These NOTE5 are random thoughts & bookmarks, roughly organized by topic, that I use for reference and conversation starters. I publish them for easy sharing, with hope there’s some hidden value for a wider audience. The format is more newsfeed than article.
Since *winning* the 2020 media-election there’s a variety of reaction from prominent and wannabe-prominent people that ranges from unsurprising to fiery but peaceful.
These examples don’t apply to the vast majority of citizens but you do need to know where the elected, media and chattering classes all stand. Those in the most immediate danger are rational, left-leaning people because they’re soft targets.
In professional settings, especially where there are permissive leaders who aren’t / don’t have time to pay close attention, the goalposts are moving. Thought-policing is exploding and non-conformity will be punished if the weak, bureaucratic professional-class (ahem, HR) is left in charge.
Good Advice
If forced to take a “diversity training” based in Critical Race Theory or anti-racism, don’t bend the knee. Do file lawsuits. Once you say you’re a racist, your organization can use that “admission” to fire you at any time in the future since you, well, “admitted” it.
— James Lindsay
Biden Was Never The Goal, Nor Is He Welcome
If you don’t know Andy Ngo, he’s a tireless chronicler of peaceful protests and lives under constant threat of violence. He’s a kind of legend at this point and manages to get himself right in the middle of the action.
This Took Less Than One Day
Jacobin is a useful barometer for the far-left and generally more well written than other outlets. I find more value in going direct to the source than getting secondhand gossip from centrist and right-leaning pundits.
No Honeymoon for Joe Biden: It’s good that Donald Trump lost. But the Left now needs to pivot immediately to opposition to the Joe Biden administration. (Jacobin)
**THE LISTS**
These are straightforward threats to prevent people from working or reveal home addresses of infidels. Not sure what else there is to say here.
Cortar A Los Herejas!
Apparently it’s presumed that certain groups behave monolithically. When that doesn’t work they are attacked accordingly.
Given the diversity and geographic size of the Latin population, it’s embarrassing that they’ve been lumped together in the first place. And that “LatinX” label, in case you weren’t aware, is roundly rejected by Latin people in the 95% range. I guess identity politics still has some growing pains to sort out.
Expect the same irrational divisiveness in workplace settings, without warning, and among any group or perceived group. This won’t stop with Cubans vs. Latinos.
Many Battles, One War
If you read past the politics there are serious implications for leadership and the future of work. The conversations happening in workplaces, political campaigns, and the streets are all the same. It’s going to get harder as power struggles evolve.
Thomas Irre is the founder of HK5, LLC, Practical Business Technology and Mental Self-Defense for leaders & teams.