A lot of Americans are Googling 'what is oligarchy?' after Biden's farewell speech
A lot of Americans are Googling 'what is oligarchy?' after Biden's farewell speech
The outgoing president warned of the growing dominance of a small, monied elite.
Summary
In his farewell speech, President Joe Biden warned of a growing "oligarchy" in the U.S., where extreme wealth and power threaten democracy.
Comparing modern elites to 19th-century robber barons, he called for reforms to hold the wealthy accountable, as done in the past.
Biden also criticized a "tech-industrial complex" concentrating power and spreading disinformation, weakening democracy.
His remarks sparked a surge in Google searches for "oligarchy."
The speech comes amid rising concerns about policies favoring billionaires, like Trump’s tax cuts and potential cuts to social safety programs.
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it's been made abundantly clear that a lot of americans have no fucking idea what anyone is talking about
Defunding schools doing it's job
I genuinely can't believe that there is any overlap at all with the maybe 500 people who actually listened to his speech or even read an article summarizing it and those who don't know what the meaning of "oligarchy" is.
How does anyone get engaged enough in the political process to watch a speech from Biden and not recall Bernie Sanders saying this every day of his life for the last 30 years?
I often get confused between oligarchy, kleptocracy and plutocracy, that’s why I would look it up. I do understand how we can all be a little ignorant. We should do better.
Well, to be fair, a kleptocracy is a poverty mindset applied to wannabe plutarchs or oligarchs. Oligarchy is the DEI version of Plutocracy because it's not just wealth based. Edit:/s
There is nothing diverse, equitable or inclusive about oligarchs, quite the opposite, but I see your point.
Sarcasm tag added
I follow these things closely on my own time, as I assume is common for nearly everyone on lemmy.
But I saw coverage of Biden’s farewell address randomly at the gym. And also at a local restaurant. The media now is putting that word “oligarchy” in front of people's eyes, as a summary of his speech. I would guess most people googling it are checking if “the oligarchy” is a country in the middle east or something
It's scary how much old tv media sways public conversation...and how incompetent they are
Lol, that's fair. Maybe I should really feel surprised that people paid attention enough to Google it.
Probably depends on your life style and what you do for work. I work in front of a computer so I browse on the side and see stuff, but take a teacher who is focused on kids all day doesn't have much of a chance to get caught up on stuff
My friend is an HVAC guy and spends a lot of his days in the basement of high rises with no service. He gets home and has 2 kids to take care of and by the time he's done, physical labor has taken its toll and he's too sleepy to do much besides watch a comedy special before bed.
I have WFH computer job so I get to stay informed but it feels like the average American just doesn't have time to keep up with the insanity of modern politics.
The best my brain ever felt was when I worked in a corner of a building that was a dead zone. No distractions unless I sought them out and physically went to them.
Americans have been so fat and happy that they're literally sick. They need a few more LA fires and pandemics to wake up from the intellectual coma they're in.
Anyone who had any other understanding has failed to communicate with the American public.
communication requires participation by both the sender and the receiver in order to take place. are you saying that if everything you tell someone is dismissed as "fake news" and ignored, then it's your fault that nothing was communicated?
participation by both the sender and the receiver in order to take place. are you saying that if everything you tell someone is dismissed as “fake news” and ignored, then it’s your fa
How in the hell did you get that as a take away from what I said?
has failed to communicate with the American public.
what did you mean by that, if not exactly what you said?
I think user rumba meant in regards to the OP post...
"it's been made abundantly clear that a lot of americans have no fucking idea what anyone is talking about"
...that anybody who thought otherwise about the american public has never really talked to its representants.
Whereas I think you understood rumbas' comment as like he wrote about the people who knew better about the threat of the coming administration failed to communicate it to the average ignorant us citizen. With you replying that those trying to enlighten didn't have a chance to succeed with that anyway.
Now shake hands and unblock. You're on the same side.
Blocking a troll. got one less problem without ya...
Blocking a troll. got one less problem without ya…
lol if i was blocked i wouldn't see that...
but yea. bye.
What else is new?
Not the brightest bunch