Yes I believe there’s an over-emphasis on the visual here. There’s a low limit on how many distinct objects we can perceive visually at once but that’s not entirely the same as what numbers we can grasp and comprehend.

I remind myself that news media have a vested interest in keeping me outraged and on the edge of my seat, addicted to consuming their every update.

There are definitely things worth getting outraged over. But on top of that we have an outrage industry harvesting our attention and fear for ad dollars.

So I remind myself not to spiral down the doomclick drain. If something is THAT important I’m going to hear about it. I don’t need to be checking a news app daily.

On top of this I do what I can to support change. We donate to Ukraine and Gaza relief efforts. We vote. We make our political views known to those around us to support right action in them as well (not talking about politics is what Trumpers want - they want cover for their fascist hate and violence - I make damn sure that everyone I know is aware that there’s no room for that shit in my life).

Conserve your strength. Do everything material that you can, and don’t spend yourself past that point.

But that first part is important: DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN.

It plays quite well with the “I think about things for two seconds, and mostly think with my lower intestine” crowd.

They hear “kids shouldn’t be able to access porn” and they think yeah what’s wrong with that. Then they hear “Democrats want your kids to get porn” and they hit share.

He doesn’t have to go as far as pardoning her. It can be a plea deal type of thing. That will require some level of cooperation from the courts, which is probably what they are negotiating right now. She has no leverage to make threats (“pardon me or I’ll expose you”) because her life is already forfeit, as Epstein’s death shows. So she’ll go along with even a weak deal like a long prison stance but under more comfortable conditions, with perhaps some assurances she won’t suddenly commit suicide.

It’s a delicate balance. On the one hand you want to invest all the time and energy you can to raise kids well so they don’t end up Republicans. But you also have to be careful not to spoil them with gifts from their elders which they’ll just take for granted, because at that point they are already Republicans.

Couldn’t we have a good old fashioned butlerian jihad?