To Get This Outta The Way
The new Matrix trailer looks incredible. What a moment for a movie reboot... low expectations from the debacles of the other Matrix sequels plus well, the past 22 years, where the Matrix themes have only become more relevant (sadly). Plus... with COVID winding down, we are ready to go out to the theaters again, plus Carrie Ann Moss and Keanu really rediscovering themselves as middle aged actors, with a good number of small to medium-sized creative wins of late. Yes, it's a good time.
Reflections Upon A Trip to France
1) The various rules and bureaucracy related to COVID in different countries, airlines, etc makes travel considerably more stressful and annoying
2) Coach seats for international travel feel a lot less comfortable than they used to.
3) American Pickle is an excellent movie. Full stop.
4) The Paris subway is not a very pleasant place to be these days.
5) The last time I was in France 20+ years ago, it was pretty common to feel an anti-American vibe out on the streets. This time, there was none of that. Perhaps because I spent most my time in Normandy versus Paris. Perhaps because I was there for an American film festival. But I think the true reason is that European anti-Americanism was always a bit petty and in the wake of COVID, the oppressive nature of social media, and all the political and social tensions in the Western world, the French have bigger things to concern themselves with than old fashioned anti-Americanism.
6) Do not order steak in Normandy near the coast, but rather the seafood.
7) Eat the butter and bread at every opportunity.
8) Seeing a film you helped create on the second biggest screen in France with an adventurous film festival audience is a unique experience I will always be grateful for.
9) Pig is a pretty good movie. Maybe a very good one.
10) When on the beach in Normandy in the AM, sunbathers face away from the water, which is surreal for someone from California. Do they do this to face the sun? I don't totally understand.
11) On casual observation, there were a lot of mother-daughters hanging out together in Normandy. I have no idea why.
12) Paris feels incredibly multi-cultural whereas Normandy feels very "French."
13) The French seem to adore Johnny Depp.
14) They still smoke in France.
15) You get COVID tested in pharmacies
16) The best casual food to try is salami from a deli where they slice it for you. Ask them what to try. They do something different with the cured meats in France and Europe in general and it is much better than even the best stuff you get in America.
17) In contrast, the coffee you can now get in the US rather easily (Philz, Equator, etc) is better than the espresso (cafe) you get in France.
18) I did not have the urge to turn on the TV the entire time I was there. I watched films on the plane and in the cinema.
19) City of Lies was not a good film.
20) One of the best lines someone said to me was "even the decent looking women in France are hot."
21) Train service from Paris to Deauville is comfortable and pleasant.
22) In St. Germain at night, you cannot tell there is a pandemic from the street other than showing your vaccine card to eat/drink.
23) The hosts and hostesses aren't looking very hard when they check your vaccine card. A piece of cardboard with two dates written on lines would probably pass.
24) On the air flight home, one passenger refused to wear a mask and caused a lot stress for the flight attendants.
25) Overheard at LAX shuttle to Uber: "it used to be easier to just hail a taxi." I agree.
Recall
An argument for Newsom's recall based upon his mismanagement of the drug crisis and homelessness. The proof is in the pudding. In an era of unprecedented riches in California, we have simultaneously mismanaged our political affairs to such a degree, our streets in LA and SF have turned into 3rd world blights.
The LA Times today published 4-5 panicked pleas to vote for Newsom over the "nihilism" of Larry Elder.
Please.
The Democrat playbook is the same every single time: panic over the evil Republican (fill in the blank name). They are fascists, nihilists, etc, etc.
Meanwhile, hold no Democrat responsible for anything. The LA Times articles say Newsom got unlucky with COVID and inherited problems of homelessness, drug abuse, and EDD. And he's brave for granting gay marriage licenses before the rest of the country in the gayest fricking city in the entire world -- my home - San Francisco. Gimme a break!
Meanwhile, we haven't had a real Republican in any sort of power in California for 30 freaking years. So let's ask this question: how are we supposed to register dissatisfaction with our government in California?
