Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction. E.F. Schumacher As we have covered many times in this blog, American political and cultural polarization is almost completely a rural-vs-urban split. As the sophistication and cost of political operations have expanded over the … Continue reading A Rural Strategy for Libs
You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time. Angela Davis What lies ahead? Reimagining the world. Only that. Arundhati Roy As Donald Trump sinks further into his dementia-addled, narcissistic hate bubble, and the Democratic would-be king breakers cross their fingers, toes, and every other appendage, hoping that a midterm blue … Continue reading Battle for the Soul of America: A Three-Horse Race
In a democracy the people choose a leader in whom they trust. Then the chosen leader says, ‘Now shut up and obey me.’ People and party are then no longer free to interfere in his business Max Weber Like many liberals, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to crawl inside the headspace of Trump supporters, attempting to figure out what, if anything, could … Continue reading Trumpism’s Big Problem: Trump
Our society will always remain an unstable and explosive compound as long as political power is vested in the masses and economic power in the classes. In the end one of these powers will rule. Either the plutocracy will buy up the democracy, or the democracy will vote away the plutocracy. Irving Fisher Under Trumpism, we have entered a new age, but it’s a peculiar … Continue reading The Weirdness of American Crony Plutocracy
If you alone found out what the lie was, then you’re probably right—it would make no great difference. But if you ALL found out what the lie was, it might conceivably make a very great difference indeed. Daniel Quinn Last time, we looked at how the US is being ruled by dangerous but fundamentally unserious despots. What is it that allows so many millions of … Continue reading The Rule of the Unreal
The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence. Aldous Huxley As we enter the cornered-rat stage of “Trump 2.0; The Re-Deadening,” with his poll numbers tanking and the economy swirling down the drain, each day brings new outrages and tramplings of our republic. As the “Breaking News” emails continue to flood inboxes across the country, liberals have developed a Pavlovian … Continue reading The Tyranny of Unserious Despots
In a democracy the people choose a leader in whom they trust. Then the chosen leader says, ‘Now shut up and obey me.’ People and party are then no longer free to interfere in his business. Max Weber In our current plot position of “Trump 2: Revenge of Trump,” the question heard with increasing frequency is, “can this guy last another three years?” His erratic … Continue reading Trumpism After Trump
A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it. Lewis Lapham Being an American in these times is a bewildering and exhausting experience. The current Trump regime is both ridiculous and lethal at the same time, providing … Continue reading Deadly Farce: Our Tragi-Comic Cosplay Regime
Unquestioned beliefs are the real authorities of any culture. Derrick Jensen Amidst the accelerating chaos that even has GOP senators and reps spooked, a couple things jumped to my attention this past week. First, even with Trump’s overall approval rating down to 36%, with the disapproval number at 60% (from Gallup), his support among Republicans remains almost 90%. And in trying to understand how 90% … Continue reading Cracking the MAGA Nut: Can the Outrage Machine be Disabled?
The problem may be more difficult to understand than to solve. Beneath the veneer of civilization, in the trite phrase of humanism, lies not the barbarian and the animal, but the human in us who knows what is right and necessary for becoming fully human. Paul Shepard, “Nature and Madness” As the linguist and philosopher George Lakoff has been telling us for many years now, … Continue reading Fighting Primal with Primal
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