Whenever I hear people screaming about inflation, they never seem to finish their thought. It's not "inflation." It's price gouging. Look at how much profit these companies are raking in. Look at all the stock buy-backs.
If you think you're suffering under "inflation" and want the government to do something about it, what you're actually advocating for is tighter government regulation - which out of the other side of their mouths, these people will claim is killing businesses.
So what is it that you ACTUALLY want? Other than to be angry all the time?
Democrats put forth legislation to limit the price at the pumps to $4.50 a gallon when inflation first started to tick up. Republicans stonewalled and refused to pass it. That sort of thing should be shouted from the rooftops, but instead inflation is "the democrats' fault"
This gets at something I've said for years: In the history of everything, the conservative, regressive views have never won, long-term. They'll win a battle, but never, ever ever the war. Like, look at Roe v Wade. They fought for 50 years, stacking the courts at every level, spent hundreds of millions of $$s fighting it, and finally overturned it on the back of jamming through two SC justices. Cool. You won the battle.
And what has it wrought? Since the ruling, every state-wide initiative to expand abortion access has succeeded, while every one to restrict it has failed, usually by massive margins. The under 25 women demo is now voting 75/25 Democratic and at a higher rate than in decades. So, cool. You won the battle. Prepare to lose the war.
A few years ago I was leader of a group that put a ballot measure on the local ballot by the initiative process, which has become the go-to tool for those of us that have to fight back against the Republican tyranny on all fronts. We walked with petitions to get it on the ballot, then we went to every spaghetti dinner, parade, town council meeting and civic group out there, including speaking to both the local Democratic Club and the local Republican Club. The meeting with the Republicans was an eye-opener in may ways, but one in particular stands out to me right now.
There was a guy there to speak who has great influence not just in the state, but with Republican reps and senators. He came to talk about the big push to have abortion rights killed nationwide, and while he was of course all for it, he was worried that they were pushing too far too fast. This was a couple of years before Dobbs, so he was watching the push toward it and worrying that they were overplaying their hand. And as it turns out, he was right to be worried. I mean, they got what they all "prayed" for, but what they were too short-sighted to realize was that hell hath no fury like a woman denied her rights to autonomy. Now those ballot initiatives are everywhere, fighting for the enshrinement of a right to abortion in states that will vote solidly for Trump, and they will pass in almost all cases. So yes, they sometimes win the battle, but then you have to deal with the broader war. So the right side of the political landscape may win some shit, but they need to be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it.
In before all the cries about the decline of public education and "why did they stop teaching critical thinking!?" (Disclaimer: as a public high school teacher, I get a bit defensive, heh.)
Critical thinking IS on the curriculum of nearly every public school in the nation, especially since the rise of Common Core about 10-15 years ago. We have whole units on how to defend arguments with evidence, locate logical fallacies, recognize propaganda, and check the accuracy and reliability of sources, among other topics. Granted, not all schools might teach those skills in as much depth as mine does, but still. Schools (ahem, er, the vast majority of them) DO teach critical thinking.
The fallacy of those cries above is that they assume that if those MAGA types just sat down and *thought* about everything, they'd see the error of their ways. That people are inherently reasonable but have forgotten or were never taught *how* to be reasonable. Nah. Some of them? Okay, sure. Maybe. But a great many of them choose to believe what they want, logic/rationality be damned. Even worse, many believe they *are* thinking critically because those "facts" are what they hear on their "trusted news sources". They've done their own research, after all.
God, I sound bitter. And yes, I might be too defensive. It doesn't apply to all people, but it sure does apply to a ton of them. (In the interest of Both Sides, I tried to think of similar situations with Democrats/progressives, but I couldn't. I'm sure they're out there, though.)
Fantastic essay! The problem I am seeing is that our media coverage is biased for Trump. I try and exercise several times a week at a local gym. On the screen above the machines were the requisite bank of monitors. Friday, CNN moderators were chastising the Democrats for allowing Barack Obama to "Lecture his audience in Pennsylvania! He LECTURED THEM!!! No one wants to be LECTURED TO!!! The Democrats really need to do a better job of managing their message!". This was after the "Biden circles" meandering cluster fuck of speech by Trump.
All I can expect is that every time Shitler opens his mouth, he peels off another pool of possible voters. All I can hope for is a BLUE landslide in November.
You cannot change a person's religious beliefs with an appeal to reason, and the MAGA folks have basically turned their politics into religion - even the ones who are not otherwise devout. Some folks are wired for belief, even if it makes no sense, and bigotry is one of the lynchpins of belief. I don't mean all those with religious beliefs are bigots but rather that belief systems that separate "us" from "them" are very easy to fall into and very hard to escape. All you have to do is push the right buttons - "immigrants are taking your jobs/making you unsafe" or "everyone who supports bodily autonomy is evil and your enemy" or "higher education is turning our kids against us" - then it's even easier for folks who may have once had a reasonable argument to suddenly go full mouth-foaming zealot. They aren't going to hear your calls for reason, moderation, or community. They have the bit in their teeth and are running hell for leather for the finish line. I am fervently hoping they come in dead last in every race.
