I read your indepth article on The Manhattan Trial, Thursday morning. After reading it, I was certain that 45 would be convicted. So it wasn't a big surprise when my friend texted "guilty" later that afternoon. Inspite of all the crazy stuff that I see on FB and the pessimism of some of my friends, this country is in better shape than we realize! Thank you for your diligence!
Hi Jay - re: your readers telling you to stop working! It's Sunday!: As an authentic Jewish Mother, I can see there are many "Jewish Mothers" here, who just want to make sure you are taking care of yourself. 😊💕 And ps: I make a 'killer' chicken soup! 😊
I need to write about an observation I made which is very concerning. I am not on Twitter anymore since it is a cesspool. I switched to Threads the day it came out. Among other topics I follow a couple of places that are fighting against Trump like Midastouch and the Lincoln project. On a regular basis I check the "for you" posts of random people the algorithm suggests to me to check what else is going on. Since Friday I have seen a dramatic upswing of people replying to innocuous posts saying that they will continue to support Trump. That Biden is a crook, that he showered with his daughter/niece. That the trial was rigged. That Biden is Dictator and so on. You get the picture. It sounds like middle of the road people not MAGA crazies. This display of blantend distrust in our institutions just shook me to the core. I thought we are only up against maybe 30 to 35% of the population but it seems more like 50% believe the MAGA propaganda. It hard to not despair.
Don’t forget that foreign troll farms are working overtime to flood the online space with junk. They usually hit the usual targets after big happenings (those targets being high profile left leaning or anti trump communities/accounts). I take what I read from anonymous online accounts with a grain of borscht…I mean salt.
"It sounds like middle of the road people not MAGA crazies. "
On what basis are you reaching this conclusion?
I'm not on Threads, but I am an active commentor on articles in the Washington Post. When you check a commentors profile you can see when they joined. A new account could be a sign of a troll, since there is a "Report" function so Trolls get removed only to come back with a new identity.
Another sign is someone who is purporting to be reasonable (e.g., I'm an independent voter, I'm a Democrat, etc.) who then spouts absolute conspiracy theory crap. Unless you know them IRL, I would take their pronouncements with a huge grain of salt. And replying to "innocuous" posts with that kind of stuff is also a good indicator of a troll - they search out posts with a lot of likes to get greater visibility. My advice is to not engage with someone like that and report offensive or blatently false posts to a moderator, if one is available.
If your social media platform lets you know how many folowers that they have, that can also be a warning sign .
While most people probably weren't paying attention to the trial, it's hard to miss the "Guilty" headlines blasting from almost every newspaper.
If Trump's surly and dismissive behaviour during the trial had any effect on the jurors, then Trump's behaviour following the trial, and up to sentencing, may influence people who might be convinced he's not presidential material
I believe that what we see currently playing out, is a desperate, last ditch attempt by the White Majority to cling to power. They see more and more minorities being elected and, of course, they feel threatened by diversity and multi-culturalism. They can see that the demographics are against them and they will become a minority majority in about 15 more years. I think some fear reprisals for their actions and others just can't wrap their minds around good governance by 'those' people. Whatever the reason, the next few years will not be easy. Many on the Right have already proven that they are willing to resort to intimidation and violence to accomplish their goals. We must be steadfast in our resolve to defeat them.
I’m tribalistic in that I’ve been a Dem most of my life (flirted with nonpartisan for a bit). However, I’m all for holding Democrats accountable if they pull shenanigans. I’m not going to pretend that all Dems are perfect by any means (looking at you Bob Menendez).
The conspiracy theorist is impenetrable to logical explanations. After all, conspiracies are by nature secret, intentionally hidden from view so as to look like common occurrences. I believe it's not worth engaging such an individual with factual evidence, when it will be categorically rejected as a front for more sinister motives by unnamed perpetrators.
Thanks, Jay, for the helpful hints with Substack. I've had to contact Substack support for some of those, and you just explained everything so well. Will print this out for future reference.
I read your indepth article on The Manhattan Trial, Thursday morning. After reading it, I was certain that 45 would be convicted. So it wasn't a big surprise when my friend texted "guilty" later that afternoon. Inspite of all the crazy stuff that I see on FB and the pessimism of some of my friends, this country is in better shape than we realize! Thank you for your diligence!
Ok, but no more than 4 minutes, Mister! It’s a slippery slope.
Thank you for putting the "tribalism vs. rule of law" into words.
