Daily Archives: July 31, 2022

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Reality's revenge: The return of stagflation | Columns | timesnews.net - Kingsport Times News

The Republican-MAGA movement's reactionary agenda is clear enough. But the deeper motivations of many Trump supporters, at least beneath their absurd and offensive stated beliefs, is much less so.

What we might call the Great Demolition plot includes establishing a corporate oligarchy, a neo-feudalist regime based on long-term minoritarian rule and a malevolent pseudo-Christian theocracy undergirded by state thuggery and social authoritarianism, all of it infused with an incoherent ideological blend of anarchic libertarianism (on guns and most forms of regulation) and fascistic nightmare (white supremacy, antisemitism and numerous grades of conspiracy theory).

Millions of Americans support this regressive and oppressive agenda, but their views are not identical or monolithic: There are the probably well-meaning but horribly misguided Joe and Jane Average, the bloodthirsty fascists, the apoplectic culture warriors, the scheming plutocrats, the uniformed sadists, the gun-radical civilians, the Christian nationalists and "Dominionists," the QAnon believers, the con artists and grifters, the conformists, the deeply traumatized and the profoundly misinformed. All understand themselves to be "patriots," of course.

Clearly, there is a wide spectrum of motivations, beliefs, personalities, interests and objectives, intensity of conviction and degree of lunacy among these mistaken millions. But how can one account for this herd-like descent into paranoia, cultish-nihilistic rage against reality, and proliferation of sociopathic behaviors? A general answer is that extreme beliefs bear little if any connection with the object they purport to discuss. They stem from complex and often subterranean interplay between biological forces (such as neural-hormonal wiring or gender), constructed biographies (whether individual or collective), economic interests, one's sense of belonging and social networks, and "belief formation," meaning the cognitive, affective and behavioral dynamics of decision-making.

What is behind crazy beliefs? Craziness, in one form or another. Crazy beliefs result from dysfunctions and toxicity that, in many individuals, generate unbearable anguish. A more specific answer, then, is that fear plays a central role in individual devolution and mass indoctrination. As Corey Robin points out, fear has a social history. It is a political feeling, the raison d'tre and oldest manipulation tactic of repressive groups and regimes. Many Americans suffer from fear, derived from multiple poisoned sources. Desperate and despondent, they lash out through nihilism, tribalism and rhetorical or actual violence.

Fear has been part of the human experience since time immemorial. From Howard Sackler's screenplay for Stanley Kubrick's 1953 film "Fear and Desire":

There is a war in this forest. Not a war that has been fought, nor one that will be, but any war. And the enemies who struggle here do not exist unless we call them into being. This forest then, and all that happens now is outside history. Only the unchanging shapes of fear and doubt and death are from our world. These soldiers that you see keep our language and our time but have no other country but the mind.

Britain and the United States, to cite the obvious examples, were able to develop generally successful and more or less democratic governments over time because powerful potential enemies were far away, while internal dissenters often emigrated or were crushed. Historically, this included Roman Catholics in the U.K. and anarchists, socialists, Black radicals and other political dissidents in the U.S. In America's case, two vast oceans allowed for safety from external invasion and also for considerable social, individual and ideological diversity. Yet after the traumas of 9/11, the war on terror, the Great Recession, the debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan and the COVID pandemic, Americans reacted as many other peoples have done before them, sliding downward into mass intolerance and violence.

That included the wholesale and largely unquestioned surrender of supposedly cherished freedoms through emergency laws and mass surveillance; extrajudicial kidnapping, torture and imprisonment; new forms of unconventional warfare (i.e., drones) waged against civilians and militants alike; and an enormous consolidation of power in the presidency and the executive branch. All of this went along with military adventurism, political radicalization and polarization, and an upsurge of magical beliefs and both mental and physical health crises, including opioid addictions, obesity and suicide.

After 20 years of mismanaged war in the Middle East, the U.S. finds itself in a situation disturbingly similar to Weimar Germany: disaffected veterans, militarized police, and right-wing radicalism converging with "mainstream" conservatism.

Fear is also inflamed through the national obsession with world domination, military power, militarized culture and gun idolatry. Historian Kathleen Belew, author of "Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America,"argues that each modern U.S. war was followed by a significant increase in domestic radicalism, white supremacy activism and paramilitary agitation. After 20 years of brutally mismanaged war in the greater Middle East, the U.S. finds itself in a situation disturbingly similar to Weimar Germany in 1919: With a relatively large and often disaffected veteran population (think of Timothy McVeigh), growing fascist penetration of the police and the military, increasingly militarized police forces, and armed militias (akin to the Freikorps in Germany) assaulting the legal-constitutional order. Right-wing radicalism has begun to converge with "mainstream" conservatism, fueled by a proliferation of entrepreneurs of chaos and the widespread cult of guns.

Fear also comes from the economy: Since the 1980s, economic survival has continued to demand more expensive degrees, longer working hours and greater productivity. Increasing financial pressure on individuals, families and communities has weakened the middle class by raising the costs of education, health care and real estate, and undermining wages, job security and organized labor. Americans fear exploitation and intimidation in the workplace, and also fear loss of status, health coverage and retirement pension. What's more, they fear each other, and not entirely without reason a factor that helps explain the proliferation of guns. (This is nearly identical to the classic "security dilemma" of international relations theory.)

