November 10, 2016
“People were scared, and that manifested as either a widening of their arms, or a defensive shutdown. The fight-or-flight urge had been flattened to just ‘fight’. And sometimes, it just looked like lashing out.” Lessons learned by a black British writer while touring post-Brexit America. / BuzzFeed
Do the math on Trump’s budget and you’ll see the inevitable: he and the House Republicans are going to absolutely steamroll benefits for the poor. / http
“It’s now a common conception that white life in this country is currently in crisis or under siege….Yet people of color are consistently bombarded with demands to empathize with Trump’s followers, even as we are demonized and our churches burn.” As Jamil Smith argued just days ago, the rush to sympathize with Trump voters—who really are distressed—nonetheless elides their racism, and the similar plight minorities face. / MTV
That’s not incorrect, but it is worth complicating. Trump supporters have higher-than-average income. / FiveThirtyEight
“The Republican nominee put together a coalition of non-college-educated, non-urban voters—and they turned out for him with tremendous enthusiasm.” Veteran pollster Ron Brownstein’s take on how Trump won. / The Atlantic
The popular notion right now is that Trump rode a wave of working-class white support to victory, with attention shifting in the media from Trump’s perceived weaknesses (racism, sexism, every -ism) to his alleged strength in channeling economic anxiety. Trump voters “are the people who have been the acceptable sacrifices for our trade and wage-deflating immigration policies that do boost our economy overall... just not for them.” / CNBC
They call it #Calexit. It will prove to be a flash in the pan. But still: / CNN
And California does have the world’s sixth-largest economy. And the “Yes California Independence Campaign” did hold a meetup last night in Sacramento. / Reuters, sfgate.com
“Getting chicked” is when a male athlete gets beaten by a female athlete. The phrase is often used by post-feminist bros who voted for Hillary but nonetheless can’t stomach a woman beating them up or down a mountain. Skier Heather Hansman has had enough. / Adventure Journal
“The question is whether the image of Mrs. Clinton, composed and gracious in defeat, persevering through pain, will inspire women to try again?” How Hillary handles pain. / New York Times
“A response to Trump that begins and ends with horror is not a political response—it is a form of paralysis, a politics of hiding under the bed. And a response to American bigotry that begins and ends with moral denunciation is not a politics at all—it is the opposite of politics. It is surrender.” Repulsion is understandable. Engagement is necessary. / Jacobin
Judging by market response, investors clearly hope that Trump will ignore the people who elected him. / The Economist
An economist repudiates the idea that job losses from globalization drove Trump support: “Those who view Trump favorably have not been disproportionately affected by foreign trade or immigration, compared with people with unfavorable views of the Republican presidential nominee. The results suggest that his supporters, on average, do not have lower incomes than other Americans, nor are they more likely to be unemployed.” / The Washington Post
Cartoonists react to the election. Or, if you’d prefer to remain outside the real world a little longer, escape into some miniature hampster habitats. / Bored Panda, The Creators Project
“News feed optimizes for engagement. As we’ve learned this election, bullshit is highly engaging.” Privately, publicly, and professionally, employees at Facebook and Twitter are having their Dr. Frankenstein moment. / Bloomberg
Mick Rock reworks the “Life on Mars” video he filmed with David Bowie in 1973. / The Guardian
As noted by many, Trump’s success in America coincides with a strong tide of global authoritarianism, with far-right-wing populists being democratically elected in every region of the world. In Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyp Erdoğan has increasingly stepped into a strongman role. For instance, ordering an extremely harsh police response to the 2013 Gezi Park protests in Istanbul, resulting in the deaths of at least three activists and thousands being injured. / amnestyusa.org
Over the last decade, more countries around the world have become less free, according to a Freedom House report. / freedomhouse.org
The two countries who stand to benefit most from Trump’s “America First” foreign policy are China and Russia, the leaders of which both supported Trump’s rise via propaganda and who are poised to pick up new patron nations as America abandons its foreign aid policies. / The Washington Post, The New York Times
Robert Reich draws a line between Trump’s authoritarianism and the weakness of institutions like unions to counter his policies. / The New York Times
“I want to be associated with interesting quotes.” Trump’s response to criticisms that he retweeted a Mussolini quote was scary; what got lost in that brief controversy is that the Mussolini quote is a 1940s version of the alt-right’s “Red Pill” meme. / The New York Times
Two quick takes on the election from left field:
1. Back to the Future II screenwriter Bob Gale said that Marty McFly’s enemy Biff Tannen—who uses his casino fortune as fuel for political fire—was based on Trump. / The Daily Beast
2. The 2020 election won’t be fun at all: predictions of foreign meddling, data-driven informercials, and America as a living, breathing piece of fan fiction. / Quartz
“Political movements come and go, but institutional authority is forever. Partisans have given their leaders political cover while they quietly built up the conditions for turnkey fascism. Now we are one click away from totalitarianism.” Forget the nuclear codes: A madman has been given the keys to the surveillance state. / Boing Boing
You know how we said a Dutch dude had set a new world record for solving a Rubik’s Cube in four seconds? / BBC