"What I'm Thinking About" Wednesdays - 8.2.23

Unsure if this format works, but given the overwhelming demand for my thoughts & perspectives vs. curating link round-ups, this might end up being a happy medium that’s insightful, while not exhausting.

Trump, Done Three Ways

Trump got indicted for the third time, to the surprise of zero people. The takes have ranged from useless, pedantic, or straight up peddling legal falsehoods. Instead, links & commentary I’ve found helpful:

• As usual, Reuters and the Associated Press have better than tabloid or paywalled coverage of the angles, history, and putting this into context with his other charges. 

• Foreign Policy reminds us that leaders in democratic countries get indicted all the time. How democratic those countries actually are…is best not thought about.

• Ken “Popehat” White takes liars and truth distorters to the mat in his fantastic piece: People Are Lying To You About The Trump Indictment 

  • He points to a nuanced take that I wouldn’t have usually cited, as CATO can be problematic at times. But they’re positively angelic compared to the National Review coverage of the indictment.

Will this matter? Doubtful. Will Trump fundraise off it? You betcha!

Coup on Camera

There was a coup in Niger, which is flying under the radar. Niger isn’t just emerging on the global stage as a regional power, but also as a global energy producer. With Central Africa becoming more important to the global supply chain every year, this could have major ramifications for the African continent. Don’t forget the effects on Afrobeats!

Research Our Way

There’s a pile of press related to a few studies released re: Meta & Instagram. The big thing not being mentioned in a lot of the press is that the researchers had access to Meta scientists and info, but not the raw data. While this is much more access & transparency than Meta has given previously, I’m always skeptical when researchers aren’t given access to the raw data. There’s a reason the NYPD doesn’t give researchers access to un-massaged crime stat data, so I assume Meta’s reason is the same: they know the narrative, so they’re reframing by providing only the info that lead researchers to the conclusions Meta wants them to reach.

• How Facebook does (and doesn’t) shape our political views (Platformer)

• Facebook’s Algorithm is ‘Influential’ but Doesn’t Necessarily Change Beliefs, Researchers Say (NYTimes)

Being Wrong Shouldn’t Be A Job

That friend of yours who told you the economy was going to collapse this summer has been wrong for almost a decade now. Doomers, apocalypse preppers, and all manner of e-commerce grifters have been pretending the economy was going to collapse any minute now since the mid-70s. While your idiot friend shouldn’t be punished, I do wonder how Cramer, Krugman, Carl Icahn, and the rest are never called to task for being wrong over and over again.

As an aside, any sex worker or exotic dancer in a major financial market city is a better forecaster than half the analysts and most of the bots out there. Don’t believe me? Glamour tracked down the claims and it’s wild. 

The Surveillance Will Continue Until Morale Improves 

Great piece over at Forever Wars reminding us all that our government is still surveilling all of us, sometimes “legally,” sometimes hilariously non-legally.

Keep Your Head Up,

T

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