Spotify playlist: https://spoti.fi/3NIYT3A
1
So I was driving down Sunset listening to Lou Simon's program on Volume 106. I remember exactly where I was, at the Burlingame intersection, where the light is so short but it's too often red. And a guy called in to talk about Harry Chapin's "W.O.L.D." And he keeps remarking how he only got it decades later, what the song was about. And I'm chuckling on the inside, feeling ever so superior, until this dude continues and says that the call letters stand for OLD! I never caught that, you can learn something every day, at least I can. And I can't get over "W.O.L.D.," I keep telling people about it. A song I heard incessantly on the radio I just didn't fully understand.
So I was driving up La Cienega, to go to a pharmacy that turned out to now only give covid vaccines on Thursday, and this was Friday, and I'm both steaming ahead and slowing down. You know how they tell you to pick a lane and stay in it? I was in a rush, and in truth I kept changing lanes to my advantage.
And I was punching through the channels, it was early for me, before ten, and one of them was the Bridge, the SXM adult rock channel, the KNX-FM of today. Oops, you don't know what I'm talking about. KNX was a soft rock station, way to the left of the dial, when there were five album rock stations on the FM band in Los Angeles. You could always find something to listen to. And that's where I first heard Bruce Hornsby and the Range's "The Way It Is," and had to immediately buy the album to hear it upon demand.
So there's nothing they're going to play on the Bridge that will alienate you based on its loudness, its intensity. Then again, there are certain tracks I never have to hear again, like "Southern Cross." As a matter of fact, this overplayed track was on the 1982 CSN album, 'Daylight Again," when in truth it all ended with the comeback album from 1977, a complete surprise. It wasn't as good as the first two CSN(Y) albums, but little could be, to this day. But the LP started with "Shadow Captain," and it had "Cathedral" and "Dark Star" and "I Give You Give Blind." Of course it contained the hit, "Just A Song Before I Go," but that's another track I never need to hear again.
And it also contained "See the Changes." This is the best song on "CSN." It's almost a sequel to "4 + 20" from "Déjà Vu"."
"Ten years singing right out loud
I never looked, was anybody listening?
Then I fell out of a cloud
I hit the ground and noticed something missing"
We think stardom will solve everything. But this was ten years later, from "For What It's Worth" to 1977. And, to quote that old song, "Where is the love?"
"Now I have someone
She has seen me changing"
Having someone is everything. You don't want to be on the endless road and come home to an empty house. As for the groupies, the women on the road, they don't really know you, and sex is secondary to a relationship.
"And it gets harder as you get older
And farther away as you get closer"
Little did Stephen Stills know. The older you get what is in the distance gets even further away, it's so hard to keep striving for what you want, most people give up.
But Stephen Stills had credibility. David Gates and Bread had none.
Well, that's not completely true. You see Bread was on Elektra. Which put out far fewer albums than its mainstream competitors. If it was on Elektra, it was worth paying attention to, there was a reason behind the signing, just like with Knopf and books. It may not ultimately deliver, but you know there was thought behind the signing, more than pure commerciality.
And I remember my friend Keith telling me about Bread. Back in '69, when the initial album came out. When we had no idea who David Gates was, never mind the fact that he was nearly forty. He'd heard the act on WBAI, the public radio station, that played Phil Ochs and left field acts like the Fugs, it was the thinking person's FM station.
And then came "Make It With You."
2
I was stunned they played it on AM radio, that it was a hit, after all the band was singing "make it with you," which in the era of free love, of personal exploration, I could see as nothing other than a desire to have sex. That was what we all wanted to do, make it with another person.
And this was in the era when they still banned songs from the radio, for being salacious.
But "Make It With You" was a staple on the radio that summer, of 1970.
It was released in June. And records ran up the chart quickly, or they didn't. And if they connected, their run at the top was relatively brief, that's how fast the charts ran. You see if you had a hit, everybody soon knew it, and by time everybody was sick of it, there was something to replace it. It's vastly different today, where it's nearly impossible to get known. And even if you're a radio #1 most people still don't know you. With so much in the channel, everything moves slower, it's like there's molasses gumming up the works, and the end result is so much smaller.
But back in 1970, music ruled.
Let's see, Eric Clapton's solo debut had just been released, and Dave Mason's "Alone Together." Oh, "John Barleycorn Must Die" came out on July 1st. Funny how these albums have sustained, and so much recent stuff has already been forgotten. The first Clapton album, which was considered to be a commercial disappointment, a mild success...my favorites were "Easy Now" and "Let It Rain," which both got radio airplay. But who knew "After Midnight" and "Blues Power" were forever?
But you were always exposed to AM radio. Because this was before the ubiquity of FM radio, before every car had it. Many cars had 8-track tape decks before FM radio. And a lot of the early auto FM radios had poor reception. Which is all to say you knew the AM hits, from driving in the car if nothing else.
Now I'm looking at the WABC charts, and "Make It With You" never made it to #1. It entered the chart at #22 the week of June 16, 1970. Moved up one spot the following week and was up to #13 the week of June 30, 1970. Then #8, #7, and the week of July 21st, it was #2. Number one? Freda Payne's "Band of Gold." Anathema to FM rock, it's a classic we all now love, if we didn't back then.
The following week, July 28th, "Make It With You" was still #2, but "(They Long to Be) Close to You" by the Carpenters was #1, this was the Downey duo's first hit. The week of August 4th, "Make It With You" was #3, #2 was "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," right before Stevie Wonder went on his hejira and became iconic.
In reality, "Make It With You" had a longer run than almost any other song that summer of 1970, that's how much of a feel good hit it was.
Next for the Carpenters was "We've Only Just Begun." And our stomachs started to turn. This was not what we wanted to hear driving around. The Carpenters were an AM act, and now we knew Bread was too. Both focusing on hit singles, in an album era, they became pariahs.
However history has been rewritten and people say how much they love the Carpenters now. As for Bread? This hasn't happened yet.
3
Now in truth, the Carpenters ultimately infected me, I got it in the summer of '73, with "Yesterday Once More." I had a job that had me driving a good portion of the day and I yearned to hear MWAH...
And it was the same deal with Bread in 1972. I'd written the band off, but I loved the song "Diary." I loved the concept of finding the diary under a tree, also the melodic turns, something completely absent from today's rhythm-driven world. This is what songwriting is about.
And over time, I've come to like more Carpenters songs, and I enjoy Bread numbers too, but in truth only two ever resonated, "Make It With You" and "Diary," until Friday.
"It don't matter to me
If you really feel that
You need some time to be free"
This was years before the Sting song, we just wanted somebody to love, never mind setting them free.
But in truth I saw "It Don't Matter to Me" as distancing, he's letting her go. Okay, a bigger man than me. And in truth, with the bad auto radios of yore I didn't catch much more of the lyrics, and it was so sappy at the end, I'm not sure I wanted to. But Friday?
"Time to go out searching for yourself
Hoping to find
Time to go and find"
This was the ethos of yore, we all wanted to find ourselves. I remember my mother saying "What if you find out you're a jerk?" Nobody looks for themselves anymore, unless they're already rich, have conquered the business world and feel empty inside. But forgoing the money...today everybody's worried about falling on the wrong side of the economic fence, you've got to start early or the fear is you'll always be behind.
"And it don't matter to me
If you take up with someone who's better than me
'Cause your happiness is all I want
For you to find your peace of mind"
Who is this guy who's so well adjusted? And thinking there's someone better than he is? Where's his self-confidence? Everybody thinks they're the best their partner can find, at least guys do, and they protect what they've got to boot.
As for their happiness...
I mean ultimately I'm cool with them being happy, but really, you put me through the wringer, I gave you enough rope, and I'm hurting and you're living large, it hurts much longer than people say, MUCH longer.
"Lotta people have an ego hang-up 'cause they want to be the only one"
Once you realize you're together, you have that conversation...how many people have you slept with? It's always hard to wrestle with, to digest and accept, if they've slept with anybody but you. But please, don't let them have slept with more, many more than you. You wonder if you're up to snuff, experienced enough, good enough. And they keep telling you you're the one, but it's hard to accept.
"How many came before it really doesn't matter
Just as long as you're the last"
This is absolutely true. Then again, I never caught these lines fifty years ago, or in the interim.
"Everybody moving on and trying to find out
What's been missing in the past"
Now wait just a second! This is a complete twist. He's not really letting her go, what he's really telling her is he's more experienced, she'll see her fantasies are just that, and she'll come running back.
This guy is actually being passive-aggressive. The music is so smooth, there's no hint of anger, but truly this is an angry side. She left him, and it really matters to him!
'Cause there'll always be an empty room
Waiting for you"
Wait just a second, he's not even reclaiming the space in his house, he's essentially got a shrine to her.
"An open heart
Waiting for you"
This guy is still in love with her, he's carrying the torch, if anything this song is about imposing guilt in her heart and mind. He's playing mind games under the patina of niceness.
"Time is on my side
'Cause it don't matter to me"
This is so messed up. He's convinced she's coming back. And with that mind-set you never move on. He's not setting her free to experiment and find someone better, she's letting her out of the house to have bad experiences and realize he's the best man for her. This is much more "Every Breath You Take" than "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free."
I had it completely backwards, completely wrong. He's not an admirable guy, more evolved than me and the rest, he's actually a mind game playing controlling man who can't let go. Which unfortunately is too often the case. Men may put up a brave face, but women get over breakups much faster. They talk amongst their friends, they support each other, and move on. Men stew in their own juices. They always think they'll come back, always.
So what I thought was a mindless saccharine ditty turns out to be anything but. This ain't a groovy number to be played at weddings. It sounds so harmless, but in truth it's anything but. The lyrics ultimately evidence the complete opposite viewpoint.
Proving once again that songs we thought were just airy concoctions have just as much meaning as the more raucous ones we hold close to our hearts.
Music... The gift that keeps on giving.
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Saturday 2 July 2022
Friday 1 July 2022
The Recipe
Credibility is the only way out of this mess.
Think as an individual, because that's what you are. You're on your own, even if you think of yourself as the member of a tribe, you don't want the tribe speaking for you. But what I'm really saying is there are so many people, so many messages, that you're not part of a system anymore, and chances are if you are part of a system, you've got no credibility.
Fans are looking for something to believe in. All people are.
However, our society, as a result of income inequality, or concurrent with the economic spread, has become all about money. And one thing about money, there's always someone with more than you. You can't compete. But on identity, credibility? You can stick out there.
You don't want to be part of the fabric, but your own individual thread. You can only sustain if you foster belief. Sans belief, you're a one hit wonder.
So if you employ the same producers as everybody else, the Max Martins, the Jack Antonoffs, you're screwed. Your record is going to have the same sheen as the rest of their product. The sound might even be different, but the end result won't be left field and dissimilar, because they can only do what they do. One person can neither know it all or do it all.
