Haley havoc | | Donald Trump Is My Second Choice

From what I’ve seen on Reddit and other social media, DeSantis supporters are scattered all over the place as to who they’re voting for.
Some people are writing him in for the primaries and caucuses which I don’t see the point in doing. This is not like 2020 when Bernie Sanders still collected some delegates after suspending his campaign. There’s only one Trump challenger left in the GOP race: Nikki Haley. I think she’ll continue to pick up some more delegates, but she obviously will not win. She has no chance.
I’m really shocked to see some DeSantis supporters say they’ll vote for RFK. RFK and Desantis both align when it comes to covid, but RFK is not even close to being a conservative. RFK’s campaign is similar to Tulsi Gabbard’s 2020 campaign since they both railed against the Democratic Party establishment.
DeSantis and Trump have overlap on their policy positions except for covid. Yes, you can argue that Trump is not as pro-life as he was in the administration. I think Trump is trying to “thread the needle” on abortion. He still thinks he did everything right on covid which pisses me off.
However, I will vote for Trump because I want to bring back America First policies. I want to restore world peace and have our country be safe again. I want a foreign policy that puts our country and our interests first. I want safe and secured borders by finishing the border wall and annihilating the drug cartels that have been wreaking havoc in our communities with fentanyl. We need to hold China accountable for manufacturing fentanyl and for their trade abuses.
A vote for RFK is a single-issue vote. A vote for Biden is a vote for politics as usual. A vote for Nikki Haley is a vote for America’s self-destruction. A vote for DeSantis is a wasted vote because Trump and DeSantis are aligned on a lot of issues.
A vote for Donald Trump is the way forward for our party and the country.

If the evidence plainly shows that when you put one penny on a table, then put another, you have a total of two pennies, you may want to believe you have three, you may tell others you have three, but you have two.
If, because your brother-in-law is out of work you think it means unemployment is rampaging across the country, you've been duped by the Republicans.
If, because the price of your Goobers has risen by 20% it means you can extrapolate that to prove the economy is in the toilet, you've earned your MAGA hat.
If, because you have a General Diploma from Dotard School of Syllogistic Reasoning of Mississippi you believe it means you are well qualified to make life altering medical decisions, then go ahead, have a beer, give out with a large belch and revel in the approbation of your buddies - but you are wrong about everything.
1 plus 1 is two, unemployment is hovering about 3%, only licensed medical professionals should make life altering decisions, and inflation in the United States is almost completely in line where it should be.
The New York Times.
By Paul Krugman
A few days ago, Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota — a MAGA hard-liner sometimes mentioned as a potential running mate for Donald Trump — warned that President Biden is “remaking” America, turning us into Europe. My first thought was: So he’s going to raise our life expectancy by five or six years? In context, however, it was clear that Noem believes, or expects her audience to believe, that Europe is a scene of havoc wrought by hordes of immigrants.
As it happens, I spent a fair bit of time walking around various European cities last year, and none of them was a hellscape. Yes, broadly speaking, Europe has been having problems dealing with migrants, and immigration has become a hot political issue. And yes, Europe’s economic recovery has lagged that of the United States. But visions of a continent devastated by immigration are a fantasy.
Yet such fantasies are now the common currency of politics on the American right. Remember the days when pundits solemnly declared that Trumpism was caused by “economic anxiety”? Well, despite a booming economy, there’s still plenty of justified anxiety out there, reflecting many people’s real struggles: America is still a nation riddled with inequality, insecurity and injustice. But the anxiety driving MAGA isn’t driven by reality. It is, instead, driven by dystopian visions unrelated to real experience.
That is, at this point, Republican political strategy depends largely on frightening voters who are personally doing relatively well, not just according to official statistics but also by their own accounts, by telling them that terrible things are happening to other people.
This is most obvious when it comes to the U.S. economy, which had a very good — indeed, almost miraculously good — 2023. Economic growth not only defied widespread predictions of an imminent recession, it also hugely exceeded expectations; inflation has plunged and is more or less where the Federal Reserve wants it to be. And people are feeling it in their own lives: 63 percent of Americans say that their financial situation is good or very good.
Yet out on the stump a few days ago, Nikki Haley declared that “we’ve got an economy in shambles and inflation that’s out of control.” And it’s likely that the Republicans who heard her believed her. According to YouGov, almost 72 percent of Republicans say that our 3-2 economy — roughly 3 percent growth and 2 percent inflation — is getting worse, while only a little over 6 percent say that it’s getting better.
Again, this negative verdict doesn’t reflect personal experience. In December, YouGov asked Americans to evaluate 2023 in general. Republicans said it was awful for the nation, with 76 percent saying the year was bad or terrible. Strange to say, however, 69 percent of Republicans — close to the same number — said that the year was OK, good or great for them personally.
Now, that last survey wasn’t specifically limited to the state of the economy, and presumably also reflected things like perceptions about crime. But crime declined significantly in 2023, which in a rational world would have added to the good economy in fostering a sense that things are improving.
But the world — especially MAGAworld — isn’t rational. And it’s a longstanding observation that Americans tend to say that national crime is rising even when it’s falling, and even when they concede that it’s falling where they live.
Again, these misperceptions are strongly associated with partisanship, with a startling willingness of Republicans to believe things that aren’t true.
Falsely believing that Europe is a continent on the brink of ruin is one thing (although millions of Americans visit Europe, and so get the chance to see for themselves, each year). It’s much harder to excuse the belief that New York — one of the safest big cities in America — is some kind of urban wasteland. After all, estimates say that more than 50 million Americans visited the Big Apple last year, and a lot of people who haven’t visited New York know someone who has visited or who, like yours truly, actually lives here. Yet only 22 percent of Republicans say that the city is safe to visit or live in.
The trashing of New York raises the question of the extent to which MAGA supporters are willing to disregard the evidence of their own eyes. People buy gas all the time; when Trump says “gasoline prices are now $5, $6, $7 and even $8 a gallon,” around twice the price plainly displayed on big signs all around the country, do his followers believe him?
And then of course there’s the Covid pandemic, wherein the MAGA politicization of vaccines appears to have contributed to higher death rates among Republicans.
What does this say about the future of America? It can’t be good. A large segment of our body politic has in effect joined a cult of personality whose beliefs are nearly impervious to reality.
So how did this happen to us? The truth is that I don’t know. But you can’t talk seriously about the state of America without acknowledging the pervasiveness of the fear-based MAGA worldview.

If the evidence plainly shows that when you put one penny on a table, then put another, you have a total of two pennies. You may want to believe you have three, you may tell others you have three, but you have two.
If, because your brother-in-law is out of work you think it means unemployment is rampaging across the country, you've been duped by the Republicans.
If, because the price of your Goobers has risen by 20% it means you can extrapolate that to prove the economy is in the toilet, you've earned your MAGA hat.
If,, because you have a General Diploma from Dotard School of Mississippi you believe it means you are well qualified to make life altering medical decisions, then go ahead, have a beer, give out with a large belch and revel in the approbation of your buddies - but you are wrong about everything.
1 plus 1 is two, unemployment is hovering about 3%, only licensed medical professionals shou make life altering decisions, and inflation in the United States is almost completely in line where it should be.

