The surprising upside of Trump's Presidential win
I'll be completely frank: the headline of this article is complete bullshit. Pure clickbait. I'm willing to sacrifice my integrity at the alt-right alter in the hope that some AI deity pushes me up the rankings.
On the whole, Trump's November victory has only brought downhill consequences. So far down, in fact, that I'm struggling to see the bottom. However, if you're a multibillionaire broligarch, looking to join a far right militia group, or just keen on dictatorships, there's a lot to be hopeful about.
If I am to look on the bright side this week, there has been a glimmer of sunlight in the written word. Three articles by three astute writers have provided much-needed insight into how we arrived at this point, what's happening now, and how to deal with the perils of this dark new world.
From Z to X: How Russian Information Warfare Primed the World for Trump and Musk by Peter Jukes
Back in 2014, Peter Jukes live-tweeted the Murdoch phone-hacking trial. It likely primed him for what was about to come. As we became addicted to social media, Russian troll farms were laying the groundwork for a tech-driven autocracy—ready to be exploited by figures like Steve Bannon, Nigel Farage, and Dominic Cummings. Today, Trump and Musk seem to be the ultimate beneficiaries: Musk using his media platform as a superweapon against humanity, and Trump weaponising the apparatus of government against democracy itself.
Sieg heil Tesla by Carole Cadwalladr
Carole Cadwalladr has an incredible ability to cut through the horseshit and compels us to be brave enough to see what's happening right in front of our eyes.
"Musk is who he says he is. This was him yesterday, delivering a speech at a far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) rally in Halle in eastern Germany."
Cadwalladr is also astute enough to acknowledge the significance of the things we cannot see. In this case, Peter Thiel's absence from the line of billionaire hostages Trump rolled out at his inauguration.
And chronic pain in the nation's arse Nigel Farage is back to his old tricks but with some new faces. Namingly Guo Wengui, who apparently has been in a bit of trouble with regard to $1BN worth of crypto. I'm sure he'll get on well in the Brexit Club.
How to resist the tech overlords by Ian Dunt
I'm old enough to remember when technology was seen as a liberating force—empowering the masses while democratising the world. In truth, it looks like the opposite is now true. Dunt's piece reminds me of the bright future we envisioned in the '80s and '90s: Nelson Mandela captaining a diverse crew of experts aboard an intergalactic spaceship. That’s what we were sold. That's what we hoped for. Instead, we got Jeff Bezos shooting a semi-boner rocket to nowhere, fuelled by the sweat of overworked Amazon warehouse workers.
Dunt's approach is simple: take back control and make the world great again.
Big catastrophes sometimes come with small blessings. If there is an upside to Trump's win, perhaps it starts with recognising the danger concentrated power poses to our hard-fought freedoms.