A viral TikTok video is sparking debate after claiming the government’s shutdowns and benefit cuts may be part of a larger psychological test on how Americans react to living without government control.
Being laid off during this crisis isn’t easy, and the government hasn’t really backed up all those employees who lost their jobs. I’m pretty sure some of y’all in Houston have noticed what’s happening at the airport…whole sections are empty! The TSA workers didn’t show up and now flights are being delayed or canceled. The government pays these people weekly, so it’s strange to see so many of them gone. It makes me wonder if any of this makes sense. But wait…people are still paying taxes, SNAP benefits are being cut…and yet things keep getting worse. We need to come together, because at this point, none of the divisions really matter.
What do you all think about this?
There’s a viral video circulating across platforms like TikTok claiming the government might never open back up. The idea is that officials are testing how people will react to the absence of government — basically, seeing if we’ll accept living without it. It’s an interesting thought, because you wouldn’t expect that from a democratic society, but maybe that’s exactly what we’ve become. It’s starting to feel less like a democracy and more like an oligarchy.
There’s also this long-standing idea that Donald Trump won’t leave office after the next three years, that somehow, some way, he’ll find a way to stay in power. People have floated a few theories: one is that he’ll just refuse to go; another is that a new war could be “created,” forcing him to remain in charge; and a third theory says the government will simply cease to function, leaving no system in place to remove him. All of these are crazy and remind me of movies I once loved.
Anyway, the person in that TikTok video says this whole thing is a psyop — short for psychological operation. It’s defined as “an activity or activities that use information and other psychological methods to influence the emotions, motives, reasoning, and behavior of a target audience.”
And honestly, given how things are going — not even one year in — it doesn’t sound so crazy. It actually sounds spot on. Everything described in Project 2025 seems to be unfolding quickly. Why would we think it’d be any different now? They’re even trying to block people from getting their SNAP benefits, appealing rulings just to stop folks from receiving basic food assistance they’ve relied on for years.
I’ve never personally needed those benefits, but I also wouldn’t support policies that deprive children or the elderly of food. What’s frightening is that so many people are fine with it. The majority of those being denied help aren’t Black, and they’re not adults — they’re children.
So yeah, it’s wild out here. I don’t know if this is all connected, but I can’t ignore how much of it lines up. Let me know what you think — I’m really interested to hear other perspectives on this.
I would post the original vid, but I said it better here.
Click here to tell me your thoughts on the whole thing?
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