In lieu of any writing from me, I strongly recommend this in-depth piece in Harpers by Barrett Swanson about TikTok influencer culture, critical thinking, the decline of liberal arts education, the nature of celebrity, fascism, and misinformation. It’s absolutely full of gems.
You may also find the following things interesting/worrying:
- How social media tracks you – no, the app isn’t listening. It just knows who you’re near and how they shop.
- The ivory tower intellectuals at The Atlantic worry that Democrats are sliding directly into the collapse of democracy.
- The neoliberal shills at Vox worry that Democrats are sliding directly into the collapse of democracy.
- Centrist former labor secretary Robert Reich worries that Democrats are sliding directly into the collapse of democracy.
- Former prosecutor and mainstream liberal Noah Bookbinder, writing in USA Today, worries that Democrats are sliding directly into the collapse of democracy.
Joy
Just check out this dog with hilarious turtlenecks. And this tiny kitten trying to play with a very large dog. And this cat who steals socks, and a dog trying to play with a tennis ball that for some reason just won’t move, and this baby anteater, and this tiny cat who looks giant in a model landscape, or this one cat who appears to be psyching herself up for a big meeting, and the story about how ten percent of the world’s California condors are all hanging out on one woman’s porch being incredibly rude. And the cats of brutalism. And this cat, duck, and hen who are all incubating an enormous clutch of eggs together.
For a twist, consider this horse singing the intro to an exceptionally filthy hip-hop anthem, and a marvelous picture of Miss Idaho 1935 posing almost entirely buried in a pile of potatoes. Also a thread of absolutely hilariously terrible sign layouts.
And finally, some COVID-19 announcements:
Coronavirus restrictions are being eased way too quickly pic.twitter.com/rjio7Ga6jZ
Zo (@Zo_Zahid) May 14, 2021
The CDC says you can now sail right past sirens without earplugs or tying yourself to any mast. pic.twitter.com/seQzuO5Qm9
Gregory Stringer (@GregoryStringer) May 14, 2021
Secretly Ironic 