As Ruth Ben-Ghiat says, the wall-to-wall lying we're seeing Trump engage in right now as the election nears is par for the course for authoritarians, who have to control reality for their followers. She says that "Trump’s campaign … is better understoo...

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@DJHDJH It's not clear which particular excerpt in the thread you're responding to. Since your comment follows Evan Hurst speaking about New York Times, I'll assume — but I may be wrong — that "they" refers to NYT.

To which I'd reply: Yes, they think they're highly intellectual.

But what we think about ourselves and the reality of ourselves is often highly disconnected, especially when arrogance distorts our self-understanding.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@patricks Never. That question is ONLY ever asked of Democrats. Never Republicans.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@eberhofer A good phrase — utter dereliction, indeed.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@martinvermeer I agree. He's a perceptive commentator and a good writer.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@Dave_Goldsmith That's right. This is one reason I value Mary Trump's testimony, since she has known him up-close for years and tells the truth about who he is.

[djhdjh@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy

I find it fascinating to see how, despite deep thinking, you still can't grasp reality. It's like playing checkers in a game of chess.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@DJHDJH If the pronoun "you" refers to me directly, then I wonder how you grasp the reality of someone you don't even know. And why you assume that you grasp reality….

[djhdjh@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy

Oh no, it is you in general. I'm also talking about me and NYT.

Sorry, I'm dutch and we use the word you for you and more general like in someone.

[greengordon@spore.social]

@wdlindsy

And this is exactly how capitalism 'succeeds': corporations dump all these 'external' costs on the rest of us.

"What is the cost of failing to address the increasingly dangerous combination of increasing air temperatures, warming waters, and rising sea levels in terms of loss of human life, destruction of property, and the quality of our existence?"

#capitalism #ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis

[philip_cardella@historians.social]

@wdlindsy I agree with the author's assessment but have a hard time accepting the premise that the media doesn't know better. After seven years?

It's a choice. The question is why?

[eberhofer@defcon.social]

@wdlindsy thanks - but now it's worse. They're not just not doing their duty in the face of fascism. They're an active part of it.

[martinvermeer@fediscience.org]

@wdlindsy Note that Harris hasn't actually *criticised* the legacy media: you cannot do that as a politician. Americans have internalized the vital role the press *ought to* play in a living democracy, and attacking the press is what authoritarians do. You don't want to be in that company. But, *she knows*.

[serendip1959@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy

It’s always the same question “where will the money come from?”

Strange it’s a question never asked when cutting taxes….

[jeffbyrnes@better.boston]

@wdlindsy @inthehands @rbreich I kinda think this is the logical end state of white men getting a pass for all kinds of shit while BIPOC and women (esp. BIPOC women) are held to nearly-impossible & contradictory standards.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

Keith Owens puts the point clearly and succinctly:

"Your vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz isn’t just a vote for competence, sanity, and accountability. It is a vote for reality. Because, in reality, there is no such thing as alternative facts. Only truth and lies. And in reality, some lies can kill you."

#Trump #JDVance #KamalaHarris #TimWalz
/14

Trump response to hurricanes shows reality is at risk in November

Issue #745 The Choice, Thursday, October 10, 2024

(wearespeaking.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

Todd Beeton cites Stuart Stevens' response to the two New York Times headlines about Trump and Harris that Josh Marshall highlighted yesterday (see /10 in this thread for that graphic). Stevens says,

"These two headlines should be studied in journalism classes for decades.

Trump headline could apply to a Nobel prize winner in genetic studies."

#Trump #KamalaHarris #media #NewYorkTimes #BothSidesism #FalseEquivalence
/15

The Media Is Finally Calling Trump Out. But Is It Too Late?

The double standard Kamala Harris is being held to by the media is mind numbing

(thinkbigpicture.substack.com)

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

"They have already dangerously normalized a criminal con man grifter, making him just a coin flip away from the White House.

If Trump regains office, a substantial part of the blame will rest with our media, just as it did in 2016. How they sleep at night knowing this is beyond comprehension."

#Trump #KamalaHarris #media #NewYorkTimes #BothSidesism #FalseEquivalence #normalization
/16

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@jeffbyrnes @inthehands @rbreich I very much agree.

[wdlindsy@toad.social]

@serendip1959 Never — it's asked only of Democrats and never of Republicans.

[ronsupportsyou@mastodon.social]

@wdlindsy We agree on many things concerning the upcoming election. One suggestion: when you include a quote, mention (at the same time) who actually said those words. I was going to boost what you wrote, but not knowing who said it kept me from doing so.