Seriously? Who can we call to cut this ridiculous lowering of standards in education? To cut out the anti-racist nonsense from our jobs and our politics? To clean up the streets, to help the drug addicted, the homeless, to do something about the astronomical housing costs, or the crazy amount of taxes, or the wildfires, or the gas prices, or the global fucking warming, or the EDD scandals, or rolling blackouts? Seriously, LA Times....what should Californians do? Just suck it up and keep electing the same cabal of incestuous, incompetent Democrats like Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, and Eric Garcetti? The Democrats have had 30 years to tackle these issues and as far as I can tell, they've all gotten worse under their watch. Is this because of George W Bush, or Donald Trump, or all the racists out in the heartland? All the crazy Republicans blocking the Democrats from brilliant policies to solve these problems? Nope.
It's a bunch of lies for corrupt incompetents to hold onto power.
Military Brass
So while Mark Milley was reading up on white rage, our actual enemies the Taliban and Al Queda were busy plotting our humiliation and the slaughter of our allies. Glad our military leaders have their priorities straight.
And for the record -- what's the argument we can't sustain the small presence in Afghanistan to keep the Taliban off balance for the next 50 years? Unless I'm missing something, it seems like we're bringing home the troops to pay for the child tax credit and free school lunch. Not that I'm positive this is the wrong decision, but what's so unsustainable about keeping a couple thousand active troops to support those who oppose some of the worst people on the planet?
Biowarfare Lab
The US has a biowarfare lab in Utah the same way China has one in Wuhan. Imagine the outbreak started in Utah, do you think the US government and press would've "not" investigated the possibility of the lab leak theory? Would anyone in the entire world believe the "it occurred naturally" nonsense peddled by scientists.
When they say "trust the science" what they really mean is don't question authority. If you want the public to trust the public health experts, perhaps behave in a trustworthy manner? So...perhaps don't lie. Don't cover up for powerful interests. Be candid. Be honest. Be clear. Don't twiddle your thumbs with bureaucratic BS (like they've done with vaccine approval) and vaccines for those under 12.
Logging
Film: No Sudden Move
Despite the cast, it does not feel like a massive movie by a master filmmaker, but rather a genre mash up exercise made by someone with a fondness for 70s films like Network and Charley Varrick.
By biggest lingering question: What happened to Benicio Del Toro? He had more of a presence in Somewhere during a single scene in an elevator.
Against White Feminism
This looks relevant.
In Zero Dark Thirty (and the truish story behind it), American feminism — once a movement that existed in opposition to the state, as a critique of its institutions and mores — was recast as one that served the state’s interests through any means imaginable. This identification with state interests, and the idea of going out to conquer the world with the same mindset of subjugation and domination possessed by white men, seems to have become a warped feminist goal.
In other words, “The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
What Hath Free Britney Wrought
From CNN, who appears to be needing clicks:
She went on to write that she was posting the topless photos "because I was born into this world naked and I honestly feel like the weight of the world has been on my shoulders and it's made me view myself that way!!!!" "I wanted to see myself in a lighter way ... naked ... like the way I was born and to me looking back at my pictures when I shoot it's insane the psychology in seeing myself in my purest form gives evidence that pain ... hurt ... tears ... and heavy burdens aren't who I am," she wrote. "I am a woman .... a beautiful ... sensitive woman who needs to look at myself in my purest form!!!"
Question on Vaccines
Why don't the Democrats direct their ire at the plodding pace of FDA approval for young kid vaccinations? The national association of pediatricians wrote a strongly worded letter to the FDA to basically let kids over age 5 get vaccinated already. What is the hold up? How are we doing this again?
Am I the only one that sees no basic public health policy improvements between the Biden Admin and Trump? The only successful element of public health policy during COVID was the creation of the vaccine. Would mask policy have helped much? I'm not really sure.
Laughing Out Loud
American Express does a training program about CRT and the racist evil of capitalism. What an absurd joke. A freaking credit card company.
We all know what this is, right? A fucking payoff. A shakedown. Enough to make you sick.
Not A Bad Idea
Hungarian PM: Have Four Kids and never pay taxes again.
For all the valid fears of the far right wing populism, some of their ideas are not terrible. Maybe that is discourse working?
Interesting Take
I'm gonna have private security, but we need to defund the police.
There's maybe logic in there...somewhere...
Numbers
CDC: 25% of the Black community are vaccinated.
The new Jim Crow would be vaccine passports.
