Thread by @Gitabushi

via @AndToddsaid read this.
Chock full of goodness. The only problem is it ends too soon.
graymirror.substack.com/p/america-and-…

@AndToddsaid One side note I think worth mentioning. And it *is* a side note, not even tangentially related to the point he's making.
He says, "Not only do I not love it, I don’t even hate it".

This is a subtle point, at least to me.

It took years and several explanations before my wife was able to get me to understand that when she says, "I hate you" in an argument, it just means "I love you" through the lens of anger.
It's still love, in a way. It's still as *close* and *intimate* as love.

The other, more clear way I've seen this sentiment is: "the opposite of love is not hate, it is apathy".

So it is an excellent point the writer makes:
He feels *zero* connection to the USG, despite having grown up in it.
The USG is cold, unfeeling, and *should* alienate people.
Those who hate the govt viscerally *are*, sorta, emotionally ill...just as much as those who love it.

The govt should not be loved or hated.
It should be chopped down to the size of being a tool.

Which helps explain the Totalitarian Left.
They *are* totalitarians: everything is political, and nothing escapes it.
So they LOVE or HATE everything.
For example, they are fundamentally unable to see guns as a tool. It is an object of *power*, hated when held by their enemies.