The nature of information in today’s world is that power comes not from what is revealed, but from what is successfully hidden. The majority of secrets are open; to privilege THESE secrets over others just reinforces the power of the super-rich.
Obviously the ethical issues here are numerous: It incentivizes hacking, it lessens the right to privacy for all of us… but my thinking is that ship has sailed. It’s not the reporting that destroys privacy, it’s the nature of information storage and vulnerability.
So while us common folk are regularly having our accounts hacked, passwords leaked, private information disseminated… while Facebook is compiling a dossier on every human on Earth… why should journalism shield the super-rich from equivalent consequences?
All that stipulated… I think a lot of us rush to rationalize because the ends justify the means. So maybe that’s what I’m doing.
Also, I have serious doubts this will make any difference. We already knew the broad strokes, will the exact numbers change anything?
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I am really hoping we change course, but if things continue the way they are headed, I think his failure to anticipate the GOP turn to fascism and antidemocracy will be Obama’s greatest legacy.
Obama could have told the country that Trump and his campaign were colluding with the Russian government long before the 2016 Election. He didn’t because he “didn’t want to appear partisan.”
[And because polls had everyone believing Hillary was going to demolish Trump.]
I certainly don’t want that to be his legacy, but at this point I don’t see many obstacles between us and a complete GOP dismantling of American democracy.
NYC has given up pretending city government has any authority over NYPD, and openly declared themselves a police state.
“Asked if the curfew had been lifted, a spokesperson for the Parks Department referred Gothamist to the NYPD.”
Robert Moses is spinning in his grave.
This is what happens when a city is allowed to create its own military: The police stage a coup. The cops now decide what’s illegal, at the time it happens, on a case by case basis.
This has bothered me for a long time, but I've never spoken about it: In my career I've managed around 20 people or so at various times. Two of those people were Black.
I cannot tell you how different my supervisors were toward me about how I managed the Black direct reports.
The level of scrutiny and suspicion I got from my bosses was really striking. If they called out sick, it was "Do you believe them?" If they were away from their desk for five minutes it was "Where's so-and-so?"
My regular one-on-ones with my managers (and these were two different people at different organizations! Both white, though) focused so much on how I needed to supervise those reports more directly.
So NYC is the epicenter of #COVID19 in the US, with hospitals on the verge of collapse and morgues overflowing. Queens is the hardest-hit borough. Here’s the teach at Astoria Park, in Queens, right now. @NYCMayor@NYCParks@Costa4NY
This park is huge, with lots of empty grassy areas to lounge and plenty of paths for running. People around the rest of the park are MOSTLY observing social distancing. The track has locking gates!! But they're open! Why????
Listen, I don't want police involvement, or anyone being arrested or fined, but you can take simple steps to make the track inhospitable. Park a couple city vehicles on the field. Lock the gates. Wrap the outdoor fitness equipment in police tape.
Just a reminder that every American over age 65 who opposes single-payer government health care because it's "socialism" is already enrolled in single-payer government health care.
When you think about it, this is the ONLY reason M4A is even remotely difficult to pass--because people over 65, who represent a massive and powerful voting bloc, already have the thing and wouldn't benefit.
Establishing single-payer government health care, but only for seniors, was possibly the worst thing America could have done for the future of American health care.