When I read comments like this from the left, I always think back to Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high” comment and chuckle. Most of the left are some of the nastiest people you’ve ever seen- anything but blind obedience to every ounce of their progressive agenda deems you a far right MAGA lover! But keep fighting the good fight Sasha- I have tremendous respect for you, even more so knowing you used to be on the same side as the Jeremy’s of the world.
An often misunderstood comment: what she meant is "when they appeal to ordinary people, we go to high-level officials to smack them down". An interpretation that explains better the events we see today.
So true, Kevin. The applause to that line, the first time that Michelle spoke it, hadn't even died out when I was laughing uncontrollably. I ran through my head "when they go low, we always know we can and will go lower. And since around July 2016, Democrats and liberals have only continued to go deeper and deeper into their hatred and rage-fueled abyss.
Regardless of their viciousness, their righteousness never existed. In the '60s when I thought they were simply about treating blacks fairly, I fully agreed. Then they were about giving women equality in pay; that sounded reasonable to me, all else being equal. But later I discovered that their demands never cease: agree to their current demand and they quickly move to a higher level of increasingly unfair and lopsided, often preposterous demands. Their goal is not creating a better environment for the downtrodden; it's about seizing power and everyone else's hard-earned wealth for themselves.
Amazing how they moved on from "Blacks should be able to vote" to "Blacks have a community right to equal (average) wealth, as if that is the logical next step.
And from that to Reparations......though arguably a higher percentage of todays' USA black population descend from slaveowners than the non-black population.
It's almost right there in the definition of "liberal". This might be a somewhat loose interpretation, but liberal tends to define as "constantly seeking change". So when the righteous battles are won, liberals desperately seek a solution looking for a problem - though I admit that conservatives often do the same.
The problems identified by liberals (despite not being a problem at all to the vast majority of Americans) invariably have winners and losers in their proposed solutions. The winners tend to be very few; the losers tend to have much larger numbers. But one thing you can bank on - liberals never stop attempting to disrupt the status quo. They always claim that conservatives want to go "back to the 50's (or far before that), but conservatives only want to preserve some of the status quo against the unending barrage of "Woke" disruptions that liberals want to force upon us.
They are certainly confused. That's what comes from not recognizing fallacies, which is what the indoctrination process *very strongly* encourages. Critical thinking is the enemy of indoctrination.
Yes, most all ‘anger’ expressed in this world is manifest of another, deeper emotion. The usual suspects are: lack of control, shame, or not feeling good enough
But they're so dumb, they probably think Donald Trump is the tyrant. He is, as we have been repeatedly assured, "An existential threat to democracy," which justifies anything they do to his supporters.
I'm sure they really do believe that Trump is the tyrant. I'm also sure that they couldn't say why they believe it and they couldn't name a single supposed "tyrannical" thing he actually did. But they've been told he's a tyrant and they feel like he's a tyrant and that's all that matters.
Sasha, I thought you understood that whenever you defend Republicans, and especially Trump, even if you are a female, The Left (aka The Party) no longer considers you a female or a woman. This has been going on for sometime. Just like blacks aren't really blacks to The Left unless the vote for Democrats. Yet, psychopathically, those people cannot realize they are doing exactly what they criminalize The Right of doing...dehumanizing people.
And I appreciate you stating that about Oppenheimer and Orwell. The Road to Wigan Pier was criticized by Socialists because Orwell exposed their totalitarianism in it.
I fear that even those who have "left the LEFT" have succumed to hating all things Republlican or conservative. I felt totally adrift politically when I left the Demorats and went on line to find a new community of open minded thinkers who could civilly discuss opinions even though they might not agree. I will not name therm here but they are popular with the new "in" crowd of Biden haters etc . Unfortuntely, there are several commentators who have taken over the comments pages of some of the sites and are as vicious and ungenerous as the ones they feel superior to . I increasingly feel I am again, politically homeless. .
It's hard to find a place with reasonable people who just want to have good discussions. Sasha's substack & Russell Brand's Locals are good places. I am in kind of the same boat because, while I voted for Trump twice, I am not a Trump cultist. I have criticized him for some goofy statements/actions he's made over the years, & was blasted by cultists on some conservative sites.
Hey Dorothy, I think it could be helpful if you reply to comments here, regardless of affiliation, that you think are also inappropriate. I agree that we have to be alert to our own flaws and I know that I can get rude sometimes myself.
I think that Wigan Pier was criticized less because it exposed totalitarianism, and more (much more) because it laid bare that the bearded, sandal-wearing, vegetarians who called themselves "socialists" were generally upper middle-class people who despised the workers they claimed to be fighting for.
