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My wife and many of her friends are sociologists. She forwarded me this text that one of her friends found. Apparently it was also written by a sociologist. I found it helpful. Maybe you will too.
"As a sociologist, I need to tell you that your being overwhelmed is the goal.
1/ The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn't just politics as usual - it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.
2/ Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.
3/ Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.
The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.
What now?
1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.
2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.
3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.
4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context
5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.
Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.”
UPDATE: it seems that this Threads post is the origin of the above sentiment: https://www.threads.net/@itsjenniferwalter/post/DFIu3Q2q-5P
While I don't love linking to Threads, I think it's important to give credit where credit is due.
@paulboeck thanks for sharing!
@paulboeck Thanks for sharing this extremely helpful and relevant information 
Or as I like to put it, stay in your lane. Coordinate with other drivers but don’t weave across the highway.
@Aphrodite @paulboeck NOW you tell me! <<face palm>>
@paulboeck
I think they are right.
But a lot of people will not be able to control themselves anymore, they will feel very helpless and will take very drastic actions.
#Trump survived once.
@ericschutte Yeah, I agree completely. At this point I'm afraid to say that nothing about this administration's actions or the responses to those actions would surprise me.
@paulboeck This is good stuff. Thanks! It really hits the mark.
@paulboeck “Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point.”
@paulboeck you're a hero for this. This is exactly the kind of practical advice people need. Thank you
@BoysenberryCider Aww, shucks. Thanks 
@paulboeck *big thumbs up!*
Excellent list and tactics for dealing with a fascist state propaganda machine and not granting consent or engaging in silence .
@paulboeck Ok. Say you do all that. You’re focused on one issue and part of a supportive community doing the same thing. How do I go about restarting NIH grant review? Or reincarcerating violent felons from J6? Or keeping a trans servicemember from being dishonorably discharged?
@VirginiaHolloway Boy, do I wish I had the answers to those questions. I have family members that are directly affected by these changes so I'd love to figure out how to reverse them.
@VirginiaHolloway @paulboeck there are people closer to the fire who know what's needed, and there are people with appropriate skills necessary to do something. If they connect, they can tell the wider community what resources they need.
No one person can fix everything, but we can all build places, connections and norms to start the response needed.
@paulboeck thank you. I remind myself every day that Trump is a burning carousel in a sadistic carnival. Throwing of sparks and embers all the time. You are right, one must assess which fires are critical and which are distraction.
@lillyfinch @paulboeck beautifully put!
@paulboeck what i dont understand: do I underestimate Trump or is there someone whispering in his ear? He always seems too deluted to come up with such elaborated psychological games, let alone play them successfully.
@LupinoArts @paulboeck I believe much of this is out of the Project 2025 playbook.
@paulboeck Carter? Reagan? Bush? Obama? Biden? all from the same cloth..it's the government! LOL
@paulboeck
Sur l’effet de brouillard cognitif qui est tactique ~> please read 
@paulboeck Awesome. It feels like key takeaways from a rather rich Masterclass given by some brilliant mind. Thanks for sharing !
While Different Groups are fighting for the goal of preserving the subject of their choice or passion ?
Trumps REAL underlying goal is to defund the Government by giving additional Tax Cuts to the Richest Americans & Corporations
This will lead to shortfalls in budget funding programs that are popular
This will cause Chaos
This will trigger Marshall law
For this to be successful, he NEEDS THE MILITARY
The Nazi Horde has a Plan & is implementing it as we watch Democracy Suffer & Die
@paulboeck I’ve already wondered if #Musk’s ‘awkward gesture’ was just an attempt to distract from all of this.
@paulboeck Boring. Social Exploitation. Watch only solutions and if Trump has answers and if they are working.
He loose. And can not solve Ukraine War or Climate issues. Good was Europe building of Defence. However we need Cooperation and global Markets.
@paulboeck It seems resistance to all this could be simplified by combining objection to most of Trump's moves into one single thing and fighting that.
The one single thing is that Congress makes the law, the president's job is to faithfully execute the law, and the president has no authority to impound funds or unilaterally cancel programs. That was decided in the Nixon days. It's the law. He doesn't simply get to cancel foreign aid, the CDC, Medicaid, and everything else that he's trying. The first big battle is to fight that.
