The Trump administration is hellbent on tearing down our democracy. But beyond even political destruction, we witness assault on our most fundamental values
A needed but horrific commentary on what is happening before us in real time. This is not hoary history from a textbook. The other day when Trump declared himself chairman of the Kennedy Center after firing the board of trustees that struck me as perhaps even more ominous than other power ploys. Frankly, I blame the electorate (at least a bit over one-half of us) who cast their ballots for a strong man and a MAGA cult. I'm ready for a deus ex machina to save American civilization.
Thanks, Marvin. As you imply, added to the distress of the moment is the dearth of moral leadership. We need power moral voices who will denounce Trump's emergent fascism in powerful, clear and unqualified terms. Alas, we have no "profiles in courage" when we most need them.
Many thanks, Marc, for pointing us to your excellent piece. We share common concerns, and I am grateful for your essay which expands on ideas of my own. It merits very wide distribution.
very well said. Let me underscore, to my mind, one important point. What most of us believe most of the time is that which is authenticated by the communities of belief with which we are a part, a group member, or are "intellectually aligned." We get our "reliable" information from sources that more or less share our world view. And we usually believe that we have good reasons for trusting those sources. This is a general statement of the social epistemology of individual's beliefs. Thus the political challenge is so much more difficult that critiquing an individual's beliefs, and the psychological reasons for such beliefs. It its is the challenge of finding a way to credibly enter into the belief systems of those who live in a world of "alternative facts" --
Thanks, Joe. You’ve captured the essence of the danger we’ve been thrust into. One powerful moral voice I recommend is Keith Olbermann. Over the top sometimes, sure, but he is a fierce champion of democracy who is unafraid to blame the collaborators in Congress and especially in the media in the most strident tones. His bi-weekly podcast is called. Countdown.
A needed but horrific commentary on what is happening before us in real time. This is not hoary history from a textbook. The other day when Trump declared himself chairman of the Kennedy Center after firing the board of trustees that struck me as perhaps even more ominous than other power ploys. Frankly, I blame the electorate (at least a bit over one-half of us) who cast their ballots for a strong man and a MAGA cult. I'm ready for a deus ex machina to save American civilization.
Thanks, Marvin. As you imply, added to the distress of the moment is the dearth of moral leadership. We need power moral voices who will denounce Trump's emergent fascism in powerful, clear and unqualified terms. Alas, we have no "profiles in courage" when we most need them.
https://open.substack.com/pub/marcfriedmanesq/p/the-death-of-truth-how-magas-alternative?r=tq8hk&utm_medium=ios
Many thanks, Marc, for pointing us to your excellent piece. We share common concerns, and I am grateful for your essay which expands on ideas of my own. It merits very wide distribution.
You gave an important warning to us all to be vigilant
very well said. Let me underscore, to my mind, one important point. What most of us believe most of the time is that which is authenticated by the communities of belief with which we are a part, a group member, or are "intellectually aligned." We get our "reliable" information from sources that more or less share our world view. And we usually believe that we have good reasons for trusting those sources. This is a general statement of the social epistemology of individual's beliefs. Thus the political challenge is so much more difficult that critiquing an individual's beliefs, and the psychological reasons for such beliefs. It its is the challenge of finding a way to credibly enter into the belief systems of those who live in a world of "alternative facts" --
Thanks, Joe. You’ve captured the essence of the danger we’ve been thrust into. One powerful moral voice I recommend is Keith Olbermann. Over the top sometimes, sure, but he is a fierce champion of democracy who is unafraid to blame the collaborators in Congress and especially in the media in the most strident tones. His bi-weekly podcast is called. Countdown.