Many of you have probably seen the personal videos on the government shutdown posted by Cardi B and Snoop Dogg on Instagram. I am not providing links because the language is a bit harsh, even for me. After watching the videos, I must admit, I came away with a better understanding of why these two celebrities in particular are so influential. While too crude for most, they clearly have an honest relationship with their fans. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez has the same gift of authenticity. While I tend to agree social media has caused more harm than good by giving “fake news” a platform, over time it has the potential to usher in an era of honesty and authenticity that never existed in the heydays of network media. As for Snoop Dogg and Cardi B, it always annoys me when celebrities think that because they are successful at one thing they know more than everyone at everything. I appreciated that Cardi B did not pretend to have the solution to the government crisis but instead used her massive platform to create more awareness on the subject.
Inflation has impacted all of us. The price of almost everything has spiked faster and harder than at any time since the 80s. Few things can obliterate a modern economy more than out-of-control inflation.
For most people, there is little upside to writing about the January 6th hearings, but as you probably know by now, I don’t worry about those things. We all must stand for something. The hearings have almost everyone taking sides before a single witness is called. Democrats believe that the events of January 6th were a calculated effort to undermine our democracy by demolishing two of the most sacred tenants of our nation, free elections, and the peaceful transition of power.
Most people consider themselves either a conservative or a liberal. I think if we forget political parties, which flip their positions on things all of the time, and instead focus on the actual definition of what it means to be a conservative and what it means to be a liberal, we might be able to temper the emotional reactions some of us have with political discourse.