Global economic forces subject Americans to the rule of the unaccountable one percent, the whims of the FIRE corporations (finance, insurance and real estate) and the condescension and pandering of their lackeys in both political parties. Workers tough it out while the masters of the new Gilded Age buy politicians, lawmakers, judges, think tanks, media outlets and experts; corrupt and exploit the skewed tax system; flout the law and the public interest (no major executive was incarcerated for the 2008 Great Recession); and corrupt the public spirit. To say that the system is rigged, as critics on both the left and right proclaim, is nowhere near adequate.

Abandoned by corporate Democrats, in 2016 the (white) working and middle classes turned in desperation toward an arsonist leading a gang of saboteurs. Their rage resulted from their dysfunctional context; their radicalization was a reaction against structural injustice. Their radical politics may be understood, in part, as a desperate reaction against despair. As Hannah Arendt wrote in "The Origins of Totalitarianism" about 1930s fascism, "the masses' escape from reality is a verdict against the world in which they're forced to live.... It's a protest against the real conditions of existence."

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Male anxiety and overcompensation have further befouled this witches' brew. Dominant models of American personhood, and especially manhood, are rooted in stereotypes of heroism, self-reliance, stoicism, greed, athleticism and competitive vigor, not to mention heterosexuality. Reality appears somewhat different, as the hard right is characterized by panic, emotional incontinence, unhinged rage and homicidal schadenfreude. (Of course I mean Donald Trump, but consider also Ann Coulter, Tucker Carlson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Laura Ingraham, Alex Jones, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, etc.)

Archetypes of manliness are grotesquely distorted by far-right online "communities" of gamers, "incels" and white supremacists, and entirely too many women who embrace a cartoonish vision of masculinity and denigrate feminism. Anguished "conservatives" and "patriots" are incensed by women's progress, the evolution of gender mores and increasing acceptance of a wide range of LGBTQ+ identities. They are simultaneously insecure and arrogant, fragile and bellicose. Their aggressive bombast and misogyny only serves to reveal the compensatory role played by performative toxic masculinity in lessening their inner turmoil and re-establishing a vague semblance of psychic safety.

There is a continuum that encompasses run-of-the mill misogynists, "pick-up artists," men's rights activists, the online manosphere (e.g., MGTOW), extreme gamers, incels, incels who murder women, the alt-right, and activists and politicians who want to strip women of their rights. Male supremacy also feeds white supremacy, as white sexual anguish stokes racial anguish over Black men's virility and fuels the spread of the "great replacement" conspiracy theory.

This shared hostility toward women and minorities springs from recognizable sociopathic traits: entitlement, grievance, raging righteousness, cruelty, and social domination. Many are looking for father figures, authoritarian or even punitive fathers, for unapologetically dominant alpha males (John Wayne, Rambo, Trump, "Top Gun," John Wick) and models on how to be a real man (Jordan Peterson). In April of this year, Tucker Carlson infamously pushed an apocalyptic-messianic "documentary" called "The End of Men" that advocated "testicle tanning," or exposing male genitalia to red light, supposedly to boost testosterone levels, as a form of "bromeopathy."

In his 1897 classic of sociology, "Suicide," mile Durkheim argued that suicide was not a purely individual phenomenon, but was influenced by collective forces. A society that nurtures functional "little platoons" ( la Edmund Burke) and the sound social integration and regulation of individuals helps them cope with the rigors of life. When that kind of integration fails, the result may be what Durkheim called "selfish suicide" (individuals who feel disconnected), while deficient regulation may facilitate "anomic suicide" (when an individual lacks a sense of rules and meaning). On the other hand, too much integration, as in the military or cult movements, can facilitate "altruistic suicide" (self-sacrifice for the group), while excessive regulation may facilitate "fatalistic suicides" (in which someone breaks under the weight of rigid social norms). In other words, unbalanced forms of social cohesion produce specific pathologies. It's not much of a leap to conceive that American society, with its social isolation, incessant consumerism, endless commercial spectacle and social Darwinism, could produce all sorts of alarming compensatory strategies, such as the manic, cultish, bellicose energy of the MAGA faithful.

Indeed, the fear of death whether biological and social is the fear that underpins countless others. As anthropologist Ernest Becker showed in "The Denial of Death," individuals will do almost anything to lessen or forget this primal terror. Trumpers repudiate their loved ones, vilify reason and science, internalize outlandish lies and embrace servitude and mob rule. Cognitive dissonance, motivated reasoning, confirmation bias and amnesia are the ticket into the warm embrace of the tribe, which is both an extension of one's precious ego and a framework for security the basis of Abraham Maslow's pyramid of fundamental human needs.

Furthermore, terror management and grief processing are closely connected. Elizabeth Kbler-Ross famously identified five stages of grief: denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance. Millions of Trumpers grapple with loss and remain stuck at the initial, pain-filled levels of the grieving process: "The COVID virus is a myth, I am in control" (denial); "Mask mandate is Nazism and/or communism" (anger); "Dr. Fauci stole my life" (anger and depression); "If I take vitamin D, I won't be affected" (bargaining). They take longer to move toward acceptance, if that ever happens: "I will wash my hands and keep a safe distance." David Kessler, a foremost expert on grief and close collaborator of Kbler-Ross, added a sixth stage: seeking meaning. But actual meaning can only come after an acceptance of reality. Delusional sense-seeking is what happens when individuals and groups short-circuit the process, skip healthy grieving and rush into compensatory worlds.

The fear of economic exploitation, violence, political sclerosis, loneliness and death is easy enough to understand. Yet another fear torments Americans: fear of freedom.

