In South Carolina, a Once Thriving Textile Hub Is Baffled by Trump’s Tariffs by #NYTimes
In South Carolina, a Once Thriving Textile Hub Is Baffled by Trump’s Tariffs by #NYTimes
Diverse Social Identities Can Protect Against Misinformation | #Psychology Today Canada https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/misguided/202504/diverse-social-identities-can-protect-against-misinformation “If a lack of #networkdiversity increases biases, can greater #ideologicaldiversity reduce them? There is evidence that suggests it can. Research shows that people with more ideologically diverse networks tend to have less polarized beliefs, and meaningful discussions across differences can reduce #polarization. (1/3)
A Better Future Depends on Reversing Class Dealignment
https://jacobin.com/2025/04/reversing-traditional-working-class-dealignment/
The right approach in citizen-to-citizen exchanges can change minds, even on politically divisive topics
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-approach-citizen-exchanges-minds-politically.html
“The silencing of pro-Palestinian or anti-genocide voices is the reason why this genocide is still going on after 10 months.”
Ghassan Abu-Sittah, Rector of the University of Glasgow, 1 August 2024
----
https://www.securityincontext.org/posts/hegemony-factories-or-independent-thinkers (source: [1])
It contains a HUGE misunderstanding:
"pro-Palestinian" and "anti-genocide" voices are two *VERY* different things.
Perhaps NOT from the PoV of Palestinians, but DEFINITELY from the viewpoint of most west-EU citizens, their media and their governments.
Sunday I joined a protest in Rotterdam that was announced as an emergy protest "do not let Gaza starve" (in Dutch: [2]).
However, *AGAIN* it was a *PRO-PALESTINE* protest (see the video I made in https://infosec.exchange/@ErikvanStraten/114291502939774579).
West-EU people, and possibly "their" think tanks, are made to believe that they have to choose between *either* Palestine *or* Israel to exist "from the river to the sea".
Enormously affecting western thinking, the Israeli propaganda machine does their utter best to continuously remind us of the Holocaust, and to make us believe that anyone who denies Israel from "defending themselves against terrorism" is a Holocaust-denier and/or an antisemite. Unfortunately, this *just works*.
On Dutch TV viewers are reminded of WWII *every day*. It simply is #Hasbara without viewers noticing it, and even the media fail to see their bias.
[Note: my grandfather, born in 1900, was a Jew. He was sent to nazi labour camps (instead of Auschwitz) because he was maried to a Dutch woman. His family was murdered by the nazi's. I do not hate non-Zionist Jews.]
Pro-Palestine demonstrations have been counter-productive from the start. If the most extremist arguments are not removed, like shouting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free", I will remain one of the very few Dutch people who is willing to join such protests. And I'm getting tired, because it feels pointless.
IMO #FrancescaAlbaneseIsRight - but her PoV is considered to be too extremistic, in particular when taking into account the immense failure of EU-countries to protect Jews during WWII. It is why hasbara works so well (in Germany in particular).
The cold blooded execution of the rescue workers made it to the news on Dutch TV, but the murder of approx. 17,000 Gazan children and the starvation of 2 million hardly gets any attention.
If polarization is not reduced RIGHT NOW, the media will turn away again. In particular because this year it's 80 years ago WWII ended in NL (victim remembrance day is on May 4), the tone of the debate needs to change. NOW.
If not, 2 million Gazans will die.
[1] Bilal Barakat (@bifouba) in https://kolektiva.social/@bifouba/114302380048285492
[2] https://acties.todon.nl/event/noodprotest-laat-gaza-niet-uithongeren
@joenepraat : do you know how to get my message to the protest organizers?
Avoiding your neighbor because of how they voted? Democracy needs to you talk to them instead
Alarm as Florida Republicans move to fill deported workers’ jobs with children: ‘It’s insane, right?’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/29/florida-republicans-immigrant-jobs-child-labor
Governor Ron DeSantis leads push to loosen child labor laws as immigration crackdown leads to workforce shortage.
https://www.europesays.com/1919090/ South Korea’s political polarization stems from historical trauma #Conflicts #historical #koreas #NorthKorea #Polarization #political #south #stems #trauma
Check out my new Substack [VIDEO] and post: “Trusted voices” as we RESIST and HEAL”
https://open.substack.com/pub/resistandheal/p/trusted-voices-as-we-resist-and-heal
Increasing #Polarization in the #USA was a myth. #Republicans became #Fascists #USpol #Politics
Did you miss today’s MediaEd Club webinar on “Participatory Storytelling and News?” It was a good one! Check out the 41 minute recorded video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09szF3th4KM
More links and details are available on:
https://mediaeducationlab.com/events/participatory-storytelling-and-news
I wrote a new blog post, sharing a new book I bought yesterday in Salisbury, North Carolina, as well as 7 other books I wanted to buy but ended up just adding to my reading wish list:
https://www.speedofcreativity.org/2025/03/02/reading-wish-list/
Budget-Minded Synthetic Aperture Radar Takes to the Skies - Unless you work for the government or a large corporation, constrained designs are... - https://hackaday.com/2025/02/13/budget-minded-synthetic-aperture-radar-takes-to-the-skies/ #syntheticapertureradar #patchantenna #polarization #dronehacks #radiohacks #drone #fpgs #dsa #sar #uav
American democracy the next four years, summarized in a 35 second clip!
How to Avoid Outrage Fatigue & Tune In without Burning Out
https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/how-to-avoid-outrage-fatigue-and-tune-in-without-burning-out/
Avoiding outrage fatigue while staying informed
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42949277
Comment: for more nuanced understanding read
2019: Communicating w. Memes: Consequences in Post-truth Civilization
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/113437776461706493
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498551342/Communicating-with-Memes-Consequences-in-Post-truth-Civilization
#SocialMedia #rhetoric #EchoChambers #polarization #memes #epistemology
#Trump #GOP #CultureWars #fascism
NEW STUDY OUT IN IC&S
Putting #FilterBubble Effects to the Test
In an experimental survey study with real #news #recommendersystems (#NRS), we find **limited** support for #polarization effects of #algorithms inducing "filter bubble" like information environments.
Data also show how balanced algorithms may promote #depolarization.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2024.2435998
@commodon @communicationscholars #PoliticalCommunication #SocialMedia
This is a super interesting paper on EU affective #polarisation #polarization a) love table b) would love to see table 4 compared to RU and Musk in-language propaganda spend, particularly plotted over time.
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/politicsandgovernance/article/view/8531/3968
Affective Polarization Among Radical‐Right Supporters: Dislike Differentiation and Democratic Support
@
OTOH, by creating "just us" bubbles, does that not lead to increased hatred and misunderstandings?
Is the US society definitely yes/defenitly not an excellent example of such polarization?
Is being pro or anti-Israel wrong?
Putin?
P.S. I too do block and mute people.
The defining characteristics of modern #political discourse—deep #polarization, escalating interpersonal #conflicts, & the constant need to establish oneself as the #AntiEstablishment figure—were more or less inevitable because of the speed of #Internet #communication, the inherently adversarial & mostly #anonymous characteristics of #online chatter,& the #isolation that comes w/staring at a screen all day.
#propaganda #Trump #Trumpaganda #radicalization #BigTech #broligarchy #technocracy #USpol
Meanwhile, in our #TrumpVirus / #DeathSantis country of #tribalism
Yes, there IS a Gulf of America.
Cartoon by Mike Luckovich