Trump Derangement Syndrome could perhaps be examined as a psychological disorder similar to the observations of Mattias Desmet who coined the condition Mass Formation which looks at how so many people dropped common sense, discernment and empathy to embrace their fears of the bogie man Covid virus. I offer two brief examples of people in my life to illustrate.
My good friend Sandy, a retired postal clerk, music lover and consumer of all things cannabis is a life long lefty. Being one myself until I started opening my eyes in 2014, we used to occasionally talk about politics but it was never a big deal; much better to discuss music or the unbearable lightness of being. I was having a party to celebrate my 70th birthday in November 2020 and while inviting him to a dinner party to celebrate, he asked me if I was voting for Biden or Trump - and if it was for Trump, then he no longer considered me his friend. I just replied it was none of his business and left it there.
The other severe case I saw of TDS is a sad one involving my wife’s brother who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer also in 2020. Due to the absurdly ridiculous lockdown restrictions he waited 3 months before having his condition checked out only to learn that he had maybe a year left to live. Again this was someone who I don’t recall ever discussing issues involving the state of the world until the days of Orange Man Bad. In his final days on earth where the pain was becoming worse while all the meds he was taking numbed everything out, I learned from his partner that about the only thing that could stir up any emotional response was to bring up something related to Trump.
My life has been a journey of the spiritual awakening of the love that dwells within. Watching people get so caught up in hatred is a sign of a serious decline in what makes us human. And the manipulation is force fed by the media which in intent on tearing us apart.
Jeff, thanks for your post. Spot on. Living in hatred and fear is so awful, the opposite of what our Creator desires for us. We have a man-made media that encourages this awfulness for the love of $$
Spot on, Jeff. The media serves a single purpose: to continually divide by refusal to show varying "sides" of any major issues, or why people initially disagree. There is much to learn from proverbially "walking a mile in another's shoes." They diligently and deliberately avoid showing anything but the propaganda narrative. It simultaneously brainwashes and angers.
LSS, the media coaches and entices the unhinged comments from both sides--and a general disregard of facts in favor of generating emotional triggers. So lies are repeated ad nauseam because they incite reactions from keyboard warriors to broaden the fight over social media. Hatred and distrust of those who might disagree with us has been the desired intent all along--and in that realm, they're doing a bang-up job.
The amazing thing, though, is that you can see this and so can I, which is why I no longer have cable TV, but there are SO MANY people who cannot see that they being fed a party line. In fact, some people who used to seem more sensible just can't stop repeating party stories about the correct way to interpret any bad news about the party. It's amazing to me that people want to participate in a dynamic where they are told how to think about the ruling class and they seem happy to do it. And then call themselves "progressive." Maybe all that is left of the progressives is their hypocritical conformity to the establishment way.
Much of that, IMHO, comes primarily from social media. In that realm, EVERYTHING is pushed by "likes" and interactions. What you "like" comes back in spades. It confirms the bias, because it blocks out anything that refutes the premise. Social media is nothing but dopamine addiction--the joy of being liked. This is very empowering for people, as it makes them believe outright lies to the point they would argue on or off social media about their "correctness." (I can't say "rightness" because the words "right" and "left" have forever been bastardized, thanks to political lies...)
My theory is that most of the Left are very significantly dependent on the government (eg education, welfare, teachers union, gov jobs, healthcare, income, etc) and so are intentionally blind to its hypocrisy, deceit and corruption.
It's like there are no discussions to be had, anymore. We have to ALL agree that Covid is almost Ebola, that masking, lockdowns, & shots are all necessary and good, that Ukraine is pure & deserving of all those billions, & that Trump & his supporters are all a bunch of rednecks.
I refuse to "agree" on anything I don't or can't support. The cultists will never be won over. The hero worshippers will not either. For me, "just let them go..." is the best thing I've learned.
Unfortunately, that sometimes is the only way to resolve it peacefully. Let them go for now...and pray their eyes eventually open. It may take awhile, but TRUTH will always win out.
I actually feel sorry for the haters. They must be miserable all the time. It is somewhat amusing to me that those who are so insistent on preaching tolerance display so little of it, themselves.
I consider it an addiction to outrage/fear with an element of narcissism. Just like with the "pandemic", there was a psychological trick used by propaganda when they paint their opponents as "anti-science idiots", "racists", "deplorables", "insurrectionists" etc., making the readers feel good about themselves in comparison while they're the ones being fooled. Those people are easily recognized online when they seem to argue with imaginary opponents fanaticized in their own head. Luckily, the hysteria is losing its appeal for more and more people.
