The poll-driven pundit
One school of punditry seems locked into the idea that because anti-immigration positions poll well, Democrats should not waste political capital on the Trump administration’s abuses, however egregious. While polling data may be useful at times, it seems some vaunted experts are stuck in a static, outdated paradigm that completely ignores how the media landscape has changed in the 21st century. Some still seem reluctant to acknowledge that bad faith actors have been manipulating the public through propaganda, and this is why so many Americans believe what they believe. This goes against our wishful thinking about the nature of intellectual debate and what constitutes journalism. Ludicrous ideas aren’t exactly emerging organically from the cornfields. Polls are a reflection of an already deeply devolved media environment, and the more you let them dictate what is acceptable for Democratic leaders to say, the further into authoritarianism we slide. I recommend this article.
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The Sorensen Monologues
Veneer of Normalcy
I find myself thinking a lot these days about the disconnect between normal, everyday life and the catastrophic events unfolding in the news. When I’m out running errands or grocery shopping or simply enjoying the outdoors on a sunny spring day, it’s tempting to believe things are still somewhat normal. Looking around, everyone is going about their business — working, playing, making small talk — much as they did before. Occasionally you’ll overhear a snippet of conversation in which someone sounds worried. But most people are just trying to get through the day. If you’re lucky, you can toggle back and forth between the two realities, indulging in the fantasy that maybe things aren’t so bad for a little while. Until you go back online.
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A Simple Plan
This is an excerpt from my weekly newsletter.
For decades, right-wing ideologues complained that any safety net offered by the government was a form of “social engineering” that interfered with the “natural order” of the market. Of course this is utter hogwash, given that marketplaces themselves are highly engineered systems designed to keep money flowing upward; they cannot operate without a carefully-constructed legal framework; and they largely consist of social networks of people hiring those from their demographic in-group (such as fraternity brothers) rather than being some pure and godly measure of human greatness. A lot of the “social engineering” criticism contains a subtext of preserving dominant hierarchies, to put it mildly. Also, if markets are such a perfect measure of individual abilities, why did so many of history’s most talented writers, artists, and composers die poor? After enduring years of this market fundamentalist whining, it is laughable to see radical tech libertarians destroying America so they can engage in the mother of all social engineering projects.
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First Amendment Abducted
I’ve been following the stories of various immigrants, international students, and tourists being harshly detained, and found last week’s snatching of Fulbright Scholar Rumeysa Ozturk from the streets of Somerville, Massachussetts to be especially disturbing. According to news reports, Ozturk did nothing more than write an op-ed for the Tufts student newspaper. NO ONE should be disappeared to a faraway prison cell for writing an opinion column. Criticizing American foreign policy is as American as apple pie. It does not mean you’re a terrorist or have any terrorist sympathies. How many writers and cartoonists got their start objecting to the disastrous Iraq War of 2003? That war involved horrendous human rights abuses, bur at least people could speak without being hauled away by masked goons (though protesters have often been treated poorly).
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Zero Dimensional Chess
I want to acknowledge that most Dems actually opposed Schumer, and there have been several courageously speaking out and doing everything they can to repel this onslaught. AOC, Elizabeth Warren, Jamie Raskin, and Jasmine Crockett come to mind, though they aren’t the only ones. At least they are making the case, trying to explain to the public what is happening and why it’s outrageously wrong. These people deserve credit for their heroism, and I don’t want to diminish their efforts by painting the entire party with a broad brush. That said, my hopes for the budget showdown were not terribly high, given how much has already been allowed to happen. We shouldn’t be here in the first place.
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Playing the Wealth Card
The sheer chutzpah of these billionaire technofascists who assume it’s their right to take over the country, destroy our government, and financially terrorize millions is simply beyond me. I find it a little strange, though not surprising, that we rarely heard the words “radical libertarianism” in the mainstream media before the election, and as far as I know, we still aren’t hearing much about the extremist ideology behind the current chaos. Not that there hasn’t been excellent reporting elsewhere. I highly recommend reading Wired magazine these days — in particular, this article about plans for corporate-controlled cities operating outside the scope of pesky federal regulations like environmental protection and worker rights. These guys belong to a pseudoscientific cult that conveniently places them at the top and devalues the lives of everyone else.
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An Ill Wind of Change
1980s pop culture was filled with reminders of the existential threat posed by the Soviet Union, some of it jingoistic (Rocky IV comes to mind), and some of it deeply chilling, such as the Sting song “Russians” referenced in the first panel. Like many in my generation, I internalized the idea that being an American meant living in a democracy, however flawed, that existed in opposition to the worst dictatorships. As I grew older, I became increasingly aware of ways in which the US failed to live up to these democratic ideals (hence the political cartooning career). Yet even after all we’ve been through, it’s still shocking for me to see America reject our European allies and embrace Putin’s Russia.
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“Protecting the Children”
I don’t envy kids growing up today. Of all the problems they — and we — face, however, the availability of carefully-administered medical care to delay puberty (sometimes used for transgender kids) isn’t one of them! It’s not even in the top 500 list of political issues America needs to concern itself with, because it’s not an issue to be “debated” so much as a medical question. Yet relentless propaganda efforts have put this topic front and center in everyone’s minds. Meanwhile, the actual health and safety of millions of kids are imperiled by the ongoing destruction of the US government.
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Welcome to AI-merica
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the government employees losing their jobs, all these decent people having their lives totally upended. Musk says he wants to replace much of the federal workforce with AI. In the private sector, we’re also seeing layoffs and fewer job openings in industries where bosses are trying to use AI to cut labor costs. At the same time, the social safety net is being threatened with massive cuts. What are people supposed to do? What’s the point of an economy that no longer serves the interests of human beings?
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The Consumer Financial Destruction Bureau
Founded by Elizabeth Warren in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau addressed all sorts of sleazy practices in the financial services industry, from shady loans to exorbitant junk fees to insecure payment apps. They recovered some $21 billion on behalf of the American people. This was an example of good government fighting corporate abuses on behalf of the public. Yet how many voters even knew or heard about it? Many have been led to believe the oligarchs ransacking the country are fighting “corruption.”
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Pluto-brats
Like many news stories these days, this one is so outlandish it’s difficult to exaggerate. Musk’s lackeys have infiltrated the U.S. Treasury payment system and are, according to WIRED, editing the code as I write this. This is not only illegal, but a grave security breach that violates the privacy of most Americans.
For further thoughts on what’s happening to the country right now, you might check out this Guardian article on the far-right, deeply misogynist roots of technofascism.
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Beware of TLAs
The term “DEI” is being used as a cover to tear apart much of the federal government. And they’ve started invoking the scourge of “DEIA” too, which refers to accessibility.
It’s not that this language didn’t exist before, but it’s being weaponized now. Suddenly the cold, impersonal-sounding acronym DEI has replaced “diversity initiatives,” “civil rights,” “equal rights,” “fairness,” and “anti-discrimination” in everyday conversation. I would suggest that one small thing we can do is return to using those actual words.
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