THE TRUMP DIARIES: 1/23/17

“The Noise and the Signal,” is a terrific book by Nate Silver, and it examines how information can come in a deluge, how events can distract from the essential, and how data or signals that are used to predict and forecast are different from noise.

The Trump regime is adept at creating noise. Steve Bannon, who helped to create Breitbart “News,” the authoritarian and anti-democracy propaganda media outlet, brings out some of Herr Trump’s worst instincts. Together, these two would be crap shooters are making a lot of noise.

They are also sending signals.

It’s a challenge to ID what’s a signal and what’s noise with these two. Even when that’s possible, there are so many signals, it’s hard to know what to respond to. It’s stimuli overload and the cleverness of it is that when a living organism is overwhelmed, it can shut down or experience debilitating stress.

So many approaches to take.

You can try to choose the signal that you respond to. Could be the Trump regime’s decision to do away with reproductive rights. Or the plan to eliminate health care for those with pre-existing conditions. March against the missile launch and war. (What missile launch? What war? You’ll see.)

Or, you can create your own signals and noise. What are your goals? How do you intend to resist and not just go on the defensive, but on the attack?

What is your noise? What is your signal?