Before Substack I used to spend more time reading comments on the large social media platforms. It seemed like the Covidian talking points were repeated ad nausium always mentioning all of the horrible deaths which the vaccine was eliminating mixed in with the Jan 6 resurrection and the rest of the "conspiracy theories". Since there were a lot less truthers in 2020 and 2021 they felt comfortable to bash anyone who was dissident. Now the conversations have changed and there seem to be far fewer arrogant know-it-alls. I guess for them, pointing out the narrative they've bought into is a lot harder when they have to hear back from those who actually thinks for themselves.
The psyop is multi-layered. I will readily admit that I've never voted for a winning or losing candidate for president since I was eligible to vote although I did have beliefs and positions on almost every issue which translated to nobody knew what to make of me on the right or left. A precarious position for a white male who realized early one that on one hand I was being presented with feminism and on the other hand I was being shown pornography. How can one ever not see the pure Tavistocking of the populace and the Sisyphean pendulum we've been presented with? Trump, 76 Trombones, was selected because he's a divisive figure and he is a far better actor than the communist screen actors guild president from California that claimed to be an actor, and a conservative. I was newly single and dating post 50 years-old in 2015. Yikes. A mine field at best. The women that piqued my interest tended toward idealistic and romantic, until it came to politics and I always knew the words: "I hate Trump!" were going to be said sooner instead of later. I am not sure if experience is a good teacher or a cruel taskmaster. When they'd say: "I hate Trump," I'd say you're supposed to, he was selected because he's divisive. After saying that, they would look at me flummoxed, like they didn't understand, and because I actually believe in authenticity and sincerity I'd try to explain good cop versus bad cop to them, and sometimes even add how presidents aren't really in charge, they're just mid-level capos and there's only a uni-party or duopoly in reality. A Republican is placed in power to cap down on personal freedoms and get peeps vaccinated who wouldn't have otherwise and a Democrat always gets to play the role of being a liberal hawk while promoting virtues like tolerance and diversity and inclusivity and equity. Emotionally a lot of us peeps implode when someone tells us it's all theater and everyone's owned and compromised once they've been selected and they're all actors playing the role they've been assigned. One woulda thunk I was accusing them of normalcy bias ((:-) In closing, it really is far easier to fool the peeps than convince them they've been fooled ( a quote often misattributed to Samuel Clemons, yet I can't find anywhere that he said the aforementioned). Regardless, brass tacks, the Nosferatu have done their job masterfully because yes, while positions and beliefs are important to me (and most of us commenting) there's no one in power that KARES much about what we think or believe unless it works towards furthering their H+ (trans-human) agenda and the scientific dictatorship and neo-feudalism that's already upon us.
I'm sure Unhinged Commenter has a "Coexist" sticker on his Prius and one of them "we believe" signs in his yard.
You point out, "At worst, they want gulags. I think they might even be amendable to firing squads at this point—the downside of utopia building."
This is always the progression with totalitarian systems of the Left, be they Fascism or Communism or the current fusion of the two. Dissent cannot be tolerated and will not be tolerated, and if a few (or a few million) eggs are broken to make the communal omelet, so be it. These folks see themselves as so superior; they are so confident they know best for everyone else that anyone not on board deserves to die. Just remember back to the death dart and the vitriol spewed at those who refused it.
Let's not disparage all Prius owners, please. I bought one new in 2005 and ran it for 13+ years trouble free. Was the lowest cost-to-operate vehicle I ever owned. I didn't buy it because it was less impact on the environment, I bought it as my commuter car because it had far less of an impact on my bank account than any previous vehicle I ever owned going back to the early '60s. And my younger brother in law bought it from me and has put an additional trouble-free 70K miles on top of the 155K that I had driven it. He even kept my Trump 2016 MAGA stickers on it!
John, commentator may also be depressed. When one is overwhelmed by stress, anxiety and/or hopelessness this can cause depression and anger is a common symptom of this human condition
This is true. It all adds up the same though for Sasha Stone, and the other authors who come to symbolize something feared and hated in the minds of certain online people.
Yep, I can attest that those displaying "In This House We Believe" yard signs are the most bigoted, intolerant people in the neighborhood. You either share their belief purity or you are declared less than human.
And yep again, dissent cannot be tolerated because their entire belief system is based on lies. The urge to wish death on dissenters is a fundamental product of not wanting to face reality. How haunted these people must be!
Agree. It's incredible how smug so many progressives are today in believing they are 99% of the population. Then every single election, it's shown that the nation has hovered very near 50/50 for the last 31 years. It delights me when I see progressives pretend to be puzzled and aghast that half of their fellow citizens don't agree with them.
I almost forwarded this to an ex friend who hates me now because I didn't vote for Hilary. She called me a racist because I criticized BLM. But I didn't think it would help her see the error of her ways! But it surely helped me! Thanks so much!
