The Unifying Energy of ?Same Energy? Posts

This thing is like that thing.Most of the time, “same energy” posts are meant as jokes, or funny observations, but they also point to a relatively new way of thinking about and experiencing the internet, less as an informational database you jack into and more as a mutable object you experience but can’t exactly quantify.same energy pic.twitter.com/s8pUKT07hzSame energy pic.twitter.com/sGFY4OfN7lAs a concept, “same energy” is reminiscent of astrology, the pseudoscience that’s fun to believe in so long as you don’t let it exclusively dictate every decision you ever make. In the absence of a concrete understanding of what numbers truly mean, we turn to other kinds of sorting systems — and that leads us to things with the same or different energies.Raw numbers don’t help you understand the emotions or intent of a post, even though most memes on social media are predicated on the idea of eliciting an emotional response or conjuring a feeling. It would make sense then, that we’ve come up with methods like “same energy,” a fuzzy way to classify and organize all of the disparate parts of internet culture for easier navigation.Taking America’s dumpster fire on the roadWith congressional Democrats mulling impeachment, [President Trump’s] Europe trip should be a welcome reprieve. …The transcripts of the Flynn-Kisylak calls would provide a rare glimpse into the power of American surveillance to capture the private discussions of foreign emissaries — and an intimate look at a budding relationship between a top Russian official and one of the president-elect’s most trusted lieutenants in the weeks before Trump took office.Bloomberg on what they did release:A lawyer for President Donald Trump asked for a “heads up” from former national Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s attorney as Flynn was poised to enter a cooperation agreement with prosecutors from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office, according to a transcript of the message made available Friday.The lawyer, John Dowd, said in a voicemail the warning was necessary for the sake of “protecting all our interests, if we can, without you having to give up any … confidential information.” Dowd also reminded the general’s lawyer of the president’s “feelings” toward Flynn and said “that still remains.” …In the transcript, which was peppered with ellipses and incomplete phrases, Dowd raised the prospect of information that might be damaging to the president. Tulsi Gabbard and Eric Swalwell, Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper will also appear on Saturday.This went to a weird placeAsked by CBS News’ Jan Crawford about concerns over his reputation for defending the president amid ongoing probes into the administration’s alleged ties to the Russian government and claims that Mr. Trump obstructed justice, [Attorney General] Barr appeared indifferent.“I am at the end of my career,” Barr said. The attorney general said he was surprised when Mueller told him he would not decide if the president obstructed justice but said he didn’t press him on it and then, working with Justice Department lawyers, stepped in and made the decision himself based on the evidence Mueller had gathered.Asked about the fundamental difference between his and Mueller’s views on what the evidence gathered during the Russia probe means, Barr said, “I think Bob said he was not going to engage in the analysis. “That means that all 12 DNC sanctioned debates will feature a diverse group of moderators and panelists including women and people of color, ensuring that the conversations reflect the concerns of all Americans.”AOC has found an unlikely ally: Ted CruzSen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez set aside their Twitter bickering Thursday to strike an unusual bargain: an agreement to work together on a bill to ban former members of Congress from lobbying for life.The Texas Republican and the New York Democrat made the pact on Twitter after Ocasio-Cortez tweeted a report by the watchdog group Public Citizen on the number of former lawmakers who’ve headed to K Street this year.“I don’t think it should be legal at ALL to become a corporate lobbyist if you’ve served in Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.Cruz, who’s feuded with Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter before, tweeted that he agreed, suggesting it might be “a chance for some bipartisan cooperation.”Ocasio-Cortez responded by proposing a deal: “If we can agree on a bill with no partisan snuck-in clauses, no poison pills, etc - just a straight, clean ban on members of Congress becoming paid lobbyists - then I’ll co-lead the bill with you.”“You’re on,” Cruz responded.