When you're dealing with billionaires and wanna be billionaires, it's difficult to separate money and self-interest, but I clicked on self-interest since it sort of covers money, too.
Actually, I would add lies as a factor. But are we really talking about the wealthy that may know better or those who support Trump because they believe lies? Lots of lies. Or both?
I picked self-interest. I think not just for billionaires, either. I think a lot of people are, expressly or passively, endorsing terrible ideas and actions out of an unwillingness to sit with ideas long enough to understand them. I think Americans are too bored by the real meat of what's happening to understand it's relevance to them. I hope self-interest is correct and our attention spans come around.
I just saw a quote from Adam Kinzinger saying that his opposition to Trump wasn't brave, but rather that he's surrounded by cowards. Which is why I voted for "cowardice" in the poll.
I would have voted for ignorance, had that been an option. It's not the same as stupidity. One of the polls I read about reported that people who pay little or no attention to the news voted for Trump by a wide margin.
Many in the MAGAverse are also more likely to follow sources that peddle misinformation. I am always astounded by the tRump supporters that Jordan Klepper interviews in his Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse segments on Comedy Central/The Daily Show. Their lack of critincal thinking skills is jaw-dropping. They are DUI on the orange kool-aid
The choices offered overlap, but I voted for Money because so much of our current syndrome stems from John Roberts' (et al.) ruling that money is speech. If money is speech, how can speech be free? (Would have been a great slogan back then.) This from the man who promised to be an honest umpire. (That he "couldn't remember" whether he'd been a member of the Federalist Society should have been a clue.)
In 2016, the other republicans in the race were too cowardly to take the collective action needed to go after Trump. McConnell & Co were too afraid of their voters to convict Trump after the second impeachment. Biden and Garland were too afraid of looking partisan to bring charges in a timely manner. It was mostly cowardice that got us here.
It's right to be alarmed when an editorial cartoon is spiked. It may be right to cancel a subscription to the Post, although un-profitable news departments going under contributes to our decline as a democracy. It might be better to cancel your Amazon Prime with a note as to why. Most important might be to change the membership of the US House in 22 months. Clock's ticking.
I was torn between Self-interest and Money, but I decided Money is just a sub-set of Self-interest. Kill, steal, lie, pillage to advance yourself, and on the way, money is a useful tool.
I don't know how anybody could pick an answer other than one of those two. Yes, they are hard to separate, but I'll click money every time, because people only think it's in their self-interest when often it's not.
Self-interest tends to absorb cowardice, stupidity, and money under its umbrella. Intentional cruelty may serve the self-interest of sadists or those preening their power.
I find it odd that Mr Shipley, who runs the WaPo, chose to respond to the NYT reporting on Telenes' departure in the NYT w/o a similar announcement, notice, mea culpa (?) in the WaPo. The comments in the WaPo today shifted from complaining about how the new comment format sucks (which it does), to people excoriating the WaPo, Bezos & Shipley for spiking the cartoon. Pick just about any article published late yesterday and today (Saturday) and numerous commenters bring it up with links to the NYT, Guardian, Substack, etc reports on same. This includes the Hax advice columns, which always rank among the "most read".
I will also note that when the new comment format was introduced, the AI bot noted that lots of people thought it sucked. That lasted for about a week before someone reprogrammed the AI bot to ignore the criticism in the AI generated summary.
Amazon has done a fiendish job of persuading a large number of vendors to sell their goods through the Amazon platform. I've found more than a few times that when I try to purchase something from a particular merchant that the purchase link takes me to Amazon. When I encounter it, my mind goes to this:
One thing not mentioned was the right-wing media ecosystem that surrounds most of the low-, mis-, and disinformation voters, which I think was a very big factor. That seems attributable more to money/greed than to stupidity and fear, although of course those factor in.
I think it is different depending on who is involved. I have some friends I consider good people, kind, thoughtful of others, and I attribute stupidity to the choice they made. For Trump it is greed and pride and self-interest and money and stupidity. For many of his ardent followers I think it is self-interest, cruelty, and stupidity.
When you're dealing with billionaires and wanna be billionaires, it's difficult to separate money and self-interest, but I clicked on self-interest since it sort of covers money, too.
I'd love to be a billionaire but since I don't have any ideas or principles to monetize, I guess I'll have to settle for being a $0.25aire.