The New York Times.
By Paul Krugman
A few days ago, Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota — a MAGA hard-liner sometimes mentioned as a potential running mate for Donald Trump — warned that President Biden is “remaking” America, turning us into Europe. My first thought was: So he’s going to raise our life expectancy by five or six years? In context, however, it was clear that Noem believes, or expects her audience to believe, that Europe is a scene of havoc wrought by hordes of immigrants.
As it happens, I spent a fair bit of time walking around various European cities last year, and none of them was a hellscape. Yes, broadly speaking, Europe has been having problems dealing with migrants, and immigration has become a hot political issue. And yes, Europe’s economic recovery has lagged that of the United States. But visions of a continent devastated by immigration are a fantasy.
Yet such fantasies are now the common currency of politics on the American right. Remember the days when pundits solemnly declared that Trumpism was caused by “economic anxiety”? Well, despite a booming economy, there’s still plenty of justified anxiety out there, reflecting many people’s real struggles: America is still a nation riddled with inequality, insecurity and injustice. But the anxiety driving MAGA isn’t driven by reality. It is, instead, driven by dystopian visions unrelated to real experience.
That is, at this point, Republican political strategy depends largely on frightening voters who are personally doing relatively well, not just according to official statistics but also by their own accounts, by telling them that terrible things are happening to other people.
This is most obvious when it comes to the U.S. economy, which had a very good — indeed, almost miraculously good — 2023. Economic growth not only defied widespread predictions of an imminent recession, it also hugely exceeded expectations; inflation has plunged and is more or less where the Federal Reserve wants it to be. And people are feeling it in their own lives: 63 percent of Americans say that their financial situation is good or very good.
Yet out on the stump a few days ago, Nikki Haley declared that “we’ve got an economy in shambles and inflation that’s out of control.” And it’s likely that the Republicans who heard her believed her. According to YouGov, almost 72 percent of Republicans say that our 3-2 economy — roughly 3 percent growth and 2 percent inflation — is getting worse, while only a little over 6 percent say that it’s getting better.
Again, this negative verdict doesn’t reflect personal experience. In December, YouGov asked Americans to evaluate 2023 in general. Republicans said it was awful for the nation, with 76 percent saying the year was bad or terrible. Strange to say, however, 69 percent of Republicans — close to the same number — said that the year was OK, good or great for them personally.
Now, that last survey wasn’t specifically limited to the state of the economy, and presumably also reflected things like perceptions about crime. But crime declined significantly in 2023, which in a rational world would have added to the good economy in fostering a sense that things are improving.
But the world — especially MAGAworld — isn’t rational. And it’s a longstanding observation that Americans tend to say that national crime is rising even when it’s falling, and even when they concede that it’s falling where they live.
Again, these misperceptions are strongly associated with partisanship, with a startling willingness of Republicans to believe things that aren’t true.
Falsely believing that Europe is a continent on the brink of ruin is one thing (although millions of Americans visit Europe, and so get the chance to see for themselves, each year). It’s much harder to excuse the belief that New York — one of the safest big cities in America — is some kind of urban wasteland. After all, estimates say that more than 50 million Americans visited the Big Apple last year, and a lot of people who haven’t visited New York know someone who has visited or who, like yours truly, actually lives here. Yet only 22 percent of Republicans say that the city is safe to visit or live in.
The trashing of New York raises the question of the extent to which MAGA supporters are willing to disregard the evidence of their own eyes. People buy gas all the time; when Trump says “gasoline prices are now $5, $6, $7 and even $8 a gallon,” around twice the price plainly displayed on big signs all around the country, do his followers believe him?
And then of course there’s the Covid pandemic, wherein the MAGA politicization of vaccines appears to have contributed to higher death rates among Republicans.
What does this say about the future of America? It can’t be good. A large segment of our body politic has in effect joined a cult of personality whose beliefs are nearly impervious to reality.
So how did this happen to us? The truth is that I don’t know. But you can’t talk seriously about the state of America without acknowledging the pervasiveness of the fear-based MAGA worldview.

If the evidence plainly shows that when you put one penny on a table, then put another, you have a total of two pennies, you may want to believe you have three, you may tell others you have three, but you have two.
If, because your brother-in-law is out of work you think it means unemployment is rampaging across the country, you've been duped by the Republicans.
If, because the price of your Goobers has risen by 20% it means you can extrapolate that to prove the economy is in the toilet, you've earned your MAGA hat.
If, because you have a General Diploma from Dotard School of Syllogistic Reasoning of Mississippi you believe it means you are well qualified to make life altering medical decisions, then go ahead, have a beer, give out with a large belch and revel in the approbation of your buddies - but you are wrong about everything.
1 plus 1 is two, unemployment is hovering about 3%, only licensed medical professionals should make life altering decisions, and inflation in the United States is almost completely in line where it should be.

The New York Times.
By Paul Krugman
A few days ago, Kristi Noem, the Republican governor of South Dakota — a MAGA hard-liner sometimes mentioned as a potential running mate for Donald Trump — warned that President Biden is “remaking” America, turning us into Europe. My first thought was: So he’s going to raise our life expectancy by five or six years? In context, however, it was clear that Noem believes, or expects her audience to believe, that Europe is a scene of havoc wrought by hordes of immigrants.
As it happens, I spent a fair bit of time walking around various European cities last year, and none of them was a hellscape. Yes, broadly speaking, Europe has been having problems dealing with migrants, and immigration has become a hot political issue. And yes, Europe’s economic recovery has lagged that of the United States. But visions of a continent devastated by immigration are a fantasy.
Yet such fantasies are now the common currency of politics on the American right. Remember the days when pundits solemnly declared that Trumpism was caused by “economic anxiety”? Well, despite a booming economy, there’s still plenty of justified anxiety out there, reflecting many people’s real struggles: America is still a nation riddled with inequality, insecurity and injustice. But the anxiety driving MAGA isn’t driven by reality. It is, instead, driven by dystopian visions unrelated to real experience.
That is, at this point, Republican political strategy depends largely on frightening voters who are personally doing relatively well, not just according to official statistics but also by their own accounts, by telling them that terrible things are happening to other people.
This is most obvious when it comes to the U.S. economy, which had a very good — indeed, almost miraculously good — 2023. Economic growth not only defied widespread predictions of an imminent recession, it also hugely exceeded expectations; inflation has plunged and is more or less where the Federal Reserve wants it to be. And people are feeling it in their own lives: 63 percent of Americans say that their financial situation is good or very good.
Yet out on the stump a few days ago, Nikki Haley declared that “we’ve got an economy in shambles and inflation that’s out of control.” And it’s likely that the Republicans who heard her believed her. According to YouGov, almost 72 percent of Republicans say that our 3-2 economy — roughly 3 percent growth and 2 percent inflation — is getting worse, while only a little over 6 percent say that it’s getting better.
Again, this negative verdict doesn’t reflect personal experience. In December, YouGov asked Americans to evaluate 2023 in general. Republicans said it was awful for the nation, with 76 percent saying the year was bad or terrible. Strange to say, however, 69 percent of Republicans — close to the same number — said that the year was OK, good or great for them personally.
Now, that last survey wasn’t specifically limited to the state of the economy, and presumably also reflected things like perceptions about crime. But crime declined significantly in 2023, which in a rational world would have added to the good economy in fostering a sense that things are improving.
But the world — especially MAGAworld — isn’t rational. And it’s a longstanding observation that Americans tend to say that national crime is rising even when it’s falling, and even when they concede that it’s falling where they live.
Again, these misperceptions are strongly associated with partisanship, with a startling willingness of Republicans to believe things that aren’t true.
Falsely believing that Europe is a continent on the brink of ruin is one thing (although millions of Americans visit Europe, and so get the chance to see for themselves, each year). It’s much harder to excuse the belief that New York — one of the safest big cities in America — is some kind of urban wasteland. After all, estimates say that more than 50 million Americans visited the Big Apple last year, and a lot of people who haven’t visited New York know someone who has visited or who, like yours truly, actually lives here. Yet only 22 percent of Republicans say that the city is safe to visit or live in.
The trashing of New York raises the question of the extent to which MAGA supporters are willing to disregard the evidence of their own eyes. People buy gas all the time; when Trump says “gasoline prices are now $5, $6, $7 and even $8 a gallon,” around twice the price plainly displayed on big signs all around the country, do his followers believe him?
And then of course there’s the Covid pandemic, wherein the MAGA politicization of vaccines appears to have contributed to higher death rates among Republicans.
What does this say about the future of America? It can’t be good. A large segment of our body politic has in effect joined a cult of personality whose beliefs are nearly impervious to reality.
So how did this happen to us? The truth is that I don’t know. But you can’t talk seriously about the state of America without acknowledging the pervasiveness of the fear-based MAGA worldview.