The fear of economic exploitation, violence and war, institutional or political sclerosis, solipsism and death is easy to understand. Yet another fear secretly torments many Americans: fear of freedom, or rather fear of the charges and duties that responsible freedom entails. Erich Fromm, in his study of Nazism "Escape From Freedom," explains that the rigors of freedom create considerable anxiety in many individuals, who seek to lessen stress through three mechanisms: destructiveness, conformity with (and submission to) the group, and seeking refuge in an authoritarian movement that seems to offers direction and meaning. Today, the mainstream, conventional American sense of self is self-centered, entitled and inauthentic; and therefore also insecure and hyper-vigilant, aggrieved and bellicose. An epidemic of narcissism and unmoored subjectivity that cuts across generations, races, genders, sexual orientations, classes and political affiliations has fed the current crisis. Irritable individual sovereignty, freed from any sense of responsibility, helps many Trumpers indulge their narcissism, intellectual laziness and conformity.

Indeed, willful ignorance is key here. In 1546, John Heywood, perhaps inspired by Jeremiah 5:21, wrote: "There are none so blind as those who will not see." Self-indulgence mixes with the old populist mystique of practical knowledge and vocational skills to feed the fear and hatred of analytical culture and critical thinking and the particularly demanding form of freedom it offers.

As Richard Hofstadter remarked some 60 years ago, anti-intellectualism and paranoia are American traditions embedded in the national experience. In his 1963 classic "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life," heargues that intellectuals and experts are viewed as "pretentious, conceited, effeminate, and snobbish; and very likely immoral, dangerous, and subversive" and un-American. Historically, the American glorification of the "common man" tends to feed demagoguery, favors the lowest common denominator and fuels self-absorption, religious fundamentalism and suspicion of the experts and other Others. It is Jacksonian democracy run amok. Mangled English and a smug ignorance (of science, history, the world, legitimate sources of knowledge) become evidence of one's authenticity (Trump, Sarah Palin, George W. Bush) and good character. Hostility toward critical knowledge is also a form of revolt against the Enlightenment, against an ideal of truth that demands questioning one's ego, one's limits, one's safety and one's world. This ontological insecurity feeds paranoia, which Hofstadter defined as "the sense of heated exaggeration, suspiciousness, and conspiratorial fantasy" that characterizes "more or less normal people" throughout American history.

Paranoia is found across historical time and space. Its American avatar harks back to medieval Christian millenarianism and end-time fantasies of destruction and salvation, which Norman Cohn describes as

the megalomaniac view of oneself as the Elect, wholly good, abominably persecuted, yet assured of ultimate triumph; the attribution of gigantic and demonic powers to the adversary; the refusal to accept the ineluctable limitations and imperfections of human existence, such as transience, dissention, conflict, fallibility whether intellectual or moral; the obsession with inerrable prophecies, systematized misinterpretations, always gross and often grotesque.

This portrait of medieval lunatics can be applied verbatim to contemporary QAnon believers, Christian nationalists and other "patriots." Trumpism is a charismatic, cultish and nihilistic mass movement that calls for destruction "for them" and salvation "for us." This helps explain why sadism, cruelty and sheer frenzy run deep in the MAGA circus: they bind the mob together toward mass cruelty and some apocalyptic showdown. Charisma replaces common sense. As Bret Stephens writes about the decay of moderate conservatism on both sides of the Atlantic: "Where there is sense, there is not much charisma; when there is charisma, there is almost no sense."

Trumpist zealots converge on style and substance, while their goals and deeper motivations remain diverse. Many Trumpers are not fearful at all, but arrogant, domineering and coldly conniving. Others the sour, surly, and surreal specimens whom Jordan Klepper interviews regularly demonstrate the truth of the adage that "there are limits to human intelligence but no limits to human stupidity." Others, like the morally flexible evangelicals, use the "Cyrus the Great" rationalization (Isaiah 41:2-4, 45:1-3) to proclaim that Trump, though imperfect, was anointed by God because he delivered their most cherished goals. Millions of others spurred by anguish are riding along in the bacchanal, serving as the useful idiots and shock troops for the Pied Pipers, princes and principalities (Ephesians 6:12) of Trumpistan.

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on why millions of Americans still love #45

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America's heart of darkness: Making sense of the nonsensical allure of MAGA - Salon

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Readers weigh in on the Pope's remarks, Jordan Peterson's appraisal of our PM, and preserving the culture of Canada's 'Second Nation', in the Letters to the Editor

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Re: Papal visit should not obscure federal obligations to Indigenous-Canadians, Terry Glavin, July 27

Im sure the glaring ironies of the continuously referred to water metaphor, and repeated references to mothers and grandmothers in the various remarks made by Pope Francis, didnt escape many observers of his visit to Canada.

That water is the essence of life didnt need to be pointed out to those bands who still need to drink from plastic bottles on a daily basis despite Justin Trudeaus promise from 2015 to deliver clean driving water to all First Nations by 2021.

And the fact that headdressed males swarmed a stage in a disorderly and unseemly fashion to get selfies with the Pontiff while women stood on the periphery with no overt welcome to that apparently spontaneous moment spoke more loudly about the hypocrisy of womens place in the Catholic Church than could ever be over-ridden by Franciss words.

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Larry Baswick, Stratford, Ont.

I am deeply appreciative of the recent work of the Posts Terry Glavin in regard to the mistreatment of Canadas Indigenous peoples.

I have found his reports compelling and enormously valuable and perhaps more accurate and balanced than those found elsewhere within the Canadian media landscape.

And I am in awe of the measured, gracious comments from Canadas Indigenous leaders in Glavins articles. Their dignity in the face of these horrors should inspire us all.

Al Coates, Cambridge, Ont.

