Political Theatre category archive
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.
No Surprises Here 0
At the Tampa Bay Times, Daniel Ruth wonders, why all the fuss? A snippet:
And MAGA world hue and cry and quiver with angst that their idol won’t come clean and release the files relating to his once close pal and now dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
A simple, but obvious question. What did you think was going to happen?
If the Truth Hurts . . . . 0
. . . then make it go away.
Robert Reich dissects the Trump maladministration’s strategy to turn the BLS into just plain BS.
This New Gilded Age 0
In addition to all the other stupid, petty, and destructive things this is, how is this not also theft of labor?
Tariff Tantrums 0
At Above the Law, Mark Hermann lists a litany of Trumpian tariff threats intended to bully other countries into doing Trump’s bidding.
It’s really worth a look. It’s a titanic tornado of toddler tariff tantrums.
History Does Not Repeat Itself, but It Often Rhymes”* 0
Trish Fontana, whose family survived Fascism in Mussolini’s Italy, hears a rhyme with what’s happening in the U. S. today. She notes that
. . . fascism has become a polarizing force in our own nation today.
Follow the link for her reasoning.
_______________
*Mark Twain.
Actions . . . 0
. . . have consequences.
Stray Thought 0
If Donald Trump is going to going to reinstate the Presidential Fitness Exam, perhaps he should take it himself to show the kids how it’s done. Or at least let the kids know how he did on it when he was in school.
And, yes, I remember taking it. It wasn’t such a big deal, but that was back in the olden days, when I was a young ‘un, and kids stilled played non-video games.
“But It’s the Only Possible Explanation” 0
Rebecca Watson takes a look at the psychology of persons who fall for embrace conspiracy theories. A quote:
He (Cornell University Professor Gordon Pennycook–ed.) found that, as Jamie (Bernstein–ed.) put it, “people who are more likely to rate a meaningless statement as profound are the same people who are more likely to have high religiosity, believe in the supernatural, believe in conspiracy theories, and think that alternative medicines such as homeopathy and reiki are totally legit. Additionally, the people who generally do better on analytical tests also tend to be more skeptical when presented with meaningless sentences made up of buzzwords.”
Or you can read the transcript.
Republican Family Values 0
They don’t seem to apply to families.
At the Detroit Free-Press, Debbie Dingell, who represents Michigan’s Sixth Congressional District, looks at the harm the Trump maladministration is doing to Americans’ health and health care. A snippet:
An estimated 17 million people could lose their health care as a direct result. And premiums for everyone will go up. Without enhanced premium tax credits for ACA marketplace plans, more healthy people will drop coverage, making the risk pool sicker on average and more expensive to insure.
Get Me Rewrite! 0
Mr. Newberger envisions a Trumpled Smithsonian.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Ring of Fire looks at some of the latest racist and bigoted antics out of Florida.
Republican Thought Police 0
Via WHYY, the AP looks at how the Republican thought police are leaning on learning.