Suspect this is what it was like to join a thirteenth century monastery. Yes, it might be the End of Days outside, but in here, I have quiet contemplation with a side salad of light chanting, and possibly some time tending herbs in the gardens.
More and more I wish that governments engaged in regular open conversations with their citizenry. Instead everything is done through focus groups, mediated heavily by communications specialists editing the message. This is further diluted by reportage through those platforms who choose to carry the message or distort it with opinion.
Thank you Michael. Our lives really DO need to be put into a better perspective - disallowing 'news' AKA currently: a majority of hate-filled opinions disguised as facts or possibly some slightly/narrowly, partially true glimpses of reality.
(and they will fuck this world up - we intelligent, correct-thinking people MUST do whatever it takes to slow that flow of misogynistic, willfully ignorant hate)
Totally agree — and "a majority of hate-filled opinions disguised as facts or possibly some slightly/narrowly, partially true glimpses of reality." hits the nail on the head.
Well said Michael. I work in IT and I have done a very good job of ignoring the little pop ups of breaking news on the computers since the election. And I have been doing okay. However, today the announcement of the nomination for the head of the EPA wormed its way into my vision and connected to my brain, the panic attack that ensued I didn’t know if I was going to vomit or start crying. And unfortunately, I’m not exaggerating. A full blown panic attack. I pulled myself together and went out for a badly needed walk and tried to clear my head. I am still not ready yet to face the fight before us. In the meantime I will keep on keeping on, and will step up to the plate when I’m ready and it’s time.
I'm really sorry that happened... and honestly, I get it. I saw that same pop-up (from the Post) and felt the rage and despair land on me like a falling tree. There will be plenty of time to resist, in so far as we can. In the meantime, and always, we need to look after ourselves and the people we love.
I was thinking of the power of literature and how Orwell's 1984 had an impact on my outlook about news services with the Ministry of Truth. I came to express my love of your writing and how it helps me through rough times. You are bringing the good fight everyday.
It also made me follow up on the "Big Lie" and just check where/when it may have appeared. I have now fallen victim to Godwin's law.
Thank you — I appreciate the kind words. There's a great book on "the Big Lie" and other Nazi conspiracies, called "The Hitler Conspiracies" by Richard Evans. Well worth a read.
The question isn’t what went wrong. (I’m eye-rolling at all the various dem finger pointing at this thing or that, Harris should have said that, Dems were too mean, etc.)
The failure was all the voters who THOUGHT they knew the facts, from sources that were fed by the constant firehose of dis/misinformation from mainstream & social media.
Maga campaigned on lies. It’s why musk paid a ridiculous sum for Twitter, then made feature changes that tanked profitability while opening the floodgates for propaganda.
It’s why major news publications wrote astonishingly misleading headlines, even if the article itself was truthful; they knew that the damage would be done by the headline, for those that just skim the news.
Dems really need to recognize & understand the problem. Many are still grasping at other trivial causes for what happened.
But as you stated, what now? It’s hard to imagine an effective remedy to a deluge of disinformation from major news sources. A deluge of truth? Where would that come from? How do you “market” the truth? Or maybe when terrible things start to happen to those who were lied to, their eyes will open. One can hope.
I also have scaled back my consumption of news. I get the highlights, but don’t immerse myself like before. It’s like when the doctor tells you after an accident to keep the leg elevated for a few days; I need that elevation.
No, the sky hasn’t fallen yet, but we’ve allowed the sappers to place the charges on the supporting columns.
Whoa. You just said everything I said but more concisely and powerfully. And you are especially correct in this: right now we need some elevation. Not accepting the media's game. Being our true and caring selves even if that means saying "Just for now, I'm not playing."
Very much the perfect solution.live with your own thoughts spend time in your own company and revive your sanity.
I don’t know nor am I going to worry right now about how to shake the big multimillionaire players.too many wrong turns have been taken so I’m with you- sticking to my own lane and making some difference on my own plane of existence.thank you for crystallizing the mood. Ps I have full faith and the hubris to believe I will outlive this current mess.
The truth is that the truth is always going to be there. Climate Changing is happening. Just ask Texas. They are running out of water. They can't deny the physical truth that there is less water. But, they can deny the reasoning. Trump can lie all he wants. When the world comes down around him again, just like it did with Covid, all his lies will mean nothing. The only problem we will have in the future is that some people will know the truth and others won't, sadly.
You’re right about all of it. And there’s no need to wash bananas. May I add, I look forward to outliving the orange buffoon and finally existing in a world where…. he does not.
Suspect this is what it was like to join a thirteenth century monastery. Yes, it might be the End of Days outside, but in here, I have quiet contemplation with a side salad of light chanting, and possibly some time tending herbs in the gardens.
Honestly that sounds pretty good to me right now.