Prior to Queen, no one had heard of Roy Thomas Baker. And the Queen albums, from the very first note of the first track on the first album, "Keep Yourself Alive," sounded different.
And if you know your Queen history, the first album did not break through. The second made some inroads, the third was a success and the fourth, "A Night at the Opera," was a worldwide smash. And we can talk all day about artist development, the machinations of the business, the growth of the act, but in truth the audience was not ready for Queen. Programmers were not ready for Queen. It wasn't that the band was completely outside, it's just that they didn't fall easily into a niche.
Even Mutt Lange. As many records as he had made, none were huge, none even close. And then "Back in Black" and "Pyromania." Those backward drums... Nobody had heard them before, and people cotton to new sounds. If you just repeat what everybody else does, you've got no individuality, nothing that will hook people long term.
But that's the music itself, there's also image.
Image used to be clothing. Looks. But now it's what you've got to say. That's what social media is all about, your words, your personality. If you just beg people to listen, if you're impersonal, your words can be discarded. But if it's you, and you've got a unique identity, which the artists of yore had and some from today do, that's what captures ears and eyes and ultimately fans. Used to be if a track was good enough, it would rise to the top, but no longer. Don't take shortcuts. We learned in the MTV era if the channel rocketed you into the stratosphere, you fell back to earth just that quickly.
And yes, to use an overused word, you do need a "holistic" approach. As in 360 degrees, as in all-encompassing. Your social media is the publicity of yore. Used to be everything was driven by print, now print is a joke, pure hype. You do your own publicity. You express your own identity. And this is good in that there's no filter, you can do and be what you want to.
Of course the music is important.
But let's just say you've got the goods.
Let's even say you don't have a smash track.
Many acts worked for albums and years before they created "the" track. But still, they were building an audience. Only starting in the MTV era did acts come from nowhere, and like I said above, that's where they ended up, pretty damn quickly.
You've got to adjust your sights. The picture is different. Why do the same damn thing?
As for the workload... If you're not willing to work 24/7 and sacrifice the rest of your life, relationships, children, money...this business is not for you.
So stop doing what people tell you to. There's a long history of this in the music business. Acts were newbies in the studio. They were cowed by producers. And suits. And only if they gained traction did they gain control. Today? You don't even have a deal. And you don't even want one at first. You want to figure out how to do it, who you are. And all the tools are at your disposal.
And look at the classic acts of yore. Most of the players were in a multitude of bands before they found the one that broke them big. Sure, there are exceptions, but they're rare. Why do you expect to have success right out of the box, why do you expect to know what to do?
Your relationship is with the fans.
Not with radio, streaming services or even your label. You want to go to the source. You want to create bonds. And to do this, you've got to be honest and credible, trustworthy. The system insists on compromise, but that's death in today's society. Everybody's compromised, so those who are not stick out.
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
Beware of those in power who get a percentage of your income. They want you to make big bucks, so they can commission the money.
It's a new world out there, to play by the old rules is a recipe for death.
But, the advantage is you have all the tools, you can create your own fan base. Be innovative, but fewer stunts and more honesty will take you further.
We have a dearth of credibility in all walks of life.
Used to be that artists led. When did musicians become such followers?
You can lead. You just have to walk into the wilderness.
But in today's wilderness there are a zillion people just waiting for you to save them, give them insight, something to believe in. That's your mission. Too many ignore it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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Think as an individual, because that's what you are. You're on your own, even if you think of yourself as the member of a tribe, you don't want the tribe speaking for you. But what I'm really saying is there are so many people, so many messages, that you're not part of a system anymore, and chances are if you are part of a system, you've got no credibility.
Fans are looking for something to believe in. All people are.
However, our society, as a result of income inequality, or concurrent with the economic spread, has become all about money. And one thing about money, there's always someone with more than you. You can't compete. But on identity, credibility? You can stick out there.
You don't want to be part of the fabric, but your own individual thread. You can only sustain if you foster belief. Sans belief, you're a one hit wonder.
So if you employ the same producers as everybody else, the Max Martins, the Jack Antonoffs, you're screwed. Your record is going to have the same sheen as the rest of their product. The sound might even be different, but the end result won't be left field and dissimilar, because they can only do what they do. One person can neither know it all or do it all.
Prior to Queen, no one had heard of Roy Thomas Baker. And the Queen albums, from the very first note of the first track on the first album, "Keep Yourself Alive," sounded different.
And if you know your Queen history, the first album did not break through. The second made some inroads, the third was a success and the fourth, "A Night at the Opera," was a worldwide smash. And we can talk all day about artist development, the machinations of the business, the growth of the act, but in truth the audience was not ready for Queen. Programmers were not ready for Queen. It wasn't that the band was completely outside, it's just that they didn't fall easily into a niche.
Even Mutt Lange. As many records as he had made, none were huge, none even close. And then "Back in Black" and "Pyromania." Those backward drums... Nobody had heard them before, and people cotton to new sounds. If you just repeat what everybody else does, you've got no individuality, nothing that will hook people long term.
But that's the music itself, there's also image.
Image used to be clothing. Looks. But now it's what you've got to say. That's what social media is all about, your words, your personality. If you just beg people to listen, if you're impersonal, your words can be discarded. But if it's you, and you've got a unique identity, which the artists of yore had and some from today do, that's what captures ears and eyes and ultimately fans. Used to be if a track was good enough, it would rise to the top, but no longer. Don't take shortcuts. We learned in the MTV era if the channel rocketed you into the stratosphere, you fell back to earth just that quickly.
And yes, to use an overused word, you do need a "holistic" approach. As in 360 degrees, as in all-encompassing. Your social media is the publicity of yore. Used to be everything was driven by print, now print is a joke, pure hype. You do your own publicity. You express your own identity. And this is good in that there's no filter, you can do and be what you want to.
Of course the music is important.
But let's just say you've got the goods.
Let's even say you don't have a smash track.
Many acts worked for albums and years before they created "the" track. But still, they were building an audience. Only starting in the MTV era did acts come from nowhere, and like I said above, that's where they ended up, pretty damn quickly.
You've got to adjust your sights. The picture is different. Why do the same damn thing?
As for the workload... If you're not willing to work 24/7 and sacrifice the rest of your life, relationships, children, money...this business is not for you.
So stop doing what people tell you to. There's a long history of this in the music business. Acts were newbies in the studio. They were cowed by producers. And suits. And only if they gained traction did they gain control. Today? You don't even have a deal. And you don't even want one at first. You want to figure out how to do it, who you are. And all the tools are at your disposal.
And look at the classic acts of yore. Most of the players were in a multitude of bands before they found the one that broke them big. Sure, there are exceptions, but they're rare. Why do you expect to have success right out of the box, why do you expect to know what to do?
Your relationship is with the fans.
Not with radio, streaming services or even your label. You want to go to the source. You want to create bonds. And to do this, you've got to be honest and credible, trustworthy. The system insists on compromise, but that's death in today's society. Everybody's compromised, so those who are not stick out.
If it doesn't feel right, don't do it.
Beware of those in power who get a percentage of your income. They want you to make big bucks, so they can commission the money.
It's a new world out there, to play by the old rules is a recipe for death.
But, the advantage is you have all the tools, you can create your own fan base. Be innovative, but fewer stunts and more honesty will take you further.
We have a dearth of credibility in all walks of life.
Used to be that artists led. When did musicians become such followers?
You can lead. You just have to walk into the wilderness.
But in today's wilderness there are a zillion people just waiting for you to save them, give them insight, something to believe in. That's your mission. Too many ignore it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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Thursday 30 June 2022
Snapshot
Needless to say I'm upset about today's Supreme Court climate change ruling. I can't see it other than a corporate thing. The corporations want to be able to rape and pillage unfettered, and they pay lobbyists and elected officials to ensure this. As for the environment itself...
But let's get back to Roe v. Wade. I got an e-mail from someone spouting the right wing talking points, that abortion has not been made illegal, it's just been thrown back to the states.
I want you to read this Heather Cox Richardson piece: https://bit.ly/3ugq4Mb
The hoi polloi believes these cases are decided in a vacuum. Or maybe there's an originalist position, let's try and honor the intent of the framers of the Constitution. But a whole hell of a lot more is going on beneath the surface. And if you read the above article you'll get a sense of this. The goal is not to throw it back to the states so much as to get rid of abortion. The states' rights viewpoint is essentially a cover-up.
And that cover-up has been a long time in the making. Not only the perspective, but the appointment of judges who agree with this viewpoint. Also, if you think you can be an independent thinker and get a judgeship, have power in the Republican party, you're wrong. It's a team outfit. It represents a minority of Americans. And this is the party's strategy to win, to stay together, on point, and it's been going on for decades and it's very effective.
So it's not like Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were jurists without a preexisting agenda, nothing could be further from the truth. They brought all their baggage to the Supreme Court, all their beliefs, as for what they said in the confirmation hearings...like they were gonna say that Roe v. Wade needed to be overturned. That would just assure that they wouldn't get the job, which they want for their self-image if nothing else, sports are not the only arena of competition. As for all the questioning in the Senate, that's got nothing to do with the truth, that's just for show, for headlines, it all comes down to the votes, do you have them or not?
And it's not only Supreme Court justices. The Republicans are not approving of bureaucrats either. So major positions in the government remain unfilled, to the detriment of us all.
And when it comes to the Cassidy Hutchinson testimony... What does it take to convince people that Trump did not win the election, never mind acted like a spoiled child tyrant in the process?
So the debate is whether Trump took the wheel in the Beast, i.e. the vehicle. If you watched the testimony, you know that Hutchinson was recounting a story she heard, she said right up front she was not there. But the blowback has been all about unidentified law enforcement officers who say it didn't happen. As for them standing up in court and testifying to that effect? Hasn't happened. If for no other reason than if they did testify, there would be a lot they had to confirm, which is worse.
But it's all optics. How can the story be spun to tell people that Trump is innocent, that it's all a ploy.
As for no Trump supporters on the committee, yes, McCarthy misplayed his hand here, but in truth what would have changed? We'd just be getting right wing Representatives spewing stuff about the climate and inflation, trying to take the heat off the words of Ms. Hutchinson and the rest of those testifying. If you went to school, at least public school...your student council was run better than this. Everybody's entitled to a defense, which is why you read these cockamamie theories in the news, which ultimately have no success. But at least stay on point. As for being rational...
So what we've got here is a cabal that runs unregulated.
All that hogwash about voting if you want change... Looks good on the surface, but is specious when you dig down deep. The voting districts are so gerrymandered that a Democrat can't win, not whatsoever. So, vote all you want but good luck achieving the result you desire. Which is akin to the Electoral College. Forget the will of the people, the vote... It comes down to what happens in each state. I live in California, my national vote never seems to count, because it's a blue state, oftentimes results are posted before the polls even close in my state. I'm not saying not to vote, but all the people who tell you to trust the system, to believe in the system, that the system works, are spewing BS, and probably sucking at the tit of the government or liking the skewed results we now get.