Getting injunctions to keep the money flowing will save a lot of lives.
@not2b 1000% !!
this is truly superb advice
@paulboeck And if in doubt about where to focus, check out Bernie and AOC.
@paulboeck shock and awe!
@paulboeck I think this post missed the root cause analysis.
Get out and vote. Do something more than whining. Stop waiting for someone else to fix the world for you.
@paulboeck
#BuildCommunity. Aka #Solidarity, but more than that, it's adding our strengths together. It used to be called Think globally, Act Locally.
@paulboeck
it does come to mind
the possibility that RhymesWithOrange may be distressing every single segment of the population
in order to trigger at least one spark
then he can declare state of emergency and really get scary.
hope im wrong.
ive come to a similar conclusion, that there is a real need to #resist and aso keep a POSITIVE pressure bubble around myself and all those i come into contact.
well said, im glad there are eloquent people out there pushing for continued sanity.
thank you.
@paulboeck
Excellent : thanks for sharing!
@paulboeck Thank you for sharing. Sharing is caring.
@paulboeck this is very helpful to understand and to deal with the current transformations. thank you! similar developments occur in Germany right now.
@prettyugly It is indeed becoming a worldwide challenge. All the more frightening!
@paulboeck Thank you for spelling this out so clearly and concisely.
@CandaceRobbAuthor I wish I could take credit for those words, but I'm just sharing the words of others in hopes of spreading some hope :)
@paulboeck I did realize that. I'm still grateful that you shared it.
@paulboeck Wonderful, thank you!
@paulboeck Great advice.
@paulboeck Great advice.
@paulboeck good luck 
. You guys must be young, wanting to fight "this". I hope you are successful
@boneofcontention Ha! I wish. We're 52. Though I suppose 'young' is somewhat relative 
. We do have family personally affected by numerous EOs though.
@paulboeck @paulboeck my condolences listen, I am still in shock that it all went this far, and still going. I moved to Europe in 2015 when I seen putin stealing the election because he needed trump in the Whitehouse, this time it was Elon. I can't ever come back, I can't keep my mouth shut, I just couldn't bring myself to live under or beside Satanist, THEN, so it would be an complete disaster for me 
, and whoever I "got into it with". I love, know and believe in God and I hate evil, just as God does. They are all corrupt and guiltily of blasphemy, wolves in sheep's clothing, blasphemers 
, I get annoyed with people who say "conservative Christians" et because it's not possible to be a MAGA MITE, trumpf supporters at all, and be a Christian. They are not even bad Christians, hell, I was a terrible Christian for decades, some people are just "a work in progress" Christians but trumpf and his MAGA MITES, nope. I am going to have to shut up, I am trying to just not watch the News, read the News, because it is really like I am outside of my body, unbelievable.
I wish you success and your family. I understand you though, I guess I just don't feel good enough to fight with them.
@paulboeck so insightful and actionable. Only thing I might add is disconnect from all corporate media (NYT, WAPO, CNN, Guardian et al. Their function is precisely as you note - overwhelm and pacify. Their boss IS the regime. Need a whole new portfolio of comrade newsfeeds and intell.
@thomkennon Hell yes!!
@paulboeck Only fitting that fascists would hit you with an information blitzkrieg 
@paulboeck to your point about expert analyst. Paul Krugman has left the times and is on Mastodon https://mastodon.online/@pkrugman
@jhavoc He doesn't seem to be active on here though..
@elduvelle Thanks El Duvelle in a recent article P Krugman did state that he would keep publishing via substack which eliminated the issue of #nytimes editorial board attempting to downplay the dangers facing the USA. The link to his substack is https://substack.com/@paulkrugman.
TBH I am still on the fence about Substack and its ownership model compared to community models like the Fediverse.
@paulboeck This should be broadcast widely!
@paulboeck Thanks for posting this. Will share widely,
@paulboeck you know how Americans always comment on world news and be like "why don't just they kick out the dictator" this is how it feels watching you guys now.