5 ms·

> After Trump won, story after story, show after show in the MSM and beyond was about reaching out and talking to the Trump voters. Famously left-wing people we

> After Trump won, story after story, show after show in the MSM and beyond was about reaching out and talking to the Trump voters. Famously left-wing people went out to speak with Trump voters to get to know them, to understand why they voted, and made sure to humanize them. They went out of their way to not be negative. This went on for a long time. If that is true - and I don't remember it that way at all - it clearly doesn't make a difference now. > The flaw in this article is reading only the negative headlines, and ignoring all the reporting that is done. That's how news is consumed though, so what little reporting and journalism actually occurs can safely be ignored for the sake of his argument.

jeffbee 6y ago
You don't remember it that way? Every national paper and magazine tied itself in knots to explain Trump as the result of economic anxiety among misunderstood white people who don't have a racist bone in their bodies, they just fly that confederate flag from their front porch for non-racism reasons. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-rising-anxiety-white-america/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-ris... Here is a fair summary of the "real americans in diners" genre of post-Trump jounalism. https://thecounter.org/trump-rust-belt-diner-presidential-race-election-2020/ https://thecounter.org/trump-rust-belt-diner-presidential-ra...
- incrudible 6y ago
  Indeed, I don't remember it the way you phrased it. Sure, such stories may have been written, but I don't remember them, so they must not have been a very prominent theme, unlike "Russian election meddling". You're also feeding into the "basket of deplorables" view of things, which is an image constructed to explain Trump the way certain people want him explained: A convenient narrative that lets the reader claim the moral high ground effortlessly. Racists are easily dismissed, one does not need to bother hearing them out. Fast food for the mind.
  - jasonlotito 6y ago
    They were front page and above the fold, well advertised, and main topics across radio, TV, and news papers. Across wildly different publications. If you missed it, you had to be ignoring it intentionally.
    - incrudible 6y ago
      That's your version of reality. Mine is different.
- PixyMisa 6y ago
  Oh yes. I remember the stories. They read like reports of the first western anthropologists to reach the highlands of New Guinea in the early 20th century. "Who are these strange and mysterious people who call themselves 'Iowans'? Why are they so different from we civilised folk? Tonight at 8PM, Sienna Cichlid has an exclusive report."
- AnimalMuppet 6y ago
  No, I remember a lot of "they're all racists" - which you seem to also subscribe to, since you go out of your way to state the "confederate flag" line. Plenty of people voted for Trump for non-racist reasons. You might try to understand why...
  - jeffbee 6y ago
    The cover shot of the Nat Geo link is of a woman standing before the confederate flag that flies from her own front porch.
    - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
      I don't deny that such people exist. I deny that they are a significant fraction (> 20%, say) of Trump voters. A Nat Geo shot doesn't address that issue at all; it just paints a picture that "they're all like that". And you seem to be trying to paint the same picture. And I'm pretty sure that you're wrong.
      - jeffbee 6y ago
        If the brand of your political party is “contains at most 20% confederate sympathizers” you have real problems.
        AnimalMuppet 6y ago
        Fair. But if your labeling of that political party implies 100% Confederate sympathizers, then your labeling is dishonest.
    - Chris2048 6y ago
      A shot which they chose to head their characterisations of the white vote, hardly a good attempt at portraying them as "who don't have a racist bone in their bodies". Or do you think the image is not cherry-picked? That a representative majority of white Americans fly the same flag?
- jasonlotito 6y ago
  They admit to only reading select headlines, and ignoring others. I think it’s safe to ignore them.
  - incrudible 6y ago
    I didn't technically admit that, I'm saying that is what people generally do. I will admit to being people though.
jasonlotito 6y ago
“and I don't remember it that way at all” Wait... “That’s how news is consumed... can safely be ignored.” I think I found your problem. You don’t remember it at all because you ignored it. I wonder what else you ignore that causes you to be massively misinformed.
- incrudible 6y ago
  You misquoted me there. For the sake of his argument, all the actual journalism can be ignored. Perhaps I'm indeed massively misinformed, but then again that is the problem. That problem doesn't disappear just because according to you all this more nuanced reporting exists. People just don't read it, it's not dramatic enough.

jeffbee 6y ago

You don't remember it that way? Every national paper and magazine tied itself in knots to explain Trump as the result of economic anxiety among misunderstood white people who don't have a racist bone in their bodies, they just fly that confederate flag from their front porch for non-racism reasons. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-rising-anxiety-white-america/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-ris... Here is a fair summary of the "real americans in diners" genre of post-Trump jounalism. https://thecounter.org/trump-rust-belt-diner-presidential-race-election-2020/ https://thecounter.org/trump-rust-belt-diner-presidential-ra...

incrudible 6y ago
Indeed, I don't remember it the way you phrased it. Sure, such stories may have been written, but I don't remember them, so they must not have been a very prominent theme, unlike "Russian election meddling". You're also feeding into the "basket of deplorables" view of things, which is an image constructed to explain Trump the way certain people want him explained: A convenient narrative that lets the reader claim the moral high ground effortlessly. Racists are easily dismissed, one does not need to bother hearing them out. Fast food for the mind.
- jasonlotito 6y ago
  They were front page and above the fold, well advertised, and main topics across radio, TV, and news papers. Across wildly different publications. If you missed it, you had to be ignoring it intentionally.
  - incrudible 6y ago
    That's your version of reality. Mine is different.
PixyMisa 6y ago
Oh yes. I remember the stories. They read like reports of the first western anthropologists to reach the highlands of New Guinea in the early 20th century. "Who are these strange and mysterious people who call themselves 'Iowans'? Why are they so different from we civilised folk? Tonight at 8PM, Sienna Cichlid has an exclusive report."
AnimalMuppet 6y ago
No, I remember a lot of "they're all racists" - which you seem to also subscribe to, since you go out of your way to state the "confederate flag" line. Plenty of people voted for Trump for non-racist reasons. You might try to understand why...
- jeffbee 6y ago
  The cover shot of the Nat Geo link is of a woman standing before the confederate flag that flies from her own front porch.
  - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
    I don't deny that such people exist. I deny that they are a significant fraction (> 20%, say) of Trump voters. A Nat Geo shot doesn't address that issue at all; it just paints a picture that "they're all like that". And you seem to be trying to paint the same picture. And I'm pretty sure that you're wrong.
    - jeffbee 6y ago
      If the brand of your political party is “contains at most 20% confederate sympathizers” you have real problems.
      - AnimalMuppet 6y ago
        Fair. But if your labeling of that political party implies 100% Confederate sympathizers, then your labeling is dishonest.
  - Chris2048 6y ago
    A shot which they chose to head their characterisations of the white vote, hardly a good attempt at portraying them as "who don't have a racist bone in their bodies". Or do you think the image is not cherry-picked? That a representative majority of white Americans fly the same flag?
jasonlotito 6y ago
They admit to only reading select headlines, and ignoring others. I think it’s safe to ignore them.
- incrudible 6y ago
  I didn't technically admit that, I'm saying that is what people generally do. I will admit to being people though.

jasonlotito 6y ago

“and I don't remember it that way at all” Wait... “That’s how news is consumed... can safely be ignored.” I think I found your problem. You don’t remember it at all because you ignored it. I wonder what else you ignore that causes you to be massively misinformed.

incrudible 6y ago
You misquoted me there. For the sake of his argument, all the actual journalism can be ignored. Perhaps I'm indeed massively misinformed, but then again that is the problem. That problem doesn't disappear just because according to you all this more nuanced reporting exists. People just don't read it, it's not dramatic enough.