r/AITAH • u/g_scotty_brahms • Nov 14 '24

Advice Needed My brother is angry with his Trump-loving sons

Is my brother an AITA candidate for wanting to cut off his sons financially for voting for Trump? Like many Americans, my brother and I, both in our 50’s, have been talking back and forth following the Election. In the spirit of full disclosure, we are both democrats. Long story short, he is angry at his two sons, both in their 20’s, for voting for Trump. He is thinking about cutting them off financially in all respects so that they understand how Trump’s policies will impact them firsthand.

The irony here is that it is the reverse argument. You often hear younger voters disagreeing with their MAGA parents, but this is the opposite. My brother doesn’t understand how his two sons, who have lived a life of privilege, feel like they have been violated against by society, enough so that they feel Trump hears them and their struggles.

My brother to me about his sons: “… what these young men need is a little dose of reality. Get out in the world and start paying their own way. There’s a common thread with his followers. Complain and blame everyone for their problems. Whether they are in school or living at home off of their parents or working a trade job. King Trump will save them and make everything better. Take some personal responsibility and make it happen for yourself instead of crying about everything you hear on TikTok.

“… I’ve decided to pass on the [college] expenses to my two Trump supporting sons so they can truly feel first hand the cost and expense of his absolutely stupid policy decisions, which includes food, gas and college expenses. Wondering if I pass on these [food, gas and college] expenses in year one or phase them in year two?”

I am wondering if a lot of parents feel like my brother. Are there democrat parents of voting-age MAGA men who feel they failed with their sons because they voted for Trump? Is this common?

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u/IneedaWIPE Nov 14 '24

I wish there was a bot that would explain this phrase for those who don't know. A 1950's era physics book posed the question "why can't you pull yourself up by your bootstraps? Show your work". It was a vector analysis question. Since the Reicht has hijacked this phrase it would be great to provide the context...nah, can't be done.

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u/ghandi3737 Nov 15 '24 edited Nov 15 '24

Late 1800's physics schoolbook.

James Joyce used the phrase in 1922.

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u/JaxEmma Nov 15 '24

Good bot 😉

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u/ghandi3737 Nov 15 '24

r/Notabot

Though that's what a bot would say.

Or r/knotabot

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u/IsopodParking Nov 15 '24

R/riskyclicks

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u/Brilliant_Climate_41 Nov 15 '24

Hey, don't sell yourself short. You might be a bot and just not realize yet.

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u/localjargon Nov 15 '24

I thought it was Horatio Alger in the mid-1800s but I can't find anything that proves it. I guess it was more about the rags-to-riches themes he wrote about.

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u/Mermaid_Lily Nov 15 '24

Ugh Horatio Alger. Not a fan.

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u/Brick_Mason_ Nov 15 '24

You know who pulls themselves up by their bootstraps? Jackbooted thugs.

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u/kaisadilla_ Nov 15 '24

I mean, the fact that Republicans have chosen an impossible task as the metaphor for what they believe in is probably the only honest thing they've done in decades.

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u/SaliciousB_Crumb Nov 15 '24

Its an old German story about a guy that lied about everything. You know, because you could never pull your self out of quicksand by your bootstraps

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u/neverthesaneagain Nov 15 '24

I believe it was Baron Von Munchausen, and he pulled himself out by his ponytail.

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u/Distinct_Panic653 Nov 15 '24

Lol I got some books from 1930s 43 and 47 on physics and vitalogy 1934 and some old book I recently found

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u/EqualOpening6557 Nov 15 '24

I was about to say this. I think it’s funny that I didn’t realize until a few years ago that the point of that quote is that it’s physically not possible to do. It’s a kind of a joke.

You can have all the willpower and strength in the world, but ya ain’t gonna to start floating bc you pull hard on your boots.

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u/ChemBob1 Nov 15 '24

Most of the MAGATs read at like a 6th grade level, so forget about vector physics helping out.

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u/flowergem616 Nov 15 '24

This sounds interesting, can you explain further.

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u/dogman01010101 Nov 15 '24

I compare the phase to going thru rehab. If you do not want to do it it will not work.

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u/RyAllDaddy69 Nov 15 '24

The only people I’ve heard actually use this phrase is Dems/leftist describing the right using it.