I am deeply grateful for the sanity you write here in this space. I've been feeling unmoored, politically, for a while. This chaos you describe does give me some reason for optimism, and for caution as well. One thing is apparent: the old labels are now meaningless. The sooner there is general recognition of this, the better, I think. We have a chance here, maybe, to course correct.
So many people are so afraid of chaos. There is some good reason for that, but the status quo generally degenerates, not regenerates. Those who desperately cling to the progressive idiotology are afraid, not of Trump specifically, but of the unknown. That is for them to reckon with. They have no right to force their fears upon us.
Well spoken! The advice to make a list of the coming disasters that won't materialize but that are predicted by the mainstream media may be enough for some of the brainwashed to take the red pill.
I did a monthly subscription to both the WSJ and the NYT in the weeks leading up to the election. I wanted to read the interpretations in those different Newspapers of the same event, particularly events that I watched like the rally in Madison Square Garden. I can only report, that from my perspective many Americans, good people who love their country, but have been lied to. They have based their beliefs on deliberately misleading propaganda. They have mistakenly put their trust in the legacy media and what they get is the misinformation and garbage that is dividing our country. I think this attempt to divide is intentional. In the end it will make legacy media irrelevant.
I posted a comment to a WSJ opinion piece that said 73 million people voted for Trump because they were tired of being lied to. I stated that the alternative media of Podcasts and Substack writers function in a reputational environment. Truth tellers rise to the top and propagandists sink. That no resident of this ecosystem has a lock on the truth, but by reading or watching enough different sources you can come closer to the Truth than anything you’ll find anywhere on the legacy media. My comment was rejected for violating community standards. What Community? Oh, the community of lying journalists.
In a world where we cannot trust the voices of authority, many of us find ourselves at sea. We were indoctrinated in school rather than taught critical thinking. We were taught that education and credentials were the keys to success. The media demonstrated to us that certain ideas were unacceptable and holding them was perilous. The election of Trump took many of us by surprise as we believed the pollsters and pundits. I'm afraid that we will see even more TDS before the inauguration as the magical thinkers double down on their denial. I don't believe this will bring the country together. Those who believe that they have lost power in this shift will not, for the most part look at any positive possibilities. I heard of a suggestion to give the 80% to 90% of the government bureaucracy that Elon Musk wants to fire two years of their final salaries to give them a chance to find new jobs but I have my doubts how many career bureaucrats have useful skills or the willingness to employ them. Whether this actually is the turning point of America I can only hope. I will die a cynic, growling like a dog the whole way.
Thanks for this summary and your insights, Heather.
You and Bret were very courageous in putting yourselves on the line and being honest about your support for Donald Trump.
You offered valid reasons why you really had no choice but to take your chances with him, given the gaslighting and mind-rot happening within camp blue.
As ever you were honest and accepted the conclusions that logic supplied.
The outcome of the US election is a vindication.
Hope and optimism are good things.
Congrats to both you and Bret for successfully navigating the socio-cultural-political maze.
Your system of thought and careful introspection works!
Keep going!
My hope is that the two of you will find a fulfilling niche in the rebuilding of America that will be taking place over the next 4+ years.
I am keen to see what happens next in your eventful lives.
I do not know enough about his other appointment to voice an opinion, but learning that Joel Salatin will be advising the Department of Agriculture has me over the moon. Never in my wildest dreams did I dare hope for that. May it bear much good fruit.
Yes--this is hugely positive, as is the likely appointment of Thomas Massie to Secretary of Agriculture. There have been some strange--in my opinion--appointments so far, including some that I am concerned about. But Massie and Salatin being named early on is a gigantic win.
Shortly after The Omnivore's Dilemma came out, I assigned it to one of my classes, and this is the first place that most of us had ever heard of Salatin (a few of my students were practitioners of regenerative farming, so I think had heard of him, or at least weren't surprised by what he was doing on his land). That book, that way of thinking about food and the land, used to be appreciated by Americans who can't imagine voting for anyone who isn't a Democrat. I think it is our job, or at least mine, to point out the Democrats, as a party, no longer stand for healthy humans and ecosystems. As strange as it is, that drum beat has moved to the Republican Party, in the form of MAHA. The labels don't mean what they used to. I have greater loyalty to the ideas that I still believe in, than I do to a party that has transformed into something unrecognizable.
