You've been one of the ones leading the charge all along - Cassandra! Big fan here. Any little drop in the ocean of wanting to do better is powerful. The abolitionists were just a tiny handful of people; then the moment came and voila.
I'm wondering what would happen here if all the trolls had no one to talk to but themselves, like if we all left as a movement in one fell swoop. Trolls
thrive on being able to torment people; so we'd be depriving them of oxygen. There'd be no one to hit. Not sure if this martial arts idea would make a dent. Also I wish, and this is a big wish, that someone would reinvent Twitter, only without the algorithms that are so destructive. After donating so much money to Harris in the election campaign, surely there could be the will to do this. and perhaps some high minded big donors out there who could help. For the warrior types it'd be a way to deal with Musk, and crow about it afterwards, like Peter Pan. In fact this whole thing is rather Peter Pannish actually. Not all of it has to be dreadful. We could at least add a bit of fun to the fight. And if we want help from more men, Peter Pan might resonate more than pink pussy hats. (No, I'm way older than 12, . but 12 in spirit sometimes.)
If the great migration to Neverland Twitter happened in the blink of an eye it'd be like yes...we can fly.
Earth is going to need lots of fairy dust to deal with this lot!
Thank you so much for your heroism!
P.S. I wasn't envisioning a sterile "safe space". Just one where the virus of disinfo could be checked and not deliberately monetized. Of course it'll be attacked as "censorship". Content that isn't Goebbelized will be demonized as fake news.
I'm 78. Poor farm girl from Louisiana. White. Artist. Still poor. Living on SS. I've been around long enough and read enough to know Trump is Hitler 2.0. I knew it in 2015. I knew he was a conman and an asshole in 1980. This brave new world will be unavailable to people like me if I need a paid subscription to access the thoughts of every single thinker/writer in the world. Please, have mercy on us poor, old, belabored, despised baby boomers.
News would be expensive if we need to subscribe to everyone who is writing true info. Maybe independent news could be a consortium of good writers. In some ways the academic based THE CONVERSATION achieves that
Mmm if you're stooping to insults I'll bow out. When we start calling each other names our reasoning is diminished and true friendly connection is no longer possible. I'd just like to understand what fears yoh so much to see his - and others of his ilk - as dangerous, perhaps with similarities to Fascists? The parallels are striking so I'm wondering if perhaps it's emotional regulation, which I totally get. It's way easier to tell ourselves he's a baffoon, rather than face the fact that they are dangerous.
Thank you for expressing my sentiments exactly. I am also retired and on a very limited budget, but want to stay connected to a forum of information that is not sanewashed like cable TV. I unsubscribe to writers who only give a reader a few paragraphs before you have to pay for more information. seems like that’s just another form of get rich quick.
I keep coming back to your comment. First with outrage and now, with the wisdom of years, true curiosity. Tell me how you feel and why you think Trump isn't fascist. Here is the Wikipedia definition
Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/ FASH-iz-əm) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement,[1][2][3] characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.[2][3] Opposed to anarchism, democracy, pluralism, egalitarianism, liberalism, socialism, and Marxism,[4][5] fascism is at the far right of the traditional left–right spectrum.[6][5][7]
So I'm curious. What bit of Trump doesn't meet that definition? Because I'd add in discrimination against disabled folk and queer folk, misogyny and violence against women and the skilled use of propoganda and gangs of followerabto whip up hatred against certain people and attempt to seize control.
I think it's dangerous to think he's just a rather distasteful little man. Looking away or calming our nervous systems by belittling atrocious behaviour is how Fascists take power.
So please explain exactly HOW Trump isn't Hitler C.1933?
Thank you for this cogent explanation. How can anyone call Trump a "little man"? He's arguably the most powerful man on earth. Whether he controls the dictators and oligarchs or they control him, it makes little difference from the point of view of little folks like us.
Hitler was a militarist (dedicated to building a German Empire in Eastern Europe) who'd fought in WW1. Trump is a draft-dodger and an isolationist.
Hitler was an undersexed, rather puritanical man with a love of
great architecture and opera, and a vegetarian and crank.
