Ocasio-Cortez Says If You Feel Burnt Out By The News Lately, That’s ‘Exactly’ What Trump Wants

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aoc-says-if-you-feel-overwhelmed-by-the-news-thats-what-trump-wants_n_67a3b3cce4b0bfc253ffc350

35 comments

  1. She should’ve become the Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee instead of Gerry Connolly.

  3. It was the same the first time around, but this time they came with a fire hose of bullshit and corruption called project 2025. Remember that all this is by design, take time to step back and decompress, but don’t give up. Protect yourself however that looks like for you.

  4. He’s intentionally trying to desensitize us, making each new action worse than the last, until we eventually become numb to it all.

  5. **From reporter Elyse Wanshel:**

    If you feel like you’re being crushed by the unbearable weight of the chaotic news cycle and all you want to do is curl into a little ball and fall into a four-year coma, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) wants you to know that it’s by design.

    On Tuesday, the New York lawmaker took to Instagram Live for a roughly 90-minute chat about the current state of the United States government, and how everyday people who disagree with President Donald Trump’s administration can fight back in “tangible” ways.

    “I want you all to understand that if you are watching the news right now and you are feeling overwhelmed by all of the constant headlines and developments and what is happening,” Ocasio-Cortez said at the beginning of her Instagram Live. “First of all, know that you are not alone. And second of all, know that that is exactly what this administration is trying to get you to feel.”

    She continued, “What authoritarian regimes try to do is that they often try to, what is known as ‘flood the zone.’”

    Ocasio-Cortez defined “flood the zone” as when a government does “so much at once … that you feel overwhelmed and paralyzed.”

    “It’s important for you to understand that the paralysis and shock that you feel right now is the point,” she continued. “They are trying to induce a state of passivity among the general public.”

    Here’s a link to the full article: [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aoc-says-if-you-feel-overwhelmed-by-the-news-thats-what-trump-wants_n_67a3b3cce4b0bfc253ffc350](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aoc-says-if-you-feel-overwhelmed-by-the-news-thats-what-trump-wants_n_67a3b3cce4b0bfc253ffc350)

  7. Keep your eyes open to the onslaught, watch for openings to engage, go for the Jug.

  8. In fight or flight situations I tend to freeze.

    I want to fight; especially for my kids who are teenagers. I’m worried they could be caught up or drafted into a (seemingly inevitable) civil war. I’m worried about who they love. How do I overcome my fears and fight for them when I’m afraid that these riled up MAGA could do us real harm and I’d no longer be there to protect them? My husband is wonderful but I have to push him to engage more and understand the states and how it impacts our kids. I think a lot of us probably have surprised pikachu face from SO much happening all at once that I’m overwhelmed trying to figure out where to start.

  10. I’m staying generally aware of new bullshit, and it’s hard to shake the anxiety, but there are finally people with some semblance of power starting to push back. Maybe each instance isn’t much, but taken together the growing resistance provides just a smidge of hope.

    And don’t feel guilty about implementing self-care, friends! Go for a walk, watch a show, rub one out–whatever soothes you momentarily. Keep sharp by not letting yourself get exhausted. And keep calling out and poking fun at these malevolent imbeciles any chance you get.

  11. We’re living in a reality that echoes Orwell’s *1984*, Huxley’s *Brave New World*, and Postman’s *Amusing Ourselves to Death*.

    Around the world democracies are veering toward right-wing ideologies, with the very foundation of democracy quietly eroding and individual rights slipping away, largely unnoticed. What’s worse, no one seems to have the will or energy to resist. Why? Because we’ve been digitally sedated—numbed by social media, streaming apps, and endless screen time. We’re plugged in around the clock, constantly scrolling, posting, liking, and sharing, yet never truly engaging with anything meaningful. We’re addicted, fed exactly what we crave, all while our foggy minds assure us this is all we need. As we grow more distracted, less aware, and increasingly hooked, those in power grow stronger. In the U.S., 90 million eligible voters didn’t bother to cast a ballot. Now, the president is a felon, with his puppet master tied to far-right extremism.

    Not long ago, we were on the brink of an uprising—anger was palpable, frustration was everywhere. But it was swiftly quelled. All it took was a flick of the switch. TikTok, which had been down for a few hours, returned to reassure us that everything was fine. The leader had it under control. He saved us from our dopamine starvation.

    Make no mistake: You’ll never hear an authoritarian with fascist tendencies suggest people spend less time in their digital bubble. It’s their lifeblood.

    But these dictators are elected, right? So why do people want them in power? Because we’re addicts, and addicts feel like crap. We’re constantly discontented. There’s a gnawing emptiness deep inside us, a persistent sense that something is missing. Life feels like it’s slipping away, and nothing ever quite measures up. Everything used to be better, we tell ourselves. And like any addict, instead of looking inward, we point the finger outward, searching for someone to blame. We blame immigrants, the government, or those neighbors who seem to have it all figured out—because we see it all on their feeds: vacations, kitchen renovations, and endless smiles in every picture. Meanwhile, we’re stuck. And as we watch the news, we grow frustrated with how slow democracy moves. Everything needs to be debated, regulated, investigated, voted on. It’s exhausting. If only there were someone who could fix it all. Fast. Easy. It can’t be that hard, right? So, we cast our vote for the strongman who promises to make it all better. We don’t care how—just fix it. Then, we go back to our zombie mode, searching for the next Netflix series to binge.

