How many of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and relatives have a secret desire to see violence or for liberals to be "owned" and harassed, as long as they are not attacked or face repercussions? How many will listen to us? Immense pressure must be brought to bear on mainstream media to stop "both-sidesing" everything, repeating Republ…
How many of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and relatives have a secret desire to see violence or for liberals to be "owned" and harassed, as long as they are not attacked or face repercussions? How many will listen to us? Immense pressure must be brought to bear on mainstream media to stop "both-sidesing" everything, repeating Republican and conservative talking points, and normalizing violent and extreme rhetoric. Everyone whose family has been split into opposing factions by the non-stop Fox Noise lies should be filing suit against Fox for alienation of affection or whatever else is possible as a cause of action for how they have maliciously brainwashed their victims. Big money on the left and from the middle should be directed to fighting right-wing propaganda, especially on social media and in commercial media. Millions of letters to editors need to be published articulating the danger from violence and the inevitability that few will escape injury or death under this kind of fascism.
We’ve succumbed, as a nation, to the Limbaugh/ Kardashian syndrome, our reptile brains titillated by the confluence of hatred of the “other” and vapid celebrity worship.
"As a nation" is a pretty broad generalization. There are the 6 million people, you and I included, who follow Thom, so thankfully all is not lost, yet. The things you refer to relate to and reflect the influence of the media. I always go back to Postman's book, "Amusing Ourselves to Death". But, as I harp on incessantly, the media we have could not exist without naive, ignorant, and badly miseducated citizens willing to subject themselves to propaganda, mythology, lies, and "vapid celebrity worship". It's the traditional public schools, 'stupid'. Postman wrote another book titled, "The End of Education". I haven't read that one but I suspect I know what he said. Authoritarian bureaucracies cannot possibly turn out well-rounded, critical thinking, autonomous, skilled and knowledgeable, educated people. If we took the gun away from the heads of children, they might have the ability to focus, and their inborn desire to learn and create new knowledge might blossom, overnight. But guns are still our thing, and even the liberal/progressives are brainwashed into believing that coercion and intimidation are somehow okay when dealing with kids. End of lecture. Who has the guts to face reality and swim against the tide? You, maybe?
I try to swim against the tide, Robert. As a life-long pacifist and devout atheist, I have nonetheless considered that should the worst occur, and Trump regains the WH, I will do my best to water the tree of Liberty with my figurative (and perhaps literal) blood as a true patriot against abject tyranny. I will fight for my nieces and nephews - I have no children - and for the students in my care. It is their future I fight for. As I close in on retirement, the prospect of this great country being handed over to the authoritarians and oligarchs is repugnant. I will fight the dying of the light. Who stands with me?
How many of our friends, neighbors, coworkers, and relatives have a secret desire to see violence or for liberals to be "owned" and harassed, as long as they are not attacked or face repercussions? How many will listen to us? Immense pressure must be brought to bear on mainstream media to stop "both-sidesing" everything, repeating Republican and conservative talking points, and normalizing violent and extreme rhetoric. Everyone whose family has been split into opposing factions by the non-stop Fox Noise lies should be filing suit against Fox for alienation of affection or whatever else is possible as a cause of action for how they have maliciously brainwashed their victims. Big money on the left and from the middle should be directed to fighting right-wing propaganda, especially on social media and in commercial media. Millions of letters to editors need to be published articulating the danger from violence and the inevitability that few will escape injury or death under this kind of fascism.
We’ve succumbed, as a nation, to the Limbaugh/ Kardashian syndrome, our reptile brains titillated by the confluence of hatred of the “other” and vapid celebrity worship.
"As a nation" is a pretty broad generalization. There are the 6 million people, you and I included, who follow Thom, so thankfully all is not lost, yet. The things you refer to relate to and reflect the influence of the media. I always go back to Postman's book, "Amusing Ourselves to Death". But, as I harp on incessantly, the media we have could not exist without naive, ignorant, and badly miseducated citizens willing to subject themselves to propaganda, mythology, lies, and "vapid celebrity worship". It's the traditional public schools, 'stupid'. Postman wrote another book titled, "The End of Education". I haven't read that one but I suspect I know what he said. Authoritarian bureaucracies cannot possibly turn out well-rounded, critical thinking, autonomous, skilled and knowledgeable, educated people. If we took the gun away from the heads of children, they might have the ability to focus, and their inborn desire to learn and create new knowledge might blossom, overnight. But guns are still our thing, and even the liberal/progressives are brainwashed into believing that coercion and intimidation are somehow okay when dealing with kids. End of lecture. Who has the guts to face reality and swim against the tide? You, maybe?
I try to swim against the tide, Robert. As a life-long pacifist and devout atheist, I have nonetheless considered that should the worst occur, and Trump regains the WH, I will do my best to water the tree of Liberty with my figurative (and perhaps literal) blood as a true patriot against abject tyranny. I will fight for my nieces and nephews - I have no children - and for the students in my care. It is their future I fight for. As I close in on retirement, the prospect of this great country being handed over to the authoritarians and oligarchs is repugnant. I will fight the dying of the light. Who stands with me?