Extraordinary! Frightening, but a reality check and pointer to our future. I appreciate your taking the time to do this using the alphabet as a format. It’s quite powerful.
Hi Anand! I took your entire letter and ran it through Perplexity. The summary and themes are self evident. The context is irrefutable.
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥++++€€€€€
Narrative Pattern
The concatenation of phrases creates a mosaic of:
• Extreme volatility;
• Contested narratives about future directions;
• A society alternately resisting and embracing radical change;
• Institutions under strain and legitimacy in question;
• An undercurrent of fear, uncertainty, and, at times, hope.
Conclusion
Summarized in the context of a country undergoing cultural change, the collective mood is one of upheaval, contestation, and uncertainty. The nation is caught between nostalgia and reinvention, fear and optimism, unity and fracture—embodying the tumult and possibility that define periods of historic transformation.
Unempeded president relishes vicotry lap. (Every damn day)
Just one that hit me hard.
Last night, sleepless as usual, my mind was going over every atrocity of the last six months that I wanted to post somewhere with the heading: He did all this. It was a scream from my tiny voice to the universe. As usual I felt helpless and hopless. This post reminded me that voices like yours with power and influence are paying attention. May the world listen before it's too late. I am so sad and weak, but just seeing that beautiful face at the end of all the recorded chaos let me breathe again. Thank you, Anand.
N is a Nation in mourning—a nation in sorrow. It just occurred to me in reading this, the anguish and grief I feel at the erasure, unraveling, disintegration, and erosion of the American ideals that were uniquely democratic and made us who we were. And, the realization that perhaps this is who we were all along...
Thank you so much for ALL you are doing to keep us informed. Not surprising that you, once again, shared a powerful and creative (and horrifying and heartbreaking....) piece. Wow, just WOW. 🤯 😢
This corrupt self-centered, narcissistic petulant man-baby has taken away so much from us. He has destroyed our nation and our lives. I’m not so sure we can survive all this chaos. I’m deeply sad and angry. Am now thinking I must move out of the country asap; though I struggle with staying to stay in the fight. This list is amazing. Only 6 months in and all this horror. I need a reset on life.
• Frequent crises and abrupt policy shifts (“A dizzying rush of major policy changes,” “Emergency rulings fuel president’s aggressive agenda,” “Chaos builds at Pentagon”).
• Challenges to checks and balances (“Legal checks on president fade further,” “Power of a single judge”).
• Rhetorical and legislative assaults on established norms (“A chain saw to the apparatus of governing,” “Behind the rush to discard rules and reshape life”).
2. Cultural Conflict & Identity Crisis
• Intense debate over values (“A ban on gender ideology,” “Angelou’s Caged Bird is out, but Hitler’s Mein Kampf stays,” “An identity crisis about identity politics”).
• Shifting demographics and anxieties (“Black and Hispanic women hit harder,” “White people, he warned, ‘cannot be expected to meekly swallow this demographic assault’”).
• National narratives in flux (“A man of destiny, saved by God to save America,” “We will begin the complete restoration of America”).
• Culture wars entrenched in daily life (“A children’s book starring King Donald,” “Colleges apply police tactics on protesters,” “The White House war to root out woke elements”).
3. Polarization and Division
• Political tribalism (“Almost entirely along party lines,” “Pick a side,” “Party divided on resistance”).
• Deterioration of public discourse (“A chill stifles debate,” “Do not contradict the president,” “Chilling action by the government intended to shut down debate”).
• Public and private life overlap (“A private Signal group chat…,” “Crypto auction sells White House access”).
4. Economic Volatility & Power Shifts
• Unpredictable markets and economic shocks (“Biggest tumble in stocks since pandemic,” “Markets dive. Markets surge.”).
• *Hardship exposures (“Breakfast diners feel the pinch,” “Food banks fight for scraps,” “Millions at risk of Medicaid loss”).
• Wealth concentration and inequality (“Billionaires are signing seven-figure checks,” “A lift to the rich, at the expense of the safety net”).
5. Erosion of Institutional Trust
• Attacks on media and academia (“New weapon against press,” “Despite Trump-friendly tack, Harvard faces threat”).
• Loss of shared reality (“A nonstop distortion of basic facts,” “The notion of there being any shared factual reality”).
• Rule of law challenged (“An existential threat to the rule of law,” “Lawless conduct,” “Justices duck”).
6. Societal Fear, Anxiety & Resilience
• Pervasive uncertainty and fear (“Fear and confusion,” “There is a sense of fear that is taking hold in our country,” “Everybody is freaking out”).
• Defiance and adaptation (“Finding unity has rarely felt more divisive,” “Still standing after an inferno,” “We have survived”).
I hope to return to reading this in more detail, but thought I’d try skimming, while noting impressions. One impression conjures up an emotional nightmare resembling a pinball being launched (ow!) and banging (ding-ding-ding!) against random obstacles, only to be set off again (ow-ow-ow-ow!). Another is all these different clusters of activity clashing, like a raft of bruising football plays, there’s no way to score the contest is and therefore who will win. Another is an ominous removal of layers, like being flayed alive. In a matter of weeks, for example, we went from a student abducted by ICE to the concentration camp in the Everglades and now billions of dollars being newly dedicated to the mass deportation effort. Same with SCOTUS…An overall feeling of despair. Is the pot of water boiling yet?
X is state propaganda
Zelensky was maligned by Vance while Rubio looked like a hostage.
Extraordinary! Frightening, but a reality check and pointer to our future. I appreciate your taking the time to do this using the alphabet as a format. It’s quite powerful.
Hi Anand! I took your entire letter and ran it through Perplexity. The summary and themes are self evident. The context is irrefutable.
