Fascinating. I don't think I get it--I'm sure I don't--but you have helped me have a deeper appreciation both historically and in terms of the intricacy. I think people who grow up with this have very different "ears" than the more simple and melodic music that I understand.
I miss the old cameras. I'm a painter and I used to use photos as a starting point. It just isn't the same trying to use a computer.
Lately I've been doing abstracts based on aerial views of the desert--I use mapquest to find images. I'm trying to get that magical, mysterious feeling of all that raw geology. It's annoying when the screen keeps going black.
Also what an amazing experience to see the Book of Kells!
I know it's silly, but I'm one of those Americans who watches the royal family soap opera. I remember reading an opinion column years ago during the Reagan admin. The writer's thesis was that the US would get better quality presidents if we had a powerless monarchy to be the focus for the people who are attracted by shiny object, which would make a president's role more that of a policy wonk.
Anyway, why to I read about the monarchy and have thoughts about the members? Escapism, I think. It is a digression from thinking about real problems.
There is a mystique about the West that's every bit as bullshit ad the mystique about the South and similar in some ways. There's the erasing of historical crimes against humanity, the faux claims to independence, and the strange definition of masculinity which includes 'strength" but not brains. The Southern version has more faux morality. Both have BS about being victimized by outside elites. The West version has A LOT of pity party about not being represented when in fact they are over-represented in government.
I guess my question is: Why is that kind of bullshit the model? Why not a model focused on re-imagined Revolutionary War heritage and New England?
Re: the Lost Cause myth. Along with that is the faux rebelliousness. I mean the guys with the confederate flag on their hat, pickup or window which they say doesn't stand for racism because it is an expression of independence, being opposed to excessive government etc. It's often a self-image thing; "I'm not a follower! I'm not conventional! I'm a free person doing things my way!" Around where I live it goes with long hair, a beard, and sometimes a meth addiction. It doesn't necessarily go with rightwing politics since some of those guys are too dysfunctional to be political. (And sometimes they are felons).
I was thinking the other day about that weird time when all of a sudden a subset of the national culture was into CB radio, complete with radios, handles, etc. Making excuses to contact each other just so they could say, "Ten four, good buddy!" When I was in college and working in a restaurant, I had the experience of waitressing a get-together of wannabe Burt Reynolds guys and their wives (who went by handles like "Sugar Cookie"). They stiffed me on the tips, BTW.
And a few years later, the sudden sprouting of TX accents and line-dancing.
Both were inspired by movies that glorified an image of southern living.
Of course I, too, was a local manifestation of a media-driven subculture, so I'm not claiming any kind of immunity or superiority to herd instinct. I'd like to believe that my subculture had better values and retains those values even if the outward manifestations have faded.
But this is all an aside. Yes, it appears that the "Southern Strategy" has gone national, at least in rural areas.
BTW I live in a red rural area, complete with flag festooned pickup trucks and local wackos in city government, but over six hundred people turned up for our No Kings Day event and the majority of people who drove past were supportive with honks and waves.
Thank you JP for the article about Shinto. I have no religion but the closest thing that really resonates with me is petroglyphs. Why? Clearly animistic but there's no words. It seems to me that as soon as people start talking about spiritual matters, we take the wonder and awe out of it and substitute in stories that reflect humanness. I have the same attitude about Mass: much better in Latin so I can't understand what is being said.
Thank you for posting! I hope we get some tales of the weird. That draft has some typos that I forgot to correct.
I've always treated objects as if they were animate--I mean some objects, not all of them. I know they aren't but that doesn't stop me from saying "Excuse me" when I stub my toe on the coffee table, or shouting, "Not one chance, asshole!" at the computer cord that tries to trip me. When I turned my old car in for the two hundred dollar trade in value, I actually cried. It was such a betrayal, felt like I was turning an old dog in to the shelter.
I'd like to know more about the Shinto concept. I have a strong feeling for certain landscapes which includes thinking of the landscape as holy but not in a Christian way. Holy more as in a place where spirits would reside if there were any.
MAGAs do not want to share the world with anyone else. Not sharing is the point of the movement
Nous mentioned the soundtrack by which his students live. I have the impression that people form their musical tastes early and tend to stick fairly closely for the rest of their lives.
That's my experience. I have expanded by learning new artists, but the sound is all in the country/rock/folk/blues range.