Re: Worst is yet to come from Trudeau Liberals, Jordan Peterson, July 27

If only one of the comments garnered by Jordan Peterson from conversations during his travels is true, it is an indictment of Justin Trudeau, the Liberal Party of Canada and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh. Canada is indeed the laughingstock of the world.

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Canada was once a proud country, punching above our weight in war and peacekeeping roles, a middle economy, trading with the world and a recognized nation of peace, order and good government. But the Liberals handling of the pandemic, overreaction to the truckers protest, climate hysteria, penalizing of Canadian taxpayers instead of China, decimation of our economy with constraints on our energy sector, condoning of public-sector incompetence, creation of chaos at airports, and contempt for our parliamentary system (while Britain illustrates how our democracy should work), expose a different picture. Justin Trudeau and the current Canadian government are a joke. The joke is on us.

Larry Sylvester, Acton, Ont.

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Bless the National Post for having the courage to publish Dr. Jordan Petersons appraisal of the current state of affairs in Canada. However, Postmedia must be very worried that publishing the article will jeopardize its standing as a qualified Canadian journalism organization. There is a way to mitigate the risk. Simply publish a rebuttal by noted Liberal pundit and deep thinker Gerald Butts.

Peter Keerma, Aurora, Ont.

Re: Trudeau will continue winning if Conservatives keep flip-flopping, Jamil Jivani, July 25

Jamil Jivani hit the nail on its head regarding the need for Conservatives to stop trying to cater to the left the left being bigger government resulting in greater intrusiveness into individual rights and the destruction of the fabric of a free society with all its consequences. A little more to the left and you can see the authoritarian communist party of China ruling. A little to the left and you can see the dictatorship in Russia.

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The more control a government has over its citizenry the greater the dictatorship. Nazism and communism share the same core concept, which is control by a small group using force to eventually control a society. These systems have resulted in incalculable suffering for humankind. Being in the spectrum but not on the extreme should not absolve our left-wing parties, however well-meaning they appear. The end result is always the same.

If we want to uphold freedom, the Conservatives should stop flip-flopping, whether they get elected or not.

Andr Behamdouni, Sturgeon Falls, Ont.

Re: The first rule of Poilievres Fight Club is there are no rules, John Ivison, July 27

Perhaps Pierre Poilievre is right that its time to get angry and charged up to vote and take down the real divisive monster in Canada: Justin Trudeau. Maybe Poilievres scorched-earth, take-no-prisoners approach is exactly what is needed to shake up and revitalize our failing institutions and restore a bit of trust in them.

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We keep taking the same tired, failing, status quo approach to politics and it just isnt working for the people anymore. Time for a change, even if it means tearing it all down to do it.

Corey Needer, Vaughan, Ont.

Re: Charest and Poilievre have an opportunity to build bridges between English and French Canada, Conrad Black, July 23

Pierre Trudeau was correct: French-Canadians must be masters in their own house, but their house is in Canada. Hence it is the prerogative of French-Canadians to pass laws that will protect their culture and language, and this is what Bill 96 is all about. It is the rights of the Quebec nation to take steps to preserve its heritage.

There is now Truth and Reconciliation taking place with First Nations, with all of us remembering that they were the ethnic groups that were the earliest known inhabitants of this country. Their common teaching is that people should live in harmony.

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Then came the Second Nation to inhabit Canada, the French, with Samuel de Champlain in 1608 founding what was to become the city of Quebec and New France. But then British rule took over and 10,000 Acadians, who were descendants of the early French settlers, were deported between 1755 and 1763. The Acadians had built a distinct culture and society over generations. The deportation was referred to as the Great Upheaval and the Great Expulsion. Obviously, the expulsion of the Canadian French nation was offensive and culturally oppressive.

Bill 96 should be seen as part of a reconciliation with the Second Nation, to bring harmony. It is to ensure the survival and flourishment of the Quebec Nation, to ensure the preservation of its heritage.

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Roger Cyr, Victoria, B.C.

Re: Ottawas unjust energy transition paints a bullseye on western Canada, Bill Bewick, July 27

The population of Sri Lanka is unable to feed itself after an economic meltdown and after their government forbade the use of agricultural fertilizers and pesticides. As a result of massive protests, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country, although he has said he will return at an unspecified date.

In Canada, Justin Trudeaus government has informed our agricultural sector it wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer by 30 per cent. When Canada experiences the resulting food shortages, let us hope Trudeau is forced to flee as well.

Robert B. Kalina, Oakville, Ont.

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Re: Canada shares expertise on moving grain from Ukraine, but faith in Russia nil, July 22

A Canadian Press article advised that some Ukrainian grain is being transported through Europe by rail.

Rail transport is complicated by the fact that Ukrainian railroads have a broad gauge (1.524 mm) track while most other European railroads have standard gauge (1.435 mm) tracks (as does most of Canada).

A way Canadian railroad expertise might help is by designing and managing the construction of a 150-kilometre standard gauge railway to link Odesa, in Ukraine, to the Bulgarian rail network for forwarding grain to shipping terminals in Istanbul, Turkey.

With war-time exigencies and temporary structures, it should be possible to construct this standard gauge trackage in several months. The Ukrainian Railway authorities have shown tremendous resilience and resourcefulness during the war and should be able to operate this railroad perhaps using 100-tonne grain hopper cars loaned by Canada.

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Derek Wilson, Port Moody, B.C.

Re: UNESCO: Nearly half of Telegrams Holocaust content contains denial, distortion, July 14

As a hidden infant child survivor whose father and whose fathers siblings and their spouses as well as other close family members perished in the Holocaust, I often wonder at the reaction of so many regarding the denial of this horror. A cursory study of Jewish history will show the presence of denial in one form or another throughout the ages.

