Agree 100%. What the Trump administration is doing - on all fronts - is anything but normal, so why try to “normalize” anything for them? What is wrong with people?
Don’t let people hear stupid things too long they will believe it. We in Hungary struggle with it since decades. In and out the country everybody normalized it. Told that leave it, we can handle him so better. But this didn’t worked out. Now we are nearly occupied by Russia. And the people believe in the propaganda. Stop it at the beginning! Later it is much more harder job nearly impossible. But we do our best to fight for. Stay strong and act. Don’t wait.
And one more thing to think over. If you allow to destroy your democracy, economy and constitution too long then a democratic thinking politician can only make change when they have enough power in congress and senate. If that’s not the case then you will need an other authoritarian to reverse all the rules etc. Don’t waist time, act immediately. The world lost trust in America. Don’t let make it worse.
Yep, why many Americans are turning away from legacy media to independent journalism on platforms like Substack. All the acquiescence is example after example of the guardrail actors rolling over because their aversion to loss is greater than their willingness to fight - losing access to the press room, facing frivolous lawsuits, fear of having to jump ship and go independent. Obedient, performative seals. Very glad some law firms are pushing back - Jenner & Block and WilmerHale - 🥳
The thing is, I'm not a journalist. I'm not trying to be. I have a position. A moral position. I think it's a good one. And I share it. But we do need and benefit from professional journalism.
I believe professional journalism lost public endorsement when it traded veracity for readership. Not much choice when swamped by internet unleashed pseudo journalists vying for attention and the public's bewilderment faced with lurid conspiracy theories. The trust in professional journalism has all but evaporated and the vacuum is filled by clamoring voices. Social mores are shifting and the social compact has broken down...
We appreciate everyone taking the courage to speak up - some as journalists and others like you who intelligently articulate the unvarnished facts of what is happening. Without editorial pressure to soft ball it. This experience will illustrate how important it is to divorce journalism from oligarchic interests eg Bezo’s muzzling influence over WaPo given his desire to secure Blue origin NASA contracts.
Mike, didn’t you become a journalist in writing for Substack? Maybe you didn’t get a degree in journalism but don’t your published philosophical-political pieces qualify as journalistic? Whatever it is keep up the great work.
Amen to this: “To frame this capitulation as “bridge-building” rather than surrendering to power is, to use a term I don't employ lightly, gaslighting. It's attempting to convince us that defending basic democratic principles is somehow divisive, that holding power accountable is somehow partisan, that standing firm against authoritarian pressure is somehow counterproductive.”
The irony is that the Trump regime is the most uncivil in living memory on every level and at every opportunity.
The only thing that might work with this government is mocking and ridicule. WHCA missed a great opportunity (and duty) to enable the speaking of truth to power. If the Administration did not show up then it would have made the message about how thin-skinned and against free speeach they are even clearer.
WHCA…anybody remember what that was about. Cowards and losers, this is part of the reason you wont exist in 6 months because you dont want to ruffle the feathers of the orange fuhrer and some punk ass prick that probably doesn’t own a sense of humor. How pathetic you’ve become, no morals, no values, no free press. I would say make an attempt to stifle this bullshit now and at least show that you can stand for something but no you capitulate and become part of the problem.
The time will come when you have to make a choice and if I see you out in the field I will take particular pleasure in putting my foot on your neck you spineless, worthless collection of authoritarian suck ups. The resistance will trample you into the ground where you belong so keep sucking up as you capitulate to the whims of the stupids and fuck you too because you’re not worth the paper you scribble on or the card you record to. You are worthless and history will show where you were when the shit goes down, the wrong side of history. I hope every miserable one of you suffer immensely for not putting your foot down and saying ‘enough’ instead of asking for more please…
Great piece on the weak-kneed response to authoritarian pressure by the WHCA. They probably felt by surrendering a little they would keep their power. But as you point out their malleability eroded much of that very power. This is an obvious echo of Jeff Bezos’ conjoining with the Trump administration to some degree, and censoring his own journalists. At the inauguration when he sat in front of cabinet members with Musk and Zuckerberg this was a clear message that fascism had won. Money and the power of money counts more than process and consensus. One definition of fascism, and it seems there are a few, is the union of government with corporations. We had it before to some degree but now it is in the open. Government is there not to serve the people but to stabilize and increase the wealth and power of those who are morbidly rich already. TrumpCoin anyone?
