I watched the debate in horror, like millions of moderates. Here was a slick conman with a national bullhorn- sans fact checking- next to a decent man who tells the truth but can’t get his words out. Even Republicans know Trump’s performance was a firehose of lies
Like reading from my own heart, but coherent. Sabrina, you have a talent for finding order in chaos and a genius for conveying it to other's. Thank you for being so candid in your writing - it sets you apart. So much goes unspoken these days among our top voices for fear of being misinterpreted or having their words turned into "Gotcha" attacks. Well, from where I'm standing words will always be misinterpreted - even in a perfect world we will never live in - and having our words weaponized against what we intend them for is a permanent feature of this hyper-unreality now upon us.
I'm grateful you have the courage and sense to speak openly about what "is" - it's all we truly have.
Thank you, Sabrina. The "debate" was indeed painful to watch. And what we all need now is some perspective. Thank you for providing yours. It has been very helpful for me. I'll take honesty and competence over selfish lies and spectacle any day of the week as well.
My existence, in the United States, is the polar opposite of your own; historically, and contemporaneously. Ergo, I have no expectation that you will comprehend that, from where I sit, they are both two diaper-wearing, Jim Crow era racist white boys. Given that you are a J.D., and an author, you are clearly familiar with the historical and legislative records of both individuals.
Just offering you a different perspective from a parallel universe, society AND REALITY.
I appreciate reading your perspective, thank you. but if everything you see and experience is shaped by skin color, you will shape what happens with your own expectations. seriously. consider that brains addicted to seeing slights actually produce the slights. I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, I'm saying that constantly filtering your relationship with the world through that lens limits you, bc it causes you to lump diverse, supportive and nuanced perspectives into one white hostile face. you will miss the respect, empathy, compassion and all around good feelings toward you by assuming the worst. I've been there for years seeing discrimination against my own demographic as a gay white woman living in a black city (Gary, IN.) I studied neuroplasticity of the brain, got serious about not seeing discrimination out of the box, and my reality shifted. are there black people who still hate gays? of course there are, all demographics have their share of idiots. but they are far outnumbered by good people, and I've seen more good since becoming determined to look for it.
I wouldn't dare disrespect your viewpoint as platitudinal, however one of the most frustrating things about being a Black Person in the United States is European-American denialism and false equivalencies. For instance, if I am European-American (or "white") and gay, that is a damned sight from being a Black Person in the United States and gay. If I am in the "women's movement" and European-American that is different from being a Black Woman in the United States in the women's liberation movement of the 60's. In fact, I got spat on by European-American women.
With all due respect, I find it rather high-handed to suggest that I ought not "see discrimination." THIS is an apartheid nation, built on apartheid. Look at your own statistics from "Negative Health Outcomes," police killings, familial wealth gaps and literacy rates and your own, iron-clad, bulletproof, hermetically sealed data both confirms and substantiates my assertion.
I apologize for the lengthy response, but I shall leave you with two thoughts that a person of your training and intellect should appreciate. The first is from Langston Hughes who wrote: "That justice is a blind goddess is a fact to which we Blacks are wise, her blindfold hides two festering sores that once, perhaps, were eyes."
The second quote is from James Baldwin who emphatically declared in 1961, a few years before my entrance into the world, the following: “to be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all of the time."
thank you, as do i. but I think I failed to articulate what I was trying to say. of course there's racism, it animated slavery, the civil war and today's morons who are clamoring for another civil war. but can you bracket "race" long enough to see my bigger point, which is that all humans shape interactions with others by what they expect? if you expect racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc., you are more likely to see it. that doesn't mean it's not there even if you don't see it, it just means we help create it with our own expectations. I'm 60, and that has been my life experience. I too have been spit in the face, I was riding my bike through a black neighborhood in indianapolis in 1985, I smiled at this kid (probably teen) riding in the opposite direction and he spit a giant nasty hocker right in my face. you can't make this shit up. I can't use anyone else's experience but my own, and I have spent decades fighting that memory every time I ride my bike in a black neighborhood. so I totally get that one ugly and horrific experience (or ten of them) can shape our expectations, but is that really fair?
Well Ms. Haake, I think it both cognitive and practical folly to expect any "fair"ness in life (especially in the United States). Your most salient earlier comment speaks of looking for good. The very nature of having to look, or search, for something implies its rarity. Contrarily, I need not "look" for discrimination and apartheid as I am bombarded with it every single day because it is commonplace. Both a distinction and a difference.