Consider first the exodus from Egypt. From a purely secular point of view, the exodus of a slave nation from the most powerful empire on Earth, must have had cataclysmic economical, political and social effects on Egyptian society. Yet there is nary a reference to this event in Egyptian records. But Jews celebrate Passover to this day.

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And if we consider Persian sources, there is no record of the decree made almost 1,000 years after the Egyptian exodus, to annihilate every Jewish man, woman and child in the Persian empire. In the end it was a Holocaust that didnt happen. And Jews have celebrated their deliverance on Purim ever since.

If we fast forward to WWII, we note that it was the most documented war in history. We have an incredible storehouse of photographic evidence of the Holocaust, as well as the testimonies of thousands of survivors and rescuers. And yet with modern technology it is relatively easy to sophistically Photoshop extant evidence and to create new evidence.

So what do I expect my heirs to face long after I and all other survivors have gone? I am not suggesting that we, or they, should stop confronting Holocaust denial. Indeed, such denial should be vigorously opposed. Still, we should not be surprised or shocked when we see denial writ large. In the end, what is important, and lasting, is what we both Jew and Gentile pass down to our children. There will always be people of goodwill who will oppose the evil they confront. And I am alive to write this because of an extended Christian family who risked life, limb and torture to save a mother and her three children.

Eli Honig, Toronto

National Post and Financial Post welcome letters to the editor (150 words or fewer). Please include your name, address and daytime phone number. Email letters@nationalpost.com. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.

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Letters to the editor: Irony and inspiration in Pope Francis's visit - National Post

This weeks announcement that Stan Grant will be permanent host of the ABCs Q&A follows widespread speculation about the future of the program. On some estimates, ratings have fallen by more than 50% from a peak of over 600,000 during its first decade under Tony Jones, who served as host from 2008.

Hamish Macdonald succeeded Jones in November 2019 but resigned in July last year, describinghis 18-month tenure as a bruising experience. Aside from being attacked on Sky News for his far left Green agenda, he was relentlessly trolled on social media, with virulent accusations of bias from both the left and the right.

Curiously, the BBCs Question Time Q&As prototype has followed a parallel trajectory. Its ratings have fallen precipitously, from nearly nine million to just over a million and the decline coincides with the replacement of veteran host David Dimbleby by seasoned BBC personality Fiona Bruce, whose own brand of charisma is no match for the gravitas of her predecessor.

Question Time is something of a cuckoo in the nest. In its 43-year history it has consistently featured leading commentators and parliamentarians; its two most longstanding presenters, Dimbleby and Robin Day, were the equivalent of BBC royalty. But since its takeover by a commercial production company in 1998, the program has crossed the line into terrain more generally associated with tabloid media.

Now its producers prefer guests like Brexiteer Nigel Farage, conservative psychologist Jordan Peterson and John Lydon (alias punk rocker Johnny Rotten), who serve to ratchet up the controversy. Its been claimed that paid audience plants are instructed to ask heavily weighted questions, and that the chairing is biased. And Bruce endures the kind of social media onslaught that drove Macdonald out.

Reports of disastrous ratings may themselves be a form of motivated attack. Audiences now have many more viewing options than the original live transmissions, and the BBC has persistently asserted that audience figures are higher than some surveys suggest.

Q&A is in much the same situation: while Sky claims the lefty lovefest has scored as low as 228,000, the ABC estimates the regular following through 2021 at more than 400,000. But thats still quite a drop-off since the programs heyday.

Are we just jaded with celebrity opinion shows, especially those founded in the leftright dramaturgy? The predictability is at times exhausting.

Macdonalds best episode was his first, in February 2020, when he chaired a session on the bushfires with a panel that included Kirsty McBain, then mayor of Bega, and Andrew Constance, Liberal MP for the area. The panel sat on office chairs in a semi-circle, genuinely sharing what they had all just been through, including Macdonald himself, who had reported from an evacuation centre as the fire front approached.

A few weeks later, though, it was back to business as usual, with the presenter in a glossy suit fielding the play of leftright argy-bargy in the studio.

We dont need this anymore. In many ways, the conventions of robust disagreement and both sides-ism are no longer a positive feature of civil society but rather a threat to it. As Republican Liz Cheney put it in a recent statement to the January 6th Committee, the normal sort of vitriolic, toxic partisanship has got to stop. And we have to recognise what is at stake.

Stan Grant has several times taken the helm as guest host of Q&A since Tony Joness departure. He prompted a furore in March this year when he expelled an audience member who expressed support for Putins invasion of Ukraine, asserting the program was contributing to media bias against Russia. There were calls of propaganda from the audience as the speaker proceeded to claim that Ukraine was responsible for all the violence.

Aired in the second week of the Russian invasion, this episode included speakers and audience members with family in the war zone. We encourage different points of view here, Grant said. But we cant have anyone who is sanctioning, supporting, violence.

Clearly caught off guard by an unscheduled audience intervention, Grant may have missed the essential point: that the statement, intentionally or not, was Russian propaganda. It was a critical moment for many reasons, one of which is that Grants subsequent appointment as host could signal a change in direction for the program.

That moment also raised the question of when we should call foul on claims about the right to express opinion, especially in a media culture increasingly subject to influence from organised, even state-run, propaganda. And what is propaganda? How does it manifest and how should we respond?

This, surely, would be a good focus for a Q&A program. Peter Pomerantsev, who has studied Russian propaganda for decades, would be the perfect guest. These are times in which we need sustained, forensic focus on complex issues. We need insight and analysis from people with knowledge and experience, not extemporised opinion from celebrities.