It seems bizarre now but when I was in high school, parties consisted of groups of young people in someone's apartment near campus, stoned and silent while listening intently to music. That's how I heard Abraxis, Abbey Road, American Beauty, Volunteers.
The idea of getting together at someone's home to listen to records seems utterly incongruent now.
Times change.
I was standing in the grocery the other day when I heard Mick Jagger wailing, "You're enough to make a dead man come!" And I thought, "In about ten years, that will be nursing home music."
Well, I've gone from having no clue who he was to having a great deal of respect! Thank you for all the insights, LJ. That's said, I don't like the music. If there wasn't a video to watch, I think the music would be repetitious to the point of boredom or annoyance--but that's my reaction to the sound, not to BB as a person, his lyrics, or the message.
Washington Examiner had an article today about an imaginary group supposedly teaching people how to use vandalism against ICe in Chicago. There is a Facebook page put up by someone with people making suggestions along those lines ( an ICE operation? Is anyone actually dumb enough to advocate crime on FB?) but the actual groups doing training are very scrupulous about document only--do nothing that could justify an arrest. Kid Twat is quoted in another article bemoaning unAmerican youth. There was another Kirk-deification piece about those mean Dems who aren't being sufficiently worshipful of Saint Charlie of Free Speech for Conservatives. This is Goebbels-style propaganda and it is a multiple times a day occurrence every fucking day and has been for decades.
But if I call it out for what it is, supposedly I'm being as bad as or the same as the haters.
Fuck no.
Maybe the Republican party wouldn't have degenerated into the corrupt, fascist, anti-Constitutional front for religious extremists and oligarchs that it is today if the rest of us had spent the last twenty-five years LOUDLY DENOUNCING THEIR FASCIST PROPAGANDA instead of trying to be "reasonable" while politely engaging in discussion of issues.
. The call a thug a thug post was about how DEM POLITICIANS need to speak, not individual MAGA voters , The communication needs to be directed toward independents, new voters, nonvoters, people who previously haven't followed politics much etc to keep them from failing for the Noise Machine bullshit.
Yes, it is true that the cult isn't ideological of philosophical in nature. It is the result of decades of smears, defamation, lies, and other "Othering" techniques intended to polarize for the purpose of creating a base that will vote R no matter how bad R policies are out of a conviction that everyone who isn't an R is an existential threat to real true good American values. Remember wedge issues? Framing complex issues as simplified good versus evil dichotomies? Republican party leaders did that purposefully to convince Republican voters that the Democratic party had bad values and was a threat to their good values. While Rove was creating polarization through good/bad framing . other Republicans were spreading outright defamation such as the Swift Boat Liars. It was all Othering. Tactical, not philosophical. And the hate and fearmongering directed by the Republican party toward the rest of America has been going on for years and years and years.
Of course the whole time the Republican party/Faux/etc propaganda network was in high gear, the propagandists used faux victimization whenever anyone criticized them. How dare anyone call the Swift Boat Liars liars? How dare anyone criticize the content produced by Limbaugh, Coulter, Malkin. That's cancel culture! It has been normal for decades for elected Republicans to engage in the promotion of hate and division while Dems were not supposed to object because to do so was supposedly to be engaging in divisiveness.
If people want to spend time talking actual policy with MAGA voters they can do so and maybe they will be able to break through sometimes. But the evidence of voting patterns shows that r voters usually vote R even when they are aware that they are voting for policies they oppose. Heck they kept on voting R even when their majour news sources Faux and Newsmax were revealed as liars. They even re-elected TRump even though Trump instigated a violent attack on Congress. Most R voter vote R no matter what. Some examples: in an interview with the head of the farmers' soybean special interest group, the head said that Trump's tariffs were bad but he'd vote for Trump again. Walz spent time talking to white union guys who nodded and agree on lots of issues but said they were voting for Trump. Biden bailed out union pensions, supported strikes, raised union wages, and lost the white male union vote. I read an interview with a R pol from Louisiana who was mourning the toxic wastes that had been spread around the state by floods. He told the reporter that he knew the state party was bad on environment issues, but he had to vote R because Republicans, he said, were Christians.
Othering is when a group of people is smeared with a false negative generalization. Kirk was othering when he said that white people were targeted for attack by roaming bands of black men. Elected Republicans nationwide are othering now when they say the No Kings Day even is a "hate America" event. Othering is when the Republican party decided to claim to be "pro-life" as opposed to the babykilling Democrats.