It takes courage to leave a "cult". It takes courage to stand against the forces that hold all the power. And it is a demonstration of complete strength to speak truth to power through a megaphone of online discourse.
There are those who admire you and your integrity and character in ways unspoken.
Perhaps those of us who hold this admiration need to speak up and out, to counter the hate, and give you some added strength to carry on the fight.
In Missouri v Biden the federal judge asked the government lawyers if they had read Orwell's 1984 because Biden's government had set up something that looked much like Orwell's Ministry of Truth. The judge then entered an injunction against Biden and his government to stop their Orwellian enterprise. The Left has been officially adjudicated to be Orwellian so I expect they will soon begin to rehabilitate him as their hero.
The WaPo had a long, disingenuous article yesterday on the case and how it was chilling right-thinking elites’ valiant efforts to “combat misinformation”. Of course, the article itself was a masterpiece of misinformation: “In the name of protecting free speech, the scientific community is not allowed to speak,” was its leading quote. That, of course is a flat out lie. The injunction only prevents them from using their speech to tell social media to silence the speech of others. They all retain the ability to share their own beliefs.
The mere fact that government/Big Media/Big Tech routinely use the words "misinformation, disinformation, & malinformation" scares the crap out of me. It happened almost overnight & it's suddenly ubiquitous. Look at the new EU online speech laws. There is absolutely no tolerance for dissent from the official narrative on any subject.
I think the measure of a person is taken by how they deal with those they disagree with. I find that the left generally fares much worse in this regard. Their belief in their own moral superiority allows them to act in terrible ways. The right tends to be more grounded in an understanding that human beings are flawed, and therefore accepting of failures. At least with a more measured response.
“To have a license to spew vitriol is a delicious and rare privilege on the Left.”
I'd amend that by substituting in "for anyone" for "on the Left.". All humans, if given a license, and often a reward, for spewing hate will spew hate. That's the point of Orwell. That's why our Founders created a Representative Republic, not a pure Democracy. It is the brilliance of Judeo-Christian thought (The Golden Rule; Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Etc.). None were perfect of course, but they helped restrain the awful impulses we've evolved with.
For decades (I'm 65), I've said Americans were naively arrogant in our innocence because nothing like Nazism, Bolshevikism, Maoism, Stalinism, etc had ever happened here. Feels like we're going to experience it this time. I hope our institutions are more resilient than they feel. But, I am not optimistic.
Nah, our institutions are a hot mess. I don't really see a way out of this. More people are waking up, (as shown by the online comments under any article on Russell Brand this past week) but I fear it may be too late.
I take any reaction and comment from a totalitarian as a complement. It just shows you have hit the target. I'm a middle-aged (62) woman and feminist, and I trigger about 75% of men and 65% of women just with my presence, but since I like and trust myself, I've come to appreciate my talent. Anytime a woman has confidence in her neural functioning and ability to read, study and process information as well or better than the other sex, it enrages the totalitarians.
For many years, going back to the 1990s, I observed the same double standard in the academic workplace. The most vicious misogynists were the leftist men and lesbians.
When I read comments like this from the left, I always think back to Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high” comment and chuckle. Most of the left are some of the nastiest people you’ve ever seen- anything but blind obedience to every ounce of their progressive agenda deems you a far right MAGA lover! But keep fighting the good fight Sasha- I have tremendous respect for you, even more so knowing you used to be on the same side as the Jeremy’s of the world.
Michelle Obama’s “When they go low, we go high”
An often misunderstood comment: what she meant is "when they appeal to ordinary people, we go to high-level officials to smack them down". An interpretation that explains better the events we see today.
That's flipping brilliant!
So true, Kevin. The applause to that line, the first time that Michelle spoke it, hadn't even died out when I was laughing uncontrollably. I ran through my head "when they go low, we always know we can and will go lower. And since around July 2016, Democrats and liberals have only continued to go deeper and deeper into their hatred and rage-fueled abyss.
I thought she said, "When they go low, we get high"?
😂 probably PCP tainted weed making ‘em all so rageful!
You don't know how right you likely are.
Only the self-righteous can be so vicious.
Too bad they do not have enough self-awareness to realize that their viciousness un-does their righteousness.
Regardless of their viciousness, their righteousness never existed. In the '60s when I thought they were simply about treating blacks fairly, I fully agreed. Then they were about giving women equality in pay; that sounded reasonable to me, all else being equal. But later I discovered that their demands never cease: agree to their current demand and they quickly move to a higher level of increasingly unfair and lopsided, often preposterous demands. Their goal is not creating a better environment for the downtrodden; it's about seizing power and everyone else's hard-earned wealth for themselves.
