United States Politics Thread 47

[zompist]

But don't left-leaning Americans become Fox zombies as they get older? Is this nostalgia for their childhood?

There's lots of anecdotes to that effect. But I'm not sure if it's backed up. E.g. in this comparison of 2014 and 1994, Boomers and Gen X are both more liberal than they were 20 years before. Only the Silent folk (pre-Boomers) got more conservative.

But it's quite possible for a person to be more liberal than they were when they were young, and yet more in tune with the Republicans. E.g. they might no longer believe that homosexual behavior is immoral-- but not accept gay marriage.

Pus, of course, Fox News and such things are outrage amplifiers. Very few liberals have any interest in a similarly strident media of their own. But maybe that will change as they feel persecuted.

[Raphael]

I understand that a generation of Americans has been radicalized by Fox News. What I don't understand is, why is Fox News so popular in America? Is it just the outrage porn? If so, then why is liberal outrage seen as lame?

Are there social institutions pushing people to watch Fox News?

Back when Fox News got started, the Internet was in it's infancy, podcasts and Youtube channels didn't exist, I think the Sinclair local news empire didn't exist, and the later cabel news channels that are even more right-wing, didn't exist yet, either.

So, from the perspective of culturally or politically conservative USA-nians, the day before Fox News went life, there was right-wing talk radio, there was (supposedly) Christian TV, and there were a number of right-wing publishing outlets, but aside from that, all the main media outlets were "liberal". Of course those outlets weren't liberal from the perspective of actual liberals, but they were liberal from the perspective of political and cultural conservatives.

So, paradoxically, Fox News became one of the most influential media outlets by running an anti-media message. "All of the media is run by evil America-hating godless liberals who want to brainwash you, except us!"

They turned their audience into obedient sheep by appealing to their desire to not be obedient sheep.

[jcb]

Tariffs are back on the menu, boys!
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/busi ... ust-1.html

So that's the thing to understand about conservatives: they are desperate. The stuff they want now-- white supremacy, no abortion, suppression of women, homophobia, throttled immigration, US manufacturing booming, non-challenging education-- is what the country had in the 1950s. They want everything since then reversed, and to hell with democracy because if things keep going as they have, they lose-- forever. Fox News is popular because it amplifies the sense of disquiet they already have and promises to implement that reversal.

What's inherently conservative about booming manufacturing?

They turned their audience into obedient sheep by appealing to their desire to not be obedient sheep.

That reminds me of a guy at my old job who always said that kids need to be taught better critical thinking skills in school. This same guy also voted for Trump and believed in big foot and qanon.

[zompist]

Tariffs are back on the menu, boys!
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/07/busi ... ust-1.html

So that's the thing to understand about conservatives: they are desperate. The stuff they want now-- white supremacy, no abortion, suppression of women, homophobia, throttled immigration, US manufacturing booming, non-challenging education-- is what the country had in the 1950s. They want everything since then reversed, and to hell with democracy because if things keep going as they have, they lose-- forever. Fox News is popular because it amplifies the sense of disquiet they already have and promises to implement that reversal.

What's inherently conservative about booming manufacturing?

In itself nothing. The point is that a lot of the things conservatives are all riled up about are things that most Americans believed in 70 years ago, bar a few beatniks.

Manufacturing happens to be one more thing the Republicans can blame on brown people. It wasn't brown people who moved factories abroad: it was rich white American CEOs, but you won't hear about that in Republican rhetoric. And tariffs won't bring them back.

[Raphael]

I've completely lost track - which ones among Trump's announced tariffs have actually been enacted?

[WeepingElf]

Very few liberals have any interest in a similarly strident media of their own. But maybe that will change as they feel persecuted.

Yes. We liberals want balanced, reflected, unbiassed news. Populists want "news" that are biassed in the same way as themselves.

