Political Theatre category archive
The Eye of the Beholder 0
One of the lessons of history is that a simmering pot eventually boils over. Too often, it boils over to no effect other than a messy stove top. We are at one of those boiling over points now.
It’s up to the polity–what’s left of it–to determine whether we will turn off the burner or simply clean up the stove top while leaving the pot to simmer until the next boiling over point.
Image via Job’s Anger.
A Divider, Not a Uniter 0
SeattlePI columnist John Connelly looks at the recent riots in reaction to the killing of (yet another) black man for being black. He points out that this is but one in a long series eruptions in the history of white American racism and the legacy of America’s original sin.
Here’s a snippet:
No antidote for endemic racism has been found, not even the election of a Black president. The man who succeeded him spread to falsehood that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. It “spikes” with periodic killings by police. The news media cover protests and riots, but give far less attention to what makes even nonviolent protesters angry.
We’re badly equipped for this spike. President Donald Trump is a deliberate divider, going so far as to encourage violence. . . .”
Return No to “Normal”
0
Werner Herzog’s Bear does not want to go back to “normal.” A snippet:
Follow the link for the entire piece.
If One Standard Is Good, Two Must Be Better 0
Thom comments on the double standard.
An Impotent Poseur? 0
Steven M. is darkly optimistic.
Methinks he has a point; his prediction is consistent with precedent.
Vote in the Real World 0
Methinks David has a point.
The Disinformation Superhighway 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, Jamie Aten discusses whether these viral times have affected the propagation of misinformation (and, I would add, outright lies) on “social” media. His conclusion might surprise you.
Deficit Pending 0
As state and municipal revenues have cratered in these viral times, Republicans are balking at any federal effort to ameliorate suffering and penury for states, municipalities, and persons.
At the Portland Press-Herald, Greg Kesich points out that there are other deficits on which the party of Scrooges turns its back. Here are a couple of his examples; follow the link for more.
There is a long-term debt that comes with every lost opportunity for a child to learn, and every person who can’t afford to see a doctor. But we have been trained to think that cutting school funding and health care programs – the inevitable result of a “smaller government” – is sound fiscal management instead of calling it what it really is: recklessly borrowing from the future to get us out of our present crisis.
The Epidemiologist and the Magic Elixirs, One More Time 0
Jennifer Senior reveals the formula for Donald Trump’s brand of hydroxychloroquine. Here’s a bit of her article.