… and the childhood home of Bill Watterson, who used bits and pieces of its scenery in Calvin and Hobbes.
robrosays
Beiieve or not, my partner and I almost had a “discussion” about news coverage of Dumpster at 7am. She’s a former journalist who regularly reads the elitist coastal news outlets, mainly the New York Times and somewhat the Washington Post, through our local library website. She was saying, though, that she is so sick of Dumpster and their coverage of him that she’s stopped reading that stuff. However, even the headlines are constantly assaulting her. So I stupidly opined that “they”, which I corrected to “the publishers”, are milking the hell out of Dumpster’s campaign, his legal trials, and the outrage psychology of all sides of the political spectrum. This elicited a “it’s not their fault” response, so I backed off because I didn’t want an argument at 7am over the media’s responsibility for Dumpster and the whole GOP dog-whistle political strategy.
I’m sure that the wealth of the people behind these outlets, A. G. Sulzberger for the New York Times and Jeff Bezos for the WaPo, has nothing to do with the way the reporters and editors are handling these assholes. Although, note this snippet in the Wikipedia article about Sulzberger credit to something called “TransLash Podcast”:
According to anonymous sources within the newspaper’s staff, upon taking his position in 2018 Sulzburger “told employees explicitly that his biggest concern was that the paper’s audience saw it as a ‘liberal rag…’ [his] vision for the paper is to change that perception and court conservative readers.”
I usually check the newspapers over my morning coffee. Lately, if I see the word Trump anywhere near the top of the paper, I read the comics instead. Which means I mainly check the funny pages anymore.
VolcanoMansays
I really don’t understand why the media, the status-quo-lovin’ capital-L Liberal media, keeps treating this primary process, and indeed the election writ large, as just a “normal” thing going on. Oh, there are poll numbers, let’s publish that. Look at this policy that this irrelevant candidate is proposing, that’s something people really want to hear about (as if this election was about policy….and as if that candidate will ever come close to being in a position where their proposal could be enacted). Treating this year like a normal election year is a flat-out denial of the fact that it is about as far from normal as it’s possible to be. Because one candidate is defending himself in several criminal matters, wherein he has denied committing the crimes he’s accused of committing, while simultaneously claiming that his actions were legal because presidents are allowed to break the law (implicitly confessing to those same crimes). Because whatever his position on his very real criminality, he has the continued support of something like 40% of the electorate. And obviously there are dozens of other reasons none of this is normal, but you get the point.
There is no way that a second presidency from 45 will lead to the preservation of the status quo, business as usual or whatever. The guy only knows how to break things, and that’s what he’ll do. Over and over and over, until America is a 3rd world country and he’s dictator-for-life (which, knowing America’s luck, will likely be at least another couple of decades – it’s always the most evil people who live the longest lives). That’s his goal, and I’m not confident in either the power of institutions to stop him (as those institutions have already been weakened by his previous 4 year term), OR the power of the sane people to effectively oppose him once he gains office again (and he absolutely does have a chance to win the election).
So I really wish that the media would just stop showing up. We already know the answers to the questions they’re asking. Is he a criminal? Why do so many Americans support him still? Will he be the Republican nominee? These questions have certain answers, and more coverage isn’t going to change any minds. More importantly, the media is like the observer in a quantum system – they cannot report on this topic without impacting it in some way. By covering 45, they are shoring up his support in the primaries (whether the articles are positive or negative, it doesn’t really matter…he remains relevant to the people who are voting) AND making it more likely that he has a fighting chance in the general election. Ignoring him won’t make him go away, but it will absolutely alter his behaviour, in ways that may be somewhat illuminating to the sane people who are so fed up with the entire system and thus don’t participate in it. By witnessing him become increasingly unbalanced, as less people are paying attention to his goddamned circus, I think it’s likely that peoples’ perceptions of him will change, and the politically-unengaged will start to FEAR a repeat of his presidency. Right now, they don’t believe that the outcome of the election will impact their lives in a substantive way. They’re wrong. They should fear him. Because he knows how the levers of power work now…and he’s bitter enough that he was rejected in 2020 to actively TRY to destroy America. And that will affect everybody…Americans and non-Americans alike. But only you Americans have the ability to do something about it.
birgerjohanssonsays
Crossposted from the infinite thread: not everything is going the Republicans’ way.
