Everyone these days is convinced that the internet is a weapon…and that America needs to protect itself from evil foreigners who seek to use this tech to destroy the Great American Way of Life.
US elite concepts of freedom of speech have always taken on a “freedom for me, not for thee” undertone. It’s amazing we nobodies continue to swallow it with little protest. I suppose it exemplifies that what they call soft power really is power of a sort that gets used on us at least as often as it is used abroad.
I remember two Ivy League educated friends at a 2016 west coast summer barbecue motherfucking Russia over the Podesta emails or something and being a little shocked that they would take such offense at that, ignoring the implications of the actual contents of the emails. I can see more clearly now what offended them. That some other country’s elite might be trying to use a little soft power on us was crossing a line. “We’re the ones that get to gaslight and swindle our population. You try to do that, you’re dead!” Makes all kinds of sense now. Not sure what to do about it, but it feels better to at least understand how it works.
The Romans got bread and circus, the Soviets bread and peace, and now Americans will get TikTok and deportations.
Pistachio Wars is a must see documentary! Thank you for getting it out so fast.
You seem to have a knack for being at the forefront of major events with your book as well.
So subscribe to Mr. Levine already!!!
You snagged the zeitgeist right there when you wrote:
"Our political and business elite has presided over stunning levels of national decline and degradation."
Congrats on that column and Pistachio Wars!
US elite concepts of freedom of speech have always taken on a “freedom for me, not for thee” undertone. It’s amazing we nobodies continue to swallow it with little protest. I suppose it exemplifies that what they call soft power really is power of a sort that gets used on us at least as often as it is used abroad.
I remember two Ivy League educated friends at a 2016 west coast summer barbecue motherfucking Russia over the Podesta emails or something and being a little shocked that they would take such offense at that, ignoring the implications of the actual contents of the emails. I can see more clearly now what offended them. That some other country’s elite might be trying to use a little soft power on us was crossing a line. “We’re the ones that get to gaslight and swindle our population. You try to do that, you’re dead!” Makes all kinds of sense now. Not sure what to do about it, but it feels better to at least understand how it works.
Not convinced the TikTok ban is purely about Israel. Plenty of similar content on X.