Othering is so common from Republicans and their media that it is normative. And no it is not othering them to say that--because othering is a false generalization, not an accurate one.
So how should a Dem politician run for office in this toxic polarized society created by Republican propaganda? Step one is to communicate reality clearly to the people not in the cult. Give voters a choice and make the choice obvious. Do it with humor as when Dem Sen Wyden said that Cosplay Cop Kristie was afraid of a man in a chicken suit or do it with moral outrage like Pritzker or stand up in public and say, in effect, bring in on while flooding the zone with lawsuits like WA Governor Ferguson. But do not treat propaganda from the Republicans as if it is good faith ideas for discussion.
The Portland Frog.
We’ve been talking about communication to reduce polarization and fight fascism. I think that at this moment in time, the smartest communicator I know of is the Portland Frog.
Why? Because he exposed the Trump admin as lying crisis actors and he did it in a way that is easy to understand, accessible to the non-political citizen, and catchy enough to get the attention of the MSM. What's going on with the Portland Frog standing off against ICE? Among Portland Protests, It’s Frogs and Sharks and Bears, Oh My! - The New York Times
I raised the question of whether MAGAs were born or made. I think that the comment about authoritarian personality types is very relevant: There are people who are natural born followers of a leader who is perceived to be strong. They care less about where they might be led than they do for the comfort of feeling that someone big and mean is in charge and will keep them safe.
No one is a natural born follower of a leader who is an idiot.
Republican influencers are trying hard to convince the MAGAs that King Pussygrabber and Cruelty Barbie are defending us against an existential threat. The longer Portland activists can keep things silly, the harder it will be to keep up the lying. Protest frogs vs. MAGA media influencers: the info war over ICE in Portland and Chicago
I am concerned about the upcoming No Kings Day. I am concerned about the leftwing wannabe heroes who do stupid and destructive things like blocking traffic, setting fires, and throwing things. If those jerks aren’t Republicans, then they should be because that’s who they’re helping. I hope the Portland Frog inspires people all over the US to make the NO Kings Day event be a day of silliness, music, and fun. Fuck Fascists with fun!
I’ll be down in Olympia WA where protests are always like that.
Best wishes to you all wherever you go and stay safe
This post was about how Dem pols should talk and I firmly believe they should be VERY LOUD AND HARSH IN THEIR CRITICISMS of the R party. Use the F word. Actually, both of them.
However, I don't think they should say anything about MAGAs and should talk to them. The goal must be to defuse the polarization.
As for me, I have MAGA friends and acquaintances and no desire to hurt their feelings. However, I also think that I'm not going to be complicit. At all. So, I post stuff on FB that flat out contradicts a lot of MAGA beliefs. For example, I posted an article about Saint Charlie of Free Speech for Conservatives Only and how people who criticized him have been attacked. At least one of my FB friends loves Kirk.
We still seem to be friends.
"So, Democrats have three words for this: no fucking way. It's literally life or death. We will not let Republicans blow up our health care system."
THANK YOU CHUCK!!!!!!
About giving up hate and experiencing pain instead. I don't think MAGAs are in pain any more than the usual for middle class Americans. I don't think that's why they like to hate. The concept of MAGAs as these poor sad people who have been left behind, the Forgotten Americans, working class and ignored by Dems, struggling to get by etc is mostly wrong. MAGAs tend to be better off than Dems, more likely to own homes as opposed to renting and are mostly middle class, They are over represented in government. Their lack of any real grievances is what makes them so appalling. Demographics & Group Affinities – Panel Study of the MAGA Movement The only thing they would lose if they gave up hating is their goddawful snobbery about being superior to everyone else and the entertainment they get from the thrill of horror as they armchair hero their lives away in front of the TV>
Thank you, JP. As for messaging, the people of Portland are doing it right; the image of ICE teargassing a silly inflatable dinosaur is not what Cruelty Barbie and King Pussygrabber want. The NYT noticed and had an article to the effect that "Portland responds to ICE with whimsy" and this morning's Wall Street Journal, under the headline "What's really going on in Portland" details out from police logs that answer is "Not much at all." Maybe Walz has the smartest approach of all: "These people are nuts."
I think "bought the farm" for dead dates back to the days when small family farms lived precariously from one season to the next, always struggling to get their mortgage paid off.
"Drank the Kool aid" is relatively new.
