Georgia, my brother is a Trump Republican. A couple of years ago I tried to talk to him and it devolved into a tirade on his part and a storming away on my part.
We have since formed a truce, and we do not discuss politics, especially at holiday gatherings.
That is the only way in a situation like this, at least for the two of us.
I have recently met a woman with whom I share a career in middle school education. We both like needle work, and we have dogs that like each other. Those commonalities make a growing friendship seem likely.
I do not want to broach the subject of politics with her. What if I learn that she does support Trump and the Republican party? After all we know about Donald Trump, how can we possibly respect a person who still supports him? I can be friends with people who have different opinions about many things. But the values of a person who respects Donald Trump are too far afield for me.
On the other hand, I can see that broaching the subject now may save a lot of heartache. If I wait until we become closer friends, then a real friendship might have to end.
I'll let you know how it goes. I don't think it will take long for the hints to begin to drop. We're supposed to meet for a walk with our dogs today.
Thanks for your work. I have to admit a lot of it is difficult for me to understand and retain. Still I feel like I'm getting a broader awareness. I sure appreciate your expertise and communication style.
It will not be easy. But we can't enclose ourselves in self-referential bubbles. You already like the person your new friend is in fundamental ways. Trust those instincts. Find out what her concerns are, treat her views with respect and compassion, and talk about them and yours without any labels.
Confrontation solves nothing at this point. Telling someone they are wrong doesn't work. Telling someone that you are worried about similar things, and bringing in some information to back up your concerns is the start.
Can I guarantee it will work with everyone? No. But if our media institutions are failing us we can't not try.
Robert Hubbell wrote in his Today's Edition Newsletter on Substack on 11/17/23:
"Journalism professor Jay Rosen of NYU has been urging news media organizations across the nation to adopt the following mantra for their 2024 coverage:
'Not the odds, but the stakes.'
As reported [by] Oliver Darcy in CNN’s Reliable Sources,
[P]rofessor Jay Rosen has evangelized across the news industry over the last several months. With less than a year until the 2024 elections, Rosen has been imploring newsrooms to organize their campaign coverage around the enormous stakes of the presidential contest — not the horse race.
As CNN correctly notes, the root cause of 'horse race' journalism is laziness (and a desire to increase revenue):
[S]ounding the alarm on Trump's disturbing conduct is more difficult than engaging in horse race coverage. Focusing on the polls can help news organizations dodge thorny issues, such as Trump's use of vile rhetoric. That allows them, perhaps, to avoid the perception among some in the public that they're unfairly biased.
'Not the odds, but the stakes for US democracy.' We should extend that concept to nearly every objection, rationalization, or firmly held belief for not supporting Joe Biden in 2024. Not Biden’s age, but the stakes. Not inflation, but the stakes. Not disagreements over Israel, but the stakes. Not anger over Biden’s inability to implement the full progressive agenda, but the stakes.
Not the odds, but the stakes. Repeat often, hold the press accountable, and hold one another accountable. The stakes are set, the odds are not. We can change the odds through hard work and constancy! Stay the course!"
Thank you for this post, Georgia. I too have noted the decline in local media, both press and TV. From 2017 to 2022 it became worse. My local newspaper which used to reliably report the REAL news somehow let go of a really great columnist because he was outspoken in his reporting, telling truths with backup sources quoted - this from a Newspaper that used to win national prizes for its investigative reporting. Local TV honestly reports the weather. Period. I had my cable disconnected in April this year because I was so angry at the biased reporting of national events. So the decline is a 2-way Street. Either report, with limited bias, what is going on in the world, or go out of business. In my opinion the media outlets in the Sacramento, CA area have opted for entertaining the lower masses, the people who want to "feel" not think. So I'd rather spend what money I have on Substack subscriptions I can trust.
