Chris Hayes

And you know, it's pretty funny cause it's bang on. And the point is that we all understand we have a category of words that going back to porn, like titillating, prurient, lurid. Obscene. Obscene, that describe the category of things that we think that we both know draw our attention but are morally dubious.

And you know, it's pretty funny cause it's bang on. And the point is that we all understand we have a category of words that going back to porn, like titillating, prurient, lurid. Obscene. Obscene, that describe the category of things that we think that we both know draw our attention but are morally dubious.

And what happens in the sort of collective malformation around attention as the most signature value, the only thing that matters in this competitive landscape, is a kind of moral degradation, right? Because it's pulling us towards things that we know at some level aren't that important or morally defensible, but do get our attention.

And what happens in the sort of collective malformation around attention as the most signature value, the only thing that matters in this competitive landscape, is a kind of moral degradation, right? Because it's pulling us towards things that we know at some level aren't that important or morally defensible, but do get our attention.

Yes, that's a great point.

Yes, that's a great point.

when there was a version of the discourse we're going through now. The idea is like, you know what we need? a black guy with a foreign-sounding name who is a former professor and community organizer. Constitutional law professor, yes. That was ludicrous. Like, what we need is, like, a guy you can have a beer with who also has a ranch. And, like, that's what we need.

when there was a version of the discourse we're going through now. The idea is like, you know what we need? a black guy with a foreign-sounding name who is a former professor and community organizer. Constitutional law professor, yes. That was ludicrous. Like, what we need is, like, a guy you can have a beer with who also has a ranch. And, like, that's what we need.

And it was like, no, we needed something totally different. Two things. One, I think it is important, again, to distinguish between, like, what is this doing to people more broadly and what is it doing to political professionals? Yes. You know? And I think it's extremely dangerous for political professionals to read social media as representative of the public. Right.

And it was like, no, we needed something totally different. Two things. One, I think it is important, again, to distinguish between, like, what is this doing to people more broadly and what is it doing to political professionals? Yes. You know? And I think it's extremely dangerous for political professionals to read social media as representative of the public. Right.

I also think you shouldn't just ignore it as online or Twitter is not real life because increasingly there is no distinction between the two. But there are different selves that we have. There's a self that wants to read a novel and the self that scrolls Instagram. There's, you know, the self that doesn't want to eat that third cookie and the self that does eat the third cookie.

I also think you shouldn't just ignore it as online or Twitter is not real life because increasingly there is no distinction between the two. But there are different selves that we have. There's a self that wants to read a novel and the self that scrolls Instagram. There's, you know, the self that doesn't want to eat that third cookie and the self that does eat the third cookie.

There are different publics, too, in that same way. Within the public, there's... a public that feels very compassionate towards immigrants, feels proud of America being a nation of immigrants, and there's a public that feels like they're being ripped off and invaded. And sometimes they're the same people. Often they're the same people.

There are different publics, too, in that same way. Within the public, there's... a public that feels very compassionate towards immigrants, feels proud of America being a nation of immigrants, and there's a public that feels like they're being ripped off and invaded. And sometimes they're the same people. Often they're the same people.

But Farrell's whole point is that these publics are formed collectively. So I think it's important, A, that political professionals don't make this simple representational mistake, which I agree with you, has led to a lot of poor choices. Like, people on this social media platform are screaming to me about this means there's some constituency behind them.

But Farrell's whole point is that these publics are formed collectively. So I think it's important, A, that political professionals don't make this simple representational mistake, which I agree with you, has led to a lot of poor choices. Like, people on this social media platform are screaming to me about this means there's some constituency behind them.

And yet, as the line between reality and online breaks down, the vanguard of people screaming really do have cultural significance.

And yet, as the line between reality and online breaks down, the vanguard of people screaming really do have cultural significance.

But all of it.

But all of it.