Amazing how they moved on from "Blacks should be able to vote" to "Blacks have a community right to equal (average) wealth, as if that is the logical next step.
And from that to Reparations......though arguably a higher percentage of todays' USA black population descend from slaveowners than the non-black population.
It's almost right there in the definition of "liberal". This might be a somewhat loose interpretation, but liberal tends to define as "constantly seeking change". So when the righteous battles are won, liberals desperately seek a solution looking for a problem - though I admit that conservatives often do the same.
The problems identified by liberals (despite not being a problem at all to the vast majority of Americans) invariably have winners and losers in their proposed solutions. The winners tend to be very few; the losers tend to have much larger numbers. But one thing you can bank on - liberals never stop attempting to disrupt the status quo. They always claim that conservatives want to go "back to the 50's (or far before that), but conservatives only want to preserve some of the status quo against the unending barrage of "Woke" disruptions that liberals want to force upon us.
More likely they confuse sanctimony with true righteousness.
They are certainly confused. That's what comes from not recognizing fallacies, which is what the indoctrination process *very strongly* encourages. Critical thinking is the enemy of indoctrination.
Had she said, "When they go low, we get high," she would have won me.
"When they slap soft, we punch hard. And repeatedly."
Didn’t know Big Mike said that. 😜
The mounting hysteria and fear on the left makes them very dangerous. Thanks for calling them out.
It really is fear more than anything, masquerading as rage. They fear that they are actually the ones in the wrong and are about to be exposed.
Yes, most all ‘anger’ expressed in this world is manifest of another, deeper emotion. The usual suspects are: lack of control, shame, or not feeling good enough
No littering when changing their disposable diapers.
Ignorance is strength!
But they're so dumb, they probably think Donald Trump is the tyrant. He is, as we have been repeatedly assured, "An existential threat to democracy," which justifies anything they do to his supporters.
I'm sure they really do believe that Trump is the tyrant. I'm also sure that they couldn't say why they believe it and they couldn't name a single supposed "tyrannical" thing he actually did. But they've been told he's a tyrant and they feel like he's a tyrant and that's all that matters.
Sasha, I thought you understood that whenever you defend Republicans, and especially Trump, even if you are a female, The Left (aka The Party) no longer considers you a female or a woman. This has been going on for sometime. Just like blacks aren't really blacks to The Left unless the vote for Democrats. Yet, psychopathically, those people cannot realize they are doing exactly what they criminalize The Right of doing...dehumanizing people.
And I appreciate you stating that about Oppenheimer and Orwell. The Road to Wigan Pier was criticized by Socialists because Orwell exposed their totalitarianism in it.
I fear that even those who have "left the LEFT" have succumed to hating all things Republlican or conservative. I felt totally adrift politically when I left the Demorats and went on line to find a new community of open minded thinkers who could civilly discuss opinions even though they might not agree. I will not name therm here but they are popular with the new "in" crowd of Biden haters etc . Unfortuntely, there are several commentators who have taken over the comments pages of some of the sites and are as vicious and ungenerous as the ones they feel superior to . I increasingly feel I am again, politically homeless. .
It's hard to find a place with reasonable people who just want to have good discussions. Sasha's substack & Russell Brand's Locals are good places. I am in kind of the same boat because, while I voted for Trump twice, I am not a Trump cultist. I have criticized him for some goofy statements/actions he's made over the years, & was blasted by cultists on some conservative sites.
I increasingly feel I am again, politically homeless. .
We are a Small/Tiny/nano-sized forum (stated by refugees from Free Republic.com)
Really the only rules we have are 1. You Can Disagree, but not be Disagreeable. 2. Attack The Idea But Not The Person.
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Hey Dorothy, I think it could be helpful if you reply to comments here, regardless of affiliation, that you think are also inappropriate. I agree that we have to be alert to our own flaws and I know that I can get rude sometimes myself.
Ah, yes. As in when Biden said, "If you don't vote for me, you ain't really black".
I think that Wigan Pier was criticized less because it exposed totalitarianism, and more (much more) because it laid bare that the bearded, sandal-wearing, vegetarians who called themselves "socialists" were generally upper middle-class people who despised the workers they claimed to be fighting for.
Trump Derangement Syndrome could perhaps be examined as a psychological disorder similar to the observations of Mattias Desmet who coined the condition Mass Formation which looks at how so many people dropped common sense, discernment and empathy to embrace their fears of the bogie man Covid virus. I offer two brief examples of people in my life to illustrate.
