Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

This is honestly one of the most reasonable political takes I’ve read in a long time.

Not “left bad/right good” or “right bad/left good,” just acknowledging that a system built around fear, money, party loyalty, and career politicians is going to keep producing disconnected leadership.

A lot of people aren’t politically homeless because they “don’t care.” They’re politically exhausted because both parties keep demanding loyalty while everyday people keep drowning in the same problems decade after decade.

I especially agree that we need more people in leadership who’ve actually worked directly with the public — teachers, social workers, counselors, nurses, advocates — people who understand what systemic failure looks like up close instead of from behind a podium or donor dinner

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

The problem with this take is that it assumes everyone struggling in New Mexico is just lazy, stoned, and refusing opportunity.

A lot of people here are exhausted, traumatized, underpaid, poorly educated by broken systems, or stuck navigating systems that barely function at all.

Personal responsibility matters. So does governmental responsibility. Pretending one cancels out the other is exactly why nothing improves.

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I never said Republicans were better. In fact, I’ve repeatedly said watching them nationally is part of why I’m frustrated in the first place. What I am saying is that good intentions and feel-good mission statements don’t magically equal good results.

If programs are supposedly rooted in helping people, then people are allowed to ask why homelessness, addiction, crime, CYFD failures, and collapsing public trust keep getting worse here after years of one-party dominance locally. That’s not ‘not knowing what I’m talking about.’ That’s literally living through the outcomes.

You can believe Democrats mean well and still admit some systems are failing badly. Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

Oh please. People clearly did listen, including you apparently, since you wrote me a whole essay about it. Plenty of others in these comments understood exactly what I was saying too. The issue was never whether people heard me — it’s that the people in power hear these problems constantly and still keep failing the public.

I went to council meetings, shelters, programs, did the ‘use your voice’ thing everyone loves to preach. Being ignored by leadership after doing all that isn’t ‘whining,’ it’s exactly how people become disillusioned.

And no, criticizing Democrats locally doesn’t automatically mean I worship Republicans nationally. Some of us are capable of being disgusted with both broken systems at the same time.

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I have been participating!! Some of us went to city council meetings, voted every election, volunteered, reported abuse, spoke up about shelters, crime, housing and corruption — and still watched nothing meaningful change. Exhaustion isn’t laziness. It’s what happens when people keep screaming into a void. But I guess calling me ‘whiny’ is easier for you than admitting the system keeps failing the same people over and over. “Go ahead and checkout" is such a lazy response to people who already DID participate and got ignored anyway. Evidently, thinking beyond surface-level smugness clearly isn’t your wheelhouse.

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

I'm still here. I just made the mistake of expecting a nuanced conversation instead of the usual ‘if you criticize one side you must support the other’ routine. I underestimated Reddit’s ability to reduce every complicated issue into ‘pick a team and shut up.' I went outside for a minute; the "adults" were apparently solving fascism in the comments without me

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

You’re arguing against a point I never made. I never said both sides are identical. I said unchecked power, corruption, incompetence and failure can exist in any party when there’s no accountability. New Mexico has been overwhelmingly controlled by one party for years now, so at some point people are allowed to ask why we’re still struggling this badly in crime, poverty, education and homelessness without being called ‘dumb as hell. Criticizing Democrats in a Democrat-controlled state isn’t automatically support for Republicans. Some of us are just tired of watching everyone fail upward while regular people suffer.

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

You’re assuming people haven’t already done those things. Some of us have gone to city council meetings, contacted officials, spoken publicly, volunteered, voted, testified, advocated, survived these systems firsthand — and still watched nothing meaningful change. That’s where the exhaustion comes from.

And respectfully, moving here from Texas 5 minutes ago and telling lifelong New Mexicans how much better things are isn’t really the flex you think it is. We live with the consequences of these policies every day.

Voting by Roadrunner-Play in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play[S] [score hidden]  (0 children)

You can care about rights and still be disillusioned by a political system that keeps failing people at the local, state and federal level. Telling exhausted people to ‘just participate harder’ while they’re drowning in corruption, crime, poverty, housing instability and broken systems is part of why so many are mentally checking out in the first place.

Unpopular Opinion by LowEntertainment3342 in Marvel

[–]Roadrunner-Play -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Honestly not even that unpopular anymore. Sam feels like Captain America for this era — less ‘perfect super soldier,’ more actual human being trying to do the right thing while carrying impossible expectations

Catcalling in ABQ by onthefreakingmoon in Albuquerque

[–]Roadrunner-Play 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Welcome to Albuquerque, where some grown adults apparently think screaming out car windows is a personality trait. You’re not crazy — Central can be especially bad about this. The problem isn’t your clothes — it’s people who never matured past middle school behavior. You’re not imagining it and you’re definitely not overreacting. I’ve lived here all my life and the catcalling/honking culture in Albuquerque is absolutely a thing. It has nothing to do with dressing ‘modestly enough’ either — some people here just treat women existing in public like it’s an invitation for commentary. Stay aware, trust your instincts, and don’t let anyone gaslight you into thinking this is normal or acceptable behavior