Siblings, who live abroad, didn’t respond when I reached out to them reacting to the events on Jan 6

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, FWIW, I don’t think you were being needy or melodramatic.

This was a big event, and could have turned out much worse than it did. I live in NYC and was glued to the TV from about 2 pm until I went to bed. At various times it looked more or less chaotic and violent. While I was clearly in no physical danger, I did feel that this event was dangerous to democracy and that someone quite high up was clearly complicit in staying the hand of LE, which I find very concerning.

People overseas think this is a HUGE deal, I have no idea why anyone would say otherwise. I did receive correspondence from friends abroad about it, and the media carried articles about the foreign response. People were shocked.

Your sisters kind of suck. Even if they were asleep while it was happening, if they woke up and saw some emotional texts from you, at least they could have responded. Some people seem to think that only the announcement of a death is worthy of a response

+1

It’s like the only “fear” people think is valid is immediate threat to one’s life. Those people literally sound like lizards, with no ability to use their prefrontal cortex to have other, more complex and nuanced types of fears.

Nah, they are just tired of seeing the U.S. in the news and most likely used to OP's constant drama. So far, the U.S. was going to fall apart bcs Trump was elected, then gov shut down for months, then plane shoot, then murders by drone, then who will win, then this...The rest of the world does not give a damn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, FWIW, I don’t think you were being needy or melodramatic.

This was a big event, and could have turned out much worse than it did. I live in NYC and was glued to the TV from about 2 pm until I went to bed. At various times it looked more or less chaotic and violent. While I was clearly in no physical danger, I did feel that this event was dangerous to democracy and that someone quite high up was clearly complicit in staying the hand of LE, which I find very concerning.

People overseas think this is a HUGE deal, I have no idea why anyone would say otherwise. I did receive correspondence from friends abroad about it, and the media carried articles about the foreign response. People were shocked.

Your sisters kind of suck. Even if they were asleep while it was happening, if they woke up and saw some emotional texts from you, at least they could have responded. Some people seem to think that only the announcement of a death is worthy of a response

+1

It’s like the only “fear” people think is valid is immediate threat to one’s life. Those people literally sound like lizards, with no ability to use their prefrontal cortex to have other, more complex and nuanced types of fears.

Or, we could read quite clearly what OP wrote in her OP. That she was "panicking" and the day was "crazy." She wasn't talking about "fear" for the direction our country is headed or just how divisive it has become over the last decade, or what will happen when the US dollar is no longer the reservce currency. We all know, that is not what OP was texting her sisters about.

[Anonymous]

My dad (decorated Vietnam veteran, did riot duty in DC in '68) called me practically in tears-for the state of our country and because I'm a progressive organizer and he was probably afraid I was out the streets. I think it is strange, OP, that they would at least respond with a "that sounds scary, thinking of you." This year has been really tough and I know I haven't always responded to people the way I should have.

[Anonymous]

OP I get it. I'm a DC native and don't tend to overreact to threats of unrest, protests (I participated in most of the BLM events over the summer as well as many others over the years), etc but this was different. While I was in no personal danger, I know people who were. And of course our country and government is under attack. So yeah, I was and am upset and freaked out.

My sibs who live in other major US cities didn't bother to check in. But they don't check in on our elderly parents (who are in DC), or much else. My cousins who also live in other major US cities did. I was happy and grateful to hear from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I get it. I'm a DC native and don't tend to overreact to threats of unrest, protests (I participated in most of the BLM events over the summer as well as many others over the years), etc but this was different. While I was in no personal danger, I know people who were. And of course our country and government is under attack. So yeah, I was and am upset and freaked out.

My sibs who live in other major US cities didn't bother to check in. But they don't check in on our elderly parents (who are in DC), or much else. My cousins who also live in other major US cities did. I was happy and grateful to hear from them.

pp here -

I texted my sibs to let them know we were all ok
crickets...

[Anonymous]

Read p 1 only. Sisters should have texted “Stay safe. Love u” to OP. That is what family is for. That said, I have friends all over the world and do not always reach out if it does not appear to me that my friends would be in proximity to such events.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, FWIW, I don’t think you were being needy or melodramatic.

This was a big event, and could have turned out much worse than it did. I live in NYC and was glued to the TV from about 2 pm until I went to bed. At various times it looked more or less chaotic and violent. While I was clearly in no physical danger, I did feel that this event was dangerous to democracy and that someone quite high up was clearly complicit in staying the hand of LE, which I find very concerning.

People overseas think this is a HUGE deal, I have no idea why anyone would say otherwise. I did receive correspondence from friends abroad about it, and the media carried articles about the foreign response. People were shocked.

Your sisters kind of suck. Even if they were asleep while it was happening, if they woke up and saw some emotional texts from you, at least they could have responded. Some people seem to think that only the announcement of a death is worthy of a response

And that's the thing. You weren't nearby, you probably watched on CNN. It was a bunch of buffoons getting swept in a herd mentality in the heat of the moment. It was not an attempted coup. The media is once again just pushing an exagerrated narrative for people like you and OP to keep watching, clicking, and hating Republicans.

