This is a perfect example of all that has gone wrong with our public discourse and what passes for important public policy. Facts simply no longer matter. What counts are narratives and motives.
Thus Gail Collins, writing about global warming in the NYT, states:
The Europeans have a perfect right to look down on the United States since they’ve set much more ambitious targets for reducing global warming. While they do not appear to be likely to meet any of them, it’s the thought that counts.
!!!!! Global warming is beyond our jurisdiction here at SHS, but this is an absolute howler! Actually accomplishing isn’t what matters. Effectiveness isn’t what matters. It is the narrative that really counts: The Europeans want to cut back on greenhouse gasses! Whether they actually do is immaterial.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
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