I don't know, I have doubts. This is the whole legacy media system writ large. The distribution pipe this is all going through is rotting through- not rotted through yet but not being renewed. It's all running on theaters that were established on economic theories that no longer apply. I suspect/fear the whole thing is just going to vanish in time. At least in journalism the new things (social media mostly) still depends on the legacy zombie journalism media for stuff to steal so some degree of money pumping into Reuters and actual news gathering has to somehow occur. I am not sure the streaming model needs theaters at all. Movie making will just shift to making movies for streamers on TV rather than theaters.
I agree- I think the movie theater model is deep into the death spiral now. The masses aren't turning up which is jacking up the ticket prices which is making going to the theater even less appealing. Theaters were descending pre-covid but Covid just accelerated the process a lot.
Yes, all true. There's a bit of a structural element in that Lettuce Head Liz Truss was, effectively, the Speaker of the House in American contexts and, thus, Trump would be a lot harder, functionally and procedurally, to ditch. The underlying point, though, that tanking the economy is going to reduce Trumps power is a good one though- it should and will.
It is hard to imagine much more that Trump would do if he were actively working for the Chinese or Russians. I don't believe he is (he's just an elderly idiot) but it remains a daunting mental exercise.
While stupid and clueless probably covers a lot of ground there's also an angle that Trump was simply psychologically unable to simply take the accomplishments of the man who whupped him in 2020 and not try and destroy them. Other writers have also pointed out that Trumps protectionist impulses have a long pedigree in what passes for his thoughts.
Which is all somewhat besides my point that Yishans' analysis is just as incoherent as Trumps policy.
It's just... he just... like... it's such a blizzard of bull that I'm hesitating on where to even start. Like you noted, outlawing private tutoring simply means that it went underground. And characterizing China's "strengths" as strengths... well I am trying not to call the guy a contrarian or a fool.
But even his last summary- that Trump is trying to bring supply chains back into the US. This ignores that Trump is tariffing everything. He's tariffing the parts you'd need to make the US into an more industrial society. He's tariffing the steel and bauxite and aluminum that the US doesn't and, by and large CAN'T make itself (you can't tariff bauxite deposits or the relevant coal and iron deposits into existence). So even if we take him at his most sane washing best; everything he's saying remains deranged. He seems to me to just be a guy, on twitter, trying to hack out Trumps antics into some kind of industrial policy like a housecat trying to barf out a volleyball sized hairball of steel wool.
He's assuming an entire drawer full of can openers and also ignoring pretty much the entire field of economics so it's basically just rather vapid "what if there's some deep deranged method to the authoritarian madness" post.
I, more than Chait, clearly overestimated the Trumpkins. The choice to simply claim prosperity was Trumps doing rather than go down as the one who ended it seems like a no brainer in the wake of November.
Something Chait muses about over at the Atlantic and something I'd agonized about right after the election in November, was that this is a historically massive own goal on Trumps' part. All he needed to do was to do nothing substantively but switch his jawjaw tune from "The economy is garbage" to "The economy is great thanks to me" and the vibessession would have ended and the media would have been wall to wall with "the genius of Trump" nonsense. Trump utterly cratering the economy is, politically, the less dangerous thing he could have done vis a vis trying to topple the electoral order. It'd be a lot harder to try it with a hostile populace and congress controlled by the Dems which Trump seems to be working hard to conjure.
Once again, don't be fooled by the naked idiocy- there's no deeper scheme; they really just are idiots. Cold comfort but that's something.
In theory congress could knock this whole flaming edifice of feces down. The law Trump is using to impose these tariffs obligates Congress to weigh in on it. The current congress actually fiddled with their legislative calendar (IIRC) to functionally make their entire legislative session "day one" of this term specifically to evade a legally required vote on Trumps tarrifs. A new congress (in less than 2 years) or even this congress, if they notice the whining of the rails under their feet or the shrieking of their (suddenly much less) wealthy paymasters could put an end to this stuff with a vote.
But I'm very glad you saw the writing on the wall and jumped off near the peak.