"I prefer a hearing to happen behind closed doors..." - Fox News personality (and former NFL reporter?) Michele Tafoya taking a strong stance against transparency, if you can believe!

Reel Big Problems

Fresh details from a mega-lawsuit against Instagram and Facebook’s parent company Meta just went public. And they’re not pretty.

In late October, over three dozen state attorneys general filed a landmark lawsuit alleging that Meta purposefully engineered its platforms to turn children into social media addicts and knowingly allowed underage users to hold accounts. The legal complaint underpinning that lawsuit has now been unsealed. The legal filing states that the social media giant received millions of complaints of underage users on Instagram but only disabled a fraction of those accounts. This massive number of underage users was an “open secret” at the company, the suit alleges, citing internal corporate documents as evidence.
On one internal email thread, employees discussed why a 12-year-old girl’s four accounts were not deleted following complaints from the girl’s mother who had reported her daughter’s age and requested her accounts be taken down. Employees concluded that “the accounts were ignored” because Meta representatives “couldn’t tell for sure” that the girl was underage, according to the lawsuit.
The newly-unsealed complaint states that in 2021, Meta received over 402,000 reports of Instagram accounts of users under 13, but only disabled 164,000. The lawsuit notes that at times, Meta has had a backlog of up to 2.5 million accounts of underage users awaiting action. According to the complaint, this and other incidents violate the Children’s Online Privacy and Protection Act, a statute which requires social media companies to provide notice and parental consent before collecting data from children.

Meta has even more for which to answer related to protecting children.

Instagram Reels is a video service designed to compete with TikTok to show users short videos based on subjects its algorithm decides will interest them. An investigation by The Wall Street Journal found that the algorithm continues to work this way even if the “subject” is a possible sexual interest in children. The Journal set up test accounts to follow only young gymnasts, cheerleaders, and other teenage and preteen influencers on the platform, and found that Instagram’s algorithm began serving inappropriate videos of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos, intermixed with ads for some of the largest brands in the United States.
The Journal began running these tests after observing that thousands of followers of young people/preteen accounts included vast numbers of adult men. Many of the accounts who followed those children also had demonstrated interest in sexual content featuring both children and adults. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection separately ran similar tests and found similar results. Meta responded by saying that the Journal’s tests produced an unrepresentative, manufactured experience, and declined to comment on why the algorithms compiled these streams of videos showing children, sex, and advertisements. Meta’s own behavioral tracking has concluded that some Instagram users who follow preteen girls will want to engage with videos sexualizing children, and then its recommendation system directs that content to them. Preventing the system from doing this would require significant changes to the algorithm itself. Crooked contributor and Offline co-host Max Fisher (who literally wrote a book about the ways in which social media algorithms have wrought havoc on our society) had this to say: “This isn't some algorithmic quirk, it's core to how the platform works. Meta knows it, and they won't fix it.”

Current and former Meta employees told the Journal in interviews that this problem was known internally in the company. Meta’s safety staff flagged the risk of the algorithm linking videos of children with inappropriate content, but the company did not adopt their safety team’s recommendations. The company hasn’t offered a timetable for resolving the issue, nor has it explained how it might restrict such content from being promoted in the future.

Look No Further Than Crooked Media

TODAY is the LAST day of our holiday sale! You have until midnight to snag that merch you’ve been eying all year and check some gifts off your list. Everything is 20% OFF. We haven’t been this excited since we first saw Trump’s mugshot! Head to https://crooked.com/store to shop now.

Under The Radar

Tuesday marked the fifth day of an extended pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas. Twelve hostages (nine Israeli women, one child, and two foreign nationals) were transferred to the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday, according to a Qatari spokesperson. The Israel Defense Forces also confirmed the news, and the families of the hostages were informed that their loved ones had been returned to Israel. Thirty Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons were also released on Tuesday.
The Biden administration told Israeli officials that it must work to avoid “further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if and when it resumes its ground campaign, senior U.S. officials told The Associated Press. Some two-thirds of Gaza’s 2.3 million-person population have been displaced since October 7. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that the Israel Defense Forces will restart military operations after the conclusion of the temporary pause to continue swapping hostages for Palestinains held in Israeli prisons.

What Else?

Fulton County prosecutors overseeing the election interference case do not intend to offer plea deals to disgraced former president Donald Trump, his former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, nor his former lawyer and man with the scariest teeth in America, Rudy Giuliani.
Hunter Biden’s lawyers informed the House Oversight Committee that he will testify on December 13 in response to their inquiry, but only if he can do so publicly.
The Koch Network (evil billionaires who want to destroy what little is left of the social safety net and ensure that the super wealthy and corporations pay as close to nothing in taxes as possible) endorsed Trump’s former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley for president.
Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) became the third Senator to call for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Families of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting have offered Infowars founder Alex Jones a deal to settle the $1.5 billion debt for just six percent of what he owes them, or $85 million over ten years—along with half of any income Jones earns over $9 million a year.
A Russian court extended the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich for the third time since he was taken into custody in March on allegations of espionage. Gershkovich and the Journal vehemently deny the charges, as does the U.S. government.
Australia will ban disposable, single-use vape imports beginning in January, with the country’s health minister citing “disturbing” levels of youth nicotine addiction. The nation will lower its flag depicting a child furiously inhaling nicotine to half-mast.
Elon Musk endorsed the definitively-debunked Pizzagate conspiracy theory…can the U.S. government please stop giving him billions of dollars in contracts now?
President Biden, former president Bill Clinton, and all five living first ladies joined former president Jimmy Carter—who emerged from hospice care—at Rosalynn Carter’s funeral on Tuesday in Atlanta.

Be Smarter

Puerto Rico’s healthcare system is crumbling—and that’s having dire consequences for the island’s inhabitants. The U.S. territory has experienced a surge in deaths that reached historic proportions in 2022, according to a joint investigation between The Washington Post and Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism. Puerto Rico recorded 35,400 deaths last year, which was almost 3,300 more than experts would have predicted based on historic patterns. That was partly due to a covid spike, which killed 2,300 people. But elevated death rates continued for months after the wave of covid faded, suggesting a broader breakdown in the island’s medical system. In 2022, Puerto Rico experienced 110 deaths per 10,000 residents, a rate 10 percent higher than in the U.S. Part of the problem is that doctors and medical staffers have moved away from the island. Yet the analysis found that Puerto Rico’s leading killers include many illnesses that are potentially less lethal with medical care.

What A Sponsor

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Light At The End Of The Email

Disgraced former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy proudly declared in a speech at a black-tie event that in every war the United States has fought, “we have never asked for land afterward,” I guess forgetting the Revolutionary War, the Mexican-American war, and the Spanish-American War.
Gas prices have fallen in the United States for 60 days straight.
A critically-endangered Sumatran rhino gave birth to a calf in Indonesia.
The House of Representatives is once again trying to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) for being too fun!!!

