Views from Crestmont Drive

Items today:

• The retirement of Rupert Murdoch, who became wealthy by degrading American politics and appealing to many Americans’ worst instincts;
• Republican hypocrisy example: John Fetterman vs. Lauren Boebert; with a classic definition: “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.”
• A good summary by Bobby Azarian about the Dunning-Kruger effect, relevant to the previous items;
• Robert Reich explains what “socialism,” a concept conservatives don’t seem to understand, actually is;
• And how American dominance in science is threatened by conservative science-deniers.

The significant cultural/political news yesterday was the announcement that Rupert Murdoch is stepping down as chair of Fox News. Sometimes I wonder, if aliens, or foreign agents, wanted to infiltrate American society in ways to bring our society down, wouldn’t they act a lot like Rupert Murdoch and Donald Trump? Is the nation better off now than before those two came on the scene? Obviously, I would say, no.

Slate, Justin Peters, 21 Sep 2023: Bloody Murdoch, subtitled “As much as anyone, the Fox News mogul is responsible for America’s conservative crackup. What did it get him?”

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