Where We Are This Week
Phoenix, Israel, and Taibbi's Twitter troubles.
I’ve spent a considerable amount of time in the West Nashville area these past couple of weeks. It all looks as it should. Busy streets and shopping centers, pseudo-modern contemporary housing, and constant construction imbue the hills of this area of middle Tennessee.
The appearance and trajectory of the affluent suburb of the capital look to be unchanged over the past few weeks. That is, except for the red and black bows on mailboxes and trees, and the police cars that remain parked in front of the Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Even as life has ostensibly returned to normal for their neighbors, the families of the victims and the members of the church have clearly not indulged in any sense of the normality that was punctuated by the events of March 27th.
The life and area in which I live sharply contrast the luxury and opulence of Green Hills, and I’ve never considered myself to have much in common with its residents. But the red and black ribbons, the ‘Covenant Strong’ and ‘I Stand With Covenant’ signs in their well-manicured front lawns say otherwise. Their neighbors and families haven’t forgotten, and neither have mine.
It’s a timely reminder that while our socioeconomic statuses guarantee a certain degree of dissonance, we share the same fundamental aspects of what it is to be human. There’s unity there; a surprising, fragile, fundamental unity.
I don’t mean or desire the type of unity that would orient everyone in the same direction morally or politically, but I do deeply seek the type that reminds us all of the basic principles that make us living beings, let alone Americans.
It’s easy to forget that. And if it weren’t for those small symbols of solidarity, I might not remember that today. Even now, I’m writing this from a coffee shop I don’t like, full of people I wouldn’t exactly consider my peers - and how easily I entertain the notion that these people don’t have anything in common with me. I’m wrong.
I think we all want to live with meaning, take care of our children and loved ones, and have a nice cup of coffee every now and then. We all suffer, and God willing, we all endure.
What’s Eating Elon?
What a rollercoaster it’s been for Twitter since Elon’s takeover. Since he purchased the social media company late last year, it has really been put through the wringer.
Musk seemed to be determined in creating a ‘free speech’ platform on the internet, and boy, does that prove to be an uphill battle. At first, it looked to be succeeding; things that never would have been ‘trending’ under previous ownership were now leading the line every day.
The billionaire also seemed to be motivated to air out the platform’s dirty laundry it had amassed over the past few years which saw him facilitate the release of the Twitter Files through ‘so-called journalists’ like Bari Weiss, Matt Taibbi, and Michael Shellenberger.
What at first was a rather symbiotic relationship between Musk and the independent press has turned sour this week.
Substack released its Notes platform which is clearly intended to rival Twitter. Notes shows a lot of promise, principally, because of the ideological framework of the site from which it was founded - but in order to challenge the little blue bird, it’s got a lot of ground to make up in terms of volume.
Musk didn’t take too kindly to Substack’s implementation of its new feature, and as I was writing last week’s installment of WWA, I noticed I wasn’t able to embed tweets as I normally do. Unexpectedly, Twitter ceased to allow Substack to integrate its content into its posts; what’s more, the social media platform prevented anyone from tweeting a link to a Substack article.
But things got a little personal. It at first seemed a crude business decision - one of many Musk has been forced to make in order to extract a profit from the company - but then the tech mogul turned his sights on Taibbi himself. On Friday, all of Taibbi’s Twitter Files threads were removed from the site, and it seemed the former Rolling Stone journalist was thrown into the blue check gulag.
What followed was a weird exchange that saw Musk revealing private messages between him and Taibbi in an attempt to paint the former as the bad actor in the dialogue.
The dust has settled for now. Tweets have been restored, and links to Substack are now usable - though I still can’t embed tweets seamlessly into my articles. But, the short-lived saga underscores the reservations I had about Musk’s takeover of the platform in the first place.
