2021 Politics: The New Era

[scottydog]

Letter to Tucker Carlson at Fox News, from a teacher:

Dear Tucker Carlson,

Hey Tuck, I just got done watching a segment of your show. You know, the one where you suggest that there should be a camera in every classroom in order to root out…let me get this accurate…”civilization ending poison.”

I’m going to zig where you thought most teachers would zag. I welcome your Orwellian cameras in my classroom. Frankly, I don’t know many teachers who would object to having people watch what we do. As a matter of fact, I hate to tell you this Tucker Swanson McNear Carlson, but most of us spent the last year having video cameras in our classrooms.

See, I think you believe that your suggestion that people see what happens in our classrooms will somehow scare teachers. The truth of it is that we have been begging for years to have people, such as yourself, come into our classrooms. I somewhat famously asked Ms. DeVos to visit a public school before she became Secretary of Education (https://www.huffpost.com/.../an-introdu ... rom-public...). It’s unclear whether she has yet to set foot in an actual public school classroom, but I digress. I sense that you think you’ll see all of us pinko teachers speaking endlessly about Critical Race Theory leading to…and again, let me get this right, “civilization ending poison.” I’ve been in a lot of classrooms (more than you I am willing to bet) and I think you’re going to be disappointed on that front.

What happens in America’s classrooms is teaching and learning. Your “spy cameras” will see teachers and students working together to be better every day. I’ll tell you what I saw on a tour of classrooms not that long ago. I saw a group of kindergartners trying to create bridges over running water with basic classroom supplies in a lesson about collaboration. I saw a high school literature class talking about the character development in The Glass Menagerie. I saw a middle school history class participating in group project where they had to solve problems in a fictional city, with specifics of how they would utilize resources and build public support for their projects. Anyone watching your cameras will see learning…all day every day.

For those who watch your “nanny cams” carefully, they’ll see a lot of other things as well. They will see teachers working with students who have vastly different life experiences. They will see students who are fluent in multiple languages working with teachers to become proficient in yet one more language. They will see students who are hungry get their one solid meal a day in the cafeteria. They will see students itching for more fine arts, industrial technology, or world languages to be offered in their school. In my classroom, if we’re being honest, they’ll probably hear some sketchy intonation from my saxophones, and I promise we’re working on it. But for sure, they will see learning…all day every day.

To be honest, I’m fascinated by the logistics of your proposal. In a world where school districts are struggling to recruit and maintain teachers, who is going to man your “citizen review boards” (setting aside the fact that public school teachers already answer to publicly elected school boards)? For instance, in my school district I sense you would need well over 500 cameras going every day. Who watches those 500 screens 10 hours a day (I want you watching my 7 am jazz band and my after school lessons)? What qualifications would these “experts” need to know what they were watching for? What happens when they catch a teacher teaching…let me get this right…”civilization ending poison?” Who do they report that to? I’m also curious who will pay for all of this incredible technology. Maybe I missed it, but can you point me to a K-12 institution where Critical Race Theory is being taught? Hell, can you define Critical Race Theory for all of us? I’m sure you’ve got answers to all of these questions.

Frankly, I’ve never been able to figure out, instead of dreaming up Orwellian plans to have Big Brother in all of our classrooms, why you don’t round up an army of bright young conservatives to actually step up and teach? Is it because teachers work hard, aren’t paid as much as those with similar educational backgrounds, don’t have support from our elected officials, constantly serve as punching bags for those who don’t understand public education, or is it just because it’s easier to throw rocks at a house than to build one?

Here’s the real deal Tuck, I grew up with my mom making me eat your family’s Salisbury Steaks once every couple of weeks (his family makes Swanson TV dinners) for many years. I struggle to take advice on teaching and learning from a guy who makes a steak that, on its best day, tastes like shoe leather that has been left out in a goat pasture for a few weeks. I get that Critical Race Theory is your latest attempt to scare your easily manipulated demographic, but let’s just admit that you don’t know what you’re talking about.

With all of that being said, count me on the cameras Tucky. Like many teachers, I’m in the early stages of understanding Critical Race Theory (most of us hadn’t heard about it until you and your people started crying about it), but if you find me teaching it, have one of the Tucker Youth watching your surveillance devices let me know. If Critical Race Theory involves talking honestly about American history, I’m probably doing that sometimes. I spent much of the last six years advocating for a way for teaching to become more transparent, and in the dumbest way possible, you are joining that crusade. Let’s make this happen TV Dinner Boy.

Sincerely,
Patrick J. Kearney
Actual Teacher

[Lupine]

^
That's the problem with Fox: it's all about causing moral panic stampedes.

[RJDiogenes]

Unfortunately, that's what everybody's all about these days.

But this is interesting: Over 99% of current COVID fatalities were of unvaccinated people. In other words, Tucker Carlson and The Donald are killing off their own viewers and voters.

[Lupine]

^Some have suggested that that is the entire point.
But it is really bizarre as this is the party that wants credit for the COVID vaccine, but is also trying to discourage people from taking it. Far more amazing that more people don't notice the incongruity of this. Orwelling Double-Think at its finest.