We Homo sapiens are biologically hard wired to be social creatures. We also have genetically far distant relatives that can be very aggressive and violent (chimpanzees) and those that have a distinct hierarchical “strongman” social structure (great apes and baboons). As social animals we seek survival through conformity and finding solutions by working things out as a group. I believe that also leads itself for us humans to seek and feel most comfortable around fellow humans with similar views, attitudes, and tendencies. Call that “likes attract” not “opposites attract” in marriage counselor speak. That’s not to say that’s always the best path and there are historically excellent examples to the contrary - Lincoln’s cabinet and vice-president “of equals”, some of Obama’s cabinet and advisers. There are multiple avenues to compromise, if some or all parties have a will to compromise. Proper communication is essential.
The conformity societal genes sometimes drives us toward picking our battles and with whom and how far we feel the need to change the views of others, especially when deemed “lost causes” or “more effort than it’s worth.”
For those humans, that feel compromising is failure, they will fall back on the chimpanzee genes. The last 6,000 to 10,000 years of human history has had more than its share of tyrants, strongmen, and zealots and conflicts and wars as the cause of and the result of the power struggle. The oppressed will look to the strongman for safety. Queue the great apes and baboons.
Disclaimer: I have no formal training in the fields of sociology and biology beyond the general education classes one must take in college.
Georgia, Excellent post. Although at first I didn’t see it turning in the direction of the decline in journalism and the failings and biases of MSM, I’m glad you did an excellent job of covering the subject. My next long diatribe of a comment is directed toward the human communication problem from which you started.
Living in a small town in rural Maine, we have seen a couple of local newspapers struggle and even die. Our county has roughly 50,000 residents many of whom live on islands only reachable by boat. Several of the islands don't even have ferry service. Our county has several weekly papers, that carry local news only. Some of the letters to the editor touch on national topics but not often and not too many. The papers can ill afford to alienate any of the readers by discussing national politics.
A neighbor of ours is in his seventies and the ROW to our property crosses his land. As long as he our his daughter own the land and the 200 year old house on the property I have no concern about the ROW. Recently, I told him I was interested in his property. I spoke to a realtor about having her do a CMA, but there are no real comps for the property. The property has been in his family since before Maine became a state and he was born and raised in the house.
Another friend of mine who is a contractor came by to give an estimate on renovating the house. As it turns out they were both born in 1949, served in the military from 1968-1972 and have always been in the trades. They both collect guns (not at all unusual for Mainers) and they both are lifetime NRA members and only vote for Trump and other Repoblicans.
I know better than to discuss politics with either of them as it would only serve to alienate them.
Local newspapers look familiar but have been bought and sold to larger, not so local investors offering serious money and corporate attitudes. I found that at least one public library installed a microfilm reader with a digital display I couldn’t read, unlike the functional, old microfilm reader(s), making the archives unavailable to this citizen of the Republic. On the other hand your work is good.
Many of the new local digital "newspapers" like one of the franchises in NJ where I live have been bought by people with ties to the right wing. Might be something to write about here. Where are you located? What ar eyou seeing in yoru area?
Kennebunkport. 1995 I discovered and researched a 1970 unsolved local homicide. Called the state AG’s office, AG answered the phone. Went to newspaper archives at the Portland public library and the Kennebunk public library. Today all those public services are more difficult or impossible to access. I escaped from Boston in 1987. Everything’s different today. It’s an exciting time to be alive. I’m 81. (Why do you ask?)…
Because I want some people interested enough to follow up on things like who is buying up local papers in different areas of the country, especially given the right wing onslaught on local governments and school boards and if there is under reporting of these tactics in more than just Florida or California.
I'm a big believer in following the money but it all takes time and effort. I hope some of you inquisitive readers want to become active partners in this endeavor in terms of understanding where we all can best make a difference or at least model what's possible assembling online information. Another example might be putting together resources and templates for tracing online campaign funding and voting records. for your local representative as compared what they post as their positions on their official House websites.
You sound like you have some solid researching skills!!