His was a fringe movement, but that fringe was made up of equal parts liberals and conservatives. At that time I was certain he and his supporters would remain on the outskirts of society despite the excellence of their ways. Now the "thing with feathers" has perched in my soul.
IF the Republicans don't blow it, that is. If they betray the trust of the beautiful but fragile coalition that gave President Trump his clear mandate in the election, I believe it will be the death of the party, just as the Democrats are in their death-throes now. As a former life-long Democrat, I say good riddance to what that party has become, but my life-long Republican husband insists that his party long ago abandoned true conservative principles, and there are many who bear the party label who will work as hard as any Democrat to betray those who elected Donald Trump. The Republican Party has been given another chance, but we can't let up -- it will be a long, hard battle to keep them on the right course.
"Everything is eating and being eaten. If you don't believe me, go lie naked in your flower bed for 3 days and see what gets eaten. All life springs from the sacrifice of something living."
As a primary producer of cattle, this saying resonates with me. Our cattle are treated better than we are treated by our government. Can you all come up to Canada and fix our mess now?
Wonderful! Some of my friends are distraught over the election, and so I’ve been posting things like this trying to help them to understand that there are a lot of reasons people supported Trump that have nothing to do with racism, sexism, etc. It’s an uphill battle, but your articles are very helpful. Some of my friends read historian Heather Cox Richardson daily. She is the opposite of you- her political team loyalty seems to form the basis of everything she writes, and she’ll use selective facts, deceptive editing, lack of context, and mind reading to constantly portray Trump and his supporters in the worst light possible. It’s so frustrating- my friends are convinced that the only reason people would vote for Trump is that they are ignorant or evil.
It is indeed an uphill battle. None of us have an easy time talking to those who have concluded that we are deluded, or worse. It is precisely my goal to write pieces that can be shared, that can provide a thin wedge, perhaps, to an opening, a way in to conversation, to the realization that some of what has been happening is simply that we are seeing totally different things.
Then, and only then I think, will it be possible to discuss which of the sets of things are more likely to be accurate reflections of reality.
I am simply unable to stomach the hysteria. even listening to some of it through the lens of ridicule by Glenn Greenwald, as he highlighted the inversions, gaslighting and hypocrisy of corporate media, I still got to the point of just shutting it off. apparently Joy Reid on MSNBC (of which my sister is a devotee,) had on a clinical psychologist who was explaining to people why and how, they should shut off all contact with friends and family members who are Trump supporters. that a supposed mental health professional would literally council people to intentionally fracture personal relationships over political differences is so beyond the pale. my only source of optimism is the fact that so many people now recognize the bullshit. However, I fear that that is not enough to overcome the seething evil that's pouring out of the mouths of these denizens of the twitching corpse that is legacy media. there ARE still people (like my only sibling!) who actually listen to these folks and believe they are getting an accurate view of the world. my sister doesn't comprehend that she is in an echo chamber, doesn't see a need to seek out other perspectives or even source documentation (like entire speeches instead of inflammatory sound bites). my SIL insists she 'doesn't want to talk about politics' but what she really means is that she doesn't want to hear from anyone with a differing opinion; she'll listen to stuff that reinforces HER beliefs all day long.
I am glad that the predictions of civil unrest were inaccurate or exaggerated, as my son's SWAT team went on 'activation stand by' for last Tuesday/Wednesday. I suppose 'wait and see' is the best we can hope for.
The only hope I had for the current administration was that it would take better measures to protect the environment than previous administrations. But the Biden administration maliciously trampled the environment. And by turning all else upside down, protecting the environment is now less than a sidebar. The environment might see some benefit by way of MAHA. That needs to be monitored closely.
I am deeply grateful for the sanity you write here in this space. I've been feeling unmoored, politically, for a while. This chaos you describe does give me some reason for optimism, and for caution as well. One thing is apparent: the old labels are now meaningless. The sooner there is general recognition of this, the better, I think. We have a chance here, maybe, to course correct.