I would say it's "faith", not religious beliefs. Faith can happen anywhere in any context but, theoretically, religious beliefs have actual religion in the mix.
Sometimes Dustin is very obviously working through something when he writes in Pajiba. Usually I can relate entirely to those posts. This is one of those times.
Anyone who points to prices pre-covid is living in a fantasyland. You cannot be an adult and honestly believe 2018 is coming back. And we all know the hurricane complaining is because they saw Bush get housed because of Katrina and they really, really want that to happen to Kamala. So now we have FEMA unable to help people because yahoos are threatening them. I still stand on the idea that if Trump wins, the day after the election all the whining about prices will stop. Prices won't get any better, but the circus will be back in town. We'll get the rallies, the taunting, the preening, the cruelty, the owning the libs and the braying. Because that's what they want. They want their guy to come off the top rope with the People's elbow then strut around the ring. They want a flag, a T shirt, a plate, some sneakers or a hat. Whatever swag makes them feel better than others. The actual policies will go the way of economic insecurity or deficit reduction or Law and Order or whatever other paper thin lie they tell a gullible reporter in a diner. Then they will cackle while legal families are deported, while power is stripped from all departments that aren't repubican wet dreams, while people suffer. Suddenly weather machines will vanish when hurricanes strike, and Daddy Trump will save them. We are doomed, because 20-40% of Americans are okay with an authoritarian state as long as it agrees with htem.
A family member's wife (who I mistakenly thought was sane and voting blue) just posted about gas prices in 2020 and apparently is a trumper. Um, hello, dumbass, we were in the height of the pandemic and no one was going anywhere. Also, can we stop acting like the US is the only country to be hit with inflation? The entire world has had to deal with it.
This family member's wife has a young daughter, by the way. But by all means, sacrifice her future to save a few dollars at the pump. Excellent choice.
You know, I have now have so much sympathy for the average German in 1935 (Date check needed). They watched as the crazies took over their country. I hope we do better than they did if the crazies win again this go round, because shutting up and going with the flow to save your skin (which I'm sure so many of them did) just isn't enough.
So I'm gonna go vote. And if democracy looses, I'm gonna figure out how to keep fighting.
Whenever I hear people screaming about inflation, they never seem to finish their thought. It's not "inflation." It's price gouging. Look at how much profit these companies are raking in. Look at all the stock buy-backs.
If you think you're suffering under "inflation" and want the government to do something about it, what you're actually advocating for is tighter government regulation - which out of the other side of their mouths, these people will claim is killing businesses.
So what is it that you ACTUALLY want? Other than to be angry all the time?
Democrats put forth legislation to limit the price at the pumps to $4.50 a gallon when inflation first started to tick up. Republicans stonewalled and refused to pass it. That sort of thing should be shouted from the rooftops, but instead inflation is "the democrats' fault"
That last sentence, though I'd ascribe it to the conservative media complex: They're aiming to elicit all anger, all the time and never introspection.
This gets at something I've said for years: In the history of everything, the conservative, regressive views have never won, long-term. They'll win a battle, but never, ever ever the war. Like, look at Roe v Wade. They fought for 50 years, stacking the courts at every level, spent hundreds of millions of $$s fighting it, and finally overturned it on the back of jamming through two SC justices. Cool. You won the battle.
And what has it wrought? Since the ruling, every state-wide initiative to expand abortion access has succeeded, while every one to restrict it has failed, usually by massive margins. The under 25 women demo is now voting 75/25 Democratic and at a higher rate than in decades. So, cool. You won the battle. Prepare to lose the war.
A few years ago I was leader of a group that put a ballot measure on the local ballot by the initiative process, which has become the go-to tool for those of us that have to fight back against the Republican tyranny on all fronts. We walked with petitions to get it on the ballot, then we went to every spaghetti dinner, parade, town council meeting and civic group out there, including speaking to both the local Democratic Club and the local Republican Club. The meeting with the Republicans was an eye-opener in may ways, but one in particular stands out to me right now.
There was a guy there to speak who has great influence not just in the state, but with Republican reps and senators. He came to talk about the big push to have abortion rights killed nationwide, and while he was of course all for it, he was worried that they were pushing too far too fast. This was a couple of years before Dobbs, so he was watching the push toward it and worrying that they were overplaying their hand. And as it turns out, he was right to be worried. I mean, they got what they all "prayed" for, but what they were too short-sighted to realize was that hell hath no fury like a woman denied her rights to autonomy. Now those ballot initiatives are everywhere, fighting for the enshrinement of a right to abortion in states that will vote solidly for Trump, and they will pass in almost all cases. So yes, they sometimes win the battle, but then you have to deal with the broader war. So the right side of the political landscape may win some shit, but they need to be careful what they wish for, because they just might get it.
In before all the cries about the decline of public education and "why did they stop teaching critical thinking!?" (Disclaimer: as a public high school teacher, I get a bit defensive, heh.)
