Tax cuts are good. They stimulate economic growth & let people spend more of their own money.
Alcohol is enjoyable. So is sugar.
Judge people on merit, not gender or ethnicity.
There is such a thing as the canon in the arts. Good, better, best.
As it seems that everyone right of centre will be purged from this platform in due course, whilst acknowledging that my lowly position means it’ll be a while before they get around to me I thought I’d go for broke whilst I’m still here.
Here goes.
Parody accounts aren’t funny.
Tax cuts are good. They stimulate economic growth & let people spend more of their own money.
Alcohol is enjoyable. So is sugar.
Judge people on merit, not gender or ethnicity.
There is such a thing as the canon in the arts. Good, better, best.
Cycling enthusiasts are weirdly culty and self-righteous. Which is unfair on a perfectly good form of transport.
America is a force for good in the world.
Capitalism has lifted billions out of poverty.
Party politics - a good thing.
It’s possible to question whether government has the right response to something without being a conspiracy theorist.
It’s possible to like both dogs AND cats.
Columbo is the best TV.
Women should have their own bathrooms in public places.
Free speech means tolerating the views of those with whom one disagrees. Not thinking you’re so tolerant that all those unlike you should be banned.
It’s OK to change your mind on something. Those who clamour for it & then leap on & mock the change are odd.
We already had a People’s Vote.
Brussels is a perfectly nice town.
It’s OK to say you don’t want to do something. You don’t have to pretend to be busy that day.
Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
Identity politics isn’t just wrong - it’s very boring.
More from For later read
The common understanding of propaganda is that it is intended to brainwash the masses. Supposedly, people get exposed to the same message repeatedly and over time come to believe in whatever nonsense authoritarians want them to believe /1
And yet authoritarians often broadcast silly, unpersuasive propaganda.
Political scientist Haifeng Huang writes that the purpose of propaganda is not to brainwash people, but to instill fear in them /2
When people are bombarded with propaganda everywhere they look, they are reminded of the strength of the regime.
The vast amount of resources authoritarians spend to display their message in every corner of the public square is a costly demonstration of their power /3
In fact, the overt silliness of authoritarian propaganda is part of the point. Propaganda is designed to be silly so that people can instantly recognize it when they see it
Propaganda is intended to instill fear in people, not brainwash them.
The message is: You might not believe in pro-regime values or attitudes. But we will make sure you are too frightened to do anything about it.
And yet authoritarians often broadcast silly, unpersuasive propaganda.
Political scientist Haifeng Huang writes that the purpose of propaganda is not to brainwash people, but to instill fear in them /2
"propaganda is often not used for indoctrination, but rather to signal the government\u2019s strength in being able to afford significant resources and impose on its citizens...not meant to 'brainwash', but rather to forewarn the society about how strong it is" https://t.co/mFAurhEHeO pic.twitter.com/WXKKJaPqWQ
— Rob Henderson (@robkhenderson) June 18, 2020
When people are bombarded with propaganda everywhere they look, they are reminded of the strength of the regime.
The vast amount of resources authoritarians spend to display their message in every corner of the public square is a costly demonstration of their power /3
In fact, the overt silliness of authoritarian propaganda is part of the point. Propaganda is designed to be silly so that people can instantly recognize it when they see it
Authoritarians do not use propaganda for brainwashing, "but to demonstrate their strength in social control...propaganda may need to be dull and unpersuasive, to make sure citizens know it is propaganda when they see it and hence get the implicit message" https://t.co/PqRpxjaIPL pic.twitter.com/1y67d2RCjB
— Rob Henderson (@robkhenderson) June 19, 2020
Propaganda is intended to instill fear in people, not brainwash them.
The message is: You might not believe in pro-regime values or attitudes. But we will make sure you are too frightened to do anything about it.
Daily Bookmarks to GAVNet 02/12/2021
Quantum causal loops
https://t.co/emX8OxKPl0
#loops #quantum
Large-scale commodity farming accelerating climate change in the Amazon
https://t.co/v3gA7OTP9E
#ClimateChange #forest #farm
Collapsed glaciers increase Third Pole uncertainties: Downstream lakes may merge within a decade
https://t.co/huAma56KeB
#glacier #lakes #ClimateChange
From trash to treasure: Silicon waste finds new use in Li-ion batteries
https://t.co/TkxKFDQMC6
#batteries #treasure #silicon #trash
Quantum causal loops
https://t.co/emX8OxKPl0
#loops #quantum
Large-scale commodity farming accelerating climate change in the Amazon
https://t.co/v3gA7OTP9E
#ClimateChange #forest #farm
Collapsed glaciers increase Third Pole uncertainties: Downstream lakes may merge within a decade
https://t.co/huAma56KeB
#glacier #lakes #ClimateChange
From trash to treasure: Silicon waste finds new use in Li-ion batteries
https://t.co/TkxKFDQMC6
#batteries #treasure #silicon #trash
I’ve asked Byers to clarify, but as I read this tweet, it seems that Bret Stephens included an unredacted use of the n-word in his column this week to make a point, and the column got spiked—maybe as a result?
Four times. The column used the n-word (in the context of a quote) four times. https://t.co/14vPhQZktB
For context: In 2019, a Times reporter was reprimanded for several incidents of racial insensitivity on a trip with high school students, including one in which he used the n-word in a discussion of racial slurs.
That incident became public late last month, and late last week, after 150 Times employees complained about how it had been handled, the reporter in question resigned.
In the course of all that, the Times' executive editor said that the paper does not "tolerate racist language regardless of intent.” This was the quote that Bret Stephens was pushing back against in his column. (Which, again, was deep-sixed by the paper.)
Stephens goes on in his column (which never saw light of day) to cite famous Lee Atwater quote that uses racial slur, and which NYT has cited \u201cat least seven times.\u201d
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 11, 2021
"Is this now supposed to be a scandal?\u201d he asks.
...
Four times. The column used the n-word (in the context of a quote) four times. https://t.co/14vPhQZktB
That is correct. In his draft he quotes Atwater using the word (4 times) and he does not redact it.
— Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) February 11, 2021
For context: In 2019, a Times reporter was reprimanded for several incidents of racial insensitivity on a trip with high school students, including one in which he used the n-word in a discussion of racial slurs.
That incident became public late last month, and late last week, after 150 Times employees complained about how it had been handled, the reporter in question resigned.
In the course of all that, the Times' executive editor said that the paper does not "tolerate racist language regardless of intent.” This was the quote that Bret Stephens was pushing back against in his column. (Which, again, was deep-sixed by the paper.)
