Dan Rather recs Jon Pavlovitz

[dweller]

https://johnpavlovitz.com/2020/08/06/this-presidency-is-killing-relationships-and-were-all-grieving/?fbclid=IwAR0jflThXuoU-CJu9s5oJ-BnMXd7664Pv08Ic_RbajdvP954UXFjlheFzt8and

This Presidency is Killing Relationships—and We’re All Grieving
I’ll never understand it.

As long as I live, it will never really make sense to me.

Yeah, I’ve read all the research, analyzed all the data, digested a thousand think pieces, and watched countless late night cable TV commentaries over the past four years—and all of them together still don’t add up to this.

They don’t explain once rational, otherwise decent, educated people fully taking leave of their senses: people I’ve grown up with, served on mission trips with, families who’ve had my kids over for sleepovers, older relatives I spent decades aspiring to become, ministers I once respected for their compassion—a rapidly growing army of people who I was sure knew better than this.

Nothing adequately explains their complete rejection of Science.
Nothing completely accounts for them instantly embracing the most nonsensical of conspiracies.
Nothing truly prepared me for their social media explosions of racism.
Nothing fully connects the dots between their past goodness and this present ugliness.

I can microscopically parcel out every conceivable contributing factor: white supremacy, the pro-life lie, Fox News propaganda, toxic masculinity, Evangelical indoctrination, intellectual laziness, manipulated nationalism, unchecked capitalism, hatred for Hillary, political fatigue, disenfranchisement, fear of replacement, and celebrity worship:

They fail to adequately explain how I lost people I loved and respected.
They don’t cushion the pain of these separations.
They don’t make it easier for me to grieve the loss of living people.
They don’t comfort me in these relational funerals.

🙁


✌🏼

[RainCaster]

1. JohnP has been on my short list since 45 was elected

Some weeks he writes more, but it's always quality stuff. Leaves me with a hint of hope.

[SunSeeker]

2. I agree with everything in his piece except that "they're a rapidly growing army of people."

The Republican base is not rapidly growing. It is actually shrinking.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/opinion-tough-election-math-for-trump-his-base-is-shrinking-11594250191

[Martin Eden]

3. Pavlovitz speaks truth

No easy way around this tragedy.

[lagomorph777]

4. I've recently lost a friend to the STUPID-45 virus.

He's now dead to me.