How Did This Happen?

One thing that we don't talk about enough is how the "attention economy" has allowed people of little talent but audacious cynicism to create a career - a paying job - out of being horrible. We've monetized assholery in a way that was once reserved for morning radio jocks. https://t.co/9DsWNKeCQT

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) January 4, 2022

And who do we blame?

Marjorie Taylor Greene's Covid misinformation is impossible to defend. Kevin McCarthy went for it anyway. https://t.co/m33itmOh0K

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 4, 2022

Yes, it is impossible to defend. But an "invalid opinion"? Or just one private companies like Twitter and Facebook are not obligated to publish? But are we obligated to pay attention to it?

Of course, we've always had clowns in Congress:

Ron Johnson escalates attack on vaccines: 'Why do we think that we can create something better than God?' https://t.co/i3FB5FhqdO

— Raw Story (@RawStory) January 4, 2022

Just ask Mark Twain. But the franking privilege has been entirely swept aside by the Tweeting privilege; or just the access to unfettered boobs allowed by the intertoobs (Sen. Johnson opined on a podcast.)

About time someone took down that prideful bastard Salk https://t.co/rgCIIYiA2E

— SatanicBeanbagHat (@Popehat) January 4, 2022

(Well, I couldn't leave that out.)

And actually, sometimes I think ALL  tout le intertoobs talk about is how the "attention economy" has allowed people of little talent to create a career, from office holders to "influencers," and many, many pundits in between.

You know who you are.