They’ve come up with a name for it now: doomscrolling, which Google’s “AI Overview” tells us is defined as “the act of excessively and persistently consuming negative news online.” How they kept the word “obsessively” out of that line sets a new world record for understatement, or maybe AI Overview is just trying to reduce the incidence of depression among liberals – take your pick.
I totally agree with not letting the shitshow get us down. I have taken a different approach: every new illegal, immoral, indecent piece of "news" coming out of this regime is one more nail in its coffin. The truth will win. We will win. Patience, grasshopper!
It has long been my commitment to work towards fixing the problem the trump years have brought. My way of defeating this is to get as many new voters, no matter their ages, registered to vote so that we can elect the numbers needed to 'stymie' them. I also try to encourage the heroes of the future to run for office locally or federally, or to get involved in some way to help with a course correction of this country.
I got another two women registered to vote today, handed out printed information of substack sites for factual information, as well as a few more copies of the Constitution.
By doing this, I focus on positive productivity and don't get get lost in the "doom" of it all.
And I still don't use facebook or any of those things, and have kept my sanity by never using a cell phone...ever. The peace is wonderful.
I'm going to enjoy reading your stories of the past, and when I can, share some of mine. Thanks, Lucian.
Alright, Celeste! I've also never used a cell phone. I've never been on Facebook, either. My issue is the climate crisis and frankly, I've been "on the barricades". I'm 75, younger than Lucian but I've been shot at (by the County Sheriffs), beaten (by the Berkeley Police) and tear gassed more times than I can count. The FBI, since 1965. I'm done. I'd hate to find out Patel was as bad as Hoover, but given the prison camps, I think it could be a possibility.
Forget the "Like" click. I meant to click "admire" but I couldn't find the damned symbol. Beaten by cops in Berkeley? You're taking me back to Mario Savio's steps of Sproul Hall speech in December, 1964: "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus -- and you've got to make it stop!" He came down to L.A. and delivered almost the same words (I didn't see him looking at notes or a typescript) at UCLA the next week.
Going to be picky here, but, as a retired Latin teacher, that is my privilege. "Bastardes" should read "bastardis" and "Carborundorum" should read "Carborundum". I won't bore you with the details as to why, just that it is.
That said, anyone who uses Latin is okay in my book.
Thanks. I’ll make the changes. Had I paid closer attention to my 9th grade Latin teacher, I might have caught it. That aside, I pulled that out of Atwood’s book when I reread Handmaid’s Tale back in 2017.
He was great, wasn't he? I had that printed out and on my cubicle wall at Kaiser. It's not a sentiment that Gap would have appreciated... The university has taken over the FSM legacy as if it was something supported. Not.
UC "supported" the Free Speech Movement just as much as T***p "supports" people of color, working stiffs, and the poor. Those quote symbols are not "air" but some heavy metal or other.
I know, but you should see the stuff with FSM all over it. The Free Speech Cafe, etc. It's enough to make anyone who was at Cal in the Sixties ill. Edward Strong was a pig, apparently an early member of the Stanford crime family.
Plus: nothing succeeds in the United States like excess: Nevada offers its car-owning residents "specialty" license plates, including one that reads "Nevada Test Site" and in smaller letters underneath, "Atomic Testing Museum" with a nuclear atom graphic. Another is, "The Mob Museum," which should rile up Illinois and Cook County. And have you seen glass bottles of Kool-Aid soda pop?
My hat's off to you, Ellen. It gets old, protesting and marching just to gain the rights the Constitution affords us, but certain politicians strive to keep us from having. Abortion, for instance, turned into a political tool, when there's nothing political about it. Deja Vu, having to fight for that right all over again.
And Patel is just like Hoover, who would have built the camps if he thought he could get away with it.
I'm not depressed. I'm PISSED. And doing all I can to bring this fascist regime down. There is a long list of Republicans who will be going on trial for malfeasance in office. Or treason. Or crimes against humanity. None of them can escape the reach of history.
Thank you so much for this, Lucian. I have become increasingly irritated reading post after post from various activists telling us about all the awful things Trump and his thugs are getting away with, going on and on about his wins. This is so counterproductive and dangerous. We need to be inspired and uplifted, not beaten down. What good does it do to make people despair? It just discourages us from acting and ruins our health. If we're going to stick together we must remember all the seemingly hopeless fights the underdogs won, not highlight the victories of the oppressors. Who's with me?
They're unAmerican and represent the worst of immigrants to our country, especially t, Patel, and Bongino. My ancestors fought in most of this country's wars from the French and Indian War on, and my cousin's daughter graduated from West Point and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
My ancestors refused to attack the local Cherokee tribe because one of the brothers was married to a Cherokee. They had no problem attacking the British. We have more in common with the new local tribes no matter where they came from and how long they've been here. Nothing in common with the tribe occupying Washington DC.
To the barricades with banners, boombox, and a legion of like minded activists. It will feel more like a party than doom scrolling does, that's for sure.
I have a simple question What is it about our society and way of life which has produced such a large and influential segment of the population which has lost its humanity?
