robertreich:

Democracy depends on a free and
independent press, which is why all tyrants try to squelch it. They use seven techniques
that, worryingly, President-elect Donald Trump already employs.

1. Berate the media. Shortly
after the election, Trump summoned two-dozen TV news anchors and executives to
the twenty-fifth floor of Trump Tower to berate them for their reporting about
him during the election. For twenty minutes he railed at what he called their “outrageous” and “dishonest” coverage. According
to an attendee, “Trump kept saying, ‘we’re in a
room of liars, the deceitful dishonest media who got it all wrong,’” and he called
CNN a “network of liars.” He accused NBC of using unflattering pictures of him,
demanding to know why they didn’t use “nicer” pictures.

Another person who attended the
meeting said Trump “truly doesn’t seem to understand the First Amendment. He
thinks we are supposed to say what he says and that’s it.”

2. Blacklist critical media. During the campaign, Trump blacklisted news outlets whose coverage
he didn’t approve of. In June he pulled The Washington Post’s credentials. “Based
on the incredibly inaccurate coverage and reporting of the record setting Trump
campaign, we are hereby revoking the press credentials of the phony and
dishonest Washington Post,” read a post on Trump’s Facebook page.

After the election Trump agreed to meet with the New York Times and then suddenly
cancelled the meeting when he didn’t like the terms, tweeting “Perhaps a new meeting will be set up with the @nytimes. In the
meantime they continue to cover me inaccurately and with a nasty tone!” (He reversed
himself again and met with the Times.) 

3. Turn the public against the media. Trump refers to journalists as “lying,” “dishonest,”
“disgusting” and “scum.” Referring to the journalists at his rallies, Trump
said, “I hate some of these people,” adding (presumably in
response to allegations of Vladimir Putin’s treatment of dissident journalists)
“but I’d never kill ‘em.“ 

He questions the press’s motives,
claiming, for example, that The Washington
Post wrote negative things about him because its publisher, Jeffrey Bezos, a
founder of Amazon, “thinks I would go after him for antitrust.” When the New York Times
wrote that his transition team was in disarray, Trump tweeted that the
newspaper was  "just upset that they
looked like fools in their coverage of me” during the presidential
campaign.

4. Condemn satirical or critical comments. Trump continues to condemn the coverage he’s received from NBC’s
“Saturday Night Live.” In response to Alex Baldwin’s recent portrayal of him as
overwhelmed by the prospect of being president, Trump tweeted that it was a
“totally one-sided, biased show – nothing funny at all. Equal time for
us?”

When Brandon Victor Dixon, the actor who plays
Aaron Burr in the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” read from the stage a
message to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who was in the audience –
expressing fears about the pending Trump administration for the “diverse group
of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations” on the cast –
Trump tweeted that Pence had been “harassed,” and insisted that the cast and
producers of the show, “which I hear is highly overrated,” apologize.

5. Threaten the media directly. Trump
said he plans to change libel laws in the United States so that he can have an
easier time suing news organizations. “One of the things I’m going to do if I win
… I’m going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and
horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money.”

During the campaign, Trump
specifically threatened to sue the Times for libel in response to an
article that featured two women accusing him of touching them inappropriately
years ago. Trump claimed the allegations were false, and his lawyer demanded
that the newspaper retract the story and issue an apology. Trump also threatened
legal action after the Times
published and wrote about part of his 1995 tax return.

6. Limit media access. Trump
hasn’t had a news conference since July. He has blocked the media from
traveling with him, or even knowing whom he’s meeting with. His phone call with
Vladimir Putin, which occurred shortly after the election, was first reported
by the Kremlin.

This is highly unusual. In 2000, President-elect
George W. Bush called a press conference three days after the Supreme Court
determined the outcome of the election. In 2008, President-elect Obama called
one three days after being elected. 

7. Bypass the media and communicate with the public directly. The American public typically learns what Trump thinks through
his tweets. Shortly after the election, Trump also released a video message outlining some of the executive actions he plans to
take on his first day in office.

Aids say Trump has also expressed interest in continuing to hold the
large rallies that became a staple of his candidacy. They say he likes the
instant gratification and adulation that the cheering crowds provide.