Enjoy

Tommy McNamara on Twitter: "I am also 33"

Timestamp: https://imgur.com/a/4PYqdxr
Album of pictures: https://imgur.com/a/Ybv49XU (ask for more if you want to see more angles/close-ups or whatever)
What's up gents, back trying to clear out some space. Half of this stuff, I am selling for a buddy, the other half is mine. Trying to clear room for new kit, upgrades, closet space, etc.! Prices are negotiable, doesn't hurt to ask. Neither of us are really looking for any trades at the moment - he is trying to buy two RMR HDs, I'm trying to pay off stuff I bought the past month hah.

Onward Research RECCE Rig + Simp Pouch (Ranger Green) - $185
Haley Strategic Dangler (Multicam) - $45
~~LBT Modular Small Blowout Kit Pouch - $55~~
Condor Plate Carrier with Double Stack Mag Pouches (Multicam, Medium) - $75
SHOT STOP Level 3 Plates (lightest I've ever felt) - $450
AR500 Plate Carrier with Pouches (Coyote, Large) - $100
HRT Plate Carrier (Coyote, Large) - $100
HRT Placards (~~Admin,~~ and Double RIfle/pistol) - $50 each (bundle with HRT carrier for $140 total)
Havoc Holsters G43X - $60
T1C MSP w/ modlite + Mag Holster - $100
T1C Universal Holster + Modlite - $100

Assorted pouches at the bottom are ADD-ONS to anything from the above list, or two items from below to ship.

Somogear MOLLE Pouch (Coyote) - $10
Condor Tear-Away IFAK w/ Army issued insert (FDE) - $20 (or $10 for insert/$10 for pouch)
Amazon special RG Admin Pouch (actually sick) - $12
Water Bottle/Nalgene Pouch (Green of some sort) - $10
Small molle pouch for repair kit/cleaning, etc. (black) - $8

This is a twisted tale, but true. Do not use my post in any way, pls. Players are: Zelda, the bride/wife Atmos, the groom/husband mental discharge vet (this is important) Pilar, myself, a friend/witness Larry, my husband/witness Haley, another friend/witness
Location is Louisiana.
Zelda and Atmos had been dating for about three years, when he proposed, just as Covid hit. They kept in touch via phone, and when the all clear was given, Atmos pushed to get married right away. Zelda demurred, she didn't have a dress, veil, etc., yet Atmos persisted, and wore her down. Fortunately, Haley and I were able to get her a dress, and all the accouterments to go with it, within fifteen days. A quick ceremony in a judge's chambers was held, and Zelda moved into Atmos' condo with him.
Twenty-seven days later, Atmos has an episode, where he accused Zelda of conspiracy in an underground church to keep him out of a lawsuit he has filed out of state, to get the US government to admit aliens started Christianity. (I've seen this paperwork, and cautioned Zelda about marriage, but...)
Zelda is shocked, and phones me in hysterics, as Atmos is raving he can't trust her, he wants an annulment, and she has to move out. She did, immediately, and hasn't seen him since, though he phones her occasionally and begs forgiveness.
Their third anniversary just passed, and Atmos is in the VA Center psych ward, yet again.
What can Zelda do? Haley says to sue him for everything, but I say as he does have an official diagnosis of mental illness, therefore, he cannot be taken to the cleaners. Zelda says they didn't consumate the marriage, as Atmos' meds wreck havoc with his sex drive.

Technically, the show is about "family," but in my opinion, it is also very much about the severe complex trauma that the Originals experienced and how it changed both their decision-making process and who they ultimately became. They were born into a home in which their parents were not stable, reliable, and "safe" caretakers for them (attachment trauma plus generational trauma), were raised in an abusive household (childhood trauma), had zero say in whether or not they were made into vampires (identity trauma), and continued to experience trauma in pretty much every form throughout the series.
"Always and forever" honestly makes me a bit sad, as it's pretty much the definition of a trauma-bond; Rebekah and Elijah's inability to break that trauma bond wreaked havoc on their lives, especially in terms of living the lifestyle that they would actually prefer & being able to have healthy relationships. Nik continually acts out because he's got abandonment issues and he knows that they will always come to his aid if he's in major trouble; honestly, I feel like a lot of his destructive acts are fueled by the need to reassure himself that he is still loved. It actually makes a lot of sense to me that Kol, who wasn't bound to their pact, and Freya, who was still "new" to the family, were the two siblings able to find healthy relationships and happiness.
How trauma can compound over time and where that can manifest when it's never properly addressed is also a major theme; each of the siblings (and pretty much all of the main characters, to some extent) demonstrates this in their own way. Elijah desperately wants to be part of a healthy family that aligns with his values, to the point that he tries to "fix" Nik and bring the family together for a thousand years, only to eventually give up and choose to end his life after losing Haley (and alienating Hope). Kol, like Nik, acts out in an attempt to get attention from the rest of the family, & Rebekah struggles with codependency and a fear of commitment.