Actually I’m a media scholar, so well-versed in media literacy. If you think this wasn’t a big deal, I’m not sure what would qualify.

[Anonymous]

I find that a lot of people still think what happened was just good ole boys getting rowdy as if this was spring breakers trashing a hotel in Acapulco. A bit embarrassing, but they are such promising young men over all, right?

The tune changes when you confront them with the zip ties, pipe bombs, and Molotov cocktails found. Mixed among the unmasked vandals with self-sticks were some very scary people who remained masked and methodically searched for elected officials. The unmasked doofuses are being arrested, but we don’t have the hostage-takers yet.

[Anonymous]

Oh, no op! Ahrnold Schwarzenegger has better family and friends overseas than you! They was calling him a lot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

There’s a reason I posted in relationships and not in politics.

Upon further reflection this was just one more incident of my sisters not being available to casually chat (via text, which is lower pressure than a phone call because it doesn’t require an immediate reply), and that’s what hurts. Yes, I found the event scary, and not because I get my life was in danger - I have no problem with the fact that others might not have get scared, but that doesn’t invalidate my feelings.

But more importantly I thought the event (which truly was an intended coup, though many buffoons got caught up in it) was something we would connect over, because it matters to Americans, even those living abroad.

It was not something they wanted to connect over, but as I reflect further, they also increasingly don’t want to connect with me or each other over anything, really - family, kids, jobs, whatever. I thought a “big” and relatively impersonal political event might be the exception, but it wasn’t.

I don’t know how to stay connected to my family, especially since they live so far away, and it sucks.

Sorry, OP. This is really the crux of the issue. I have two sisters and we all get along fine and enjoy each other on the rare occasions we see each other, but we're not especially close. Some families are just like that. They are geographically far way, our kids are completely different ages, and we just don't have much in common. I love them, but they're not my go to people (nor am I theirs). Every once in a while I'm envious of people who have siblings that they vacation with or talk to every day or whatever. Sometimes you have to find/make your own family and accept family relationships for what they are.

[Anonymous]

OP, this is now a crack, as I’m sorry you feel unappreciated by your family.

Not everyone in other countries is hanging on y a thread about US politics, wondering what Donald J And his folks will do next. In fact, most people DGAF.

Unless you were IN the building, or directly around it, you were safe. Your anxiety is real, and yes, your sisters should have responded, but being angry that they didn’t respond to you freaking about about a danger that wasn’t real... well, that’s also on you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live 2.5 miles from the Capitol and friends all across the country were calling and texting to check on my safety. You never know if people who are willing to storm the Capitol armed with police are also the same people who would also disperse into the nearby communities to spread their mayhem. Your sisters should have reached out to you, if for no other reason because you reached out to them.

This. Even Alexandria and Arlington imposed curfews.

I wonder if the sisters support Trump.

Yes, obviously that must be it. No possibility there’s any backstory about these siblings’ relationships that OP is oblivious to.

I suspect there's is more to the relationship and sibling dynamics than OP has shared. My family did text but it was brief not a long drawn out discussion that OP seems to have want, and maybe that's what she's upset about no longer having a deep connection with her siblings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I live 2.5 miles from the Capitol and friends all across the country were calling and texting to check on my safety. You never know if people who are willing to storm the Capitol armed with police are also the same people who would also disperse into the nearby communities to spread their mayhem. Your sisters should have reached out to you, if for no other reason because you reached out to them.

This. Even Alexandria and Arlington imposed curfews.

I wonder if the sisters support Trump.

Oh, bull.

I live in Arlandria, and was not at all concerned for our actual safety - not remotely a Trumper and absolutely think those people were terrorists. People who work in federal buildings, or on the Hill? Yes. The burbs? No.

OP if you are on the Hill or work in a federal building, yes I'd be peeved if my family members didn't check in. But if you lived way out, especially past 495? It sounds needy and dramatic. It's like the people in West Virginia who thought terrorists were going to attack them following 9/11. I mean, come on.

[Anonymous]

Do you work downtown? If yes then you have a reason to be upset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There’s also a lot of people who dramatically call it “the attempted coup” when- let’s be clear- this was not a coup. These people were not attempting to set up their own government. They were a bunch of losers who outnumbered police and then trashed the capital, giggling, like a bunch of middle schoolers.

You don’t read much news, do you?

I read lots of news, and the losers who broke in looked like smug children, taking selfies and trying to run off with souvenirs. They should all go to jail for years upon years. For being terrorists without even realizing it. But unless you are reading conspiracy theories about it being an inside job, recognize it for what it is- a bunch of petulant losers who broke into the capital but did not actually have any sort of plan to remove the government and replace it with their own. They were dangerous losers.