One striking aspect of the Grand-Canyon-sized gulf that seems to separate liberal urban Americans (aka Democrats) from conservative rural Americans (aka Republicans) is that we have largely stopped talking to each other.
In too many cases we simply talk past one another and therefore remain ensconced within our self-reinforcing ideological bubbles. The split between left and right-oriented cable TV networks exacerbates this gulf.
(BTW, if you find yourself agreeing too forcefully with your favorite TV commentators, you should turn them off and read the news instead. You can start with the links I aggregate here day after day.)
The Covid-19 pandemic made the national communication gap so much worse. President Trump recognized the issue immediately and started playing on it for his own political purposes. Democrats piled on. And due to the legitimate fear of infecting one another, families split up into their city and country halves and stopped getting together, reducing the natural cross-fertilization of ideas that traditionally would have occurred on holidays like Thanksgiving.
People joked about it at the time but it was no laughing matter. Everybody needed to keep talking and sharing our differing perspectives during the crisis more than ever. Both sides had something to offer.
Instead, isolated liberals erred by dismissing the anti-mask and anti-vaccine sentiment prevalent in isolated rural America as due to ignorance when it was actually more due to reluctance.
Much of the gulf was due to poor communication strategies on a national level about the scientific uncertainties involved. Mandates became mixed up with misguided notions of liberty manipulated by cynical politicians.
Meanwhile, public health experts like Anthony Fauci were thrust into public roles for which they were poorly suited. While Fauci played well on the coasts he didn’t fare so well in the interior.
That problem prevails to this day.
One of this week’s most intriguing stories that shines light on all this is “Why Being Anti-Science Is Now Part Of Many Rural Americans’ Identity” on the polling site 538. Please give it a look.
And note how problems dissipate when people talk.
Now the pandemic is in remission somewhat, also consider resuming your conversations with relatives and friends with whom you may too long have been out of touch.
We quite desperately need to do this for the good of our common future.
Thanks to my old friend Martin Abraham for alerting me to the 538 article.
Today’s News (50):
Ukraine War Impact Widens: Russia Cuts Gas Flow and Vows More Reprisals (NYT)
Russia stepped up its assaults on eastern and southern Ukraine, Kyiv said, and President Vladimir Putin threatened "lightning-fast" retaliation against any Western countries that intervene on Ukraine's behalf. (Reuters)
Explosions rock Kyiv again as Russians rain fire on Ukraine (AP)
Russia warned it could cut off gas to more countries in Europe. (WP)
What Russia cutting off energy to Poland and Bulgaria means for the world (NPR)
Fears Are Mounting That Ukraine War Will Spill Across Borders (NYT)
A Ukrainian soldier holed up in a steel works in Mariupol said his forces would fight for as long as needed and he urged world leaders to find a way to save civilians and the hundreds of troops trapped in Russia's "medieval" siege. (Reuters)
Key players urge accountability for atrocities in Ukraine (AP)
Biden seeks $33 billion for Ukraine, powers to liquidate Russian assets (WP)
They Flooded Their Own Village, and Kept the Russians at Bay (NYT)
Ukrainians deported to Russia beaten and mistreated (BBC)
Occupied Ukrainian city fears sham Russian referendum plans (AP)
If Russia starts winning, Americans won’t blame Ukraine. They’ll blame Biden. (WP)
Putin’s war backfires on Russia by reviving the west (Financial Times)
Russia is using dolphins to protect Black Sea naval base, satellite photos suggest (WP)
A chilling Russian cyber aim in Ukraine: Digital dossiers (AP)
Why Being Anti-Science Is Now Part Of Many Rural Americans’ Identity (538)
The Earth lost an Oregon-size area of tree cover last year. (WP)
‘Relentless’ destruction of rainforest continuing despite Cop26 pledge (Guardian)
India's northwestern Rajasthan state scheduled four hours of power cuts for factories, making it at least the third state to disrupt industrial activity to manage surging power demand amid an intense heat wave. (Reuters)
Massive wildfires helped fuel global forest losses in 2021 (WP)
Cherokee Nation Can Gather Sacred Plants on National Park Land (NYT)
Tuition at University of California colleges will be covered for all state residents from federally recognized Native American tribes. (LAT)
Global warming risks most cataclysmic extinction of marine life in 250m years (Guardian)
Dr. Anthony Fauci said the pandemic is not over after earlier saying the U.S. was “out of the pandemic phase” of COVID-19. "I probably should have said the acute component of the pandemic phase," he said after celebrating the nation’s low level of reported deaths, hospitalizations and cases. "And I understand how that can lead to some misinterpretation.” [HuffPost]
Moderna said its coronavirus vaccine for kids under 6 is ready. (WP)
China’s Covid Lockdown Outrage Tests Limits of Triumphant Propaganda (NYT)
A new poll from the Public Policy Institute of California finds that more than four in 10 parents say their children have fallen behind academically during the pandemic. (East Bay Times)
The Pandemic Warped Our Sense Of Time. Here's How To Gain It Back. (HuffPost)
Increased infectious disease risk likely from climate change (AP)
A political reckoning in Sri Lanka as economic crisis grows (NPR)
President Joe Biden said American teachers are being unfairly targeted in "the culture wars," and warned against book banning in an event at the White House. Across the United States, more than 1,000 titles, mostly addressing racism and LGBTQ issues, have been removed from school libraries in recent months. (Reuters)
President Joe Biden suggested to lawmakers that he is not only looking at further extending the pause on federal student loan payments, but could soon announce a broader cancellation of student loan debt. “I feel very confident that he is pushing on his team to do something, and to do something significant,” Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.) said. [HuffPost]
Amend the Constitution to bar senators from the presidency (George Will/WP)
Elon Musk wants to 'authenticate all real humans' on Twitter. Here's what that could mean (CNN)
Eighteen months after Donald Trump lost the White House, loyal supporters continue to falsely assert that compromised balloting machines across America robbed him of the 2020 election. To stand up that bogus claim, some Trump die-hards are taking the law into their own hands -- by attempting, with some success, to compromise the voting systems themselves. (Reuters)
Data shows law enforcement officers overwhelmingly white and male (Politico)
Why California Wants to Recall Its Most Progressive Prosecutors — Criminal-justice reform takes time, but voters might be running out of patience. (Atlantic)
U.S. economy shrinks 1.4 percent in first quarter, raising fears of recession (WP)
US economy shrinks, threats loom, but growth likely to last (AP)
Amazon Posts First Loss Since 2015 as Sales Growth Slows (WSJ)
Global warming risks most cataclysmic extinction of marine life in 250m years (Gizmodo)
From King Cobras to Geckos, 20 Percent of Reptiles Risk Extinction (NYT)
Your dog’s personality may have little to do with its breed (AP)
Yankees Attribute Offensive Slump To Terrified Hitters Closing Eyes During Swing (The Onion)
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