More and more I wish that governments engaged in regular open conversations with their citizenry. Instead everything is done through focus groups, mediated heavily by communications specialists editing the message. This is further diluted by reportage through those platforms who choose to carry the message or distort it with opinion.
Fireside chats please ..
Something like that would really help...
Thank you Michael. Our lives really DO need to be put into a better perspective - disallowing 'news' AKA currently: a majority of hate-filled opinions disguised as facts or possibly some slightly/narrowly, partially true glimpses of reality.
(and they will fuck this world up - we intelligent, correct-thinking people MUST do whatever it takes to slow that flow of misogynistic, willfully ignorant hate)
Totally agree — and "a majority of hate-filled opinions disguised as facts or possibly some slightly/narrowly, partially true glimpses of reality." hits the nail on the head.
Well said Michael. I work in IT and I have done a very good job of ignoring the little pop ups of breaking news on the computers since the election. And I have been doing okay. However, today the announcement of the nomination for the head of the EPA wormed its way into my vision and connected to my brain, the panic attack that ensued I didn’t know if I was going to vomit or start crying. And unfortunately, I’m not exaggerating. A full blown panic attack. I pulled myself together and went out for a badly needed walk and tried to clear my head. I am still not ready yet to face the fight before us. In the meantime I will keep on keeping on, and will step up to the plate when I’m ready and it’s time.
I'm really sorry that happened... and honestly, I get it. I saw that same pop-up (from the Post) and felt the rage and despair land on me like a falling tree. There will be plenty of time to resist, in so far as we can. In the meantime, and always, we need to look after ourselves and the people we love.
I was thinking of the power of literature and how Orwell's 1984 had an impact on my outlook about news services with the Ministry of Truth. I came to express my love of your writing and how it helps me through rough times. You are bringing the good fight everyday.
It also made me follow up on the "Big Lie" and just check where/when it may have appeared. I have now fallen victim to Godwin's law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_lie
Thank you — I appreciate the kind words. There's a great book on "the Big Lie" and other Nazi conspiracies, called "The Hitler Conspiracies" by Richard Evans. Well worth a read.
I'm late, but this was excellent.
Thank you! :-)
The old question - happy & ignorant or depressed & informed? Reading/watching fiction helps me.
Yep, same.
Couldn’t agree more with everything you said.
The question isn’t what went wrong. (I’m eye-rolling at all the various dem finger pointing at this thing or that, Harris should have said that, Dems were too mean, etc.)
The failure was all the voters who THOUGHT they knew the facts, from sources that were fed by the constant firehose of dis/misinformation from mainstream & social media.
Maga campaigned on lies. It’s why musk paid a ridiculous sum for Twitter, then made feature changes that tanked profitability while opening the floodgates for propaganda.
It’s why major news publications wrote astonishingly misleading headlines, even if the article itself was truthful; they knew that the damage would be done by the headline, for those that just skim the news.
Dems really need to recognize & understand the problem. Many are still grasping at other trivial causes for what happened.
But as you stated, what now? It’s hard to imagine an effective remedy to a deluge of disinformation from major news sources. A deluge of truth? Where would that come from? How do you “market” the truth? Or maybe when terrible things start to happen to those who were lied to, their eyes will open. One can hope.
I also have scaled back my consumption of news. I get the highlights, but don’t immerse myself like before. It’s like when the doctor tells you after an accident to keep the leg elevated for a few days; I need that elevation.
No, the sky hasn’t fallen yet, but we’ve allowed the sappers to place the charges on the supporting columns.
Whoa. You just said everything I said but more concisely and powerfully. And you are especially correct in this: right now we need some elevation. Not accepting the media's game. Being our true and caring selves even if that means saying "Just for now, I'm not playing."
Today, I think you need to hear this message of hope:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pUyCBAaf6SI
That is... fantastic. Thank you for sharing it with me!
Happy to have found you here, Michael! I’m with you on all of this :)
Excellent - and nice to meet you!
Very much the perfect solution.live with your own thoughts spend time in your own company and revive your sanity.
I don’t know nor am I going to worry right now about how to shake the big multimillionaire players.too many wrong turns have been taken so I’m with you- sticking to my own lane and making some difference on my own plane of existence.thank you for crystallizing the mood. Ps I have full faith and the hubris to believe I will outlive this current mess.
Let us all have that hubris... and turn out to be right ;-)
The truth is that the truth is always going to be there. Climate Changing is happening. Just ask Texas. They are running out of water. They can't deny the physical truth that there is less water. But, they can deny the reasoning. Trump can lie all he wants. When the world comes down around him again, just like it did with Covid, all his lies will mean nothing. The only problem we will have in the future is that some people will know the truth and others won't, sadly.
I fear you're exactly right.
You’re right about all of it. And there’s no need to wash bananas. May I add, I look forward to outliving the orange buffoon and finally existing in a world where…. he does not.