Different places have different directions to indicate failure. "The deal went south" maybe comes from "being sold down the river" etc? I read somewhere that in Ireland your deal doesn't go south; it goes west. Does anyone know?
It's remarkable how recurrent the pattern is: a group exists which I will call "Our Nation". Outsiders move in. At first, when the outsiders are perceived as such a tiny minority as to not make much difference, they are received fairly well; however, as time goes on and more outsiders arrive, a reaction is triggered. The reaction has predictable elements: Our Nation first! Talk about the inherent cultural superiority (and often genetic superiority) of those who are real true members of Our Nation, flag fetishism, militarism, women sidelined out of leadership (unless they can out-hate the male leadership or are physical exemplars of the preferred genotype), the use of Othering to gain power, etc.
I think this territoriality, cult of a strong leader, and fear of the Other is hardwired into our species.
There's Russian saying, "Man is wolf to man."
I've been not dealing with this because it is less painful to me to be angry than to be sad. There are people whose death really hurts--I mean people I don't know but seem somehow permanent and essential so it's a shock when they die.
"Outside a train station near Tokyo, hundreds of people cheer as Sohei Kamiya, head of the surging nationalist party Sanseito, criticizes Japan’s rapidly growing foreign population.
As opponents, separated by uniformed police and bodyguards, accuse him of racism, Kamiya shouts back, saying he is only talking common sense."
This reminded me of how way back when I was a kid "Made in Japan" meant cheap and shoddy. Now it is more likely to mean "made well"--I suppose because of the Japanese cars that hit the US market at about the time I reached the car buying stage.
On “Weekend music thread #03 Rhumba and the clave”
Fascinating. I don't think I get it--I'm sure I don't--but you have helped me have a deeper appreciation both historically and in terms of the intricacy. I think people who grow up with this have very different "ears" than the more simple and melodic music that I understand.
On “Something Different”
Nous, can you recommend a specific camera for me? Something easy to use.
"
I miss the old cameras. I'm a painter and I used to use photos as a starting point. It just isn't the same trying to use a computer.
Lately I've been doing abstracts based on aerial views of the desert--I use mapquest to find images. I'm trying to get that magical, mysterious feeling of all that raw geology. It's annoying when the screen keeps going black.
Also what an amazing experience to see the Book of Kells!
On “Monarchy in the UK”
I know it's silly, but I'm one of those Americans who watches the royal family soap opera. I remember reading an opinion column years ago during the Reagan admin. The writer's thesis was that the US would get better quality presidents if we had a powerless monarchy to be the focus for the people who are attracted by shiny object, which would make a president's role more that of a policy wonk.
Anyway, why to I read about the monarchy and have thoughts about the members? Escapism, I think. It is a digression from thinking about real problems.
On “The South shall writhe again”
There is a mystique about the West that's every bit as bullshit ad the mystique about the South and similar in some ways. There's the erasing of historical crimes against humanity, the faux claims to independence, and the strange definition of masculinity which includes 'strength" but not brains. The Southern version has more faux morality. Both have BS about being victimized by outside elites. The West version has A LOT of pity party about not being represented when in fact they are over-represented in government.
I guess my question is: Why is that kind of bullshit the model? Why not a model focused on re-imagined Revolutionary War heritage and New England?
"
Re: the Lost Cause myth. Along with that is the faux rebelliousness. I mean the guys with the confederate flag on their hat, pickup or window which they say doesn't stand for racism because it is an expression of independence, being opposed to excessive government etc. It's often a self-image thing; "I'm not a follower! I'm not conventional! I'm a free person doing things my way!" Around where I live it goes with long hair, a beard, and sometimes a meth addiction. It doesn't necessarily go with rightwing politics since some of those guys are too dysfunctional to be political. (And sometimes they are felons).
"
I was thinking the other day about that weird time when all of a sudden a subset of the national culture was into CB radio, complete with radios, handles, etc. Making excuses to contact each other just so they could say, "Ten four, good buddy!" When I was in college and working in a restaurant, I had the experience of waitressing a get-together of wannabe Burt Reynolds guys and their wives (who went by handles like "Sugar Cookie"). They stiffed me on the tips, BTW.
And a few years later, the sudden sprouting of TX accents and line-dancing.
Both were inspired by movies that glorified an image of southern living.
Of course I, too, was a local manifestation of a media-driven subculture, so I'm not claiming any kind of immunity or superiority to herd instinct. I'd like to believe that my subculture had better values and retains those values even if the outward manifestations have faded.