Trump Tower isn't great architecture and its famous owner lives on a diet of burgers. No one has ever accused Trump of puritanism or a deficiency in libido.
Hitler's stormtroopers were a truly terrifying force. Not pitiful wrecks like the Proud Boys or the equally pitiful Southern illiterates of the KKK.
American economic individualism, which Trump idolises, never really flew in Continental Europe.
Trump has yet to forcibly suppress opposition and probably never will or could.
Hitler never got even 40%, let alone 51% of the popular
vote. He was levered into power by the German elite, notably Franz von Papen and General von Schleicher.
You are trying to impose a pre-war European template onto a 21st century America.
As for Political Violence in the USA - it has come mainly from Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
Interesting. I don't recall talking about Hitler at all. In fact you have done the same as Trump did when Harris called him fascist, declaring on X that Harris had compared him to Hitler.
Whether Trump is fascist or merely a toxic populist is a matter of debate amongst historians and academics, but it is agreed that his actions have displayed many fascist elements.
And I'm obviously making assumptions but by your profile I'd hazard a guess you're a middle class white male. It's way easier not to be frightened when you inhabit that body. You don't risk being deported or dying from an ectopic pregnancy for a start.
Thank you so much for this. Like you I don't know what the future holds but I have a fairly terrifying idea of what happens if we do nothing. Thank you Carole and please know that a lot of people have your back. You are more loved and respected and listened to than you could ever know xx
Lets go...! Organisation is the only way this can ever be countered, and although the prospects look bleak, maybe it starts here. The tech billionaires are significantly more dangerous than Putin's oligarchs - who were content to siphon money, power, and resources and skulk away. These guys want to control and shape the future in their image and to the benefit only of the billionaire class.
They have their Ayn Rand(s) in Accelerationist literature which hypothesises on "moving past" democracy, often via the darkest of means possible, if necessary (race war etc). Complete freedom (in the regulatory sense) is the end goal. Democracy is a clear impediment their ambitions. China and Russia are looked upon enviously in that sense. Ditto Putin's Kleptocracy. As Carole says, dissent will be prosecuted. Dark times indeed.
But there will be plenty of us who want to fight against this. Carole, you are an absolute star. Your work is among the most important writing of our times. The future, if not the present, will recognise that.
Its a bit crazy...I stay in another part of the world & to my mind, no sane person would vote Trump. Mass insanity? The impact of the US elections will be felt across the world.
But then, it is the exact replica of what I see in India, my country and some others.
The world is being driven towards an agenda that we cannot comprehend fully yet. Events are gathering momentum and only a high level of awareness can illuminate & cut through the gathering darkness.
Apologies for sounding dramatic, but my view point is wider, not just limited to the US.
Looking forward to your columns, but PLEASE, I beg you, not to use photos of Musk and the other despicable broligarchs, Trump, and others for every column. Honestly, we all know what they look like. Thanks for your consideration.
I’m curious why you chose Substack. I’m asking because I am planning on starting a newsletter and I’m concerned about this platform’s tolerance for Nazi & white supremacist content. Can you help me understand why you chose this one? Thank you!
Won't subscribe - because just cannot agree to any more terms and conditions. They gotcha once you agree - then 1 day, 1 month.... the terms are unilaterally irrevocably working against our freedom of...anything. That all being said, these articles are invaluable in bringing shreds of hope and light to cope with impending dark days.
i am not a religious man, but i am a huge fan of the philosophy of what it was said Jesus was said to have said
Love that which gives and sustains all our lives and do to others as we want to be done by... everything relies on just these 2
It will not matter where in this universe science may get us, if we dont obey them then we get what we got, a polluted exploited planet with people that want to kill each other... this is not a superstitious religious myth, this is a scientific observable proven fact
we are going to see a rise in power for Evangelicals who have sold their souls and rejected this message to the bidder who gave them back their power.... the above will be easy to see through their hypocricy
You're not wrong about trust. Dem politicians are complicit too and Joe Biden is a huge part of how Musk was able to tamper with the election. Biden's duties as president include ensuring the Nation's laws are faithfully upheld. He let the scotus stay unbalanced, risking democracy from his first days in office, and since then has let Constitutional law be broken every day by Musk, Vance, Trump, maga, and the traitors he let keep congressional seats. His failure to protect the verbiage of the First endangered American families and left an open avenue for Musk to pump propaganda and lies into, and he did. We need to start making a lot of noise and demands for justice from the federal government because Biden refuses to faithfully serve the Nation's laws and in January he plans to fail to uphold the Constitutional law that a felon not be allowed to serve in the military by handing the presidency to Donald Trump. And he's doing so while ignoring our cries for justice.