[Lupine]

In other news, there's still head-scratching on why the polls were off in the last election.
Once again the explanation that Republicans are refusing to participate in polls and with the increasing levels of paranoia within the Republican party it's an easy explanation to go with. However some pollsters like the Trafalgar Group do manage to put out fairly right-wing polls (you can see than in evidence in the sample polls on their homepage- and, yeah, they look pretty nuts). And they were one of the few polls that were calling a Trump victory in 2016. So that's not the whole answer.
I think another problem is that Liberals and a lot of the media use FiveThirtyEight which do tend to skew Democratic. I use 270 To Win which takes polls like the Trafalgar Group into account. And as I mentioned in last year's election postmortem those polling averages were relatively accurate.
So the obvious solution (or at least possible solution) would be for News agencies to hold their noses and team up with right-leaning pollsters and average the results with their own polls.

[scottydog]

Trump was the 'spite' president. Conservative White America could neither accept nor tolerate a Black man as President, and so they elected a racist nitwit out of spite.

And yes, you both are right that they'd rather kill Americans and kill our democracy than become "Blackified". This article explains it pretty well.

[RJDiogenes]

^Some have suggested that that is the entire point.

Human sacrifice is overkill. They're already preaching to the converted.

So the obvious solution (or at least possible solution) would be for News agencies to hold their noses and team up with right-leaning pollsters and average the results with their own polls.

Polls of polls are generally more accurate, although some fiddling is inevitable when questions are asked in different ways. Like voting, polls work better when everybody participates, but how do you make that happen? Another question is: What good are they? Does it really help to know who's trending among who? Maybe the whole approach of polling needs to be re-thought.

Trump was the 'spite' president. Conservative White America could neither accept nor tolerate a Black man as President, and so they elected a racist nitwit out of spite.

Except a lot of the same people voted for both. Far-Right extremists care more about socialism and abortion and religion than racism.

And yes, you both are right that they'd rather kill Americans and kill our democracy than become "Blackified". This article explains it pretty well.

It would take me a while to go through everything that's wrong and self-sabotaging in just the first few paragraphs of that article (The Nation is as far Left as Fox is far Right, so it needs to be taken with just as many grains of salt), but I coincidentally have a link of my own that I wanted to post.

I was a bit surprised to find this on CNN last night. Whenever I see something like it, I get a surge of hope that Liberalism is finally about to make a comeback, although I'm inevitably disappointed. Maybe this time, though.

[Gary]

Matt Gaetz meets his #1 fan

[Lupine]

^

^Some have suggested that that is the entire point.

Human sacrifice is overkill. They're already preaching to the converted.

But continued deaths will (they hope) reflect badly on Biden and make him look ineffective. They know that enough of their supporters will survive to cast their votes.

[RJDiogenes]

Matt Gaetz meets his #1 fan

"You're not crazy. And you're not a pedophile at all." And the guys in ties swoop in.

But continued deaths will (they hope) reflect badly on Biden and make him look ineffective. They know that enough of their supporters will survive to cast their votes.

I wonder about that. Everybody who dies has family and friends, and will the stark reality of that death make them blame the people who tried to vaccinate them or the people who tried to stop them? The majority of deaths are happening in swing states (mainly Florida), where a few thousand votes make a big difference. Maybe this is why Sean Hannity switched horses.

[scottydog]

Maybe this is why Sean Hannity switched horses.

Wait, what? Tell me more about Sean Hannity switching.

[Gary]

Maybe this is why Sean Hannity switched horses.

Wait, what? Tell me more about Sean Hannity switching.

Hannity is now advising his audience to get vaccinated.

Ex-Fox reporter explains why Tucker Carlson is lying about vaccines

[scottydog]

Hannity is now advising his audience to get vaccinated.

Ex-Fox reporter explains why Tucker Carlson is lying about vaccines

Fascinating. This guy is saying that people like Carlson are lying because their lies attract ratings, which attract money. Could that possibly be true? Isn't it more about having a total distrust for the "deep state" and/or the other political party?

[Gary]

Hannity is now advising his audience to get vaccinated.

Ex-Fox reporter explains why Tucker Carlson is lying about vaccines

Fascinating. This guy is saying that people like Carlson are lying because their lies attract ratings, which attract money. Could that possibly be true? Isn't it more about having a total distrust for the "deep state" and/or the other political party?

It's all an act to fleece the rubes, although I am certain several members of the GQP are off the rails nuts (like Marjorie Taylor Green, Lauren Boebert, etc). But the Fox News folks are all acting.

Congressman Eric Swallwell just dismantled the GQP in 2 minutes!

[RJDiogenes]

Fascinating. This guy is saying that people like Carlson are lying because their lies attract ratings, which attract money. Could that possibly be true? Isn't it more about having a total distrust for the "deep state" and/or the other political party?

It's all about the money, whether it's the ratings and book revenues for the big boys or the page views and ad clicks for the little guys. The influencers create the conflicts (the Deep State, the Patriarchy, QAnon, Woke Culture, identity politics, ad infinitum) and feed them to their zealots, who fight the war and get paid by the illusion of moral superiority. In any war, the real winners are the ones who make the weapons, and the weapons of the Culture War are memes.

Congressman Eric Swallwell just dismantled the GQP in 2 minutes!

He's not wrong, but there's more to it than that. Politicians aren't just wrestlers who sell the audience what they want, they're also making sure that the audience wants more and more of what they sell. They are the instigators.