Medias Touch Network:
“Consumer Sentiment Skyrockets As Americans Feel The Strong Economy”
What astonishes me is, the press giving away free advertisement, erm, publicity to Trump.
Everyone else has to pay, Trump doesn’t.
Oh yeah, that’s right, Trump never pays his bills anyway.*
*Well, except for the Taj Mahal resort, where he tried stiffing the roofing company for the domes. The roofing company owner showed up with work crews and cranes to repossess his roofs after fruitless attempts to get Trump to pay and the local manager proclaiming only corporate could cut any checks.
Within the hour, the owner had his payment in full.
StevoRsays
@3.robro : ” Although, note this snippet in the Wikipedia article about Sulzberger credit to something called “TransLash Podcast”:
Trans lash? Like backlash against Trans people? Hmm..
I’m sure that the wealth of the people behind these outlets, A. G. Sulzberger for the New York Times and Jeff Bezos for the WaPo, has nothing to do with the way the reporters and editors are handling these assholes.
Reminds me of what I saw this arvo on PBS Newshour here :
This week has brought fresh questions about the futures of some of the country’s most storied newspapers. The Baltimore Sun has a new owner with a political background that’s sparked concerns and Los Angeles Times staffers walked off the job to protest planned layoffs. … (snip)… And David Smith is also executive chair of Sinclair Broadcasting, which has drawn criticism for injecting conservative and right-wing commentary into its local news broadcasts that owns over 200 local TV stations.
Ann Marie Lipinski: also noted neatly in that interview that “Billionaire owners do not equal a business strategy.”
Media capture by the uber-wealthy is another big threat to democracy here.
@5. VolcanoMan : Didn’t the media – even Fox & Murdoch – try ignoring Trump for a while only to find that didn’t really work? Or they just couldn’t do it at least not sustainably?
I hope Trump gets locked up soon and put in a jail cell without media communication. he should be in jail so very many times over; most recently for blatant Contempt of Court and yet.. nope. Why not?
John Moralessays
StevoR,
Trans lash? Like backlash against Trans people? Hmm..
Here, for you. Literally took me fewer than 5 seconds to do.
[technique: select text, right-click for search in new tab, look at new tab. That’s how simple it was.
Took me much longer to compose the message(s)]
John Moralessays
[OT]
Now, I may be corrected about by others who actually know, or it may not be that significant to others, StevoR, but for mine “Trans people” makes it sound as an ideology whereas “trans people” is just a boring old adjective. So I’d much prefer it not be capitalised.
(Are you perhaps analogising from “Black” instead of ‘black’?)
wzrd1says
StevoR @ 8, “he should be in jail so very many times over; most recently for blatant Contempt of Court and yet.. nope. Why not?”
We have a two tier justice system, one for the wealthy, one for the Commoners. Fully supported by the absolute best government that money can buy.
StevoRsays
@ ^ wzrd1 : So I’ve noticed. Albiet I’d say (pedantically but) legal system rather tha n justice one since what it delivers, well, doesn’t seem that Just..
StevoRsays
@ 9 to 11 John Morales : Thanks. I tend to capitalise Trans along same lines as ethnicity . nationality eg. Aussie, Kurdish, etc.. there. Not 100% sure which is right but thought caps was showing more respect and yes, along lines of Black for people vs black simply colour. Trasn comminumity along lines of Native American, Indigneous, Chinese community. etc..
Uncapitalised trans seems like a suffix for beyond eg. transAtlantic or abbriev for transport / transit etc .. but am open to being corrected on best usage here esp by actual Trans people.
