2016 Is About To Happen Again

by with 2 Comments FeaturedPolitics

I heard over and over from highly educated, liberal professionals after the 2016 election that some mistake had happened. “The election was stolen.”  The electoral college had somehow disrupted our normal process (spoiler: it wasn’t any different)…  “The Trump campaign enlisted Russian government support.” And then afterward we all needed to read Hillbilly Elegy to understand how to kindly condescend to the plight of the misinformed blue-collar rust belt that had erred and turned away from Democrats and sided with President Trump. At the time I was moving back and forth between NYC colleagues who’d secured a seat at Hillary’s victory party in Manhattan and neighbors in new England who’d sold their home early to facilitate their quick nomination through the Senate to take their new place in the administration “with her.” They sat down on election night ready to watch the show, and they were shocked at the show they saw. They never saw it coming.  And it’s happening again… and again they don’t see it coming.

I think they saw a glimmer of it before the COVID-19 crisis locked them all in their homes? But since then, the tone has changed. They’re locked in their homes reading their favorite websites and the articles their phone algorithms say they’ll like- and all of those sources tell them that Donald Trump’s performance through COVID-19… all the polls being conducted… point to a president losing ground heading into election season.

Many in this group don’t understand the monster they’ve created in their media bubble. In 1980 (the year CNN was founded) there were 3 news networks. To be viable, network news needed both liberals and conservatives, and the news was 30 minutes 3 times a day stuck between Brady Bunch reruns and The Jeffersons. You couldn’t serve people what they wanted with the context they wanted- so you gave them straight, complete facts with a straight face and let them apply their own context.  Now media is fragmented to where a 3% market share is huge, and straight shooting is dead. Even the best journalists quit trying to challenge us. They serve us what we want by arranging and selecting facts and applying context to make stories what we wish to see in them, and our tech knows what media will excite us.  Most of what’s “mainstream media” is the slice that serves the prime consumer: 25-40 years old, professional, urban, liberal-leaning, with substantial discretionary income. So now if you’re an educated professional, working for a large company in a white-collar job… these days you log in from home, work on zoom, order from Amazon. It’s annoying, but life is working. And if you look at the media that targets you, the biggest problem out there right now are those that want to reopen too quickly.

If you’re a small business owner, a self-employed tradesman, a wage earner or any sort of gig worker (ie the people Biden needs to win back from the president to win this time), three months of this has been hell. If you had savings, it’s gone. You can’t work, your children are home with you complicating work even more. Stress is elevated; money is scarce, and even if the $600 a month in federal assistance works for now, the uncertainty of what’s to come is crushing. Even as the signs are there, the articles pushed back to the mainstream consumer talk about elevated levels in “black and brown communities” that need “understanding and voice.” That’s true – but what those also are are the communities of people that still need to head out in the world every day to work. They are still getting sick because they’re still out there, and having been out in it since the start, they’re not nearly as scared of the virus as they are of losing their livelihood. Further, having not been scared by the world they continue to toil in all day, they continue to visit their friends and family more, and quietly dismiss you when you try to shame them. They’re over it. And they’re turning on Democrats again, and on the rare occasions when they speak up, they’re again facing condescension (here’s looking at you, Governor Whitmer). Those aren’t all MAGAs out there; it’s also your blue-collar swings.

Also, polls now aren’t really polls. For years, exit polls have needed rebasing because Republicans are less likely to respond – a fact that was exacerbated in the 2016 election when Trump voters began to feel that announcing loudly that you expect to vote for Donald Trump could cause indignation from someone around them and began to not state (or misstate) their intentions. With tensions running high in 2016 the weight-adjusted polls turned out to be not weight adjusted enough. Tensions are higher now. Also, currently most polls being completed are online polls by your favorite news sources. You can’t walk down the street, get in someone’s space and get a good poll sample in-person anymore. With online being the only way that works, it turns out (as an example), that most people that respond to a Huffington Post poll are still voting for Biden (although less than you might expect).

