Recommended Reading: The War of Buzzards
Recommended Reading: The War of Buzzards
This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack: Jared Yates Sexton, Melissa Ryan, Parker Molloy, Matthew Sheffield, Kelly Weill, and Jen Gunter
This Week's Recommended Reading on Substack:
writes that “the Right and its collection of ridiculous influencers and personalities has lived in its own universe for years now, believing things that empirical evidence easily dismisses, writing off electoral defeats with coordinated conspiracy theories, and even telling themselves that popular movies and musical artists are ‘psy-ops’ and that their preferred brands are actually much, much more popular. These are mostly trivial things and concern the experience of life in alternate reality America. What matters, though, is that the 2024 Election and the changing fortunes of Trump and the MAGA Movement will have reverberations.”
writes that “another way to think of Project 2025 is that it’s the policy wish list for people who support pardoning violent insurrectionists, call for a second civil war, or, as J.D. Vance called for, ‘circle the wagons and load the muskets.’ And it includes a training academy to help folks with these violent takeover fantasies get federal government agency jobs! The more Americans learn about Project 2025, the more freaked out they become. Harris and Democrats are, of course, pouncing on this weakness and bringing up Project 2025 at every opportunity, with Harris always asking the crowds at her rallies, ‘Can you believe they put that thing in writing?’ Politically, it’s become a real albatross around Trump’s neck, so much so that he’s attempted to distance himself from it multiple times.”
writes that “Right-wing media seems to have an insatiable appetite for outrage, no matter how trivial the cause. Whether it's lamenting the de-sexualization of the Green M&M, railing against comic book storylines featuring a "pregnant Joker" or a bisexual Superman, throwing months-long tantrums over Bud Light's advertising choices, or directing unintelligible fury at the estate of Dr. Seuss, conservative pundits appear to be in a constant state of high alert for the next low-stakes controversy to inflame their base. Why? The answer lies in the very nature of modern conservative media and its business model.”
write that “even if Trump had never come along, however, it was almost inevitable that the online trolling culture that began emerging in the early 2000s on websites like 4chan would eventually merge in with the Christian far right, not necessarily because they agree on their worldviews, but because their personal extremism and misogyny overlap perfectly. Online communities such as incels, “groypers,” and other extremist factions within the far-right have embraced trolling as a tool to spread their misogynistic ideologies. These groups, often sidelined in mainstream society, find empowerment in digital spaces where they can attack women and feminists without facing real-world consequences.”
writes “many working mothers, especially those without reliable childcare, are pigeonholed into part-time work or jobs with irregular scheduling. These gigs often pay little and frequently assign workers too few hours, making it difficult for those workers to qualify for benefits like healthcare. This is a profitable dynamic for companies, which rely on a pool of precarious workers whom they can pay little. Forced birth isn’t economically beneficial for anyone except companies and the occasional man. It’s ironic, then, to see a different fringe of anti-choice conservatives argue against abortion from a supposedly pro-worker perspective.”
writes that “scaring women and then promising them a magic wand seems to be an algorithm-friendly message. The motive for doing this may vary from person to person. For example, some may not understand how their social media message is being interpreted. Some may be looking to build a following that can be converted into supplement sales, selling an inadequately tested compounded estrogen face cream, promoting a medical practice, or selling a coaching service. Who knows? There are enough valid reasons to promote MHT, so I just don’t get this fear-based messaging to push it in situations when the current data that we have says that it isn’t necessary or proven.”
