Weekly Roundup: October 19

The weekly roundup of what we’ve done at Liberal Currents has strong criticism for antisemitism and some praise for anti-populism.

“The Anti-Populism of ‘Digger,’” Elias Isquith: You don’t have to like Iñárritu’s new film to appreciate its refusal to confuse the punishment of villains with the repair of the world.
“The Plausible Techno-Dystopian Future,” Nicholas Grossman: The problems caused by AI development are widespread and multiplying, but none involves a digital demon that kills us all.
“How to Escape the Land Trap,” Jack Billings: We’ve had the solution for over 150 years. Might we be ready to implement it?
“The Techlash Is Coming,” Chuck Babbage: How can we tame the corporate monsters of Silicon Valley?
“Disordered Institutions Make Disordered Publics,” Samantha Hancox-Li: People who believe their choices don’t matter choose poorly.
“Better Win a District: Virginia’s Sixth,” Alan Elrod: Flipping this ruby red district would signal an "apocalypse for Republicans."
“In Defense of Red Tape,” Christopher Whitaker: Procurement in government is difficult, but rules and regulations make it better.
“The Native Language of Social Media Is Slurs,” Nathan Goldwag: Antisemitism on X knows no party.

“The Lies of Hearts of Iron” (Neon Liberalism #96, with Bret Devereaux): Why are we all still obsessed with World War 2?
“Texas Has Always Been Purple” (Out of the Jaws #15, with David Griscom): The Texas midterm in historical context.
“What a Future with Fewer Vehicles Will Look Like” (Half the Answer #110, with Doug Gordon): We should work toward a world that isn't defined by nigh-compulsory car ownership.
“The GOP's Desperate Times and Degrading Measures” (Liberal Currents Live #12): Vivek Ramaswamy takes Republicans to new depths as the voters' judgment looms.
“The Diverse Communities of Staten Island” (Out of the Jaws #14, with Mike DeCillis): An interview with the Democratic candidate for New York Congressional District 11.

“For MAGA, Children Are Property”: These people cannot comprehend the simple truth that their children are independent, autonomous beings, with their own lives and desires.
“Help Us Learn”: We don't have all the answers. Help us find them.

“Everybody Deserves Healthcare”: Ryan Geddie and Adam Gurri on a big applause line for socialist candidates.
“‘Thin Air,’ Real Money: Donald Trump and Cryptocurrency”: Caitlin Green and Zach Everson on digital presidential scams.
“A Cruel but Not Uncommon Case: ICE and Ahmed Soliman”: Caitlin Green, Trent Nelson, and Gillian Brockell on deportation and equality before the law.
“Pete Hegseth, Impeachment, and the Senate Race in Texas”: Adam Gurri, Ryan Geddie, and Jesse Dollemore on could-be and have-been impeached Republicans.
“Portraits of an American Dopamine Eater”: Alan Elrod talks about how our attention economy incentivizes the profane degradations of fame-seeking and celebrity culture.

“Jared Kushner’s Middle Eastern Spoils System”: “Gulf Arab government corruption,” Elon Musk, the Ellisons, and that shameful Vivek Ramaswamy ad (Friday, October 23).
“ICE Goons Tear the Children Out of a Father’s Arms”: DHS abolition, Politico, censorship, and “an uncoordinated harvest near an Israeli community” (Thursday, October 22).
“The Astounding Campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy”: The Ohio Republican may have set a record for the most exploitative political ad. Yes, ever (Wednesday, October 21).
“No Kings Are Going to Stop Us From Voting”: Getting out the vote, Meta’s meddling, Ilhan Omar, the border czar, unrest in Europe, and Abdul El-Sayed (Tuesday, October 20).

Radley Balko interviews Whitney Mitchell, the widow of Garrett Foster, who was murdered at a Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Austin six years ago. Mitchell speaks at length for the first time about that event and Texas governor Greg Abbott’s subsequent pardon of the killer.
Talia Bhatt, on homophobia in history: “The opposition to queer people outside the West stems from the same political impulses as they do within it, the same commitment to male-supremacy and reproductive control of those-seen-as-wombs. Painting ‘homosexuals’ as a colonial plot or an unnatural Western imposition is a maneuver to secure a moral justification for the repression and violence that conservative forces seek to enact against queer people.”
Amanda Marcotte, in Salon, on that Ramaswamy ad: “Trump, Vance and their advisers are all notorious for being constantly online, and they are almost certainly aware that the topic of parental estrangement is a driving concern with many MAGA voters, some of whom have experienced estrangement or distancing from their own children, family members or friends, and are outraged at the thought of facing social consequences for their reactionary views.”