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Derek Thompson Profile picture
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10 Jan, 9 tweets, 3 min read
Something Arlie Hochschild told me that I can't shake this week is the ways modern politics has become hyper-fluent in the language of suffering.

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Once you see it—all politics (and esp. Trumpism) as the Suffering Olympics—it’s impossible to unsee.
Here’s Hawley, days after fist-pumping an insurrection attempt that killed several people. Basically: Biden criticized me in a speech that also mentioned Goebbels in a different context, so don’t forget who’s really suffering this week (hint: it’s me)

fox4kc.com/news/hawley-sp…
Here’s Rep. Madison Cawthorn, days after speaking at a rally that killed a bunch of people and broke a zillion laws, reminding us who’s really had a rough week: the president’s metaphorical tongue

Here’s Maria Bartiromo: sure, the right-wing had a bad day when it violently stormed the seat of government, but the Suffering Decathlon goes on, so let’s move swiftly to the next competitive event—how bout big tech tyranny?

Here are Trump voters on the attempted coup. Read the whole thing. Or don’t! Just trust me that it’s an omakase of suffering, truly innovative presentations of grievance politics.

nytimes.com/2021/01/09/us/…
The suffering instinct has completely colonized political language. It’s grievance tug-of-wars all the way down. It would be so boring if it weren’t so dangerous.
Suffering Olympics: Addendum 1

Melania: My heart goes out to the people who died in my husband’s failed putsch, but it also goes out to someone else: me
Suffering Olympics: Addendum 2

Brian Kilmeade: Before we mete out any political consequences for inciting a deadly coup attempt, let’s take some time to consider how those consequences might make Trump’s voters “feel.” (Sad! is how.)
Final:

If your app facilitates a deadly coup attempt and you lose a corporate partner, that's not the free market, ok? It's Kristallnacht. Here, sip on this confirmation bias for your anger, bc you're practically on the threshold of genocide.

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More from @DKThomp

Derek Thompson Profile picture
12 Jan
The very emotional discussion right now about whether Twitter has the right to de-platform Trump should widen the lens and see that the list of corporations that essentially came to the same conclusion include such famous wokesters such as (checks notes) the PGA and Deutsche Bank
A debate about big tech's power and the rights of posters is overdue in DC, and tech firms identifying ideologies for cancellation is a dangerous path. But let's be clear about what's happening here: a widespread private sector blackout of an insurrectionist conspiracy-monger.
I'm sorry, as much as I care about freedom of speech and commerce, I just cannot bring myself to shed tears that Trump might struggle to build an MLM empire off of "you can still help me stop the steal by buying these frozen meats"
Read 5 tweets
Derek Thompson Profile picture
11 Jan
Completely fascinating essay by @AlvaroDeMenard on expertise in the 21st century.
1. There is something ... interesting ... about the fact that evidence of expert infallibility is falling (recall: "masks don't work") at the same time that demand for infallible expertise is rising ("social media platforms should just delete everything that isn't true").
2. The Internet creates a kind of magic-eye theory of reality—you can find The Real Truth if you just look hard enough!—at the same time that real expertise is getting harder and harder to come by, because of rising knowledge burdens in science. Image
Read 4 tweets
Derek Thompson Profile picture
6 Jan
“So far, [Georgia] counties that have fully reported are on average three points more Democratic than the presidential election results in those counties.“ - @gelliottmorris newsletter
Read 4 tweets
Derek Thompson Profile picture
16 Dec 20
I wrote about how “niche partitioning” in the news media industry has shattered the possibility of a shared political reality in America

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…
The rise of Newsmax and OANN at Fox News’ expense is a reminder that Trump devotees are going to buy tickets to whatever media universe tells best story, the Trumpiest tale.

The news landscape across TV and social is honeycombed to the point that every fantasy gets a home base.
From scarcer broadcasts and communal reality...to abundant broadcasts and privatized reality

It’s notable that this 21st century shift in the news industry describes the evolution of the broader entertainment industry, as well.
Read 4 tweets
Derek Thompson Profile picture
14 Dec 20
Netflix draws viewers to unknown shows because it is a service they already have.

Disney+ draws viewers to a service for shows they already know they want.

stratechery.com/2020/disneys-i…
Netflix as the default streaming media infrastructure, whose consumers expect content of varying quality, genre, and novelty

vs.

Disney as a leveraged bet on the eternal return of the familiar, entertainment as IP ouroboros
… I don’t think it’s that simple, but I also don’t think it’s *that* much more complicated.
Read 4 tweets
Derek Thompson Profile picture
9 Dec 20
I wrote about what today’s headlines and statistics are already telling us about the future of work, cities, and the economy in 2021

theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/…

Overall, I think remote work will be bigger, cities will be weirder, and the economy will be stronger than most ppl think
1. The future of work

The transit-pocalypse in every major city is going to slow the return to big metro HQs, which could elevate remote work, even in the rest of the country where basically everybody drives to the office. Image
2. The future of cities

The combination of depleted transit and residents' risk-aversion will lead to city fragmentation, and developers are already looking to take advantage of that shift with hyper-convenient "15 minute city" projects, like this one—> Image
Read 4 tweets

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