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥++++€€€€€
Narrative Pattern
The concatenation of phrases creates a mosaic of:
• Extreme volatility;
• Contested narratives about future directions;
• A society alternately resisting and embracing radical change;
• Institutions under strain and legitimacy in question;
• An undercurrent of fear, uncertainty, and, at times, hope.
Conclusion
Summarized in the context of a country undergoing cultural change, the collective mood is one of upheaval, contestation, and uncertainty. The nation is caught between nostalgia and reinvention, fear and optimism, unity and fracture—embodying the tumult and possibility that define periods of historic transformation.
Unempeded president relishes vicotry lap. (Every damn day)
Just one that hit me hard.
Last night, sleepless as usual, my mind was going over every atrocity of the last six months that I wanted to post somewhere with the heading: He did all this. It was a scream from my tiny voice to the universe. As usual I felt helpless and hopless. This post reminded me that voices like yours with power and influence are paying attention. May the world listen before it's too late. I am so sad and weak, but just seeing that beautiful face at the end of all the recorded chaos let me breathe again. Thank you, Anand.
… and Thank God Goddess Buddha Allah Great Spirit Higher Power Universe et al for Z… ZOHRAN! Ending the book on a high note. 📚
Definitely Zohran for Z
One omission under T:
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
It came from the Wall Street Journal, but TACO needs to be included under T.
Honestly, I wanted to cry...
That was the line out of all the lines that stuck out to me the most. There has been many rainy days since Trump announced his candidacy in 2015.
This was a really cool piece. Thank you for putting it together.
N is a Nation in mourning—a nation in sorrow. It just occurred to me in reading this, the anguish and grief I feel at the erasure, unraveling, disintegration, and erosion of the American ideals that were uniquely democratic and made us who we were. And, the realization that perhaps this is who we were all along...
Thank you so much for ALL you are doing to keep us informed. Not surprising that you, once again, shared a powerful and creative (and horrifying and heartbreaking....) piece. Wow, just WOW. 🤯 😢
This corrupt self-centered, narcissistic petulant man-baby has taken away so much from us. He has destroyed our nation and our lives. I’m not so sure we can survive all this chaos. I’m deeply sad and angry. Am now thinking I must move out of the country asap; though I struggle with staying to stay in the fight. This list is amazing. Only 6 months in and all this horror. I need a reset on life.
Perplexity continued— specific, aggregated topics—-
Several key dynamics and patterns emerge:
1. Political Upheaval & Instability
• Frequent crises and abrupt policy shifts (“A dizzying rush of major policy changes,” “Emergency rulings fuel president’s aggressive agenda,” “Chaos builds at Pentagon”).
• Challenges to checks and balances (“Legal checks on president fade further,” “Power of a single judge”).
• Rhetorical and legislative assaults on established norms (“A chain saw to the apparatus of governing,” “Behind the rush to discard rules and reshape life”).
2. Cultural Conflict & Identity Crisis
• Intense debate over values (“A ban on gender ideology,” “Angelou’s Caged Bird is out, but Hitler’s Mein Kampf stays,” “An identity crisis about identity politics”).
• Shifting demographics and anxieties (“Black and Hispanic women hit harder,” “White people, he warned, ‘cannot be expected to meekly swallow this demographic assault’”).
• National narratives in flux (“A man of destiny, saved by God to save America,” “We will begin the complete restoration of America”).
• Culture wars entrenched in daily life (“A children’s book starring King Donald,” “Colleges apply police tactics on protesters,” “The White House war to root out woke elements”).
3. Polarization and Division
• Political tribalism (“Almost entirely along party lines,” “Pick a side,” “Party divided on resistance”).
• Deterioration of public discourse (“A chill stifles debate,” “Do not contradict the president,” “Chilling action by the government intended to shut down debate”).
• Public and private life overlap (“A private Signal group chat…,” “Crypto auction sells White House access”).
4. Economic Volatility & Power Shifts
• Unpredictable markets and economic shocks (“Biggest tumble in stocks since pandemic,” “Markets dive. Markets surge.”).
• *Hardship exposures (“Breakfast diners feel the pinch,” “Food banks fight for scraps,” “Millions at risk of Medicaid loss”).
• Wealth concentration and inequality (“Billionaires are signing seven-figure checks,” “A lift to the rich, at the expense of the safety net”).
5. Erosion of Institutional Trust
• Attacks on media and academia (“New weapon against press,” “Despite Trump-friendly tack, Harvard faces threat”).
• Loss of shared reality (“A nonstop distortion of basic facts,” “The notion of there being any shared factual reality”).
• Rule of law challenged (“An existential threat to the rule of law,” “Lawless conduct,” “Justices duck”).
6. Societal Fear, Anxiety & Resilience
• Pervasive uncertainty and fear (“Fear and confusion,” “There is a sense of fear that is taking hold in our country,” “Everybody is freaking out”).
• Defiance and adaptation (“Finding unity has rarely felt more divisive,” “Still standing after an inferno,” “We have survived”).
We are living in a dystopian novel. How do we get out?!
I hope to return to reading this in more detail, but thought I’d try skimming, while noting impressions. One impression conjures up an emotional nightmare resembling a pinball being launched (ow!) and banging (ding-ding-ding!) against random obstacles, only to be set off again (ow-ow-ow-ow!). Another is all these different clusters of activity clashing, like a raft of bruising football plays, there’s no way to score the contest is and therefore who will win. Another is an ominous removal of layers, like being flayed alive. In a matter of weeks, for example, we went from a student abducted by ICE to the concentration camp in the Everglades and now billions of dollars being newly dedicated to the mass deportation effort. Same with SCOTUS…An overall feeling of despair. Is the pot of water boiling yet?
OMG. I'll have to do this in small doses.
And Here we are!!!!
Full Stop Michele!
A Brilliant Cacophony!