[sometimes_all]

I saw this pattern a few years ago, with Trump and cryptocurrency.

Oh, Trump is a joke, on the cusp of crashing out. Then Trump is a danger to society. Cycle as convenient.

Oh crypto is a joke with no uses. Then crypto is a danger to society. Cycle as convenient.

None of this stopped Trump being president twice. Nor did it stop Bitcoin shooting up to tens of thousands of dollars. A few years in, I realized that the Atlantic and its ilk are just in the business of publishing articles people will read, or maybe in the business of hyping things up (negative articles seem to just increase the hype, not taint the subject). They don't really seem to change people's opinions, and they certainly don't believe in being consistent.