When Shared Reality Dissolves, Only Power Remains Introduction: The Foundation Is Cracking Democracy rests on three pillars that most Americans take for granted: Over the course of this series, we’ve documented how all three pillars are systematically eroding. Part 1 showed empathy has become transactional – Melissa Hortman gets “I don’t know who she was,”…
Written by
Part 4 of Do Unto Others, a 5-part series. Read the complete series → When Lies Work Better Than Truth After documenting transactional empathy (Part 1), Stage 2 moral reasoning (Part 2), and asymmetric hypocrisy (Part 3), one question remains: How does this actually work in practice? The answer is documented. It’s called the “firehose…
Written by
Part 1 of Do Unto Others, a 5-part series. Read the complete series → Who Deserves Sympathy? The Politics of Victimhood A Note Before We Begin If this feels like an attack on Trump, I need to address that upfront. I tried to write this like an outside observer would—documenting what happened without partisan spin.…
Written by
Spoiler: It’s probably not who you think—or at least not for the reasons you think In contemporary American politics, “patriot” has become perhaps the most weaponized word in our vocabulary. Politicians invoke it to rally supporters. Activists claim it to legitimize their causes. Critics wield it to question opponents’ loyalty. Everyone wants to be one,…
Written by
Even that's Odd