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   Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 01-Dec-2023 04:25:37 JST Paul Cantrell

   • A Republic, while we kept it

   In 2016, my keen-eyed mother said something very much along the lines of what @arensb said here:
   https://mastodon.social/@arensb/111500425290104009

   Trump is unique in national politics in that everything horrible about him was known from the beginning of his political career. Everything is known, so nothing, no matter how horrible, is new — and it has to be •new• to be •new•s.

   It’s a critical vulnerability in the way our press works, under active exploit for going on 8 years and still unpatched.

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 01-Dec-2023 04:26:46 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     News coverage of the climate crisis suffers from the same problem.

   • Embed this notice
     A Republic, while we kept it (arensb@mastodon.social)'s status on Friday, 01-Dec-2023 04:29:46 JST A Republic, while we kept it

     in reply to

     @inthehands Upon reflection, the press has several jobs: tell us what's new, and help us understand what's going on.
     In the first role, it's okay to not put everything TFG says on the front page. But in the second role, they should keep his horribleness front and center, because that's crucial to understanding what a 2nd Trump presidency would be like.

   • Embed this notice
     Paul Cantrell (inthehands@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 01-Dec-2023 04:29:46 JST Paul Cantrell

     in reply to

     • A Republic, while we kept it

     @arensb
     Agreed. There are many reasons for it, but the press has always struggled to provide holistic understanding in ways that have impact. We could blame the ad-supported web and cable news, but honestly, the press was pulling this crap in the 19th century too.

   • Embed this notice
     Ethan :verified_flashing: (ethanjstark@hachyderm.io)'s status on Friday, 01-Dec-2023 05:55:23 JST Ethan :verified_flashing:

     in reply to

     • A Republic, while we kept it

     @inthehands @arensb

     These are great points, Paul + Paul's mom.

     The always delightful #SomeMoreNews crew did a hilarious and insightful bit about how, for decades, our movie villains have literally been Donald #Trump . Your post reminded me of it.

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7XXs3hzAMs