It is however a field vastly driven by ideology and thus determining what is great and what is not requires a bit of a rudder 
4 Likes
I’d suggest reading as much as you can and then taking each individual author’s biases into consideration. For me, the best books are the ones that spell out those biases up front rather than attempt to hide them under some veneer of objectivity. Our work is always going to be shot through with our biases, from the choices of subjects to our source base to our way of writing. All we can do is be our own rudder, I think.
5 Likes
I don’t think reality was so much better - it might even demonstrate the best we can hope for is that kind of middling safety!
1 Like
Yeah, another way that Trump is just a distillation of the Republican party. I let out a scream every time a Republican accuses the Democrats of “being divisive” (when they’re just pointing out the Republican’s own racist/sexist/homophobic rhetoric or policies), or waging “class warefare” (when the Republicans have just, yet again, attempted to destroy welfare programs, attacked those who use them, and cut taxes on the wealthy). I do a lot of screaming.
16 Likes
Sure, why not? Bristol, WI – a small town near Kenosha, WI. The demographics are mostly white, somewhat centrist, and very rural. One thing to note, our polling location is in a Catholic church, despite the fact that we have a perfectly good town office. I stopped in at around 08:10 and was back in my card before 08:30. Voters seemed fairly calm and orderly, no intimidation that I noticed.
My campus, UW Parkide, is a polling place for the community surrounding it. I did not go through the building wherein the polling was being held, but I park in the lot nearest that building and they did seem fairly busy. No intimidation here, at least none that I saw.
4 Likes
I went to a renaissance fair there once. That’s all I know of it.
2 Likes
We live 5 miles from the gate. I actually worked on the security team there one Summer. We’re not quite there every weekend, but some years it’s a close thing. It’s kind of a second home sometimes!
3 Likes
20 minutes, from start to finish.
7 Likes
I followed this up with a note to POTUS.
Marat / Sade 2020!
3 Likes
In St. Louis City (solidly blue city in a red state, but we’re in the most red neighborhood I imagine). Voted at 10a.m. More of a crowd than usual especially at a time picked to be slow. Still, 20 minutes door to door. A neighbor arrived at 6a.m. and took nearly an hour with a line out the door and “half way down the block”. Overall the mood was light.
11 Likes
Welcome home Airstrip One, plusgood join again!
3 Likes
It’s the death of nations, democratic or not, and the rise of international corporations, who will probably soon be calling all the shots (that they care about) instead of just some of them. And they are beholden to no-one save their shareholders, who care only about the bottom line.
Phooey.
6 Likes
Seems to me the real reason for the our battling the cold war was not to preserve the liberty of individuals in a democracy, but the liberty of capitalists to make gobs of money. The capitalists were terrified that communism might spread and take away their riches. Perhaps they had to compromise a little in order to get people behind the struggle?
IANAhistorian.
8 Likes
Oakland CA around 11:30 am. Blue neighborhood (historically Black and Korean) in a blue city. Shortish line, in and out in about 15 minutes (even with endless pages of propositions). A lot of smiles all around.
An electioneering panel truck parked across the street (100 ft away) covered in signs mostly for council members and local measures. No Trump or Hillary signs.
I don’t usually wear the “I Voted” sticker but decided to today. While I was out running errands I was approached several times by older women wearing big smiles excited to share that they had voted too. I’m not sure if it’s typical election day civic pride but it felt special to me.
13 Likes
Yeah but here’s the thing: just don’t buy their stuff or services.
Everyone! You wanna sock it to a corporation - just don’t buy their stuff! Within minutes the investors freak out, the stock tumbles.
At the end of the day - no consumption, no share price. Easy.
1 Like
Well, and good, until we’re all the equivalent of a “company town” in the old west, with not much in the way of choice.
3 Likes
Yeah, but we have newer mechanisms. Crowdfund stuff you like to keep a new flow of companies happening; don’t patronise one supplier, keep them on their toes.
But I feel you. Look at the stupid stuff Apple is doing. I’m no technophobe, but I’m still happy with my iPhone 5 and 2009 MacBook Pro. If they behave, they get some of my money. If not (and they’re not), then they don’t.
Simples!
Just buy good stuff, and not junk. Not crap and tacky things. Just good stuff.
I’ve been tempted by lovely new TVs. But even my kids (who seem to have figured out that would divert cash from their potential goody-box) pointed out that our ten year old TV still rocks. And it does - watched some HD Richard Attenborough stuff on it tonight, and it really, really rocks.
Oh and did I say - don’t buy anything made by Samsung, ok?
2 Likes
