DU has certainly changed. Folks no longer seem to value empathy nor compassion here and have become as

[sinkingfeeling]

brutal as those on the 'other side'. You can't claim moral superiority if you don't stay above the cruelty.

I am as shocked by the comments posted here:
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20988440 as I am reading comments on Youtube celebrating ICE's actions.

I doubt if many actually read the article, which had an entirely different title than the OP about a young man, who was raised in northern Alabama and deported to Mexico last fall. He is one of thousands brought to the US as children, raised as a Southern American, and had his life destroyed by this insane immigration round-up. I am so disgusted with the United States that I left and now, like him, am struggling to learn Spanish.

I thought DU was a place of like-minded Democrats, but it doesn't seem like it anymore.

After almost 23 years, I think I'm out of here.

[iemanja]

1. I wasn't shocked

Because it happens in every similar post.

[Scrivener7]

2. We're not as brutal as the other side. The other side ruins their own lives as they work to ruin ours.

We never did anything to ruin their lives.

From the article in that post:

Fonzie posted his support for the president on social media in the days leading up to the election. He’d have voted for Trump, in all likelihood, if only he could vote.

[RandySF]

3. Because the other side wants to exterminate us.

[DoBW]

10. unless we have use as slaves

when we subsist on scraps and work for them
when they control everything, everything vital to life

[RockRaven]

4. I am neither shocked nor disappointed that people have run out of empathy for suicide bombers.

And that is what Trump supporters are.

[Takket]

5. i'm very empathetic, but my empathy has a few not too unreasonable conditions

one of those conditions is you don't support Nazis who campaign on hurting people because you don't think you'll be the one hurt, and that you'll benefit from the arrangement in some way.

[walkingman]

6. There is a lot of frustration by most Dems simply because we are

inundated with insanity by the GOP supporters every single day with 3 years to go. I personally think it is intentional simply to build up hatred and divide us. If you live in a RED state like Texas it is not only at the federal level but at the state and local level as well.

I agree we have keep our anger in check, but I also think that when you are talking among like-minded people it is not the same as public comments.

My religion is "Try to not be an asshole". It's not that hard, but admittedly I sometimes fail. No heaven, no hell, no fear of punishment, no guilt, no savior, no one to worship, no one to fear, just try to not be an asshole 😁 And when I fail, as we all do, do your best and try again.

BTW - How has it worked out for you after leaving the states? I think about it often but too old and too much family to do so - but one can dream.

Peace and Love ☮

[JI7]

7. We can claim moral superiority because we would not have deported him if it was up to us

even if he voted for the shit and supported others being deported.

The fact it happened to him because of his own actions and our reaction to it doesn't make us as bad as others.

[SamuelTheThird]

8. He said he would have voted for Trump

That is after everything Trump had done, including Jan 6. And all the promises Trump made about getting worse in his second term.

There are points when having empathy is not only masochistic, but suicidal. Fuck that guy.

[Johonny]

9. Nah, fuck Trump voters

They voted for fascism. I don't boo hoo Nazi's dying in WWII movies. I don't boo hoo Trump voters when they find out.

[Fiendish Thingy]

11. I think there is a big difference between a lack of sympathy and reveling in sadistic cruelty

I do not wish the cruelty of an ICE detention/deportation on anyone, but if a Trump supporter experiences the cruelty they voted for or cheered on, I find it hard to muster sympathy for the natural consequences of their vote/support.

[PeaceWave]

12. The difference is the other side wants to fight us. Half the time, we want to fight ourselves.

[applegrove]

13. People are cutting, and cutting their loses because of Trump.

Makes them very angry. They are not wrong to be angry. It will help them fight for the life of America as a democracy. Accept their anger as just another loss to our peace of mind. It is needed in some people for a little while. Everyone has their role to play.

If you go that will just be another loss due to Trump. Don't go.

[usonian]

14. You'll have plenty of time in concentration camp to feel sorry for Trump supporters.

Unless they are overwhelmed not so much by hate as RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION.

They voted for rape, child sex, blackmail, money laundering AND WILL VOTE AGAIN FOR IT

The regime is showing its brutal side. And people are reacting.

Was it any better that Hitler hid his concentration camps and people were nicey-nicey?

