Sometimes I imagine that I am a time traveling space alien so I can get a bit of emotional distance from what's going on. I imagine that I can leave this time and place [technically, I am leaving this time and place, but no faster than anyone else].
If I was a time travelling space alien I would find it very funny that the Conservative Republican party is not conservative or republican in any recognizable way.
A party that pushes for a unitary executive cannot be republican.
An executive that carelessly breaks existing government functions cannot be conservative.
If I could say one thing to MAGA and have them hear and understand it, it would be this "Donald Trump is a politician". Understand that he is not a Savior. He is not a hero. He does not care about you any more than any other politician.
There are many ways to understand this administration; here are a couple that I wish people would use more often:
1. MAGA is a cluster of ideologies and special interest groups draped in a flag, wearing a crown. The cluster of ideologies and interest groups are not particularly well aligned. There are at least two distinct genres of America First. You have MAHA vs Corporate Interests. Traditional Hawks vs Isolationists. etc etc.
2. Trump uses psychological manipulation without shame. If your reply is that all politicians do this, see my one message above.
~~~
I've just re-read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
There's a lot there, and it's honestly a bit painful right now; one thing I keep thinking about is "God is Change". There's a lot of ways to interpret that, but the one that I keep thinking about is: In an information game, playing the game changes the game.
Political and economic moves change the game of politics and economics. When you plan your moves (IF you plan your moves), consider not only where you are going on the board, but also how the board will look when you get there.
If I was a time travelling space alien I would find it very funny that the Conservative Republican party is not conservative or republican in any recognizable way.
A party that pushes for a unitary executive cannot be republican.
An executive that carelessly breaks existing government functions cannot be conservative.
If I could say one thing to MAGA and have them hear and understand it, it would be this "Donald Trump is a politician". Understand that he is not a Savior. He is not a hero. He does not care about you any more than any other politician.
There are many ways to understand this administration; here are a couple that I wish people would use more often:
1. MAGA is a cluster of ideologies and special interest groups draped in a flag, wearing a crown. The cluster of ideologies and interest groups are not particularly well aligned. There are at least two distinct genres of America First. You have MAHA vs Corporate Interests. Traditional Hawks vs Isolationists. etc etc.
2. Trump uses psychological manipulation without shame. If your reply is that all politicians do this, see my one message above.
~~~
I've just re-read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents.
There's a lot there, and it's honestly a bit painful right now; one thing I keep thinking about is "God is Change". There's a lot of ways to interpret that, but the one that I keep thinking about is: In an information game, playing the game changes the game.
Political and economic moves change the game of politics and economics. When you plan your moves (IF you plan your moves), consider not only where you are going on the board, but also how the board will look when you get there.