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Continue reading →: Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Landman’: Final Thoughts
At issue: This is the final installment of my thoughts on Landman, the TV series by writer, director, and showrunner Taylor Sheridan. Season one has demonstrated exceptional prowess in cinematography, art direction, sound design, and musical composition—everything that attracts an audience. However, the writing is consumed by a relentless need…
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Continue reading →: It’s Not Facism. It’s Neo-Confederacy
At Issue: Democrats and the mainstream media repeatedly warned that Donald Trump’s return to power would mark the rise of fascism in America. This message was echoed ad nauseam, only for some to walk it back after his re-election. Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, in a bizarre and humiliating turn,…
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Continue reading →: Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Landman’
At Issue: When I wrote the blog post “Debunking Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Landman’” I had not watched the series. I was simply curious as to how Billy Bob Thornton was going to be the voice for the “unwoke.” He’s been doing this shit for a number of years when he acted…
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Continue reading →: Critical Thinking For All: Bullshit Debating Tactics
At Issue: Bluster. Confabulation. In-your-face aggression. Bullying. People will use every tool in their distorted toolbox to win an argument, often resorting to manipulative tactics instead of sound reasoning. It’s time to stand up to it. Recognize when someone is using these tactics to sway you to their side, and…
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Continue reading →: Saagar Enjeti: Faux Populist
At Issue: Saagar Enjeti, co-host of the popular YouTube show Breaking Points, presents himself as a serious commentator and right-wing populist in what he keeps calling the “New Media” space (we’ll see how “new” it becomes rather than just a commercial replacement of the old), but his approach reveals significant…
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Continue reading →: Farewell, Trudeau
At Issue: When I first heard rumors that Justin Trudeau was considering running for Prime Minister, I paused. Comparing his background to his father’s—Pierre Elliott Trudeau, a brilliant and transformative figure in Canadian politics—was inevitable. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, love him or hate him, put Canada on the world stage and…
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Continue reading →: The Mooch Meter
At Issue: “The ‘Mooch Meter’—a psychological mechanism rooted in scarcity and suspicion—may hold the key to understanding some of the most perplexing behaviors in contemporary politics. This meter, calibrated by economic, racial, and cultural fears, redlines when individuals perceive others as benefiting unfairly at their expense. Nowhere was this more…
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Continue reading →: Is It the Economy, Bobby Jindal?
At Issue: Donald Trump’s second victory has left many stunned. As analysts sift through the data to understand what truly happened, the usual pundits are already offering their predictable takes: “It’s the economy,” “The candidate was flawed,” and other familiar refrains. The brief comment below puts a few things into…
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Why do this?
Operamode is a response to the deep divisions of our time by posing a critical question: what is the role of government? A dangerous ideology has emerged—not aimed at reform, but at dismantling government from within. Elected under the pretense of serving the public at large, are people seeking to destroy the very democratic institutions that got them there in the first place, by granting unrestricted power to private interests and minimizing the power to the public at large. As with any aria, the diva will not be taking questions.