Historians may one day look back upon these days of the Trump administration as an unintended stress test for the already eroded institutions of American democracy…It is encouraging to see some signs of resilience in the US, that offer a hopeful possibility for our own future.
Not All News is Bad News: Dutch Edition
The most optimistic interpretation of the news coming from the Netherlands would be to see it as a sign that November 8th of last year was the high water mark for right-wing populism.
It Ain’t Necessarily So: The Internet Killed the Mom and Pop Shop
This is, after all, the standard narrative that we hear. Silicone Valley vs Main Street in a cage match where only one challenger will emerge alive, and whether or not the fight is fixed, we all know who’s going to win. It’s common sense, the Way of the World, and there’s nothing to be done about it; everybody knows that, right?
Letters From The Editor: Whitesplaining Black Lives Matter
To be sure, black activists have no obligation to make white people feel comfortable about confronting the racism in our society. In fact, making people uncomfortable is what any force for positive change should do. But there’s also something to be said for not being an asshole, especially to people that may want to be on your side.
Music and News Pairings: Inauguration Day
We want to sympathize with Screamin Jay, just as we want to empathize with the “economically anxious,” overwhelmingly white, Trump voter. Clearly, they have been wronged after putting their faith in the unfaithful. But there is something more sinister going on here, if the necromantic imagery didn’t clue you in.
Print the Legend: Romanian Edition
December 21, 1989: A clueless dictator gives his final speech, though he did not know then that it would be his final speech.
The Bipolar News: January 8, 2017
It’s easy to laugh at the Economically Anxious for being so easily duped by the Fake News, but liberals and progressives are duped by fake news all of the time.
Music and News Pairings: January 7, 2017
Today’s pairing: Captain Beefheart with a side of declassified intelligence report. The psychedelic new age optimism of the track really brings out the faith in conclusions without facts demanded of us by those who work in the intelligence community.
Letters From The Editor: Kill Whitey
The desire many of us have to one day live in a post-racial society, or at least a world with far less racism, would require the deconstruction of the white identity, a human invention designed to elevate some and denigrate others.
Everyone Has Something to Hide: October 24, 2016
“Trust us with your secrets and we will try to make sure they don’t end up in the backseat of the car of an armed loner who sort of works for us.”