But this is all an aside. Yes, it appears that the "Southern Strategy" has gone national, at least in rural areas.
BTW I live in a red rural area, complete with flag festooned pickup trucks and local wackos in city government, but over six hundred people turned up for our No Kings Day event and the majority of people who drove past were supportive with honks and waves.
On “The Return of the Boat Hook”
Thank you JP for the article about Shinto. I have no religion but the closest thing that really resonates with me is petroglyphs. Why? Clearly animistic but there's no words. It seems to me that as soon as people start talking about spiritual matters, we take the wonder and awe out of it and substitute in stories that reflect humanness. I have the same attitude about Mass: much better in Latin so I can't understand what is being said.
f
"
Thank you for posting! I hope we get some tales of the weird. That draft has some typos that I forgot to correct.
I've always treated objects as if they were animate--I mean some objects, not all of them. I know they aren't but that doesn't stop me from saying "Excuse me" when I stub my toe on the coffee table, or shouting, "Not one chance, asshole!" at the computer cord that tries to trip me. When I turned my old car in for the two hundred dollar trade in value, I actually cried. It was such a betrayal, felt like I was turning an old dog in to the shelter.
I'd like to know more about the Shinto concept. I have a strong feeling for certain landscapes which includes thinking of the landscape as holy but not in a Christian way. Holy more as in a place where spirits would reside if there were any.
On “Weekend music thread #02 Bad Bunny”
MAGAs do not want to share the world with anyone else. Not sharing is the point of the movement
Nous mentioned the soundtrack by which his students live. I have the impression that people form their musical tastes early and tend to stick fairly closely for the rest of their lives.
That's my experience. I have expanded by learning new artists, but the sound is all in the country/rock/folk/blues range.
It seems bizarre now but when I was in high school, parties consisted of groups of young people in someone's apartment near campus, stoned and silent while listening intently to music. That's how I heard Abraxis, Abbey Road, American Beauty, Volunteers.
The idea of getting together at someone's home to listen to records seems utterly incongruent now.
Times change.
I was standing in the grocery the other day when I heard Mick Jagger wailing, "You're enough to make a dead man come!" And I thought, "In about ten years, that will be nursing home music."
"
Well, I've gone from having no clue who he was to having a great deal of respect! Thank you for all the insights, LJ. That's said, I don't like the music. If there wasn't a video to watch, I think the music would be repetitious to the point of boredom or annoyance--but that's my reaction to the sound, not to BB as a person, his lyrics, or the message.
On “Let’s start calling a thug a thug”
Washington Examiner had an article today about an imaginary group supposedly teaching people how to use vandalism against ICe in Chicago. There is a Facebook page put up by someone with people making suggestions along those lines ( an ICE operation? Is anyone actually dumb enough to advocate crime on FB?) but the actual groups doing training are very scrupulous about document only--do nothing that could justify an arrest. Kid Twat is quoted in another article bemoaning unAmerican youth. There was another Kirk-deification piece about those mean Dems who aren't being sufficiently worshipful of Saint Charlie of Free Speech for Conservatives. This is Goebbels-style propaganda and it is a multiple times a day occurrence every fucking day and has been for decades.
But if I call it out for what it is, supposedly I'm being as bad as or the same as the haters.
Fuck no.
Maybe the Republican party wouldn't have degenerated into the corrupt, fascist, anti-Constitutional front for religious extremists and oligarchs that it is today if the rest of us had spent the last twenty-five years LOUDLY DENOUNCING THEIR FASCIST PROPAGANDA instead of trying to be "reasonable" while politely engaging in discussion of issues.
"
. The call a thug a thug post was about how DEM POLITICIANS need to speak, not individual MAGA voters , The communication needs to be directed toward independents, new voters, nonvoters, people who previously haven't followed politics much etc to keep them from failing for the Noise Machine bullshit.
Yes, it is true that the cult isn't ideological of philosophical in nature. It is the result of decades of smears, defamation, lies, and other "Othering" techniques intended to polarize for the purpose of creating a base that will vote R no matter how bad R policies are out of a conviction that everyone who isn't an R is an existential threat to real true good American values. Remember wedge issues? Framing complex issues as simplified good versus evil dichotomies? Republican party leaders did that purposefully to convince Republican voters that the Democratic party had bad values and was a threat to their good values. While Rove was creating polarization through good/bad framing . other Republicans were spreading outright defamation such as the Swift Boat Liars. It was all Othering. Tactical, not philosophical. And the hate and fearmongering directed by the Republican party toward the rest of America has been going on for years and years and years.