The traditional/older media (newspapers, radio, television) has gradually become controlled by a few very wealthy tycoons, plus all this implies in terms of politics and control; now the same people and newer wealth are applying this to the more recently created social media at an accelerated rate.
The developing AI which is improving all the time can already reproduce your voice and image into videos; will the media tycoons,, or are they already using this facility in social media propaganda?
Thanks for speaking so clearly, and I 100% agree with you.
Regarding what to do next - I think we need to create an open and united version of democracy that shines a light on disinformation and the sewage and the toxicity that fascism relies on.
In Germany, Robert Habeck has got it. So have others in the Green Party.
I like that you compare Trump and Trumpism to cholera. I don't think it is only an analogy. Information is functional, and what if anything does a genuine molecular virus do other than transmit it's toxic information (I know that cholera is not caused by a virus, but by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.. I am a molecular biologist after all ;))
I think we need to push that 'analogy' a lot further. The same way no pathogens are allowed in the food chain, no clear disinformation or misinformation is allowed into large scale distribution of information.
And before the 'free speach' brigade are up in arms - you are still allowed to eat E.coli infested pork or Salmonella laden chicken in your own home - you are just not allowed to distribute it widely. The same way no-one is stopping you from inhaling carcinogens from your backyard BBQ, you can say anything you like to your friends or peers.
There is no absolute free speech, just as there is no absolute right to dump carcinogens into a river. And those who have not understood this need to take a medical exam and then ask themselves *which of our organs* handles information. It is really not that hard.
The biggest issue is where to get information that is truthful. Or that only reports the facts. The full facts at that. (Eg. Amsterdam, where MSM cut out the originators of the trouble. Sorry to say it was Israeli football fans desecrating and denigrating Palestinians.)
We cannot rely on MSM or X. The algorithms on all social media spiral you further into echo chambers. It is REALLY hard to be objective.
Just adding another bit to a previous comment I made here: Wether anyone likes or agrees with her or not, Alexandra Ocasio Cortez had some wise insights that she shared the day after the election. She has been about coalition building from the bottom up - realizing that if we don't stand together we will fall together. Her trajectory has been to try and prevent what just happened. Yet she has been demonized from within by people who share the same aspirations and desire to actually have a democracy, not a broligarchy. She spoke about pragmatism as opposed to fanaticism and narcissistic refusal to work with anyone who doesn't toe every minutae of a particular party line. (Without actually using those words.)
We'll see how the broligarchy version of fanaticism and submission plays out in the Musk Thiel regime.
I am absolutely terrified about what is to come for my kids and grandkids and the world.
We have been sold to the highest bidder - Elon Musk.
We will need voices like yours more than ever now.
We must throw sand in the gears of their tyranny and corruption in anyway we can.
Move to Tel Aviv. You will be safe there.
I hope that's sarcasm.
Move to no where except “home” …there…we will be safe ☺️
Hi.
You've been one of the ones leading the charge all along - Cassandra! Big fan here. Any little drop in the ocean of wanting to do better is powerful. The abolitionists were just a tiny handful of people; then the moment came and voila.
I'm wondering what would happen here if all the trolls had no one to talk to but themselves, like if we all left as a movement in one fell swoop. Trolls
thrive on being able to torment people; so we'd be depriving them of oxygen. There'd be no one to hit. Not sure if this martial arts idea would make a dent. Also I wish, and this is a big wish, that someone would reinvent Twitter, only without the algorithms that are so destructive. After donating so much money to Harris in the election campaign, surely there could be the will to do this. and perhaps some high minded big donors out there who could help. For the warrior types it'd be a way to deal with Musk, and crow about it afterwards, like Peter Pan. In fact this whole thing is rather Peter Pannish actually. Not all of it has to be dreadful. We could at least add a bit of fun to the fight. And if we want help from more men, Peter Pan might resonate more than pink pussy hats. (No, I'm way older than 12, . but 12 in spirit sometimes.)
