The New Republican Ideology: Owning the Libs
As my regular readers know, I have long emphasized that all of America’s major dysfunction is rooted in what I have referred to as “Problem #1” — the reality that we are divided by alternate realities. It is the number one problem because it is at the root of every other major problem and for that reason it is the major obstacle to solving them.
It is common sense that we can’t fully address the pandemic or climate change if a critical mass of our populace doesn’t believe in science. We can’t function as a democracy if so many of us don’t accept the legitimacy and reality of fraud-free elections. We can’t intelligently address racial inequities if too many of us believe systemic racism is a myth. Ultimately, we can’t make progress on any of our major issues if there are powerful forces at work whose interests are achieved by inciting the conflicts that obstruct that progress.
Hyper-capitalism and the customization of reality
How did we get here? I made an attempt to deconstruct the causes of our polarization two years ago, concluding that we were in the throes of a form of “hyper-capitalism” that had overwhelmed any constraints or considerations of the now quaint notion of a common good. In pursuit of profit, the concepts of reality and truth have been transformed from commodities —…