Critical thinking IS on the curriculum of nearly every public school in the nation, especially since the rise of Common Core about 10-15 years ago. We have whole units on how to defend arguments with evidence, locate logical fallacies, recognize propaganda, and check the accuracy and reliability of sources, among other topics. Granted, not all schools might teach those skills in as much depth as mine does, but still. Schools (ahem, er, the vast majority of them) DO teach critical thinking.
The fallacy of those cries above is that they assume that if those MAGA types just sat down and *thought* about everything, they'd see the error of their ways. That people are inherently reasonable but have forgotten or were never taught *how* to be reasonable. Nah. Some of them? Okay, sure. Maybe. But a great many of them choose to believe what they want, logic/rationality be damned. Even worse, many believe they *are* thinking critically because those "facts" are what they hear on their "trusted news sources". They've done their own research, after all.
God, I sound bitter. And yes, I might be too defensive. It doesn't apply to all people, but it sure does apply to a ton of them. (In the interest of Both Sides, I tried to think of similar situations with Democrats/progressives, but I couldn't. I'm sure they're out there, though.)
Fantastic essay! The problem I am seeing is that our media coverage is biased for Trump. I try and exercise several times a week at a local gym. On the screen above the machines were the requisite bank of monitors. Friday, CNN moderators were chastising the Democrats for allowing Barack Obama to "Lecture his audience in Pennsylvania! He LECTURED THEM!!! No one wants to be LECTURED TO!!! The Democrats really need to do a better job of managing their message!". This was after the "Biden circles" meandering cluster fuck of speech by Trump.
All I can expect is that every time Shitler opens his mouth, he peels off another pool of possible voters. All I can hope for is a BLUE landslide in November.
You cannot change a person's religious beliefs with an appeal to reason, and the MAGA folks have basically turned their politics into religion - even the ones who are not otherwise devout. Some folks are wired for belief, even if it makes no sense, and bigotry is one of the lynchpins of belief. I don't mean all those with religious beliefs are bigots but rather that belief systems that separate "us" from "them" are very easy to fall into and very hard to escape. All you have to do is push the right buttons - "immigrants are taking your jobs/making you unsafe" or "everyone who supports bodily autonomy is evil and your enemy" or "higher education is turning our kids against us" - then it's even easier for folks who may have once had a reasonable argument to suddenly go full mouth-foaming zealot. They aren't going to hear your calls for reason, moderation, or community. They have the bit in their teeth and are running hell for leather for the finish line. I am fervently hoping they come in dead last in every race.
I would say it's "faith", not religious beliefs. Faith can happen anywhere in any context but, theoretically, religious beliefs have actual religion in the mix.
Sometimes Dustin is very obviously working through something when he writes in Pajiba. Usually I can relate entirely to those posts. This is one of those times.
For real, as a fellow intensely frustrated white man, his rage at these assholes is cathartic.
Anyone who points to prices pre-covid is living in a fantasyland. You cannot be an adult and honestly believe 2018 is coming back. And we all know the hurricane complaining is because they saw Bush get housed because of Katrina and they really, really want that to happen to Kamala. So now we have FEMA unable to help people because yahoos are threatening them. I still stand on the idea that if Trump wins, the day after the election all the whining about prices will stop. Prices won't get any better, but the circus will be back in town. We'll get the rallies, the taunting, the preening, the cruelty, the owning the libs and the braying. Because that's what they want. They want their guy to come off the top rope with the People's elbow then strut around the ring. They want a flag, a T shirt, a plate, some sneakers or a hat. Whatever swag makes them feel better than others. The actual policies will go the way of economic insecurity or deficit reduction or Law and Order or whatever other paper thin lie they tell a gullible reporter in a diner. Then they will cackle while legal families are deported, while power is stripped from all departments that aren't repubican wet dreams, while people suffer. Suddenly weather machines will vanish when hurricanes strike, and Daddy Trump will save them. We are doomed, because 20-40% of Americans are okay with an authoritarian state as long as it agrees with htem.
A family member's wife (who I mistakenly thought was sane and voting blue) just posted about gas prices in 2020 and apparently is a trumper. Um, hello, dumbass, we were in the height of the pandemic and no one was going anywhere. Also, can we stop acting like the US is the only country to be hit with inflation? The entire world has had to deal with it.
This family member's wife has a young daughter, by the way. But by all means, sacrifice her future to save a few dollars at the pump. Excellent choice.
Well, that just gave me a little frisson of fuck yeah! Thanks, Dustin! I needed that.
You know, I have now have so much sympathy for the average German in 1935 (Date check needed). They watched as the crazies took over their country. I hope we do better than they did if the crazies win again this go round, because shutting up and going with the flow to save your skin (which I'm sure so many of them did) just isn't enough.
So I'm gonna go vote. And if democracy looses, I'm gonna figure out how to keep fighting.
I'm gonna say to republicans what they would say to us in this situation: This is OUR country, bitch! And you're going to learn obedience in it!
Journo: Why won't you answer the question I asked three times now? Tell the truth.
JDV: I'm an asshole.
Such an (imaginary) exchange would be the only honest thing he's uttered.
Amen!