Prince Edward's Star, The United Kingdom of British Systems, HMS Endeavour
Those who stood on the viewing deck of Endeavour couldn't believe their eyes. What had they just seen?
A star was bleeding. How was this even possible? That question wasn't answered. Instead, the why was. "We know the Rapturers require either biological material or a star for energy. With this new device, which we are calling 'Caliburn', we can remove their ability to harvest stars for energy. This is the result." Came the tired voice of physicist and head researcher on this project, Thomas Haley. "If the military can find a way to deploy Caliburn on the stars occupied by the Rapturers then we can simply bleed them dry."
Everyone on the deck remained silent as they started writing on their data slates. This was... the only real shot humanity has had.
Washington, Columbia's Star, The United Systems of America
The president, one Christopher Harling, sat at his desk, his head in his hands as his closest advisors and admirals spoke to him about the plan the British had concocted. "We have to participate. This is the one good shot we have had in almost a hundred years! I don't see another way out."
"Plus, a lot of our influence comes from our image. If we fail to show up, how will we look should they succeed?"
His advisors were trying to convince him this was a good idea. He knew it was. That wasn't what gave him pause. "Do we tell them?"
"Sir?"
"Do we tell the people we are sending entire fleets to their death?"
Windsor Palace, King Richard's Star, The United Kingdom of British and Irish Systems
"Sir! I must protest! The people will need a figurehead to rally behind once this is over!"
"I will not have it! I am allowing hundreds of thousands to die in my name! What am I if I do not join them?!" King Henry the 12th was debating with an Admiral about his partaking in the battle. The monarchy was largely symbolic, Henry knew this, which is why he was so willing to go. If he was a symbol, then surely he should partake in this battle to act as a symbol.
"Sir, please, think about this. What if this fails?"
"Then I am martyred! I am going, and there isn't a single damn soul that can stop me!"
Tokyo, Kanto Star, The Second Japanese Democracy, The Prime Minister's office
The Prime Minister was looking out his window in silence. All he had to do was press a single button, and the order would be given. Could he do this? His daughter would likely be sent. The British had been clear that the best had to go to ensure success, and his daughter was on the pride of the Japanese navy.
Was this really a choice he had to make? Did the people really trust him enough to make this decision? And what of his wife? How would she feel about this? Would she understand why? Or would she be inconsolable?
Paris, Il De France, The Sixth French Republic, FS Joan De Arc
Admiral Marie had just been given the order. She would assist in the massive fleet action to free humanity from this war, once and for all. She stood on the bridge, that order replaying over and over in her mind. She would fulfil her duty to the fullest extent, of that she had no doubt. She doubted if she could keep composed while she did it.
"Ready the fleet. We head for Orleans." She spoke quickly, trying to avoid any breaks in her voice as her emotions played havoc in her mind.
"Aye Ma'am," Came the navigation officer.
Scapa Flow, The Ilse, The United Kingdom of British and Irish Systems
The engineering team was loading up HMS Respite with two Caliburn rounds. They were absolutely massive. One of the ship's primary guns had its ammo capacity halved by these things. Thankfully, that gun had been removed, and in its place stood a single-barreled battery the size of HMS Royal Oak's spinal mount.
Speaking of Royal Oak, her spinal mount was thankfully the right size, so she needed no retrofitting. The round had been designed with British spinal mounts in mind, though far from every capital ship possessed such a weapon.
Gavin's Star, The Republic of Ireland and Irish Systems
What were they thinking? There was no way this was going to work. No way in hell. "We don't really have a choice, do we?" Ensign Patrick Connors spoke, Ensign David Croft sitting opposite him.
"No... no we don't." David replied. He was slouching, looking dejected. "When I signed up... I never expected this."
"You didn't expect to fight the one thing the entirety of humanity has since before we were born?"
"No... no. I never expected to be sent on a suicide mission. Every battle with them has had a chance of someone coming back. But this? Three jumps in and we'll be down to our last, making it back isn't an option."
"No wonder the Brits didn't do this themselves, the damn glory hunters." David stared at his pint of beer, a sad grin on his face. "Hey, to showing the Brits how it's done." He raised his glass, which Connor met with his own.
Spaceport 'Dover', The United Kingdom of British and Irish Systems, HMS Imperious
On the bridge stood His Majesty, King Henry the 12th. He took a few steady breaths before receiving a nod from the communication officer. He then spoke, "People of The United Kingdom, I come before you today on the pride of our nation's navy, HMS Imperious..."
Spaceport 'Kure', The Second Japanese Democracy, JS Mikasa
Gunnery officer Tanaka Aoi stood at her post, a screen before her showed her father talking from his office, "... Today marks the day that the entire human race makes a decisive thrust against our greatest foe. For too long we have bled at their hands..."
Spaceport 'Orleans', The Sixth French Republic, FS Joan De Arc
Marie stood on the bridge of her ship, transmitting her voice to the entirety of the French fleet gathered here, "... But no more! We may all perish this day, but we shall do so knowing our brothers and sister, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers will live in a safer galaxy! This is the day..."
Spaceport 'Midway', The United Systems of America, USS Liberty
USS Liberty was the flagship of the 1st Fleet. And on it stood President Harling, making a speech, "... We can finally let our dead rest, knowing their sacrifices were not in vain, knowing all they gave culminated in something. This is humanities darkest hour, but in it, we shall burn oh so bright."
That was it. The end of the short speech. It was mostly for the civilians, those who wouldn't take part in this. The crews of all the ships already knew this was do and die. They had all been told to make peace with their lives, say goodbye to those who they loved, and prepare themselves for their demise.
Once Harling was off of USS Liberty, the drives began to spool up. A few moments later, the largest fleet action ever was commenced.
HMS Imperious
"Sir! Fifty seconds to destination, formation holding!" The XO yelled over the commotion of the bridge.
"Acknowledged, is the Caliburn weapon ready?" Admiral Issac Jellicoe inquired
"Aye, sir! On your order, the spinal mount is ready to launch it." The weapons officer replied.
"Your majesty, if you would do the honours of ordering the firing of the weapon."
"Of course." King Henry had a steadfast look on his face, though the admiral saw the fear. Nonetheless, he was glad for his monarch's presence. It bolstered spirits across the entire fleet. Still, a job had to be done.
"Ten seconds!" the XO once again yelled.
And sure enough, ten seconds went by, and the 1st fleet appeared in hostile territory. The King stepped forward, took a breath, and spoke, "Fire the Spinal Mount."
A large thunk was heard throughout the ship as the spinal mount fired the first Caliburn ever. For this, HMS Imperious would be remembered forever.
Forty seconds for the weapon to make contact, seven for the first effects to take place, and 28 seconds for the light to reach them. 1 minute and 15 seconds. "Sir, targets on the long-range scanners, they're moving to engage us."
"Do not engage unless engaged. Focus on taking out the planets and moons bearing life."
One minute and fifteen seconds later and it happened. A deep red spot on the star before them appeared and the crew erupted in cheers. This could be done.
JS Mikasa
The ship's automated voice hadn't stopped blearing out warnings since they exited their second jump. Mikasa had managed to draw the Rapturers' fire away from the Caliburn-wielding ships. They were now being torn apart, piece by piece.
Aoi had, almost inevitably, had her gun blown off the ship's hull. Her crew was dead, but she was descending to the moon below. Her suit would have her survive the impact with minimal injuries. The wonders of modern science.
When she hit the surface of the moon, she turned her gaze upwards. The Mikasa was going down, but she had completed her task. The sun was turning red and bleeding off its energy. Aoi smiled as she saw her fleet make the jump to their next target. It was then she decided to perform one last task. She took out the photo of her family she kept in her suit. Her brother would be almost twelve now.
She then reached for her pistol, levelled it at her temple and fired.
USS Liberty
Their third target had just been hit. The USS Liberty had been just as hard. It was dead in the water, its warp drive damaged beyond repair. The bridge had been hit, killing the majority of the ship's command. Only a few remained, and they were ordering a desperate last stand of the ship.
Fires were breaking out all over. There wasn't enough crew to fix all the damage USS Liberty had attained. The commanding officer condemned the ship, but didn't give the order to abandon ship. What good would it do here?
FS Joan De Arc
They just had to jinx it. Marie had thought they had encountered relatively little resistance.
Their enemy was waiting for them at their last target. Her orders? Ignore them. Focus on the objective.
It worked. The star was now bleeding, and the planets were reduced to little more than rubble. However, this is where the second French fleet met its end, overwhelmed by hostiles. Marie would be named a national hero a day later.
HMS Imperious
Their last target. Royal Oak would take the shot. The Grand Fleet had taken a major hit. Of the over 200 vessels that made this fleet up hours ago, six remained, all of which were battleships. The king stood, resolute. "It has been an honour and a privilege, Jellicoe" He spoke, breaking his demeanour.
"It has been an honour to serve, your majesty." Jellicoe took a breath. "Order the fleet to engage. This is where it ends for us." The last ships of The Grand Fleet grew close to their enemy, Royal Oak firing her last Caliburn. "All ships, open fire. For King and country."
The next day, Earth, Sol, The United Nations of Earth
In each nation, a monument was erected. The pride of each navy stood, a 3:1 replica. Each ship named every single service member that died in the great fleet action. Millions upon millions were dead, but now humanity... was safe. It would only take a few years. Maybe the next species they find will be more open to diplomacy.

And that's half of the 2023 IFL season down. Pretty much every game this week was one team getting out to a quick two score lead and then just hanging on for the rest of the game. No real great games this week besides Frisco-Bay Area. Again, I apologize for the late post, these 7 game weekends are killers and I've got a lot to balance, between work, family and school. But as hip-hop legend Andre 3000 once said, "Ya'll don't wanna hear me ya'll just wanna ~~dance~~ read about the IFL". Look out for my mid-season awards post in the next couple days.

