January, 2017 archive
Decoding de Code 0
Jared Bernstein offers some pointers on understanding what Donald Trump says. A snippet:
Follow the link to read his reasoning.
The Mencken of the Election 0
Fred Hobson, a retired professor, draws on the sayings of H. L. Mencken to shed light on Donald Trump’s appeal. I don’t know to what extent I agree with him, but it’s an interesting, if cynical (as was Mencken) take and worth a read. A snippet:
(snip)
. . . to bring it back to 2016, most Trump supporters detested The New York Times and the mainstream press, as well as academics or experts of any sort, including scientists who had a fact-based belief in evolution and climate change – which is to say, any of those who presumed to have the answers. Some of their resentment was justified, as they detected the disdain and condescension with which “experts” viewed small-town values and “flyover country.” But it went beyond that. To all too many Trump followers, truth itself was questioned. It was more comforting to rely on Trump’s version of it.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
This time, it wasn’t the little furry white tail.
These fellows were duck hunting, so it must have been the feathers.
The Uncertainty Principle 0
The Bangor Daily News editorial board shares a theory.
Branding Trumps Reality 0
Really, it does (as any Jeep buyer knows). Douglas van Praet explains. Here’s a snippet:
Donald Trump tapped into a growing community of angry voters by riding a groundswell of anti-government disdain and anti-immigrant anxiety never before seen in American politics. . . .
It should come as no surprise then that Donald Trump had run the most effective campaign, despite a long list of false facts or questionable truths. This may also explain Trump’s tendency to ignore or embellish the facts to mold reality, however far-fetched, to his purpose at hand.
Elsewhere, Francis Wilkinson points out how hate-full imagery Trumps reality.
A Rank Regime 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Robert Fuller suggest a new “ism” (emphasis added):
Once you have a name for it, you realize that rankism is everywhere in plain sight. Bullying, belittling, derision, corruption, harassment, and self-aggrandizement—these are all manifestations of rankism. The sooner we pin a generic name on them, the sooner we’ll be able to show them all the door.
The Otherization of Americans 0
Peter Sussman tells a story. Here’s an excerpt–follow the link for the rest:
I was heartbroken. Our 9-year-old grandson had learned that, in Trump’s America, our family could be broken down into component parts: one part this race, one part that, with frightening real-world implications.
Witness the Trumpling of America.
Know-Nothings Redux 0
Gina Barreca worries about the incoming administration’s embrace of ignorance as a worldview. A snippet:
Being articulate, capable of logical reasoning and able to use language constructively is not an affectation. Using your language clearly and effectively is not showing off. Life is not a game of “Scrabble” where you’re awarded points for big words, but language is how we communicate.
Barefoot and Pregnant 0
As Diane Carman points out, this is all about power (more at the link):
Power.
Light Bloggery 0
Things to do.
A. In an Alternative Universe 0
Q. Where do you find “alternative facts“?
Narcissism Notes 0
When it comes to picking a fight over verifiable facts,* just where does one draw the line between silly and stupid?
Inquiring minds want to know.
________________
*All facts are verifiable. That’s what makes them “facts.”