My good friend Sandy, a retired postal clerk, music lover and consumer of all things cannabis is a life long lefty. Being one myself until I started opening my eyes in 2014, we used to occasionally talk about politics but it was never a big deal; much better to discuss music or the unbearable lightness of being. I was having a party to celebrate my 70th birthday in November 2020 and while inviting him to a dinner party to celebrate, he asked me if I was voting for Biden or Trump - and if it was for Trump, then he no longer considered me his friend. I just replied it was none of his business and left it there.
The other severe case I saw of TDS is a sad one involving my wife’s brother who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer also in 2020. Due to the absurdly ridiculous lockdown restrictions he waited 3 months before having his condition checked out only to learn that he had maybe a year left to live. Again this was someone who I don’t recall ever discussing issues involving the state of the world until the days of Orange Man Bad. In his final days on earth where the pain was becoming worse while all the meds he was taking numbed everything out, I learned from his partner that about the only thing that could stir up any emotional response was to bring up something related to Trump.
My life has been a journey of the spiritual awakening of the love that dwells within. Watching people get so caught up in hatred is a sign of a serious decline in what makes us human. And the manipulation is force fed by the media which in intent on tearing us apart.
Jeff, thanks for your post. Spot on. Living in hatred and fear is so awful, the opposite of what our Creator desires for us. We have a man-made media that encourages this awfulness for the love of $$
Spot on, Jeff. The media serves a single purpose: to continually divide by refusal to show varying "sides" of any major issues, or why people initially disagree. There is much to learn from proverbially "walking a mile in another's shoes." They diligently and deliberately avoid showing anything but the propaganda narrative. It simultaneously brainwashes and angers.
LSS, the media coaches and entices the unhinged comments from both sides--and a general disregard of facts in favor of generating emotional triggers. So lies are repeated ad nauseam because they incite reactions from keyboard warriors to broaden the fight over social media. Hatred and distrust of those who might disagree with us has been the desired intent all along--and in that realm, they're doing a bang-up job.
The amazing thing, though, is that you can see this and so can I, which is why I no longer have cable TV, but there are SO MANY people who cannot see that they being fed a party line. In fact, some people who used to seem more sensible just can't stop repeating party stories about the correct way to interpret any bad news about the party. It's amazing to me that people want to participate in a dynamic where they are told how to think about the ruling class and they seem happy to do it. And then call themselves "progressive." Maybe all that is left of the progressives is their hypocritical conformity to the establishment way.
Much of that, IMHO, comes primarily from social media. In that realm, EVERYTHING is pushed by "likes" and interactions. What you "like" comes back in spades. It confirms the bias, because it blocks out anything that refutes the premise. Social media is nothing but dopamine addiction--the joy of being liked. This is very empowering for people, as it makes them believe outright lies to the point they would argue on or off social media about their "correctness." (I can't say "rightness" because the words "right" and "left" have forever been bastardized, thanks to political lies...)
My theory is that most of the Left are very significantly dependent on the government (eg education, welfare, teachers union, gov jobs, healthcare, income, etc) and so are intentionally blind to its hypocrisy, deceit and corruption.
In New Zealand that blindness includes mainstream Media, are sponsored by the govt.
It's like there are no discussions to be had, anymore. We have to ALL agree that Covid is almost Ebola, that masking, lockdowns, & shots are all necessary and good, that Ukraine is pure & deserving of all those billions, & that Trump & his supporters are all a bunch of rednecks.
I refuse to "agree" on anything I don't or can't support. The cultists will never be won over. The hero worshippers will not either. For me, "just let them go..." is the best thing I've learned.
I agree with this to tge extent that it's possible. What if "just let them go" means your own family? Sigh..
Unfortunately, that sometimes is the only way to resolve it peacefully. Let them go for now...and pray their eyes eventually open. It may take awhile, but TRUTH will always win out.
Actually, plenty of people go to their grave still blind to relevant and significant truths.
The Holocaust is an example of the danger in just letting fanatics go unchallenged.
I actually feel sorry for the haters. They must be miserable all the time. It is somewhat amusing to me that those who are so insistent on preaching tolerance display so little of it, themselves.
This!
I consider it an addiction to outrage/fear with an element of narcissism. Just like with the "pandemic", there was a psychological trick used by propaganda when they paint their opponents as "anti-science idiots", "racists", "deplorables", "insurrectionists" etc., making the readers feel good about themselves in comparison while they're the ones being fooled. Those people are easily recognized online when they seem to argue with imaginary opponents fanaticized in their own head. Luckily, the hysteria is losing its appeal for more and more people.
Before Substack I used to spend more time reading comments on the large social media platforms. It seemed like the Covidian talking points were repeated ad nausium always mentioning all of the horrible deaths which the vaccine was eliminating mixed in with the Jan 6 resurrection and the rest of the "conspiracy theories". Since there were a lot less truthers in 2020 and 2021 they felt comfortable to bash anyone who was dissident. Now the conversations have changed and there seem to be far fewer arrogant know-it-alls. I guess for them, pointing out the narrative they've bought into is a lot harder when they have to hear back from those who actually thinks for themselves.
