I am pleased to bring you this interview with Asha Rangappa, who is a Senior Lecturer at the Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and a former Associate Dean at Yale Law School.
Thanks for another excellent interview. Lawlessness seems to become more widespread and accepted in America under the banner of individual freedom. Even more disturbing is that it is actually led or at least supported by a large group of lawmakers and politicians...... does not bode well for the future. Individual freedom is not just a right...it also comes with responsibilities.
Great interview in general, but as someone who was involved in protesting psychologists' involvement in torture, eg waterboarding, during the Bush years, I find troubling Rangappa's repeated use of the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques", when referring to deliberate soul destroying torture. An Orwellian term used by the administration to whitewash horrific actions. Her using that phrase, without quotation marks, shows how much our language and collective psyche is tarnished by the lies and cruelty of Republican administrations. Even Biden does that, when he talked about America First in reference to vaccine production.
Certainly important advice, Tom, to pay attention to our unconscious truth tarnishing in the language we use …. but not sure Rangappa can be faulted…. Ruth edits her much longer conversations with guests, that we eventually read an excerpt of, and in this edited version with Rangappa, she is quoted using “torture” twice and the Orwellian phrase twice
Excellent interview! Trump seems to have normalized our ascent into authoritarianism. His division of society into warring camps, bent on destroying each other is right out of the Social Darwinist's playbook. Social Darwinism is the foundation of fascsim of course. Trump has created a separate truth that runs parallel to the real truth, with millions believing his truth. Unfortunately, his truth is based on his sociopathic mind, so millions are believing that the ravings of a sociopath are reality. When people become unmoored from reality, they accept authoritarianism. We are on a very dangerous path.
The excesses and contradictions of illiberalism and autocracy in this country are sparking an equal and opposite reaction of resistance. We are many and they are fewer but they have the SCOTUS, extreme voter suppression laws in 19 states with moderate Republicans being replaced and purged with far right Trump loyalists, and a vast right wing conspiracy of media and propagandists dividing the country. Winter is coming...
I appreciate Ms. Rangappa's candid remarks concerning the excesses in our national response to 9/11. When those planes crashed into the towers, many many citizens knew with sad certainty that the US government would over-react militarily. Many citizens knew our lives were about to change for the worse, and they knew that over-response by our leaders, especially the Bush/Cheney administration filled with neo-conservative absolutism and militarism, was a given.
And when Bush/Cheney decided to wage war with Iraq in 2003, millions of citizens protested, taking to the streets, writing letters to the editor, writing their representatives. But they were unable to stop the march toward war and the obscene waste of blood and treasure.
There is a profound disconnect between what many citizens hope for their country and how well they are able to translate those hopes into effective policy and legislation.
Our political situation in this country is dire. And growing worse. Too many of our leaders have played too fast and too loose with our democratic processes. Trust in government is very low. But that is not by accident. Foolish leaders adopted the rhetoric of government-as-problem and now they are reaping the wind.
The increased power of our plutocratic oligarchs over the past 50 years has only solidified their control of our political process. "K" Street bribery, Citizens United etc have normalized corporatocracy. The citizens have been left out in the cold.
And when they have not "been left out in the cold" they have been used most cynically by those oligarchs to strengthen corporatocracy's stranglehold on our democracy. I see those poor manipulated fools of January 6 angrily wandering about the capitol building in DC, blind army-ants listening to the distant message of their leader, safely ensconced away from danger. Pathetic.
And that orange social menace still maintains a presence in our days, spreading lies and vile hatred which continue to tear our social fabric apart.
We are not out of danger yet. Not by a long shot. It is still not clear how this will all end.
Agree. I see the Jan 6th crowd as a combination of extreme gullibility, the love of fascism and the Dunning- Kruger effect. They have accepted a socioapth (APD) as a role model but so have 74 million other Americans. I am shocked at how easily so many are fooled.
I am shocked as well. H. L. Mencken would not have been as shocked as we are. He was very clear about the nature of the average American citizen, Boobus Americanus, his term for this gullible group.
In my case, my ability to be shocked is a result, I believe, of having been born in 1946, allowing my growing up under the protective umbrella of The New Deal when government tried to nurture its citizens, not exploit them. What a quaint idea.
I think the comments about seriously looking at the past, what we did as a country after 9/11 is spot on in terms of marking the pivot towards what we're seeing now. Not only were the political decisions ghastly (torture) but there was little to no accountability. As Ms Rangappa notes people like Gina Haspel were rewarded while bad decisions and assaults on the rule of law were assigned to the fog of war.
Though I understand the attraction of 'looking forward, not back,' we are now paying the price for not calling out the abuses in a substantial way (holding individuals accountable) or repeating the useless mantra: Never Again. Because our memories have proven to be absurdly short.
It's why addressing the January 6th insurrection and Trump's damaging tenure is so important. If we fail, there won't be a next time.
May I respectfully suggest including a photo of a pro-democracy rally instead of a Dumpf rally? I feel like showing those gives them unnecessary attention.
Unfortunately, 'the many vs the few' argument fails almost every time. It hasn't been effective in China, Russia, Hong Kong, Belarus, Hungary, Poland, etc. even when the vast majority is vehemently opposed to the repressive regime. In the US, 1/3 of the country supports autocracy, 1/3 opposes it, and 1/3 is apathetic. It bodes very poorly for any semblance of a democratic future.