Let’s address the second sentence first. While its clear from context that the writer is wishing to make a point about the ontology of trans people (whether or not trans folk exist and what “being” trans means), it is correct on neither a literal level nor on the more generous interpretation abstracted from the words used. There is an implicit premise here that trans people are masculine or male trending toward feminine or female (commonly abbreviated “MtF”). But of course there have been many men who claimed to be women. Not trans people who claimed to be women, actual cis men. To escape a police warrant or a military draft, to play a joke, or for any of a million reasons, men have claimed to be women.
If we allow the very stupid and bigoted writing to take on another meaning less facially absurd we must understand that “men claiming to be women” is the author’s description of trans women. Qualified by the previous sentences “back in the day” this is an assertion that prior to some uncertain date trans women did not exist. If you’ve got the spoons and are seeking giggles, go ahead and ask them to name that date. It’s hilarious.
Chagrin Falls is a real village not far from Cleveland.
… and the childhood home of Bill Watterson, who used bits and pieces of its scenery in Calvin and Hobbes.
Beiieve or not, my partner and I almost had a “discussion” about news coverage of Dumpster at 7am. She’s a former journalist who regularly reads the elitist coastal news outlets, mainly the New York Times and somewhat the Washington Post, through our local library website. She was saying, though, that she is so sick of Dumpster and their coverage of him that she’s stopped reading that stuff. However, even the headlines are constantly assaulting her. So I stupidly opined that “they”, which I corrected to “the publishers”, are milking the hell out of Dumpster’s campaign, his legal trials, and the outrage psychology of all sides of the political spectrum. This elicited a “it’s not their fault” response, so I backed off because I didn’t want an argument at 7am over the media’s responsibility for Dumpster and the whole GOP dog-whistle political strategy.
I’m sure that the wealth of the people behind these outlets, A. G. Sulzberger for the New York Times and Jeff Bezos for the WaPo, has nothing to do with the way the reporters and editors are handling these assholes. Although, note this snippet in the Wikipedia article about Sulzberger credit to something called “TransLash Podcast”:
I usually check the newspapers over my morning coffee. Lately, if I see the word Trump anywhere near the top of the paper, I read the comics instead. Which means I mainly check the funny pages anymore.
I really don’t understand why the media, the status-quo-lovin’ capital-L Liberal media, keeps treating this primary process, and indeed the election writ large, as just a “normal” thing going on. Oh, there are poll numbers, let’s publish that. Look at this policy that this irrelevant candidate is proposing, that’s something people really want to hear about (as if this election was about policy….and as if that candidate will ever come close to being in a position where their proposal could be enacted). Treating this year like a normal election year is a flat-out denial of the fact that it is about as far from normal as it’s possible to be. Because one candidate is defending himself in several criminal matters, wherein he has denied committing the crimes he’s accused of committing, while simultaneously claiming that his actions were legal because presidents are allowed to break the law (implicitly confessing to those same crimes). Because whatever his position on his very real criminality, he has the continued support of something like 40% of the electorate. And obviously there are dozens of other reasons none of this is normal, but you get the point.
There is no way that a second presidency from 45 will lead to the preservation of the status quo, business as usual or whatever. The guy only knows how to break things, and that’s what he’ll do. Over and over and over, until America is a 3rd world country and he’s dictator-for-life (which, knowing America’s luck, will likely be at least another couple of decades – it’s always the most evil people who live the longest lives). That’s his goal, and I’m not confident in either the power of institutions to stop him (as those institutions have already been weakened by his previous 4 year term), OR the power of the sane people to effectively oppose him once he gains office again (and he absolutely does have a chance to win the election).
So I really wish that the media would just stop showing up. We already know the answers to the questions they’re asking. Is he a criminal? Why do so many Americans support him still? Will he be the Republican nominee? These questions have certain answers, and more coverage isn’t going to change any minds. More importantly, the media is like the observer in a quantum system – they cannot report on this topic without impacting it in some way. By covering 45, they are shoring up his support in the primaries (whether the articles are positive or negative, it doesn’t really matter…he remains relevant to the people who are voting) AND making it more likely that he has a fighting chance in the general election. Ignoring him won’t make him go away, but it will absolutely alter his behaviour, in ways that may be somewhat illuminating to the sane people who are so fed up with the entire system and thus don’t participate in it. By witnessing him become increasingly unbalanced, as less people are paying attention to his goddamned circus, I think it’s likely that peoples’ perceptions of him will change, and the politically-unengaged will start to FEAR a repeat of his presidency. Right now, they don’t believe that the outcome of the election will impact their lives in a substantive way. They’re wrong. They should fear him. Because he knows how the levers of power work now…and he’s bitter enough that he was rejected in 2020 to actively TRY to destroy America. And that will affect everybody…Americans and non-Americans alike. But only you Americans have the ability to do something about it.