Actually, I would add lies as a factor. But are we really talking about the wealthy that may know better or those who support Trump because they believe lies? Lots of lies. Or both?
Between stupidity, greed, and cowardice today’s was a tough poll. It’s quite the brew.
I picked self-interest. I think not just for billionaires, either. I think a lot of people are, expressly or passively, endorsing terrible ideas and actions out of an unwillingness to sit with ideas long enough to understand them. I think Americans are too bored by the real meat of what's happening to understand it's relevance to them. I hope self-interest is correct and our attention spans come around.
Actually, it's "All of the above"
I just saw a quote from Adam Kinzinger saying that his opposition to Trump wasn't brave, but rather that he's surrounded by cowards. Which is why I voted for "cowardice" in the poll.
I quit my subscription to the Post today. It had only been 50 years...
I would have voted for ignorance, had that been an option. It's not the same as stupidity. One of the polls I read about reported that people who pay little or no attention to the news voted for Trump by a wide margin.
Many in the MAGAverse are also more likely to follow sources that peddle misinformation. I am always astounded by the tRump supporters that Jordan Klepper interviews in his Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse segments on Comedy Central/The Daily Show. Their lack of critincal thinking skills is jaw-dropping. They are DUI on the orange kool-aid
The choices offered overlap, but I voted for Money because so much of our current syndrome stems from John Roberts' (et al.) ruling that money is speech. If money is speech, how can speech be free? (Would have been a great slogan back then.) This from the man who promised to be an honest umpire. (That he "couldn't remember" whether he'd been a member of the Federalist Society should have been a clue.)
I’m reminded that the first three public critics of Joseph McCarthy were cartoonists: Herblock, Walt Kelly, and MAD magazine’s Jack Davis.
In 2016, the other republicans in the race were too cowardly to take the collective action needed to go after Trump. McConnell & Co were too afraid of their voters to convict Trump after the second impeachment. Biden and Garland were too afraid of looking partisan to bring charges in a timely manner. It was mostly cowardice that got us here.
It's right to be alarmed when an editorial cartoon is spiked. It may be right to cancel a subscription to the Post, although un-profitable news departments going under contributes to our decline as a democracy. It might be better to cancel your Amazon Prime with a note as to why. Most important might be to change the membership of the US House in 22 months. Clock's ticking.
I was torn between Self-interest and Money, but I decided Money is just a sub-set of Self-interest. Kill, steal, lie, pillage to advance yourself, and on the way, money is a useful tool.
I don't know how anybody could pick an answer other than one of those two. Yes, they are hard to separate, but I'll click money every time, because people only think it's in their self-interest when often it's not.
Self-interest tends to absorb cowardice, stupidity, and money under its umbrella. Intentional cruelty may serve the self-interest of sadists or those preening their power.
I find it odd that Mr Shipley, who runs the WaPo, chose to respond to the NYT reporting on Telenes' departure in the NYT w/o a similar announcement, notice, mea culpa (?) in the WaPo. The comments in the WaPo today shifted from complaining about how the new comment format sucks (which it does), to people excoriating the WaPo, Bezos & Shipley for spiking the cartoon. Pick just about any article published late yesterday and today (Saturday) and numerous commenters bring it up with links to the NYT, Guardian, Substack, etc reports on same. This includes the Hax advice columns, which always rank among the "most read".
I will also note that when the new comment format was introduced, the AI bot noted that lots of people thought it sucked. That lasted for about a week before someone reprogrammed the AI bot to ignore the criticism in the AI generated summary.
Amazon has done a fiendish job of persuading a large number of vendors to sell their goods through the Amazon platform. I've found more than a few times that when I try to purchase something from a particular merchant that the purchase link takes me to Amazon. When I encounter it, my mind goes to this:
https://youtu.be/sPbjPOgRtyA
Well played— that clip perfectly captures how it feels!
One thing not mentioned was the right-wing media ecosystem that surrounds most of the low-, mis-, and disinformation voters, which I think was a very big factor. That seems attributable more to money/greed than to stupidity and fear, although of course those factor in.
I think it is different depending on who is involved. I have some friends I consider good people, kind, thoughtful of others, and I attribute stupidity to the choice they made. For Trump it is greed and pride and self-interest and money and stupidity. For many of his ardent followers I think it is self-interest, cruelty, and stupidity.