Of course the whole time the Republican party/Faux/etc propaganda network was in high gear, the propagandists used faux victimization whenever anyone criticized them. How dare anyone call the Swift Boat Liars liars? How dare anyone criticize the content produced by Limbaugh, Coulter, Malkin. That's cancel culture! It has been normal for decades for elected Republicans to engage in the promotion of hate and division while Dems were not supposed to object because to do so was supposedly to be engaging in divisiveness.
If people want to spend time talking actual policy with MAGA voters they can do so and maybe they will be able to break through sometimes. But the evidence of voting patterns shows that r voters usually vote R even when they are aware that they are voting for policies they oppose. Heck they kept on voting R even when their majour news sources Faux and Newsmax were revealed as liars. They even re-elected TRump even though Trump instigated a violent attack on Congress. Most R voter vote R no matter what. Some examples: in an interview with the head of the farmers' soybean special interest group, the head said that Trump's tariffs were bad but he'd vote for Trump again. Walz spent time talking to white union guys who nodded and agree on lots of issues but said they were voting for Trump. Biden bailed out union pensions, supported strikes, raised union wages, and lost the white male union vote. I read an interview with a R pol from Louisiana who was mourning the toxic wastes that had been spread around the state by floods. He told the reporter that he knew the state party was bad on environment issues, but he had to vote R because Republicans, he said, were Christians.
Othering is when a group of people is smeared with a false negative generalization. Kirk was othering when he said that white people were targeted for attack by roaming bands of black men. Elected Republicans nationwide are othering now when they say the No Kings Day even is a "hate America" event. Othering is when the Republican party decided to claim to be "pro-life" as opposed to the babykilling Democrats.
Othering is so common from Republicans and their media that it is normative. And no it is not othering them to say that--because othering is a false generalization, not an accurate one.
So how should a Dem politician run for office in this toxic polarized society created by Republican propaganda? Step one is to communicate reality clearly to the people not in the cult. Give voters a choice and make the choice obvious. Do it with humor as when Dem Sen Wyden said that Cosplay Cop Kristie was afraid of a man in a chicken suit or do it with moral outrage like Pritzker or stand up in public and say, in effect, bring in on while flooding the zone with lawsuits like WA Governor Ferguson. But do not treat propaganda from the Republicans as if it is good faith ideas for discussion.
"
The Portland Frog.
We’ve been talking about communication to reduce polarization and fight fascism. I think that at this moment in time, the smartest communicator I know of is the Portland Frog.
Why? Because he exposed the Trump admin as lying crisis actors and he did it in a way that is easy to understand, accessible to the non-political citizen, and catchy enough to get the attention of the MSM.
What's going on with the Portland Frog standing off against ICE?
Among Portland Protests, It’s Frogs and Sharks and Bears, Oh My! - The New York Times
I raised the question of whether MAGAs were born or made. I think that the comment about authoritarian personality types is very relevant: There are people who are natural born followers of a leader who is perceived to be strong. They care less about where they might be led than they do for the comfort of feeling that someone big and mean is in charge and will keep them safe.
No one is a natural born follower of a leader who is an idiot.
Republican influencers are trying hard to convince the MAGAs that King Pussygrabber and Cruelty Barbie are defending us against an existential threat. The longer Portland activists can keep things silly, the harder it will be to keep up the lying.
Protest frogs vs. MAGA media influencers: the info war over ICE in Portland and Chicago
I am concerned about the upcoming No Kings Day. I am concerned about the leftwing wannabe heroes who do stupid and destructive things like blocking traffic, setting fires, and throwing things. If those jerks aren’t Republicans, then they should be because that’s who they’re helping. I hope the Portland Frog inspires people all over the US to make the NO Kings Day event be a day of silliness, music, and fun. Fuck Fascists with fun!
I’ll be down in Olympia WA where protests are always like that.
Best wishes to you all wherever you go and stay safe
On “Bathtub Bug is Dead”
Woodlouse - Types, Habitat, Diet, Lifespan, Life Cycle, & Pictures
On “Let’s start calling a thug a thug”
This post was about how Dem pols should talk and I firmly believe they should be VERY LOUD AND HARSH IN THEIR CRITICISMS of the R party. Use the F word. Actually, both of them.
