The evil temptresses of apathy & cynicism

Also: Jason Aldean is giving country music a bad name [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  August 6, 2023 Dear Cog reader, My mother alerted me to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s latest indictment of former President Donald Trump. I was at my computer, working and pleading with my puppy to stop gnawing on an end table, when her alert came through in a text: “Jim Acosta. C-Span. Trump has been indicted on four criminal counts.” I’d like to explain what happens in the Cog-world when news like this breaks. It's our third Trump indictment in nearly as many months, so in some sense, we’ve been down this road before. First we remember who we are: A tiny, but mighty operation that needs to pick our shots. (We know we're not the New York Times.) We then quickly tap our bench of contributors to see who could bring a different perspective or add to the conversation. This time around, I traded messages with a contributor — one I admire very much — who didn’t have the time or the inclination to write this week. But she did share that she felt like she hadn’t read a single unique thing about the four-count indictment. Everything felt recycled or repackaged. Truly, how many different ways can we say Trump is a threat to American democracy? Her voice was ringing in my ear. As writers (and I count myself among that group), we grant power to the written word — to inspire, to inform, to persuade. If I didn’t believe in the power of story to make a difference, I couldn’t do my job. And yet. How many millions of words have been written about Trump’s attempts to subvert democracy? And how big a difference has sharing all those words and all that information actually made in influencing the way people think? Apathy and cynicism are evil temptresses in my line of work. We're being desensitized to outrageous and unbelievable behavior. It can be easy to look away from Trump, to keep C-Span turned off and believe nothing significant will happen as a result of this latest indictment. Trump is still way out front in the race for the [GOP nomination]( he’s still spreading the same lies about the 2020 election, Fox News and the right-wing media machine are still parroting many of those falsehoods. To be a person in America in 2023 is to live in your own bubble with your own facts. So, what’s the point of trying at all? I think these are all bad reasons to give up. Susan Glasser, in an essay for [The New Yorker]( wrote: “The case against Defendant Donald J. Trump, although unprecedented, rests on unprecedented acts that took place in full view and for all to see.” History is unfolding before us, and we all need to pay attention. For Cog’s part, we offered three perspectives on the indictment news this week. A piece by Steve Almond uses a novel analogy to examine where he thinks we are, as an [electorate and a democracy](. An essay by negotiation experts Robert C. Bordone and Kevin Keystone proposes an idea for [averting a potentially prolonged and painful trial](. And a personal reflection by H.L.M. Lee looks at what [voting has historically meant to him and his family of immigrants](. My mom, ever-the-news watcher, followed up her original text with another one: “Are you watching? Jack Smith will speak at any moment.” I dug out the remote from the couch cushions and flicked it on. Until soon,  Cloe Axelson Senior Editor, Cognoscenti [Follow]( Support the news   Must Reads [What Trump tried to take from me and families like mine]( My father didn’t talk about politics. Or his past. As immigrants, the consequences for my parents were outsized, writes H. L. M. Lee. While Donald Trump is accused of stealing our vote, what he’s really trying to steal is our voice. [Read more.]( [What Trump tried to take from me and families like mine]( My father didn’t talk about politics. Or his past. As immigrants, the consequences for my parents were outsized, writes H. L. M. Lee. While Donald Trump is accused of stealing our vote, what he’s really trying to steal is our voice. [Read more.]( [Donald Trump and the trap door]( If a president can brazenly seek to undermine a free and fair election, then use that same system to win power again, is America even a democracy anymore? asks Steve Almond. [Read more.]( [Donald Trump and the trap door]( If a president can brazenly seek to undermine a free and fair election, then use that same system to win power again, is America even a democracy anymore? asks Steve Almond. [Read more.]( [The best outcome for Trump and American democracy? Consider a plea deal]( Hard core Trump supporters want nothing less than total vindication for the former president. Some of Trump's most vocal opponents want to see him behind bars. But the best option for the country and American democracy might be a plea deal, write Robert C. Bordone and Kevin Keystone. [Read more.]( [The best outcome for Trump and American democracy? Consider a plea deal]( Hard core Trump supporters want nothing less than total vindication for the former president. Some of Trump's most vocal opponents want to see him behind bars. But the best option for the country and American democracy might be a plea deal, write Robert C. Bordone and Kevin Keystone. [Read more.]( [Jason Aldean is giving country music a bad nameÂ]( With a controversial new music video, Jason Aldean has fashioned himself the anti-woke hero of the moment. Joyce Linehan is concerned about what Aldean and his ilk mean for country music over all. [Read more.]( [Jason Aldean is giving country music a bad nameÂ]( With a controversial new music video, Jason Aldean has fashioned himself the anti-woke hero of the moment. Joyce Linehan is concerned about what Aldean and his ilk mean for country music over all. [Read more.]( [How we can make traffic stops safer for people with autism]( Something as simple as a blue envelope could help to avert tragic misunderstandings between people with an autism diagnosis and law enforcement officials. Ilyse Levine-Kanji explains how a bill before the Mass. State Legislature would give her family peace of mind. [Read more.]( [How we can make traffic stops safer for people with autism]( Something as simple as a blue envelope could help to avert tragic misunderstandings between people with an autism diagnosis and law enforcement officials. Ilyse Levine-Kanji explains how a bill before the Mass. State Legislature would give her family peace of mind. [Read more.]( What We're Reading "Can a sitting president spread lies about an election and try to employ the authority of the government to overturn the will of the voters without consequence? The question would have been unimaginable just a few years ago, but the Trump case raises the kind of specter more familiar in countries with histories of coups and juntas and dictators." "[Trump's Case Has Broad Implications for American Democracy]( The New York Times "Women’s teams across the globe are tasting fandom and legitimacy, and to build on that momentum, maybe the world is ready for a surprise winner. There is no drama in dominance. For women’s soccer to truly become a global sensation, the U.S. needs worthy rivals."["If the U.S. Women's Team Loses the World Cup]( The Atlantic "One of the scariest things about the emerging warmer world may be how quickly people mentally adapt to it. Almost 10 years ago, 2014 clocked in as the warmest year on record — now, looking back, 2014 seems positively cool. Researchers have found that humans quickly stop remarking on hot temperatures; after between two to eight years, what was once a record high starts to feel like the new normal." "[The world just got its first real taste of what life is like at 1.5 degrees Celsius]( The Washington Post "Three generations removed from my Ye-Ye, who immigrated into the U.S. under cover of darkness, our older daughter will soon cast their first vote for a president." — H.L.M Lee, "[What Trump tried to take from me and families like mine]( ICYMI [My brain tumor and Shaun Cassidy]( I adored Shaun Cassidy when I was younger, writes Stacey Curran. Decades later, after brain surgery, it made sense to finally see him. [Read more.]( [My brain tumor and Shaun Cassidy]( I adored Shaun Cassidy when I was younger, writes Stacey Curran. Decades later, after brain surgery, it made sense to finally see him. [Read more.]( If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2023 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.