Dolly, Authenticity, Meta, Vance, Billionaires, and the Future

<p><u><strong>Blain’s Morning Porridge August 27th, 2026</strong></u></p><p><em>“I’d like be thought of as a decent human being….”</em></p><p><em><strong>Celebrate Dolly. A reminder of real American exceptionalism and authenticity. What will replace her in the new America where Mega Tech and AI can settle the wrongs they do with no-liabilities settlements? Where the Vice President is a manufactured product of Billionaire’s Libertarian philosophy? Where the President runs the country as a fief to be milked dry? But can Authenticity can be bought and sold by the yard? At some point the people are going to question what’s really happening.   </strong></em></p><p>Key Takeaways</p><ul><li>Dolly Parton’s passing represents the end of an Age. Her authenticity was entirely of her own construction and on her own terms. There are no politicians like her.</li><li>Authenticity is political currency – but it is increasingly scarce.</li><li>Meta’s sudden settlement on child social media addiction is the new reality – true corporate power is the ability to payoff wrongdoing with no admission of guilt.</li><li>Trump’s political success was persuading voters he was the authentic voice of the left-behind and would restore them – but now he sits at the centre of the coterie of tech billionaires who seek a new version of America.</li><li>The Billionaire vision of a new America is, as yet, unclear but it sure won’t be “all men are created equal”. Some are very much more equal than 99.99% of their fellow Americans.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>The flags are flying at half-mast across the US in a mark of respect for Dolly Parton. They call it grief, but it’s a celebration of a genuine life lived well and loved well. But it is notable because it’s the end of an era – where Dolly’s success and politicians’ power were factors of their authenticity.</p><p><em>You can read the Morning Porridge by subscribing on </em><a href="http://www.morningporridge.com"><u>⁠</u><u><em>www.morningporridge.com</em></u><u>⁠</u></a><em>, and have it delivered fresh to your inbox every morning!</em></p><p><br></p>