Here in Europe we play the same games, watch the same movies and read the same books and browse the same internet but we do not have daily mass shootings
"Daily deaths by gun" is not something normal and should not be accepted
Please stop finding excuses and start protecting your people
None of the wires cover it — not Reuters, not AFP, not AP, not Bloomberg.
One in three women is (roughly) one on six members of the human race. No news agency thinks long-term health issues affecting one in six people matter.
Why can’t we do something about guns? Climate change? Homelessness? The absurd cost of healthcare in America? Turns out there’s a single source to all these problems…
Powerful and Continuing #Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of #patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. #Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
Disdain for the Recognition of #HumanRights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, and long incarcerations of prisoners.
Supremacy of the #Military
Even when there are widespread #domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
Rampant #Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional #gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to #abortion is high, as is #homophobia and anti-#gay legislation.
Controlled #MassMedia
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation or by sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Government #censorship and #secrecy especially in war time, are very common.
Obsession with #NationalSecurity
Fear of hostile foreign powers is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
#Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.
Protection of #Corporate Power
The #industrial and business #aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
Suppression of #Labor Power
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor #unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
Disdain for #Intellectuals and the #Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to #HigherEducation and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other #academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
Obsession with #Crime and #Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the #police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego #CivilLiberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Rampant #Cronyism and #Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
#Fraudulent#Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by #SmearCampaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control #voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
This post is a summary of Fascism, Anyone? by Lawrence W. Britt published in 2003 by Free Inquiry magazine."
My daughter was walking to the King Soopers grocery in Boulder, CO as it was being shot up by a gunman. Her dad called her to make sure she knew it was going on. That call turned her around and she went home and locked down. She moved to #Maine a few years ago. I texted her now about the Lewiston, ME shooting happening. She didn’t know. She’s 20 mins from #Lewiston - not close, but not far enough for me.
This problem is unique because places like #Canada, #Serbia, #Slovakia, #Switzerland and #Germany have a higher density of weapons yet don't even come close adjusted per capita.
1 in 5 U.S. adults say they’ve had a family member killed by a gun.
1 in 6 have witnessed a shooting.
1 in 5 have been personally threatened with a gun.
I am in passport control. I can see my face on a screen. The technology recognises me and lets me through. I scan codes showing my vaccination status and recent Covid test results. The machines assess the data regarding my health and microbiology. Through into the waiting room, people are staring into little screens. A strangely large number have the camera flipped, and are capturing their faces at different angles, as if they've forgotten what they look like. I open my laptop and join in. I give my details to a company to enter the digital realm. Adverts tailored to my personality pop up. They know me better than I know myself.
Rep. Paul Gosar urged a fight to the finish. “The FBI raid on Trump’s home tells us one thing,” the far-right Arizona congressman tweeted. “Failure is not an option. We must destroy the FBI.”
The issue of #US military 🪖 #veterans is neither limited to #NBC, nor to the #MassMedia, but has an entirely exasperating critical dimension, as I explained in this detailed thread last year:
CBC has whitewashed Israel’s crimes in Gaza. I saw it firsthand
Working for five years as a producer at the public broadcaster, I witnessed the double standards and discrimination in its coverage of Palestine—and experienced directly how CBC disciplines those who speak out
A misplaced image above the headline (found on the Guardian) adds an ironic commentary on how #Trump sucks the soul out of art to benefit him. #SinéadOConnor#Music#MassMedia
"Reimagined Realities, False Memories and Generative AI: A Journey between the Real and the Synthetic - and Hopefully Back."
In the ever-evolving complexity of reality and fabrication, we find ourselves standing at a junction where the two become almost indistinguishable, thanks, in no small part, to the advancements of Generative AI. This technology, akin to the human phenomenon of fostering false yet cherished memories, crafts digital narratives that blur the lines between the real and the artificial.
In a recent episode of "Redefining Society Podcast," we got deep into this topic, painting a vivid picture of a world where the synthetic and authentic intertwine in photography and advertising, creating a complex yet fascinating landscape that forces us to question the very fabric of reality.
As we move forward into an era of democratized fabrication tools, it becomes imperative to foster a conversation that navigates this intricate terrain with a sense of caution and awareness, encouraging discourse that looks beyond the binary of positive and negative.
I invite you to read the full exploration in my latest newsletter. Share your thoughts and join the conversation that scrutinizes the depth of reality and the role of Generative AI in molding it.
Be sure to share it with others, subscribe for more insights, and comment to steer this necessary discourse.
The problem ain't #guns, but #ViolenceCulture, since there are way more [illegal] guns per capita in Switzerland, Finland, Serbia, Croatia and Germany than the USA.
Otherwise we'd see similar numbers [adjusted per guns & capita] around the globe - but we don't [and no, suicides don't count!]...
For all those #ScienceFiction#Writers ou there, here is an #AllternativeHistory#AlloHistorical change that could produce interesting results - what if Taylor Swift's current interest, Travis Kelce, was not a NFL player. Consider the Swift impact on other lesser appreciated activities that Kelce could have chosen.
For Example:
I'm sure there are other possible endeavours that don't have as wide a public following as the #NFL that could have acquired The #Swifties enthusiastic attention. 😂
„Two of the 3 victims specifically singled out by the NYT in a marquee exposé published in December, which alleged that Hamas had deliberately weaponized sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attacks, were not in fact victims of sexual assault, according to the spokesperson for the Kibbutz Be’eri, which the Times identified as the location of the attack.“
Recently, I finished a book that sounded like exactly the kind of book I would love, and watched a movie about which I knew nothing other than it was made by a director whose first film I adored. And in both cases, my expectations didn’t quite line up with my experience.
Everything shapes the way we respond to art. The colours on the book cover. The font choice. The first words. The words on the back cover, which the author didn’t write. The blurbs. The paper. The price of the book. The author’s social media presence. Some of these things can be ignored. Some are part of the process. #ReadingExpectations#Novels#Books#MassMedia#Reading#MassMediaExpectations