So how can we reach people with the truth.
Let's be clear. There are active people atop each political party, but the average person just does not care that much. And they're swayed by the marketing, the spin instead of the facts. As for facts, they're fungible.
So that's the number one issue in politics right now, how do we educate the public so they can make an informed decision.
As for the government at large, the system, the Supreme Court...
It's hard not to give up, because our leaders are inured to the broken system. They say their hands are tied as democracy disappears. Our status in the world keeps declining. So...
It really comes down to spontaneous generation. That's the only thing that is going to save us. Something will happen that is unexpected, the change won't come from the usual suspects.
Who knows, maybe a right wing person shoots someone.
But probably, someone on the left will be sick and tired and won't be able to stand it anymore and will defy the law.
That's what it's all about folks, defying the law. I'm not telling you to do it, but someone is going to, someone more invested than you, someone willing to do anything and everything to change the course of history.
The problem is most people are apathetic, because in truth they like what they've got and they're unwilling to sacrifice. But those with nothing have got nothing to lose. And we all appreciate those who put it all on the line.
So let's see, we've lost the legal war, the information war, we've been neutered politically, every problem is attributed to Biden, irrelevant of whether he has a hand in it at all, and it keeps looking worse and worse. I mean how can you battle Q, and people still believing that Trump won the election? That defies common sense. But if you talk to the Republicans they truly believe they're saving our country from socialist Democrats who want to take away everything they have, who want to change the American way of life. Ever notice that there are plenty of rich left wingers too? Do you think that's what they all want? No, but most on the left would like to see a leveling of the playing field.
As for witness tampering...
It's like we're living in a bad movie.
You need to pull away from the system, you've got to think outside the box, because the game is rigged against you. And what does a court decision mean if the people defy it anyway? And the judges are just people, they're not gods.
It's evening in America. Beware of darkness.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
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But let's get back to Roe v. Wade. I got an e-mail from someone spouting the right wing talking points, that abortion has not been made illegal, it's just been thrown back to the states.
I want you to read this Heather Cox Richardson piece: https://bit.ly/3ugq4Mb
The hoi polloi believes these cases are decided in a vacuum. Or maybe there's an originalist position, let's try and honor the intent of the framers of the Constitution. But a whole hell of a lot more is going on beneath the surface. And if you read the above article you'll get a sense of this. The goal is not to throw it back to the states so much as to get rid of abortion. The states' rights viewpoint is essentially a cover-up.
And that cover-up has been a long time in the making. Not only the perspective, but the appointment of judges who agree with this viewpoint. Also, if you think you can be an independent thinker and get a judgeship, have power in the Republican party, you're wrong. It's a team outfit. It represents a minority of Americans. And this is the party's strategy to win, to stay together, on point, and it's been going on for decades and it's very effective.
So it's not like Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett were jurists without a preexisting agenda, nothing could be further from the truth. They brought all their baggage to the Supreme Court, all their beliefs, as for what they said in the confirmation hearings...like they were gonna say that Roe v. Wade needed to be overturned. That would just assure that they wouldn't get the job, which they want for their self-image if nothing else, sports are not the only arena of competition. As for all the questioning in the Senate, that's got nothing to do with the truth, that's just for show, for headlines, it all comes down to the votes, do you have them or not?
And it's not only Supreme Court justices. The Republicans are not approving of bureaucrats either. So major positions in the government remain unfilled, to the detriment of us all.
And when it comes to the Cassidy Hutchinson testimony... What does it take to convince people that Trump did not win the election, never mind acted like a spoiled child tyrant in the process?
So the debate is whether Trump took the wheel in the Beast, i.e. the vehicle. If you watched the testimony, you know that Hutchinson was recounting a story she heard, she said right up front she was not there. But the blowback has been all about unidentified law enforcement officers who say it didn't happen. As for them standing up in court and testifying to that effect? Hasn't happened. If for no other reason than if they did testify, there would be a lot they had to confirm, which is worse.
But it's all optics. How can the story be spun to tell people that Trump is innocent, that it's all a ploy.
As for no Trump supporters on the committee, yes, McCarthy misplayed his hand here, but in truth what would have changed? We'd just be getting right wing Representatives spewing stuff about the climate and inflation, trying to take the heat off the words of Ms. Hutchinson and the rest of those testifying. If you went to school, at least public school...your student council was run better than this. Everybody's entitled to a defense, which is why you read these cockamamie theories in the news, which ultimately have no success. But at least stay on point. As for being rational...
So what we've got here is a cabal that runs unregulated.
All that hogwash about voting if you want change... Looks good on the surface, but is specious when you dig down deep. The voting districts are so gerrymandered that a Democrat can't win, not whatsoever. So, vote all you want but good luck achieving the result you desire. Which is akin to the Electoral College. Forget the will of the people, the vote... It comes down to what happens in each state. I live in California, my national vote never seems to count, because it's a blue state, oftentimes results are posted before the polls even close in my state. I'm not saying not to vote, but all the people who tell you to trust the system, to believe in the system, that the system works, are spewing BS, and probably sucking at the tit of the government or liking the skewed results we now get.
So how can we reach people with the truth.
Let's be clear. There are active people atop each political party, but the average person just does not care that much. And they're swayed by the marketing, the spin instead of the facts. As for facts, they're fungible.
So that's the number one issue in politics right now, how do we educate the public so they can make an informed decision.
As for the government at large, the system, the Supreme Court...
It's hard not to give up, because our leaders are inured to the broken system. They say their hands are tied as democracy disappears. Our status in the world keeps declining. So...
It really comes down to spontaneous generation. That's the only thing that is going to save us. Something will happen that is unexpected, the change won't come from the usual suspects.
Who knows, maybe a right wing person shoots someone.
But probably, someone on the left will be sick and tired and won't be able to stand it anymore and will defy the law.
That's what it's all about folks, defying the law. I'm not telling you to do it, but someone is going to, someone more invested than you, someone willing to do anything and everything to change the course of history.
The problem is most people are apathetic, because in truth they like what they've got and they're unwilling to sacrifice. But those with nothing have got nothing to lose. And we all appreciate those who put it all on the line.
So let's see, we've lost the legal war, the information war, we've been neutered politically, every problem is attributed to Biden, irrelevant of whether he has a hand in it at all, and it keeps looking worse and worse. I mean how can you battle Q, and people still believing that Trump won the election? That defies common sense. But if you talk to the Republicans they truly believe they're saving our country from socialist Democrats who want to take away everything they have, who want to change the American way of life. Ever notice that there are plenty of rich left wingers too? Do you think that's what they all want? No, but most on the left would like to see a leveling of the playing field.
As for witness tampering...
It's like we're living in a bad movie.
You need to pull away from the system, you've got to think outside the box, because the game is rigged against you. And what does a court decision mean if the people defy it anyway? And the judges are just people, they're not gods.
It's evening in America. Beware of darkness.
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Emily Haines-This Week's Podcast
Emily Haines is the lead singer, keyboard player and one of the songwriters in the band Metric. Metric is 100% independent, the band has done it all itself and as a result follows its own muse and answers to no one. This is Emily's story, her journey from the hinterlands to a worldwide fan base. Emily opines in depth about what it's like to be an artist in today's environment, you'll want to hear what she has to say.
https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/emily-haines-98896453/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emily-haines/id1316200737?i=1000568249055
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cwnMRQzS7kpxFsMi0REtA?si=hHK31NWAR0mF5s2dHtdBmw
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/aa25ea76-3410-41f7-be38-beb3d0ace0eb/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-emily-haines
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/emily-haines-204510890
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https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-30806836/episode/emily-haines-98896453/
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/emily-haines/id1316200737?i=1000568249055
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5cwnMRQzS7kpxFsMi0REtA?si=hHK31NWAR0mF5s2dHtdBmw
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/9ff4fb19-54d4-41ae-ae7a-8a6f8d3dafa8/episodes/aa25ea76-3410-41f7-be38-beb3d0ace0eb/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast-emily-haines
https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast/episode/emily-haines-204510890
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Tuesday 28 June 2022
Ticket Prices-This Week On SiriusXM
Tune in today, June 28th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.
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Monday 27 June 2022
Mailbag
From: Harold Bronson
Subject: Prostests Plus
You are so right about protests not working. And, the taxpayer expense and inconvenience to deal with them.
Otherwise, if you didn't see Jordan Klepper interviewing Trumpers in Mississippi three days ago on
The Daily Show, you will not be surprised, but astonished.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNIJH5gufaQ
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
What SCOTUS did was catastrophic for women everywhere.
I was 18 and a senior in high school and seeing someone 7 years my senior. He believed in the 'pull out' method for birth control. Of course I got pregnant and wound up having a back room abortion -as Roe was not decided- which was a NIGHTMARE. Fast forward 10 years and I had already had 2 children. I was excited to have a 3rd but my ob/gyn strongly recommended termination as the baby would have a myriad of birth defects. After much discussion with my husband and Dr, we chose to terminate. It was done in the hospital and was an entirely different experience. It was a difficult decision to make but I do not regret either to this day.
It's so interesting that men have been trying to control women's right to choose and in 2022, after 50 years of women being free to choose, we are going backwards. Beyond disturbing. Time for women to take back our country and Get Out To Vote… power is in the polling booth.
SL
_____________________________________
Re: Keffals
THANK YOU, Bob, for alerting me to Kefals. I'm glad she's out there fighting and educating. If only we had a progressive political party in this sad country that was listening to her and moving us forward to a better world. If only.
Thanks again,
David Hutchison
70 year old geezer and the father of a trans woman and a cis son, both in their 30s
_____________________________________
Protests Don't Work
Bob-
Correct protests don't work, but money does. So we are going to have to be surgical and precise. We should start with Texas first-Austin City Limits and South by Southwest should pull out. Sponsors of these events should be boycotted until they agree to pull sponsorship and participation in any events taking place in Texas. All those Teslas-every woman should stop driving a Tesla and cancel any orders until Musk relocates and moves corporate offices from Texas. Sports-same thing. Stadiums in Texas include AT&T, Minute Maid, Dr Pepper Ballpark-you get the drift I am sure that there are more-demand they pull out. Current sponsors of ACL include Honda, Uber, Hulu, Tito's Vodka, Miller Lite, Bulleit. Pressure them to pull out. When we, the 80% of the people who believe that a woman's right to choose is a guaranteed right, show the state of Texas that there will be financial impact from its actions they will recalibrate. And it will be a warning to the other states. Let's go-state by state. There are 25 states that are harming women. Time to get active. Money talks and is likely our own leverage and pressure point. This is war.
Alix Gucovsky
_____________________________________
Re: Protests marches don't work
Bob:
Exactly.
Street demonstrations have little effect today than in the past marches of the first Civil Rights Era (Generation SCLC & MLK) and the Anti War heyday of Abbie Hoffman-Jerry Rubin (Generation Chicago 7).