[Raphael]

This might, at first sight, not sound like a political case of silliness, but I'd say it has deeply, deeply political implications:

https://bsky.app/profile/merriam-webste ... fe5l7ics2l

A Bluesky post featuring a screenshot of an excerpt from an article by an outlet called "Fast Company":

While retirement typically occurs, after completing a career and saving and investing for it, a new trend is emerging among Gen Z career professionals called "micro-retirement." Micro-retirements involve taking a one to two- week break from work every 12 to 18 months.

Gen Z is using micro-retirement to avoid burnout, find greater fulfillment in their work, and enhance their overall well-being. However, it's not just Gen-Z:

And the comment from the official Merriam-Webster dictionary Bluesky account, which posted the screenshot:

'Vacations.'

The word is 'vacations.'

This is what things have come to.

[alice]

Very few liberals have any interest in a similarly strident media of their own. But maybe that will change as they feel persecuted.

Yes. We liberals want balanced, reflected, unbiassed news. Populists want "news" that are biassed in the same way as themselves.

This reminds me somewhat obliquely of a comment someone made about US radio programming and how it's designed to ensure that listeners never hear something they might.not like.

[jcb]

Musk's Grok has started calling itself "MechaHitler".
- https://x.com/legendaarykay/status/1942712772510507039/


Remember when we were promised that the internet would be great and bring people closer together?

[Travis B.]

Even with Elon's salute I wasn't quite expecting this.

[bradrn]

This might, at first sight, not sound like a political case of silliness, but I'd say it has deeply, deeply political implications: […]

This is horrifying.

[Raphael]

Musk's Grok has started calling itself "MechaHitler".

That much for the claims that Musk isn't actually a Nazi.

[Raphael]

I've completely lost track - which ones among Trump's announced tariffs have actually been enacted?

[Travis B.]

Musk's Grok has started calling itself "MechaHitler".

That much for the claims that Musk isn't actually a Nazi.

Even the ADL of all people had to point out the virulent anti-Semitism of Grok's posts, even though of course they didn't mention that Musk green-lit the changes to Grok that enabled them.

[keenir]

I've completely lost track - which ones among Trump's announced tariffs have actually been enacted?

I think pretty much all of them have been enacted, at one point or another...its more a question of which ones were cancelled or rolled back & after how long.

[Raphael]

I've completely lost track - which ones among Trump's announced tariffs have actually been enacted?

I think pretty much all of them have been enacted, at one point or another...its more a question of which ones were cancelled or rolled back & after how long.

Really? I had the impression that most or all of them had been cancelled or rolled back before they had taken effect.

[naz]

o

[Raphael]

https://www.tradecomplianceresourcehub. ... f-tracker/

The internet is a wondrous place, full of magic and intrigue.

Thank you!

[rotting bones]

Very few liberals have any interest in a similarly strident media of their own. But maybe that will change as they feel persecuted.

Secular Talk has been sounding increasingly unhinged lately.

Yes. We liberals want balanced, reflected, unbiassed news. Populists want "news" that are biassed in the same way as themselves.

The emotional equilibrium of the liberals didn't make them unbiased. The non-populist left took Israel's side as it committed war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. If anything, the most objective analyses came from Marxist outlets.

I don't think it's virtuous to put on a facade of calm rationality when you are starving.

[keenir]

I've completely lost track - which ones among Trump's announced tariffs have actually been enacted?

I think pretty much all of them have been enacted, at one point or another...its more a question of which ones were cancelled or rolled back & after how long.

Really? I had the impression that most or all of them had been cancelled or rolled back before they had taken effect.

I think that, for my part, I'm presuming that, when Trump makes an announcement, he's either already signed the relevant Decree, or is about to.

also, I'm counting from him announcing it "its going to start" to him saying "its not going to start yet", so when the DOW or anything else plummets when Trump says "I'm going to tarriff Mr Japan 25%", and Trump either retracts it or shifts it to happening on 1 August, I still count that, because its been cancelled or moved regardless of if it was actually enacted yet.