And once again, there’s a candidate who isn’t exactly rising to the occasion.  Biden has emerged twice since being named the presumed party nominee- once for a late and horribly jumbled explanation of Tara Reade’s accusations, and another botched interview with Charlamagne Tha God – both of which were designed and curated by campaign aides to be well-choreographed softballs and neither of which won him a voter he hadn’t had already. Conversely, if either interview had any effect at all, it decreased voter excitement which (according to Charlamagne Tha God himself) is likely to depress voter roles. Trump raised $212MM this quarter – a clip he’s been maintaining steadily since he started his re-election fund the day of his swearing in.  Biden raised only $60MM in hard money in April – despite his new status as the Democrats’ ordained winner. The president has a motivated base, is organized, and has a turnout plan that was tested in dry runs during the early primaries (and generated unprecedented primary turnouts for an incumbent presidential primary). Sitting in his basement without a formal role in the government, Biden needs to create viral moments that will excite women, minorities and wage earners, and so far his performance seems likely to depress turnouts for all three.

And it’s happening again. This time… just don’t be so surprised.

Similar Read: Mainstream Media or “Fake News”?

Rich, White, and Male – The Perfect Recipe For Privilege

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedGen Z

By now, it feels like most everyone has seen the viral video of Covington Catholic High School student, Nick Sandmann’s encounter with elder of the Omaha Nation, Nathan Phillips at the Indigenous People’s March that took place in Washington D.C. Phillips sings and beats his drum as Sandmann (wearing a Make America Great Again hat, a well-known symbol of hatred) stands in an uncomfortably close proximity to him, staring him down and smirking tauntingly. The video was shared on social media and instantly sparked national conversation.

According to an article from The Washington Post, Nathan stated that he “felt threatened” by Sandmann and the group of teenage boys, some who were also wearing MAGA hats. As public outrage continued to increase, defense of Nick and his peers began to pour in as well. Some Twitter users — including Donald Trump — felt that the backlash was unfair.

However, other Twitter users were aware of the double standard that these defenses represent.

Donald Trump’s defense of Sandmann and his classmates is especially hypocritical, considering that he took out full page advertisements in all four of New York City’s major newspapers, calling for The Central Park 5 (a group of Black and Latino boys accused of rape and assault) to be given the death penalty. Even after they were exonerated by DNA evidence, Trump has refused to apologize. The difference between the boys at Covington High and The Central Park 5?

The boys at Covington High are White.

Nick and his classmates that attended the Indigenous People’s March wearing MAGA hats and making racist gestures have been made out to be victims of persecution. Defenders say that the general public is being too hard on them because they are just children. However, when Black children are murdered by the police, they don’t receive this type of empathy. When 12-year-old Tamir Rice was shot and killed within seconds of police arrival at the park that he was sitting in, he was blamed for his death and repeatedly referred to as a man, a reminder that victimhood and youthful innocence are often denied to Black children. This is similar to the murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who at the time of his death was no more than a couple of years older than Sandmann, who is a junior in high school. After being shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, many did not perceive Brown to be a victim or anyone’s child. Michael Brown was blamed for his death for a variety of factors, including his height, weight, and an allegedly checkered past that led the New York Times to refer to him as “no angel.” Michael Brown, unlike Nick Sandmann, was not given the chance to make a television appearance and tell his side of the story. He, like Tamir Rice, was denied humanity even in death. Childhood is something that Black children are routinely stripped of, yet it is given to white children in abundance.

White male privilege allows Nick Sandmann to antagonize a Native American man and be given the chance to do a segment on the Today Show. His wealth — another form of privilege — is what allowed his family to hire a PR team to spin the story. White male privilege is what allows him and his peers to be defended due to their youth, meanwhile, Black children are told they deserve bullets, and Brown children much younger than them are separated from their parents, then locked in cages while being told they deserve to be there. The second chances, forgiveness, patience, and protection that White males like Sandmann, along with Brock Turner and Brett Kavanaugh are often given, are not provided to children of color. White children often have racist behavior written off as nothing more than a “youthful indiscretion”, while Black and Brown children are often jailed or killed for actual mistakes made during our youth. We as a society must continue pushing back, demanding accountability, and working to dismantle the system of white supremacy that allows such privilege to exist. As long as white privilege continues to be upheld in this country, White boys like Nick Sandmann will continue to escape facing consequences for their actions, and we will continue to suffer as a result.