Hi Jay - re: your readers telling you to stop working! It's Sunday!: As an authentic Jewish Mother, I can see there are many "Jewish Mothers" here, who just want to make sure you are taking care of yourself. 😊💕 And ps: I make a 'killer' chicken soup! 😊
I need to write about an observation I made which is very concerning. I am not on Twitter anymore since it is a cesspool. I switched to Threads the day it came out. Among other topics I follow a couple of places that are fighting against Trump like Midastouch and the Lincoln project. On a regular basis I check the "for you" posts of random people the algorithm suggests to me to check what else is going on. Since Friday I have seen a dramatic upswing of people replying to innocuous posts saying that they will continue to support Trump. That Biden is a crook, that he showered with his daughter/niece. That the trial was rigged. That Biden is Dictator and so on. You get the picture. It sounds like middle of the road people not MAGA crazies. This display of blantend distrust in our institutions just shook me to the core. I thought we are only up against maybe 30 to 35% of the population but it seems more like 50% believe the MAGA propaganda. It hard to not despair.
Don’t forget that foreign troll farms are working overtime to flood the online space with junk. They usually hit the usual targets after big happenings (those targets being high profile left leaning or anti trump communities/accounts). I take what I read from anonymous online accounts with a grain of borscht…I mean salt.
I always find it therapeutic to focus on the most important stats, such as:
New York 34, Trump 0
"It sounds like middle of the road people not MAGA crazies. "
On what basis are you reaching this conclusion?
I'm not on Threads, but I am an active commentor on articles in the Washington Post. When you check a commentors profile you can see when they joined. A new account could be a sign of a troll, since there is a "Report" function so Trolls get removed only to come back with a new identity.
Another sign is someone who is purporting to be reasonable (e.g., I'm an independent voter, I'm a Democrat, etc.) who then spouts absolute conspiracy theory crap. Unless you know them IRL, I would take their pronouncements with a huge grain of salt. And replying to "innocuous" posts with that kind of stuff is also a good indicator of a troll - they search out posts with a lot of likes to get greater visibility. My advice is to not engage with someone like that and report offensive or blatently false posts to a moderator, if one is available.
If your social media platform lets you know how many folowers that they have, that can also be a warning sign .
Bots do that for TFG (the felon guy) so don't despair 👍🤷
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday Jay!
While most people probably weren't paying attention to the trial, it's hard to miss the "Guilty" headlines blasting from almost every newspaper.
If Trump's surly and dismissive behaviour during the trial had any effect on the jurors, then Trump's behaviour following the trial, and up to sentencing, may influence people who might be convinced he's not presidential material
Excellent opinion from former PA Lt. Gov. Mark Singel: https://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2024/06/many-americans-cant-support-a-convicted-felon-in-the-white-house-opinion.html?1717243331=true
I believe that what we see currently playing out, is a desperate, last ditch attempt by the White Majority to cling to power. They see more and more minorities being elected and, of course, they feel threatened by diversity and multi-culturalism. They can see that the demographics are against them and they will become a minority majority in about 15 more years. I think some fear reprisals for their actions and others just can't wrap their minds around good governance by 'those' people. Whatever the reason, the next few years will not be easy. Many on the Right have already proven that they are willing to resort to intimidation and violence to accomplish their goals. We must be steadfast in our resolve to defeat them.
I’m tribalistic in that I’ve been a Dem most of my life (flirted with nonpartisan for a bit). However, I’m all for holding Democrats accountable if they pull shenanigans. I’m not going to pretend that all Dems are perfect by any means (looking at you Bob Menendez).
Ok 4 minutes is acceptable. But no more!! Enjoy your Sunday. 💗
The conspiracy theorist is impenetrable to logical explanations. After all, conspiracies are by nature secret, intentionally hidden from view so as to look like common occurrences. I believe it's not worth engaging such an individual with factual evidence, when it will be categorically rejected as a front for more sinister motives by unnamed perpetrators.
As soon as I saw your email, my thought was why is Jay working on Sunday?. Grateful for this though in case it happens to me.
I think sometimes it’s therapeutic for Jay to express himself. Sunday or not.
lol! Perhaps!
Thanks, Jay, for the helpful hints with Substack. I've had to contact Substack support for some of those, and you just explained everything so well. Will print this out for future reference.
Love your unflagging effort to explain all thats happening in this insane time we are living in. Also, sometimes your email ends up in my junk mail.