Politics of Hate category archive
Dis Dishonorable Discourse 0
For Veterans Day, Frances Coleman shared some memories of her father, who fought in World War II (as did my own father).
She mused about what he fought for–and about what he didn’t fight for.
Especially, they didn’t die so that this country’s worst enemy could become its own people.
Follow the link for the rest of her article.
Gutting Out the Vote 0
My friend saw a news report about the goons folks whe have been patrolling Arizona’s ballot drop boxes while carrying weapons and wearing body armor; she asked me if I knew anthing about it.
I said, “They claim that they are protecting the integrity of the vote, but they are actually right-wing–er–enthusiasts trying to intimidate voters.”
Know Them by the Company They Keep 0
Charles Blow notices a pattern.
Suffer the Children, the Children Strike Back 0
Sam and his crew discuss Virginia students’ protest against Virginia’s Governor Trumpkin’s bigoted actions towards trans kids, who, ass the writer of a letter to the editor of my local rag pointed out, are a minuscule percentage of the population.
It wasn’t just in Northern Virginia, folks.
The Disinformation Industrial Complex 0
Joe Pierre, writing at Psychology Today Blogs, is less than optimistic about the role mistrust and misinformation play in dis coarse discourse. Here’s a bit of what he says; follow the link for the rest (emphasis added).
Now, why is there so much misinformation out there? Misinformation and disinformation—the deliberate spread of falsehoods—is a for-profit industry where the pay-offs are financial and political.
Those sitting atop of the disinformation food chain are masters of exploiting the normal cognitive machinery that we use to process information, taking full advantage of our propensity for confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance, and motivated reasoning that all act in the service of preserving a stable sense of self where ideology and identity are fused.
A Case of Projection 0
David Atkins makes a case that Donald Trump cannot understand the concepts such as “the rule of law,” “justice,” and the “public good” because he believes everyone thinks the way he does.
Methinks Atkins is onto something.
The Roll-Back 0
Gordon Weil espies a disturbing trend. Here’s the nub of his article (emphasis added):
Follow the link for his reasoning.
In a related vein, Professor Richard Cherwitz reminds us that, “once democracy is gone, it’s gone.”
“A Republic, If You Can Keep It” 0
At The Denver Post, Air Force Major General (ret.) Irv Halter points out that “it’s not the economy, stupid.” Here’s a bit from his article (emphasis added):
What happened leading up to Jan. 6, 2021, was an organized attack on our founding document and nation. Despite overwhelming evidence, people who should have been saying “no” to the lie and the liar, instead marched in lockstep behind him.
“Just Live with It” Is Not an Option 0
A law professor takes issue with Justice (sic) Clarence Thomas. Here’s how he opens his article; follow the link for the rest.
This is a remarkable statement.
By this same philosophy, we should chide those, who were unwilling to “live with” Dred Scott v. Sanford.
“The Reactionary Trap” 0
(In an interesting bit, David and his guest discuss the role of “social” media in creating bubbles of believers and silos of sycophants. That discussion starts at about the 3 1/2 minute mark.)
Read the article under discussion.
The Nuremberg Defense 0
It didn’t work for Nazis then, and it doesn’t look like it’s working now.