Quad City Steamwheelers (6-3) @ Massachusetts Pirates (5-3) 49-63: The Pirates came into this game angry after getting humiliated by Iowa last week, and looking to avenge their loss to QC from a few weeks ago. The game was really exciting to begin with, as both teams went blow for blow in the first half, culminating in the final minute that saw each team score two touchdowns, including back-to-back kickoff return tds by QC's Jerron McGaw and Mass's Jimmie Robinson. However, the Pirates were able to force a fumble on the goal line and go up two scores, and they never looked back. Anothony Russo had a monster game, throwing for 228 yards and 7 touchdowns, while adding another td on the ground. Jimmie Robinson was kept relatively in check, but still rushed for 50 yards. Thomas Owens, one of my favorite players who doesn't get talked about enough, showed up clutch over and over, with at least 3 ridiculous catches by my count. The Pirates offense in general was just super in tune, and scored on every single possession.
Quad City didn't look bad, but they just couldn't keep up with the Pirates' offensive onslaught. The turning point came when EJ Hilliard tried to reach the ball across the goal line and it got punched out and recovered by the defense. This is something I've noticed EJ do a lot. I won't say it happens every game, but it happens multiple times a season, and was the key moment that put them in a hole this game.
Player of the game: Anthony Russo, QB, Massachusetts

Sioux Falls Storm (4-4) @ Tucson Sugar Skulls (4-3) 42-56: This game got out of hand quickly, as Sioux Falls allowed two touchdowns at the end of the first half to allow Tucson to go up 14 points to start the third quarter. Lorenzo Brown, who isn't the greatest passer to begin with, was forced to try and play catch-up, but was pretty inaccurate all game, as the offense was just generally inefficient save for a few explosive plays. Their defensive line, which in my opinion is one of the best in the league, was surprisingly quiet, tallying just two tackles for loss and allowing the Mike Jones-less Sugar Skulls to rush for over 100 yards. It looks like they tried to go a different direction at kicker, exchanging Jawarski for some other idiot, but the new kicker missed every single field goal attempt in a very pitiful showing. I miss Sawyer Petre.
Tucson's Ramone Atkins played his best game in a while, avoiding any interceptions while accounting for almost 200 totals yards and 5 touchdowns. Receiver Carrington Thompson has been a nice breakout player this year, and tonight caught all 3 of Atkins' touchdown passes. Defensive lineman Maurice Jackson wreaked havoc on the Storm o-line, making 3 tackles for loss and getting a sack. Overall this game was a much needed win for both teams. A win keeps Tucson above water in the West, and a loss, combined with Green Bay getting a win, puts SF in danger of losing out on the fourth seed, and the coveted prize of getting blown out by Frisco in the first round.
Player of the game: Ramone Atkins, QB, Tucson; Maurice Jackson, DL, Tucson

Iowa Barnstormers (1-7) @ Green Bay Blizzard (4-4) 41-57: Iowa was looking to ride last week's momentum into a winnable game against a mid team, but apparently their defense didn't get the memo. Neither did Zach Reader, who threw two critical interceptions in the second half to lose any hope of making a comeback. Reader wasn't terrible, as he threw for over 200 yards and 6 touchdowns, but showed that rookie qb panic we know very well, and wasn't able to overcome the fact that the defense had just one stop the entire game. Green Bay was still without Jarome Johnson, but Max Meylor played adequately. Just isn't as electric as Johnson is. Linebacker Alaah Sessions was very good, as well, grabbing one of the team's interceptions and making a few key tackles. For Green Bay, this win was huge as it pushes them into a tie for the fourth seed, along with Sioux Falls.
Player of the game: Keshaun Taylor, WR, Iowa

Frisco Fighters (7-1) @ Bay Area Panthers (5-3) 55-62: This game had all the makings of a great matchup: Frisco as the last unbeaten team in the league and the best of the East against Bay Area, one of the top teams in the West, featuring former Frisco running back Justin Rankin, who is arguably the best rb in the league for the second year running. And for most of the game the two teams went blow for blow. Bay Area lived off of deep passes from Dalton Sneed combined with power running by Rankin, while TJ Edwards for Frisco tried to do everything by himself. Eventually, Edwards threw his first interception of the season early in the fourth quarter, letting the Panthers take a two score lead and never let up. Edwards played well, combining for almost 300 total yards and 7 touchdowns, but that one interception was pretty much the dagger. Dalton Sneed was efficient and the offense was only stopped once. I still believe Frisco is the best team in the league, but if this is a potential championship game preview, we're in for a good time. Also I Just have to add that Bay Area needs to do something about their turf because players were slip-sliding all over the place this game.
Player of the game: Dalton Sneed, QB, Bay Area

Northern Arizona Wranglers (5-3) @ Arizona Rattlers (4-4) 34-60: Drew Powell is officially back, baby. Against one of the best defenses in the league, Powell threw for four touchdowns and ran for four touchdowns, and receiver Braxton Haley caught 11 passes for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns. But you can't give Powell all the credit because he was put in great position by the Rattlers defense, exemplified by a run of 3 straight interceptions in the first half to put the game out of reach early on. If Arizona really is back to full strength, they could be serious championship contenders. That's almost entirely dependent on Powell.
What we saw from NAZ this game is pretty much the same as what happened in their first game against BA a few weeks ago. That is, the moment they get down a couple scores early, they panic and make a bunch of mistakes, turn the ball over, and pretty much just implode. Garrett Kettle threw two interceptions on back to back drives, was replaced by Nick Watson who also threw an interception on the very next drive. Kettle was then put back in, and played a bit better the second half but it wasn't enough. For NAZ to win, they absolutely need to get a quick start because the offense really isn't built to come from behind.
Player of the game: Drew Powell, QB, Arizona

Duke City Gladiators (3-5) @ San Diego Strike Force (3-5) 44-57: Nate Davis is officially back, baby. After a couple of weeks getting used to a new team, Nate Davis exploded against his former team, throwing for 208 yards and 6 touchdowns with no interceptions. Standout receiver Kentrez Bell caught four of those touchdowns and had 105 receiving yards as San Diego won easily. Their defense got a few big stops early on and the Strike Force was able to build up an insurmountable lead.
To their credit, Duke City did mount an admirable attempt at a comeback in the second half, in part thanks to a Nate Davis fumble deep in SD territory. However it wasn't enough as SD pulled away again. Shout out to SD defensive back David Haney who led the team in tackles and had 2 breakups, including one incredible play in which he came over from the other side of the field to knock a pass away at the last second. Carlos Thompson had a great kickoff return in which he dipped and dodged a few defenders before being tackled inside the 5, but was able to pitch it back to a teammate who took it in for a score. However, there was an illegal block on the play and it was called back.
Player of the game: Nate Davis, QB, San Diego; Kentrez Bell, WR, San Diego

Tulsa Oilers (1-7) @ Vegas Knight Hawks (4-4) 32-46: Daquan Neal is officially back, baby. Last week and now this week, we've seen Neal like we haven't seen him in almost a year. Tonight he passed for 3 and ran for 3 touchdowns, in an otherwise uneventful game. Tulsa QB Vince Espinoza looked like the Espinoza of last year with Bay Area, throwing for under 50% and 3 interceptions. Vegas defensive back Michael Witherspoon had two of those interceptions and Vegas cruised to an easy victory.
The problem with this Tulsa team is pretty much just talent, at every level. Similar to last year's Panthers. Their defense, I've said many times, is decent, but not good enough to overcome a bad offense.
Player of the game: Daquan Neal, QB, Vegas; Michael Witherspoon, DB, Vegas

Power Rankings:

Frisco Fighters (7-1)~
Bay Area Panthers (5-3)+2
Quad City Steamwheelers (6-3)-1
Massachusetts Pirates (5-3)+1
Northern Arizona Wranglers (5-3)-2
Tucson Sugar Skulls (4-3)+1
Arizona Rattlers (4-4)+3
Vegas Knight Hawks (4-4)~
Green Bay Blizzard (4-4)+1
San Diego Strike Force (3-5)+1
Sioux Falls Storm (4-4)-5
Duke City Gladiators (3-5)~
Tulsa Oilers (1-7)~
Iowa Barnstomers (1-7)~

Biggest jump: Arizona up 3. Powell is looking like he's fully recovered from his injury and the Rattlers are returning to full strength.
Biggest fall: Sioux Falls down 5. This is a lot to fall this late in the season, but the resurgence of a few qbs, paired with the fact that I realized all of the Storm's wins have been either rivalry games, or against weaker teams. They definitely were not as good as their record. They are currently still holding on to the four seed, but that could change next week.