It’s hard to have a real opinion of a public figure - much less one that has become such a lightning rod. In general, I respect Musk and what he’s trying to do with Twitter; elsewhere, however, it’s worrisome that he hasn’t addressed his cozy relations with the CCP and the human costs of mining the precious materials used to make Tesla vehicles. Let’s put those aside for now.
What, again, the previous week’s events show - similar to the flight-tracking debacle a few months ago - is that this gargantuan information-sharing technology is still subject to the whims of one man. The online town square is as vulnerable as it was before albeit with a more benevolent governor - but for how long?
Billionaires can’t be treated as guarantors for the values we hold dear, right, left, or center. And whether we like it or not, they really are a class of their own and aren’t subject to the same rules and limitations in the same ways that you and I are.
I have a hypothesis that AI will render all social media bunk - another time perhaps - but until then, give Notes a try. Taibbi’s there!
Democracy is alive!…in Israel
One of the many things we ( I ) like to do over here at the Common Denominator is remember.
It’s difficult to remember anything that’s happening, much less something that has already happened. Retaining a cogent narrative from week to week with events, figures, and facts can be like cupping water in your bare hands from the well to douse your barn fire. You guys know what I’m talking about.
It’s late! Let’s get to cupping, shall we?
About a month ago you were being told - not by me - that the State of Israel was on the brink of a full-scale color revolution. There were massive, and I mean massive, protests in the streets in reaction to the recently elected prime minister Bibi Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reform.
But what has happened since then you ask? Well, let me answer your question with two more. Where has the water in your hands gone? How’s that fire looking?
First, a little backstory. Several thousand years ago, there were peoples called the Israelites and the Canaanites, and they lived in a land called - I’m kidding! We don’t have to go back that far, and I probably would have lost you if I’d dared finished that sentence. Who am I kidding, I lost you after the cupping water bit, didn’t I?
Alright, let’s get back on track.
The State of Israel was largely founded as a liberal, secular enterprise. At its inception, there was a sort of tacit agreement that the majority secular community would run things and the religious groups would be left alone to piddle and pray.
Israel has an executive branch and a legislature called the Knesset and a supreme court. However, they’ve never instituted a system of robust checks and balances like what we have in America - yeah, right. At the time, it didn’t seem overwhelmingly necessary and majority rule was the status quo.
As it stands, their supreme court judges along with a similarly like-minded organization have the ability to nominate their successors. It effectively allows it to remain ideologically consistent and independent while the demographics of the nation are changing. The judicial branch has long stood as the greatest opposition to the powers of government.
But, now, as the country has grown, and thanks to essentially the breeding protocols of the religious right, the left-leaning secular population fears they’ll be the minority in perpetuity. Their concerns were intensified when Netanyahu introduced his reform proposals that would give the Knesset much more influence in appointing judges, and the power of overturning court decisions with a simple majority.
Without a backstop against majority rule, the liberal class of Israeli citizens reasonably foresaw a future where their representation at the highest levels of government would continue to diminish. So, they demonstrated their opposition in nationwide protests that ground the legislation to a halt.
Now, a few months later and to many of the media’s collective chagrin, Israel’s democracy is still intact - and dare I say, vibrant. Large swathes of the left-leaning portion of the small nation successfully demonstrated their concerns, and Netanyahu, succumbing to pressure from the public, paused the impending reform.
Negotiations mediated by Israeli President Isaac Herzog between the ruling coalition and opposition parties are now underway in an effort to find a new solution that would please both sides of the aisle. But calm, collaborative problem-solving isn’t exactly newsworthy I guess.
If you haven’t noticed, Israel is one of those topics that no one can cover objectively. While we’re pointing out other people’s biases, I’m not without my own. I’m sure my subjectivity influences my thoughts on the country and its people, but I do my best to be as evenhanded as I can.
For instance: conflict broke out last week at the Al-Aqsa Mosque between a group of Palestinians who barricaded themselves inside the house of worship armed with stones, sticks, and fireworks and the Israeli police. Amidst the domestic turmoil, a barrage of rockets was fired into Israel from Lebanon. Israel, ever-devout in protecting its citizenry, responded deftly and swiftly to establish a policy of deterrence once again, though it’s likely temporary.