The cowardice of many of our institutional “leaders” and general “big kahunas” truly is disgusting and vomit-inducing to the Nth degree. Personally, I’ve lost all faith in every organization that was once a supposed pillar of bourgeois democracy (legacy news, WHCS, etc.) that has bent the knee in any way to the fascists. I still have trust and respect for individual journalists, but if these people can’t even stand up to 1 nasty comment? Fucking pathetic.
If our elected officials refuse to stand up, the people refuse to stand up, and the cultural institutions refuse to stand up, then we are just a dictatorship. Its game over. Im not going to get myself killed trying to stop the fascists by myself. Time to figure out how to leave this fucking idiotic country.
One of the few ways I can make sense of any of this is to refer back to the documentary HyperNormalization. Wikipedia still has a decent summary and the doc is out there.
There isn’t enough Viagra in the world to stiffen the WHCA. What a fckn joke. They’ll all put on their black tie and evening gowns so they can come together and celebrate what champions of the truth and free speech they are.
Interesting that you should comment about this in this administration. Exactly the same thing happened in the last administration. In fact they were proactive with hit pieces with people they didn’t agree with and canceling them on social media, even spying on some and weaponizing the judicial system on others. I don’t agree with it anywhere, but let’s not blame it on one administration.
Agree 100%. What the Trump administration is doing - on all fronts - is anything but normal, so why try to “normalize” anything for them? What is wrong with people?
Don’t let people hear stupid things too long they will believe it. We in Hungary struggle with it since decades. In and out the country everybody normalized it. Told that leave it, we can handle him so better. But this didn’t worked out. Now we are nearly occupied by Russia. And the people believe in the propaganda. Stop it at the beginning! Later it is much more harder job nearly impossible. But we do our best to fight for. Stay strong and act. Don’t wait.
And one more thing to think over. If you allow to destroy your democracy, economy and constitution too long then a democratic thinking politician can only make change when they have enough power in congress and senate. If that’s not the case then you will need an other authoritarian to reverse all the rules etc. Don’t waist time, act immediately. The world lost trust in America. Don’t let make it worse.
Rule #1. Do not obey in advance.
Yep, why many Americans are turning away from legacy media to independent journalism on platforms like Substack. All the acquiescence is example after example of the guardrail actors rolling over because their aversion to loss is greater than their willingness to fight - losing access to the press room, facing frivolous lawsuits, fear of having to jump ship and go independent. Obedient, performative seals. Very glad some law firms are pushing back - Jenner & Block and WilmerHale - 🥳
The thing is, I'm not a journalist. I'm not trying to be. I have a position. A moral position. I think it's a good one. And I share it. But we do need and benefit from professional journalism.
I believe professional journalism lost public endorsement when it traded veracity for readership. Not much choice when swamped by internet unleashed pseudo journalists vying for attention and the public's bewilderment faced with lurid conspiracy theories. The trust in professional journalism has all but evaporated and the vacuum is filled by clamoring voices. Social mores are shifting and the social compact has broken down...
Just my 25c of course!
We appreciate everyone taking the courage to speak up - some as journalists and others like you who intelligently articulate the unvarnished facts of what is happening. Without editorial pressure to soft ball it. This experience will illustrate how important it is to divorce journalism from oligarchic interests eg Bezo’s muzzling influence over WaPo given his desire to secure Blue origin NASA contracts.
Mike, didn’t you become a journalist in writing for Substack? Maybe you didn’t get a degree in journalism but don’t your published philosophical-political pieces qualify as journalistic? Whatever it is keep up the great work.
Amen to this: “To frame this capitulation as “bridge-building” rather than surrendering to power is, to use a term I don't employ lightly, gaslighting. It's attempting to convince us that defending basic democratic principles is somehow divisive, that holding power accountable is somehow partisan, that standing firm against authoritarian pressure is somehow counterproductive.”