Georgia, my brother is a Trump Republican. A couple of years ago I tried to talk to him and it devolved into a tirade on his part and a storming away on my part.
We have since formed a truce, and we do not discuss politics, especially at holiday gatherings.
That is the only way in a situation like this, at least for the two of us.
I have recently met a woman with whom I share a career in middle school education. We both like needle work, and we have dogs that like each other. Those commonalities make a growing friendship seem likely.
I do not want to broach the subject of politics with her. What if I learn that she does support Trump and the Republican party? After all we know about Donald Trump, how can we possibly respect a person who still supports him? I can be friends with people who have different opinions about many things. But the values of a person who respects Donald Trump are too far afield for me.
On the other hand, I can see that broaching the subject now may save a lot of heartache. If I wait until we become closer friends, then a real friendship might have to end.
I'll let you know how it goes. I don't think it will take long for the hints to begin to drop. We're supposed to meet for a walk with our dogs today.
Thanks for your work. I have to admit a lot of it is difficult for me to understand and retain. Still I feel like I'm getting a broader awareness. I sure appreciate your expertise and communication style.
It will not be easy. But we can't enclose ourselves in self-referential bubbles. You already like the person your new friend is in fundamental ways. Trust those instincts. Find out what her concerns are, treat her views with respect and compassion, and talk about them and yours without any labels.
Confrontation solves nothing at this point. Telling someone they are wrong doesn't work. Telling someone that you are worried about similar things, and bringing in some information to back up your concerns is the start.
Can I guarantee it will work with everyone? No. But if our media institutions are failing us we can't not try.
Robert Hubbell wrote in his Today's Edition Newsletter on Substack on 11/17/23:
"Journalism professor Jay Rosen of NYU has been urging news media organizations across the nation to adopt the following mantra for their 2024 coverage:
'Not the odds, but the stakes.'
As reported [by] Oliver Darcy in CNN’s Reliable Sources,
[P]rofessor Jay Rosen has evangelized across the news industry over the last several months. With less than a year until the 2024 elections, Rosen has been imploring newsrooms to organize their campaign coverage around the enormous stakes of the presidential contest — not the horse race.
As CNN correctly notes, the root cause of 'horse race' journalism is laziness (and a desire to increase revenue):
[S]ounding the alarm on Trump's disturbing conduct is more difficult than engaging in horse race coverage. Focusing on the polls can help news organizations dodge thorny issues, such as Trump's use of vile rhetoric. That allows them, perhaps, to avoid the perception among some in the public that they're unfairly biased.
'Not the odds, but the stakes for US democracy.' We should extend that concept to nearly every objection, rationalization, or firmly held belief for not supporting Joe Biden in 2024. Not Biden’s age, but the stakes. Not inflation, but the stakes. Not disagreements over Israel, but the stakes. Not anger over Biden’s inability to implement the full progressive agenda, but the stakes.
Not the odds, but the stakes. Repeat often, hold the press accountable, and hold one another accountable. The stakes are set, the odds are not. We can change the odds through hard work and constancy! Stay the course!"
Thank you for this post, Georgia. I too have noted the decline in local media, both press and TV. From 2017 to 2022 it became worse. My local newspaper which used to reliably report the REAL news somehow let go of a really great columnist because he was outspoken in his reporting, telling truths with backup sources quoted - this from a Newspaper that used to win national prizes for its investigative reporting. Local TV honestly reports the weather. Period. I had my cable disconnected in April this year because I was so angry at the biased reporting of national events. So the decline is a 2-way Street. Either report, with limited bias, what is going on in the world, or go out of business. In my opinion the media outlets in the Sacramento, CA area have opted for entertaining the lower masses, the people who want to "feel" not think. So I'd rather spend what money I have on Substack subscriptions I can trust.
The promised long diatribe.
