Yeah so, an election happened. Neat. The idea so many Americans affirmatively chose a twice-impeached felonious traitor who tried to overturn the election and stole secrets makes very little sense to me. And I (like many of my readers I’m sure) are experiencing acute PTSD from 2016.

Over the past few months I took a break from CrankyYank to instead write for TrumpFile.org, an encyclopedia of Casino Mobster’s “life and crimes.” I will continue as contributor and will pop in occasionally here for reviews and random thoughts.

The Fourth Estate is Dead. 7 Ways Political Media Failed—and How to Fix It [UPDATED]

I did all I could. I sounded the alarm on rapidly dying Twitter; investigated the attempted theft of 2020 election with help from gop megadonor Lou DeJoy; and did post-mortems on how media failed in 2016 and then proceeded to learn absolutely nothing from that failure—and now, in 2024, how they’ve all opted in for fascist rule.

Here, I offer some simple ideas for how to navigate your world now that fascists are gathering troops for a second go at killing democracy.

1. Be kind. Although a no-brainer, please keep doing this. The day after the election I had a sleepless night and saw a black woman walking, and I just wanted to stop her for a hug and say “I apologize.” Instead, we both said a chirpy “good morning” with a smile and kept walking. Use every interaction to bring joy to someone’s day, because you never know when that small act might change someone.

2. Don’t despair. Like in 2016, it seemed like the end of the world and—despite lots of ops to dismantle structures of democracy, along with rampant lawbreaking—they did not succeed. These are profoundly idiotic, unskilled dinguses and will likely fail here too. Which means it’s even more important to…

3. Organize. Join groups, protest in any way you are comfortable, and speak up. We need you in the fight more than ever.

4. Do art. Writing and creating for this blog became my way of coping with the avalanche of nonsense that followed the (stolen, with assistance from transnational mob) 2016 election. And today it’s even more important to create, create, create.

5. Keep a journal. When I started my surrogacy journey in 2017, Drumpf was in office stinking up the joint. I started a baby journal and marked every moment since—this is a great way to organize thoughts, channel rage and stay focused. During a fascist hellscape memorializing is your friend.

6. Check in. This is really important: stay connected to your loved ones and look out for those close to you. Merrick Garland once said, early on, that “we need to look out for each other.” Unfortunately he left too many prosecutions in his desk drawer and now criminals are running the asylum. This fact will be inherently stressful so make sure you text, call and write.

7. Chill. Remember the stuff that keeps you grounded and double-down on it. The boldest rejoinder to fascist rule is keeping yourselves mentally and emotionally fit. I know I’m having trouble with that, particularly as a dad worried about the future for my kid. Massage, brisk walks, working out, playing sports and hiking always do the trick for me.

Rehabbing or refining social-media habits in the age of billionaire ownership is a smart practice and oh fuck it here’s another bullet:

8. Avoid doomscrolling. I can’t logon to Twitter nowadays and avoid ads from freakin’ Tom Cotton and other content that brings up stress around the election (which, again, was inexplicable). Best I can say is just nip back your habits and do some creating, gardening or anything that keeps you sane. Xitter will not be a place for that, no matter how many pals you made there. Elon made sure of that. I’m likely moving to BlueSky permanently in the coming weeks.

There are tons of resources and jump-off links in this CBS News article and remember: help is just a text or phone call away. FWIW I’m here too: DMs open everywhere or email me at reporteratl@proton.me.

Stay frosty, and remain kind to yourselves. ❤️

*democracy’s demise will only be greatly exaggerated if we do the work to bolster it

Will Pollocksideways is a perpetually crabby New York City escapee based in Midtown Atlanta. He’s a freelance multimedia journalist, media analyst and author of three books (award-winning Pizza for Good & Leaving Triscuit), and his first children’s book, Gentle with Gertie.

In 2001, Will earned his Masters from The Medill School of Journalism, graduating with highest honors from the magazine sequence. As permanent member of Journalism’s National Honors Society, he’s been active in monitoring, writing and blogging about media and journalism ever since he graduated.

Obsessed with good storytelling and journalistic excellence, Will uses snark, humor and reason to distill dumb shit and make it fun. He’s a seeker/maker of non-consensus news, and helps you cure crankies by finding the nut in every story.

As for-profit media continues to fail us, it’s more important than ever to find reliable sources. Authentic storytelling exists—you just have to look for it. On this blog you’ll get ideas, not ideology. Sass with class. Reporting with rapport. Evidence with a touch of evil. You get the idea.

Support independent authors, writers, artists, journalists and professionals. Buy a book, leave a review, start a discussion. Show solidarity so that we can achieve greater balance and, in the end, learn more.

 

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