2020 archive
Tales of the Trumpling: Snapshots of Trickle-Down Trumpery 0
One of the things that I have trouble wrapping my mind around when I read of conduct such as this, beyond the hatred and the bigotry, is the plain down-home rudeness of it all.
“Can That Be Called Violence?” 0
I received an email recently from a friend of mine (it was not sent solely to me; I was but one of a number of addressees).
I met him some years ago. shortly after I moved to these parts, when I worked on his sadly unsuccessful campaign for local office; we have stayed in sporadic touch since then.
My most vivid memory of him is of the time we dining with a black woman, a mutual acquaintance and political activist, who had grown up in Connecticut; we were trying to explain to her what is was like to live under Jim Crow, he from his perspective as an African American sailor stationed in these parts in those days and me as a white guy, a native Southerner, who grew up under Jim Crow and went to segregated schools.
I am sharing this with his permission. It’s a powerful letter; because of its length, I’ve placed most of it below the fold.
I Too Am Human!
America’s problem with race has deep roots, with the country’s foundation tied to the near extermination of one race of people [Native American] and the enslavement of another [African American]. Racism is truly our nation’s original sin….with many more sins as follow-up. To make it lasting, they made it systemic. Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist environment.
What I just said sounds a lot like violence to me!
What escapes many people is that the whimsical killing of enslaved Blacks in this country during slavery, and even after, by white folks, without punitive consequence, is based on laws passed by white politicians, who happened to be plantation owners as well. Can that be called violence?
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
You’ve heard of “packing heat”? Now there’s unpacking heat.
Guns and stupid, guns and stupid.
They go together like love and Cupid.
Let me tell you brother,
You can’t have one without the other.
Tithes and Offerings 0
Warning: Farron gets a bit heated.
All the News that Fits 0
Margaret Sullivan talks with Brian Stelter about his new book on Fox News. A snippet:
(snip)
The second surprise, Stelter told me, was the number of Fox News staffers who acknowledge the harm it has done and its frequent failure to meet basic standards for truth-telling — and who struggle with whether to remain at the network. Some hesitate because they fear they are tainted by having worked at Fox News; others because the money is too good to walk away.
Follow the link to find out what the first surprise was.
Tripping the Light Fatalistic 0
At the Hartford Courant, Thomas Cangelosi suggests a metaphor for the United States’s incompetent and uncoordinated response to COVID-19. A snippet:
(snip)
The scene seemed to be a microcosm of the national crossroads America faces as it negotiates the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become nothing less than a crucible of our national character.
Follow the link for his explanation.
“But Everybody Says . . . .” 0
Writing at Psychology Today Blogs, Jennifer Latson explores how exposure to constant repetition can wear down skepticism, cater to credulousness, and foster falsehoods, so that truth gets lost. Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
In her piece, she goes on to explore other human tendencies that make us susceptible to such subterfuge, while also pointing out that, in these days of digital deluges of dubious diatribes and a blatherscape of blaring botnets, staying aware of facts and identifying falsity is increasingly important.
Aside:
I suggest “Fox News Effect” as shorthand for this phenomenon.
Mailing It In, Reprise 0
Sam talks with Mike Dimondstein, President of the American Postal Workers Union.
Chaos Agent 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Charles Johnston muses on what seems to be the political strategy of the current occupant of the White House. A snippet:
Follow the link for his thoughts on why and how this just might–and he metaphorically emphasizes “might”–work.
At the Inky, Will Bunch weighs in.