Trump’s Profound Effect on the Presidency of the United States

by with No Comment Gen Z

For better or worse, Donald Trump has had a profound effect on the Presidency of the United States – possibly more drastic and long lasting than any other President in modern history. After years of Republicans nominating nice guys for president (Ford, Reagan, both Bushes, McCain & Romney), they got weary of the nice guy’s finish last scenario the last couple of elections and nominated a fiery & crass bulldog in Trump. He is also the first POTUS in modern history to actually keep all his campaign promises, much to the delight of his supporters and dismay of his detractors. Instead of running hard to the right or left during the primaries and then pivoting back to the center for the general election like most Republicans and Democrats do, he ran to the far right and stayed there for the general election and then kept a hard right line throughout his young Presidency. This has caused a massive polarization in this country as he has the highest support from his party in the history of the Republican party, as well as the highest disapproval from the opposing party. This has caused a deep divide in our country that hasn’t been experienced since the Civil Rights era. 

Trump is doing a fantastic job and everyone should be happy, but there are many on the other side of the political spectrum that dislike him immensely because they can’t get past his brash and crass narcissistic demeanor. It turns them off and they feel it is below the dignity of the Presidency for Trump to act the way he does and say the terrible things he says. His supporters argue back that it is the only way to get results in the “swamp of Washington DC.” 

Love him or hate him, it is hard to argue with the results of his Make America Great Again campaign. Too many to list here, but his Tax Cuts, Deregulation, Exporting Energy, Renegotiating NAFTA and the South Korean Trade Agreement, getting us out of TPP, etc… has unleashed an economy like this country has never experienced. The manufacturing industry created over 300,000 jobs and 337,000 construction jobs have been created since President Trump took office. Fourteen states reached record low unemployment rates. The African-American unemployment rate reached its lowest ever recorded. Job openings have reached 6.6 million, the highest level recorded. Jobless claims reached the lowest level in 45 years (1973). The number of people dependent on food stamps has fallen by 2.6 million or 6.2% since January 2017. The number of people receiving unemployment benefits is running at the lowest level in 45 years. Average 3% growth in the last three quarters – under President Obama, annual growth averaged 1.9%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit record highs more than 80 times under President Trump, including closing higher than 26,000 points for the first time in its history. Since President Trump’s election, more than $5 trillion in wealth has been created for the U.S. economy. 

Economic confidence rebounded to record highs under President Trump because his pro-growth policies have and continue to put American workers and businesses first. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose in November 2017 to a 17-year high of 129.5. The National Association of Manufacturers’ Outlook Index had the highest annual average in its history.  Small business optimism has sustained record-high levels under President Trump according to the National Federation of Independent Business. The Longest Consecutive Positive Monthly Job Growth on Record – Total payroll employment grew by 213,000 in June 2018 (18,000 over forecasts) led by gains in professional and business services, education and health services, and, once again, manufacturing.  This is the longest consecutive, positive monthly job growth period on record (93 months). Unemployment remains historically low, as the number of Americans filing for unemployment hit its lowest point since 1969. 

As good as all this economic news is, it means nothing if we can’t all come together and heal the divides in this country. All the jobs and money in the world won’t matter one bit if we can’t all get along and have a peaceful America.

Trump has done a great job with the Business End of America. Now he needs to turn inward and do the same with the Emotional End of America, or his Presidency will be a disaster. President Trump – Make America Care & Love Again!  #MACLA 

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Black Skinhead

by with No Comment CultureFeaturedRace RelationsTrump Administration

“For over 15 years, Kanye West’s success is a testament to his undeniable musical talent. That success has also been coupled with his infamous opinions, thoughts and boisterous public acts. Ironically, his most recent opinions, thoughts, and public acts have pushed his career to the point of irreparable harm.”

Kanye West, my favorite rapper of all time, is a Black skinhead.

