#897 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday April 10)
Good morning,
SHORT TERM CHALLENGES
Three of my greatest immediate worries are the war in Gaza, the impending U.S. election, and the continuing erosion of truth and civility at the hands of Internet titans.
The problems in the Middle East pose what I believe could be existential consequences for the continuing strength, democracy, and vitality of Israel and its continued support. The war, being led by Prime Minister Netanyahu, proceeds with the unachievable goal of destroying Hamas, rather than the already achieved goal of degrading it and rendering it incapable of replicating the devastating crimes of October 7th. One increasingly must question whether the interests of Mr. Netanyahu continue to align with the interests of Israel and its people. Protesters supporting the Palestinian cause point out the continued casualties being inflicted on the population. Meanwhile, antisemites from dark places on the far right and the far left are using these difficulties as justification expanding acts of antisemitic violence.
Meanwhile, the upcoming elections in the United States will be ugly and filled with the lies, the vitriol, and the rhetoric of Donald Trump provoking hatred and violence. A man with little in the way of policy prescriptions, yet replete with promises of his singular ability to end war, boost the economy, resolve the healthcare crisis, reset relationships with America’s enemies, and secure the boarders (despite the colossal failure of his first attempts at each) has a 50/50 chance of being elected. The results of that election could present existential consequences to democracy in America, free and fair elections, and the independence of the Justice Department and the judiciary. This is to say nothing of what his tax regime has done to expand the growing national deficit, posing risks to the dollar as a reserve currency, the threat of his desire to end support for Ukraine and his willingness to provide a blank check to further Russian mischief. His is a policy destined to end our nation’s leadership in multi-lateral institutions and other bilateral pacts and international cooperation.
My third short-term concern of great consequence is the flood of misinformation and disinformation rampant on social media and on the Internet, disrupting reporting of news and shaping views based upon misreadings of history, false science, manipulation of people’s greatest fears and anxieties, and untethered capitalism associated with social media and technology. The Internet has become a hotbed of conspiracy theories, extreme religious belief, hate speech, and misguided science that will slow technological development and further drive a wedge in civil society. Equally troubling has been the relationship between the algorithms of social media and the rise in teen and 20-something anxiety and depression—fueling a mental health crisis that the internet titans ignore as they seek greater, lonely, engagement with their platforms.
These are all extraordinarily tough issues in the relatively short-term, but there is a significant long-term existential risk to life as we know it, and that is the need to address erosion of the climate and declining biodiversity, particularly as these affect human safety, security, and sustenance.
What all these problems have in common is that it feels like the wrong people are empowered with making decisions that affect us all. We cannot leave Middle East peace to the antagonists (they need mediators and interlocutors), we can’t allow pass control of the government to the current Republican party (we need true patriots, willing to compromise) that has surrendered complete fealty to Donald Trump (we need non-authoritarians), and we can’t permit the internet moguls, who are motivated by profit over responsible behavior, to regulate themselves (government must intercede on our behalf).
HAVING FRIENDS WITH DIFFERENT POLITICS
It is increasingly difficult in these fraught times to maintain friendships with those who so radically disagree with one’s views and, particularly, who so radically disagree with proven facts. Ben VandeBunt notes the following:
“I find it hilarious when people judge different political views so harshly. Politics are so uncertain. Too many Liberals love labor unions and hate real estate developers, casting our educational system into a sea of mediocrity and causing housing costs to skyrocket. Too many Conservatives tout character and personal freedoms while supporting Donald Trump and denying women the right to choose.
The right answer to most challenging political issues is ‘it is hard, nuanced and let’s figure out what we can do to cause the best outcome w/the least harm.’ This is a nearly impossible task when confronted with passionate people treating anecdotes supporting their preconceived notions like gospel.”
Have a great day,
Glenn