[bigtree]

15. people need to feel secure in themselves for that effort

...a lot of insecurity going around these days as a result of people like this one.

[Ms. Toad]

16. I share your concerns.

Children who were brought to the US as children, who haven't known any life outside of the US - or at least not any within their recollection - did not choose their fate, and don't deserve our scorn.

That should be true whether they agree with us politically or not.

[B.See]

17. I haven't been here at DU for nearly as long.

I joined soon after finding out DU existed, and interestingly, learned of it while on a socalled 'liberal' site that turned out to be a right wing hate fest replete with self professed Nazis, posters of racist imagery and epithets, and even administrators who used terms like jungle apes in reference to Black people and entertained jokes of throwing us in front of trains.

So I can vouch, from personal experience, that DU is not NEARLY as bad as that. Not by a long shot.

I'd suggest that what's changed is AMERICA.

And that perhaps a whole lot of empathic, good hearted, well meaning people here at DU, people who, at this point in our lives, had hoped for a kinder, BETTER America, for ourselves and our kids,

are instead, disappointed, angry, tired, frustrated and fed UP,

not only with a lot of unnecessary evil and malevolence but also by the seeming self defeating, willful ignorance on the part of many one would've expected to KNOW better.

There's understandably a limit to one's patience and empathy, I think.

[fujiyamasan]

18. Bye Felicia!

Oh and fuck that guy. I’m sure he thought he was one of the good ones…

Until he wasn’t.

[JustAnotherGen]

19. Self-Inflicted wounds

These people were willing to hurt themselves to hurt others. I wash my hands.

[Tetrachloride]

20. 2 years ago, i was shocked at the attitude of 2 people that i have known for 20 years

toward a friend of mine.

[Ocelot II]

21. It's the paradox of tolerance.

The philosopher Karl Popper described the paradox as meaning that unlimited tolerance leads to the disappearance of tolerance. If a society extends its tolerance to those who are fundamentally intolerant, the tolerant society will be destroyed, and tolerance with it. Therefore, to maintain a tolerant society, sometimes the tolerant must be intolerant of the intolerant. To get around this paradox, we can look at tolerance as part of a social contract. Tolerance isn't a virtue or a moral principle, but part of the social contract that that includes tolerance of others' differences as long as no one is harmed. If you are intolerant and causing harm, you are violating the contract, and therefore you are not protected by it against the rest of society.

[regnaD kciN]

31. That social contract is also known as the "golden rule"...

…”Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Frankly, I would have no problem with him being allowed back into the U.S. as a legal resident, as long as the same mercy is extended to all those other undocumented people with many years of living here and a clean criminal record. Would he? I doubt he would have back in 2024, at least.

[Seinan Sensei]

54. Thank you O-II

Your Popper-paradox reminder dusts-off memories of discussions long-ago and far-away.

Useful and relevant!

[nini]

22. He supported a regime that never lied about what they wanted to do.

Thinking it wouldnt happen to him isn’t an excuse.

I’ll worry about innocent folks caught up in the bad decisions of those folks like Fonzie.

He is a poster child for a FAFO poster.

[ProfessorGAC]

23. The Sanctimony Is Just Pouring Off This Post

Yes, DU has changed.
Too many officious scolds.

[iemanja]

62. It reads more like disappointment to me

It looks like she’s leaving, which may well make you happy. Less scolding and less human compassion.

[FascismIsDeath]

24. There are a few dozen posters in that thread. This forums has tens of thousands of members as far as I know.

[anciano]

25. FWIW, a quote from Marcus Aurelius: "Choose not to be harmed

and you won't feel harmed. Don't feel harmed and you haven't been."

[haele]

26. Popper's paradox of tolerance in play...

You can be empathetic and tolerant and welcoming, but there comes a point where you must stop or you're overwhelmed.
Everyone deserves basic human respect, equal consideration under the law, and due process.
And sometimes, that's where it needs to stop.

Because frankly, not everyone can be saved, and I've worked too hard for peace and understanding to have my throat slit for entertainment of those who view life as a team sport.

