January, 2023 archive
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
As read and listen to and hear pious words honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on this day dedicated to his memory, I find myself remembering that many powerful figures are working diligently to undo everything that he worked for and toward; and that, empowered by the permission granted them by Donald Trump, they are more brazen about it than they have dared be for decades.
America’s original sin of chattel slaver continues to haunt.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Anthony Silard provides additional evidence that “social” media isn’t. He notes, among other things, that “social” media promotes envy and can erode users’ perception of their own quality of life. Here’s a couple of the points he makes:
- We’re not admiring others (a positive emotion) but envying them (a negative one).
- The envy people experience on social media decreases their life satisfaction.
How Unfirm a Foundation 0
The editorial board of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out that it’s difficult to take a stand on principles if you don’t have any.
Kick ‘Em When They Are Down 0
LZ Granderson considers Republicans’ oft expressed concern over government spending at the national level. He looks specifically at their campaign to cut destroy the social safety net, including Social Security and Medicare*, and suggests that the would-be cutters are focused on the wrong things. Here’s a bit from his article:
A politician tells constituents what they want to hear. An elected official governs.
(snip)
We spend more on our military than the next nine countries combined spend on theirs. The 2017 tax cuts led to a 44% jump in profits for banks in 2018. And, despite (or because) of global inflation, corporate America booked record profits during 2022 while families struggled to put food on the table.
Our problem is not money. It’s priorities.
Politicians, telling constituents what they want to hear, are setting out to cut the safety net. A safety net that public servants recognize we need.
Of course, it could not possibly be that these would-be cutters are purposefully acting in service to the wealthy for their own benefit. Why, that would be unthinkable.
__________________
*Not to mention the cuts already made over the past four decades to welfare, unemployment compensation, and the like, which have contributed to the increases in homelessness and destitution that today fills the headlines.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Once again, politeness becomes child’s play.
Once again, to must be noted and “accidental” and “negligent” are not synonyms.
And, in more news of the polite . . . .
Oversight
0
Bloomberg’s Julianna Goldman takes a deep look into House Republicans’ efforts to “neuter the independent, nonpartisan Office of Congressional Ethics.” A snippet:
Follow the link for her reasoning.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet more politeness in transit . . . .
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
At the Charlotte Observer, Issac Bailey notes that we are seeing a trend of would-be oppressors claiming to be victims: Persons who wish to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, etc., are claiming that they are the real victims of discrimination because they are not allowed to discriminate. It’s a marvelous mental mobius strip of malicious mendacity.
Bailey also notes that such claims have a long history in the United States. Here’s a bit of his article:
Now, a growing number of white conservatives and others have been making the case that being called racist or the removal or rethinking of traditional standards that had long favored them is the real discrimination.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
I could not determine whether the victim is, in fact, an immigrant. She was not identified other than as an 18-year-old student in the news reports as of this writing. I suspect there she’s likely no more an immigrant than I am.
But whether she was born here or abroad is irrelevant. What’s relevant is so many feel free to unleash their bigotry and hatred on others, sadly, with encouragement from far too many public figures.
We are devolving into an uncivil society.
Normalizing Nastiness 0
Methinks Steven M. has a valid question.
Freedom of Screech 0
At the San Francisco Chronicle, Douglas Yeung makes a sound case that unfettered free speech, the sort favored by Elon Musk and others of his ilk, is less than desirable. Rather, he argues, productive, civil discourse requires, well, civility, for Pete’s sake. An excerpt:
Driven to Destruction 0
Sam and his crew express a smidgen of skepticism about the hype over self-driving cars.