In his 1993 essay collection The Future of Ritual: Writings on Culture and Performance, Richard Schechner has an essay entitled "The Street as the Stage." The Street was the location or communal "stage" for presenting social outrage and advocating for social change. That was where, as they said, The Whole World was Watching. It might still galvanize some people, but it's now more about the "experience" (I went down to the demonstration...and all I got was a T-shirt) than rendering real social change.
But those days are gone forever. As a performance theorist steeped in the "Theater of the Oppressed" and Brecht, Schechner would no doubt now understand that the "screen is the stage" and will remain so. If performance is to be effective as a political tool it has to be where the people are: online.
Brecht on TikTok: now we're talking about a revolution!
BTW, man, we'd be hard pressed to find many who remember what the "Theatre of the Oppressed" means or knows Brecht, who famously said, "He who laughs has not yet heard the bad news."
robert vellani
burlington, nc
_____________________________________
Re: The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
I am writing to you as an upper-middle class woman who works a white collar job in a red state. After the opinion came out, my California-based employer sent out a company-wide email to reassure us that our health insurance will continue to cover family planning and abortion care. The company also expanded our travel budgets to reimburse employees who go out of state for medical care. While I'm glad my company took action, I can't help but feel ashamed, guilty and sad as I grapple with my own privilege...
If I'm being honest with myself, this Supreme Court decision will not really impact me. I have the money and the resources to go to a blue state if I ever had to. While it would be inconvenient and frankly, stupid, to have to travel for abortion care, I will undoubtedly still have access to it.
My heart breaks for the poor and vulnerable girls and women who have been stripped of their bodily autonomy. All day, I haven't been able to stop thinking about a memory that I've worked very hard to repress. While I was still in graduate school, I volunteered at the local child advocates center in a suburban county in Texas. We worked with lawyers and social workers to help abused kids make it through the justice system. All day, I've been thinking of one particular case… I sat in on an interview of an 11 year old girl who had been serially raped by her grandfather. The abuse started when she was a literal baby. This man's atrocious acts were finally reported to the police after the girl told her 5th grade teacher she thought she might be pregnant. She was. And thank god she had access to abortion care. Poor children like this all over the country will now have no options but to subject themselves, and a whole future generation, to a lifetime of trauma. This is only one of many similar cases I witnessed that summer.
I am devastated and heartbroken for the suffering this will inflict on the most vulnerable girls and women in our society. Lives will be literally conceived from unimaginable trauma; but I guess the cruelty is the point with the Republican Party. I wish I knew what to do to, but I'm at a loss, too.
Best,
Farrah Usmani
_____________________________________
Re: The Supreme Court Decision
Bob,
Strong change comes with strong action. When the other side feels the fear - of poverty, of their children dying, of being impotent (yes in that way too ) in the face of power - when their lives are impacted in a real way, we will make progress. What is 'our' power? The power of numbers. And our positions, which provide comfort and a thick bubble of protection for their lives.
It's time to get personal with those change makers, and change their too comfortable lives. It's also time for us to expose their hypocrisy, to laugh at their God complexes and superiority, such as for their own daughters and sons to own their abortions as happened with gay rights. Dick Chaney changed the temperature.
But It's time for more, for those individuals to feel the heat of righteous anger. I say those individuals because it is a tiny tiny minority exerting their power and ideology on vast numbers of people that are faceless to them and rarely pierce their bubble. Really how dare they? They dare because they have been kept unaccountable and protected from discomfort all their lives. Time for everyone who provides the cushion to remove themselves. Time for more people in restaurants to refuse serving them and tell them why. Time for teachers at Episcopal school in DC to refuse to teach their children or provide after care. Time for pharmacist staff to somehow get confused and lose their scrip. Time for drivers to take the long way round or refuse to drive them. Time for us to refuse to clean their homes, and nanny their children, and provide that thick bubble that takes away the friction of the world. They can roll up their windows and drive past protesters, heck even tear gas them, and nothing happens. It's time to turn up the heat on their lives and make no haven where they feel unseen by the majority, no safe haven. Make them paranoid. I'm not advocating violence, but removing all support and comfort. They have corrupted their position and no longer deserve the respect of that position and their anonymity. It's clear that honor and oaths to country and to people are meaningless to those few. That's a two way street of disrespect. Who is there for the right reason, to serve? Who has the heart for another? We can all discern who they are.
Striking is the only way for the masses to be seen and heard on a personal level and en masse. Women have to run and hide to have control over their own bodies. Let them feel seen in that way. And judged.
You cried along with all of us whom are older because we know our babies and what is left behind when we die are much worse and we are ashamed. Like Brene Brown says though, shame only makes us cower Time to move forward with righteous anger because when our babies are dying - and more will now - women stand up finally and don't take it anymore. That time is here.
Johanna Santer
PS if your readers are afraid of getting on some list just for saying words or protesting legally on public property, it's already gone too far and we're living in a police state. Take note of history and the parallels.
_____________________________________
Re: The Supreme Court Decision
Let's not forget that bush didn't win, he was APPOINTED by the sc, and that was decades ago.
The liars in there now will do same when a repub needs them to overcome a defeat.
That is, if there even is a defeat after all the gerrymamdering/voting barriers are erected.
You are absolutely right, Bob, the spineless dems aren't gonna change anything, our only hope is through the big corporations.
Never thought I would say that but it's true, they fund the candidates on both sides so BOYCOTTS and STIKES are the path forward.
As the saying goes, money swears and once the earnings calls get ugly the CEO's/boards will have no choice but to fight for democracy and pressure real change.
A hail mary, yes, but nothing else will stop our destruction.
Make a list of corporate targets and sign me up.
DG
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
Reading through these letters, and as you said, the only thing that talks these days is money. I found https://progressiveshopper.com/ today, and I'll be using it to make sure I support companies that support my rights. I'm pulling back non-essential spending from companies that aren't progressive. I'll also be looking to support local, women-owned small businesses that are pro-choice. If money is power, and women need more power, maybe these small efforts will help if enough people do it.
Good wishes,
Stephanie
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
Reading these responses, it is crystal clear that the "solution" will not come from the political arena. And the rallying cry around nationwide strikes and boycotts, is heartening but naive. We will never achieve a critical mass of economic hardship in a meaningful period of time.
The solution rests squarely with corporate America. Step 1: CEO's declare that they are creating pathways for employees to circumnavigate abortion restrictions, either by offering transportation assistance or providing relocation services. This is already happening at an accelerating pace. Step 2: CEO's withdraw any and all revenue-generating activities from States that ban abortions. And the ultimate, long-term Step 3: CEO's relocate company headquarters if they are situated in those States. The World Cup and Olympic Organizing Committees, as well as commissioners from the major sports league could also play a huge role here. As with most things, it often boils down to the almighty dollar.
Scott Kauffman
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
So happy to hear your readers and not down for this shit.
I have another idea: have a general military strike. Let's ask young people to not enlist in the military or not show up for military employment they may have. That'll end all this bullshit pretty quickly and will be a real kick in the nuts to these GOP psychos.
Sara Joseph
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Bob....
So, if a woman is raped in New York City, she can not legally get an abortion, BUT she can legally carry a gun and shoot her rapist? Seeking clarification. What happened to "My Body My Choice"? That manta all these nitwits were crying about for two years. Oh, yeah...doesn't apply to masks and vaccines for the benefit of the masses.
Welcome to America. Don't tread on me, right?
Kevin Andrusia
Orlando, FL
_____________________________________
Re: Protests Don't Work
I feel much the same when I get emails asking that I sign a petition. Petitions! Even in the pre-Internet age they had no effect!
Do polls matter? Politicians and parties poll all the time. But surveys of the public? Nobody ever said it better than Sir Humphrey: https://youtu.be/6GSKwf4AIlI
David Basskin
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
As the commentator on German TV clearly pointed it out.
The SCOTUS and the ruling is the new TALIBAN.
..and he is correct (unfortunately).
Manfred Phemister
_____________________________________
Re: Protests Don't Work
if every sex worker in America went on national strike, these so-called Christian Conservatives would change their tune within a heart beat (pun intended)
Frank Polacco
_____________________________________
In 1975, women of Iceland went on strike for equal rights. 90% of women walked off their jobs & homes, shutting down the entire country. The men could barely cope. Five years later, Iceland elected first female President. Now Iceland has the highest gender equality in the world.
@mhdksafa
Wikipedia: 1975 Icelandic women's strike: https://bit.ly/3P2RihB
via Jake Gold
Subject: Prostests Plus
You are so right about protests not working. And, the taxpayer expense and inconvenience to deal with them.
Otherwise, if you didn't see Jordan Klepper interviewing Trumpers in Mississippi three days ago on
The Daily Show, you will not be surprised, but astonished.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNIJH5gufaQ
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
What SCOTUS did was catastrophic for women everywhere.
I was 18 and a senior in high school and seeing someone 7 years my senior. He believed in the 'pull out' method for birth control. Of course I got pregnant and wound up having a back room abortion -as Roe was not decided- which was a NIGHTMARE. Fast forward 10 years and I had already had 2 children. I was excited to have a 3rd but my ob/gyn strongly recommended termination as the baby would have a myriad of birth defects. After much discussion with my husband and Dr, we chose to terminate. It was done in the hospital and was an entirely different experience. It was a difficult decision to make but I do not regret either to this day.
It's so interesting that men have been trying to control women's right to choose and in 2022, after 50 years of women being free to choose, we are going backwards. Beyond disturbing. Time for women to take back our country and Get Out To Vote… power is in the polling booth.
SL
_____________________________________
Re: Keffals
THANK YOU, Bob, for alerting me to Kefals. I'm glad she's out there fighting and educating. If only we had a progressive political party in this sad country that was listening to her and moving us forward to a better world. If only.
Thanks again,
David Hutchison
70 year old geezer and the father of a trans woman and a cis son, both in their 30s
_____________________________________
Protests Don't Work
Bob-
Correct protests don't work, but money does. So we are going to have to be surgical and precise. We should start with Texas first-Austin City Limits and South by Southwest should pull out. Sponsors of these events should be boycotted until they agree to pull sponsorship and participation in any events taking place in Texas. All those Teslas-every woman should stop driving a Tesla and cancel any orders until Musk relocates and moves corporate offices from Texas. Sports-same thing. Stadiums in Texas include AT&T, Minute Maid, Dr Pepper Ballpark-you get the drift I am sure that there are more-demand they pull out. Current sponsors of ACL include Honda, Uber, Hulu, Tito's Vodka, Miller Lite, Bulleit. Pressure them to pull out. When we, the 80% of the people who believe that a woman's right to choose is a guaranteed right, show the state of Texas that there will be financial impact from its actions they will recalibrate. And it will be a warning to the other states. Let's go-state by state. There are 25 states that are harming women. Time to get active. Money talks and is likely our own leverage and pressure point. This is war.
Alix Gucovsky
_____________________________________
Re: Protests marches don't work
Bob:
Exactly.
