Wilkerson

• Nor is its author, Jeff Sharlet, focused only on the ominous events of January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol.
• Sharlet believes that event is part of a “slow civil war” that threatens the future of the American republic.
• Review: The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War – Jeff Sharlet (W.W. Norton)

American racism

• Sharlet documents Belafonte’s lifelong struggle against racism, through a series of conversations.
• Sharlet uses Belafonte to argue racism is at the heart of the American political and social malady.
• Belafonte, a mainstream performer with cross-race appeal who still suffered intense discrimination, is Sharlet’s bearer of the bad news that racism resides in the core of American identity.
• Read more:
  From sit-ins in the 1960s to uprisings in the new millennium, Harry Belafonte served as a champion of youth activism

‘The American religion of winning’

• While race may be at the heart of a contested American identity, Sharlet believes evangelical religion is propelling the narrative of discontent and rebellion.
• Or rather, a distorted branch within evangelical religion: the prosperity gospel, which teaches that faith and positive thinking attract health, wealth and happiness.
• Wilkerson is portrayed as a very “cool” Christian, with a talent for grabbing headlines and fraternising with celebrity friends.
• Prosperity follows him.” The American prosperity gospel is a materialist practice full of (sometimes unaware) poseurs, a bit like Trump himself.
• His braggadocio at rallies appeals to his acolytes because it operates within “the American religion of winning”.

Evangelical religion and QAnon

• As the apostle Paul wrote: “We walk by faith, not by sight” (KJV, 2 Corinthians 5:7).
• Through QAnon, the pro-Trump conspiracy theory provides secular breadcrumbs for those seeking answers for the strange condition of the modern American nation-state.
• QAnon is rooted in Gnostic philosophy, which held that reality is not what it appears (and was expelled from the mainstream of early Christianity’s canon).
• QAnon adherents believe that, with the addition of the conspiracy theories supplied by QAnon, menacing forces and hopeful signs can be effortlessly revealed.
• Read more:
  History repeats itself: From the New Testament to QAnon

A slow civil war

Hope cannot easily spring eternal, so grim are the signs of a slow civil war. Sharlet hints mass protest may be a democratic antidote to the American proto-fascism he fears.

• In the end, Sharlet can only offer the slender hope that democratic practice, one small step at a time, might prevail through the will of sensible people.
• But what if the problem went deeper than an internal culture war?
• Read more:
  In Doppelganger, Naomi Klein says the world is broken: conspiracy theorists 'get the facts wrong but often get the feelings right'

Not unique to America

• Certainly, Australia has experienced white racism – and violent, organised attacks on non-whites.
• Alternatively, follow the unfolding story of the two policemen and a neighbour, gunned down in an ambush in Southern Queensland in 2022.
• But it is harder to channel racist and religious fanaticism into an attack on the political state in Australia.
• They will not be assured of America’s future role as a reliable world bastion of liberal democracy.
• Nor can they be assured the United States will remain the politically stable centre of an increasingly unstable global economic system.

Ian Tyrrell received funding from the Australian Research Council's grant schemes on five occasions from 1996 to 2015.

• LBFE Boston champions the seventh annual, national Digital Inclusion Week - a crucial platform to celebrate and amplify the community-driven initiatives that are breaking down digital barriers—one connection, one device, and one skill at a time.
• BOSTON, Oct. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Highlighting mutual support for creating a more equitable society through digital inclusion, and in concert with the National Digital Inclusion Alliance's Digital Inclusion Week 10/2-10/6, the City of Boston, and the State of Massachusetts, and at the request of LBFE Boston | Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly , an Age Strong Commission partner, Boston City Hall and the Zakim, Longfellow, Fore River, and Burns Bridges in Massachusetts will be lit up in teal at sunset on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
• "LBFE Boston continues to expand our work supporting older adults, especially those who face economic and linguistic barriers, in accessing devices, internet connectivity, and training and support," continued Wilkerson.
• "We're proud to be part of efforts across Boston and Massachusetts to bridge the digital divide and to create a more equitable landscape for everyone."

• Four-day event, produced by AnitaB.org, excitedly announces the highly anticipated registration opening for Grace Hopper Celebration 2023.
• GHC 23 will be held in-person in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center and offered virtually from September 26-29, 2023.
• Grace Hopper Celebration aims to inspire and empower women and non-binary technologists, by advocating for diversity, inclusivity, equality, and belonging in the technology sector.
• Registration for Grace Hopper Celebration 2023 opens on July 18, 2023, and can be found at the official GHC 23 site only, linked here .

• Drew Wilkerson, chief executive officer of RXO, said, “RXO continued to deliver solid results in the first quarter, despite the current challenges in the freight market and the economy.
• Our brokerage business gained market share and recorded a 6 percent increase in volume year-over-year.
• We also maintained best-in-class brokerage gross margin of 16.3 percent.”
  Wilkerson continued, “RXO ended the first quarter with $121 million in cash, up $23 million from last quarter.
• Profitability remained strong, with 18.8 percent adjusted gross margin, up 80 basis points year-over-year.