Maggie's Farm

I certainly think that Donald Trump is playing the chattering classes. I think it is hard to know how much polarization is real; since a lot of it is contrived and amplified by the media and whatever passes for journalism. There is so much competition for recognition and revenues that many (in the media, academia, activists, political minions, hacks) stoop to bomb throwing, gotcha games, or playing the self-appointed, provocateur. Hype and spin generate traffic(aka revenues) so inflammatory, controversial melodrama inevitably, trumps thoughtful, discerning presentation of facts.

Sometimes it looks like they can barely contain the glee, when they have a tragedy or controversy to exploit. It is tempting to think of the media as the evil prosecutor archetype of film noir, until you remember that they wouldn’t do it if it didn’t work, and it works because the public eats it up. Human Foibles.

And, like the evil prosecutor archetype of film noir, the media seems more interested in selectively presenting the damming and omitting the exculpatory. They coyly bait public figures with made up stuff to up the ante, for their own gain. If they can create ever more outrageous round robins of accusations and counter charges so much the better for the bottom line.

I’ll be curious to see if HRC’s economic proposals have any ideas that are less than 60 and 100 years old. Is the infantile blame game going to be the default, in tandem with cargo cult fixes, (for the base), or will there be some Post Industrial insights? I’m not even expecting solutions, just hoping for an above average level of awareness and a realization that any solutions are likely to be trade offs. The “new” economy is pretty unappealing from a middle class perspective. Don’t be deceived; there are jobs and then there are jobs, suitable for a middle class living. Unfortunately, today’s mind boggling efficiencies and staggering economies of scale squeeze out the labor, up and down the supply chain, eliminating many of those middle class jobs, concentrating the wealth in the hands of the few or sending the wealth out of America. Offshoring just compounds the problem and hobbles the effort to generate jobs that create real wealth in America. And, it needs to be real wealth, grow the pie kind of wealth, not top heavy, paper shuffling and piggy backing on the wealth created by others.
I don’t think there is so much a conspiracy as an indifference to the effect of policies on the greater good. It doesn’t come out of malevolence, but rather indifference; the extermination of the middle class ethos is just collateral damage. It is more like the Joe-six packs and small businesses are beneath notice to those who think in Global and Corporatist terms. On another note, somewhat related is the disinterest in Kathryn Steinle's murder. The response of the “elites” is emblematic of the expectation that everyday working Americans move over and accommodate the social engineering theme du jour.