If the great migration to Neverland Twitter happened in the blink of an eye it'd be like yes...we can fly.
Earth is going to need lots of fairy dust to deal with this lot!
Thank you so much for your heroism!
P.S. I wasn't envisioning a sterile "safe space". Just one where the virus of disinfo could be checked and not deliberately monetized. Of course it'll be attacked as "censorship". Content that isn't Goebbelized will be demonized as fake news.
*
I'm 78. Poor farm girl from Louisiana. White. Artist. Still poor. Living on SS. I've been around long enough and read enough to know Trump is Hitler 2.0. I knew it in 2015. I knew he was a conman and an asshole in 1980. This brave new world will be unavailable to people like me if I need a paid subscription to access the thoughts of every single thinker/writer in the world. Please, have mercy on us poor, old, belabored, despised baby boomers.
Agreed. Many of us don't want to get left behind paywalls we can't surmount. But perhaps a smaller fee for those on benefits could be offered?
News would be expensive if we need to subscribe to everyone who is writing true info. Maybe independent news could be a consortium of good writers. In some ways the academic based THE CONVERSATION achieves that
I was happy to support Carole financially against Farage and Banks but every month when there are many reporters asking is difficult
Perhaps something equivalent to NPR and PBS for online. Just spitballing.
I definitely think we need something like peer-reviewed news and info.
Mmm if you're stooping to insults I'll bow out. When we start calling each other names our reasoning is diminished and true friendly connection is no longer possible. I'd just like to understand what fears yoh so much to see his - and others of his ilk - as dangerous, perhaps with similarities to Fascists? The parallels are striking so I'm wondering if perhaps it's emotional regulation, which I totally get. It's way easier to tell ourselves he's a baffoon, rather than face the fact that they are dangerous.
The gentleman doth protest too much.
Thank you for expressing my sentiments exactly. I am also retired and on a very limited budget, but want to stay connected to a forum of information that is not sanewashed like cable TV. I unsubscribe to writers who only give a reader a few paragraphs before you have to pay for more information. seems like that’s just another form of get rich quick.
Trump is a bully and rather a thug.
But Hitler 2.0 - no, not even remotely.
I keep coming back to your comment. First with outrage and now, with the wisdom of years, true curiosity. Tell me how you feel and why you think Trump isn't fascist. Here is the Wikipedia definition
Fascism (/ˈfæʃɪzəm/ FASH-iz-əm) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement,[1][2][3] characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived good of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.[2][3] Opposed to anarchism, democracy, pluralism, egalitarianism, liberalism, socialism, and Marxism,[4][5] fascism is at the far right of the traditional left–right spectrum.[6][5][7]
So I'm curious. What bit of Trump doesn't meet that definition? Because I'd add in discrimination against disabled folk and queer folk, misogyny and violence against women and the skilled use of propoganda and gangs of followerabto whip up hatred against certain people and attempt to seize control.
I think it's dangerous to think he's just a rather distasteful little man. Looking away or calming our nervous systems by belittling atrocious behaviour is how Fascists take power.
So please explain exactly HOW Trump isn't Hitler C.1933?
Thank you for this cogent explanation. How can anyone call Trump a "little man"? He's arguably the most powerful man on earth. Whether he controls the dictators and oligarchs or they control him, it makes little difference from the point of view of little folks like us.
Hitler was a militarist (dedicated to building a German Empire in Eastern Europe) who'd fought in WW1. Trump is a draft-dodger and an isolationist.
Hitler was an undersexed, rather puritanical man with a love of
great architecture and opera, and a vegetarian and crank.
Trump Tower isn't great architecture and its famous owner lives on a diet of burgers. No one has ever accused Trump of puritanism or a deficiency in libido.
