Another great edition, thanks Andrew, especially for Ezra Klein's 'Don't Believe Him' which has given me a glimmer of hope and I will be forwarding this 5MSM to colleagues in the US who are struggling. Ezra's words: "If you're always consumed by the next outrage, you can't look closely at the next one" and "The perception of strength obscures the reality of weakness" and "He's acting like a king because he's too weak to govern like a president". "DON'T BELIEVE HIM'....."Amen" to that
Over the weekend I’ve been thinking more about the link in Andrew’s first vignette to Ezra Klein on Trump and the strategy of “muzzle velocity”. I was initially comforted by this but now I’m not so sure. This morning I met a Melbourne woman who is doing a Masters focusing on transgender issues. At her university she uses a US based platform for the purposes of her research where the option of ‘other’ is no longer available alongside ‘male’ or ‘female’. Whether Trump’s approach to gender issues gets overturned or not, right now transgender/non-binary people in the US cannot get or renew their passport unless they tick ‘male’ or ‘female’ notwithstanding that this action would be odds with their state issued driver’s license, as well as the internal incongruence involved. And right here in Melbourne, at least one university I know of is searching for a different platform to conduct research. And right now I’m back to being scared, despite Ezra’s pleas to not believe him.
Yes, these institutions are practising 'anticipatory obedience'. They are falling into line with a subtle form of control that's particularly difficult to address because it happens through self-regulation rather than direct coercion. When it's carried out by universities, government (funded) agencies and the press, it will lead to a gradual erosion of independent decision-making and institutional integrity. So, you're right - we need to call this out where we can.
My favourite podcast right now: Communicating with Ros Atkins (BBC) - short, sharp and simple. Leading (The Rest is Politics) UK version also thought provoking.
So many terrific questions/ideas this week, Andrew!
Agree re- gossip is a waste of time. Though there is an upside sometimes: it can play a key role in social glue (allowing us to bond, reinforce group values, and accountability....because no one wants to be that person everyone’s whispering about).
When gossip turns malicious, it says more about the person spreading it. In my experience, those who gossip harshly tend to judge themselves the hardest, too
Another great edition, thanks Andrew, especially for Ezra Klein's 'Don't Believe Him' which has given me a glimmer of hope and I will be forwarding this 5MSM to colleagues in the US who are struggling. Ezra's words: "If you're always consumed by the next outrage, you can't look closely at the next one" and "The perception of strength obscures the reality of weakness" and "He's acting like a king because he's too weak to govern like a president". "DON'T BELIEVE HIM'....."Amen" to that
Over the weekend I’ve been thinking more about the link in Andrew’s first vignette to Ezra Klein on Trump and the strategy of “muzzle velocity”. I was initially comforted by this but now I’m not so sure. This morning I met a Melbourne woman who is doing a Masters focusing on transgender issues. At her university she uses a US based platform for the purposes of her research where the option of ‘other’ is no longer available alongside ‘male’ or ‘female’. Whether Trump’s approach to gender issues gets overturned or not, right now transgender/non-binary people in the US cannot get or renew their passport unless they tick ‘male’ or ‘female’ notwithstanding that this action would be odds with their state issued driver’s license, as well as the internal incongruence involved. And right here in Melbourne, at least one university I know of is searching for a different platform to conduct research. And right now I’m back to being scared, despite Ezra’s pleas to not believe him.
Yes, these institutions are practising 'anticipatory obedience'. They are falling into line with a subtle form of control that's particularly difficult to address because it happens through self-regulation rather than direct coercion. When it's carried out by universities, government (funded) agencies and the press, it will lead to a gradual erosion of independent decision-making and institutional integrity. So, you're right - we need to call this out where we can.
My favourite podcast right now: Communicating with Ros Atkins (BBC) - short, sharp and simple. Leading (The Rest is Politics) UK version also thought provoking.
So many terrific questions/ideas this week, Andrew!
Agree re- gossip is a waste of time. Though there is an upside sometimes: it can play a key role in social glue (allowing us to bond, reinforce group values, and accountability....because no one wants to be that person everyone’s whispering about).
When gossip turns malicious, it says more about the person spreading it. In my experience, those who gossip harshly tend to judge themselves the hardest, too
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