If the medium is the message, may we conclude that the magaverse and the postmodernists are all Post-Truthers? Truth is bent to accomplish one's political ambitions and vanquish opponents rather than to establish a common foundation of facts and address societal problems. If those are the two controlling factions within US society, is there any future for the "united" part of The United States of America?
The Democrats are where a party should be that hasn’t had a new idea since FDR or, more sympathetically, LBJ. Also, I am 74 years old and haven’t watched network or cable TV for about 5 years.
May I politely disagree? The MAGA universe exists in a news and information environment totally at odds with true journalism. The MSM historically and currently provides American voters with journalism, sometimes left biased but not dishonest. Liars in the MSM are found out and banished. Mistakes in reporting are discovered and corrected. News and information is vetted by journalists and their multiple fact-checkers and editors. Walter Cronkite was the "most trusted man in America". Then, in 1989, Rush Limbaugh began to weaponize the First Amendment for fun and big profit. Right-wing talk radio hit every major market in the AM and gave the listeners Rush in the afternoon. Journalism standards of reporting were ignored, insults, lies and conspiracy theories were the red meat that created the "Ditto Heads" and the Tea Party patriots. Cable news and information got in on the money train. Murdoch's version was Fox News. Now it has many imitators. The Internet has been an incredible force multiplier of bile. The left cannot fight the information war by being equally cavalier with the truth. If the democratic republic is to be saved, the First Amendment needs to address the hate speech, disinformation, character assassination and conspiracy theories of the current information environment. It certainly won't happen under this administration nor may it ever. However, James Madison made the point clearly: "A democratic republic requires a well-informed electorate". First Amendment purists would rather defend that which has divided us than live in a democracy. Ill-informed voters and democracy are mutually exclusive. Pick a side.
This the reality. I'm sorry that Persuasion has been a forum for apologists to the far right and to slamming Democrats for behavior that would be downright centrist in most European countries. And this is actually yet another although Sam makes the medicine go down in a Mary Poppins way!
People do not like being lectured to, even when it's subtle. People don't like liberal virtue signaling. Many of us don't want to hear about structural racism; we work with people of all races and everyone gets along well. We don't want to hear about how trans people are so persecuted. We are pretty sure that the only places in America where trans people would actually be in physical anger are gang dominated neighborhood in cities . Probably not white gangs. We don't want to hear about climate change from people who vacation in Europe every year.
She would have persuaded at least some of the voters that voting for trump because of his Rogan appearance . And of course her notorious wouldn’t do anything differently interview on the View: https://youtu.be/oMbvsnYqcl8?si=cJ80hqYNA-qNUBXj
How about the Dems just point out the fact that MAGA and the far right have little interest in anything but the white capitalist power structure. And that Fox news is a hellhole of white supremacy. Message enough for this Dem....
If the medium is the message, may we conclude that the magaverse and the postmodernists are all Post-Truthers? Truth is bent to accomplish one's political ambitions and vanquish opponents rather than to establish a common foundation of facts and address societal problems. If those are the two controlling factions within US society, is there any future for the "united" part of The United States of America?
The Democrats are where a party should be that hasn’t had a new idea since FDR or, more sympathetically, LBJ. Also, I am 74 years old and haven’t watched network or cable TV for about 5 years.
May I politely disagree? The MAGA universe exists in a news and information environment totally at odds with true journalism. The MSM historically and currently provides American voters with journalism, sometimes left biased but not dishonest. Liars in the MSM are found out and banished. Mistakes in reporting are discovered and corrected. News and information is vetted by journalists and their multiple fact-checkers and editors. Walter Cronkite was the "most trusted man in America". Then, in 1989, Rush Limbaugh began to weaponize the First Amendment for fun and big profit. Right-wing talk radio hit every major market in the AM and gave the listeners Rush in the afternoon. Journalism standards of reporting were ignored, insults, lies and conspiracy theories were the red meat that created the "Ditto Heads" and the Tea Party patriots. Cable news and information got in on the money train. Murdoch's version was Fox News. Now it has many imitators. The Internet has been an incredible force multiplier of bile. The left cannot fight the information war by being equally cavalier with the truth. If the democratic republic is to be saved, the First Amendment needs to address the hate speech, disinformation, character assassination and conspiracy theories of the current information environment. It certainly won't happen under this administration nor may it ever. However, James Madison made the point clearly: "A democratic republic requires a well-informed electorate". First Amendment purists would rather defend that which has divided us than live in a democracy. Ill-informed voters and democracy are mutually exclusive. Pick a side.
This the reality. I'm sorry that Persuasion has been a forum for apologists to the far right and to slamming Democrats for behavior that would be downright centrist in most European countries. And this is actually yet another although Sam makes the medicine go down in a Mary Poppins way!
People do not like being lectured to, even when it's subtle. People don't like liberal virtue signaling. Many of us don't want to hear about structural racism; we work with people of all races and everyone gets along well. We don't want to hear about how trans people are so persecuted. We are pretty sure that the only places in America where trans people would actually be in physical anger are gang dominated neighborhood in cities . Probably not white gangs. We don't want to hear about climate change from people who vacation in Europe every year.
Kamala’s non appearance on Rogan was her “potatoe” moment. Rogan is objectively kind of objective! Even a leftist blogger like Freddie DeBoer admits this https://open.substack.com/pub/freddiedeboer/p/joe-rogan-is-still-hiding?r=zdzyw&utm_medium=ios
She would have persuaded at least some of the voters that voting for trump because of his Rogan appearance . And of course her notorious wouldn’t do anything differently interview on the View: https://youtu.be/oMbvsnYqcl8?si=cJ80hqYNA-qNUBXj
How about the Dems just point out the fact that MAGA and the far right have little interest in anything but the white capitalist power structure. And that Fox news is a hellhole of white supremacy. Message enough for this Dem....