Why are so many of us inclined to be devoid of compassion and ,yes, prone to forger the supposedly Judeo Christian values we so glibly pronounce but somehow refuse to live by?
These are not questions of policy. They are of decency and humanity. If we are, in fact, in a doom lop it is entirely of our own making. Continuing to blame Elon Musk and Stephen Miller is only half the answer. The other half is in the mirror and across the table.
There must be something in the air/water. I just deleted 40,000 messages from the various "folders" in my Gmail Inbox - the vast majority of which were some sort of news/opinion. I just said stop. Enough. I can read one headline and get the gist of the news. That's the only energy going in that direction. Agree, choose to do positive. You already understand the negative and the consequences. Another point. About an hour ago I finished reading JVL post and the Bloomberg piece on Musk's Luke F. In summary: no consequences for the privelged. We may not be able to return to having punishment/bad consequences for those responsible for creating this hatefilled reality, but the resistance is to not let it break us by overwhelming us.
Must be something in the air...I have just this week gotten so sick of it all. I only had a few substacks and can't tolerate much from all the talking heads. We all know the felon child rapist is good for journalists - even bad ones. More walks in the woods, more art and flowers, more novels...
Same here. I choose 2 or 3 authors a day to read, then sign off. Its getting to me. I also try to assess my own stress points - (is there something I can do with what is happening? If not I pivot and put my angst up on a shelf. Obsessing isn't a solution. ) if there are actions to be taken, however small, i perform them. Otherwise I store up my knowledge as power, do good in small ways daily, but I look up and appreciate all that I have around me.
A much needed perspective, LTK, thanks for reminding us. The Republicans truly are a death cult, everything they do is negative. Blocking and destructing all the good that government has achieved and for what purpose? We need to get back to presenting an optimistic view of the future, hope and change as Obama proclaimed, and not join them in gloom and doom. We have a great country and great people but we have to fight for it against a truly evil force.
I totally agree with not letting the shitshow get us down. I have taken a different approach: every new illegal, immoral, indecent piece of "news" coming out of this regime is one more nail in its coffin. The truth will win. We will win. Patience, grasshopper!
In the long haul, the truth always wins.
I’m with you. Aux Barricades!
Me too. 1000%.
It has long been my commitment to work towards fixing the problem the trump years have brought. My way of defeating this is to get as many new voters, no matter their ages, registered to vote so that we can elect the numbers needed to 'stymie' them. I also try to encourage the heroes of the future to run for office locally or federally, or to get involved in some way to help with a course correction of this country.
I got another two women registered to vote today, handed out printed information of substack sites for factual information, as well as a few more copies of the Constitution.
By doing this, I focus on positive productivity and don't get get lost in the "doom" of it all.
And I still don't use facebook or any of those things, and have kept my sanity by never using a cell phone...ever. The peace is wonderful.
I'm going to enjoy reading your stories of the past, and when I can, share some of mine. Thanks, Lucian.
Alright, Celeste! I've also never used a cell phone. I've never been on Facebook, either. My issue is the climate crisis and frankly, I've been "on the barricades". I'm 75, younger than Lucian but I've been shot at (by the County Sheriffs), beaten (by the Berkeley Police) and tear gassed more times than I can count. The FBI, since 1965. I'm done. I'd hate to find out Patel was as bad as Hoover, but given the prison camps, I think it could be a possibility.
Forget the "Like" click. I meant to click "admire" but I couldn't find the damned symbol. Beaten by cops in Berkeley? You're taking me back to Mario Savio's steps of Sproul Hall speech in December, 1964: "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart that you can't take part! You can't even passively take part! And you've got to put your bodies upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus -- and you've got to make it stop!" He came down to L.A. and delivered almost the same words (I didn't see him looking at notes or a typescript) at UCLA the next week.
“Nolite te Bastardes Carborundorum.”
Never let the bastards get you down.
“Handmaids Tale”
Margaret Atwood.
Going to be picky here, but, as a retired Latin teacher, that is my privilege. "Bastardes" should read "bastardis" and "Carborundorum" should read "Carborundum". I won't bore you with the details as to why, just that it is.
That said, anyone who uses Latin is okay in my book.
Thanks. I’ll make the changes. Had I paid closer attention to my 9th grade Latin teacher, I might have caught it. That aside, I pulled that out of Atwood’s book when I reread Handmaid’s Tale back in 2017.
He was great, wasn't he? I had that printed out and on my cubicle wall at Kaiser. It's not a sentiment that Gap would have appreciated... The university has taken over the FSM legacy as if it was something supported. Not.
UC "supported" the Free Speech Movement just as much as T***p "supports" people of color, working stiffs, and the poor. Those quote symbols are not "air" but some heavy metal or other.
I know, but you should see the stuff with FSM all over it. The Free Speech Cafe, etc. It's enough to make anyone who was at Cal in the Sixties ill. Edward Strong was a pig, apparently an early member of the Stanford crime family.
If the Boston word for a milkshake had spread to the left coast, the Free Speech Cafe could offer a Free Speech Frappe.