Once I learned about Neurodivergence, I also learned about the effects of Masking. There is similar concept in logical fallacies called "Masked-man fallacy" which states: "In philosophical logic, the masked-man fallacy is committed when one makes an illicit use of Leibniz's law in an argument. Leibniz's law states that if A and B are the same object, then A and B are indiscernible." Wikipedia
Also:
"The masked man fallacy (also known as the epistemic fallacy, the intensional fallacy, illicit substitution of identicals, and the hooded man fallacy) occurs when you assume that someone's knowledge of something means that they know all possibilities of that thing." (cerebralistic blog)
Related to social anxiety - it is clear that social anxiety is symptom of plethora of issues - which if masked - they appear functional and resolved... but they are not. They are simply suppressed and this now becomes insidious problem - since it is not clear what the true problem is. When we do not resolve the real issue - we will add layer upon layer of protective mechanisms, intentionally or unintentionally, on our own or by listening to advice by other people.
For example - CBT will label our overthinking as abnormality and something that keeps us agitated and anxious - so CBT targets our overthinking to be resolved through mediation and calming down and appearing socially skilled and calm in the presence of other people. We end up masking what is actually either trauma and or ADHD - and as years go by, trauma and or ADHD become masked, and we have no idea that we are traumatized and that trauma is stuck inside us. Trauma will not go on its own, trauma needs to be processed and validated. ADHD is not psychological issue, it is neurological brain wiring, it is physical, normal way how brain works in some people - there is no sickness nor abnormality. It becomes problem and abnormal when we try to stop our natural brain work. It becomes new trauma when we ignore past abusive experiences and pretend we live in just world where problem resolve if we do not look at them, all by themselves.
I wrote this at Twitter comments:
Any idea that we create a fake image of ourselves in order to appear grandeur and that this fake image is somehow our shield that serves us to protect us from getting hurt or receiving negative criticism by others - will result as narcissism and borderline - so once again - nitpicking our persona leads to mental illness. If we make trauma masked and ignored - in the same time we are enabling abusers and pathological monsters to keep on abusing. Our silence contributes to them, they will interpret silence of others as a green light to keep anti-social behaviour on and on. Their argument at the court would be - that nobody told them they were going over-board, that no one complained to them, so they never knew there was any problem.
That is what masking is doing, and this is the reason why CBT is horrible and wrong therapy. The bottom line is: to feel safe means dropping defenses and being vulnerable. Ventral Vagal ought to be our goal: Polyvagal chart clearly shows it - that our "normal" state is when we are engaged with others, when we are not stressed (worried), when there is no hypervigilance nor hypo-vigilance (being numb). Ventral Vagal is feeling of psychological safety - when we truly and deeply know that we won't be attacked by others, so we can be ourselves and talk with others without any fear of being punished or backstabbed for our socializing and interacting with other people. This can only be possible if we have no defense mechanisms active and when we risk and take risks withing common sense and law. If we masked our pain and trauma and fears - this state of Ventral Vagal will never be possible to achieve, since deep down inside us our toxic shame and Rejection Sensitivity will wreck havoc inside us, making us triggered at unresolved trauma and anything similar to past negative experiences.
Social anxiety here is the problem of toxic people who are abusive and intrusive. With basic psychological information we now know that we cannot control other people (fallacy of control). When we try to control other people - this is called tyranny, manipulation, coercive control - and with time as society becomes more and more enlightened - this kind of manipulation of others will become the full criminal act. It is not ethical nor moral to treat other people as our slaves, UN brought Human Rights Act - we no longer live in brutal dark ages where discrimination was normal occurrence. Yet with social anxiety we know very well that toxic people will nitpick our mistakes, criticize us unfairly and unjustly, toxic people will break laws and moral and ethical standards and violate our human rights. Depending in which part of the world we live in - this breaking other people's rights is considered masculine act or manhood passage or being "strong" and "competent". Also, anyone with narcissistic traits will feel fully entitled to break other people's rights and treat other people as garbage.
Then our emotions will be at mercy of other people. When we have been instructed by CBT and self-help to be chirpy, happy, strong and "masculine" and stoic - we will develop various unhealthy and toxic defense mechanisms how to handle social anxiety when other people violate our rights. Masking will make us into people pleasers, being pushover or at another extreme - we'll engage in Fight response, which can land us in jail or worse. There is always someone who is "stronger" and more violent than us.
Masking will cause us to be stoic and to grin our teeth and force ourselves to live day by day in constant spasms - and this is living in survival mode. It is not healthy. When we are in survival mode - we will be focused on toxic people, we will create them our gods whom we must devote our time, worry about them all the time, we will feel tired and exhausted all the time. Therefore merely going through pain and hurt is not enough. Being stoic will not cure our social anxiety. That is why CBT's exposure techniques does not work. When we become de-sensitized to toxic people - we will become like the main character in Clockwork Orange (movie and book) - someone who is passive and someone who takes the abuse without protesting it.
Masking is an act of making abuse Functional. So there is a crucial difference between regulating ourselves and actually being or trying to get calm. Getting calm can be dangerous - because a mere act of being calm leads to masking the true problem, it leads to suppressing the pain (which Jung stated leads to mental illness), it is negating reality (which leads to delusions, fantasy, paranoia and mild schizophrenia) and we will end up soothing our trauma with our freedom-fantasies such as making us believe that there is some magic people or place which will help us (like Wizard of Oz) - and this belief will leave us open for all sorts of parasites and charlatans who sell their ideas and their grand magical products that do nothing actually.
When we mask our pain and hurt - we never examine what is happening to us. Hence we never actually notice that we are always making quick labeling all the time - and with trauma splitting we end up with quick explanations about anything in life (people and or events) that will make us interpret our triggers as either catastrophe or negate it and spend much focus, time and money in suppressing it - it is black and white thinking. As we know - black and white thinking is CBT's cognitive distortion - and CBT is contributing to black and white thinking by explaining to us that our fears and panic are our fantasies. Perhaps the truth is grey and there is fuzzy logic.
When we do not mask or try to suppress our triggers, pain and hurt - we will notice that CBT is lying to us. CBT tells us that our social anxiety is hallucination. While in reality - true objective, scientific reality is: that we cannot know the truth. We cannot put ourselves into someone else's head and see what is happening in their heads when they abuse us and when they treat us like garbage. Even if they say their reasons - we can never be 100% certain that they are not pathological liars and or that they are delusional and they are not even aware why they behave toxically or that they have no control over their own mind.
This means - that not only our social anxiety is not hallucination - but that it actually our hunches and fears and reactions to rejection by others (someone being rude and critical) - can be real rejection - but also it can even be worse than what we believe about them. It can even go much deeper and darker than our already dark explanations and fears about other people who scare us. We simply do not know why they are rude and anti-social - perhaps we will never know. This was one of many missing puzzles related to social anxiety that CBT never explained, never could explain since official medical therapy for social anxiety does not recognize trauma as real concept.
