Reading "Doppelganger" by @naomiaklein based on a recommendation from @pluralistic
The analysis of the mirror world of Bannonite conspiracy theories is poignant and important.
Just as scary, however, is the mirror world into which "hard centre" democrats receded after Trump's victory in 2016: The election was "stolen" by Russian interference, Trump was a "Russian asset", Putin was the evil mastermind behind it all. Instead of owning up to Clinton's loss, they all seemed to have gone insane.
Just like the tendency to blame the "white working class" for Trump's victory. In actuality, the white working class was under-represented among the Trump voters.
Why did these centrists supposedly all defending "reason" go down that rabbit hole? Maybe it is and was too painful to recognize that business as usual and dynastic entitlement (and "lean in" feminism) is not what the US needs right now. What it needed at the time was Bernie Sanders.
Relevant for the idea of "lean in" feminism and allowing women and minorities in board rooms, I'm currently based in the UK (normally, Denmark) and the government here is a case in point: Is Rishi Sunak as PM a victory for anti-racism and inclusivity?
No, that's not a victory for anything. Sunak may be non-white, but what matters is that he's *posh*. Inclusivity would, in the UK, mean letting people in who are not upper class. More precisely, who are not *rich:*.
“Member of historically-excluded group is now just as big a shit as members of the traditionally dominant elite" is not the diversity, equity and inclusion victory we were looking for.
Carsten Agger
Charlie Stross
Angus McIntyre
ersatzmaus