However, I don't think they should say anything about MAGAs and should talk to them. The goal must be to defuse the polarization.
As for me, I have MAGA friends and acquaintances and no desire to hurt their feelings. However, I also think that I'm not going to be complicit. At all. So, I post stuff on FB that flat out contradicts a lot of MAGA beliefs. For example, I posted an article about Saint Charlie of Free Speech for Conservatives Only and how people who criticized him have been attacked. At least one of my FB friends loves Kirk.
We still seem to be friends.
On “Weekend music thread #1”
That's so apocalyptic, JP. Does it reflect your state of mind? I think I would tear my ears off if I had to listen to that all day.
Paul and I are the opposite; our home is nearly always silent. No radio, no TV.
On “Let’s start calling a thug a thug”
"So, Democrats have three words for this: no fucking way. It's literally life or death. We will not let Republicans blow up our health care system."
THANK YOU CHUCK!!!!!!
About giving up hate and experiencing pain instead. I don't think MAGAs are in pain any more than the usual for middle class Americans. I don't think that's why they like to hate. The concept of MAGAs as these poor sad people who have been left behind, the Forgotten Americans, working class and ignored by Dems, struggling to get by etc is mostly wrong. MAGAs tend to be better off than Dems, more likely to own homes as opposed to renting and are mostly middle class, They are over represented in government. Their lack of any real grievances is what makes them so appalling. Demographics & Group Affinities – Panel Study of the MAGA Movement The only thing they would lose if they gave up hating is their goddawful snobbery about being superior to everyone else and the entertainment they get from the thrill of horror as they armchair hero their lives away in front of the TV>
"
Thank you, JP. As for messaging, the people of Portland are doing it right; the image of ICE teargassing a silly inflatable dinosaur is not what Cruelty Barbie and King Pussygrabber want. The NYT noticed and had an article to the effect that "Portland responds to ICE with whimsy" and this morning's Wall Street Journal, under the headline "What's really going on in Portland" details out from police logs that answer is "Not much at all." Maybe Walz has the smartest approach of all: "These people are nuts."
On “WTF moments at cultural borders”
I think "bought the farm" for dead dates back to the days when small family farms lived precariously from one season to the next, always struggling to get their mortgage paid off.
"Drank the Kool aid" is relatively new.
Different places have different directions to indicate failure. "The deal went south" maybe comes from "being sold down the river" etc? I read somewhere that in Ireland your deal doesn't go south; it goes west. Does anyone know?
On “The DIY party”
It's remarkable how recurrent the pattern is: a group exists which I will call "Our Nation". Outsiders move in. At first, when the outsiders are perceived as such a tiny minority as to not make much difference, they are received fairly well; however, as time goes on and more outsiders arrive, a reaction is triggered. The reaction has predictable elements: Our Nation first! Talk about the inherent cultural superiority (and often genetic superiority) of those who are real true members of Our Nation, flag fetishism, militarism, women sidelined out of leadership (unless they can out-hate the male leadership or are physical exemplars of the preferred genotype), the use of Othering to gain power, etc.
I think this territoriality, cult of a strong leader, and fear of the Other is hardwired into our species.
There's Russian saying, "Man is wolf to man."
On “Jane Goodall RIP”
I've been not dealing with this because it is less painful to me to be angry than to be sad. There are people whose death really hurts--I mean people I don't know but seem somehow permanent and essential so it's a shock when they die.
On “Japan unleashed”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/anti-foreigner-sentiments-and-politicians-are-on-the-rise-as-japan-faces-a-population-crisis/ar-AA1NHryD?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=68ddee28709948baa43ae8adcb5dd35a&ei=14
"Outside a train station near Tokyo, hundreds of people cheer as Sohei Kamiya, head of the surging nationalist party Sanseito, criticizes Japan’s rapidly growing foreign population.
As opponents, separated by uniformed police and bodyguards, accuse him of racism, Kamiya shouts back, saying he is only talking common sense."
"
This reminded me of how way back when I was a kid "Made in Japan" meant cheap and shoddy. Now it is more likely to mean "made well"--I suppose because of the Japanese cars that hit the US market at about the time I reached the car buying stage.
On “Ezra Coates DESTROYS Ta-Nehisi Klein!!!”
Ezra does a lot of rationalizing when he ought to just say, "Yeah, I fucked up. He wasn't doing politics right."
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