The word “media” comes from
“intermediate” between newsmakers and the public. Responsible media hold the
powerful accountable by asking them hard questions and reporting on what they
do. Apparently Trump wants to eliminate such intermediaries.

Historically, these seven
techniques have been used by demagogues to erode the freedom and independence of the press. Even
before he’s sworn in, Trump seems intent on doing exactly this.  

echothroughthefog:

When you struggle with your mental health on a daily basis, it can be hard to take action on the things that matter most to you. The mental barriers anxiety creates often appear insurmountable. But sometimes, when you really need to, you can break those barriers down. This week, with encouragement from some great people on the internet, I pushed against my anxiety and made some calls to members of our government. Here’s a comic about how you can do that, too. (Resources and transcript below.)

Motivational resources:
There are a lot! Here are a few I really like:

• Emily Ellsworth explains why calling is the most effective way to reach your congressperson.
• Sharon Wong posted a great series of tweets that helped me manage my phone anxiety and make some calls.
• Kelsey is tweeting pretty much daily with advice and reminders about calling representatives. I found this tweet an especially great reminder that calls aren’t nearly as big a deal as anxiety makes them out to be.

Informational resources:
There are a lot of these, as well! These three are good places to start:

• Find your representative at house.gov
• Find your senators at senate.gov
• Use the “We’re His Problem Now” scripts when calling (or write your own!)

Keep reading

wilwheaton:

geekygothgirl:

abbiehollowdays:

onlyblackgirl:

badgyal-k:

badgyal-k:

Im not your teacher. Look it up. Go somewhere else with that.

Attention Black people:

STOP EXPLAINING SHIT TO WHITE PEOPLE. THEY DONT DESERVE YOUR SANITY. THEY DONT CARE ANYWAYS. MOST OF THEM ARE TROLLS. DONT FUCK UP UR HEALTH CUZ OF THESE PEOPLE.

Racist white people get the broomstick treatment around here.

www.google.com

“Sealioning is the name given to a specific, pervasive form of aggressive cluelessness, that masquerades as a sincere desire to understand.

A Sealion is a person who, when confronted with a fact that they don’t care to acknowledge, say, the persistence of systemic racism in America, will ask endlessly for ‘proof’ and insist that it is the other person’s job to stop everything they are doing and address the issue to their satisfaction.

Sealions are just ‘asking nicely’ but they are asking questions that have been asked and answered fully many times, and are unwilling to so much as open a tab to look up the answer, nor will they recognize the validity of your sources, your experience or expertise.”

— Erica Friedman

^Comic of origin for the “sea lioning” term, very very relevant. Google exists. It is not hard to use. Do not spend your time and effort and emotional labor explaining shit to lazy racist assholes (also applies for sexists/homophobes/transphobes/etc,)

yulinkuang:

yulinkuang:

In the next couple days / weeks / always, I’d like to remind people to check the sources and dates of articles they’re sharing/reblogging. Misinformation spreads via clickbait titles on disreputable/non-news sites, or old articles with relevant titles but out-of-date information. 

This is, at best, extremely frustrating and at worst, very very dangerous. There are people out there, for whatever reason, who are taking advantage of public sentiment and creating false news stories that play to our worst fears. Every time you share a false news story, you make it less likely that people will believe the real ones that come after them.

Please check your sources. Don’t help spread misinformation.

It’s really heartening to see this post gaining as much traction as it has. So on that note, here’s a bonus anecdote:

When I was in elementary school and turning in my first writing assignments, my teacher asked to see me after class and said, “You’re not consistent about your periods and punctuations. You have to use those at the ends of sentences.” And I remember thinking distinctly, Really??? Like, every time??? That’s so hard to remember ugh 

And then I eventually managed to adopt it as habit. I don’t have to think anymore before ending a sentence with punctuation. I mastered grammar and punctuation enough that I could even use it creatively, in ways that were fun.

My point is, for a lot of people, checking sources/dates on posts is not a habit. It’s an extra step you have to think about, and you can’t help the impulse of irritation that’s like, Really??? Like, every time??? Ughghghhhhhhghhh 

But keep doing it – because it actually is the right way to approach information, and eventually it will become a habit that you don’t have to think about. Like this period I’m about to use. Except with bonus ‘yay being a responsible informed citizen’ feels.