The "no homework" policy is an amazingly liberating one. I highly recommend it. There's really no pint to engaging with the dO yOuR rEsEArCh crowd; you can litigate every point they make; they'll just move to another one. Playing talking point whack-a-mole is not the best use of one's time.
As for Biden & the Dems. Can we PLEASE get someone that's from Gen X AND a dynamic candidate? in my state, until recently, the left had a bad habit of have milquetoast candidates face off against the GOP. The result is a gerrymandered state at war with itself.
For sure. As much as I love Bernie, his time has come and passed and I respect that he was able to help make progressive ideas mainstream. But if the progressive movement is going to grow and gain momentum, it needs to move past Bernie's failed presidential campaigns as a unifying and animating force. I'd love for someone with Obama's youth and charisma but with unapologetic progressive beliefs.
Yes please to the “unapologetic” part. I’m always annoyed at Dem candidates that reflexively mute their stances. People WANT a public option for health care, they WANT sensible gun control. There aren’t radical ideas by any means, so why hedge?
I think a lot of it is they are ultimately beholden to a lot of the same corporate interests as Republican, and also the center of gravity is controlled by a gerontocracy that came into politics during the Reagan years and they were the GOP's whipping dogs.
Trump broke a lot of the conventional wisdom, but they are clinging onto it because they've just been trapped in the Beltway bubble for decades where they assume the key to winning is still applying to this fictitious moderate Republican voter who either doesn't exist or is a marginalized slice of the electorate.
Everything under the sun keeps getting renamed, rebranded, repositioned, yet the tribe of ignorance continues to be given the dignity of being called anti-vax. They're pro-disease. That's the only accurate label.
"Vaccine skeptic" is the one that gets me. What is there to be skeptical of? That your chances of dying or suffering the worst/long-term affects of COVID are empirically reduced by not getting the vaccine? The lack of basic risk assessment is baffling to me.
Oh gosh, it's not that long ago, and yet I had forgotten about the vaccine skeptic rebranding. 🤦♀️
One of the worst weasel expressions to come out of the pandemic, implying a level of rigour and legitimacy conferred on all the kids who sat in the back row and got a consistent D in science and statistics.
That it so quickly gained traction was mind numbing. Let's not alienate the people "doing their own research", let's make it sound like they're thoughtful members of the skeptics society.
This collapse of institutional authority you call attention to is the whole ballgame. The organizers of the far-right attempts to overthrow democracy all rely on this phenomenon: don't trust voting, don't trust the gubbmint, don't trust the justice system, don't trust the rule of law.
Exactly, it's all a part of the right's campaign to destroy the concept of a common good and the capacity of the government to be a positive force in people's lives so they can privatize and profit off of any public service. Truly cynical stuff.
I've had a similar conversation with a friend who's fallen into right wing culture war BS because he thinks the "woke mind virus" has infiltrated and corrupted everything.
For example, I don't care to defend the journalistic integrity of the New York Times, but anyone who can't tell the difference between NYT and, say, Breitbart, has serious reading comprehension issues. I have plenty of bones to pick with the NYT and their corporate centrist editorial bias that they brand as Objective Truth, but that doesn't mean I reflexively disbelieve everything they report.
RFK Jr. is what happens when people confuse vague anti-establishment posturing as a coherent belief system.
It's exhausting! And yes, you're spot-on: respectable journalism is out there, and it should always be viewed with a critical eye, but this sort of false equivalence (as you put it, between NYT and Breitbart) is exactly how information coverage is being weaponized. "See, all politicians lie/steal/try to overthrow democracy!" "See? Ukraine and Russia are the same."
The goal isn't a specific agenda so much as to sow so much confusion, that the "strongman" can rise to the top, justifying the destruction of democratic norms by offering the one thing these simps believe the demagogue can offer: clarity.
On literally every other issue, RFK takes the position of an establishment Democrat. He's "anti-establishment" because he shits on vaccines. I assume he is the candidate for Jimmy Dore types who are considered the "left" for reasons that remain unclear.
I think the "anti-establishment" cred comes from being anti-science and pro-conspiracy theory. This is a guy who regards populism as his best bet to get to the top of the national stage; populists are very seldom good leaders because they have to constantly deliver bread and circuses to the populace, or worse- red meat in the form of discriminatory behavior (not saying that's what RFK Jr would do, but the historical track record isn't great here). Just my 2 cents as an observer, but this guy is beyond a crackpot: he is unwilling or unable to discern reality from fantasy for his followers. We have had our fill of this.
