Linkage

[lirazel]

+ Policy 360 explainers (either in a podcast episode or an article): Dismantling Department of Education, Dismantling the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, etc.

+ How Covid Changed Everything from Know Your Enemy. Tries to take an honest look at what Covid did to us. (I specifically asked them to share this one with the main feed, and since others did too, they listened!)

+ Republic Makeup. This ended up being way more interesting than I thought it would be and I wish it was longer. Fascism, anti-trans-ness, privilege, performance of wealth, artificiality, aspirations to godhood, the most annoying song I've ever heard in my life...I could read a whole book about this.

+ The FBI stole a money launderer's identity and ran his business for a year. Nobody is out here doing reporting like 404 Media.

+ This AI Calls Your Elderly Parents If You Can't Be Bothered. I hate this world!!!!! The way we're trying to outsource every single thing that makes us human and gives life meaning to technology!!!! All so we can, what, be more productive little capitalists???

+ The 'She Made Him Do It' Theory of Everything. I love Rebecca Solnit.

+ What Exactly Does Trump Think Is in the Smithsonian? This is a WaPo link, but it's so good--I was so moved. You should be able to access this even if you don't have a subscription (which I do not).

+ My Strange Weekend with the Pronatalists.

+ Are People Bad at Their Jobs or Are The Jobs Just Bad?

+ Mis-perceptions of parity in m/f relationships. Yikes.

+ DOGE Is About Sex. Also yikes, but gets at something I think is very true and under-discussed.

+ Simulacra for Bootlickers - The McMansion Hell lady on the intersection of architecture and fascism by way of snark.

Comments

[used_songs]

Re the AI stuff. Yeah. What are people saving time for? Our lives, our families and friends, our art, our pleasures - those are the important things that keep you going.

[lirazel]

Right????? I just fundamentally do not understand all the people who want to let tech do all of the interesting parts of being alive!

[ambyr]

My Dad says InTouch offered him $500 for making an endorsement on his TikTok. (He said no.)

[lirazel]

I am delighted to learn that your dad is a Big Deal enough on TikTok that they'd want his endorsement! What a world! (Good for him!)

[ambyr]

My dad has about 300k followers across TikTok and Instagram. It's a whole thing.

[lirazel]

Very cute! Can I ask what his schtick is? (Totally fine if you don't want to share.)

[ambyr]

He does center-left, pro-Zionist political commentary. Daily videos, plus posts on various text-based platforms. Everyone need a retirement hobby, I guess! Although this one is closer to a part-time job.

[lirazel]

That's so interesting! I'm assuming he stumbled into this and didn't know how big it was going to get instead of being like, "I will become an influencer!"

[ambyr]

Hah. That's a reasonable assumption, but not exactly. Dad is a novelist; his agent told him that having a social media platform was a more and more important part of marketing, so he started consciously trying to build a big online audience in advance of his next book. His material started out much more focused on literature and family storytelling. But the algorithm loves the political videos, so they sort of metastasized and became an end in and of themselves.

[lirazel]

Ah, I see. Well, I'm glad it's worked for him!

[elperian]

One thing that drives me nuts about AI is that people are using it to avoid EVERYTHING - work, creativity, relationships - and I'm like, seriously, what is left to you if AI does your whole life for you?

Using my Terminator icon unironically right now!

[lirazel]

I heard someone describe it as people wanting to rid life of all its friction. But the friction is the point. The places where we touch. The DOGE/MAGA/Christian rightwing alliance doesn't seem to make sense until you realize that they're all absolutely terrified of any kind of dependence, even inter-dependence where people need each other equally. They want to not need anyone. They want our country to not need anyone. Their idea of strength is standing alone. It's so scary and sad.

[elperian]

They want to not need anyone. They want our country to not need anyone. Their idea of strength is standing alone.

I think many of these folks (maybe not the DOGE people, but who knows) do want dependence - but on them, with folks needing to be in the good graces of whoever is in charge to receive support. Cooperation is a foundation of human society though, and if they tear down one, we'll build another system or have no society at all.

[lirazel]

Yeah, some of them want boot-licking. They want to make others grovel. That is 10000% Trump's desire. He doesn't feel strong unless someone else is showing their weakness and begging him for something. But I think the DOGE/tech bros are more scared of life, death, bodies, our animal sides, etc. They want to turn everything into a perfectly sterile, never-ending bit of clockwork.

[elperian]

But I think the DOGE/tech bros are more scared of life, death, bodies, our animal sides, etc. They want to turn everything into a perfectly sterile, never-ending bit of clockwork.

I have not read much about the who-is-in DOGE piece as I have what-DOGE-is-doing piece, but my sense is they're mostly very young, and what you're saying tracks exactly with that. Young people also tend to think they're untouchable, because they haven't seen as much as others have yet. However, That Is Not Reality D:

[lirazel]

I am conflating DOGE with the overlap of tech bros and extremely online types like incels. Many of whom are young and will hopefully outgrow it! But Musk, Thiel, etc. do not have that excuse! They're just bad human beings!

[dolorosa_12]

That Solnit piece is spot on, and it's something I'd noticed myself (in the early days of the fullscale invasion, I found myself describing the way Russian propagandists, and supporters of Russia on the right and the left spoke about Ukraine as 'geopolitical abuse apologism').

The article about DOGE clarified some things for me that hadn't really made sense previously, but laid out like that are obvious (and horrifying). It is unfathomable to me that there are apparently these hordes of radicalised men who yearn for a situation in which women will be forced to sleep with them, and make joint lives together with them, due to being dependent on those men for food and shelter. Putting aside the misogyny, where's their self respect? (And how could they think that the women in this situation would have anything but fear and contempt for the men to whom they've been forcibly attached by circumstances?)

As always, a fascinating collection of links.

[lirazel]

Solnit is a national treasure. I'm so glad we have her.

I found myself describing the way Russian propagandists, and supporters of Russia on the right and the left spoke about Ukraine as 'geopolitical abuse apologism'

YES.

I think some of these guys haven't thought through what it would actually be like to be in that situation--they're so far into their own woundedness and resentment that it doesn't occur to them that it would probably suck to live with a woman who doesn't actually like you. But! Others simply don't care because they see women as status symbols who they can show off to other men OR as servants to emotionally and physically take care of their needs. And who cares if your servants don't like you? I don't think they have any sense of self-respect, only of how they appear to other men.