The psyop is multi-layered. I will readily admit that I've never voted for a winning or losing candidate for president since I was eligible to vote although I did have beliefs and positions on almost every issue which translated to nobody knew what to make of me on the right or left. A precarious position for a white male who realized early one that on one hand I was being presented with feminism and on the other hand I was being shown pornography. How can one ever not see the pure Tavistocking of the populace and the Sisyphean pendulum we've been presented with? Trump, 76 Trombones, was selected because he's a divisive figure and he is a far better actor than the communist screen actors guild president from California that claimed to be an actor, and a conservative. I was newly single and dating post 50 years-old in 2015. Yikes. A mine field at best. The women that piqued my interest tended toward idealistic and romantic, until it came to politics and I always knew the words: "I hate Trump!" were going to be said sooner instead of later. I am not sure if experience is a good teacher or a cruel taskmaster. When they'd say: "I hate Trump," I'd say you're supposed to, he was selected because he's divisive. After saying that, they would look at me flummoxed, like they didn't understand, and because I actually believe in authenticity and sincerity I'd try to explain good cop versus bad cop to them, and sometimes even add how presidents aren't really in charge, they're just mid-level capos and there's only a uni-party or duopoly in reality. A Republican is placed in power to cap down on personal freedoms and get peeps vaccinated who wouldn't have otherwise and a Democrat always gets to play the role of being a liberal hawk while promoting virtues like tolerance and diversity and inclusivity and equity. Emotionally a lot of us peeps implode when someone tells us it's all theater and everyone's owned and compromised once they've been selected and they're all actors playing the role they've been assigned. One woulda thunk I was accusing them of normalcy bias ((:-) In closing, it really is far easier to fool the peeps than convince them they've been fooled ( a quote often misattributed to Samuel Clemons, yet I can't find anywhere that he said the aforementioned). Regardless, brass tacks, the Nosferatu have done their job masterfully because yes, while positions and beliefs are important to me (and most of us commenting) there's no one in power that KARES much about what we think or believe unless it works towards furthering their H+ (trans-human) agenda and the scientific dictatorship and neo-feudalism that's already upon us.
I'm sure Unhinged Commenter has a "Coexist" sticker on his Prius and one of them "we believe" signs in his yard.
You point out, "At worst, they want gulags. I think they might even be amendable to firing squads at this point—the downside of utopia building."
This is always the progression with totalitarian systems of the Left, be they Fascism or Communism or the current fusion of the two. Dissent cannot be tolerated and will not be tolerated, and if a few (or a few million) eggs are broken to make the communal omelet, so be it. These folks see themselves as so superior; they are so confident they know best for everyone else that anyone not on board deserves to die. Just remember back to the death dart and the vitriol spewed at those who refused it.
It's the same every time.
Gun control, because people will not willingly get in the boxcars.
I used to think that. After "covid", I'm not so sure anymore. Lots of people seemed perfectly fine with tyranny so long as it kept them "safe".
Covid sure was an eye opener.
I honestly had no idea that many people would willingly fold to tyranny. It's been terrifying.
Yup, stay safe or stay free. When someone says “stay safe” respond with “stay brave, stay free “.
Let's not disparage all Prius owners, please. I bought one new in 2005 and ran it for 13+ years trouble free. Was the lowest cost-to-operate vehicle I ever owned. I didn't buy it because it was less impact on the environment, I bought it as my commuter car because it had far less of an impact on my bank account than any previous vehicle I ever owned going back to the early '60s. And my younger brother in law bought it from me and has put an additional trouble-free 70K miles on top of the 155K that I had driven it. He even kept my Trump 2016 MAGA stickers on it!
Fair enough, but you are a rare breed indeed!
LOVE IT! I have yet to see a Prius with a Trump MAGA sticker, but if I did I'd take a pic!
John, commentator may also be depressed. When one is overwhelmed by stress, anxiety and/or hopelessness this can cause depression and anger is a common symptom of this human condition
This is true. It all adds up the same though for Sasha Stone, and the other authors who come to symbolize something feared and hated in the minds of certain online people.
Yep, I can attest that those displaying "In This House We Believe" yard signs are the most bigoted, intolerant people in the neighborhood. You either share their belief purity or you are declared less than human.
And yep again, dissent cannot be tolerated because their entire belief system is based on lies. The urge to wish death on dissenters is a fundamental product of not wanting to face reality. How haunted these people must be!
