this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2026
166 points (93.7% liked)

Ask Lemmy

36881 readers
1650 users here now

A Fediverse community for open-ended, thought provoking questions


Rules: (interactive)


1) Be nice and; have funDoxxing, trolling, sealioning, racism, and toxicity are not welcomed in AskLemmy. Remember what your mother said: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. In addition, the site-wide Lemmy.world terms of service also apply here. Please familiarize yourself with them


2) All posts must end with a '?'This is sort of like Jeopardy. Please phrase all post titles in the form of a proper question ending with ?


3) No spamPlease do not flood the community with nonsense. Actual suspected spammers will be banned on site. No astroturfing.


4) NSFW is okay, within reasonJust remember to tag posts with either a content warning or a [NSFW] tag. Overtly sexual posts are not allowed, please direct them to either !asklemmyafterdark@lemmy.world or !asklemmynsfw@lemmynsfw.com. NSFW comments should be restricted to posts tagged [NSFW].


5) This is not a support community.
It is not a place for 'how do I?', type questions. If you have any questions regarding the site itself or would like to report a community, please direct them to Lemmy.world Support or email info@lemmy.world. For other questions check our partnered communities list, or use the search function.


6) No US Politics.
Please don't post about current US Politics. If you need to do this, try !politicaldiscussion@lemmy.world or !askusa@discuss.online


Reminder: The terms of service apply here too.

Partnered Communities:

Tech Support

No Stupid Questions

You Should Know

Reddit

Jokes

Ask Ouija


Logo design credit goes to: tubbadu


founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I am someone born in the USA and white and male, so I am less at risk of harassment and brutality than others.

My take on things is that Trump is probably a Russian asset and Russian leadership probably wants a US civil war (but I don't have proof).

Midterms are still many months away. I am pretty sure Democrats realize that Trump wants conflict and they are trying to just wait for Midterms.

I am scared and feel like civil war could still happen. I have no children, few ties to any area, and only work remotely. I live in a very liberal area. I am mostly a poor person and have less than $25,000 saved.

I also have been arrested and held in terrible conditions in a notorious jail, experienced physical and emotional abuse there, and fear being arrested again and experiencing more abuse. Some of the things I experienced meet definitions of torture although not egregious physical torture (iron maiden type stuff). I am also gay and effeminate and worry I could receive worse treatment if involuntarily held for mental health reasons or for poverty because of homophobia by religious people.

Should I be trying to flee the USA now? If so, would Canada be safe? Is there anywhere else I could go to? I could claim asylum in a Northern European country but am concerned about the Russian War of Aggression.

I do not know if I am over-reacting. Will I still have time to flee if I wait and the situation gets worse?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 47 points 1 day ago (3 children)

As an American-born white male, I'm staying. If all the sane people flee the country, what does that leave behind? A bunch of right wing whack jobs with the biggest military in the world. You think our domestic problems are going to stay domestic? If we don't stay and stand up to this, it's going to spread worldwide anyway.

Not saying to not get your ducks in a row just in case, but I don't think running is going to save you for very long. If there's going to be a civil war, I'd rather our side actually have soldiers.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 17 hours ago

its not likely to change if all the intellectuals stayed, they all left or leaving already. they are usually the first to be persecuted by fascist govts, if they had the knack to earn a grad degree they are smart enough to know it will get worst if they stayed, plus funding for research have mostly been in jeoparday for a while.

[–] someone@lemmy.today 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I previously tried to commit suicide when I was younger and was involuntarily hospitalized. As a result I'm a prohibited person. I can't legally buy a firearm. This makes it harder for me to protect myself if things get worse. I don't know if voting in my liberal community is going to change anything.

[–] discocactus@lemmy.world 1 points 21 hours ago

If there's an actual conflict we will need people to do logistics, espionage, communications, etc. something like 10% of military personnel ever see combat. And likely, a personal firearm would do more harm than good. Getting organized with your community and staying open to... Other developments... could be rewarding and empowering. Start volunteering at a soup kitchen or something. Local radio. Some skill set that would translate if things get rough. And if things get too rough, there will be guns everywhere and not a whole lot of people to say who should and shouldn't have them...

[–] LostGhost@piefed.social 4 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I sort of feel the same way but still wish I could leave. With a disabled kid that needs care and not much money I'm not sure how I could leave at this point.

[–] indomara@lemmy.world 1 points 17 hours ago

Go to school, get a nursing degree, and apply for nursing jobs in the UK and Australia. We always need nurses, and those that speak perfect English are in high demand.