Like Neil, I’ve found it almost impossible to write anything right now. When I try to write about something “important,” I feel unable to move. On the other hand, when I consider writing something “normal” (like a series on translating Mark, which I’ve been planning), it feels frivolous.
We are in seriously dark times. Of course, we’ve always lived in dark times; it’s just that the darkness mostly lay outside our borders, out in our colonial empire, out in the world we dominate. I’m particularly conscious of the darkness now, as I’m reading The Myth of American Idealism, a recently published book by Nathan J. Robinson and Noam Chomsky. By the way, that link will take you to Bookshop.org. Using them is a nice way to support local bookstores against the onslaught of the billionaires.
What pushed me finally to touch the keyboard again is the recent attacks on Wikipedia by the fascist Trump regime and the fanatically pro-Israel ADL. You can read details here at Law & Crime. The actual crime Wikipedia has committed is the audacity to tell some of the truth about the genocide in Gaza. It isn’t enough to have unrestricted freedom of action and the unlimited right to control the world militarily (“What we say goes!”). No, all media must also be brought to heel. Freedom of thought consists solely in correct thinking. All else must be silenced.
From the article:
Wikipedia has been criticized by people — including Trump ally and unofficial DOGE leader Elon Musk — as of late for allowing what many have perceived to be “woke” information about current events and topics to be edited in.
Reich Chancellor Musk has decided Wikipedia is unfair to Dear Leader and bad for the Fatherland, and has told his followers to stop donating to them.
Even if you have never supported Wikipedia before, please now consider that the enemy of your enemy is your friend. And as our institutions continue to fail us, left and right, we need to support independent media in all its forms.
As soon as I publish this thing, I’m heading over to Wikipedia to drop some dollars.
Tim Widowfield
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I’m feeling the same. I’m on it. Thanks.
Thanks for the reminder.
“please now consider that the enemy of your enemy is your friend.” I think you are selling Wiki[m|p]edia short. E.g. the Wikipedia entry on Musk is not combative. I just tells the facts about him as far as possible.
“I just tells the facts” –> “It just tells the facts”
What I meant is that Musk is the enemy of democracy and truth. Anything and anyone he attacks is almost certainly worth defending.
I did give some support to Mondoweiss last year as I had relied on it as a source of information.
But I admit I am a little bit scared that money I give them could be seized by the zion-fascists. We also have laws in Australia that allow governments to prosecute people who give to charities/organisations that the government does not like.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-03-31/trio-who-funded-tamil-tigers-walks-free/387910
So anyway – if you are not afraid of martydom (channel your inner Ignatius!) you can also support:
Owen Jones
Mondoweiss
UNRWA
I do think you are right about Wikipedia here, It is easy to find ways to argue it is far from perfect, but given how bad the rest of the internet has become, wiki has managed to buck this trend.
I don’t like Wikipedia, either, but not for the reasons Trump’s crowd opposes it. Despite its serious flaws in some areas, it has come to hold a necessary and valuable place in the larger scheme of things. (I prefer the structure and policies of Citizendium — they have taken measures to avoid the serious failings of Wikipedia, but of course they do not have the coverage of Wikipedia.)
Those interested in the Robinson/Chomsky book and preferring to support smaller bookshops in their own country might like to use the https://www.bookfinder.com/ site and set the search that prioritizes your home.
Good point on Bookfinder, Neil. Support your local booksellers!
BTW, for those of you in the UK, there’s a Bookshop.org UK (https://uk.bookshop.org/) for you. I hope they keep expanding.
Wikipedia deserves a Nobel Prize for encouraging international conversation, the heart of democracy and persuasion through free debate. sincerely, Geof Gates