It is estimated that of the 30% of this country who are comfortable with authoritarianism so long as they get to be part of the winning team, there's close to 10% of those who would happily bully, beat and kill those human beings, old or young, threatening or not, that they disapprove of.
I'm old. I have met a couple of those people -men and women, had to work alongside them, and keep my opinions to myself because no one wants to confront the loud, obnoxious types.

[surfered]

27. The country is definitely more polarized,. But if you look at right wing sites and Facebook, you will see much worse.

As we are self policing, you’ll see less hate, racism, demands for executions, and conspiracy theories here.

There is an Alert button for consideration of removal of those posts and you could volunteer to serve on the jury.

[DinahMoeHum]

38. One more thing. . .Use the IGNORE button

. . .if there are certain posters here who get on your nerves too much of your time.

[Cha]

28. I see So Much Kindness, Empathy, & Compassion

on this site. It's Encouraging and Inspiring to all of us, I dare say.💔☮️🌺🌻🕯️🕊️💜

Just not for Supporters of the Nazi PEDO inside the WH.. and the Destroying of America

[Seeking Serenity]

29. They don't oppose authoritarianism

They want to be the authoritarians.

[regnaD kciN]

30. He got what he supported...

…he only thought it would happen to other people. And he would have been fine with that.

[Swede]

32. I have no sympathy for any trump supporter. None.

Learn Spanish kid.

[EdmondDantes_]

33. People are angry, they want revenge. I don't think it leads to good places

The reason behind my choice of nicks is that I was once a very angry person, thought the world owed me better. All that did was eat me up inside. It doesn't lead to peace or happiness.

I understand the sentiment even if I don't embrace it myself. And it's hard when you get people calling you names and with our increasingly isolated bubbles of information. We don't listen to Fox, they don't listen to MS Now etc. We tend to listen to things that tell us what we want to hear. And in an algorithmic world, that's likely to get worse before it gets better.

[maxrandb]

34. Some of us took the "high road" and now see people being murdered in the streets by a Stasi style secret police

Last edited Sun Feb 1, 2026, 10:05 PM - Edit history (2)

"When they go low, we go high" has its limits.

Some have reached their limit.

It's a moot point, however, because, unlike Retrumplicans, if ANY Dem majority behaved in this violent, fascist way, the voters that put them in that majority would run them out of town on a rail.

Call me when DEMS ARE NOT THE ONLY FUCKING VOTERS ON THE PLANET THAT ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE EMPATHY!

[yaesu]

35. I'm not ready to give hitler 2.0 or his supporters a big wet kiss, not even after a half pint of vodka. nt

[FullySupportDems]

36. I'm conflicted

But the long and short of it is that being happy for the misfortune of that guy just isn't helpful. It's not helpful. The horrors happening to so many people are overwhelming. This guy is a tiny fish in a huge wave.

Editing to add, I forgot to say I think I agree with you, that DU is more callous than before, but I'm not convinced it's any more than my impression. I've learned the hard way how lousy it feels to have been less than a caring human being. Frequently wrong, no matter how right it feels at the time. My 2 cents. Be well

[mvd]

37. I get some of what you say

But the fact is he helped lead to this outcome by supporting Trump. Supporting Trump isn’t just about a difference of opinion - it shows a special kind of stupidity and ignorance. If he learned from this, it would at least be something, but many MAGAs never do.

[WarGamer]

39. 110%... this should have 200 recs not the fake Twitter post that has 200+ recs below

[dpibel]

46. What in the world are you talking about?

[WarGamer]

47. Here, it's debunked

https://democraticunderground.com/100220987596

[dpibel]

48. Thanks!

Contrary to received wisdom, I do not track your every post, hence honestly did not know what you were talking about.

[WarGamer]

49. Even when you shred what I write, I always respect your input

[sakabatou]

40. When someone votes for the "Leopards Eating Faces" party

and then is surprised a leopard ate their face, should I feel sorry for the person?

[purr-rat beauty]

41. Being gentle...

....got many Jews killed

We have seen it return with the Palestinians

Are we to sit down and be silent?

I'd rather my harsh words which are quite tame compared to the horror

[Tree Lady]

42. It reminds me of a relationship with a angry person

For years you can try and tell yourself its just words, I don’t have to let it affect me, but just listening to it slowly erodes your goodness over a period of time and you find yourself at times of stress or tiredness answering back in anger and thinking that is not me.