Street demonstrations have little effect today than in the past marches of the first Civil Rights Era (Generation SCLC & MLK) and the Anti War heyday of Abbie Hoffman-Jerry Rubin (Generation Chicago 7).
In his 1993 essay collection The Future of Ritual: Writings on Culture and Performance, Richard Schechner has an essay entitled "The Street as the Stage." The Street was the location or communal "stage" for presenting social outrage and advocating for social change. That was where, as they said, The Whole World was Watching. It might still galvanize some people, but it's now more about the "experience" (I went down to the demonstration...and all I got was a T-shirt) than rendering real social change.
But those days are gone forever. As a performance theorist steeped in the "Theater of the Oppressed" and Brecht, Schechner would no doubt now understand that the "screen is the stage" and will remain so. If performance is to be effective as a political tool it has to be where the people are: online.
Brecht on TikTok: now we're talking about a revolution!
BTW, man, we'd be hard pressed to find many who remember what the "Theatre of the Oppressed" means or knows Brecht, who famously said, "He who laughs has not yet heard the bad news."
robert vellani
burlington, nc
_____________________________________
Re: The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
I am writing to you as an upper-middle class woman who works a white collar job in a red state. After the opinion came out, my California-based employer sent out a company-wide email to reassure us that our health insurance will continue to cover family planning and abortion care. The company also expanded our travel budgets to reimburse employees who go out of state for medical care. While I'm glad my company took action, I can't help but feel ashamed, guilty and sad as I grapple with my own privilege...
If I'm being honest with myself, this Supreme Court decision will not really impact me. I have the money and the resources to go to a blue state if I ever had to. While it would be inconvenient and frankly, stupid, to have to travel for abortion care, I will undoubtedly still have access to it.
My heart breaks for the poor and vulnerable girls and women who have been stripped of their bodily autonomy. All day, I haven't been able to stop thinking about a memory that I've worked very hard to repress. While I was still in graduate school, I volunteered at the local child advocates center in a suburban county in Texas. We worked with lawyers and social workers to help abused kids make it through the justice system. All day, I've been thinking of one particular case… I sat in on an interview of an 11 year old girl who had been serially raped by her grandfather. The abuse started when she was a literal baby. This man's atrocious acts were finally reported to the police after the girl told her 5th grade teacher she thought she might be pregnant. She was. And thank god she had access to abortion care. Poor children like this all over the country will now have no options but to subject themselves, and a whole future generation, to a lifetime of trauma. This is only one of many similar cases I witnessed that summer.
I am devastated and heartbroken for the suffering this will inflict on the most vulnerable girls and women in our society. Lives will be literally conceived from unimaginable trauma; but I guess the cruelty is the point with the Republican Party. I wish I knew what to do to, but I'm at a loss, too.
Best,
Farrah Usmani
_____________________________________
Re: The Supreme Court Decision
Bob,
Strong change comes with strong action. When the other side feels the fear - of poverty, of their children dying, of being impotent (yes in that way too ) in the face of power - when their lives are impacted in a real way, we will make progress. What is 'our' power? The power of numbers. And our positions, which provide comfort and a thick bubble of protection for their lives.
It's time to get personal with those change makers, and change their too comfortable lives. It's also time for us to expose their hypocrisy, to laugh at their God complexes and superiority, such as for their own daughters and sons to own their abortions as happened with gay rights. Dick Chaney changed the temperature.
But It's time for more, for those individuals to feel the heat of righteous anger. I say those individuals because it is a tiny tiny minority exerting their power and ideology on vast numbers of people that are faceless to them and rarely pierce their bubble. Really how dare they? They dare because they have been kept unaccountable and protected from discomfort all their lives. Time for everyone who provides the cushion to remove themselves. Time for more people in restaurants to refuse serving them and tell them why. Time for teachers at Episcopal school in DC to refuse to teach their children or provide after care. Time for pharmacist staff to somehow get confused and lose their scrip. Time for drivers to take the long way round or refuse to drive them. Time for us to refuse to clean their homes, and nanny their children, and provide that thick bubble that takes away the friction of the world. They can roll up their windows and drive past protesters, heck even tear gas them, and nothing happens. It's time to turn up the heat on their lives and make no haven where they feel unseen by the majority, no safe haven. Make them paranoid. I'm not advocating violence, but removing all support and comfort. They have corrupted their position and no longer deserve the respect of that position and their anonymity. It's clear that honor and oaths to country and to people are meaningless to those few. That's a two way street of disrespect. Who is there for the right reason, to serve? Who has the heart for another? We can all discern who they are.
Striking is the only way for the masses to be seen and heard on a personal level and en masse. Women have to run and hide to have control over their own bodies. Let them feel seen in that way. And judged.
You cried along with all of us whom are older because we know our babies and what is left behind when we die are much worse and we are ashamed. Like Brene Brown says though, shame only makes us cower Time to move forward with righteous anger because when our babies are dying - and more will now - women stand up finally and don't take it anymore. That time is here.
Johanna Santer
PS if your readers are afraid of getting on some list just for saying words or protesting legally on public property, it's already gone too far and we're living in a police state. Take note of history and the parallels.
_____________________________________
Re: The Supreme Court Decision
Let's not forget that bush didn't win, he was APPOINTED by the sc, and that was decades ago.
The liars in there now will do same when a repub needs them to overcome a defeat.
That is, if there even is a defeat after all the gerrymamdering/voting barriers are erected.
You are absolutely right, Bob, the spineless dems aren't gonna change anything, our only hope is through the big corporations.
Never thought I would say that but it's true, they fund the candidates on both sides so BOYCOTTS and STIKES are the path forward.
As the saying goes, money swears and once the earnings calls get ugly the CEO's/boards will have no choice but to fight for democracy and pressure real change.
A hail mary, yes, but nothing else will stop our destruction.
Make a list of corporate targets and sign me up.
DG
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
Reading through these letters, and as you said, the only thing that talks these days is money. I found https://progressiveshopper.com/ today, and I'll be using it to make sure I support companies that support my rights. I'm pulling back non-essential spending from companies that aren't progressive. I'll also be looking to support local, women-owned small businesses that are pro-choice. If money is power, and women need more power, maybe these small efforts will help if enough people do it.
Good wishes,
Stephanie
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Hi Bob,
Reading these responses, it is crystal clear that the "solution" will not come from the political arena. And the rallying cry around nationwide strikes and boycotts, is heartening but naive. We will never achieve a critical mass of economic hardship in a meaningful period of time.
The solution rests squarely with corporate America. Step 1: CEO's declare that they are creating pathways for employees to circumnavigate abortion restrictions, either by offering transportation assistance or providing relocation services. This is already happening at an accelerating pace. Step 2: CEO's withdraw any and all revenue-generating activities from States that ban abortions. And the ultimate, long-term Step 3: CEO's relocate company headquarters if they are situated in those States. The World Cup and Olympic Organizing Committees, as well as commissioners from the major sports league could also play a huge role here. As with most things, it often boils down to the almighty dollar.
Scott Kauffman
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
So happy to hear your readers and not down for this shit.
I have another idea: have a general military strike. Let's ask young people to not enlist in the military or not show up for military employment they may have. That'll end all this bullshit pretty quickly and will be a real kick in the nuts to these GOP psychos.
Sara Joseph
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
Bob....
So, if a woman is raped in New York City, she can not legally get an abortion, BUT she can legally carry a gun and shoot her rapist? Seeking clarification. What happened to "My Body My Choice"? That manta all these nitwits were crying about for two years. Oh, yeah...doesn't apply to masks and vaccines for the benefit of the masses.
Welcome to America. Don't tread on me, right?
Kevin Andrusia
Orlando, FL
_____________________________________
Re: Protests Don't Work
I feel much the same when I get emails asking that I sign a petition. Petitions! Even in the pre-Internet age they had no effect!
Do polls matter? Politicians and parties poll all the time. But surveys of the public? Nobody ever said it better than Sir Humphrey: https://youtu.be/6GSKwf4AIlI
David Basskin
_____________________________________
Re: Re-The Supreme Court Decision
As the commentator on German TV clearly pointed it out.
The SCOTUS and the ruling is the new TALIBAN.
..and he is correct (unfortunately).
Manfred Phemister
_____________________________________
Re: Protests Don't Work
if every sex worker in America went on national strike, these so-called Christian Conservatives would change their tune within a heart beat (pun intended)
Frank Polacco
_____________________________________
In 1975, women of Iceland went on strike for equal rights. 90% of women walked off their jobs & homes, shutting down the entire country. The men could barely cope. Five years later, Iceland elected first female President. Now Iceland has the highest gender equality in the world.
@mhdksafa
Wikipedia: 1975 Icelandic women's strike: https://bit.ly/3P2RihB
via Jake Gold
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Keffals
"The trans Twitch star delivering news to a legion of LGBTQ teens - Known online as Keffals, Clara Sorrenti's streams are one of the few spaces in media where people can hear the news from a trans person": https://wapo.st/39WizDj
This is what I'm talking about.
The above article is not behind a paywall, and you should read it, to understand how one spreads information today.
And for those who are squeamish, who can't handle the truth, I advise you read it anyway, for this is the essence of promoting music in the twenty first century too.
You don't go from the top down, but from the bottom up. Your goal isn't to try and reach everybody, but to reach somebody, to gain traction. What did Bruce Springsteen sing, "You can' start a fire without a spark"?
This story was reported by Taylor Lorenz in the "Washington Post." Lorenz used to write for the "New York Times," but the traditional reporters couldn't handle her. Oh, it was a bit more complicated than that, Lorenz's behavior brought up questions, but in truth those who'd dedicated themselves to being part of the system, reporters focused on the "big issues," were upset that Lorenz was focused on social media, that's not important, right? And Lorenz became part of the story to boot, which is a no-no. Why? This is why traditional media is on the road to irrelevance, the adherence to precepts that no longer work today.
So what we've got here is a single individual who decided upon their own inspiration to take up the cause, in this case amplification of trans issues. Furthermore, she wasn't pulling punches, worried about response, worried about blowback, she just let it fly!
And, unlike the whiners, she realized that the more people commenting on her work, blowing back, the wider its reach, the more impact it was having. She was not posting just for attention, pushing buttons for the sake of it, but in truth, especially when it comes to politics, they're all hot button issues. Have you got the inner strength to participate?
So what Keffals has done is employ the Just Chatting feature of Twitch to speak about issues. Oh, she started off just showing herself playing videogames, but Greg Abbott's trans shenanigans motivated her to stand up.
She's now got a business, 3,000 people a month pay $4.99 to support her work on Twitch. She's making bank on Patreon too.
And she has an impact, she made it to the top of r/Conservative.
"When a tweet by Sorrenti attacking conservatives made it to the top of r/Conservative, a subreddit with nearly 1 million members, she leaned into the controversy. 'Come watch conservative cringe with the only Twitch streamer currently on the front page of r/Conservative,' she implored her fans. She later released a YouTube video titled 'I got to the top of r/Conservative.'"
