"The psychological attractions of fatalism, and its close cousin despair, is that they cater to our bottomless laziness and inertia. This is what makes doom junkies of so many people on the left, broadly defined: if the situation is so dire as to be practically hopeless, then why not check out that new Netflix series, instead of trying to do anything about it?
"It’s difficult to be both clear-eyed about what Trump represents, and what his initial rise and evident political resurrection tell us about America, and to maintain the sufficient will to fight for the future of a country that has already sunk to our current level of political and cultural degradation.
"But consider the alternative." -- Paul Campos, LGM, reminding us (with a big assist from the NYT's Michelle Goldberg) that in these times, "Fatalism and despair are objectively pro- fascist." We've got enough fascists and pro- fascists in this country; we don't need people on our side to add to their numbers.
