11 Comments

So well put. And I agree, never cede the framing.

As Marisa Kabas recently stated with great clarity:

“Whether or not you’re happy with the outcome for Gay is immaterial. Rufo, Stefanik, billionaire Bill Ackman, and their willing co-conspirators in government and the media do not in fact care about who leads the students at Harvard, and they sure as hell don’t care about Jews. They care about consolidating power and perpetuating white power, the hallmark of the conservative movement.”

Expand full comment

Another well-written piece that articulates what I've felt with great clarity. I've skimmed past the Harvard headlines, dismissing them for all the reasons you have explained. Your analysis is important. One persistent question keeps nagging at me, that perhaps you could comment on-- the consistent use of the term "conservative" (throughout all media reporting and as movement in your piece) to describe those who promote harmful, hate-filled twisted extremist agenda. For me, it appears to give legitimacy and power to evil actors.

Expand full comment

Thanks for that thought. I was reading something else earlier today and wondered why the word “conservative” was used when they were talking about the extreme right-wing, a group of people that would have very little in common with the “progressive conservatives” or “red Tories” of my youth.

Expand full comment

I used to use the term “Republicans”, until I realized that in the UK Republicans are people who don’t support the monarchy, and because the UK and the US governments are both kind of out of control right now, on social media I find myself commenting on UK posts thinking they are US or at least relating to them.

So to eliminate confusion I have started calling them “right wing nut jobs“.

Expand full comment

Yes, you did a really good job here by putting the important stuff you'd rather be addressing where it belongs. It's SO bad and I don't understand what the historical explanation is going to be for the failure of most of our media and leaders. I understand why they don't WANT to address it now but those reasons aren't going to look more sound later. They're always going to be the leaders that allowed this to go on and the press that censored itself from covering the complicit governments. The diaspora is too large, technology is too ubiquitous for them to rewrite this to where they will look like anything other than they are. It's insanity.

Expand full comment

Never cede the framing! It took me three years to learn that lesson the hard way haha. I actually wrote a short piece about The Persuaders by Anand Giridharadas which I think is a very hopeful book with good advice about how to direct your energy and have meaningful, change-making conversations and framing was basically the point of one of the chapters. I think the book would be useful for anyone interested in canvassing for a candidate or cause this election season. https://bathruminations.substack.com/p/review-of-the-persuaders-by-anand

Expand full comment

This needs to be read by every student at MIT.

Expand full comment

I knew there was something fishy about this whole thing. I just DO NOT GET why many Jews are aligned with this. Isn't white supremacy what caused the holocaust???

Expand full comment

They are right wing for sure, but the nut jobs may be those voting for them. Like turkeys voting for Christmas.

Expand full comment

Fantastically written piece.

Expand full comment

Astounding work as always

Expand full comment