Hate Sells category archive
The Sublime vs. the Ridiculous 0
Leonard Pitts, Jr., tells a tale of two convoys, one circumnavigating the Washington Beltway and one carry relief supplies from Berlin to Ukraine. An excerpt:
For those of us who do, Ukraine is a reminder that resisting tyranny is not a performance, not something you cosplay. That reminder is vital, given that American democracy is fast eroding – not because of medical mandates, mind, you, but because of attacks on the right to vote, protest and speak freely. Against that troubling confluence of threats, the truckers who descended on D.C. provide vivid illustration that even at this dangerous extremity, the American capacity for blithe idiocy remains intact.
Still Rising Again after All These Years,
Mean for the Sake of Mean Dept.
0
At SFGate, Drew Magary argues forcefully that certain states (Texas, Florida, etc.) are trying to secede without actually seceding. He suggests that, in the long run, it won’t go well for them, but, in the short run, we can expect much gratuitous suffering for those who don’t fit their image of “real Americans.” A nugget:
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Thom discusses how Richard Nixon’s southern strategy has come full circle and consumed become the raison d’etre of the Republican Party.
I’m a Southern boy. I know bigots when I see them.
“But There’s No Other Possible Explanation” 0
Thom talks with Kelly Weill about why persons are susceptible to conspiracy theories.
This discussion is well worth a listen.
Suffer the Children 0
One more time, that’s not scripture. That’s Republican policy.
Vaccine Nation, Mandate Mania Dept. 0
(Short promo at the end.)
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Canadian professor of communications Robert Danisch offers a taxonomy of linguistic toxicity, identifying seven rhetorical techniques that foment division and hostility (or, to put it another way, he reveals the Fox News playbook). In introducing his article, he points out that
What’s worse, these seven rhetorical tactics tend to beget one another and inspire a communication cycle in which emotions are amplified and conflict is escalated.
I commend his article to your attention.
The Disinformation Superhighway, Cauldron of Conspiracies Dept. 0
Thom talks with Kelly Weill about why persons fall for conspiracy theories.
Still Rising Again after All These Years 0
Thom dissects Tucker Carlson’s (latest) racist dog-whistle.
A Notion of Immigrants 0
At the Des Moines Register, a “dreamer” tells his story. A snippet:
This is terrible for my parents. They came here to give me new opportunities; they couldn’t have known it might tear our family apart. Because that’s what’s coming. When I turn 21, just two and a half years from now, I’ll no longer qualify for a visa as my parents’ dependent. If their green card doesn’t come through by then, I’ll be forced to leave the country — even if I haven’t finished my studies.
Follow the link for the complete article.
The Legacy 0
Without question, the most poisonous legacy of Richard Nixon is his Southern Strategy, which has come full circle and, as E. J. Montini points out, consumed the Republican Party.
Fatal Attraction 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Ronald Riggio notes an oft-overlooked bit of obvious: Someone cannot be a leader without followers. He goes on to explore several reasons why persons choose to follow bad leaders–bad, that is, in the sense that they do bad things.
Here’s one of the reasons he suggests, one that I think is of particular import in the current state of our polity, where, if over half the registered voters show up at the polls, it’s considered an “overwhelming turn-out” and where puny turn-outs are common in state and local elections.
Follow the link for the rest.
(Spellink errors fixed.)
Bankrolling Bigotry 0
The Orlando Sentinel’s Scott Maxwell follows the money.
Russian Impulses 0
I might not have phrased it quite the same way, but methinks Disaffected may be onto somthing.