The people I feel for are older folks nearing retirement or depending on investments for fixed income. The stock market, surely, is going to crater like nothing we've seen before. I'm in my mid forties so I can just avert my gaze from the 401k and chant "so long as you keep working you can ride this out" but if I was near retirement age... brrrr... I can't imagine.
It's a new height of idiocy from a dude who already was setting new records for it. He even, fishing, tariffed the Israeli's after they dropped all tariffs against the US.
The entire plan, such as it seems to be a coherent plan at all, is to let Trump do whatever he feels like while Musk and Trumps other hangers on run around damaging as many government functions (especially tax collection) as they can while trying to generate enough distraction that the GOP will somehow be able to eviscerate the safety net legislatively and pass an even bigger deficit exploding tax cut. The longer-term hope seems to be that somehow the voting rubes won't be angry enough to give Dems a big enough or long enough majority to undo the damage and tax the fish out of the plutocrats to pay for all their chicanery.
It is possible though I don't know if it's plausible. The Dems haven't really decided what the fish they're offering yet which is to be expected at this stage of the electoral cycle and Bezo's "personal liberty and free markets" lines are word for word republitarianism which is something Trump has coopted in word (though emphatically not in deed).
Well, sure, if they meant it they would be hammering Trump. If I were a libertarian I'd be absolutely furious with what Trump and Musk are up to. Small government nostrums and Libertarian terms are all over this stuff. If Musk and Trump keep at this the whole dictionary and directory of libertarianism will go from being not taken seriously to being actively despised.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.
On “Open Mic for the Week of 4/7/2025”
I mean even in math terms it's knee slappingly idiotic.
"
I don't know, I have doubts. This is the whole legacy media system writ large. The distribution pipe this is all going through is rotting through- not rotted through yet but not being renewed. It's all running on theaters that were established on economic theories that no longer apply. I suspect/fear the whole thing is just going to vanish in time. At least in journalism the new things (social media mostly) still depends on the legacy zombie journalism media for stuff to steal so some degree of money pumping into Reuters and actual news gathering has to somehow occur. I am not sure the streaming model needs theaters at all. Movie making will just shift to making movies for streamers on TV rather than theaters.
On “What To Expect When You’re Expecting a Trade War”
Oh yes, no denying that the GOP is way deeper into the deranged mindless right wingism that the Tories ever got.
On “Open Mic for the Week of 4/7/2025”
I agree- I think the movie theater model is deep into the death spiral now. The masses aren't turning up which is jacking up the ticket prices which is making going to the theater even less appealing. Theaters were descending pre-covid but Covid just accelerated the process a lot.
On “What To Expect When You’re Expecting a Trade War”
Yes, all true. There's a bit of a structural element in that Lettuce Head Liz Truss was, effectively, the Speaker of the House in American contexts and, thus, Trump would be a lot harder, functionally and procedurally, to ditch. The underlying point, though, that tanking the economy is going to reduce Trumps power is a good one though- it should and will.
On “Tariffs Making China Great Again”
It is hard to imagine much more that Trump would do if he were actively working for the Chinese or Russians. I don't believe he is (he's just an elderly idiot) but it remains a daunting mental exercise.
On “When a Maiden Needs a Friend”
Well done.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25”
Precisely.
"
Yes, other writers have observed that Trump has made protectionist mouth noises for decades.
"
While stupid and clueless probably covers a lot of ground there's also an angle that Trump was simply psychologically unable to simply take the accomplishments of the man who whupped him in 2020 and not try and destroy them. Other writers have also pointed out that Trumps protectionist impulses have a long pedigree in what passes for his thoughts.
Which is all somewhat besides my point that Yishans' analysis is just as incoherent as Trumps policy.
"
It's just... he just... like... it's such a blizzard of bull that I'm hesitating on where to even start. Like you noted, outlawing private tutoring simply means that it went underground. And characterizing China's "strengths" as strengths... well I am trying not to call the guy a contrarian or a fool.
