In the one corner, we have TYT and its satellites, and The Intercept and others.
In the other corner, we have Glenn Greenwald, Aaron Mate,Chris Hedges and Jimmy Dore.
There’s a war brewing folks, and it is a championship fight.
You see, some writers go on Fox News, some refuse, and still
others are never asked.
Now Chelsea Manning is weighing in, the welterweight champion,
to smack-talk Glenn Greenwald. The crowd
goes wild! Fights break out in the
stands. The audience is attacking one
another over this surprise development, sports fans. And you are here to see it live! What a show!
If the deep state could ever be given credit for such
original thinking, this would be its dream.
The truth-telling critics of America at each other’s throats over stupid
nonsense nobody really cares about. Meanwhile, too late on that global warming thing. Pandemic safety has to be weighed against rising
suicides and homicides. Not one, but two
governors have killed hundreds of their own citizens.
As long as everyone’s reliable rabble-rousers are pitted against each other in service to an algorithm, they neglect the America they
claim to champion.
Glenn Greenwald is a powerhouse of a journalist who will
command attention for a long time to come.
Yes, he is abrasive and obnoxious.
His former coworkers seem to hate him.
None of that matters. His
detractors would do well to realize that they should learn from him, because he
isn’t going anywhere. All the sniping is
going to do is show everyone how little your opinion means in the marketplace. He built his own base and doesn't need traditional media platforms.
Aaron Mate actually went to Syria to report on it. How else are you supposed to report on something? The TYT model relies on comments on the reporting
of others, often by comedians. There is
no substitute for doing the footwork on the ground. None. That
reality does not mean TYT and The Grey Zone need to be at odds. They inhabit different places in the
information ecosystem, that’s all. Calm
down, already.
TYT analyzes other people’s headlines. They do it well, and Cenk offers excellent insights
as someone who has actually run for Congress and has mainstream media
experience. TYT is a giant highlighter
in an ocean of information. TYT has also
successfully organized massive numbers of people and given a platform to rising
progressive voices. That’s creating a powerful
base, and much needed on the left. It is not enough to bitch and moan, you need
to organize. TYT has done an outstanding
job of organizing, whatever you think of Cenk.
And they have a real nose for talent, even if there is a falling-out
eventually. In the end, it will be TYT that
has a lasting political legacy.
The Intercept does great work post-Greenwald. Now this is the group I can understand hating
on Greenwald the most. He got them all
started on their current gig, and it seems there is a little resentment and
jealousy there. The Intercept, as a whole,
made the decision to back away from harsh lighting on Democratic politicians. “They are captives to fears about what people
on twitter would say, what their friends and colleagues would say,” explained
Glenn Greenwald on Rising with Krystal and Saagar. So when their founder wouldn’t hold back his
reporting, he was forced out of The Intercept.
Each group has a place and a role. Each does its job well. This hate-fest just hurts the left.
Seriously, can’t you just focus on your own role? All of you?
A cognitive neuroscientist on The David Pakman Show framed current extreme politics as part of the reaction to pandemic-related fear. The right’s reaction is obvious: refusing to wear masks or get vaccines, attacking immigrants, telling old people just to die for the economy. David Pakman was trying to understand why the
right was behaving so badly as compared to the people on the left, in his eyes. Several times, the neuroscientist had to
direct Pakman’s attention to the Black Lives Matter protests as the left's reaction to the same fear. Then the right reacted to Black Lives Matter with Blue Lives Matter, and the left started with Defund the Police as a reaction to that.
No mention of our current leftist squabbling, but it could explain the deranged attacks on near-allies within the American left. So far, the bickering has included blackmail threats, name-calling and criminal accusations.
It is hard to get a clear idea of what is happening when in the middle of it, let alone why. One thing is clear. These childish attacks are very emotional and are gutting the effectiveness of the American left. The energy spent on pettiness could be put to good use. Right now, it isn't.
