#TCFBest is back with the best reads from around the web. Notice anything missing? Any mention of Chris Christie and #Bridgegate. Wired sums up the entire state of the Snowden leaks to date, with an article detailing the lay of the NSA land, and who they might’ve angered (everyone). The Atlantic sticks to generalizations as they group every war movie together into one sweeping montage. Dissent Magazine highlights two paths for the labor movement, and how its agenda can grow in 2014 and beyond. Discuss.
The Internet’s last stand?
In a compelling novel of a post, Wired details the feelings of tech companies and the National Security Agency in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks on government surveillance. In short, all sides feel misunderstood by the general public when it comes to the misuse and bulk collection of data. The NSA would like everyone to know they only operate with Americans’ best interests in mind. Tech companies like Google and Microsoft proclaim NSA cloud hacking undermines their ability to keep consumer data private…unless of course it’s being used for marketing purposes. The ultimate fear of both parties is a new “splinternet.” The moral: more encryption. Get the scoop at Wired.
Glorifying conflict.
The Atlantic gets into the movie business, or at least into the business of war, in a recent post on the film Lone Survivor’s role in making war look cool. “Rooted in a tradition of patriotism as old as the motion picture itself,” says The Atlantic’s Calum Marsh about Survivor’s place the war film canon, he overlooks the expected propaganda as merely following “genre protocol,” also seen in films like The Green Berets and Act of Valor. The by-the-book representation of good guys vs. bad guys is what turns these films into cartoons of war, according to Marsh. But this isn’t the worrisome part, he writes. This overt type of war film is nothing new, but the concept of “multi-million dollar recruitment videos” may contribute to the legitimization of “xenophobia and American exceptionalism.” To some, those might be fighting words. Battle on at The Atlantic.
A labor revival.
Dissent Magazine tells us the labor movement has received more pep in its step, with the adoption of a “new strategic initiative.” This new lease on life for trade unionists can be attributed to two roads: first, a massive demonstration the likes of 2006’s “Day Without Immigrants,” which allowed unionists to pick up several allies. However, this type of success is organic, impossible to plan for and implement. The second road forward looks like this: taking advantage of a left-leaning shift in politics, and ensuring this newfound “Democratic hegemony” extends to the working class. Read more, no pitchforks necessary, at Dissent.
Tags: #tcfbest, propaganda, edward snowden, war film, nsa, wired, dissent magazine, xenophobia, national security agency, the atlantic, encryption, google, labor movement, lone survivor, unions, microsoft
#TCFBest: January 11, 2014
#TCFBest is back with the best reads from around the web. Notice anything missing? Any mention of Chris Christie and #Bridgegate. Wired sums up the entire state of the Snowden leaks to date, with an article detailing the lay of the NSA land, and who they might’ve angered (everyone). The Atlantic sticks to generalizations as they group every war movie together into one sweeping montage. Dissent Magazine highlights two paths for the labor movement, and how its agenda can grow in 2014 and beyond. Discuss.
The Internet’s last stand?
In a compelling novel of a post, Wired details the feelings of tech companies and the National Security Agency in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks on government surveillance. In short, all sides feel misunderstood by the general public when it comes to the misuse and bulk collection of data. The NSA would like everyone to know they only operate with Americans’ best interests in mind. Tech companies like Google and Microsoft proclaim NSA cloud hacking undermines their ability to keep consumer data private…unless of course it’s being used for marketing purposes. The ultimate fear of both parties is a new “splinternet.” The moral: more encryption. Get the scoop at Wired.
Glorifying conflict.
The Atlantic gets into the movie business, or at least into the business of war, in a recent post on the film Lone Survivor’s role in making war look cool. “Rooted in a tradition of patriotism as old as the motion picture itself,” says The Atlantic’s Calum Marsh about Survivor’s place the war film canon, he overlooks the expected propaganda as merely following “genre protocol,” also seen in films like The Green Berets and Act of Valor. The by-the-book representation of good guys vs. bad guys is what turns these films into cartoons of war, according to Marsh. But this isn’t the worrisome part, he writes. This overt type of war film is nothing new, but the concept of “multi-million dollar recruitment videos” may contribute to the legitimization of “xenophobia and American exceptionalism.” To some, those might be fighting words. Battle on at The Atlantic.
A labor revival.
Dissent Magazine tells us the labor movement has received more pep in its step, with the adoption of a “new strategic initiative.” This new lease on life for trade unionists can be attributed to two roads: first, a massive demonstration the likes of 2006’s “Day Without Immigrants,” which allowed unionists to pick up several allies. However, this type of success is organic, impossible to plan for and implement. The second road forward looks like this: taking advantage of a left-leaning shift in politics, and ensuring this newfound “Democratic hegemony” extends to the working class. Read more, no pitchforks necessary, at Dissent.
Tags: #tcfbest, propaganda, edward snowden, war film, nsa, wired, dissent magazine, xenophobia, national security agency, the atlantic, encryption, google, labor movement, lone survivor, unions, microsoft