Hate Sells category archive
Truth . . . 0
. . . has consequences.
When persons are punished for voicing truth in a civilized manner, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that we are a broken polity.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Dark Brandon debunks de bunk about the “great replacement theory.”
Republican Thought Police 0
Trump maladministration to California cities:
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*Such as (quoting from the report) “any mention of gender, abortion and other inclusive” terminology.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
It seems that one of those “responsible gun owners” has a notion of immigrants.
Guns and hatred and bigotry–what a delightful ste–oh, never mind.
A Question of Identity 0
Honest to Betsy, you can’t make this stuff up.
A Culture War How To 0
David makes a strong case that the culture war can–methinks maybe even should–be viewed as a conscious tactic to stoke division and distract the polity from what’s going on behind the scenes. He summarizes the process as follows:
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1. You identify a perceived threat to traditional values.
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2. You exaggerate the threat.
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3. You demonize the “other.”
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4. You use that to galvanize the base and distract from everything else.
Watch the video for his explication. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Soren Kaplan looks at the polarized state of dis coarse discourse and reminds us that “(i)t’s an inconvenient truth. Polarization feels good.” He notes that taking polarized positions feed emotional needs that inhibit efforts to reach across differences, in particular (emphasis in the original),
Choosing sides in a polarized debate gives us:
Belonging — Feeling accepted, valued, and connected to a group of like-minded people.
Control — Feeling agency and certainty in the face of a complex and unpredictable world.
Meaning — Seeing ourselves as part of something bigger, that includes a sense of purpose, significance, and moral clarity.
He goes on to list several techniques for bridging divides in a polarized environment.
Methinks it a timely and worthwhile read in these times where so many sell divisiveness–often for reasons unrelated to whatever issue may be at hand.
Republican Thought Police 0
Robert Reich dissects the duplicity.
“But It’s the Only Possible Explanation” 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Sam Goldstein explores how evolution has predisposed us to be susceptible to conspiracy theories. Given the current state of dis coarse discourse, methinks it a timely and worthwhile read. Here’s a tiny bit:
This creates fertile ground for pseudoscience and conspiracy theories. Considering the role of the “illusion of causality,” where people perceive non-existent causal links, especially in areas like alternative medicine and superstition, is critical (Blanco & Matute, 2018). These illusions persist because they exploit our evolved cognitive tendencies.
The rise of social media further worsens this problem.
All the News That Fits 0
Sam Goldstein, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, looks at how fiction can masquerade as fact. He notes that
He goes on to discuss how this effect also manifests itself in “social” media and “news” coverage.
In this age of mis- and disinformation, his article is well worth a read.
“GOP Jesus” 0
Mrs. Betty Bowers explains the RRV–the Republican Revised Version–of the Bible.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Seth notes that Donald Trump’s pogrom against immigrants appears to be less popular than he might have expected.
“But It’s One of Them“ 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, psychology professor Todd Nelson considers why persons are so susceptible to prejudice–that is, prejudging others–and offers some suggestions as to how not to fall into the prejudice trap. Given that dis coarse discourse seems flooded by merchants of hate, I found it a timely read.
Here’s a tiny bit:
MAGAttributes 0
David offers a theory to explain Donald Trump’s appeal to his base. Methinks he makes some good points. (Warning: David does a short promo for his book at the end.)
The Middle-East Misdirection Play 0
Kenneth Obel and Jennifer Obel are Jewish parents raising two daughters. From that perspective, they write at the Philadelphia Inquirer about the Trump maladministration’s efforts to dictate to universities what they can and cannot teach.
In particular, they submit that right-wing operatives are disguising efforts to restrict freedom of speech and learning under a cloak of fighting antisemitism. Here’s a tiny bit from their article:
This includes rounding up and incarcerating foreign students and misusing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act to make drastic cuts in federal funding to universities. These actions do not protect Jews — they endanger the very freedoms and institutions that have made Jewish life in America possible.
Their piece is worth the few minutes it takes to read.
A Notion of Immigrants, Catch-22 Dept. 0
He went for a walk, got lost, got arrested by ICE, was incarcerated for over a week, and nearly got deported exiled.
ICE claimed that he did not have “proper immigration documents.”
Not being an immigrant, of course he didn’t.
Catch-22.
It’s the best catch there is.
You can read the full news report here.
(Broken link fixed.)
Real Big Men 0
Emma and the crew discuss the factors that may be feeding toxic masculinity and misogyny that is a trait common to many far-right groups.