When "Owning the Libs" Becomes Your Philosophical Foundation, And Other Cautionary Tales.
Good morning, my sweethearts. In case you forgot (j’accuse!), today’s my birthday, which means that if you are in the Bay Area, you are legally obligated to attend our tech policy panel tonight in San Francisco, Tech in the Age of Trump (sorry, those are the rules, what can I say, California is weird like that.) Co-hosted by Vrge Strategies and TheBridge, it will be moderated by Wall Street Journal venture capital reporter Cat Zakrzewski, and feature Casey Aden-Wansbury, director of federal affairs and engagement at Airbnb; Katherine Boyle, venture capitalist at General Catalyst; Christina Gagnier, partner and lead of internet, intellectual property & technology practice at Gagnier Margossian LLP; and Andrew Noyes, Senior Director of Communication at JUST. So see you tonight?
Not a lot to direct you to this morning because I spent all weekend dancing my butt off at that wedding in Scranton, other than this profile of White House provocateur and author of the many the awful policy Stephen Miller. Here, Atlantic writer / conservative profiler / subject of my eternal nerd crush McKay Coppins delves into how Miller went from SoCal high schooler to the architect of some of the more inflammatory and cruel immigration policies put out by this White House. And in showing how Miller’s worldly ethos is deeply rooted in “owning the libs,” Coppins explores how performative conservatism can lead to very real-world consequences. For example, in examining how the white nationalist internet is bolstered by the sharing of trolly racist memes that are waved away as “jokes,” Coppins observes, “Before long, the line between performance and principle is blurred beyond recognition, your “true” beliefs buried under so many layers of irony that they’ve been rendered irrelevant.”
But to wash away that truly awful taste in your mouth, I proudly give you Faving and Saving: How The Internet Is Changing The Way Dogs Find Homes, BuzzFeed’s deep dive into how rescue organizations and shelters are using social media to increase the adoption rates of “undesirable” doggies.
You’re all great. Make your best choices today, and be kind to each other.