Agree. It's incredible how smug so many progressives are today in believing they are 99% of the population. Then every single election, it's shown that the nation has hovered very near 50/50 for the last 31 years. It delights me when I see progressives pretend to be puzzled and aghast that half of their fellow citizens don't agree with them.
"Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell"
Should I go on? Yes you say??? OK...
Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell, Orwell...
What Nineteen Eighty-Four and Animal Farm have in common, in literary terms at least, is that they are both....
...wait for it ...
...Orwells that end well! :)
I gave you a "like" only because we don't have an eye roll. 😁
It's the way I tell 'em.
I ask you.
I almost forwarded this to an ex friend who hates me now because I didn't vote for Hilary. She called me a racist because I criticized BLM. But I didn't think it would help her see the error of her ways! But it surely helped me! Thanks so much!
It takes courage to leave a "cult". It takes courage to stand against the forces that hold all the power. And it is a demonstration of complete strength to speak truth to power through a megaphone of online discourse.
There are those who admire you and your integrity and character in ways unspoken.
Perhaps those of us who hold this admiration need to speak up and out, to counter the hate, and give you some added strength to carry on the fight.
I do hope your daughter is very proud of her mom.
In Missouri v Biden the federal judge asked the government lawyers if they had read Orwell's 1984 because Biden's government had set up something that looked much like Orwell's Ministry of Truth. The judge then entered an injunction against Biden and his government to stop their Orwellian enterprise. The Left has been officially adjudicated to be Orwellian so I expect they will soon begin to rehabilitate him as their hero.
The WaPo had a long, disingenuous article yesterday on the case and how it was chilling right-thinking elites’ valiant efforts to “combat misinformation”. Of course, the article itself was a masterpiece of misinformation: “In the name of protecting free speech, the scientific community is not allowed to speak,” was its leading quote. That, of course is a flat out lie. The injunction only prevents them from using their speech to tell social media to silence the speech of others. They all retain the ability to share their own beliefs.
The mere fact that government/Big Media/Big Tech routinely use the words "misinformation, disinformation, & malinformation" scares the crap out of me. It happened almost overnight & it's suddenly ubiquitous. Look at the new EU online speech laws. There is absolutely no tolerance for dissent from the official narrative on any subject.
That's the new definition of the First Amendment for liberals. Free speech ONLY IF we OK it.
I think the measure of a person is taken by how they deal with those they disagree with. I find that the left generally fares much worse in this regard. Their belief in their own moral superiority allows them to act in terrible ways. The right tends to be more grounded in an understanding that human beings are flawed, and therefore accepting of failures. At least with a more measured response.
A lot of those on the right are leftists who matured. They understand the thinking.
“To have a license to spew vitriol is a delicious and rare privilege on the Left.”
I'd amend that by substituting in "for anyone" for "on the Left.". All humans, if given a license, and often a reward, for spewing hate will spew hate. That's the point of Orwell. That's why our Founders created a Representative Republic, not a pure Democracy. It is the brilliance of Judeo-Christian thought (The Golden Rule; Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Etc.). None were perfect of course, but they helped restrain the awful impulses we've evolved with.
For decades (I'm 65), I've said Americans were naively arrogant in our innocence because nothing like Nazism, Bolshevikism, Maoism, Stalinism, etc had ever happened here. Feels like we're going to experience it this time. I hope our institutions are more resilient than they feel. But, I am not optimistic.
Nah, our institutions are a hot mess. I don't really see a way out of this. More people are waking up, (as shown by the online comments under any article on Russell Brand this past week) but I fear it may be too late.
I love your work. Thank you 🙏
As I was reading your quote on BLACKWHITE, I was literally thinking that this sounds like pronouns.
And this is an astute observation: “To have a license to spew vitriol is a delicious and rare privilege on the Left.” They revel in it.
We should clarify matters.
Instead of referring to "trans*", we could frame categories thus:
"Male-females are ____. Whereas female-males are ____."
(I had completely forgotten the Newspeak term BLACKWHITE. How important it is to have a large vocabulary!)
Just be careful going on a blind date with one.
The Crying Game.
I take any reaction and comment from a totalitarian as a complement. It just shows you have hit the target. I'm a middle-aged (62) woman and feminist, and I trigger about 75% of men and 65% of women just with my presence, but since I like and trust myself, I've come to appreciate my talent. Anytime a woman has confidence in her neural functioning and ability to read, study and process information as well or better than the other sex, it enrages the totalitarians.
Thank you Sasha. We appreciate your clear writing, coming from one that has left the cult.
For many years, going back to the 1990s, I observed the same double standard in the academic workplace. The most vicious misogynists were the leftist men and lesbians.
Leftist men/male feminists are frequently incels. Of course, they can't admit it.