likewise, it’s so comically obvious that so many men in women’s clothes are either opportunistic chancers or psychologically unwell, and the comedy is heightened by the fact that the left-wing saps trapped in Genderland can’t see it.

   When I see things like the Trump Phone or the many preposterous “artworks” that deify Trump, well, first, I laugh, because they’re so ridiculous. But then, my brain draws immediate parallels to the big-fetish-boobs high school teacher defended by the school board, or Daniel “Danielle” Muscato being praised as a brave woman by lefties, or the six-foot-six Navy veteran playing on a young women’s college basketball team, or “Veronica Ivy” being invited on The Daily Show to be fêted as a civil rights pioneer, and on and on.

   Then I think of Elisabeth Moss, and the eternal mystery of how she could play a heroine who defies an abusive, misogynist cult on the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale while simultaneously complying with an abusive, misogynist cult — Scientology — in the real world.

   And I actually find a strange sense of… if not quite calm, then at least something like, understanding: Aha! It’s incredibly easy for good people to become trapped inside tribal silos. Fully understanding that, and remembering to centre that fact in my thinking… at least that makes me feel closer to grasping the root of the problem. And that gives me a small sense of direction, because it provides a roadmap and an objective for possibly solving what sometimes looks like an utterly hopeless situation.

   If we can better understand how to break people’s tribal attachments, we might be better able to solve the seemingly unbridgeable gulf between us and them. And maybe society could resume productive, civil dialogue before the world blows itself up.

   At least that’s an actionable step in theory. And that there is what motivates me to keep writing about the trans issue. And more specifically, focussing on the behavioural science and group-psychology aspects of it.
7. 

   twiliter

   May 10, 2026 3:15 PM

   But Arty, 560,000 people? Are there even that many trans people in the world?

   On a personal note, I sometimes worry about my early morning math. Thanks for the perspective Ophelia, maybe not ALL hope is lost, but then again, 560,000? I can barely wrap my head around it.
8. 

   Freemage

   May 10, 2026 3:18 PM

   I’m going to put forth a partial defense of the suckers–but only partial.

   We’ve been softened up by the videogame industry and crowdfunding sites into accepting the idea of putting money down for something that we’ll actually receive later. It’s actually pretty useful as a funding mechanism for small companies.

   That said, these people are still suckers. For one thing, you always, always investigate the company providing the thing, and make sure they have a solid reputation. Anyone reading even five unbiased news stories about Donald Trump would know that the man is as crooked as they come.
9. 

   twiliter

   May 10, 2026 3:58 PM

   I see I’ve made another mistake. 590,000 not 560. But yes count me in with the suckers, there was a small tool that I wanted that was being crowdfunded in order to get it manufactured, but it was only a $5 investment. Still, I never got it, even though it became fully funded and then some. A learning experience, but at least it didn’t cost me a Franklin.