"Funny or not, these became the grounds for deciding which narratives were state doxa and which would fall under the umbrella of the "woke mind virus" or whatever term talking heads felt like using to dismiss thoughts that fell out of line. The thought must have been that these were brief detours on a moral arc that bends toward justice or that free speech and the circulation of ideas would ultimately be the disinfectant best suited for a nation dirtied by misinformation, propaganda and fake news."
"I know that it's easy to point at this or that thing as partisan, but have we reached the point where you can get fired for pointing out that someone redirecting conversation to decor changes when asked about the death of a friend doesn't exactly scream mourning a deep loss? Will Smith takes jokes about his wife better than Trump's administration took this. What's next? Getting fired for saying Trump was focused on the wrong hole in the ground"
Rhetorical shifts and dismissive labels have enabled the normalization of misinformation and the undermining of constitutional norms. Terms like "alternative facts" and "fake news" blurred distinctions between truth and propaganda and reduced effective pushback. Media and cultural gatekeeping began to enforce certain narratives while marginalizing dissenting voices through punishment or suspension. Satire and criticism faced real professional consequences, suggesting a shrinking tolerance for public challenge. The cumulative effect is a harder environment for verifying facts, defending free expression, and preserving norms that previously constrained political and media behavior.
Read at Above the Law
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]