Political Theatre category archive
Sick Day 0
Liz Dye reports that Alex Jones keeps ducking court proceedings.
One would think that he does not have the courage of his conniptions.
Authoritarians on the Couch 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Edward Hoffman looks into the minds of despots.
It is a worthwhile read, not only for what it says about the persons mentioned in his post (notably Hitler and Putin), but also for the light it sheds on our own homegrown wannabe despots and their dupes, symps, and fellow travelers.
Devolution 0
Honest to Pete, you can’t make this stuff up.
“Americans Fall For It Too” 0
Given the news reports about disinformation in Russia, David points out that it’s not just Russians who can fall for fakery. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
The Lies of the Land 0
Behavioral economist Lionel Page explores how propaganda works. A tiny little snippet from a very long article:
In a related vein, Badtux argues that, strictly defined, propaganda may be slanted and manipulative, yes, but it may not necessarily be false.
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*Hence the success of Fox News.
BOLO* 0
Gene Collier thinks he may have spotted a wrong-doer.
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*Back in the olden days, when I was a young ‘un, they were callled “All Points Bulletins” or “ABPs.”
A Picture Is Worth 0
What happens when members of a society eschew the common good and ignore the social contract?
The answer is below the fold.
Tournament of Trumpians 0
Above the Law’s Joe Patrice asks, “Which Trump Lawyer Is The Biggest Disgrace?”
Follow the link to see how he handicaps the brackets.
I disagree with his prediction. I think we would see Bill Barr v. Sidney Powell in the Trumpianship playoff, but I am not a lawyer and Patrice is.
Aside:
I thought I wanted to be a lawyer when I went off to college, but then I met some law students. I decided nothing was worth being that uptight. Of course, I’m not claiming I met a representative sample of law students by any means . . . .
The Hole Truth 0
Methinks Alby has a point.
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy comments at the Youtube page:
When Putin announced his plans to ‘liberate’ part of Ukraine, and unilaterally declared sections of Ukraine to be independent nations, Trump praised Putin for being “smart”, “savvy” and “genius”. If given a second term, Trump would have withdrawn from NATO and would have allowed Putin free rein to march unimpeded into Ukraine. That’s what happens when the Russians have ‘kompromat’ on a sleazy US official like our former president.
Mangy Fetlocks wanted to call out some of the ramifications of the ‘genius’ move that Putin has made, as Trump was busy labelling American diplomats and officials “dumb”. Only a sociopath like Trump could make such a call.
A Tune for the Times 0
Mangy comments at the Youtube page:
In an interview recently, when Trump was asked about the Ukraine situation, he launched into some crazy BS about how this was related to the Green New Deal and that windmills were a root cause of energy market instability or maybe it was daylight savings time. And THIS is a man some believe should be back in charge of the nuclear codes.
Those Consistent Conservatives 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., looks at the record.
You think that’s harsh? You think it’s overly sweeping? The record begs to differ.
Follow the link for the evidence.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
David interviews Alexandra Hudson, who intriguingly argues that “politeness” and “civility” are not the same thing and that we need less of the former and more of the latter.
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation” 0
Thom talks with Kelly Weill about why persons are susceptible to conspiracy theories.
This discussion is well worth a listen.
