Political Theatre category archive
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Rebecca Watson bemoans the exploiting of staged debates, with a particular reference to the Jubilee Youtube channel, which has been in the news lately. She argues that they are devolving from a discussion of issues to a cage-match spectator sport in the pursuit of clicks and likes and lucre.
Or you can read the transcript.
Mission Impossible 0
In the midst of a longer column about the inanity and uselessness of Donald Trump’s having Iran bombed, Joe Conason makes a telling observation;
Follow the link for his reasoning.
“History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Via The Japan Times, Bloomberg”s Adrian Wooldridge hears a rhyme.
Here’s a couple of couplets; follow the link to put them in context.
There has been an awful lot of “getting medieval” in the world recently.
(snip)
A growing cadre of strongmen treat their countries as their personal property and international relations as a test of their personal egos. Religion is exercising a growing influence on global politics. And a post-literate and brain-addled public craves nicknames and memes rather than demanding speeches and complicated reasoning. Whether re-medievalization is compatible with the long-term survival of the species in a world of nuclear weapons and ultrasonic ballistic missiles is open to doubt.
______________________
*Mark Twain.
All the News that Fits 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Sam Goldstein argues that misinformation is more dangerous than no information. Given that dis coarse discourse is flooded with lies and lying liars, methinks his article a timely and worthwhile read. Here’s tiny bit:
The True Believers 0
From the Youtube page:
Seth takes a closer look at Donald Trump and the MAGA movement reeling from a series of bombshells regarding Trump’s longtime friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
A Tune for the Times 0
Afterthought:
My escape from Trump is to listen to Best of Car Talk episodes that you can download from NPR–at least, for now. They are nutty, but they help me forget that my country has gone nuts.
In Comparison 0
At the Detroit Free-Press, John Lindstrom argues that Donald Trump has accomplished something Lindstrom didn’t think possible.
Trump has made Richard Nixon look good.
Follow the link for Lindstron’s reasoning.
“Get Me Rewrite!” 0
John Young envisions the Supreme Supremacist Court’s RSV (Revised Supremacist Version) of the United States Constitution. Here’s a snippet:
They continued: “Those of inherent privilege are endowed by their creator with special status; the rest can soak.”
Republican Thought Police 0
Why educate when you can indoctrinate?
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Rita Watson explores why calling something “fake news” when in fact it is real factual news pollutes dis coarse discourse and, conversely, why persons fall for “news” that is actually fake. She points out that
(a)s a political strategy, replying ‘fake news’ to questions undermines the truth.
Follow the link for her suggestions as to how distinguish reality from propaganda.
Suffer the Children 0
Once again, that’s not scripture. That’s Republican policy.
Misfire 0
Via The Japan Times, Columbia University Professor Zongyuan Zoe Liu makes a strong case that China is winning the trade war that Trump chose to start. Here’s a tiny bit:
That is why Chinese leaders, businesspeople and entrepreneurs have focused on building resilience and self-reliance, which means, first and foremost, reducing dependence on U.S. markets and technology.
Afterthought:
Trump is indeed running the government like a business, and that business is Enron.