Masking our social anxiety - stops us from realizing that we validate our trauma, fears, panic. The core of trauma is invalidation - and anyone with social anxiety needs Humanistic psychology therapies - where we are believed about our expectations. Calling them hallucination and or cognitive distortions is invalidation and it won't help us with social anxiety at all. When we validate ourselves, our Self - we will start to build self worth - which is currently destroyed by toxic shame and trauma and exposure to relentless criticism.
I see the next step in moving external referencing - where our emotions will no longer be depended on other people nor their moods or explanations. When we stop masking our pain and hurt caused and triggered by insensitive people - we will be vulnerable and exposed - and that is true exposure. Not the one which CBT instructs us (going out, talking to random people and forcing us to be social and enter in any kind of socialization situations - being them toxic or not). We will experience pain and hurt and be vulnerable - when we don't have intrinsic locus of control and self worth installed inside us. This part is complex and hard to grasp and explain and when we are inside toxic ambient - we will constantly be reminded of toxic shame - and our self worth will be pruned off over and over again.
In my own case I realized that I have no ability to make a construct of my Self, of my identity which would satisfy all needs and trauma and hurt of real world: toxic and intrusive people around. Media and society will explain us that we must be perfect: that we must be socially skilled and wealthy and strong and outgoing - and this is super identity persona which we all must install and become. So if I would feel triggered due to trauma, due to triggers, due to lack of resources, due to toxic ambient - there was always clear and present truth that I am not this super uber-mensch persona(lity) that ableist neurotypical society is forcing us to become. Almost 90 percent of social anxiety videos are based as well as CBT - on "advice" to become socially skilled and someone who is outgoing and always fun and chirpy and strong and stoic. When we have trauma inside us - there is no way that we won't feel triggered and that our amygdala won't be hijacked, and that we won't have Rejection Sensitivity as inner saboteur that will prune off and sabotage any speck of confidence which we might accumulate in isolation time away from other people. Also toxic shame inside us will make us believe any negative experience is making us dirty and non human and unacceptable.
Well - what I discovered is that actually there is an anchor where I can satisfy all these conflicting needs and commands, that I am in the same at peace as I am and that I am truly myself and hence that I take risks and be outgoing. Last summer I discovered this concept through Sandra Bernhard - where her inner child is roaming free and where Negative politeness is not default dogma, but rather Radical CandoRadical Honesty is the default. Now I realized that I can find my anchor in Rock music, such as Kerrang! - where people are allowed to be angry, to be themselves, to make mistakes, to make blunders and not caring what other people think no matter what they do - if they shut up, if they people please, if they are brushing off others who are disrespectful, warning and alerting and alarming others, making fool of yourself yet being confident totally in oneself, not worrying about appearance and not worrying if I worry about appearance - there is total self validation and self acceptance.
With trauma and exposure to narcissistic abuse - we can become quick in trauma splitting judgement: that we must never be like narcissists ourselves: that we are not allowed to get angry, that we must never express our disgust, that we must never hurt others through our ignorance and asking for details so that we do not hurt them for stating our opinion (negative politeness). With trauma splitting - we will quickly make ourselves believe that we must be good and never make any kind of mistakes and that we must be politically correct all the time and that mistakes are not allowed and we must be punished severely if we step over and make mistake and be rude ourselves. Of course - this is not functional, this is not realistic - and this idea that we must be pure and good leads to narcissism - because we will try to build fake image of superior human super human uber mensch phantasm fantastic statue - which cannot realistically exist on this dualistic double bind planet reality of life that we live in. When we take any kind of action - no matter how small and innocent and safe this action is (which includes a mere talking and stating opinion) - there is always someone who will be offended and someone who will find mistakes and criticism about it - and due to dualism and double binding - they will be correct in their beliefs at some level - even when in the end they are not correct - if taken all things into consideration. This is why masking is not helping us - it makes things worse - since masking cannot make us examine issues deeply and thoroughly and actually see what is happening in the dark. Masking will simply add layers of dirt on the problem and keep it suppressed and hidden.
I remember that I actually did listen to Grunge and rock in my teen years - and I stopped after Kurt's passing - and I labeled this music as negative influence. I masked it away by not allowing myself to feel the hurt and pain - and blocked in the same time ability to see my Dark shadow - and instantly I cannot accept Dark shadow in other people - and this is recipe for social anxiety, this approach will not help with social anxiety - it will make social anxiety worse.
If I allow myself to be Trickster, stupid, wrong, embarrassed, in the same time I will allow this imperfections in other people as well - and then other people will no longer be felt so scary or dominant or superior to me or difficult to handle - instead I will have more understanding of them - without believing I am below them or that I must fix them or that I have to be obsessed about them and why they behave the way they do and how can I prevent it.
I believe social anxiety is stemming from multiple causes such as trauma, neurodivergence, simply being sensitive (HSP), Rejection sensitivity, toxic ambient, external factors, unknown factors - and masking is common instruction by toxic society as "good intention" advice to "help" us handle our reactions to toxic people that make other people uncomfortable - so society instructs us to mask our discomfort in order to make majority people feel comfortable. Rather than listening to our nagging and complaining about other people's nagging and complaints - society will shut us up through quick labeling and shaming - while in the same time truly toxic people will be allowed to be toxic since being rude is perceived as healthy, normal, strong and competent. This forced masking will destroy our self worth and it will set us up to see our trauma and fears as personality abnormality that must be cured with exposure and being strong - and this CBT ableism leads to true personality disorder - since it prevents us from being truly ourselves.
In the end - in order to be social: we need to feel at ease - and the only way to be calm and at easy and safe - is when we are comfortable in our own skin, with flaws and differences which other people find unacceptable.
Quotes to consider:
Trauma Geek:
Masking is a complex and costly survival strategy for neurodivergent people. It involves conscious and unconscious attempts to appear neuronormative via the fawn or appeasement trauma response.
Masking is an evolutionary adaptation that provides real protection from systematic oppression and interpersonal ableism. Forced assimilation into neurotypical culture is an extreme threat to our well-being. The roots of neurotype oppression go back to colonization and white supremacy culture.
The long-term effects of being forced to mask for survival include debilitating burnout, depression, anxiety, psychosis and suicidality.

Masking = hiding parts of your autism. Example: Not talking about something you are really interested in.
Assimilation = trying to fit in with everyone else so people don't notice you are different. Example: Talking to a stranger in a shop even if you don't want to.

"No more masking. No more bending. I am neurodivergent I am valid I've learned how to proudly shine."
Rosemarie Carreiro

"We are taught at a very young age about masking. Trying to gain social acceptance by appearing more neurotypical"
Haley Moss

Masking is when neurodivergent people hide their true selves out of shame.
They do this to escape being...
- pitied
- patronized
- shunned
- harassed
- tormented by putting on one's best attempt at "being normal" to "fit in" with neurotypical standards.

Neurodivergent Rebel, TWITTER:
It's important to note that masking is a self defense mechanism and it is not intended to be manipulative or deceptive.

Masking = projecting an "acceptable" version of one's self as an unconscious response to trauma

(Autisticality):
Unfortunately, the world isn't as accepting and understanding as we want it to be and so we have no choice sometimes but to mask just to simply live life.