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Scientific American, Marianne Cooper & Maxim Voronov, 18 Jun 2024<\/strong>: We\u2019ve Hit Peak Denial. Here\u2019s Why We Can\u2019t Turn Away From Reality<\/a>, subtitled “We are living through a terrible time in humanity. Here\u2019s why we tend to stick our heads in the sand and why we need to pull them out, fast”<\/p>\n Well… I’m beginning to think that *every* age thinks it’s living at some worst possible moment of human existence. (And there’s a perverse sense in which the religious zealots *welcome* living in the end times, since that makes them feel special.) Yet the writers here make a good case, especially given the current political polarization (in the US at least) and the spread of misinformation via social media (though some will point out conspiracy theories have been floated for a hundred years or more).<\/p>\n Last year was the hottest ever<\/a> and recorded the highest number<\/a> of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. Not to mention that over the past few years, mass shootings have significantly increased<\/a>, we\u2019ve seen unparalleled attacks on democracy<\/a> and science<\/a>, and mental health issues have skyrocketed<\/a>.<\/p>\n Truth be told, things were bananas even before the pandemic: just think of the Great Recession, the 2009 swine flu pandemic, and Brexit. Academics use terms like \u201cpolycrisis<\/a>\u201d and \u201cpostnormal times<\/a>\u201d to describe the breadth and scale of the issues we now face.<\/p>\n Welcome to the new normal, an age where many things that we used to deem unusual or unacceptable have become just what we live with. Concerningly, though, \u201cliving with it\u201d means tolerating greater suffering and instability than we used to, often without fully noticing or talking about it. When authorities tell us to \u201cresume normal activities<\/a>\u201d after an on-campus shooting or give guidance<\/a> on how to increase our heat tolerance in an ever-hotter world, we may sense that something is awry even as we go along with it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Human nature doesn’t change, but circumstances and knowledge do. The current problem is with those people who refuse to acknowledge changing circumstances, and new information, and as those things accelerate, maybe the problem really is getting worse and worse. And those people are the conservatives.<\/p>\n \\\\<\/p>\n Short items.<\/p>\n \u2022 For some, Trump isn’t kooky enough. Salon, Amanda Marcotte, 25 Jun 2024<\/strong>: From Virginia to Colorado, MAGA infighting during primaries puts the GOP into disarray<\/a>, subtitled “Far-right Republicans in Arizona threaten revolt against Donald Trump for being too ‘deep state'”. My take: there have always been such crackpots. They’re just getting more attention in today’s saturated media landscape.<\/p>\n \u2022 Yet another example of how Republicans don’t need evidence to make accusations. AlterNet, Alex Henderson, 26 Jun 2024<\/strong>: How a ‘baseless’ Biden conspiracy theory took off in right-wing media<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Axios, 25 Jun 2024<\/strong>: Scoop: 16 Nobel economists see a Trump inflation bomb<\/a>. But neither Trump nor his fans believe in expertise.<\/p>\n \u2022 Joe.My.God, about the Family Research Council again<\/strong>: Hate Group Declares Victory Over Pride Month: It\u2019s Been A Long Time Since Straights Could \u201cEnjoy June\u201d<\/a>. Does he have the slightest clue about how non-Christians feel about living in a Christian-saturated culture *every* month, *every* year? No.<\/p>\n \u2022 Yet another offhand threat of violence by the right. AlterNet, 25 Jun 2024<\/strong>: ‘I would lynch him’: Arizona GOP leader threatened to murder top election official<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Did they anticipate this? No. NBC News, 24 Jun 2024<\/strong>: Texas abortion ban linked to 13% increase in infant and newborn deaths<\/a>: \u201cThis might foreshadow what is happening in other states,\u201d said Johns Hopkins public health researcher Alison Gemmill. \u201cTexas is basically a year ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2022 Is he living in the 14th century? Joe.My.God, 24 Jun 2024<\/strong>: \u201cDeath To LGBTQs\u201d House Candidate: \u201cSatanic Forces Are Taking Over Schools With Drag Queen Story Hours\u201d<\/a>. He lost his runoff election<\/a> yesterday, though not by much.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Or is it only human nature to think so? A Scientific American piece about the denial of reality. Maybe the evidence suggests we *are* living in the worst of times. Short pieces about MAGA infighting and accusations, economists warning about … Continue reading ![](\"https:\/\/mediaproxy.salon.com\/width\/1200\/https:\/\/media2.salon.com\/2024\/06\/lauren_boebert_bob_good_2156704762_2156985663_1229279975.jpg\")
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