Keffals got into the den if inequity, you can't penetrate Fox News with the truth but you can reach its acolytes online.
"Her scrapes with right-wing personalities happen largely on Twitter, where Sorrenti leverages one of the platform's most reliable weapons — the ratio. A tweet becomes 'ratio'd' when the replies vastly outnumber the number of likes or retweets, a signal to onlookers that the original post was contentious or wrong. Sorrenti has become known among her audience as the 'ratio queen,' a tactic that shows the power of her fan base.
"'I don't think civility politics works when I'm engaging with people who don't even view me as human," she said.'"
You can watch MSNBC, speak to the already converted, but you're accomplishing nothing. You've got to go where the haters are.
Also, Keffals is unafraid of speaking the truth, even when it's a negative jab at her theoretical team. She tweeted that she hated liberals, and also tweeted "centrism is a disease."
We keep hearing from the old farts that the only way to succeed is to move to the center. I wished that worked. But that's where Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden live. Oh, forget the endless tarring of Biden as being beholden to the woke left, he was elected to beat Trump and calm the waters and what is the end result? We're gonna end up with a Republican Congress and Ron DeSantis as our next president. If you don't run someone who people can believe in, you ultimately lose.
I know, I know, the establishment will say young people don't vote. Well, young people are getting older each and every day, becoming old people.
This is what the Democrats need. Someone with a profile, who will fight.
But when you get to the end of this article you will realize that Keffals's impact is not really that great. She only has 105.2k followers on Twitter.
I tweet once in a blue moon, and I've got 66,684.
But Keffals garnered her number recently, which is a lot harder. That's what many don't understand, it's much harder to put up numbers than it was ten years ago, there's just too much in the channel.
But this is not a put-down of Keffals, it's just an illustration that the paradigm works and we need more Keffals. It's about an army, not one superstar. Hell, didn't Elon Musk post that most of the bigwigs on Twitter, the celebrities, rarely post, if at all?
As for denigrating Twitter... You may not go there, but it's where all the thinkers and tastemakers go. That's where issues rise and are hashed out and by time you read about them in the straight media they're oftentimes already old news on the cutting edge, where the sausage is being made, hashed out over a zillion tweets.
This is the reality of today. A reality that anybody who earned their stripes in the old era, employing the old model, pooh-poohs, because they don't understand it and it's so much harder to get a grip on it anyway. It's not just the wilderness, it's a jungle. But this is where the people are today. You can be paid seven figures on cable but your influence keeps getting smaller. People get their news, their ideas, online. And they want to express themselves. That's what's wrong with so much of traditional media, it talks down to people and doesn't let them participate. It's a rare article in the "New York Times" that allows comments, whereas on the "Washington Post" they're ubiquitous, you can weigh in on almost anything. And you should read some of the comments, to get the temperature of the public. Oh, it's a skewed view, BUT EVERYTHING IS THESE DAYS! You can't get your information from one source, you've got to explore and come up with conclusions yourself. This is the flaw in the educational system, teaching to the test, people don't know how to THINK, ANALYZE, and that's the most important skill you should acquire in school.
This is all happening right now. It's not the future. Online is where information is spread.
You reach so many more people online than you do physically.
What we need are more Keffals.
Want to change the world?
POST AND STREAM!
This is what I'm talking about.
The above article is not behind a paywall, and you should read it, to understand how one spreads information today.
And for those who are squeamish, who can't handle the truth, I advise you read it anyway, for this is the essence of promoting music in the twenty first century too.
You don't go from the top down, but from the bottom up. Your goal isn't to try and reach everybody, but to reach somebody, to gain traction. What did Bruce Springsteen sing, "You can' start a fire without a spark"?
This story was reported by Taylor Lorenz in the "Washington Post." Lorenz used to write for the "New York Times," but the traditional reporters couldn't handle her. Oh, it was a bit more complicated than that, Lorenz's behavior brought up questions, but in truth those who'd dedicated themselves to being part of the system, reporters focused on the "big issues," were upset that Lorenz was focused on social media, that's not important, right? And Lorenz became part of the story to boot, which is a no-no. Why? This is why traditional media is on the road to irrelevance, the adherence to precepts that no longer work today.
So what we've got here is a single individual who decided upon their own inspiration to take up the cause, in this case amplification of trans issues. Furthermore, she wasn't pulling punches, worried about response, worried about blowback, she just let it fly!
And, unlike the whiners, she realized that the more people commenting on her work, blowing back, the wider its reach, the more impact it was having. She was not posting just for attention, pushing buttons for the sake of it, but in truth, especially when it comes to politics, they're all hot button issues. Have you got the inner strength to participate?
So what Keffals has done is employ the Just Chatting feature of Twitch to speak about issues. Oh, she started off just showing herself playing videogames, but Greg Abbott's trans shenanigans motivated her to stand up.
She's now got a business, 3,000 people a month pay $4.99 to support her work on Twitch. She's making bank on Patreon too.
And she has an impact, she made it to the top of r/Conservative.
"When a tweet by Sorrenti attacking conservatives made it to the top of r/Conservative, a subreddit with nearly 1 million members, she leaned into the controversy. 'Come watch conservative cringe with the only Twitch streamer currently on the front page of r/Conservative,' she implored her fans. She later released a YouTube video titled 'I got to the top of r/Conservative.'"
Keffals got into the den if inequity, you can't penetrate Fox News with the truth but you can reach its acolytes online.
"Her scrapes with right-wing personalities happen largely on Twitter, where Sorrenti leverages one of the platform's most reliable weapons — the ratio. A tweet becomes 'ratio'd' when the replies vastly outnumber the number of likes or retweets, a signal to onlookers that the original post was contentious or wrong. Sorrenti has become known among her audience as the 'ratio queen,' a tactic that shows the power of her fan base.
"'I don't think civility politics works when I'm engaging with people who don't even view me as human," she said.'"
You can watch MSNBC, speak to the already converted, but you're accomplishing nothing. You've got to go where the haters are.
Also, Keffals is unafraid of speaking the truth, even when it's a negative jab at her theoretical team. She tweeted that she hated liberals, and also tweeted "centrism is a disease."
We keep hearing from the old farts that the only way to succeed is to move to the center. I wished that worked. But that's where Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden live. Oh, forget the endless tarring of Biden as being beholden to the woke left, he was elected to beat Trump and calm the waters and what is the end result? We're gonna end up with a Republican Congress and Ron DeSantis as our next president. If you don't run someone who people can believe in, you ultimately lose.
I know, I know, the establishment will say young people don't vote. Well, young people are getting older each and every day, becoming old people.
This is what the Democrats need. Someone with a profile, who will fight.
But when you get to the end of this article you will realize that Keffals's impact is not really that great. She only has 105.2k followers on Twitter.
I tweet once in a blue moon, and I've got 66,684.
But Keffals garnered her number recently, which is a lot harder. That's what many don't understand, it's much harder to put up numbers than it was ten years ago, there's just too much in the channel.
But this is not a put-down of Keffals, it's just an illustration that the paradigm works and we need more Keffals. It's about an army, not one superstar. Hell, didn't Elon Musk post that most of the bigwigs on Twitter, the celebrities, rarely post, if at all?
As for denigrating Twitter... You may not go there, but it's where all the thinkers and tastemakers go. That's where issues rise and are hashed out and by time you read about them in the straight media they're oftentimes already old news on the cutting edge, where the sausage is being made, hashed out over a zillion tweets.
This is the reality of today. A reality that anybody who earned their stripes in the old era, employing the old model, pooh-poohs, because they don't understand it and it's so much harder to get a grip on it anyway. It's not just the wilderness, it's a jungle. But this is where the people are today. You can be paid seven figures on cable but your influence keeps getting smaller. People get their news, their ideas, online. And they want to express themselves. That's what's wrong with so much of traditional media, it talks down to people and doesn't let them participate. It's a rare article in the "New York Times" that allows comments, whereas on the "Washington Post" they're ubiquitous, you can weigh in on almost anything. And you should read some of the comments, to get the temperature of the public. Oh, it's a skewed view, BUT EVERYTHING IS THESE DAYS! You can't get your information from one source, you've got to explore and come up with conclusions yourself. This is the flaw in the educational system, teaching to the test, people don't know how to THINK, ANALYZE, and that's the most important skill you should acquire in school.
This is all happening right now. It's not the future. Online is where information is spread.
You reach so many more people online than you do physically.
What we need are more Keffals.
Want to change the world?
POST AND STREAM!
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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Sunday 26 June 2022
You've Got It, I Want It!
We are watching this absolutely fabulous show on HBO Max.
Considered to be the best series to ever come out of Hungary, you'll find it on the service under its Anglicized name, "Golden Life," as opposed to its Hungarian one, "Aranyélet."
We are only six episodes into a three season run. But whew, I'm flabbergasted. It's so INTENSE!
You absolutely have to watch it.
I found it on IMDB. I was looking for the best foreign TV series. I must have Googled this a thousand times, but I came upon this new list and "Golden Life" had a great rating and we dove in.
WHEW!
You won't know what is happening at first. And unlike in American shows there isn't tons of money thrown at production. But it's all there, including the 360 degree pan right out of French cinema.
So, one person is king of his domain. A Hungarian Mafia guy. He's riding high. He's got a mansion and so much cash that he can afford to lose some, but he's always got to be keeping an eye out for rivals. As he should.
I don't want to give away any plot points, but you've got to know, if you're on top of the heap, someone is gonna gun for you. If you're the number one artist, the richest person in America, I don't care if you worked hard to get it, someone else wants what you have.
Hell, there was even a story in today's "Times" about how Elon Musk's compensation package at Tesla has affected all companies. The CEOs all want stock, they think they're worth it. This guy Jeff Green made $800 million last year. Ten people made over a hundred million. Our friend Ari Emanuel made around $300 million and David Zaslav, of Warner Brothers Discovery, made about $250 million himself.
You see they want what Elon's got, and no one is going to get in their way.
They don't want to run an electric car company, they don't want to go to outer space, but they do want to show up on the private jet and spend money like it's water (not California water, but you get the idea).
You're not even in their league. You don't count.
Are they worth it?
OF COURSE NOT!
Will we see the poor revolt against the rich in my lifetime? I certainly hope so, but I'm not betting on it. And even if it happens, look at the result of the Arab Spring, authoritarianism. But no one could predict an overeducated fruit vendor could set off such a conflagration.
If you're at the top people are gunning for you. They're not happy for you, they want what you've got, so they can't lord it over you, so you can lord it over THEM!
There are even boardroom coups. Funny how Tommy Mottola got rid of Walter Yetnikoff, who gave him his job, and how Michael Rapino ended up running Live Nation. Someone is your best friend today, you're doing business together, you may have even gotten them their job, and then WHOOPS!
They want your job. They want your money. They want your girl. Just when you think you've made it, when you see clear sailing ahead, that's when you've got to watch your back.