But even his last summary- that Trump is trying to bring supply chains back into the US. This ignores that Trump is tariffing everything. He's tariffing the parts you'd need to make the US into an more industrial society. He's tariffing the steel and bauxite and aluminum that the US doesn't and, by and large CAN'T make itself (you can't tariff bauxite deposits or the relevant coal and iron deposits into existence). So even if we take him at his most sane washing best; everything he's saying remains deranged. He seems to me to just be a guy, on twitter, trying to hack out Trumps antics into some kind of industrial policy like a housecat trying to barf out a volleyball sized hairball of steel wool.
"
He's assuming an entire drawer full of can openers and also ignoring pretty much the entire field of economics so it's basically just rather vapid "what if there's some deep deranged method to the authoritarian madness" post.
"
I, more than Chait, clearly overestimated the Trumpkins. The choice to simply claim prosperity was Trumps doing rather than go down as the one who ended it seems like a no brainer in the wake of November.
"
Something Chait muses about over at the Atlantic and something I'd agonized about right after the election in November, was that this is a historically massive own goal on Trumps' part. All he needed to do was to do nothing substantively but switch his jawjaw tune from "The economy is garbage" to "The economy is great thanks to me" and the vibessession would have ended and the media would have been wall to wall with "the genius of Trump" nonsense. Trump utterly cratering the economy is, politically, the less dangerous thing he could have done vis a vis trying to topple the electoral order. It'd be a lot harder to try it with a hostile populace and congress controlled by the Dems which Trump seems to be working hard to conjure.
Once again, don't be fooled by the naked idiocy- there's no deeper scheme; they really just are idiots. Cold comfort but that's something.
"
In theory congress could knock this whole flaming edifice of feces down. The law Trump is using to impose these tariffs obligates Congress to weigh in on it. The current congress actually fiddled with their legislative calendar (IIRC) to functionally make their entire legislative session "day one" of this term specifically to evade a legally required vote on Trumps tarrifs. A new congress (in less than 2 years) or even this congress, if they notice the whining of the rails under their feet or the shrieking of their (suddenly much less) wealthy paymasters could put an end to this stuff with a vote.
But I'm very glad you saw the writing on the wall and jumped off near the peak.
"
The people I feel for are older folks nearing retirement or depending on investments for fixed income. The stock market, surely, is going to crater like nothing we've seen before. I'm in my mid forties so I can just avert my gaze from the 401k and chant "so long as you keep working you can ride this out" but if I was near retirement age... brrrr... I can't imagine.
"
It's a new height of idiocy from a dude who already was setting new records for it. He even, fishing, tariffed the Israeli's after they dropped all tariffs against the US.
On “Read It For Yourself: How Trump Admin Defines “Gang Members” For Deportation”
Probably because of your canine sympathies.
"
Based on their performance so far? Zero. But to be generous I'll assume it's one.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/31/25”
I have that impression as well.
"
Seems like a plausible explanation.
"
The entire plan, such as it seems to be a coherent plan at all, is to let Trump do whatever he feels like while Musk and Trumps other hangers on run around damaging as many government functions (especially tax collection) as they can while trying to generate enough distraction that the GOP will somehow be able to eviscerate the safety net legislatively and pass an even bigger deficit exploding tax cut. The longer-term hope seems to be that somehow the voting rubes won't be angry enough to give Dems a big enough or long enough majority to undo the damage and tax the fish out of the plutocrats to pay for all their chicanery.
"
Heheheh 20 million dollars to lose by 9 points, couldn't happen to a nicer plutocrat.
On “Open Mic for the week of 3/24/25”
It is possible though I don't know if it's plausible. The Dems haven't really decided what the fish they're offering yet which is to be expected at this stage of the electoral cycle and Bezo's "personal liberty and free markets" lines are word for word republitarianism which is something Trump has coopted in word (though emphatically not in deed).
"
Well, sure, if they meant it they would be hammering Trump. If I were a libertarian I'd be absolutely furious with what Trump and Musk are up to. Small government nostrums and Libertarian terms are all over this stuff. If Musk and Trump keep at this the whole dictionary and directory of libertarianism will go from being not taken seriously to being actively despised.
*Comment archive for non-registered commenters assembled by email address as provided.