I would imagine that were we to ever have the opportunity, we might have the most stimulating of discussions and like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow mused "think long, long thoughts."
also, not sure I agree that looking for good proves how rare it is. it's human nature to see the ugly- humans spend more mental energy on the negative as a matter of survival. (Neanderthals looking for clues of a saber tooth tiger, poison leaves, etc. trained our brains for hyper vigilance.) we don't scour for flowers and stars, we see them if they're right in front of us. this positive v negative paradigm spawned the science of neuroplasticity, which can be detected in MRIs, so it's more than just my opinion.
Hitting brick walls at breakneck speed is also a right away to shift your perspectives but I wouldn't recommend it. We are creatures of habit yes, but we also have the capacity for well reasoned thought through the lense of critical thinking which, can alter behavior immediately and permanently by rewriting your own algorithms. Brain plasticity indeed! You can rewrite your own code. We all have that capability. I know because I was a quadriplegic. Let that verb tense sink in for a moment please.
Every Word Cloud I've developed from Mr. Trump's mouth sounds remains, in fact, a fuzzy, blurry , opaque, tremendous blob. An alphabet soup of inedible ingredients.
We need to re-focus politics on being a team sport. Democracies should not have supreme charismatic leaders. In Australia we refer to the Albanese government, instead of the Labour government. Shouldn't happen. Our PM does generally appear, however, with members of his team who will add their contributions. Biden should have only committed to one term for the good and renewal of the party. If he stays, he should start appearing from now on with members of his team and emphasize the quality of the support behind him, taking some focus off himself generating confidence in the administration.
Appreciated your irony Sabrina but I will point out that the Left are rioting in the streets of Paris as I write, as they should.
In NC Biden proved nothing more than that he could read from a teleprompter. Governance requires thinking on one's feet. SEE my post: !! VOTING FOR DUMMIES !! ~ by Jesus! MeridaGOround.com
Like reading from my own heart, but coherent. Sabrina, you have a talent for finding order in chaos and a genius for conveying it to other's. Thank you for being so candid in your writing - it sets you apart. So much goes unspoken these days among our top voices for fear of being misinterpreted or having their words turned into "Gotcha" attacks. Well, from where I'm standing words will always be misinterpreted - even in a perfect world we will never live in - and having our words weaponized against what we intend them for is a permanent feature of this hyper-unreality now upon us.
I'm grateful you have the courage and sense to speak openly about what "is" - it's all we truly have.
Your wonderful post inspired this infographic.
"What Trump Insiders Say"
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/06/30/what-trump-insiders-say/
that's an awesome infographic!!!
Trump as president was an affront to all of humanity!
Thank you, Sabrina. The "debate" was indeed painful to watch. And what we all need now is some perspective. Thank you for providing yours. It has been very helpful for me. I'll take honesty and competence over selfish lies and spectacle any day of the week as well.
The trumpster is an old man and a lying scumbag that can only deflect, deflect, deflect....
Please rerun this column weekly.
ha! unfortunately I don't have enough subscribers to make a dent. but anyone can re-post it, anywhere they want, as often as they want.
My existence, in the United States, is the polar opposite of your own; historically, and contemporaneously. Ergo, I have no expectation that you will comprehend that, from where I sit, they are both two diaper-wearing, Jim Crow era racist white boys. Given that you are a J.D., and an author, you are clearly familiar with the historical and legislative records of both individuals.
Just offering you a different perspective from a parallel universe, society AND REALITY.
https://rohnkenyatta.substack.com/p/if-you-aint-black-dont-call-me-boy?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
I appreciate reading your perspective, thank you. but if everything you see and experience is shaped by skin color, you will shape what happens with your own expectations. seriously. consider that brains addicted to seeing slights actually produce the slights. I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, I'm saying that constantly filtering your relationship with the world through that lens limits you, bc it causes you to lump diverse, supportive and nuanced perspectives into one white hostile face. you will miss the respect, empathy, compassion and all around good feelings toward you by assuming the worst. I've been there for years seeing discrimination against my own demographic as a gay white woman living in a black city (Gary, IN.) I studied neuroplasticity of the brain, got serious about not seeing discrimination out of the box, and my reality shifted. are there black people who still hate gays? of course there are, all demographics have their share of idiots. but they are far outnumbered by good people, and I've seen more good since becoming determined to look for it.