The Ukraine invasion is the starkest manifestation of the transformed geopolitical environment. With Donald Trump already moving to gather support for another tilt at the presidency, and the US justice department taking its time over the evidence against him, the future of American democracy is in jeopardy. In Australia we have a leader of the opposition who talks openly about war with China.

Jones, Macdonald and Grant have all had extensive experience as foreign correspondents. With domestic politics increasingly dwarfed by the massive geopolitical tensions of our era, those issues should be to the fore. Q&A, which originated as a premier platform for the opinion wars, now has an opportunity to lead the way out of them.

Originally posted here:

Can Q&A lead us out of the opinion wars its helped to fuel? - The Conversation

There has been no love lost between the Golden State Warriors' fan base and Charles Barkley.

But recently, the former player and current TV analyst said something that even the most die-hard Warriors' fan can agree with.

During an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area during the American Century Championship at Edgewood Tahoe Gold Course, Barkley gave an abundance of credit for Golden State's success to Bob Myers, the team's general manager. He even said he's one of the greatest things to ever happen to the franchise that's turned dynastic under his leadership.

Bob Myers has done a fabulous job," Barkley said. "He won the Finals for those guys this year, going out and getting Andrew Wiggins. He was the second-best player. Jordan Poole. Otto Porter."

While recognizing the Warriors as NBA Champions is undeniable, actually giving credit to the Warriors organization is somewhat uncharted territory for Barkley. As fans remember, Barkley refused to pick Golden State in any of the five games in the Western Conference Finals.

He openly stated that he could not in good conscience actually pick the Warriors even though he knew they were the better team. This drew "Chuck you suck!" chants from Warriors fans at Chase Center.

But Barkley has finally changed his tune, at least when it comes to the actual players and foundation of the franchise that's won four championships in the last eight years and yes, that's four more than Barkley, himself for those keeping score at home.

So, Bob Myers was the second-best thing to happen to the Warriors since Steph Curry the last few years," Barkley said. "So, give Bob Myers some credit. And, obviously, Otto Porter played great. Drafting Jordan Poole. You talk about Steph and those guys, give Bob Myers a ton of credit. He deserves it.

Excerpt from:

Charles Barkley Thinks Bob Myers is the 'Second-Best Thing' to Happen to Golden State - Sports Illustrated

MYRNA BROWN, HOST:Good morning!

Some Republicans are flip-flopping on same-sex marriageand seem to be trimming their sails on pro-life.

Also, a challenge to the church from a friendly nonbeliever

NICK EICHER, HOST:Thats ahead on Culture Friday with Andrew Walker.

Also today a review of Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.Arts and Media editor Collin Garbarino seeks a few minutes youd spare us.

And your listener feedback.

BROWN:Its Friday, July 29th. This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. Im Myrna Brown.

EICHER:And Im Nick Eicher. Good morning!

BROWN:Now news with Paul Butler.

PAUL BUTLER, NEWS ANCHOR:Kentucky floods In Kentucky, flash floods killed several people and forced many to their roofs Thursday.

Heres Flo Harris, Kentucky resident,

HARRIS: Its pretty scary, and knowing that theres nothing you can do about it.So what do you do? You stand there and watch it and pray that the Lord will take care of everybody.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said this is some of the worst flooding in the states history. Hundreds will likely lose their homes. Hes announced a state of emergency and called the National Guard.

BESHEAR: Were currently experiencing one of the worst most devastating flooding events in Kentuckys history.

As much as six inches of rain has fallen in some parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia and the National Weather Service said about three more inches are likely.

GDP report bleak, Meta revenue down The U.S. economy is sinking toward a recession. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that the U.S. gross domestic product has fallen for a second straight quarter. Thats one informal, but not decisive, indicator of a recession.

Inflation has consumers buying less

AUDIO: I notice, like, I go and try to get milk and like even a half gallon of milk, it's hard to find for under $8, which is really hard.

But President Biden countered recession fears by pointing to economic positives.

BIDEN: If you look at our job market consumer spending business investment we see signs of economic progress in the second quarter as well.

Facebook reported its first ever revenue loss this quarter. Twitter and Snapalso reported second-quarter letdowns.

Biden/Xi follow up President Biden spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping for over two hours on Thursday. WORLDs Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Chinas state media reported that the two leaders hadquotein-depth communication on U.S.-China relations and issues of mutual concern.

The morning conversation comes after China threatened a forceful response to House Speaker Nancy Pelosis possible visit to Taiwan.

Elsewhere in the Pacific: Kim Jong Un has threatened to use nuclear weapons if war breaks out against the U.S. or South Korea.

Reporting for WORLD, Im Josh Schumacher.

Ukraine grain exports update AUDIO: [Odessa port]

As the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on, ships are sitting idle in three Black Sea ports waiting to export 22 million tons of grain. That even after Russia said it would allow the ships safe passage out of the port in Odessa for 120 days.

Guy Platten, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Shipping, says security is a concern.

PLATTEN:You know, we need to ensure that the safety of the crew are paramount in getting the ships out.

Underwater mines populate the waters outside the ports and Russian missiles struck the port only hours after the two governments signed the agreement last Friday.

Airline merger JetBlue Airways announced Thursday that it will buy Spirit Airlines if antitrust regulators OK it. WORLDs Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY, REPORTER: A merger between Spirit and a different airline, Frontier, fell through on Wednesday, but by Thursday, JetBlue had agreed to buy Spirit for almost $4 billion.

