Thread by @JoshuaCypess

31.01/ Week thirty-one, Feb. 13-19, thread begins here. Week thirty linked below

https://twitter.com/JoshuaCypess/status/1358559392879300608

31.02/ I have too much to say post-Impeachment but Goldman's thread helped me understand the sound trial attorney thinking behind not calling witnesses. Yet therein lies their error: Impeachment is a political process not legal. It was bad politics IMO.

https://twitter.com/danielsgoldman/status/1360963234778537986

31.03/ So many topics over the past 2 wks that've blooped by me because I was sick, so I guess I'll run thru a few of them. Superbowl: Brady can't be the GOAT b/c he's been repeatedly caught cheating. The biggest story, to me, is why his crimes have been normalized & lauded.

31.04a/ J*ss Whedon: (1) I hate abusers & reading the accounts make my blood boil (2) he's a good case study for how even high quality art from abusers is infected with their violence; he silenced collaborators & changed plots based on his venom

https://twitter.com/Shaker_aphra/status/1359600954514038785?s=20

31.04b/ (3) Because literal thinking plagues our society like a weed, it's critical keep in mind all of the art that abusers prevent & thus kill on the vine. See this thread by the great Jessica Price, a highly talented artist, describing her experiences:

https://twitter.com/Delafina777/status/1359621415910084608

31.04c/ Lastly (4) I sympathize w/those struggling over liking his art after these revelations. I needed to cut Woody Allen & Bill Cosby out of my life & that was painful, and still a struggle (esp. w/Allen). Later, I'll write my advice about how to handle art from evil people.

31.05/ I like this framing for how to envision utopian societies: who cleans the toilets? I don't write fiction but I quite freq. live in the subjunctive as a social scientist & it's a fruitful question. 1 quick answer: part of national service.

https://twitter.com/LuxAlptraum/status/1358042456323993601?s=03

31.06/ It's been hard to get all of the data in one place, so these tweets provide a record of the NFL Honors:

https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1358256503245971470?s=20

https://twitter.com/lindseyyok/status/1358267666994241538?s=20

Esp. the votes!

https://twitter.com/RNBWCV/status/1358260988760440832?s=20

Some great visualizations here:

https://twitter.com/RNBWCV/status/1359922675733430276?s=20

https://twitter.com/RNBWCV/status/1346863855515930624

31.07/ Tom Flores getting in the NFL HOF is an important corrective to a troubling snub over the years. I'm not a Raiders guy, but Flores was a trailblazer

IMO tho the big news is recognizing Bill Nunn a'h. He was a catalyst for the integration of the NFL

https://twitter.com/RenegadeBlitz/status/1358242436812845058?s=20

31.08/ Yup.

IMO the fallacy comes from erroneous extrapolation by open-minded people whose life journeys exposed them to new ideas & allowed them to shed legacy prejudices. The problem-people are cruel & closed-minded so new ideas bounce off their hull

https://twitter.com/exadyto/status/1358224411417923588

31.09/ This is so beautiful. Silver's chosen profession - meta-analysis aka piggybacking on the hard work of others - & believing his own press clippings, while simultaneously propping up a terribly flawed product, has made him a Dunning-Kruger poster boy

31.10/ The Filibuster's gotta go, & one reason is the point below: it's a McConnell phenom (begun by Gingrich) that the parties appear so uniform ideologically, but they aren't.

As such, getting 51 votes usually means an ideological compromise was needed

https://twitter.com/mtsw/status/1358212721070592000?s=20

31.11/ This is great. Context: many Bernie supporters I read will (a) reflexively attack Democrats for every misstep with gusto & (b) specifically have been savaging Dems for the temerity of suggesting the exact thing that Sanders says openly here:

https://twitter.com/Wilson__Valdez/status/1358440507437965312?s=20

31.12/ My attitude about the Hunter Biden book can be summed up in these 2 positions:

(1) The GOP made him notorious, so why not?

https://twitter.com/AlexandraErin/status/1358429522366980099?s=20

(2) The double standard is dangerous:

https://twitter.com/LemieuxLGM/status/1358230239424307200

31.13/ More NFL/Tom Brady points (see 31.03): the same league that erased all evidence from Spygate also seems to change the rules in absurd ways when he's playing. It's as blatant as Trump's (ym'sh) lies. See here:

https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1358584681671909378?s=20

& here

https://twitter.com/SNFRules/status/1358577773279924225?s=20

31.14/ I wish Tampa had nearly any other QB but the Cheatin' Tom b/c they just needed a caretaker QB to win

Teddy Bridgewater, or the soon to retire Rivers, would have allowed me to cheer on Arians, the POC & women (& all the Steelers) on staff with gusto

https://twitter.com/Realrclark25/status/1358614666520518656?s=20

31.15/ Some great comments vis-a-vis the lopsided TomBradyFixed Superbowl:

Dunno if this is true, but I'd like it to be:

https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1358584523638927367?s=20

Yup:

https://twitter.com/toddwestindy/status/1358584963415891968?s=20

and, of course, the political angle:

https://twitter.com/TheDailyShow/status/1358586795919740929?s=20

31.16/ This may be my favorite of all the responses for the game:

"this Super Bowl could have been an email"

Just art.

https://twitter.com/miagaluppo/status/1358610683777089536

31.17/ Yes. This is a very revealing quote: to the MAGA ilk, the job of government & their representatives is to fight culture wars, and THAT'S IT.