And if you think what I'm saying is hogwash, that just indicates you've removed yourself from the fray, you've got so little no one wants to bother to take it away from you.
And most people have never had contact with those atop the economic heap. As for the "Housewives," they're not really rich, because anybody with real money knows you fly below the radar, because if people found out about your wealth they'd be gunning for it.
Classic example is Donald Trump. He was committing tax fraud with impunity until he became president. I could explain it to you, but either you don't want to hear it or wouldn't understand it. You probably don't even itemize, never mind move your assets through corporations and relatives, valuing them far differently from what they're worth.
They don't attack people online who've got 200 followers. But if you're flying high, it's just a matter of time before the hoi polloi bite back. Who do you think you are? You think you're better than us? We'll show you!
And then there are the ignorant who respond. They're just amplifying the story instead of letting it burn out. You've got to ignore it.
The second big compensation winner is Zig Serafin, of Qualtrics, with over $500 million last year. I've never heard of him or his company, and if he's smart he'll keep it that way.
And Zuckerberg killed MySpace and then TikTok put a dent in Facebook and Instagram too. And Zuckerberg fears ByteDance much more than he fears the American government. He can run circles around elected officials and bureaucrats, but business people? That's another story.
There's always someone willing to work harder to topple you.
You probably made it by working harder than the person you toppled.
Or you inherited your company from your family and not only did you not have the smarts and experience your ancestors did, you don't have the hunger. Beware, you're a target. Can you say Edgar Bronfman, Jr?
It's so down and dirty.
And the truth is everybody wants in. Even most journalists. They want to hang with the rich, they want a piece of that lifestyle. And those with the money know this, and manipulate them. To the point where if you're telling the truth no one believes you!
It's all about survival, for each and every one of us. And usually those who started out with little are the ones who end up with the most, they don't want to go back where they once were.
I just can't come down from this show.
"How Elon Musk Helped Lift the Ceiling on C.E.O. Pay - The gap with workers widened even further as public companies granted top executives rich pay packages partly inspired by Tesla.": https://nyti.ms/3OqmWp0
"Golden Life" trailer: https://bit.ly/3AapB1V
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
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Considered to be the best series to ever come out of Hungary, you'll find it on the service under its Anglicized name, "Golden Life," as opposed to its Hungarian one, "Aranyélet."
We are only six episodes into a three season run. But whew, I'm flabbergasted. It's so INTENSE!
You absolutely have to watch it.
I found it on IMDB. I was looking for the best foreign TV series. I must have Googled this a thousand times, but I came upon this new list and "Golden Life" had a great rating and we dove in.
WHEW!
You won't know what is happening at first. And unlike in American shows there isn't tons of money thrown at production. But it's all there, including the 360 degree pan right out of French cinema.
So, one person is king of his domain. A Hungarian Mafia guy. He's riding high. He's got a mansion and so much cash that he can afford to lose some, but he's always got to be keeping an eye out for rivals. As he should.
I don't want to give away any plot points, but you've got to know, if you're on top of the heap, someone is gonna gun for you. If you're the number one artist, the richest person in America, I don't care if you worked hard to get it, someone else wants what you have.
Hell, there was even a story in today's "Times" about how Elon Musk's compensation package at Tesla has affected all companies. The CEOs all want stock, they think they're worth it. This guy Jeff Green made $800 million last year. Ten people made over a hundred million. Our friend Ari Emanuel made around $300 million and David Zaslav, of Warner Brothers Discovery, made about $250 million himself.
You see they want what Elon's got, and no one is going to get in their way.
They don't want to run an electric car company, they don't want to go to outer space, but they do want to show up on the private jet and spend money like it's water (not California water, but you get the idea).
You're not even in their league. You don't count.
Are they worth it?
OF COURSE NOT!
Will we see the poor revolt against the rich in my lifetime? I certainly hope so, but I'm not betting on it. And even if it happens, look at the result of the Arab Spring, authoritarianism. But no one could predict an overeducated fruit vendor could set off such a conflagration.
If you're at the top people are gunning for you. They're not happy for you, they want what you've got, so they can't lord it over you, so you can lord it over THEM!
There are even boardroom coups. Funny how Tommy Mottola got rid of Walter Yetnikoff, who gave him his job, and how Michael Rapino ended up running Live Nation. Someone is your best friend today, you're doing business together, you may have even gotten them their job, and then WHOOPS!
They want your job. They want your money. They want your girl. Just when you think you've made it, when you see clear sailing ahead, that's when you've got to watch your back.
And if you think what I'm saying is hogwash, that just indicates you've removed yourself from the fray, you've got so little no one wants to bother to take it away from you.
And most people have never had contact with those atop the economic heap. As for the "Housewives," they're not really rich, because anybody with real money knows you fly below the radar, because if people found out about your wealth they'd be gunning for it.
Classic example is Donald Trump. He was committing tax fraud with impunity until he became president. I could explain it to you, but either you don't want to hear it or wouldn't understand it. You probably don't even itemize, never mind move your assets through corporations and relatives, valuing them far differently from what they're worth.
They don't attack people online who've got 200 followers. But if you're flying high, it's just a matter of time before the hoi polloi bite back. Who do you think you are? You think you're better than us? We'll show you!
And then there are the ignorant who respond. They're just amplifying the story instead of letting it burn out. You've got to ignore it.
The second big compensation winner is Zig Serafin, of Qualtrics, with over $500 million last year. I've never heard of him or his company, and if he's smart he'll keep it that way.
And Zuckerberg killed MySpace and then TikTok put a dent in Facebook and Instagram too. And Zuckerberg fears ByteDance much more than he fears the American government. He can run circles around elected officials and bureaucrats, but business people? That's another story.
There's always someone willing to work harder to topple you.
You probably made it by working harder than the person you toppled.
Or you inherited your company from your family and not only did you not have the smarts and experience your ancestors did, you don't have the hunger. Beware, you're a target. Can you say Edgar Bronfman, Jr?
It's so down and dirty.
And the truth is everybody wants in. Even most journalists. They want to hang with the rich, they want a piece of that lifestyle. And those with the money know this, and manipulate them. To the point where if you're telling the truth no one believes you!
It's all about survival, for each and every one of us. And usually those who started out with little are the ones who end up with the most, they don't want to go back where they once were.
I just can't come down from this show.
"How Elon Musk Helped Lift the Ceiling on C.E.O. Pay - The gap with workers widened even further as public companies granted top executives rich pay packages partly inspired by Tesla.": https://nyti.ms/3OqmWp0
"Golden Life" trailer: https://bit.ly/3AapB1V
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Protests Don't Work
Stay home.
When you get the clarion call to go to some destination to wield signs and slogans in support of your mission I hope it makes you feel good, because it has no effect on the cause whatsoever.
Mass protests in America are all based on those that took place during the Vietnam era.
But the Vietnam era was different. Not only was there no streaming TV, there was no basic cable, no cable news, CNN didn't arrive until 1980, and there was no Fox, never mind the CW. We only had three television networks and we all watched 'em. Hit TV shows had ratings akin to the Super Bowl, every week. There was not a soul who had not seen "Laugh-In" on Monday night, and you had to tune in Monday night or it was gone forever. Oh, there might be a summer rerun, but there was no On Demand, never mind videotapes or DVDs.
As for the news?
Talk to any boomer. That's what you watched during dinner, especially in times of crisis. Everybody tuned in, everybody was hipped to what was happening. And because of the Fairness Doctrine, there were not endless cries of bias, and where would they get traction anyway?
And if you wanted to know what was going on in your hometown you read the newspaper, it was the only way to be clued-in.
And if you wanted to meet someone, you didn't fire up an app, you had to go out and work it in person.
So if you showed up and marched in the sixties, the footage got on network TV and was on the front page in newspapers, which were read by many more people than today.
I don't know a soul who watches network news anymore. Walter Cronkite? He was as big as Johnny Carson. And believe me, if it weren't for "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" no one would even be paying attention to what happens after 11:30 at night on network. The ratings are anemic, but the media is inured to a dated story. That's right, if you want to know where it's going you don't watch TV, you don't read the newspaper, and you certainly don't listen to someone in D.C., you go online, that's where it's happening.
And there's not one place you can reach everybody online, but you can be in many places at once. You're not limited to posting only on Facebook, you're not limited to only posting in one place on Facebook. If you've got a mission you spam the entire internet. That's how you change hearts and minds.
And the key is not to do it via spam, i.e. worthless drivel, but by making your case in an interesting way. There is no captive audience anymore, no one has to sit through a commercial, people even have ad-blockers in their browsers, I certainly do, to speed up the surfing experience if nothing else. So what you have to do is employ the same tribe that used to go out to the town square to go online and reach people not only where they live, but everywhere! That's what the web delivers. Which is why Bad Bunny is the biggest act in the universe. Impossible before the internet and streaming services. But now you can reach everybody!
Now if enough people take to the streets...
It still doesn't make a difference.
Black Lives Matter? What exactly changed as a result of that? Oh, that's right, Fox and the rest of the blowhards got a talking point, making a false equivalency to 1/6. Yes, disrupting the election process is just like marching in the street. As for a few broken windows and some looting... I'm not endorsing them, but to equate them with trying to overturn the election results, threatening to hang Mike Pence, deaths in the Capitol, stealing the wares of elected officials... That's like saying a stolen base in Little League is equivalent to a stolen base in the MLB. No, it's like saying a blown call in Little League is equivalent to stealing signs in the World Series.
Oh, come off it.
But the truth is the right is winning just by me typing these words.
You see Fox News has horrible ratings. It drew 2.27 million viewers in the prime time hours in May. "The Five" got 3.28 million, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" got 3.2 million.
As for the coveted 25-54 demo? Only 522,000 people watched Tucker Carlson. And only 447,000 "The Five." And those were the top two!
It's even worse at MSNBC. Their prime time average is 1.02 million.
But all we keep hearing about is Fox News and MSNBC. When in truth in a country of 332 million, fewer than ONE PERCENT watch Fox News!
But the mainstream media focuses on what happens on the cable news networks because they can't fathom walking into the wilderness of the internet, trying to decipher what is really going on online.
I'll analogize it to music. Ever try to get a handle on new music? It's absolutely impossible, it's overwhelming.
Let's see, the big hype this week is Angel Olsen. She just put out her sixth album, she's been around since 2012. But you've probably never heard of her. As for her numbers, she's got a few tracks with double-digit million stream counts on Spotify, but that's nowhere close to the hit artists. #50 on the Spotify U.S. Top 50 just got 431,108 streams in a single day! And that's not even a worldwide number!
This week there's also been a ton of ink about Soccer Mommy. Her streaming numbers are close, but not even as good as Angel Olsen's! And I saw Soccer Mommy and she wasn't that great, maybe she's better now, but my point is if you listen to the music of these two acts it's not for everybody, it's niche at best, but the media makes it look like they have huge impact in the marketplace, that many people are listening constantly.