So many people are so afraid of chaos. There is some good reason for that, but the status quo generally degenerates, not regenerates. Those who desperately cling to the progressive idiotology are afraid, not of Trump specifically, but of the unknown. That is for them to reckon with. They have no right to force their fears upon us.
Well spoken! The advice to make a list of the coming disasters that won't materialize but that are predicted by the mainstream media may be enough for some of the brainwashed to take the red pill.
I did a monthly subscription to both the WSJ and the NYT in the weeks leading up to the election. I wanted to read the interpretations in those different Newspapers of the same event, particularly events that I watched like the rally in Madison Square Garden. I can only report, that from my perspective many Americans, good people who love their country, but have been lied to. They have based their beliefs on deliberately misleading propaganda. They have mistakenly put their trust in the legacy media and what they get is the misinformation and garbage that is dividing our country. I think this attempt to divide is intentional. In the end it will make legacy media irrelevant.
I posted a comment to a WSJ opinion piece that said 73 million people voted for Trump because they were tired of being lied to. I stated that the alternative media of Podcasts and Substack writers function in a reputational environment. Truth tellers rise to the top and propagandists sink. That no resident of this ecosystem has a lock on the truth, but by reading or watching enough different sources you can come closer to the Truth than anything you’ll find anywhere on the legacy media. My comment was rejected for violating community standards. What Community? Oh, the community of lying journalists.
Dick Minnis
removingthecataract.substack.com
In a world where we cannot trust the voices of authority, many of us find ourselves at sea. We were indoctrinated in school rather than taught critical thinking. We were taught that education and credentials were the keys to success. The media demonstrated to us that certain ideas were unacceptable and holding them was perilous. The election of Trump took many of us by surprise as we believed the pollsters and pundits. I'm afraid that we will see even more TDS before the inauguration as the magical thinkers double down on their denial. I don't believe this will bring the country together. Those who believe that they have lost power in this shift will not, for the most part look at any positive possibilities. I heard of a suggestion to give the 80% to 90% of the government bureaucracy that Elon Musk wants to fire two years of their final salaries to give them a chance to find new jobs but I have my doubts how many career bureaucrats have useful skills or the willingness to employ them. Whether this actually is the turning point of America I can only hope. I will die a cynic, growling like a dog the whole way.
I'm hopeful as I look at the coalition that came together to elect Trump, the People's choice.
Thanks for this summary and your insights, Heather.
You and Bret were very courageous in putting yourselves on the line and being honest about your support for Donald Trump.
You offered valid reasons why you really had no choice but to take your chances with him, given the gaslighting and mind-rot happening within camp blue.
As ever you were honest and accepted the conclusions that logic supplied.
The outcome of the US election is a vindication.
Hope and optimism are good things.
Congrats to both you and Bret for successfully navigating the socio-cultural-political maze.
Your system of thought and careful introspection works!
Keep going!
My hope is that the two of you will find a fulfilling niche in the rebuilding of America that will be taking place over the next 4+ years.
I am keen to see what happens next in your eventful lives.
I do not know enough about his other appointment to voice an opinion, but learning that Joel Salatin will be advising the Department of Agriculture has me over the moon. Never in my wildest dreams did I dare hope for that. May it bear much good fruit.
Yes--this is hugely positive, as is the likely appointment of Thomas Massie to Secretary of Agriculture. There have been some strange--in my opinion--appointments so far, including some that I am concerned about. But Massie and Salatin being named early on is a gigantic win.
Shortly after The Omnivore's Dilemma came out, I assigned it to one of my classes, and this is the first place that most of us had ever heard of Salatin (a few of my students were practitioners of regenerative farming, so I think had heard of him, or at least weren't surprised by what he was doing on his land). That book, that way of thinking about food and the land, used to be appreciated by Americans who can't imagine voting for anyone who isn't a Democrat. I think it is our job, or at least mine, to point out the Democrats, as a party, no longer stand for healthy humans and ecosystems. As strange as it is, that drum beat has moved to the Republican Party, in the form of MAHA. The labels don't mean what they used to. I have greater loyalty to the ideas that I still believe in, than I do to a party that has transformed into something unrecognizable.