While I think the battle aspect is with the BernieBros too, they also want government to work. MAGA don't.

https://twitter.com/HayesBrown/status/1358670502215172096?s=20

31.18a/ See below for how the Politician as Culture Warrior works. Cr*nshaw lusts to be a celebrity, as seen on the screencap (R) which is from his self-produced action fantasy campaign ad. This is goofy enough, but compare it to the right.

https://twitter.com/drmistercody/status/1358585060652273664?s=20

31.18b/ 1st, It's contradictory & nonsensical. Acting in commercials is literally their job

2nd: This guy is a politician who never does his ostensible job b/c he's in the nihilist do-nothing GOP

But it makes sense if you see that his voters see attacking Hollywood *as* his job

31.19/ Agree 100%. Way too often it feels they just want to replace themselves at the top of whatever pyramid they just toppled (See the "Dirtbag Left")

IMO I'd expand this, as well, to any worldview which has simple solutions to complex problems

https://twitter.com/photon_barrier/status/1358167605899624449?s=20

31.20/ Sadly, I agree with this. Now, especially, that they actually finished the Impeachment on Shabbas.

https://twitter.com/hoback_sara/status/1358951917720903680?s=20

31.21/ So, I went to bed and missed the end of the #DAYTONA500 and, let's just say it was more entertaining than the Superbowl this year

31.22/ Much truth here

European countries are often ethnically homogenous which makes them more like gated communities than US cities

As a rabbi/historian my rule is to judge a country by how they treat Jews, a historically oppressed community. Many fail

https://twitter.com/QueenMab87/status/1358942562518781952?s=20

31.23/ I should add, about the #DAYTONA crash below, that nobody was hurt (the goggles, they did something) and it was on the LAST LAP. Last. Lap.

https://twitter.com/JoshuaCypess/status/1361316871203602436?s=20

31.24/ I strongly agree with this.

One benefit of being frum is that I stayed away from the whole issue - I've also hated 'mock comics' (like Jay Leno, shock jocks) all my life - but that video's plea struck me & humanized a celebrity in an important way.

https://twitter.com/HarryR/status/1358881958055526402?s=20

31.25/ It's important to recognize a superlative use of a temporary meme. This is one of those cases. Just perfect

https://twitter.com/NotNikyatu/status/1358818758270332929

31.26/ My US Politics training emphasized the wisdom of federalism which prioritizes compromise. A parliament, where the majority in the legislature gets total power, leads to a real tyranny of the majority. The Gingrich/McConnell GOP wrecked the system.

https://twitter.com/RonBrownstein/status/1359142022615949312?s=20

31.27/ A number of people have used this metaphor and it's spot on: the second impeachment felt like a trial after a lynching, with the GOP playing the role of 'law officers who wholeheartedly support white supremacist violence'

All snickering disdain.

https://twitter.com/SER1897/status/1359238204302393344?s=20

31.28/ Yeah, #MoscowMitch is going to keep running that play - leak to the press a total lie that makes him look wise/benevolent - but in public openly vote and act like a white supremacist anti-Democracy fascist

https://twitter.com/ChrisCJackson/status/1359264491863736325

31.29/ Very well put.

https://twitter.com/aidan_smx/status/1359256965856153601

31.30/ As a GenX parent, I feel a dark sort of pride for seeing myself in this observation (which I've noticed myself). Millennials are kids of Baby Boomers & that whole dynamic is messed up. GenX are kids of the Silent Generation: both cohorts are ignored

https://twitter.com/PhysicistLisa/status/1359294148189290499?s=20

31.31/ Yes indeed. A cornerstone of Cypesian Analytics is this type of contrast. When I was watching the insurrection in real time I wondered how they weren't opening fire. Like the OP, I don't WANT gunfire, I just expected it.

https://twitter.com/byjoelanderson/status/1359252188124434433?s=20

31.32/ Endorse.

https://twitter.com/AkieaG/status/1359160150465077249

31.33/ The whole genre of "corporate Twitter account fight" is both hard to explain to the offline world and the closest contemporary approximation to polytheistic god fights (supplanting sports leagues)

And, yes, my state is correct about pizza.