The deal would put JetBlue fifth behind the big four airlinesAmerican, United, Delta, and Southwest.

The big four control about 80 percent of the U.S. market, soa JetBlue spokesman saidbuying Spirit would increase competition.

But groups like the anti-merger American Economic Liberties Project say it could raise other budget airlines prices.

Reporting for WORLD, Im Mary Muncy.

Gun profits Five major gun manufacturers made a combined $1 billion on semiautomatic, AR-15-style weapons in the last decade.That, according to a Congressional investigation released Wednesday.

Representative Carolyn Maloney of New York says the firearms companies used questionable marketing tactics. But Representative James Comer of Kentucky says the firearm industry has done nothing wrong.

COMER:Their customers are allowed to lawfully buy guns their customers are allowed to exercise their Second Amendment right.

Semiautomatic rifles have been used in several recent high-profile mass shootingsincluding in Buffalo, New York, and in Uvalde, Texas.

Im Paul Butler.Straight ahead: on Culture Friday, same-sex marriage, abortion, and a challenge to the church.

Plus, a review of a heartwarming movie now in theaters.

This is The World and Everything in It.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST:It's the 29th day of July, 2022. Glad to have you along for todays edition of The World and Everything in It. Good morning, Im Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST:And Im Nick Eicher. First up: Culture Friday with Andrew Walker.

Andrews a professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary and managing editor of WORLD Opinions. Morning, Andrew!

ANDREW WALKER, GUEST:Nick and Myrna, its always good to be with you.

BROWN:Andrew, we didn't get a chance to talk about this last week, but I know it's still on your mind.

You wrote, and I'm quoting you here, Most Republicans knees are buckling about having to go on the record about same-sex marriage. They fear political retribution, meaning they aren't really free. But truth and freedom go hand in hand. Rather than buckle at elite scorn, always testify to what is true. Live Free."

Of course, you were referring to the 47 Republican House members who essentially walked away from the party's stated principles and platform, not to mention what the Bible teaches about marriage, to cast a vote for same-sex marriage.

Here's the rub: When the Supreme court redefined marriage in 20-15, the collective response from Republicans was outrage.

What do you think has changed in seven years and why is this a defining cultural moment?

WALKER: Well, it's a good question. I think what we are noticing over the last seven years, is the ability for law to be a teacher. We see this principle laid down in Scripture. Paul says the law is a teacher, it's a paedagogus. What he means by that is, law shapes belief, belief shapes behavior, behavior shapes our understanding of customs.

We are now accustomed to five plus years of same-sex marriage, and United States. It's now routine. It's now by all accounts, traditional based on the evolving mores of the modern kind of secular worldview. I say that in jest, obviously.

But all this goes to show us is how if you don't keep the debate alive, individuals on the other side of the aisle will treat you like you're on the wrong side of history. And that's what we're seeing play out.

And I think theres a lot of Republican cowardice on this issue. You're right, they did speak out profusely against the Obergefell ruling, and rightfully so, because this was the Supreme Court, kind of bringing this issue to all 50 states, without any votes whatsoever.

But now that this all seems normal, the Republicans are abandoning principle. And as you mentioned in your question, they're abandoning their own platform of their own party. And so I think this goes to show you that if we are not testifying to what is true, what is false can easily come to the surface.

And so regardless of what happens, if there are 60 votes for this in the Senate, our calling as Christians doesn't change because the nature of marriage can't change. It's something outside the purview of politics, because God is the author of marriage. And our calling is to testify to what is true, regardless of the cost.

EICHER:That's interesting. Let's talk about another issue that seems to be buckling Republican knees, as you say and thats the issue of abortion, now that the Supreme Court has washed its hands of the issue and said this is now a matter for the peoples representatives to handle. And Im hearing rumblings that the peoples representatives are saying, at least some of them: Oh, great! This is going to kill us in the midterms. We need to lay low Maybe heres where we find out where evangelicals are because the criticism is they look the other way on Republican hypocrisy and this seems potentially an opportunity to show otherwise.

WALKER: It is really interesting that now that issues of life are back on the table, you know, one of the concerns that the pro-life community had about the mainstream Republican establishment is that they actually didn't really want Roe to ever be overturned. Because as long as they just paid lip service to the pro life movement, with Roe in place, abortion was really going nowhere.

But now there's actually opportunity for abortion to move in the states. And I wouldn't be shocked. I mean, I can't read the motives of every Republican office holder, but I wouldn't be shocked if there are some who were really turned off by this.

One of my good friends is a high ranking official in the Republican Senate side. And this individual told me about conversations with Republican consultants, who were really, really concerned about how overturning Roe could negatively impact Republicans come November. And my friend, who is very, very pro life, was about to pull his hair out because he said, How insane is it, that there are Republican operatives who are actually concerned and upset at the overturning of Roe v. Wade, when this again is what is purportedly at the center of the Republican Party's platform.

So there's some gross hypocrisy going on here. And listen, we need to call balls and strikes. When the Republicans get it wrong. When they're acting cowardly or hypocritically, they need called out for this.

EICHER:Speaking of calling the strike zoneI know you saw this onea well-known personality, public intellectual, saying the church is striking out. Im talking about the Canadian psychology professor Jordan Peterson. He put up a video on YouTube called a message to the Christian churches that among other things admonishes the church to focus ministry resources toward men, young men in particular. He's very passionate on it. Here's a bit of what he said.

PETERSON:... invite young men. Put up a billboard. Say, young men are welcome here. Tell those who have never been in a church exactly what to do, how to dress, when to show up, who to contact, and most importantly, what they can do. Ask more, not less, of those you are inviting. Attend to some souls. That's what youre supposed to do. Thats your holy duty. Do it. Now. Before its too late. The hour is nigh.

