This is why I think the rise of Trump (and the far right more generally) is so intrinsically linked to the rise of social media. What Trump promises is the politics of total emotional indulgence, and what social media has created is a news environment where you can pick whichever facts you like. - ThreadSky

whstancil.bsky.social • 46 days ago

This is why I think the rise of Trump (and the far right more generally) is so intrinsically linked to the rise of social media. What Trump promises is the politics of total emotional indulgence, and what social media has created is a news environment where you can pick whichever facts you like.

Reposted from Kevin Kostka

The reduction of guardrails on pure id over recent decades is a genuine crisis.

People genuinely don't believe they should ever have to listen to anybody or any organization who denies them their pure id slop.

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jerrybrennan.bsky.social•46 days ago

Absolutely correct.

adistantdream.bsky.social•46 days ago

a big round of applause to the postmodernists who successfully dismantled the notion of objective fact reporting so that people would listen to them instead and got half of what they wanted

exspectator1.bsky.social•46 days ago

I don't think it is their fault. You can't generalize an isolated interest confined to a fraction of the public as an explanation for our descent into madness.

progressiveknife.bsky.social•45 days ago

Alas, they were right.

ericlinuskaplan.bsky.social•46 days ago

makes sense historically. printing press gave us the wars of religion but also the enlightenment, radio gave us Hitler but also FDR. big changes in how people communicate shake things up, for good and ill.

nickjustageek.bsky.social•45 days ago

There is no reason to believe that technological changes have to have both good and ill outcomes.

The ills might far out weight the benefits.

ericlinuskaplan.bsky.social•45 days ago

true! they might.

vjy1.bsky.social•46 days ago

That’s because you are too young to remember bush jr let alone Nixon

progressiveknife.bsky.social•45 days ago

Socia media also let normal people interact with the elites, who were totally unprepared for that kind of environment.

jean-b-anderson.bsky.social•46 days ago

'you find that the minds of the citizens become so sensitive that the least vestige of restraint is resented as intolerable ... in their determination to have no master they disregard all laws, written or unwritten ... this is the root from which tyranny springs' - Plato, The Republic

whstancil.bsky.social•46 days ago

I wrote a Twitter thread about this back in 2021, but since I don't want to link to Twitter, I turned it into a blog post. I think the true indulgent nature of Trumpism is more obvious than ever, frankly. https://stancilculture.substack.com/p/trumpism-is-the-politics-of-total

upine.bsky.social•46 days ago

It's more than just that. Read The Loudest Voice in the Room on Ailes & Fox. Read @chrisinsilico 's bk Mindf*ck on the social media version of this. Ppl are being actively manipulated, not just to indulge themselves but also to aim their anger @ Dems/minorities & to believe lies that help GOP win.

raspberrywoof.bsky.social•46 days ago

The fact that this is true with Christian Evangelicalism and the pick and choose nature of what aspects of the faith you want to adhere to and make important is probably not a coincidence

lacrunk.bsky.social•46 days ago

“Anyone can believe the truth. But lies are like a uniform. Get enough people to wear them, you have an army.”

jonrynn.bsky.social•46 days ago

In the book "The Anatomy of Fascism", Paxton argues that fascism is always putting forth irrational arguments, they are not appealing to logic and evidence, while everybody else is appealing to logic and evidence

noviefort.bsky.social•46 days ago

If anything it's worse than that. You aren't choosing the facts you want. The algorithm is serving them to you regardless of whether they are true.

larsengen.bsky.social•46 days ago

100% but it’s combined with a quicker shift to the left (culturally), which have left a pocket for extremists on the right to snatch up those who haven’t gone with them as quickly

caredacted.bsky.social•46 days ago

The far left antifa / BLM type groups who riot when told, burning down Starbucks in an effort to overthrow a police state they themselves voted for, somehow didn't make your list?

How coincidental.

daringsteel.bsky.social•46 days ago

The difference is that the "far left antifa / BLM type groups" fizzled - they got lip service and a few seats. The old guard Democrats still run the show. By contrast, all the old guard Republicans are either gone or kissing Trump's ring.

caredacted.bsky.social•46 days ago

I adore the Republicans for giving up the power / cash of military contracts and establishment power, and putting tyrants like Liz Cheney on the street.

The fact that Democrats welcomed her and made her a surrogate of their campaign, is beyond acceptable by anyone with brain cells functioning.

redoubters.bsky.social•46 days ago

The people who hold no institutional power and who haven't done anything in 4 years?

look, I hate commies as much as any reasonable person, but they're irrelevant. they're annoying shitposters on social media and will never run anything more than a short-lived commune

the far right has real power

caredacted.bsky.social•46 days ago

Oh dang, the fascist militant groups disappeared the moment the political party power positions changed and the funding from DNC aligned billionaires dried up?

What a coincidence. It's almost like that was the plan.

redoubters.bsky.social•46 days ago

...are you stupid?

caredacted.bsky.social•46 days ago

Soros backed freedom fighters are aligning with US CENTCOM interests worldwide, while the MIC avoid direct conflict through civilian produced regime changes.

It's called controlled opposition, and its a favorite among the Biden administration, and institutionalist actors.

He got a medal for it.

redoubters.bsky.social•46 days ago

Ah, okay.

"Yes" is a much shorter answer to the question for next time

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