https://twitter.com/NJGov/status/1359224998297239553?s=20

31.33b/ And NY agrees

Look, regional cuisine variants are lovely, but this is like seeing those "Bacon Filled Hamantaschen" recipes: be happy you like it but I suggest not foisting it on others when you know it's widely different from the source material

https://twitter.com/NYSBA/status/1359225343152971778

31.34/ This was my exact feeling at the time. A lot of us are depressed/exhausted & feel a sense of despair at the GOP impunity. But, there's also too much performative cynicism

Asha highlights that what happens in Congress is actually for the voters. Us

https://twitter.com/AshaRangappa_/status/1359563230142558208?s=20

31.35/ I really enjoy reading Tirado who's brilliant & does dangerous, valuable work. I'll do by best to honor this request - which I've seen from many others - but thread readers are very valuable to me for accessibility reasons & I actually pay for them.

https://twitter.com/KillerMartinis/status/1359341030345162753

31.36/ Very true and I do think it's useful to mark Sandy Hook as a crucial inflection point: when it was as clear as possible that the GOP made selfish-cruelty their trademark, ideology, and slogan

https://twitter.com/rulajebreal/status/1359637696700964865?s=20

31.37/ Truth. And I'd add:

1. Life is an open book exam, which still means you should study
2. Study = education, listening to many others (but I repeat myself)
3. The study is crucial because the biggest test questions are Pass/Fail

https://twitter.com/TheRealHoarse/status/1359646495599976448?s=20

31.38/ Re: Impeachment
a. This is true

https://twitter.com/MattNegrin/status/1359566274116923401?s=20

b. Which is why this is the only way to think about it

https://twitter.com/Rschooley/status/1359703850777595907?s=20

31.39/ It actually deepens her onscreen character too! (she's a terrible actor, it's needed):

Cara Dune hates the Empire as an Alderaan survivor, but that doesn't make her a good person. It's good to remember some war-allies are otherwise terrible people

https://twitter.com/Patrick_Wyman/status/1359700933769191426?s=20

31.40/ Oh my goodness, yes. They just goop it everywhere. Also, just cramming fruit-bits into bread & cake. I thought everyone agreed that fruitcake is inedible. Nope. Their motto seems to be "That bug? It's a feature. And then we boil it."

https://twitter.com/lyzl/status/1359710932042207234?s=20

31.41/ Great way of putting it.

Everything is a system, whether you perceive it or not.

https://twitter.com/DanPriceSeattle/status/1359695468775821312?s=20

31.42/ Yes. And this is how many people need to learn about dealing with abusers. They aren't going to change and their horrible actions weren't caused by you. You're not at fault. They are.

https://twitter.com/NGrossman81/status/1359856975421530113?s=20

31.43/ Good thread with valuable insight on the GenX experience. I hadn't thought of things this way and I'm persuaded.

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/1358469019393810433

31.44/ As is my wont, I'm now going through an author's threads (another reason threaders are valuable to me) & this is a really spot-on analysis centered around a key point: misogyny, esp. open violence vs women, should be seen as the biggest of red flags

https://twitter.com/AmandaMarcotte/status/1359608141470703628

31.45/ Another piece of proof that the "bootstraps" we're told to pull ourselves up by means "parental wealth"

https://twitter.com/gavnugent/status/1359633577483378690?s=20

31.46/ Wistfully remembering the day I discovered that when my doctor asked "how many cups of coffee do you drink?" she meant 8 ounce units and not physical cups in my hand.

First off: why is a "cup" still a thing?
Second: I think of coffee in hours, doc, not fluid measurement.

31.47/ This is on point re: Br*t St*phens and it makes even more sense to me once I've internalized how much the GOP is about victimology, grievance, and purposefully losing culture wars. Painless martyrs to fleece aging, credulous revanchists.

https://twitter.com/Atrios/status/1359913554774790147?s=20

31.48/ Big mood.

As she describes it down in the thread, it's "eternally self-reinforcing concept-solipsism" - a great phrase!

https://twitter.com/hels/status/1360991468970721280

31.49/ Really crucial to understand this dynamic when it comes to abusers and their ecology. Many high profile people are purposefully cultivated to passively kasher the brutes. I've been fooled by it in the past & I've likely been used that way myself.

https://twitter.com/clairewillett/status/1360000623949713408?s=20

31.50/ This is such art. I aspire to skewer so effectively.

https://twitter.com/chick_in_kiev/status/1360063201887588353?s=20

31.51/ I wish I could make jokes like this, it's so good.

I'm enough of fan to enjoy what I call 'perpendicular humor' but I can't craft those jokes (yet?)

https://twitter.com/gabedelahaye/status/1359952618433482756

31.51b/ The of course, there's this crucial follow-up

https://twitter.com/RandBallsStu/status/1360041326599929856?s=20

31.52a/ OK, I'm getting concerned this thread is getting too big so as an experiment, I'm splitting the thread into multiple pieces. Part 2 of the thread continues below.

https://twitter.com/JoshuaCypess/status/1361764472755531776?s=20