I could name a zillion other hyped acts, with a plethora of reviews, with even worse numbers, but I'll just point out that when you take the number of weekly streams on Spotify in the aggregate... That's a huge number. Spotify itself has 182 million subscribers. It's tough being one act on the service, you want to control a bunch of hits, which is the business of the major labels, especially with their catalog. One act? Reaches so few people it's laughable.
But it didn't used to be this way, because it used to be you could only hear new music on the radio, and there were a limited number of stations and a limited number of records spun. They haven't opened the floodgates, THEY'VE TORN DOWN THE DAM!
So one person tweeting...essentially irrelevant. You've got to have many people on the case, it's the only way you can reach people.
And your goal is to reach those not paying attention. You don't want a circle jerk where everybody involved is already on the same page. Why is it that those on the right post on left wing sites but the left doesn't post on right wing sites? I mean you go where the people are, right?
If you want to protest, you've got to do it online. Everything is virtual these days. As for concerts, you can reach millions of people on Twitch at one time, you could never have that many people at a single concert. And you don't have to worry about weather or transportation either.
Chances are if you're citing Fox and MSNBC, you're a news junkie. How about all those not paying attention? You want to reach them!
Like Alito's theory employed to overturn Roe v. Wade. If you read it in a vacuum, if you read or hear about it in the right wing world, it seems logical. If you're not exposed to analysis from the other side, you don't get it. There are dog whistles in the opinion itself, right wing code that many people are completely oblivious to.
You can read an analysis here:
"Here are key passages from the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe.": https://nyti.ms/3yl5RHB
For far too long Democrats have operated on feel, whereas Republicans study the issues, cite facts and...the Democrats are dumbfounded. It's more complicated than just Roe v. Wade being overturned. Educate yourself on the issues, then you're prepared to fight. Every straw man on the right can be knocked down, assuming you know what you're talking about.
As for yelling online... People ignore it. It's when you're calm that you gain traction, when you approach people logically, appealing to both their heads and their hearts that you win.
I'll tell you how screwed up the leaders of this country are... Music was the canary in the coal mine for digital disruption, now it's all about streaming, but the charts??? Physical has more weight. Why? And all this hype on vinyl. Enjoy it, but it's a de minimis part of the total. Never mind we've gone to a play paradigm as opposed to a purchase. I mean sure, buy the CD, but if you never listen to it what are the odds you'll want to go to the show, where the act can make a ton more money? Almost nil. We're looking for active listeners.
And we're looking for active posters online.
But all we've got on the left, especially in the "New York Times," is endless denigration of smartphone usage, to the point where Apple blinked and you get a weekly report of the hours you were on your devices. SO WHAT? Have you ever seen that number and said you wanted to surf less? Of course not!
How can you win when your leaders are against the primary communication method used by the majority of the population?
YOU CAN'T!
You spread your message online.
Protesting IRL is like walking instead of driving. Oh, if it's just a few blocks, cool. But if you want to get from New York to Boston, or Kansas City to Denver...plan on spending a few weeks, if not months, on the road.
What did Sam Kinison say about starving people in Africa? Stop sending them food, send suitcases, these people have to move, they've got to go where the food is!
The food in politics is online. Definitively.
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When you get the clarion call to go to some destination to wield signs and slogans in support of your mission I hope it makes you feel good, because it has no effect on the cause whatsoever.
Mass protests in America are all based on those that took place during the Vietnam era.
But the Vietnam era was different. Not only was there no streaming TV, there was no basic cable, no cable news, CNN didn't arrive until 1980, and there was no Fox, never mind the CW. We only had three television networks and we all watched 'em. Hit TV shows had ratings akin to the Super Bowl, every week. There was not a soul who had not seen "Laugh-In" on Monday night, and you had to tune in Monday night or it was gone forever. Oh, there might be a summer rerun, but there was no On Demand, never mind videotapes or DVDs.
As for the news?
Talk to any boomer. That's what you watched during dinner, especially in times of crisis. Everybody tuned in, everybody was hipped to what was happening. And because of the Fairness Doctrine, there were not endless cries of bias, and where would they get traction anyway?
And if you wanted to know what was going on in your hometown you read the newspaper, it was the only way to be clued-in.
And if you wanted to meet someone, you didn't fire up an app, you had to go out and work it in person.
So if you showed up and marched in the sixties, the footage got on network TV and was on the front page in newspapers, which were read by many more people than today.
I don't know a soul who watches network news anymore. Walter Cronkite? He was as big as Johnny Carson. And believe me, if it weren't for "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" no one would even be paying attention to what happens after 11:30 at night on network. The ratings are anemic, but the media is inured to a dated story. That's right, if you want to know where it's going you don't watch TV, you don't read the newspaper, and you certainly don't listen to someone in D.C., you go online, that's where it's happening.
And there's not one place you can reach everybody online, but you can be in many places at once. You're not limited to posting only on Facebook, you're not limited to only posting in one place on Facebook. If you've got a mission you spam the entire internet. That's how you change hearts and minds.
And the key is not to do it via spam, i.e. worthless drivel, but by making your case in an interesting way. There is no captive audience anymore, no one has to sit through a commercial, people even have ad-blockers in their browsers, I certainly do, to speed up the surfing experience if nothing else. So what you have to do is employ the same tribe that used to go out to the town square to go online and reach people not only where they live, but everywhere! That's what the web delivers. Which is why Bad Bunny is the biggest act in the universe. Impossible before the internet and streaming services. But now you can reach everybody!
Now if enough people take to the streets...
It still doesn't make a difference.
Black Lives Matter? What exactly changed as a result of that? Oh, that's right, Fox and the rest of the blowhards got a talking point, making a false equivalency to 1/6. Yes, disrupting the election process is just like marching in the street. As for a few broken windows and some looting... I'm not endorsing them, but to equate them with trying to overturn the election results, threatening to hang Mike Pence, deaths in the Capitol, stealing the wares of elected officials... That's like saying a stolen base in Little League is equivalent to a stolen base in the MLB. No, it's like saying a blown call in Little League is equivalent to stealing signs in the World Series.
Oh, come off it.
But the truth is the right is winning just by me typing these words.
You see Fox News has horrible ratings. It drew 2.27 million viewers in the prime time hours in May. "The Five" got 3.28 million, "Tucker Carlson Tonight" got 3.2 million.
As for the coveted 25-54 demo? Only 522,000 people watched Tucker Carlson. And only 447,000 "The Five." And those were the top two!
It's even worse at MSNBC. Their prime time average is 1.02 million.
But all we keep hearing about is Fox News and MSNBC. When in truth in a country of 332 million, fewer than ONE PERCENT watch Fox News!
But the mainstream media focuses on what happens on the cable news networks because they can't fathom walking into the wilderness of the internet, trying to decipher what is really going on online.
I'll analogize it to music. Ever try to get a handle on new music? It's absolutely impossible, it's overwhelming.
Let's see, the big hype this week is Angel Olsen. She just put out her sixth album, she's been around since 2012. But you've probably never heard of her. As for her numbers, she's got a few tracks with double-digit million stream counts on Spotify, but that's nowhere close to the hit artists. #50 on the Spotify U.S. Top 50 just got 431,108 streams in a single day! And that's not even a worldwide number!
This week there's also been a ton of ink about Soccer Mommy. Her streaming numbers are close, but not even as good as Angel Olsen's! And I saw Soccer Mommy and she wasn't that great, maybe she's better now, but my point is if you listen to the music of these two acts it's not for everybody, it's niche at best, but the media makes it look like they have huge impact in the marketplace, that many people are listening constantly.
I could name a zillion other hyped acts, with a plethora of reviews, with even worse numbers, but I'll just point out that when you take the number of weekly streams on Spotify in the aggregate... That's a huge number. Spotify itself has 182 million subscribers. It's tough being one act on the service, you want to control a bunch of hits, which is the business of the major labels, especially with their catalog. One act? Reaches so few people it's laughable.
But it didn't used to be this way, because it used to be you could only hear new music on the radio, and there were a limited number of stations and a limited number of records spun. They haven't opened the floodgates, THEY'VE TORN DOWN THE DAM!
So one person tweeting...essentially irrelevant. You've got to have many people on the case, it's the only way you can reach people.
And your goal is to reach those not paying attention. You don't want a circle jerk where everybody involved is already on the same page. Why is it that those on the right post on left wing sites but the left doesn't post on right wing sites? I mean you go where the people are, right?
If you want to protest, you've got to do it online. Everything is virtual these days. As for concerts, you can reach millions of people on Twitch at one time, you could never have that many people at a single concert. And you don't have to worry about weather or transportation either.
Chances are if you're citing Fox and MSNBC, you're a news junkie. How about all those not paying attention? You want to reach them!
Like Alito's theory employed to overturn Roe v. Wade. If you read it in a vacuum, if you read or hear about it in the right wing world, it seems logical. If you're not exposed to analysis from the other side, you don't get it. There are dog whistles in the opinion itself, right wing code that many people are completely oblivious to.
You can read an analysis here:
"Here are key passages from the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe.": https://nyti.ms/3yl5RHB
For far too long Democrats have operated on feel, whereas Republicans study the issues, cite facts and...the Democrats are dumbfounded. It's more complicated than just Roe v. Wade being overturned. Educate yourself on the issues, then you're prepared to fight. Every straw man on the right can be knocked down, assuming you know what you're talking about.
As for yelling online... People ignore it. It's when you're calm that you gain traction, when you approach people logically, appealing to both their heads and their hearts that you win.
I'll tell you how screwed up the leaders of this country are... Music was the canary in the coal mine for digital disruption, now it's all about streaming, but the charts??? Physical has more weight. Why? And all this hype on vinyl. Enjoy it, but it's a de minimis part of the total. Never mind we've gone to a play paradigm as opposed to a purchase. I mean sure, buy the CD, but if you never listen to it what are the odds you'll want to go to the show, where the act can make a ton more money? Almost nil. We're looking for active listeners.
And we're looking for active posters online.
But all we've got on the left, especially in the "New York Times," is endless denigration of smartphone usage, to the point where Apple blinked and you get a weekly report of the hours you were on your devices. SO WHAT? Have you ever seen that number and said you wanted to surf less? Of course not!
How can you win when your leaders are against the primary communication method used by the majority of the population?
YOU CAN'T!
You spread your message online.
Protesting IRL is like walking instead of driving. Oh, if it's just a few blocks, cool. But if you want to get from New York to Boston, or Kansas City to Denver...plan on spending a few weeks, if not months, on the road.
What did Sam Kinison say about starving people in Africa? Stop sending them food, send suitcases, these people have to move, they've got to go where the food is!
The food in politics is online. Definitively.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
Listen to the podcast:
-iHeart: https://ihr.fm/2Gi5PFj
-Apple: https://apple.co/2ndmpvp
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
If you would like to subscribe to the LefsetzLetter,
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