If this ends in Tucker Carlson running for president we’re SO cooked.

He has the messaging skills and charisma that Trump never had (he was the most popular TV show host for a while), and he’s been an ardent white supremacist for decades (vs Trump’s half-assed self-interested bigotry). He could probably make white supremacy look like a sensible option to even the Trump-averse right-wing establishment types, and to the corporations and billionaires that hate Trump for what he’s doing to the economy.

Recently I’ve seen him co-opting traditionally leftist concerns about housing and affordability, and unless the Dems do the unthinkable and actually field popular candidates, that’s going to win over even MORE people than Trump ever could with his blatantly fake populism.

Add in the usual caveats about how things don’t need to turn out this way, etc. I’m just scared.

I don’t really feel like talking about it, but I’m just going to note that I strongly disagree with your opinion in this post. I think it’s natural to experience existential dread over how little our actions matter in the grand scheme of things, and wonder whether our fellow human beings - or ourselves - are worth the effort. I do not think it’s arrogance, privilege or narcissism to feel that way. If someone had suggested that to me back when I was in OP’s position, I would have slipped even deeper into despair. I’m not attacking you, I just want to point out that there is space for different perspectives here.

I want you to know that I feel incredibly seen and validated by this post.

I’ve never had the chance to meet people like you in real life, so I’ve had to hold on to the few instances in which I’ve seen my feelings reflected in media. The one instance I keep coming back to is How To Be Hopeless by Carlos Maza. It’s an absolute masterpiece of a video essay, written from the depths of the personal and existential despair of a man who dedicated his adult life to fighting far-right extremism, and was rewarded with the end of his professional career and the victory of his serial harasser. Its message has become a core part of who I am now, and when I experience the kind of despair you’re describing, I return to it. It’s saved my life before. I cannot recommend it to you strongly enough.