The overlords are lining up to kiss the emperor’s rings
But there is hope!
In case you haven’t heard, Meta announced today that they will end their fact-checking program.
You may remember how, during the 2016 election, Russia spread false claims on Facebook and other online platforms. As a result, Meta set up partnerships with fact-checkers and “created what has become a standard for how tech platforms limit the spread of falsehoods and misleading information” (source: NPR).
But ah, the golden age of fact-checking is now over. According to AI-stan Mark Zuckerberg, who recently Thanksgivinged in Mar-a-Lago, Meta is “going to get back to our roots, focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms.”
Blah blah blah, who cares? I’m only interested in the “free expression” line. Because LMFAO!
By “free expression,” he means, of course, that anyone can now say whatever the f— they want and Meta will no longer be accountable for disseminating misinformation.
This is because fact-checking is unfairly biased against Trump. “Well, of course it is,” writes
of . “When you lie, it’s bound to catch up with you!”Meta follows in the footsteps of X (Twitter), who also got rid of third-party fact-checking.
“The absence of fact-checking was accompanied by the active promotion of rightwing politics favoured by Musk,” writes
. “Meta platforms are likely to follow the same path.”Joel Kaplan, Meta’s new policy chief, went to Fox & Friends (and no other news source) to make the announcement, championing the “new administration and new president … who are big defenders of free expression.”
And in case the once-and-future King President Trump didn’t get the memo, Meta just onboarded Dana White, CEO of UFC and Trump donor, to its meta-advisory board.
It makes perfect sense that Zuckerberg and the rest of the broligarchy align themselves with power. After all, Zuck needs the president’s help fighting antitrust laws and banning TikTok so he can install a ski resort on his 1,600-acre bunker in Kauai.
Speaking of free expression, the Washington Post recently killed a cartoon depicting Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman, Patrick Soon-Shiong, and the Walt Disney Company genuflecting to Donald Trump. It referenced how the billionaires have donated money to Trump’s inauguration fund and made the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to curry favor with the incoming president.
One has to wonder, does Zuckerberg appreciate this kind of free expression? Also, what happened to Mickey? Did Zuck or Bezos cut the cheese and not give him any?
The WaPo kerfuffle follows the brouhaha from last fall when Bezos refused to publish the editorial board’s endorsement of Harris. Ironic, considering that the Washington Post’s motto is “Democracy dies in darkness.”
Yes, the whole thing feels like eery foreshadowing. The sycophants are lining up to kiss the king’s rings.
Who will end up on the throne, and who will be killed? That’s the thing with capitalism the Game of Thrones. Not even the kings are happy - or safe.
This is the «shudder» part where I put on my warm fuzzy sweater my sister got me for Xmas (thanks, Sis!), and remember that when the universe kicks me in the ovaries, it always sends me a cute young, ridiculously buff medical student dressed as Captain America. (If you’ve been to Bartlett Hospital recently, you know I’m not lying.)
Consider, for example, the parable of the Chinese farmer by Alan Watts:
Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”
The next day the horse came back bringing seven wild horses with it, and in the evening everybody came back and said, “Oh, isn’t that lucky. What a great turn of events. You now have eight horses!” The farmer again said, “Maybe.”
The following day his son tried to break one of the horses, and while riding it, he was thrown and broke his leg. The neighbors then said, “Oh dear, that’s too bad,” and the farmer responded, “Maybe.”
The next day the conscription officers came around to conscript people into the army, and they rejected his son because he had a broken leg. Again all the neighbors came around and said, “Isn’t that great!” Again, he said, “Maybe.”
The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity, and it’s really impossible to tell whether anything that happens in it is good or bad — because you never know what will be the consequence of the misfortune; or, you never know what will be the consequences of good fortune.
And my own, personal parable:
Once upon a time, a pandemic consumed the land, forcing people to stay home. A mother who was also a teacher and introvert no longer had to teach children or feel pressured to go out and socialize but could now sleep in and hang out in sweats and no bra with her children in the dewy rainforest. “That’s wonderful!” her neighbors said. And the mother replied, “Maybe.”
Then, the children became wild and feral, and without other children to talk to, they wouldn’t stop fighting. The mother became lonely, and the dewy rainforest grew cold and dark in winter. With her asthma, she feared the respiratory disease and, due to stress, ended up partially blind from cataracts. “Oh, that’s too bad,” the neighbors said. “Maybe,” the mother replied.
Because of the cataracts, Mother got cataract surgery, and her surgeon was kinda hot. Surgery after being with kids 24/7 was like a spa day except on drugs. And so whaddaya know, due to stress and loneliness, she discovered satire writing as a balm to save her sanity, and she wrote and published many satire pieces (including one about cataract surgery). Rather than invisible, she felt seen. Especially by her surgeon, who saw inside her all the way to her optic nerve. “You’re so lucky!” the neighbors cried. “Maybe,” the mother replied.
But then a vaccine became available, and in-person school returned. The mother was excited to send her kids to school, but now she had to go, too. And because she discovered writing for her mental health, she now suffers from back problems. But now she gets massages covered by health insurance. Etc. etc., and so on.
You see? The universe always finds a way to balance itself out. My science-y friends tell me that from chaos always comes order.
said she is approaching the 2025 rigamarole with the attitude that it will all work out.In that spirit, my word for 2025 is Trust.
What’s your personal parable? Inspire us.
💖, Summer
P.S. Feral Stack is a labor of love. To support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. The universe will thank you. 🙏
P.P.S. Here’s a piece below I wrote last year when a million terrible things were happening at once. Somehow, things worked out then, too.
The Sufis say, “This too shall pass” whenever there is a comment about “good” or “bad” events.
Once upon a time there was a world-wide pandemic. A “bad” event that became on-going wounding and lethal. This too shall pass.
One result of the pandemic was my working from my Seattle home rather than from my office at the university. This was both good and bad. This too shall pass.
Mom was 89 and living in Texas. She was becoming more frail with each passing year. Her care team was my sister and her husband, both of whom were working full-time from home. This was stressful. This too shall pass.
I looked at my table covered with a jigsaw puzzle, my desk covered by a computer and iPad, and my meditation corner, and thought… I could have this in Texas and help take care of Mom. Texas… a place I said that I would NEVER live. Was this good? Bad? Whatever. It felt right.
And here I am, 4 years later, and Mom is her lovely self!
Brilliant satirical writing Summer. My husband is also a commercial fisherman in SE Alaska. I love how the landscape, your family, and your engaging observations shape your storytelling as you evolve - hard to believe you have not been writing your whole life. You inspire me to remain the feral woman/child who calls out the emperor who wears no clothes - a parable that defines the brogliarchy altered reality… although in that story - the villagers woke up to the spin. Just became a paid subscriber. I bow down to you🙇♀️ 💕