Gleichshaltung
The irony is that the Trump regime is the most uncivil in living memory on every level and at every opportunity.
The only thing that might work with this government is mocking and ridicule. WHCA missed a great opportunity (and duty) to enable the speaking of truth to power. If the Administration did not show up then it would have made the message about how thin-skinned and against free speeach they are even clearer.
There's a lot more cowardice ahead, I'm afraid. History is taking names right now.
i continue to be shocked at how easily and quickly the institutions of our democracy bend the knee to our new fascist leader.
WHCA…anybody remember what that was about. Cowards and losers, this is part of the reason you wont exist in 6 months because you dont want to ruffle the feathers of the orange fuhrer and some punk ass prick that probably doesn’t own a sense of humor. How pathetic you’ve become, no morals, no values, no free press. I would say make an attempt to stifle this bullshit now and at least show that you can stand for something but no you capitulate and become part of the problem.
The time will come when you have to make a choice and if I see you out in the field I will take particular pleasure in putting my foot on your neck you spineless, worthless collection of authoritarian suck ups. The resistance will trample you into the ground where you belong so keep sucking up as you capitulate to the whims of the stupids and fuck you too because you’re not worth the paper you scribble on or the card you record to. You are worthless and history will show where you were when the shit goes down, the wrong side of history. I hope every miserable one of you suffer immensely for not putting your foot down and saying ‘enough’ instead of asking for more please…
Well, I certainly won't stand in the way of you letting it all out, as it were. But sometimes shame works to great effect. So I make the gesture!
This isn’t a time for ‘feelings’ this is a time for action. Capitulating to the orange monster is NOT the way.
Great piece on the weak-kneed response to authoritarian pressure by the WHCA. They probably felt by surrendering a little they would keep their power. But as you point out their malleability eroded much of that very power. This is an obvious echo of Jeff Bezos’ conjoining with the Trump administration to some degree, and censoring his own journalists. At the inauguration when he sat in front of cabinet members with Musk and Zuckerberg this was a clear message that fascism had won. Money and the power of money counts more than process and consensus. One definition of fascism, and it seems there are a few, is the union of government with corporations. We had it before to some degree but now it is in the open. Government is there not to serve the people but to stabilize and increase the wealth and power of those who are morbidly rich already. TrumpCoin anyone?
The cowardice of many of our institutional “leaders” and general “big kahunas” truly is disgusting and vomit-inducing to the Nth degree. Personally, I’ve lost all faith in every organization that was once a supposed pillar of bourgeois democracy (legacy news, WHCS, etc.) that has bent the knee in any way to the fascists. I still have trust and respect for individual journalists, but if these people can’t even stand up to 1 nasty comment? Fucking pathetic.
There's a freely available handbook:
Decline & Fall, Edward Gibbon.
Or are we witnessing the reintroduction of feudalism?
If our elected officials refuse to stand up, the people refuse to stand up, and the cultural institutions refuse to stand up, then we are just a dictatorship. Its game over. Im not going to get myself killed trying to stop the fascists by myself. Time to figure out how to leave this fucking idiotic country.
One of the few ways I can make sense of any of this is to refer back to the documentary HyperNormalization. Wikipedia still has a decent summary and the doc is out there.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperNormalisation
This is an excellent summation of where we're at and where we're headed.
I think that this capitulation is the action of an institution well down the road of forgetting/neglecting its role, rather than the beginning stages.
There isn’t enough Viagra in the world to stiffen the WHCA. What a fckn joke. They’ll all put on their black tie and evening gowns so they can come together and celebrate what champions of the truth and free speech they are.
Interesting that you should comment about this in this administration. Exactly the same thing happened in the last administration. In fact they were proactive with hit pieces with people they didn’t agree with and canceling them on social media, even spying on some and weaponizing the judicial system on others. I don’t agree with it anywhere, but let’s not blame it on one administration.
I'm not sure that I share your sentiment that what you have done here is communicate an interesting insight.
Huh? She makes stuff up, uninteresting word 🥗 salad. And she has an orange bubble 🫧 to her blather.
Provide examples with links.