Post Trump

Throughout human history, there have always been those whose idea of utopia was them at the top, and the rest which, in some way, served them. At different times, and in different places, they have had varying degrees of success. But the success they had, and the damage they had done, generally tended to be localized, and relatively short-lived. That has changed dramatically over the last 40 years. 

When I first started voting, the sum total of American media was 3 TV networks, radio, and your local newspaper. The local TV stations, even though they were affiliated with a major network, were still owned by someone, or some local company. In fact, back then it was illegal for any one person or corporate entity to own more than 7 media outlets. That changed with Reagan, who deregulated, well, pretty much everything. Now virtually all media both in America and in much of Europe is owned by three multinational corporations, who either own them outright or are major stockholders. I'm not waxing nostalgic here. All in all, we're still better off with the greater access to information that we have, at least for now.

But now we are saturated with information, much of it dubious, and left without the time (and for some of us, the will) to ensure its accuracy. We're provided with personalized content that panders to our likes and prejudices. It's understandable in some ways. While I wholly enjoy an animated debate, I'd rather not see things that are hateful or offensive.

Back in 2016, I feared that Trump would lay the groundwork for some other, more competent despot down the road. Those fears are being realized as I write this.