Bubbles

Donald Trump again made a fool of himself and us in the last couple of days. We’ve stopped cooperating with the rest of the world. We are out of the climate talks, Macron rescinded our invitation. We aren’t participating in the TPP and regardless of the reservations most of us had about labor in the pact, that’s not a good thing. Our entire west coast faces the pacific and we are a large trading partner. The TPP went ahead without us. Now we’re going to feel its effects whether we like it or not. It will be like England leaving the EU. We no longer have any way to influence what happens next.

And then there were his unbelievable remarks about Putin. As in, how could anyone believe him?? It’s not about what Putin did. We already have his number. He’s a corrupt, malevolent autocrat who is dismantling the protections the west had put up to keep the communist totalitarian state in check. He’s also probably the richest man in the world and he wants access to everything. The Magnitsky act is getting in the way of his goals and that of his colleagues in crime and money laundering. That’s who Putin is. *We* have no reason to believe him. But in any case, whatever the foreign enemy does is to be expected. We have no expectation of trust.

It’s about what Trump did with regard to his offer of assistance. That’s the only concern in our scope. So it doesn’t matter whether Trump believes Putin. It’s whether WE believe TRUMP.

I know that most of the readers of this site understand this distinction. You guys are pretty good a thinking analytically and can evaluate what is meaningful and what is not.

But if my podcast subscriptions are any indication, there are quite a lot of people out there in America who can’t think their way out of this. They’re living in a bubble.

They listen to Fox News, they associate only with their tribe and they are unaware of some of the information they need to make critical decisions. Some of them are still enthralled with Trump and want him to continue what he’s doing.

The good thing is their numbers are shrinking. They are a minority. They’re a minority with a disproportionally sized voice but we still outnumber them.

It is pointless to try to argue with them. They are more like cultists. I’ve spent most of my life around cultists and they too are in their own bubble. They shut out the rest of the world. Their authority figures spoon feed them indoctrination and fear, offering themselves as the only way to redemption and salvation.

I tend to not spend time with these people. It’s like banging your head against a wall. It feels so good when you stop.