Author Archives: John Lusk

Debunking the myth that “identity politics” is bad for the Democratic Party – Vox

https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2018/4/16/17242748/identity-politics-racial-justice-democratic-party-lilla-traub-trump

«The lesson of the New Deal coalition for liberals today is not that they should turn away from appeals to the identities of particular groups. Instead, liberalism is at its strongest when its advocates understand that justice for each group is essential to achieving justice for all.»

Twitter blocked me

Well, I’m honored. Also, it’s night time, so everything’s pink.

AI will replace us all.

[Note also that this tweet is from Feb. 15. It is now April 20. Good job, Twitter.]

[Update, 22 Apr 2018: Aww. Twitter gave my appeal a careful 2.5 seconds of consideration and came back with this:

Hello,

We’re writing to let you know that your account features will remain locked or limited for the allotted time due to violations of the Twitter Rules, specifically our hateful conduct policy.

We do not allow people to promote violence against or directly attack or threaten other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or disease.

Please note that continued abusive behavior may lead to the suspension of your account. To avoid having your account suspended, please only post content that abides by the Twitter Rules: https://twitter.com/rules#hateful-conduct.

You can learn more about our policy against hateful conduct here: https://help.twitter.com/rules-and-policies/hateful-conduct-policy.

Thanks,

Twitter

Ok, then.]

[Oh, one more thing: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/mass-shootings-are-a-bad-way-to-understand-gun-violence/]

[Ok, two more things: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-the-gun-control-debate-ignores-black-lives]

Neil Gorsuch: Trump’s Supreme Court appointee votes with liberals in immigration case – Vox

So, ThinkProgress’s headline was “Neil Gorsuch voted with the liberal justices, but his opinion should chill you to the bone”, which illustrates my opinion of so much news (including social media): there’s so much melodrama. And other garbage, like “demographics is destiny” (I’m looking at you, Ronald Brownstein). Everybody wants you to click their headline, so you can see their ads. This even goes back to the “Why Johnny Can’t Read” thing of a few decades ago. We tore up our educational system because we were driven by screaming, panicky headlines.

Source: https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/4/17/17248094/neil-gorsuch-immigration-trump-supreme-court

«If the Supreme Court’s liberals — and even Gorsuch — think that civil laws don’t necessarily give the government more leeway to prosecute and punish defendants, it shows a deep discomfort with the way a lot of immigrants are being treated right now. The Court may never act on that discomfort. But it’s worth noting.»

So, yes, Gorsuch wants the government to butt out of protecting minorities and enforcing fair trade laws, etc., etc., the standard libertarian stuff. And we have to vote as if our votes make a difference (because guess what they do). But I’m really tired of manipulation and attempts at manipulation.

(Here’s the Brownstein “Demographics is Destiny” piece I referred to:

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/28579278/ns/politics-national_journal/t/dems-boosted-demography-destiny/)

Well, here, I’ll tack on something else. Remember the whole “latchkey kids” thing of the 70s? I swear, we’re like those chickens in Chicken Run, right after somebody says “nobody panic” (https://youtu.be/jVdlxwX6A7g).

https://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/the-satanic-panic-of-the-1980s.htm