It’s Wednesday and I have been digging a bit into what appears to be a growing coalition opposing lockdowns, mask wearing, vaccine rules, and vaccinations in general. The claims are that none of these things work and that the economy is better off without them. I am not writing today about these matters (I have in the past) but rather about the nature of these coalitions. One of the things that has held back progressive causes in the past is the tendency of social democratic type interests to adopt the mainstream macroeconomics, which not only limits what they can do but exposes them to accusations that the government will run out of money and cause inflation if they have ambitious programs. The pattern of progressive interests aligning with non-progressive voices is thus not new. I am seeing it again in the context of the public health debate, which, in part, explains why our world is in such a Covid-mess. It isn’t all bad today – there is some nice music to finish, being Wednesday....
"Be careful who you get in bed with," is still good advice.
Bill Mitchell – billy blog
Why are the progressive left mixing with the dark right on Covid?
Bill Mitchell | Professor in Economics and Director of the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CofFEE), at University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia
This coalition won't last beyond the current hysteria. It will be back to the usual theater of left versus right. I'm sure that will make everyone happy.
ReplyDeleteToo bad that MMT is headed for the dustbin of history, along with Covid-19. The chattering classes will have to find something else to shriek about.
Fuck the progressive left (if there are any)... fuck the authoritarian left and right... and fuck the Boomers.
Here is something that ordinary people (the peasantry) can engage in:
ReplyDeleteI highly encourage others, especially people in Canada, Austria, and Australia, to make social media Speakeasies. A Speakeasy is a concept from the Prohibition era. Alcohol was outlawed in the US, so people did the sensible thing and went around the Karens by letting the alcohol flow in private houses and bars.
In my Speakeasy groups on Telegram and Facebook, I severely limit the discussion to two subjects.
1. Which places are and are not enforcing masks and vaccine cards
2. Building morale amongst the socially anxious so they can go into stores/restaurants mask free
I allow almost nothing else. No tinfoil hat discussions about 5G, nothing about health unless it is recommending a doctor, and no politics/controversy. We focus on keeping Speakeasy businesses and establishments alive and well and not much else.
My original Speakeasy group on Facebook started in January of 2021 with two people, myself and the other Admin. At this time, it is at 6300 people and adding a hundred a week. I carefully vet people trying to come in by making them answer four different questions. They cannot get in if they do not answer.
I believe the Speakeasy group changed Illinois. Illinois is a blue state with horrible blue leadership. Because groups like mine constantly go around our state's dumb mandates (mandates are not laws) and favor the establishments that don't comply, every day the maskturbators and vaxturbators lose a little more ground. There are things that take big chunks out of the Covid narrative like Bob Saget's rather obvious death by booster and Joe Rogan's interview with Dr. Robert Malone. The small stuff is what really piles up though. For instance, when I shop free-faced I am usually the only one, but I am also the only one who is kind and nice to the checkout people. There is a separate group called Rebel Diners (not mine) that goes around to patriotic restaurants and they always tip 2.5x whatever the original bill was. At some point, business owners begin to realize that people like me and my group members and the Rebel Diners are keeping them alive. Every bit counts. When someone sees your smile, they learn that wearing a symbolic face covering is weird and wrong. If that someone is a child, it makes a huge impact. People find jobs through my group. They get exemption letters. They find friends to go shopping with. They find tutoring centers to help their kids who are now being homeschooled.
Be brave, start Speakeasies. Maybe we won't need them so much if the Narrative continues to crumble. Good luck.
Source
Both ideological cohorts contain vax hesitant people…
ReplyDeleteMight give a point as a coauthor of his has articles in Spiked (Spiked US took Koch funds) he may want to practice what he preaches,
ReplyDeleteAnd of course there is this http://brockley.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-rcps-long-march-from-anti.html lots of links there,
Don't get me started on ex-Trotskyists.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I despise Spiked magazine, their former editor Brendon has not gone full Covid. Unlike the Trots at the WSWS.
Bill Mitchell is regurgitating the mainstream narrative. For some reason, academics are susceptible to this form of propaganda. Outside of his field of expertise, he cannot think for himself. Yet people of that ilk would presume to do the thinking for everyone else. No thank-you.