And I was thinking about that in light of a really good column you ran in WORLD Opinions by a new writer, Bethel McGrew. Americas lost boys, it was called. She talks about the Chicago Fourth of July shooter about how the warning signs are there if only we would look.

Jordan Peterson seems to have looked and hes urging churches to attend to these young people.

So my question is, first, I wonder if you think Jordan Peterson has it right and whether he has something to say to the churches that we ought to listen to.

WALKER:So I think on the whole, Jordan Peterson is correct in his diagnosis, about the nature of masculinity in our culture. Now, I don't think that full scale adoption of all that he's proposing is necessarily correct, because I think at the heart of some of Jordan Peterson's recommendations, is a very kind of mancentric, anthropocentric understanding of man trying to get himself to Godwhen in reality, the message of the Christian gospel is God bringing himself to man and to what to woman, to be clear.

But there is, I think, a general listlessness in our culture, about the nature of masculinity. I think there's at least two reasons for that: One at the pop culture level, ask yourself, How often do we see men portrayed in any type of ennobling capacity? A lot of times, especially on sitcoms, husbands, and fathers are portrayed as kind of absent-minded dunces. But then also, we have what I would call elite scorn at the notion of masculinity as well.

Now, I don't think we need to revert to kind of chest thumping bravado, to call for a healthy masculinity. That's not what I'm calling for. Im calling for a healthy, Biblical masculinity that understands what God has called us to in our masculinity, which is to be faithful providers and protectors and responsible individuals in society.

So I do think that there are many avenues in the culture that are causing men to second guess themselves and question whether anything about their status as men matters in society.

And so this is an opportunity. I mean, Jordan Peterson is correct insofar as he's saying to the church, Church, you need to talk about the excellence of what it means to be masculine. The church does have something to say here. The church is one of the few institutions in society that I would argue hasn't lost the very definition of what it means to be a man.

We're now living in this kind of genderless age, where, you know, you really can't be a man or a woman by any biological category. It's all a matter of your mind. But the church, through the word of God actually has a word here.

One of my favorite understandings of Christianity is that Christianity is a religion of assertion. We actually believe in truth, we actually believe that there is something composite to masculinity and femininity, and we need to champion that because if we don't champion that, we'll let kind of the culture despisers around us take advantage of our frailty, and to manipulate the conversationand I think to make men and boys for that matter, more worse off.

BROWN:All right, Andrew Walker. Hes a professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary and managing editor of WORLD Opinions. Thanks, Andrew!

WALKER:Thank you.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST:Today is Friday, July 29th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. Im Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST:And Im Nick Eicher. Up next, arts and media editor Collin Garbarino reviews a film currently in theaters. Its about not just following your dreams but helping others along the way.

COLLIN GARBARINO: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a charming adaptation of Paul Gallicos 1958 novel of the same name. At first glance, the movie seems like a Cinderella story for older folksa humble cleaning lady embarks on an adventure to buy a life-changing dressbut this middle-aged Cinderella turns out to be something of a fairy godmother herself.

The year is 1957, and Ada Harris is a London war widow making ends meet by cleaning houses. Shes hard working and selfless, but her employers take her for granted. Her friends care for her, but sometimes they take her for granted too.

Archie: Why do you stick with her whos so crabby.

Mrs. Harris: Met her me first shift building planes. Never had a better friend.

Vi: Trouble with this oneshe always speak the truth. Cant help herself.

Archie: That is a terrible affliction. All right behave yourself ladies. Ill be watching you.

Her life has been on hold since World War II ended, but she finds new purpose after seeing her employers custom-made Christian Dior gown. Mrs. Harris decides she must have one too, but a Dior dresss 500-pound price tag is an impossibly large expense for someone like her. The determined Mrs. Harris scrimps and saves, and after an unexpected windfall, she heads to Paris to claim her gown.

But Mrs. Harris isnt prepared for the world of haute couture at the House of Dior, and purchasing a gown proves more complicated than expected.

Madame Colbert: [speaking French] This lady wishes to buy a dress. Direct her to a suitable shop. [speaking French] Go!

Andre: Please let me escort you out.

Mrs. Harris: No, no, no. Hang on a minute. Ive come miles. Saved every penny scrubbing floors and I dont know what, so I can buy this frock.

Madame Colbert: A Christian Dior is not for pennies. [speaking French]

Mrs. Harris: Right. If you think I ain't got the money. There.

Andre: [speaking French]

Some members of Pariss high society resent the disruption her simple virtues bring to their image-conscious world. But others embrace the good-natured Mrs. Harris, inspired by her honesty and love of others.

Marquis: Excuse me cher madame, but it would be my honor to have you view the collection as my guest. There you are. Merci. Shall we?

Mrs. Harris: Oh!

Mrs. Harriss quest for a luxurious dress might sound like a frivolous plot device, but the movie doesnt endorse materialism. Mrs. Harris doesnt pretend the dress will make her a better person. And no one, including Mrs. Harris, understands why she wants one.

Madame Colbert: This Dior dress that you admire so much. Where will you wear it? At the opera ball or Queen Charlottes? Will you wear it to polish floors or will you keep it shut in your wardrobe? A Dior dress is designed to astonish and delight. How will you do that, Mrs. Harris? Forgive me for saying this, but you are nobody. Invisible. How will you give this dress the life it deserves?

Originally posted here:

The World and Everything in It: July 29, 2022 - WORLD News Group