Hitler's stormtroopers were a truly terrifying force. Not pitiful wrecks like the Proud Boys or the equally pitiful Southern illiterates of the KKK.
American economic individualism, which Trump idolises, never really flew in Continental Europe.
Trump has yet to forcibly suppress opposition and probably never will or could.
Hitler never got even 40%, let alone 51% of the popular
vote. He was levered into power by the German elite, notably Franz von Papen and General von Schleicher.
You are trying to impose a pre-war European template onto a 21st century America.
As for Political Violence in the USA - it has come mainly from Antifa and Black Lives Matter.
Interesting. I don't recall talking about Hitler at all. In fact you have done the same as Trump did when Harris called him fascist, declaring on X that Harris had compared him to Hitler.
Whether Trump is fascist or merely a toxic populist is a matter of debate amongst historians and academics, but it is agreed that his actions have displayed many fascist elements.
This is a good summary
https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/current/thought-leadership/2024/10/is-trump-a-fascist/
Hitler's National Socialism was simply the German form of fascism.
It is you who are trying to skew the debate.
In any case, what I posted about Hitler applies to other fascist leaders, notably Mussolini.
You say that it is agreed that Trump's actions have displayed many fascist elements.
Agreed by whom ? Only the dull-witted ideologues who have crashed the Democrats.
And I'm obviously making assumptions but by your profile I'd hazard a guess you're a middle class white male. It's way easier not to be frightened when you inhabit that body. You don't risk being deported or dying from an ectopic pregnancy for a start.
Thank you so much for this. Like you I don't know what the future holds but I have a fairly terrifying idea of what happens if we do nothing. Thank you Carole and please know that a lot of people have your back. You are more loved and respected and listened to than you could ever know xx
Lets go...! Organisation is the only way this can ever be countered, and although the prospects look bleak, maybe it starts here. The tech billionaires are significantly more dangerous than Putin's oligarchs - who were content to siphon money, power, and resources and skulk away. These guys want to control and shape the future in their image and to the benefit only of the billionaire class.
They have their Ayn Rand(s) in Accelerationist literature which hypothesises on "moving past" democracy, often via the darkest of means possible, if necessary (race war etc). Complete freedom (in the regulatory sense) is the end goal. Democracy is a clear impediment their ambitions. China and Russia are looked upon enviously in that sense. Ditto Putin's Kleptocracy. As Carole says, dissent will be prosecuted. Dark times indeed.
But there will be plenty of us who want to fight against this. Carole, you are an absolute star. Your work is among the most important writing of our times. The future, if not the present, will recognise that.
This project should be called Renaissance. We're going to go through dark times now for sure so the aim is a kind of rebirth.
Its a bit crazy...I stay in another part of the world & to my mind, no sane person would vote Trump. Mass insanity? The impact of the US elections will be felt across the world.
But then, it is the exact replica of what I see in India, my country and some others.
The world is being driven towards an agenda that we cannot comprehend fully yet. Events are gathering momentum and only a high level of awareness can illuminate & cut through the gathering darkness.
Apologies for sounding dramatic, but my view point is wider, not just limited to the US.
Looking forward to your columns, but PLEASE, I beg you, not to use photos of Musk and the other despicable broligarchs, Trump, and others for every column. Honestly, we all know what they look like. Thanks for your consideration.
Please leave Twitter and come to Bluesky. :-)
I’m curious why you chose Substack. I’m asking because I am planning on starting a newsletter and I’m concerned about this platform’s tolerance for Nazi & white supremacist content. Can you help me understand why you chose this one? Thank you!
Would love to follow your newsletter wherever it ends up (: let me know!