Capitalism will always usurp the slogans of a progressive movement (“A revolution in laundry detergent!”)
Plus: nothing succeeds in the United States like excess: Nevada offers its car-owning residents "specialty" license plates, including one that reads "Nevada Test Site" and in smaller letters underneath, "Atomic Testing Museum" with a nuclear atom graphic. Another is, "The Mob Museum," which should rile up Illinois and Cook County. And have you seen glass bottles of Kool-Aid soda pop?
My hat's off to you, Ellen. It gets old, protesting and marching just to gain the rights the Constitution affords us, but certain politicians strive to keep us from having. Abortion, for instance, turned into a political tool, when there's nothing political about it. Deja Vu, having to fight for that right all over again.
And Patel is just like Hoover, who would have built the camps if he thought he could get away with it.
We'll always have to man the barricades.
Fabulous!
great idea for handouts of the Constitution...I'm going to do that, too, thanks!
Thank You for your important service, Celeste!!
I'm not depressed. I'm PISSED. And doing all I can to bring this fascist regime down. There is a long list of Republicans who will be going on trial for malfeasance in office. Or treason. Or crimes against humanity. None of them can escape the reach of history.
Let us pray that this comes to fruition
Continuing to keep my head down and carry water to the barricades. Fuck Trump and the horse he rode in on!
It was a golf cart, but I’m with you on the sentiment.
Thank you so much for this, Lucian. I have become increasingly irritated reading post after post from various activists telling us about all the awful things Trump and his thugs are getting away with, going on and on about his wins. This is so counterproductive and dangerous. We need to be inspired and uplifted, not beaten down. What good does it do to make people despair? It just discourages us from acting and ruins our health. If we're going to stick together we must remember all the seemingly hopeless fights the underdogs won, not highlight the victories of the oppressors. Who's with me?
Right. Rather than get depressed, we need to be energized and angered by the evil emanating from this terrible regime.
The Trump administration has no decency.
It's really just that simple.
They're unAmerican and represent the worst of immigrants to our country, especially t, Patel, and Bongino. My ancestors fought in most of this country's wars from the French and Indian War on, and my cousin's daughter graduated from West Point and has served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
My ancestors refused to attack the local Cherokee tribe because one of the brothers was married to a Cherokee. They had no problem attacking the British. We have more in common with the new local tribes no matter where they came from and how long they've been here. Nothing in common with the tribe occupying Washington DC.
To the barricades with banners, boombox, and a legion of like minded activists. It will feel more like a party than doom scrolling does, that's for sure.
I'll be Goddamned if I let this detritus beat me down. Then they win, and that's not an option.
It is not an option.
I have a simple question What is it about our society and way of life which has produced such a large and influential segment of the population which has lost its humanity?
Why are so many of us inclined to be devoid of compassion and ,yes, prone to forger the supposedly Judeo Christian values we so glibly pronounce but somehow refuse to live by?
These are not questions of policy. They are of decency and humanity. If we are, in fact, in a doom lop it is entirely of our own making. Continuing to blame Elon Musk and Stephen Miller is only half the answer. The other half is in the mirror and across the table.
As Anne Frank said, there is so much good in the world. I truly believe there's more of us than there is of them.
Well more of us had better shoeing up at the polls if we want to rid this nation of the evil and ugly.
Greco/Roman according to my son in law.
There must be something in the air/water. I just deleted 40,000 messages from the various "folders" in my Gmail Inbox - the vast majority of which were some sort of news/opinion. I just said stop. Enough. I can read one headline and get the gist of the news. That's the only energy going in that direction. Agree, choose to do positive. You already understand the negative and the consequences. Another point. About an hour ago I finished reading JVL post and the Bloomberg piece on Musk's Luke F. In summary: no consequences for the privelged. We may not be able to return to having punishment/bad consequences for those responsible for creating this hatefilled reality, but the resistance is to not let it break us by overwhelming us.
Must be something in the air...I have just this week gotten so sick of it all. I only had a few substacks and can't tolerate much from all the talking heads. We all know the felon child rapist is good for journalists - even bad ones. More walks in the woods, more art and flowers, more novels...
Same here. I choose 2 or 3 authors a day to read, then sign off. Its getting to me. I also try to assess my own stress points - (is there something I can do with what is happening? If not I pivot and put my angst up on a shelf. Obsessing isn't a solution. ) if there are actions to be taken, however small, i perform them. Otherwise I store up my knowledge as power, do good in small ways daily, but I look up and appreciate all that I have around me.
A much needed perspective, LTK, thanks for reminding us. The Republicans truly are a death cult, everything they do is negative. Blocking and destructing all the good that government has achieved and for what purpose? We need to get back to presenting an optimistic view of the future, hope and change as Obama proclaimed, and not join them in gloom and doom. We have a great country and great people but we have to fight for it against a truly evil force.
RIGHT! FIGHT!!
"we should be doing is committing ourselves to a better future" all day every day...
There is so much good and so many good people here, thank you for this!! Work to do!
AMEN!!!!
Huzzah!🙌