Tell me, what was your last invention or earth shattering discovery? Oh I see, you’re like the 99% of us who just know what we’ve been told and are capable of remembering and regurgitating. If that’s the case, which I’m sure it is, why can’t I believe the myriad of experts that are sceptical of mRNA technology and the effectiveness of lockdowns and mandates. There has been no legitimate debate as anyone with a half functioning prefrontal cortex should know.
“However, the studies disproving vaccines causing autism have been administered by non-profit groups, universities, and government health agencies that mostly operate outside of market incentives, which makes them generally trustworthy. It would take purposeful ignorance to misunderstand the vast difference between academic experts and corporate grifters.” I don’t profess to be an articulate writer so I just have to say this is just plain naïve and fucking stupid!
I still can’t figure out if you’re serious? I had to read this post in its entirety to see if at the end you would say-just kidding! You are a brilliant writer but this article seems more like an abstract painting-just throw a bunch of beautiful words together that sound intelligent and poetic but make no fucking sense whatsoever!
once upon a time i was an environmental/political reporter, in dc and calif. this means i came across mr. kennedy with regularity. (he calls himself "bobby kennedy" -- he does not use the junior.) he's an insane person. he is not of this planet. i say this with compassion. anyone raised as he was, in that family, should probably be institutionalized -- to protect us from them as well as them from them. they can't help it. they will run and run and run for office til they drop. none of this is surprising. mr. kennedy sees his window, despite zero experience running anything. other than him, that is. he runs him. that's where he belongs.
Now we find ourselves in a world of zombies, mention the word vaccine and their eyes glaze over, the fight or flight response is triggered. They bolt or attack, blind to reason. Once their blood lust is satisfied the zombies retreat to the safety of the herd. A place with no questions and unchallenged beliefs they wallow in their ignorance.
The "no homework" policy is an amazingly liberating one. I highly recommend it. There's really no pint to engaging with the dO yOuR rEsEArCh crowd; you can litigate every point they make; they'll just move to another one. Playing talking point whack-a-mole is not the best use of one's time.
As for Biden & the Dems. Can we PLEASE get someone that's from Gen X AND a dynamic candidate? in my state, until recently, the left had a bad habit of have milquetoast candidates face off against the GOP. The result is a gerrymandered state at war with itself.
For sure. As much as I love Bernie, his time has come and passed and I respect that he was able to help make progressive ideas mainstream. But if the progressive movement is going to grow and gain momentum, it needs to move past Bernie's failed presidential campaigns as a unifying and animating force. I'd love for someone with Obama's youth and charisma but with unapologetic progressive beliefs.
Yes please to the “unapologetic” part. I’m always annoyed at Dem candidates that reflexively mute their stances. People WANT a public option for health care, they WANT sensible gun control. There aren’t radical ideas by any means, so why hedge?
I think a lot of it is they are ultimately beholden to a lot of the same corporate interests as Republican, and also the center of gravity is controlled by a gerontocracy that came into politics during the Reagan years and they were the GOP's whipping dogs.
Trump broke a lot of the conventional wisdom, but they are clinging onto it because they've just been trapped in the Beltway bubble for decades where they assume the key to winning is still applying to this fictitious moderate Republican voter who either doesn't exist or is a marginalized slice of the electorate.
Everything under the sun keeps getting renamed, rebranded, repositioned, yet the tribe of ignorance continues to be given the dignity of being called anti-vax. They're pro-disease. That's the only accurate label.
"Vaccine skeptic" is the one that gets me. What is there to be skeptical of? That your chances of dying or suffering the worst/long-term affects of COVID are empirically reduced by not getting the vaccine? The lack of basic risk assessment is baffling to me.
Oh gosh, it's not that long ago, and yet I had forgotten about the vaccine skeptic rebranding. 🤦♀️
One of the worst weasel expressions to come out of the pandemic, implying a level of rigour and legitimacy conferred on all the kids who sat in the back row and got a consistent D in science and statistics.
That it so quickly gained traction was mind numbing. Let's not alienate the people "doing their own research", let's make it sound like they're thoughtful members of the skeptics society.