Crossposted from the infinite thread: not everything is going the Republicans’ way.
Medias Touch Network:
“Consumer Sentiment Skyrockets As Americans Feel The Strong Economy”
(various positive statistics etc, so bad for SSAT presidential campaign)
.https://www.meidastouch.com/news/consumer-sentiment-skyrockets-as-americans-feel-the-strong-economy
Goddamn commie economy! Stop going great!
What astonishes me is, the press giving away free advertisement, erm, publicity to Trump.
Everyone else has to pay, Trump doesn’t.
Oh yeah, that’s right, Trump never pays his bills anyway.*
*Well, except for the Taj Mahal resort, where he tried stiffing the roofing company for the domes. The roofing company owner showed up with work crews and cranes to repossess his roofs after fruitless attempts to get Trump to pay and the local manager proclaiming only corporate could cut any checks.
Within the hour, the owner had his payment in full.
@3.robro : ” Although, note this snippet in the Wikipedia article about Sulzberger credit to something called “TransLash Podcast”:
Trans lash? Like backlash against Trans people? Hmm..
Reminds me of what I saw this arvo on PBS Newshour here :
Source : https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/clashes-at-legacy-newspapers-spark-concerns-about-wider-industry
Ann Marie Lipinski: also noted neatly in that interview that “Billionaire owners do not equal a business strategy.”
Media capture by the uber-wealthy is another big threat to democracy here.
@5. VolcanoMan : Didn’t the media – even Fox & Murdoch – try ignoring Trump for a while only to find that didn’t really work? Or they just couldn’t do it at least not sustainably?
I hope Trump gets locked up soon and put in a jail cell without media communication. he should be in jail so very many times over; most recently for blatant Contempt of Court and yet.. nope. Why not?
StevoR,
Here, for you. Literally took me fewer than 5 seconds to do.
https://glaad.org/mediaawards/34/nominees/
Category: Outstanding Podcast
TransLash Podcast with Imara Jones (TransLash Media) – WINNER
[technique: select text, right-click for search in new tab, look at new tab. That’s how simple it was.
Took me much longer to compose the message(s)]
[OT]
Now, I may be corrected about by others who actually know, or it may not be that significant to others, StevoR, but for mine “Trans people” makes it sound as an ideology whereas “trans people” is just a boring old adjective. So I’d much prefer it not be capitalised.
(Are you perhaps analogising from “Black” instead of ‘black’?)
StevoR @ 8, “he should be in jail so very many times over; most recently for blatant Contempt of Court and yet.. nope. Why not?”
We have a two tier justice system, one for the wealthy, one for the Commoners. Fully supported by the absolute best government that money can buy.
@ ^ wzrd1 : So I’ve noticed. Albiet I’d say (pedantically but) legal system rather tha n justice one since what it delivers, well, doesn’t seem that Just..
@ 9 to 11 John Morales : Thanks. I tend to capitalise Trans along same lines as ethnicity . nationality eg. Aussie, Kurdish, etc.. there. Not 100% sure which is right but thought caps was showing more respect and yes, along lines of Black for people vs black simply colour. Trasn comminumity along lines of Native American, Indigneous, Chinese community. etc..
Uncapitalised trans seems like a suffix for beyond eg. transAtlantic or abbriev for transport / transit etc .. but am open to being corrected on best usage here esp by actual Trans people.
StevoR, https://freethoughtblogs.com/pervertjustice/2024/01/10/lordamighty-pzs-e-mailers-errors/