#gen-x

Obviously there's a cult of personality thing happening right now but anytime the cult leader gives up the ghost, there's gonna be a power vacuum that doesn't get filled the same way. And then the country changes, be it broken up or stops existing.

Right now, this world would be completely unrecognizable to my baba and jeda (my jeda died I believe in 2001, and my baba 3 years prior) if they just came back to life right now. But with how tumultuous this is becoming, be prepared for things to be unrecognizable 10 years from now maximum.

When the gross bag of cheetohs finally expires, a power vacuum will occur, and nobody within his merry band of dipshits is gonna be able to adequately fill it. Whatever happens, their reign also won't last as long. But things are going to keep radically changing. Nothing will ever go back to any normal we've ever known; not 80s normal, not 90s normal, not the 00s or the 10s. There will be no going back as by this point, everybody on all sides will have already shown their true colors---who they really are.

This is not limited to just citizens. I'm talking people in any position of significant power that directly affects this country. And that's the thing here: there won't be a United States of America anymore. Once the cheetoh expires, there is going to be a countdown clock that nobody can read the numbers on. I've got this feeling like if the US is gonna stay in existence, it won't be all 50 states.

I don't know how this will all go down, I don't know if a new country or several develops, I don't know if some states will want to join other countries, I don't even know how this is going to look be it voluntary, civil war, or some sort of foreign invasion. But what I can tell you is to prepare... almost like it could be the end of the world, simply because we don't know how this country dissolving is going to even look like. (I'm not saying there's going to be an apocalypse. I'm saying look at how other countries used to exist, like Yugoslavia, and just prepare for maybe something like that.)

My big concern is climate change. We're already woefully far more unprepared than we were before this regime came to be. This country dissolving could also dissolve organizations or make funding unavailable for organizations that do things like keeping you up to date on the weather and sending out severe weather alerts. Infrastructure could even be jeopardized. Who knows what the mailing system might look like. Shit like that.

While it's a good idea to come up with an escape plan, it's also just as important to come up with a lockdown plan (I don't know what other term to use as I type this, sorry). I mean don't just prepare to escape. Prepare to also stay. Where you may escape to might not be the best option shortly after. This is going to completely depend on your situation.

I also have to emphasize this right now: START LEARNING ABOUT RADIOS. Granted, it costs a lot of money to have the equipment to become a ham radio operator, but at least get your hands on a decent shortwave radio and learn how to use it! Get CB radio! Learn all you can about radio! Aside from needing to power it (through electricity or batteries), it doesn't require any infrastructure! Radio tech doesn't give a fuck about country borders. AND GET YOURSELF A WEATHER RADIO RIGHT NOW because cell phone alerts aren't always reliable if you lack signal/service and/or internet! Midland is a reliable brand, and I have one that helped me big time when the derecho hit us back in May. (They send out a tornado warning, because derechos are about as powerful as an EF2 or EF3 tornado.)

Oh, and whatever you use your phone for that you can use the real version of (such as a flashlight), start getting into the habit of that. If something happens to your phone, there goes your flashlight, your period tracker, your cash, your photos, an address book, a radio, a map (or several), reference guides to plants and wildlife, etc. You all ought to start acting like cellphones won't or never existed because all of our modern tech from the big brands are designed to malfunction at a certain point so you have to buy the newest and latest one. Plus cell towers might malfunction or something (or even be sabotaged if this country splits into more than one), so it's best to have a backup.

Yes, I'm essentially telling you to get into some prepper stuff. But you can do it without seeming like some tinfoil hat wearing r*ght-w*nger. Each time you think shit can't get any worse or crazier, it does.

This feeling that the US won't be the US anymore on a map soon will not leave me alone. I hope that whoever reads this takes my words seriously just in case it does. The requests I'm making for people to do aren't too unrealistic for most. Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha likely know some Millennials, Xennials, and Gen-X'ers that could help them out with the old tech/no tech concept. Embrace analog tech! It could be very useful soon!

A friend recently shared a New York Times article titled "The Gen-X Career Meltdown." It talks about how we Gen-Xers are supposed to be in the top of our earning potential, that we should be in our golden years, but instead, once again, we're being fucked over.

This resonates with my situation. And I am incredibly ANGRY.

I followed the social contract.

I went to uni and got good grades (I was thrifty and even graduated early).

I worked multiple jobs (three at once for about a month even) in a crap economy before finding something stable (only to get tossed to the curb when I approached 20 years employment).

I bought the house, got married, had kids.

I only took the minimum of leave even after babies.

I started my retirement savings as soon as I could, when I was about 24.

After leaving the 19+-year gig I turned to freelancing - editing and technical writing. It was scary and an adjustment. But it was perfect for me. I had control over who I worked for, when I worked, and what kinds of jobs I took on. As a disabled person, this was excellent. My clients were happy and I made more money doing fewer hours of work than my previous jobs.

But then gen AI came and crashed the party, the thieving little fucker. I can hardly find clients - everyone's using AI to write and edit their stuff now. The economy is shit, dumping my retirement fund is in the toilet.

I was supposed to be beyond the point of having to be super mindful of grocery store costs. I was supposed to be able to travel and have nice vacations. I was supposed to be able to take classes for fun in the community without being worried that it would break the bank.

Instead, I'm applying for random jobs that pay 50-60% of what I was making as an editor. I'm trading grant-writing skills for dance classes (and I'm grateful this is an option). I'm realizing that I'm never going to get to go to New Zealand, Germany, Ireland or China. My dog may not end up getting a canine companion, because we can't currently risk unexpected vet bills.