Sheesh! 🤢
This collapse of institutional authority you call attention to is the whole ballgame. The organizers of the far-right attempts to overthrow democracy all rely on this phenomenon: don't trust voting, don't trust the gubbmint, don't trust the justice system, don't trust the rule of law.
Exactly, it's all a part of the right's campaign to destroy the concept of a common good and the capacity of the government to be a positive force in people's lives so they can privatize and profit off of any public service. Truly cynical stuff.
I've had a similar conversation with a friend who's fallen into right wing culture war BS because he thinks the "woke mind virus" has infiltrated and corrupted everything.
For example, I don't care to defend the journalistic integrity of the New York Times, but anyone who can't tell the difference between NYT and, say, Breitbart, has serious reading comprehension issues. I have plenty of bones to pick with the NYT and their corporate centrist editorial bias that they brand as Objective Truth, but that doesn't mean I reflexively disbelieve everything they report.
RFK Jr. is what happens when people confuse vague anti-establishment posturing as a coherent belief system.
It's exhausting! And yes, you're spot-on: respectable journalism is out there, and it should always be viewed with a critical eye, but this sort of false equivalence (as you put it, between NYT and Breitbart) is exactly how information coverage is being weaponized. "See, all politicians lie/steal/try to overthrow democracy!" "See? Ukraine and Russia are the same."
The goal isn't a specific agenda so much as to sow so much confusion, that the "strongman" can rise to the top, justifying the destruction of democratic norms by offering the one thing these simps believe the demagogue can offer: clarity.
Politics IRL truly imitates "Secret Hitler" lol
I also hope folks realize that RFK is literally a pawn of the far-right.
On literally every other issue, RFK takes the position of an establishment Democrat. He's "anti-establishment" because he shits on vaccines. I assume he is the candidate for Jimmy Dore types who are considered the "left" for reasons that remain unclear.
I think the "anti-establishment" cred comes from being anti-science and pro-conspiracy theory. This is a guy who regards populism as his best bet to get to the top of the national stage; populists are very seldom good leaders because they have to constantly deliver bread and circuses to the populace, or worse- red meat in the form of discriminatory behavior (not saying that's what RFK Jr would do, but the historical track record isn't great here). Just my 2 cents as an observer, but this guy is beyond a crackpot: he is unwilling or unable to discern reality from fantasy for his followers. We have had our fill of this.
Is this post like the Truman movie am I the butt of a joke that I’m not aware of
Any of you ever heard of the Tuskegee study-the opioid crisis or flipper babies?
Tell me, what was your last invention or earth shattering discovery? Oh I see, you’re like the 99% of us who just know what we’ve been told and are capable of remembering and regurgitating. If that’s the case, which I’m sure it is, why can’t I believe the myriad of experts that are sceptical of mRNA technology and the effectiveness of lockdowns and mandates. There has been no legitimate debate as anyone with a half functioning prefrontal cortex should know.
“However, the studies disproving vaccines causing autism have been administered by non-profit groups, universities, and government health agencies that mostly operate outside of market incentives, which makes them generally trustworthy. It would take purposeful ignorance to misunderstand the vast difference between academic experts and corporate grifters.” I don’t profess to be an articulate writer so I just have to say this is just plain naïve and fucking stupid!
I still can’t figure out if you’re serious? I had to read this post in its entirety to see if at the end you would say-just kidding! You are a brilliant writer but this article seems more like an abstract painting-just throw a bunch of beautiful words together that sound intelligent and poetic but make no fucking sense whatsoever!
once upon a time i was an environmental/political reporter, in dc and calif. this means i came across mr. kennedy with regularity. (he calls himself "bobby kennedy" -- he does not use the junior.) he's an insane person. he is not of this planet. i say this with compassion. anyone raised as he was, in that family, should probably be institutionalized -- to protect us from them as well as them from them. they can't help it. they will run and run and run for office til they drop. none of this is surprising. mr. kennedy sees his window, despite zero experience running anything. other than him, that is. he runs him. that's where he belongs.
Now we find ourselves in a world of zombies, mention the word vaccine and their eyes glaze over, the fight or flight response is triggered. They bolt or attack, blind to reason. Once their blood lust is satisfied the zombies retreat to the safety of the herd. A place with no questions and unchallenged beliefs they wallow in their ignorance.
More here; https://wakeuppeople.substack.com/p/the-psychological-war-in-your-mind