Thanks for another excellent interview. Lawlessness seems to become more widespread and accepted in America under the banner of individual freedom. Even more disturbing is that it is actually led or at least supported by a large group of lawmakers and politicians...... does not bode well for the future. Individual freedom is not just a right...it also comes with responsibilities.
"Ye are many - they are few."
True. True. True.
Evil Geniuses and Dark Money - books that name people responsible for this tragic direction. Also Lewis Powell. Check out his memo.
Great interview in general, but as someone who was involved in protesting psychologists' involvement in torture, eg waterboarding, during the Bush years, I find troubling Rangappa's repeated use of the phrase "enhanced interrogation techniques", when referring to deliberate soul destroying torture. An Orwellian term used by the administration to whitewash horrific actions. Her using that phrase, without quotation marks, shows how much our language and collective psyche is tarnished by the lies and cruelty of Republican administrations. Even Biden does that, when he talked about America First in reference to vaccine production.
Certainly important advice, Tom, to pay attention to our unconscious truth tarnishing in the language we use …. but not sure Rangappa can be faulted…. Ruth edits her much longer conversations with guests, that we eventually read an excerpt of, and in this edited version with Rangappa, she is quoted using “torture” twice and the Orwellian phrase twice
Excellent interview! Trump seems to have normalized our ascent into authoritarianism. His division of society into warring camps, bent on destroying each other is right out of the Social Darwinist's playbook. Social Darwinism is the foundation of fascsim of course. Trump has created a separate truth that runs parallel to the real truth, with millions believing his truth. Unfortunately, his truth is based on his sociopathic mind, so millions are believing that the ravings of a sociopath are reality. When people become unmoored from reality, they accept authoritarianism. We are on a very dangerous path.
The excesses and contradictions of illiberalism and autocracy in this country are sparking an equal and opposite reaction of resistance. We are many and they are fewer but they have the SCOTUS, extreme voter suppression laws in 19 states with moderate Republicans being replaced and purged with far right Trump loyalists, and a vast right wing conspiracy of media and propagandists dividing the country. Winter is coming...
Yes, winter is coming but I'm not going to hibernate. I will continue to resist this move toward the Dark Ages we are experiencing. Keep the faith!
I appreciate Ms. Rangappa's candid remarks concerning the excesses in our national response to 9/11. When those planes crashed into the towers, many many citizens knew with sad certainty that the US government would over-react militarily. Many citizens knew our lives were about to change for the worse, and they knew that over-response by our leaders, especially the Bush/Cheney administration filled with neo-conservative absolutism and militarism, was a given.
And when Bush/Cheney decided to wage war with Iraq in 2003, millions of citizens protested, taking to the streets, writing letters to the editor, writing their representatives. But they were unable to stop the march toward war and the obscene waste of blood and treasure.
There is a profound disconnect between what many citizens hope for their country and how well they are able to translate those hopes into effective policy and legislation.
Our political situation in this country is dire. And growing worse. Too many of our leaders have played too fast and too loose with our democratic processes. Trust in government is very low. But that is not by accident. Foolish leaders adopted the rhetoric of government-as-problem and now they are reaping the wind.
The increased power of our plutocratic oligarchs over the past 50 years has only solidified their control of our political process. "K" Street bribery, Citizens United etc have normalized corporatocracy. The citizens have been left out in the cold.
And when they have not "been left out in the cold" they have been used most cynically by those oligarchs to strengthen corporatocracy's stranglehold on our democracy. I see those poor manipulated fools of January 6 angrily wandering about the capitol building in DC, blind army-ants listening to the distant message of their leader, safely ensconced away from danger. Pathetic.
And that orange social menace still maintains a presence in our days, spreading lies and vile hatred which continue to tear our social fabric apart.
We are not out of danger yet. Not by a long shot. It is still not clear how this will all end.
And yet, Dum Spiro Spero.
Agree. I see the Jan 6th crowd as a combination of extreme gullibility, the love of fascism and the Dunning- Kruger effect. They have accepted a socioapth (APD) as a role model but so have 74 million other Americans. I am shocked at how easily so many are fooled.
I am shocked as well. H. L. Mencken would not have been as shocked as we are. He was very clear about the nature of the average American citizen, Boobus Americanus, his term for this gullible group.
In my case, my ability to be shocked is a result, I believe, of having been born in 1946, allowing my growing up under the protective umbrella of The New Deal when government tried to nurture its citizens, not exploit them. What a quaint idea.
I think the comments about seriously looking at the past, what we did as a country after 9/11 is spot on in terms of marking the pivot towards what we're seeing now. Not only were the political decisions ghastly (torture) but there was little to no accountability. As Ms Rangappa notes people like Gina Haspel were rewarded while bad decisions and assaults on the rule of law were assigned to the fog of war.
Though I understand the attraction of 'looking forward, not back,' we are now paying the price for not calling out the abuses in a substantial way (holding individuals accountable) or repeating the useless mantra: Never Again. Because our memories have proven to be absurdly short.
It's why addressing the January 6th insurrection and Trump's damaging tenure is so important. If we fail, there won't be a next time.
May I respectfully suggest including a photo of a pro-democracy rally instead of a Dumpf rally? I feel like showing those gives them unnecessary attention.
Unfortunately, 'the many vs the few' argument fails almost every time. It hasn't been effective in China, Russia, Hong Kong, Belarus, Hungary, Poland, etc. even when the vast majority is vehemently opposed to the repressive regime. In the US, 1/3 of the country supports autocracy, 1/3 opposes it, and 1/3 is apathetic. It bodes very poorly for any semblance of a democratic future.