We Homo sapiens are biologically hard wired to be social creatures. We also have genetically far distant relatives that can be very aggressive and violent (chimpanzees) and those that have a distinct hierarchical “strongman” social structure (great apes and baboons). As social animals we seek survival through conformity and finding solutions by working things out as a group. I believe that also leads itself for us humans to seek and feel most comfortable around fellow humans with similar views, attitudes, and tendencies. Call that “likes attract” not “opposites attract” in marriage counselor speak. That’s not to say that’s always the best path and there are historically excellent examples to the contrary - Lincoln’s cabinet and vice-president “of equals”, some of Obama’s cabinet and advisers. There are multiple avenues to compromise, if some or all parties have a will to compromise. Proper communication is essential.
The conformity societal genes sometimes drives us toward picking our battles and with whom and how far we feel the need to change the views of others, especially when deemed “lost causes” or “more effort than it’s worth.”
For those humans, that feel compromising is failure, they will fall back on the chimpanzee genes. The last 6,000 to 10,000 years of human history has had more than its share of tyrants, strongmen, and zealots and conflicts and wars as the cause of and the result of the power struggle. The oppressed will look to the strongman for safety. Queue the great apes and baboons.
Disclaimer: I have no formal training in the fields of sociology and biology beyond the general education classes one must take in college.
Georgia, Excellent post. Although at first I didn’t see it turning in the direction of the decline in journalism and the failings and biases of MSM, I’m glad you did an excellent job of covering the subject. My next long diatribe of a comment is directed toward the human communication problem from which you started.
Living in a small town in rural Maine, we have seen a couple of local newspapers struggle and even die. Our county has roughly 50,000 residents many of whom live on islands only reachable by boat. Several of the islands don't even have ferry service. Our county has several weekly papers, that carry local news only. Some of the letters to the editor touch on national topics but not often and not too many. The papers can ill afford to alienate any of the readers by discussing national politics.
A neighbor of ours is in his seventies and the ROW to our property crosses his land. As long as he our his daughter own the land and the 200 year old house on the property I have no concern about the ROW. Recently, I told him I was interested in his property. I spoke to a realtor about having her do a CMA, but there are no real comps for the property. The property has been in his family since before Maine became a state and he was born and raised in the house.
Another friend of mine who is a contractor came by to give an estimate on renovating the house. As it turns out they were both born in 1949, served in the military from 1968-1972 and have always been in the trades. They both collect guns (not at all unusual for Mainers) and they both are lifetime NRA members and only vote for Trump and other Repoblicans.
I know better than to discuss politics with either of them as it would only serve to alienate them.
Local newspapers look familiar but have been bought and sold to larger, not so local investors offering serious money and corporate attitudes. I found that at least one public library installed a microfilm reader with a digital display I couldn’t read, unlike the functional, old microfilm reader(s), making the archives unavailable to this citizen of the Republic. On the other hand your work is good.
Many of the new local digital "newspapers" like one of the franchises in NJ where I live have been bought by people with ties to the right wing. Might be something to write about here. Where are you located? What ar eyou seeing in yoru area?
Kennebunkport. 1995 I discovered and researched a 1970 unsolved local homicide. Called the state AG’s office, AG answered the phone. Went to newspaper archives at the Portland public library and the Kennebunk public library. Today all those public services are more difficult or impossible to access. I escaped from Boston in 1987. Everything’s different today. It’s an exciting time to be alive. I’m 81. (Why do you ask?)…
Because I want some people interested enough to follow up on things like who is buying up local papers in different areas of the country, especially given the right wing onslaught on local governments and school boards and if there is under reporting of these tactics in more than just Florida or California.
I'm a big believer in following the money but it all takes time and effort. I hope some of you inquisitive readers want to become active partners in this endeavor in terms of understanding where we all can best make a difference or at least model what's possible assembling online information. Another example might be putting together resources and templates for tracing online campaign funding and voting records. for your local representative as compared what they post as their positions on their official House websites.
You sound like you have some solid researching skills!!
And I understand the frustrations of my friends in the withering middle and working class.