I’ve seen and heard criticism from moderate sources that questioned Israel’s decision to bomb Gaza after the attacks from Lebanon, not Gaza. Any small modicum of interest in the issue would reveal that the strikes were coordinated by Hamas of Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. I’ve lost count of the amount of times ‘journalists’ and activists alike respond in horror to the actions taken by the IDF during the holy month of Ramadan, but nary a mention that the attacks on Israel occurred during Passover.
Israeli extremists were arrested by the Israeli forces for attempting to prevent Muslims from entering Al-Aqsa last week. The extremist group deserves the criticism and admonishment they receive, however, it’s worth remembering that the mosque is atop the holiest site in Judaism. It’s also under the administration of the Jordanian Waqf - despite being in Jerusalem - an organization that removes Jews for the egregious act of praying at the holy site. How dare they?
The cycle of violence and media response is so predictable it almost mirrors the crisis of 2021. So, next year, I’ll have this piece cued, and ready to publish with water in hand.
Merci, Phoenix
Growing up, I had a small weekly allowance from my parents. It wasn’t much, but it was generous - it’s not like I was owed anything and in retrospect, I should’ve been paying them. The allowance was enough to buy a CD or two every couple of weeks. I’d get them anywhere I could, and before the allowance, my dad would pick out an album for me. Suffice it to say I’ve been building my library since around ‘99.
Before I had my driver’s license, I would get my mom to take me to Target on Tuesday - that’s when new records used to come out - I’d pick one or two out, and she’d let me listen to them in her Toyota - eventually my Toyota - on our way home.
In high school, I would spend hours in Hastings, RIP, by myself - sometimes with friends, my sister, or a reluctant date - looking for music. At eighteen, my girlfriend at the time wasn’t so reluctant, in fact, she was enthusiastic and had excellent taste in art. For that, and a host of other reasons, she became my wife a few years later.
I don’t do that much anymore. In my early twenties, I graduated to vinyl, and over time my preferences evolved and I dare say that the quality of output declined. Now, between the sheer expense of vinyl, and the infrequent releases I’m about which I’m enthused, I purchase a new record every couple of months.
One of my recent purchases was Phoenix’s Alpha Zulu - it was actually a gift for my wife’s birthday. We’ve both loved the French band since we started dating, and I was enthralled ever since the ‘09 anthem 1901. Despite being in their third decade of production, they don’t sound dated, tired, or jaded in the slightest.
There are timely albums and timeless albums. Few are both, fewer still are those that fall in the latter category, and many fall somewhere in between. Oasis’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is an example of a record that fulfills the criteria for both. It at once described the time in which it was released but easily transcended the decade.
Is Alpha Zulu that? I have no idea, and really, only time will tell. AZ is the Versaille-based group at their most pop. Somehow, well into their forties, they crafted synthy hooks that wouldn’t feel out of place on Top 40 radio or the dance floor but don’t feel remotely disingenuous.
The record is a blend of ‘90s and ‘00s French touch with ‘80s synthesizers and drum machines, and lilting choruses that would belong in any era. Ultimately, it’s a new iteration of Phoenix’s effortless, classic guitar pop that manages to entertain and absorb. It’s not entirely detached from our current decade but isn’t mired with all the pop conventions of their peers.
25 years or so after their debut, they’re still putting out incredibly high-quality, authentic work. How’d they manage it? They made it for themselves. Clearly. Phoenix and Alpha Zulu don’t pander, they don’t meet the listener; they ask you to meet them where they are.
It’s something I try to do with my art as well - which is how you got a 1500-word piece on the Arsenal rebuild last week. For better or for worse.
Listen to the record, or better, go buy it. It’s joyful, catchy, and earnest and I hope that it finds you well.
To a better next week.
Cheers,
~FDA