The well has been poisoned, and once this happens, it is a monumental task to exhort the toxin.
Today we live in a post truth world, where the Alex Joneses can and will attempt to create an alternative reality. Have you tried using facts and evidence to convince those who believe in the Big Lie that it doesn’t exist? Good luck with that.
The well has been poisoned, and once this happens, it is a monumental task to exhort the toxin.
Today we live in a post truth world, where the Alex Joneses can and will attempt to create an alternative reality. Have you tried using facts and evidence to convince those who believe in the Big Lie that it doesn’t exist? Good luck with that.
“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
And remember the words of fifty years ago from Pogo:
It is often disappointingly hard to persuade others with evidence alone, but perhaps the J6th Committee is making progress with evidence, as well as high visibility and persistence. Trump and his ilk ride on high visibility and persistence as well, and gain a certain edge by appealing to lazy, narcissistic prejudices, while the high-road folks are burdened by painstaking efforts of discovery, the constraints of integrity, and weight of bearing some inconvenient truths. Nevertheless, persistence can and has penetrated acceptance of slavery, subjugation of women, worker's rights and gay rights have progressed, and likely would have progressed further without well-funded and organized reactionary resistance. The easy way to get people pulling for something is with lies and intimidation, which is part of why it never goes out of style, but the hard way is better..
If you look at each of those lies, they all seem to stoke fear that something you cherish will disappear: compliant black slaves, compliant women (willing to stay at home and let you make all the important decisions), compliant workers (willing to endure horrible working conditions and paltry wages) and compliant gay people (willing to deny their genuine self and feel guilty when they are true to themselves). In all cases, the status quo means that those who qualify have reduced competition for the winnings. Listen to Fox News warning that the hordes are rushing over the southern (not the northern) border to take jobs, steal from social programs, rob/rape/enslave with drugs and other terrible acts. When they’re not whipping up the masses with those lies, they switch to the story that the “liberals” are giving your tax dollars away to the lazy, cheating “others” (people who don’t look like you, talk like you, etc.)
It's a reminder that you cannot take rights earned for granted, no matter how hard is was to earn them in the first place. Obama's election in 2008 awakened a hatred in this country that had been suppressed for many years. We fought and spilled blood to end slavery, and to defeat Fascism. The fight for civil and women's rights too was a difficult long struggle. I saw today that this SCOTUS is the most pro-business in history. And that's barely into the Roberts court's most radically conservative tenure. It's going to be a long slog. I hope are youth of America are up to the task because this old boomer is growing weary of the fight.
I just want to add that hoping youth will solve the "the problem" is an old pattern, and while it makes sense that one generation tries to build on the legacy of the last (good and bad) we all have to stay engaged. Admittedly, in my mid '70s. I am not as adventurous as I once was, but hope to see much better communication and cooperation between generations as key to real E Pluribus Unum.
Yes!! Jane Goodall says one thing that makes her blood boil is when those of us who created 'the mess' say that we should just leave it to the younger generations to fix... I agree with you, JL... we need to continue to share and cooperate as that key.
I think that while the press has always had a outsized influence on culture, the passive audience structure TV and similar media induces exaggerated passivity on the part of the public. We see clips and sound bites of climate change, rather that long-chain discussion. Contrast Lincoln-Douglas to the game-show like presentation of modern candidate debates? J6th hearings are almost unique in modern media for holding and drilling down into a unified focus. Moreover, "and now for something completely different" broadcasts are understandably evoke muted reponses in contrast to repetitive Big Lie promotion media, and pointed commercial messages. How can you actually maintain government of the people, by the people, for the people without a robust, interactive national conversation? Hopefully this one contributes.
I don’t like that one Ally. Do people who use that slogan work toward making the country more democratic? What did the former president say about Baltimore, our cities, Muslim and Mexican people…!
The well has been poisoned, and once this happens, it is a monumental task to exhort the toxin.
Today we live in a post truth world, where the Alex Joneses can and will attempt to create an alternative reality. Have you tried using facts and evidence to convince those who believe in the Big Lie that it doesn’t exist? Good luck with that.
“All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
And remember the words of fifty years ago from Pogo:
“We have met the enemy and he is us.”
Smart little possum.
It is often disappointingly hard to persuade others with evidence alone, but perhaps the J6th Committee is making progress with evidence, as well as high visibility and persistence. Trump and his ilk ride on high visibility and persistence as well, and gain a certain edge by appealing to lazy, narcissistic prejudices, while the high-road folks are burdened by painstaking efforts of discovery, the constraints of integrity, and weight of bearing some inconvenient truths. Nevertheless, persistence can and has penetrated acceptance of slavery, subjugation of women, worker's rights and gay rights have progressed, and likely would have progressed further without well-funded and organized reactionary resistance. The easy way to get people pulling for something is with lies and intimidation, which is part of why it never goes out of style, but the hard way is better..
If you look at each of those lies, they all seem to stoke fear that something you cherish will disappear: compliant black slaves, compliant women (willing to stay at home and let you make all the important decisions), compliant workers (willing to endure horrible working conditions and paltry wages) and compliant gay people (willing to deny their genuine self and feel guilty when they are true to themselves). In all cases, the status quo means that those who qualify have reduced competition for the winnings. Listen to Fox News warning that the hordes are rushing over the southern (not the northern) border to take jobs, steal from social programs, rob/rape/enslave with drugs and other terrible acts. When they’re not whipping up the masses with those lies, they switch to the story that the “liberals” are giving your tax dollars away to the lazy, cheating “others” (people who don’t look like you, talk like you, etc.)
It's a reminder that you cannot take rights earned for granted, no matter how hard is was to earn them in the first place. Obama's election in 2008 awakened a hatred in this country that had been suppressed for many years. We fought and spilled blood to end slavery, and to defeat Fascism. The fight for civil and women's rights too was a difficult long struggle. I saw today that this SCOTUS is the most pro-business in history. And that's barely into the Roberts court's most radically conservative tenure. It's going to be a long slog. I hope are youth of America are up to the task because this old boomer is growing weary of the fight.
I just want to add that hoping youth will solve the "the problem" is an old pattern, and while it makes sense that one generation tries to build on the legacy of the last (good and bad) we all have to stay engaged. Admittedly, in my mid '70s. I am not as adventurous as I once was, but hope to see much better communication and cooperation between generations as key to real E Pluribus Unum.
Yes!! Jane Goodall says one thing that makes her blood boil is when those of us who created 'the mess' say that we should just leave it to the younger generations to fix... I agree with you, JL... we need to continue to share and cooperate as that key.
I think that while the press has always had a outsized influence on culture, the passive audience structure TV and similar media induces exaggerated passivity on the part of the public. We see clips and sound bites of climate change, rather that long-chain discussion. Contrast Lincoln-Douglas to the game-show like presentation of modern candidate debates? J6th hearings are almost unique in modern media for holding and drilling down into a unified focus. Moreover, "and now for something completely different" broadcasts are understandably evoke muted reponses in contrast to repetitive Big Lie promotion media, and pointed commercial messages. How can you actually maintain government of the people, by the people, for the people without a robust, interactive national conversation? Hopefully this one contributes.
The discipline of the J6 Committee is amazing. Now, compare that to the kangaroo court Benghazi fiasco of the repugnicans...
Yep!
Agree.
Was he ever!
"The problem with America is Americans". Mike S.
I don’t like that one Ally. Do people who use that slogan work toward making the country more democratic? What did the former president say about Baltimore, our cities, Muslim and Mexican people…!
The way I read it is kinda like Pogo: We have met the enemy, and he is us.
Lord, you stated my favs from way back.