Political Theatre category archive
It’s Bubblelicious 0
Right-wing pundits are fond of talking about some sort of “left-wing” bubble–you know, the one populated by folks who don’t get their news from Fox or Breitbart, read whaddya-call-em books, and believe in those quaint things called “facts.”
Historiann takes her pen to that bubble to see what’s inside.
All That Was Old Is New Again, Reprise 0
Soloman Jones channels Santayana:
If I have learned anything from watching this moment unfold, it is this: We must remain vigilant on the issue of race. Racism, after all, is America’s original sin. Its painful effects filter through the gaps in time, punishing the children for the sins of the parents to the third and fourth generation.
But racism isn’t the only thing that has brought us to a moment when the future will cede ground to the past. We are here, quite frankly, because of our tendency to forget the past.
Read the rest.
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
Werner Herzog’s Bear points out that “massive resistance” wasn’t just a “Civil Rights” movement thing:
Existential Threats 0
The kerfuffle of Russian hacking has been something to watch, but it’s just a sideshow–a distressing one, perhaps, but one that likely had only marginal effects on the election. I consider it unlikely that it affected the votes of a significant number of persons; it might have solidified some wavering Trump supporters, but I strongly doubt it caused even one Hillary vote to move into the Trump column. (Note that that is just my opinion based on years of being a political junkie.)
As Gary Fifield points out in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, there are far greater threats to our democracy much closer to home. Here’s a bit of his article:
Follow the link for the rest.
Understanding Trump 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Karl Albrecht says it’s easier than you think. It’s as simple as WYSIWYG.
“The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Fiend” 0
Dick Polman wonders at the Republican Party’s new-found Putin love, given Republicans’ historical antipathy to Russia. Here’s snippet:
(snip)
Who could ever have predicted that the tough-on-Russia party would slide toward appeasement? That Ronald Reagan would yield to a whiff of Neville Chamberlain?
Follow the link for Polman’s theories as to why the turnaround.
Image via Job’s Anger.
“The Creeper” 0
Shorter Will Bunch: There are no baby steps in the march to tyranny.
On the Spread of Stupid 1
Alex Caron of the Portland Press-Herald notes the proliferation of stupid. A snippet:
From both American and world history, we know where the dictatorship of the stupid takes a society: to autocracy, mediocrity and strife. And to the enrichment of a few over the many and a general collapse of civil society.
Let’s be careful not to confuse stupidity with ignorance or lack of education, although they generally expand together. . . .
Stupid is different. To win a degree in stupid, you have to willfully reject facts in favor of superstitions, myths, fears and conspiracy theories. And then get all your news from fake or biased news sites targeted at the stupid.