    We need to snap out of it.

  12. I’m burnt but I’m also not allowing myself to ignore.

  14. This tactic works on MAGA as well… not just the “radical left”

    I have a couple of MAGA friends and they don’t even watch Trump anymore. They get their summarized versions from OAN or Fox.

  15. I’d feel less bunt out if they were fucking doing something about it. How does the Republicans manage to block everything when they are the minority party but the Dems can’t figure out how to stop an unelected oligarch from destroying our government??

    I don’t want to live here anymore. Not at all. We have thumped our chest for decades about “freedom”. And fuck if these idiots won’t just give it away. The Republicans are too scared. Apparently they get death threats for even disagreeing with Trump. So they need to stand up and take that chance. Stop being cowards.

  16. Can’t afford to be burnt if we want a future for us and this that come after us

  17. That is also not helpful. Are our elected officials doing anything to help the American people? Is that not their actual job???

  18. She needs to call him VP Trump and burn him out fighting his own ego.

  19. Yes. It’s psychological warfare. A time tested tactic of the narcissist called “crazy making”

    It makes people tune out, not know what to focus on and generally confuses and exhausts the victim into submission

  20. I’ve learned to mostly ignore the dumb shit he says. That’s an all day every day thing. I’ve felt less burnt out (relatively speaking) only giving thought to what they’re actually doing.

  21. I’m not burnt out, I’m *furious.* Like, sometimes I wonder how I haven’t burst into flames from all this anger in me. But I also feel *stuck.* I see all these terrible things happening, all these monstrous crimes, and *I can’t do anything about it.*

    The protests are wonderful and inspiring. Furthermore. I recognize that they’re a crucial first step to more effective and pertinent action. But right now? I just wanna take a wrecking ball to the whole ridiculous, evil mess. When the time comes to fight back, and I mean REALLY fight, you can be damn sure I’ll be there. I’ve got a whole lot of bad feelings to repay these bastards for.

  22. Trump is the distraction while the rest of the billionaires loot the government

  23. It’s less the news and more along the lines of people I somewhat know telling me that I’m affected by it, that I better get ready to find a new job, and saying things about my job that I know aren’t true, and then have them yell at me that I’m wrong for saying something that’s the opposite of what they heard.

    I know my job, and I know what I can and can’t say, and in general, I don’t talk about my job other than what is publicly known and shared. It’s wild that I have people telling me that I’m wrong about my job just because what I say isn’t what they’ve heard online on TikTok or something. At this point, I’ve already confirmed by the people doing this themselves that they’re only trying to get a rise out of me because they need a punching bag to hit. It’s becoming white noise to me, and if anything, they’re getting even more mad that I’m not taking the bait.

    I usually like talking about my job when I’m at work, because I love my job a lot. When I’m off work, I like talking about my hobbies, what games I’m into, and what cuisine I want to try out next.

  24. Clearly the news media is part of the federal government propaganda.

  26. I was burnt. Now I’m at a breaking point I don’t want to be at. I hate this orange fuck so Goddamn much.

  27. It’s OK to take a “day off.” Turn off the phone. Breathe. We’ll still be in hell tomorrow. We cannot crawl back out if you collapse from exhaustion before each climb.

    Part of fighting back is resting and regrouping.

  28. I feel a bit overwhelmed by it, but not quite burnt out. I’m actually taking this opportunity to engage more than ever with political discourse, be informed, and remain active.

  29. I’m trying desperately to keep an eye on it and not have it destroy my mental health

  30. I’m not burned out, I’m just choosing not to read the news because the legacy media and podcasters can all get fucked for helping to elect Trump.

    I’m following along and calling my rep and senators through Reddit and Bluesky. Not clicking any links to external news sites etc.

  31. She’s right. Last term, Bannon explicitly explained this strategy of bombarding the media and the population with actions. The purpose is simply to oversaturate the news environment that there is no time to look into anything properly because there is so much going on. Meanwhile, the administration is pushing its real agenda on the side and the gaps in media coverage. Trump 2.0 is very much embracing this strategy to its limits.

    It’s been 4 years now, there should have been enough study by the democrats of this tactic, and to have at least some kind of counter-strategy. Anything like a collect-and-focus, where they keep a record of all these things, but only focus on potentially very damaging issues, essentially a noise filter.

    Why wasn’t Cortez running for office 🙁

  32. It’s also not just Trump. We need to realize that the media is hugely responsible for his current status. Instead of calling him out immediately, they milked the drama for ratings / clicks. And when that was successful, they kept doing it. It’s not journalism. It’s a hook, and we’re the fish.

  33. She is Not wrong, doomerism is just you giving yourself permission to give up.

  34. I mean, I hear ya but still… I’m burnt. I’m cooked.

  35. Just wake up each morning and realize these fresh horror aren’t going to face themselves.

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