How much do you expect us to take before we as humans react with anger also? We are not the same, but we are exhausted, tired, and trying to find hope.

This is a forum filled with activists people fighting for democracy. Take a look at documentaries of our nations leaders who formed us and how hard it was for them to agree on the laws they formed. They argued many times.

I am a very kind loving person who always thought I hated no one and I hate what Trump has done to this country and wish the worst for him.

I have been here since 2004 and yes it has changed but so has this country. We have seen so many things happen and the country voting for Trump again is the worst possible. He has a way of causing chaos every minute of every day.

[WarGamer]

43. In addition... every day I see bigotry on DU that was unacceptable in the past.

A dozen times a day I see "XYZ sucking Trump's dick" or something like that.

That's homophobic. Insulting Trump by insinuating that he's gay SHOULD be no bueno here on DU

Look at the language thrown at Noem and Bondi, absolute gender biased crap that was unacceptable on DU a year ago...



Ever heard that expression "Don't let your own hatred for something turn you into something worse"?

Nietzsche:

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

[dpibel]

45. Hyperbolic

And, really, wrong from start to finish.

You haven't seen that homophobic formulation a dozen times a day. That's pure bullshit.

There's even a specific category for reporting such posts.

You can even get posts taken down for "gender biased crap."

You're painting with a broad, and mostly made-up, brush.

What a surprise!

[luv2fly]

69. DUers are often far too focused on "dicks"

I always hope it is young people who don't know any better but I suspect not. Were we all to write about "pussies" and discuss their various attributes the way many talk about dicks, we would be shamed but... If it's a dick apparently it's fair game.

[Skittles]

44. there simply is very little support for Trump admirers these days

gee, I wonder why?

and I will never abandon my country to fascism - never

[Buddyzbuddy]

50. My compassion left November of 2024.

Quite frankly, there wasn't much left after 2016. I was fooled into believing we were a great nation, but I was shown reality when that racist, masoginistic, pig came down the escalator and appealed to more racist pigs that put him in office.
Have a nice life.

[JoseBalow]

51. If you support Nazis, you are a Nazi

Fuck Nazis, there's only one kind of good one.

[Martin68]

52. I'm shocked that you see DU members in that light. The members I value are those that have enormous compassion and

empathy. All organizations and institutions have some members that are more immature and perhaps edgy than is comfortable, but overall the site hosts excellent people with deep and constant liberal principles. I have encountered exceptions to the rule, and been blocked for expressing my opinion. I believe in each case that happened I was misunderstood and unfairly judged. But that has always been the exception, and I believe the vast majority of DU members are empathetic and compassionate.

[eggplant]

53. All I'm hearing in the comments is a lot of sputtering, which is in itself telling.

I've also been here since nearly the beginning, and the vitriol has definitely ramped up quite a bit. There have always been a few voices that would say some frankly offensive and hateful things, but the alert system generally filtered that out pretty quickly.

These days, though, I'm finding that for my own mental health, I have to limit the posts that I am willing to read because the rhetoric is, frankly, over the top.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

67. Me too

Many posts on many threads are too toxic for me.

[róisín_dubh]

55. My empty well hath run sry

I live abroad and I’m nervous to go visit my family, as my home is in England and I do not want to be stuck in the US. I had to tell my mother, who is a lesbian, to make sure it is extremely clear what she wants done in the event of emergency, should her marriage become invalid.
My niece and nephew are mixed race.
My uncle and my brother are gay.
I have nieces who might need live-saving abortions some day.
I have friends and colleagues who cannot go visit their families because they are Latin American and afraid to leave the country, lest they not be able to get back in.
I have worked on Mexico and asylum issues for years (and shockingly the whole asylum system has ground to a halt )
So you’ll have to excuse me that I have zero fucks left to give for people who voted for this thinking they’d be safe because they’re not like “those Mexicans”. Fuck that guy and hopefully he keeps his mouth shut about who he voted for, because Mexicans are sick to death of US bullying.

[Sympthsical]

56. Politics are permission.

To be the person you are on the inside with a group of people who will run cover for you no matter what you do.

We see this in MAGA and Republicans easily. It's always easy to recognize in the other side.

