The subtext is doing all the work here. Some immigrants are praised as “clean,” “safe,” and impressive, while others are framed as problems to be managed or threats to be removed. That’s not policy—it’s a hierarchy dressed up as flattery.

It’s telling how many community members describe encounters with agents as chaotic and threatening. That fear is real and deserves scrutiny and reform — but language that feeds fear without context can push people further apart instead of toward solutions.

There are real concerns about privacy and safety that companies cite, but the effect right now is that people struggling with federal immigration enforcement are being cut off from tools and platforms they were using to communicate and organize. (Axios)

It’s telling how dissent is always dismissed as purchased while loyalty is celebrated as authentic. When criticism is organic and widespread, the easiest way to avoid engaging it is to pretend it was bought.

The guest list tells you exactly what this is: not culture, not art, but a loyalty check wrapped in a screening. Power networking dressed up as entertainment, where attendance matters more than the film itself.

People are scared because enforcement operations have happened in neighborhoods, schools, and homes — and in some cases families and even children have been detained. That fear is real and deserves scrutiny and oversight from elected officials.

There are real grievances and loss that have sparked protests, and many leaders are demanding answers and changes. But talking about people’s right to “defend themselves” in violent terms makes it harder to have the kind of peaceful pressure that actually leads to oversight and reform.

This is the clearest illustration of the imbalance: tens of thousands of workers cut loose while executive pay soars and tens of millions are spent on image and influence. When profit is protected at all costs but people are disposable, “rigged” isn’t rhetoric—it’s description.