Highlands Bunker – Is your life lacking in frustration?
Is your life lacking in frustration? Do you need to be a little more annoyed than you already are? Well, then this is the Highlands Bunker episode you’ve been waiting for. Here is a very worthy topic only partially unpacked in the last few minutes while REV spends a whole lot of time being his frustrating self, while the guest (Allison Levine) seems to completely miss the idea that politics is a “winner take all” zero sum game nowadays, and that Democrats have been being taking a beating for being too willing to meet Republicans halfway.
Local Journalism Initiative Founder Allison Levine joins Rob in the bunker to talk about the Delaware Journalism Collaborative, which includes the Delaware Call, its project of addressing polarization and what that entails, and how to make positive change.
Show Notes:
To be clear I’m not saying that Levine is a coonsian centrist dipshit, like so many other coonsian centrist dipshits that wish everyone would “just get along.” I think there is some merit in the project but this episode doesn’t get there, and the real world reality is that conservatives are a bunch of motherfuckers who are just out to fuck shit up.
She needs a do-over at some point. Maybe let Bill interview her next time.
I didn’t like it. So it goes.
I do agree that if you are a journalist and can’t see that we’re in a “winner take all” situation, that’s problematic. And it is not a zero sum game created by the left. There are real villains in this.
I think there’s a war on and I’m on the side of the working classes.
There’s disagreement about whether that war is on or not. And even if it is whether journalism should take a side or simply try to just stop it from being fought.
Not sure there is a direct route to a satisfactory answer honestly
I really enjoyed hearing Allison squirm. She is one of those “nice white people” that populate the Charity Class. You better believe she is the kind of person that extols the virtues of public education while sending their kid to a charter. I be she reflexively locks her car doors when she sees a panhandler on the opposite side of the intersection.
This may have been the first time in years that she had to think critically. REV is right-on about how a segment of the professional class all of a sudden became “activated” in 2016 when politics started to affect them. Allison is a case study in that thought process. Unfortunately it’s doubtful there will be any meaningful change in her thinking. Just more both sides-ing and endless dialog-ing, all while feeding at the nonprofit trough which is periodically topped off by the stakeholders
From NYU J-School professor Jay Rosen:
“Polarization becomes a way to talk about politics without talking about politics at all…”
That’s it exactly. Explains why “we’re so polarized” is so popular with the press. From an interview @PaulHRosenberg did with scholar @kreissdaniel
https://www.salon.com/2023/04/29/political-polarization-isnt-the-real-problem-in-america-one-pole-is-a-lot-worse-than-the-other/
Noticed on local social media people are confused by the school board elections. They are all jazzed to do battle for their side but then they find out that board elections don’t have party identifiers.