• FrChazzz@lemmus.org
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    38
    ·
    3 days ago

    Crowds like I’ve never seen!

    Seriously, I’ve never seen smaller crowds than this for something in DC. Like, when I lived there the number of people just loitering on the mall on a random Tuesday was bigger than what I’ve seen from this event.

  • Scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    78
    ·
    3 days ago

    Wow. There’s a part of me that feels sad, because any empty event is a weird empty liminal space. There’s a much larger part of me that says who did you make this for and maybe that’s why.

    Pride parades have been hugely attended. Interesting what happens when everyone feels welcome and accepted.

    Then also, I had never heard about this until after it started. Where was the marketing team for this? Heard more about the redneck brawl-ma-geddon bs than I heard about this.

    • Melobol@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      86
      ·
      3 days ago

      There was a fair planned with bipatrisan support by Smithsonian. Trump pulled it and gave money to his friends and you got this.

      • wonderingwanderer@sopuli.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        18
        ·
        3 days ago

        Honestly, good. Wouldn’t want the Smithsonian putting on an actually good event during this shitshow of an administration. What you see here is far more representative of the state the country is currently in.

        Happy 250th, ya filthy animal!

      • Rothe@piefed.social
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        11
        ·
        edit-2
        3 days ago

        He transferred the amounts which had been set aside for the other event to this one. Except clearly this event didn’t cost the $126million which was earmarked for this. So he pocketed at least $100million of those taxpayer funds for himself.

  • socsa@piefed.social
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    46
    ·
    3 days ago

    One thing people aren’t talking about is the insane security perimeter they have which bans basically everything other than a cell phone. No backpacks, cameras, laptops, “pointy umbrellas,” hard water bottles, etc. Its made it basically impossible for a normal tourist to bring in normal tourist kit. And obviously no locals want anything to do with this.

    No other event in DC does this. Street fairs, events on the mall, parades - none of them have this kind of security. It’s very clearly a bunch of oddly paranoid fascists buying their own conspiracies about Antifa vandals or whatever.

  • Melobol@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    56
    ·
    3 days ago

    I have seen pumpkin patches having bigger turnout than this single ride State Fair.

  • slowmolaggins@thelemmy.club
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    17
    ·
    3 days ago

    This is wildly embarrassing for the ones working and those that set it up. I wouldn’t go to THIS one, but if I heard about a giant state fair with no one in it, I’d be like, “fuck yeah that sounds awesome!”

    • Totally Human Emdash User@piefed.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      17
      ·
      3 days ago

      Setting up local celebrations across the country is apparently what America250 is about, but Trump wanted to do his own thing and so he played up the “Freedom250” events that he largely controls as the official celebration instead.

      Fun fact about the Freedom250 fair: states are not reimbursed in any way for their participation, which as you can imagine is very expensive, so many of them simply decided not to show up because it was not worth it.

  • jontree255@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    21
    ·
    3 days ago

    Do you have to pay to go to this or can anyone just walk up? Because that’s fucking nobody for being on the national mall.

      • jontree255@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        25
        ·
        3 days ago

        That’s what I thought. Means people are actively avoiding it. I’m sure the heat is deterring people but the Mall is usually very crowded this time of year.

          • FrChazzz@lemmus.org
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            16
            ·
            3 days ago

            Yes, they are saying that. I used to live in DC and summer is when I would avoid the National Mall because of all the tourists. It’s also brutal humid. But lousy with tourists in summer.

            • Logi@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              ·
              3 days ago

              That does seem to be what they’re saying they think they’re saying. Straight and forward.

  • DarkFuture@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    ·
    3 days ago

    Turns out not many people want to be associated with felons, rapists, or pedophiles in any way, shape, or form.