How Journalism gets punished by Authoritarians

The president tweeted false statements about Amazon and his threats to raise its postal shipping rates. Amazon’s market value briefly plunged $60 billion.

Through his actions, Defendant Trump has intentionally conveyed to all writers and journalists that if he objects to their coverage, they may be subject to retaliation by the federal government.

Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

https://www.cjr.org/analysis/anticipatory-obedience-bassin-potter-scheppele-orban-trump-hungary-media-punish.php

Part of living in a society means you must learn to care for people other than yourself

All children deserve a quality, free education.

If you aren’t willing to fork over an extra 17 cents for a Big Mac, you’re a fundamentally different person than I am.

I cannot have political debates with these people. Our disagreement is not merely political, but a fundamental divide on what it means to live in a society, how to be a good person, and why any of that matters.

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-dont-know-how-to-explain-to-you-that-you-should_b_59519811e4b0f078efd98440

In our collective quest for a reformed masculinity, at a time when kids are being force-fed misogyny and other kinds of hate by the social media giants, each of us has a responsibility

Gender identities have become rather more fluid since I was 10(15) years old in 1991.

Boys simply weren’t (and I suspect still often aren’t) exposed to emotionally intelligent character interactions in the books marketed to us.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/18/as-a-middle-aged-man-i-wouldve-saved-loads-on-therapy-if-id-read-baby-sitters-club-books-as-a-kid

The Pleasure of being left alone

The true test of an introvert — not whether one engages in social activity, but whether one is charged or drained by it.

‘Silence drops like falling blossoms over the recovered kingdom from which pretenders have taken their leave.’

‘Dear visitors, what largesse have you given, not only in departing, but in coming, that we might learn to prize your absence, wallow the more exquisitely in the leisure of your not-being.’

Even Octopuses enjoy a candy bar now and again

Argonauts spend their entire lives sailing in the open ocean, just below the surface. 

The researchers pored over 55,100 photos posted on Instagram posted from 2016 to 2023. After eliminating any photos that were duplicated or seemed altered or manipulated, they were left with 569 photos.

Argonauts exhibit extreme sexual dimorphism, as females weigh up to 600 times as much as males.

https://defector.com/the-argonaut-octopus-has-mastered-the-free-ride

People with conservative political views are more likely to click on sponsored search results

Conservatives are likely to be more trusting of sponsored communications than liberals, who lean toward organic content. 

Conservatives were more likely to click ads in response to broad searches because they may be less cognitively demanding.

A 10% increase in a state’s conservative identity was associated with a 6.4% increase in search ad clicks.

https://theconversation.com/your-politics-can-affect-whether-you-click-on-sponsored-search-results-new-research-shows-239800

Journalism is more important than ever

We cannot and will not make false promises to you about the power of journalism—especially at a small publication—to stop the country’s knowing march into authoritarianism.

‘make incremental positive change.’

It is not—or should not be—a radical idea to report stories with the core assumption that technology should make life better for the people who use it and for society as a whole.

https://www.404media.co/why-the-work-still-matters-under-trump