More difficult to notice - or care - when it's in the house. Sexism, racism, joy in suffering, light homophobia when it can be managed. All is fair when pointed in a direction deemed socially acceptable by the group. It's much like religion in its way.

I've pulled way back from politics on social media. Half because I'm just too busy, and half because it's like walking into a bar as a former alcoholic and expecting support for sobriety. If your mental health ranges in well-adjusted adult territory, political spaces on social media can bring that down for you.

But if you're already at the bar drinking, well, have at.

It's a bit Nietzschian, but it's kind of gone far beyond that in the past 15 or so years. It's social media. It's dragging everyone down into a mental goblin mode. Right before this thread, I saw something so brain-breakingly stupid and tribal, I said aloud, "What am I doing with my time?" to my cat, who was his usual unimpressed.

The world is miserable right now in many ways, but being a miserable person is an active choice being made daily. And when you realize everyone around you is half in the misery bag, it's up to you if you want to plop down and join them in that drink.

[betsuni]

57. Agree. Neoantiestablishment is my word for what you're talking about.

[Hope22]

58. I have empathy with one exception...

….if a person voted for T and is surprised or saddened that they got taken by ICE I have no sympathy. He told us what he would do. They were fine with others being kidnapped in the night. They were fine with putting us all in jeopardy. The violence this administration is foisting upon all of us is exhausting and terrifying. There was one clear way to avoid this!!

[UTUSN]

59. /America/ and /we/ are not /the crime/ and haven't /become/ it. TRUMP is.

[FHRRK]

60. I agree it has changed

And I applaud the change.

Way too much defense of certain officials in the past decade. Garland along with Dem pols who enable the fascist take over.

To your specific complaint, didn’t read the article, read the thread.

Ponder this, what is going to happen to all the detention centers once most are deported? Private companies kicking money back to Repubs, again what do you think will happen? I have a damn good idea what will happen if we don’t fight back hard,

Look at Minneapolis, residents having to fight their own govt for basic Constitutional Rights. I am damn sure not going to condemn anyone in a fight of good versus evil that makes a split decision. With that one’s last words were “I’m not mad bro.” The other was “are you O.K?” Pretty easy to figure out who is good.

So Pretti kicked out a tail light, some DUers show no compassion. So damn what! There has been a constant barrage from The Orange Shitstain and his supporters. I am damn sure not going to condemn anyone for returning 1/100th of the hate.

As for Fonzi, you know what, a decade ago I likely would have had some compassion. Today, not one damn bit, unless he was mentally impaired he has no excuse for supporting Trump unless he is completely ignorant and lacks morals.

People killed by the fascists, kids being pulled from parents, imprisoned, abused. People who migrated here to feed their families. Great Americans and DUers, teachers, administrators, and others who receive no extra compensation for doing what is right, the list is long. Those have earned compassion.

With that, when I and many others get down to someone like Fonzi,…zero fucks left to give.

Currently we are in triage mode, and unfortunately, if someone supports the person who created the shit show, well they are going to eat some shit while others need care. Being kinder to them sounds great, but is unrealistic.

[JBTaurus83]

61. I'm very empathetic

But my empathy has run dry for those who would like to see our lives literally ruined and destroyed.

[choie]

63. Why should you expect us to be

Compassionate toward people who are complicit in destroying us and our country? We’re not superhuman and there are people who don’t deserve our compassion. They are dangerous.

[Happy Hoosier]

64. Oh boy....

If you can’t recognize that we are now in a fight for survival, then just clutch your pearls and stay out of the way. I am certainly empathetic. But now my empathy is reserved for those NOT trying to turn us into an authoritarian hellscape.

[Aristus]

65. He's a Trump supporter who got sent to Mexico.

People on our side are being murdered in cold blood, in broad daylight in the middle of the streets, and their murderers are getting away with it.

I can’t really see myself as the bad guy here because I can’t summon any sympathy for a pro-Trump moron who is still alive and unharmed.

[W_HAMILTON]

66. Prioritizing moral superiority over much more important things is how fascism seized power in the first place.

Those that helped bring about so much pain and suffering to so many innocent people are not entitled to my empathy nor my compassion.

You should read up on the paradox of tolerance.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

68. I agree.

I hope you decide to stay.