Kanye West’s 2013 Yeezus album contained a track entitled “Black Skinhead.” At the song’s release, Kanye West had just started dating Kim Kardishan. The song is a clap back against those who are anti-interracial relationships and against racism as a whole. Despite the strong message on “Black Skinhead” and other tracks on Yeezus, many casual Kanye fans were left confused and questioning not just his music, but his mental state. Fans couldn’t get past the loud rap metal sound, random stoppages of songs and direction, and the general unorthodox flow of the album.

My thoughts are twofold. I thought of the “Black Skinhead”  track, while concluding thoughts on Kanye’s recent trip to the oval office. A meeting he appeared wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, a hat as of late that seems to be permanently attached to his head, to show admiration and support for President Trump.

First, the term “skinhead”. Skinhead is a term most generally associated with a faction of White power. Young and angry white men from the rural South and Midwest. The term “Skinhead” actually originated in England in the late 1960s. It was used to describe those who were anti-establishment, anti-conservatism, anti-government. While using influences of both the music and culture of Jamaica in conjunction with strong political stances, they became the founders of the punk rock movement that would take place in the late 1970s. The term was soon hijacked by racial extremists who spun the anti-movement into one being anti all non-White Christian people.

My second examination is of the music of Kanye West. A music that had millions amazed by his samples, his catchy song lyrics, and rap music not infused with the typical telling of violence and drugs. Yet, Kanye’s music was the anti-drugs and violence rap, rather conscious rap with a designer made outfit with 800-dollar sunglasses. However, recent albums and songs have left people confused and wishing for the artist of former years to return to his glorious form.

Enter Trump meeting.

During the meeting with Trump last week, Kanye brought up some valid points. He talked about former crime boss and now community reformer Larry Hoover’s prison sentence, he warned Black voters to not have an unwavering allegiance to the Democrat party, and spoke on the prison pipeline effect on the Black community.

The problem with anything Kanye might say going forward is his message has been hijacked… by Kanye West himself. As with the White power skinheads using the term skinheads, the original meaning of the term being the anthesis of what White power skinheads stand for, Kanye’s love for all things MAGA creates an immediate dismissal of his stances. None of his stances with true value are in line with MAGA, in fact, MAGA is the enemy of Kanye’s message.

Kanye, my favorite rapper of all time, is a Black skinhead.

Like white power skinheads who spew nothing but the purest formula of baseless opinions there is, Kanye’s messages are void of actual substance and facts. They’re a collection of issues with strong feelings attached to them, yet his thought process of said issues are concluded using a process void of truth and experience. Much like a skinhead.

Kanye’s antics have alienated his fanbase beyond disappointment, but utter sorrow and shame for him. He’s increasingly being shunned from everyone… from fans to fellow rappers, athletes, and celebrities in general.  Wishful thinking has led me to think like a fan of a sports team hoping their team makes the playoffs and holding out until being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, I still hold out hope that Kanye is merely trolling us. A hope I fear reality doesn’t want anything to do with.

The Deadly Decisions of Donald Trump

by with 2 Comments Uncategorized

NPR published a story this week highlighting the recent increase of the number of coal miners diagnosed with progressive massive fibrosis, otherwise known as black lung disease, in central Appalachia, the heart of coal mining in the US. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says that they have identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported. More than 400 new cases between 2013 and 2017 were reported by just three clinics in the area.

The disease was nearly wiped out in the mid-90s, with those clinics reporting five to seven cases per year. The number of cases has multiplied alarmingly to five to seven cases every two weeks or so. The spike is attributed to several causes, including longer shifts and the mining of thinner coal seams, grinding up the surrounding rock into silica dust, which is deadlier than the coal dust itself. The increase of layoffs and retirements also contributed, and brought in more miners into the clinics to take advantage of federal black lung compensation programs.

The Trump Administration is looking into rolling back some of the protections implemented just two years ago, which increased protections for miners by forcing operators to limit mine workers’ exposure to the dust by adding filters to the work areas, among other things. While the administration may not touch the regulations themselves, they are impacting the ability to enforce those regulations.

