At the bottom of the page is a place to leave comments. We want “Our Voices” this week to be dominated by responses in that space.
This has been a week of media dominated by one crime story–allegedly a failed plan to assassinate the president, stopped outside (not “at”) a high-profile event–and the three-ring circus of news-about-the-news to follow it.
It’s highly unlikely for this kind of crime ever to be staged from the beginning as a publicity stunt, any more than the many failed assassination plots against our other recent presidents that received so much less media coverage. But, the overwhelmingly cynical, coordinated, and immediate manipulation of the narrative to follow these stories now give such horrors the appearance of being welcomed, if not planned, as news-cycle fillers and distractions to serve those in power. Not only can rare incidents like this be weaponized to push unrelated points and positions (anything from pretending a vanity ballroom is for national security, to an excuse to stop late-night comedy), they are sure to clog up our discourse in general.
The world keeps spinning with the problems we had last week, before this latest circus sideshow pitched its tent and sent its barkers out to shout over the crowd. To repeat what we said in our weekly newsletter message: What’s on your mind? What discussions have been drowned out? What are the “hidden hot spots” you want to bring back to the front?
Justin Lloyd Ludwig
Florence Indivisible, City Club of Florence, Florence Young Professionals, Florence ORganizes / Florence
I would challenge the notion that we’re in curious times. I think the water is still boiling, and we’ve just gotten used to the heat. It’s amazing how we adapt, and carry on while things are on fire.
There’s also several local and state elections ongoing into May, and from what I’ve noticed regionally there’s a subtle push to not rock boats as Election Day approaches. Too many unknown factors can lead local campaigns astray, with people guessing what issues will shift voter turnout the most. Will it be the gas tax? The Republican governor primary?
Nationally, I think MAGA knows they’ve tanked their chances for November, and are likely recalculating how to adjust. I would expect them to turn down the apocalypse vibes for a little bit and maybe try more domestic-side distractions.
In the meantime, long-term damage on so many other issues won’t be truly known perhaps for years to come. One huge issue for Oregon is our national forests — and one that many people don’t know about. What impact will the U.S. Forest Service reorganization have in Oregon? I think it’s not something that can be fully understood or quantified in a news cycle. It’s a slow burn. And the public doesn’t have the time or patience to pay attention while they’re worried about living paycheck to paycheck.
I still believe we’re in a vertical war. It’s not left vs. right. It’s the 1% vs. everyone else. The national news is tightly controlled by corporations, and we’ll hear what they want us to hear. So if it feels like things have cooled down a bit, that feeling is likely intentional, and may not be accurate.
Photo inset: “Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Combined Shows: The Children’s Favorite Clown” (detail), 1920, The New York Public Library Digital Collections.
Hidden hot spots? Things ignored cuz some rando shot up a hotel in D.C.?
Start with the Epstein files. Did Trump rape little teenagers?
Then how about the early start to fire season, burning everything from wheat in Nebraska to subdivisions in Florida. And keep in mind that the republicans fired 1,200 red carded fire fighters; the felling boss, the division supervisor, the miscellaneous overhead that are the experienced part of the fire organization.
Saving this for last, I paid $86 to gas up my pickup. This country has a creepy billionaire problem and it is making life difficult for the rest of us.
Nice work on the newsletter and posts! Thanks for asking for comments.
In a Zoom meeting yesterday, we talked about “Outward Mndset” and how to maintain that head and heart space in the midst of aggregating and horrifying circumstances.
Perhaps some humans are able to find a constant place of mindfulness, even as you cope with daily upsets amidst seeking social change. We revere teachers who have supposedly reached that state of equilibrium, where every action is motivated by love or compassion.
Me? I yo-yo wildly between the goalposts, feeling generous in spirit one minute and then, in the next minute, repeating “8647” in deep grievance as if it were a prayer! There’s a part of me that enjoys the fury of “righteous indignation”!
It’s clear to me that I can sustain a balanced perspective in the face of ignorance and even malice for short periods of time, knowing that others are acting without fully understanding or acknowledging their actions. I can give people the benefit of doubt in the name of compassion, hoping to have an opportunity to speak my mind about how their actions affect me, and hoping they can hear me and connect somewhat to my feelings. But my patience is limited; I expect reciprocity from them. I ain’t a saint.
In a meritocracy, there are consequences for behaving within the (somewhat fluid) social boundaries, and there are consequences for acting outside of them. It’s really depressing to see this idea hijacked.
In our Zoom call, without calling bullshit on the ideals of Outward Mindset, I said that accountability is something I value, and I wish the skills of giving and receiving feedback were more evident in our culture today.
I can find forgiveness for myself if there is an acknowledgment about my intentions and how I missed the mark in my efforts. I find it easier to forgive others as well, when there is an acknowledgment on their part about their responsibility.
It’s gratifying to see that there are plenty of classes to help those like me who are keen to improve my batting average against challenging opponents!😆
George Lakey (author and peacemaker extraordinaire) likes to remind us that “the greatest advances in social justice happen during times of the greatest social upheaval.”
I’m looking for small successes whenever I’m up at bat, and if an average of .350 is considered above average in the majors, then I won’t be crushed by being called out occasionally!