Top 5 articles: A masterclass on disinformation
Also: Acceleration and progression and evolution as an illusion
Your top 5 articles for the week:
“The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Re-Elect the President” (The Atlantic)
Because, we are nearing "what could be the most extensive disinformation campaign in U.S. history," and "the wreckage it leaves behind could be irreparable."
“How the Gun Show Became the Trump Show” (Politico Magazine)
Because this is very good reporting from Tim Alberta on what will be a series of issues that are affecting the 2020 campaign, and this is the first essay on guns and President Trump’s appeals to gun voters. FYI: Michael interviewed Tim Alberta in the latest episode of Faith 2020 that released on Friday.
“The Age of Decadence” (New York Times)
Because this Ross Douthat opinion on what ails us in the proverbial West and how acceleration is, perhaps, just an illusion.
“The Environmental Burden of Generation Z” (Washington Post)
Because I (Melissa) have been on TikTok a lot lately, and it’s where a lot of Gen Z hangs out, and honestly, the platform feels a lot like a space of catharsis for a generation that is very scared of what is happening to their world and wondering whether or not they’ll survive.
“I Don’t Want to Be the Strong Female Lead” (New York Times)
Because this article on portrayals and narratives for women in Hollywood is provocative and got us thinking. “As time has passed, I’ve come to understand what deep influence shaping a narrative has. Stories inspire our actions. They frame for us existences that are and are not possible, delineate tracks we can or cannot travel. They choose who we can find empathy for and who we cannot. What we have fellow feeling for, we protect. What we objectify and commodify, we eventually destroy.” Also, #BringBackTheOA
Image is of Punxsutawney Phil predicting an early spring (bless), image credit: Barry Reeger/AP