As in other departments, Trump’s strategy appears to be hiring the fox to guard the henhouse. The former mine safety chief of the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration, Joe Main, was the driving force behind these tougher regulations. Trump’s pick to replace him is David Zatezalo, former chairman of Rhino Resources, which has been cited numerous times for mine safety violations.

Workers in the coal industry might see this appointment as bringing in one of their own. The coal industry is declining, and miners need to feed their families. However, no critically-thinking human can deny that the coal industry is killing people, destroying families, abusing the environment, and enriching the oligarchs. When one takes into consideration all of the factors, Trump’s rhetoric about caring for the coal miners rings hollow.

Similar read: Betrayal of the Coal Miner

Reflection… When Trolling Backfires

by with No Comment Uncategorized

Two weeks ago, a New Jersey high school decided to travel to Washington DC to tour our Nation’s capital. Lunch at Howard University’s Bethune Annex Cafeteria was on their schedule, and two of their female students decided to wear Trump tee shirts and Make America Great Again (MAGA) hats during their visit. Needless to say, or I wouldn’t be writing about this, their experience did not go as smoothly as planned. The two girls would later post a lengthy tweet detailing the “harassment and racism” they experienced while on campus. Howard University’s social media accounts were in an uproar and many alt-right and Trump supporters responded posting negative comments on every post mentioning Howard University.

This incident is nothing more than trolling gone bad.

Founded in 1867, Howard University, is a private research university comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Most importantly, Howard University is a Historically Black College/University (HBCU). HBCUs were created in the post civil-war era as institutions of higher learning where African Americans were welcome to attend, at a time when most Predominately White Institutions (PWIs) banned Blacks from stepping foot on campus. For years, HBCUs have provided African Americans a safe space to learn and grow without the constant second-guessing because of the color of our skin. As an alumnus of an HBCU, I will say an added benefit is learning more about Black American and African history that is not traditionally taught in school. Learning this history establishes pride and teaches you to love your Blackness, though the world tries to convince you it’s a negative.

Knowing this history of Howard University – what made these girls, White girls at that, think parading around an HBCU in Trump and MAGA paraphernalia was a good idea… a week after Trump refused to immediately denounce white supremacists in a press conference following the Charlottesville incident? Maybe that’s the problem, they didn’t know the history of HBCUs, which is indeed a part of American history. It has been noted that black students on the tour advised them not to go on Howard’s campus wearing that particular shirt and hat. Also, some upperclassmen who saw the girls walking towards the Annex cafeteria told them it’s best not to wear that shirt and hat on campus simply because Howard University is an HBCU. The two girls, unfortunately, chose not to heed the multiple warnings, which makes many people believe their true intentions were to bait a reaction out of the Howard students (in true troll fashion).

I am sick of hearing the freedom of speech/expression excuse when a person is blatantly disrespectful. Just because you can say and do what you want does not mean you are free of consequences and get to play the victim. If you choose to not pay your taxes, that is perfectly fine as it is your choice. However, there is a high probability that you are eventually going to jail. If you walk down the street in an area where there is a lot of gang activity wearing the opposing gang members’ colors, be prepared for the backlash. These girls were warned yet they chose to be disrespectful and offensive in someone’s house, disturbing their peace. Just as it is viewed as disrespectable for an American woman to walk around in a Muslim country wearing booty shorts and a low-cut shirt, it is just as offensive to walk around an HBCU wearing paraphernalia of a man who refuses to denounce white supremacists, but wants to bring back Stop and Frisk (a tactic which disproportionately targets African Americans). I blame their chaperones, the supposed adults, on the trip as well. Why did they not say anything to these girls? Why were they not inclined to have a conversation about etiquette and courtesy in someone else’s space? Why did they not do research on the history of Howard University if they planned to visit the campus? Were these teachers not trained in cultural sensitivity? I have so many questions for these so-called adults. Overall, there is too much political correctness in letting the oppressor continue his oppression, and Howard University students weren’t about to sit around and be trolled in their safe space without speaking up for themselves.

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