I've been a fan of Salatin's for a decade and a half, ever since I read an obscure article by Rob Moll called "The Good Shepherds" -- which I wrote about here, back in 2009: https://sursumcorda.salemsattic.com/archives/2009/11/06/strange-bedfellows-not-really.
His was a fringe movement, but that fringe was made up of equal parts liberals and conservatives. At that time I was certain he and his supporters would remain on the outskirts of society despite the excellence of their ways. Now the "thing with feathers" has perched in my soul.
IF the Republicans don't blow it, that is. If they betray the trust of the beautiful but fragile coalition that gave President Trump his clear mandate in the election, I believe it will be the death of the party, just as the Democrats are in their death-throes now. As a former life-long Democrat, I say good riddance to what that party has become, but my life-long Republican husband insists that his party long ago abandoned true conservative principles, and there are many who bear the party label who will work as hard as any Democrat to betray those who elected Donald Trump. The Republican Party has been given another chance, but we can't let up -- it will be a long, hard battle to keep them on the right course.
Wow, seriously? My favorite Salatin saying:
"Everything is eating and being eaten. If you don't believe me, go lie naked in your flower bed for 3 days and see what gets eaten. All life springs from the sacrifice of something living."
As a primary producer of cattle, this saying resonates with me. Our cattle are treated better than we are treated by our government. Can you all come up to Canada and fix our mess now?
Wonderful! Some of my friends are distraught over the election, and so I’ve been posting things like this trying to help them to understand that there are a lot of reasons people supported Trump that have nothing to do with racism, sexism, etc. It’s an uphill battle, but your articles are very helpful. Some of my friends read historian Heather Cox Richardson daily. She is the opposite of you- her political team loyalty seems to form the basis of everything she writes, and she’ll use selective facts, deceptive editing, lack of context, and mind reading to constantly portray Trump and his supporters in the worst light possible. It’s so frustrating- my friends are convinced that the only reason people would vote for Trump is that they are ignorant or evil.
It is indeed an uphill battle. None of us have an easy time talking to those who have concluded that we are deluded, or worse. It is precisely my goal to write pieces that can be shared, that can provide a thin wedge, perhaps, to an opening, a way in to conversation, to the realization that some of what has been happening is simply that we are seeing totally different things.
Then, and only then I think, will it be possible to discuss which of the sets of things are more likely to be accurate reflections of reality.
I am simply unable to stomach the hysteria. even listening to some of it through the lens of ridicule by Glenn Greenwald, as he highlighted the inversions, gaslighting and hypocrisy of corporate media, I still got to the point of just shutting it off. apparently Joy Reid on MSNBC (of which my sister is a devotee,) had on a clinical psychologist who was explaining to people why and how, they should shut off all contact with friends and family members who are Trump supporters. that a supposed mental health professional would literally council people to intentionally fracture personal relationships over political differences is so beyond the pale. my only source of optimism is the fact that so many people now recognize the bullshit. However, I fear that that is not enough to overcome the seething evil that's pouring out of the mouths of these denizens of the twitching corpse that is legacy media. there ARE still people (like my only sibling!) who actually listen to these folks and believe they are getting an accurate view of the world. my sister doesn't comprehend that she is in an echo chamber, doesn't see a need to seek out other perspectives or even source documentation (like entire speeches instead of inflammatory sound bites). my SIL insists she 'doesn't want to talk about politics' but what she really means is that she doesn't want to hear from anyone with a differing opinion; she'll listen to stuff that reinforces HER beliefs all day long.
I am glad that the predictions of civil unrest were inaccurate or exaggerated, as my son's SWAT team went on 'activation stand by' for last Tuesday/Wednesday. I suppose 'wait and see' is the best we can hope for.
Exactly.
Beautiful words Heather, I am the other side of the pond and envy your optimism. Our current regime seem more authoritarian than ever.
The idea that I should vote in a certain way because of my sex I just plain silly.
The only hope I had for the current administration was that it would take better measures to protect the environment than previous administrations. But the Biden administration maliciously trampled the environment. And by turning all else upside down, protecting the environment is now less than a sidebar. The environment might see some benefit by way of MAHA. That needs to be monitored closely.