Thank you! Follow me on Bluesky or here and I will share the details when they are ironed out. 🙏🏻
That shit reared its head here a year ago—racist trolling of pro Pal writing—and is back in force now.
it's actually already much worse than you even think it is. the guy running the trump transition team also runs the central bank of international criminal finance: https://cryptadamus.substack.com/p/trumps-transition-team-is-tethered
Won't subscribe - because just cannot agree to any more terms and conditions. They gotcha once you agree - then 1 day, 1 month.... the terms are unilaterally irrevocably working against our freedom of...anything. That all being said, these articles are invaluable in bringing shreds of hope and light to cope with impending dark days.
not really sure what terms and conditions you're referring to?
i am not a religious man, but i am a huge fan of the philosophy of what it was said Jesus was said to have said
Love that which gives and sustains all our lives and do to others as we want to be done by... everything relies on just these 2
It will not matter where in this universe science may get us, if we dont obey them then we get what we got, a polluted exploited planet with people that want to kill each other... this is not a superstitious religious myth, this is a scientific observable proven fact
we are going to see a rise in power for Evangelicals who have sold their souls and rejected this message to the bidder who gave them back their power.... the above will be easy to see through their hypocricy
You're not wrong about trust. Dem politicians are complicit too and Joe Biden is a huge part of how Musk was able to tamper with the election. Biden's duties as president include ensuring the Nation's laws are faithfully upheld. He let the scotus stay unbalanced, risking democracy from his first days in office, and since then has let Constitutional law be broken every day by Musk, Vance, Trump, maga, and the traitors he let keep congressional seats. His failure to protect the verbiage of the First endangered American families and left an open avenue for Musk to pump propaganda and lies into, and he did. We need to start making a lot of noise and demands for justice from the federal government because Biden refuses to faithfully serve the Nation's laws and in January he plans to fail to uphold the Constitutional law that a felon not be allowed to serve in the military by handing the presidency to Donald Trump. And he's doing so while ignoring our cries for justice.
The traditional/older media (newspapers, radio, television) has gradually become controlled by a few very wealthy tycoons, plus all this implies in terms of politics and control; now the same people and newer wealth are applying this to the more recently created social media at an accelerated rate.
The developing AI which is improving all the time can already reproduce your voice and image into videos; will the media tycoons,, or are they already using this facility in social media propaganda?
In case you missed this reply to your tweet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3vMJOADlE
Hi Carole,
Thanks for speaking so clearly, and I 100% agree with you.
Regarding what to do next - I think we need to create an open and united version of democracy that shines a light on disinformation and the sewage and the toxicity that fascism relies on.
In Germany, Robert Habeck has got it. So have others in the Green Party.
I like that you compare Trump and Trumpism to cholera. I don't think it is only an analogy. Information is functional, and what if anything does a genuine molecular virus do other than transmit it's toxic information (I know that cholera is not caused by a virus, but by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium.. I am a molecular biologist after all ;))
I think we need to push that 'analogy' a lot further. The same way no pathogens are allowed in the food chain, no clear disinformation or misinformation is allowed into large scale distribution of information.
And before the 'free speach' brigade are up in arms - you are still allowed to eat E.coli infested pork or Salmonella laden chicken in your own home - you are just not allowed to distribute it widely. The same way no-one is stopping you from inhaling carcinogens from your backyard BBQ, you can say anything you like to your friends or peers.
There is no absolute free speech, just as there is no absolute right to dump carcinogens into a river. And those who have not understood this need to take a medical exam and then ask themselves *which of our organs* handles information. It is really not that hard.
The biggest issue is where to get information that is truthful. Or that only reports the facts. The full facts at that. (Eg. Amsterdam, where MSM cut out the originators of the trouble. Sorry to say it was Israeli football fans desecrating and denigrating Palestinians.)
We cannot rely on MSM or X. The algorithms on all social media spiral you further into echo chambers. It is REALLY hard to be objective.
Just adding another bit to a previous comment I made here: Wether anyone likes or agrees with her or not, Alexandra Ocasio Cortez had some wise insights that she shared the day after the election. She has been about coalition building from the bottom up - realizing that if we don't stand together we will fall together. Her trajectory has been to try and prevent what just happened. Yet she has been demonized from within by people who share the same aspirations and desire to actually have a democracy, not a broligarchy. She spoke about pragmatism as opposed to fanaticism and narcissistic refusal to work with anyone who doesn't toe every minutae of a particular party line. (Without actually using those words.)
We'll see how the broligarchy version of fanaticism and submission plays out in the Musk Thiel regime.