I wouldn't dare disrespect your viewpoint as platitudinal, however one of the most frustrating things about being a Black Person in the United States is European-American denialism and false equivalencies. For instance, if I am European-American (or "white") and gay, that is a damned sight from being a Black Person in the United States and gay. If I am in the "women's movement" and European-American that is different from being a Black Woman in the United States in the women's liberation movement of the 60's. In fact, I got spat on by European-American women.
With all due respect, I find it rather high-handed to suggest that I ought not "see discrimination." THIS is an apartheid nation, built on apartheid. Look at your own statistics from "Negative Health Outcomes," police killings, familial wealth gaps and literacy rates and your own, iron-clad, bulletproof, hermetically sealed data both confirms and substantiates my assertion.
I apologize for the lengthy response, but I shall leave you with two thoughts that a person of your training and intellect should appreciate. The first is from Langston Hughes who wrote: "That justice is a blind goddess is a fact to which we Blacks are wise, her blindfold hides two festering sores that once, perhaps, were eyes."
The second quote is from James Baldwin who emphatically declared in 1961, a few years before my entrance into the world, the following: “to be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a state of rage almost all of the time."
Operative words: "relatively conscious."
I much appreciate the dialogue.
https://blackagendareport.com/black-people-america-cannot-be-racist-much-they-might-be
thank you, as do i. but I think I failed to articulate what I was trying to say. of course there's racism, it animated slavery, the civil war and today's morons who are clamoring for another civil war. but can you bracket "race" long enough to see my bigger point, which is that all humans shape interactions with others by what they expect? if you expect racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc., you are more likely to see it. that doesn't mean it's not there even if you don't see it, it just means we help create it with our own expectations. I'm 60, and that has been my life experience. I too have been spit in the face, I was riding my bike through a black neighborhood in indianapolis in 1985, I smiled at this kid (probably teen) riding in the opposite direction and he spit a giant nasty hocker right in my face. you can't make this shit up. I can't use anyone else's experience but my own, and I have spent decades fighting that memory every time I ride my bike in a black neighborhood. so I totally get that one ugly and horrific experience (or ten of them) can shape our expectations, but is that really fair?
Well Ms. Haake, I think it both cognitive and practical folly to expect any "fair"ness in life (especially in the United States). Your most salient earlier comment speaks of looking for good. The very nature of having to look, or search, for something implies its rarity. Contrarily, I need not "look" for discrimination and apartheid as I am bombarded with it every single day because it is commonplace. Both a distinction and a difference.
I would imagine that were we to ever have the opportunity, we might have the most stimulating of discussions and like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow mused "think long, long thoughts."
Here here, I'll toast to you virtually and have that chat in my mind. Thank you for the exchange and be well.
also, not sure I agree that looking for good proves how rare it is. it's human nature to see the ugly- humans spend more mental energy on the negative as a matter of survival. (Neanderthals looking for clues of a saber tooth tiger, poison leaves, etc. trained our brains for hyper vigilance.) we don't scour for flowers and stars, we see them if they're right in front of us. this positive v negative paradigm spawned the science of neuroplasticity, which can be detected in MRIs, so it's more than just my opinion.
Hitting brick walls at breakneck speed is also a right away to shift your perspectives but I wouldn't recommend it. We are creatures of habit yes, but we also have the capacity for well reasoned thought through the lense of critical thinking which, can alter behavior immediately and permanently by rewriting your own algorithms. Brain plasticity indeed! You can rewrite your own code. We all have that capability. I know because I was a quadriplegic. Let that verb tense sink in for a moment please.
💯
Every Word Cloud I've developed from Mr. Trump's mouth sounds remains, in fact, a fuzzy, blurry , opaque, tremendous blob. An alphabet soup of inedible ingredients.
We need to re-focus politics on being a team sport. Democracies should not have supreme charismatic leaders. In Australia we refer to the Albanese government, instead of the Labour government. Shouldn't happen. Our PM does generally appear, however, with members of his team who will add their contributions. Biden should have only committed to one term for the good and renewal of the party. If he stays, he should start appearing from now on with members of his team and emphasize the quality of the support behind him, taking some focus off himself generating confidence in the administration.
Appreciated your irony Sabrina but I will point out that the Left are rioting in the streets of Paris as I write, as they should.
In NC Biden proved nothing more than that he could read from a teleprompter. Governance requires thinking on one's feet. SEE my post: !! VOTING FOR DUMMIES !! ~ by Jesus! MeridaGOround.com
I'd vote for a dummy over a traitorous conman too.