Author's archive
The Appeal of the Disinformation Superhighway 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Mark W. Susmann and Duane T. Wegener explore what’s appealing about misinformation and why some cling to it even after it’s been soundly debunked.
Granted, there’s nothing new about misinformation (and disinformation), but the disinformation superhighway has accelerated its speed, volume (both in the sense of quantity and the sense of loudness), and persistence. If you are curious about why persons cling to falsehood despite irrefutable evidence of falseness, you will find this an interesting read.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
We are again reminded that politeness takes practice.
The story goes on to quote the local sheriff as saying that “target practice is not illegal” (those are the words in the report, not necessarily the sheriff’s exact words).
We are again confronted by one who knows not that “negligent” and “accidental” are not synonyms.
Devolution, Reprise 0
The Portland Press-Herald’s Greg Kesich sees an ominous trend (emphasis added):
At some point, the party went from hating Democrats to hating democracy . . . .
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Aside:
I can’t tell you exactly when the tipping point came about, but I can tell you when the tipping started: When Richard Nixon implemented the “southern strategy” (an idea, by the way, that he did not originate) and welcomed overt bigotry and racism into the Republican Party.
Devolution 0
Rex Huppke is less than optimistic about the fate of the polity; he fears that glorification of stupid which has taken root in some quarters does not bode well. Here’s just a tiny a bit from his article (emphasis added):
You can draw a straight line from the glorification of numbskullery and the rejection of facts to the Jan. 6 attack.
Yet somehow, since Jan. 6, the stupidity being peddled has only gotten worse. Trump and an astonishing array of Republicans and right-wing media types continue to insist the 2020 election was stolen. There is zero evidence to support that and, in fact, even the former president’s most loyal flunkies who have ham-handedly “audited” election results in various states have come up with zilch.
Twits on Twitter 0
Just when you thought that the twits on Twitter couldn’t get any more stupid, they prove you wrong . . . again.
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
A Picture Is Worth, Facebook Frolics Dept. 0
Don’t believe me? See for yourself.
Supply Change 0
Now this is too much to bear . . . .
Uncomfortable Truths 0
At The Roanoke Times, Rob Neukirch reminds us that, taught honestly, history is not about feelings.
It’s about stuff that happened.
Stray Question, Diagnostic Dept. 0
Does this remind you of anyone?
The Futurist 0
At the Des Moines Register, Jim Chrisinger offers a vision of what the future might look like if Donald Trump and his dupes, symps, and fellow travelers get their way.
No summary or excerpt can do his work justice. Follow the link to read it in its entirety.