And pandemic attitude by group.
I'm in group C (15%).
I've accepted the fact that everyone is going to get Delta sooner or later. It'll be an endemic. So plan accordingly, but masks will only delay the inevitable.
Heuristic on Teachers
Not that one has a choice, but if you're below college aged, opt for older teachers but once in college and grad school opt for younger teachers. Why?
Old teachers are more "stuck in their ways" and for younger kids, those ways are good. They teach classics and basics and foundational elements with tried and true methodology.
Younger teachers are not so much and more connected to the way things are now. And that will help you transition out into the workforce as one is preparing to do when in college and grad school.
Caveat: I don't just mean in age, but also soul. So an old teacher can feel "young" and those folks would be good college/grad school professors. Likewise, a young teacher could feel "old school" and they'd be good in elementary school.
No proof, just my instinct.
Thank God For the Republicans
For not which, the Democrats would eat each other.
The Woke vs. Karens would be an enjoyable cage match.
"When we are combating a deadly virus & vaccine hesitancy in some communities, this kind of rhetoric is dangerous,” tweeted City Councilor Andrea Campbell tweeted. “Showing proof of vaccination is not slavery or birtherism. We are too close to give ground to COVID. Science is science. It’s pretty simple – Vax up and mask up.”Janey responded to the criticism later Tuesday while at a block party, the Boston Globe reported. “What I said was there is a long history of asking people to show their papers,” Janey explained. “What our focus here in Boston is in making sure that everyone has access to the vaccine, making sure that we are doing everything to vaccinate our workforce in the city of Boston, making sure that our residents have access to the vaccine.”
After The Woke
The woke will die out eventually because they cannot build anything. They could do a lot of damage on the way down...but I very much doubt they could be as "successful" as say, the Bolsheviks (they lack the ruthlessness, organization, and picked the wrong home country). Ask yourself...do you know any Bolsheviks today?
But after the woke, I can picture a new ideology centered around a group I'll call The Enthusiasts. I've noticed this type of person in a variety of walks of life. They are a know-it-all about minor subjects and love to slam mainstream opinion. A few recent examples: I started shopping for a BBQ a few months ago. And jesus, how complicated that's become. I started to settle on a Traeger for the combo of ease and cooking flavor, but then I started stumbling upon these BBQ enthusiast boards who were slamming Traeger for the expense, for the lack of searing ability, for the flavor, etc. They all suggested going for this Kamado Joe thing. Meanwhile, I'm exhausted by all the choices - I started this thing charcoal vs. propane. And now I'm looking at some $2500 egg grill. So after almost being "talked" out of the Traeger by the Enthusiasts I said f-it, I'll trying this Traeger and am happy as a clam. And now I'm thinking to myself what was the point of the hardcore Enthusiast disdain?
In a similar fashion, I stumbled upon another online discussion of the Peloton. Now, we got one because my wife wanted one. It's that simple. I'm aware it'll probably be a clothes rack in 5 years. But I ride it now and it's totally great, especially because we have small children and it's frankly really hard to get out and do exercise. So hopping on a bike for a 20 minute ride is better than the alternative of falling asleep on the couch with a bag of cheetos watching White Lotus. You dig? And I don't think Peloton is a good deal. Fuck no. It's expensive. You get the thing when you're in your 40s, if you both work, and it's not easy to get out of your house. A single guy in his 20s with student loan payments should not get this thing. Nevertheless, you go onto a "Is a Peloton worth it" discussion board and you get people coming out of the woodwork explaining how stupid it is, what a waste of money, why it's bad for your knees compared to an elliptical, how they go running on the beach instead for 3 hours a day, how they'd rather spend the money on a home gym, how they'd rather use some random other brand I've never heard of instead. Etc.
Who are all these people? Who spends all this time micro-analyzing workout regimens? Doesn't this just boil down to individual preference? A Peloton is worth it if the cost doesn't affect you and you'll use it. But the Enthusiast insists the Peloton or the Traeger or (fill in the blank) sucks and you should check out this XYZ other thing that undoubtedly sucks even worse, but it doesn't matter because I'd never go in that fucking direction anyway. I'm not getting an elliptical. I've never even done an elliptical. But the Enthusiast insists the elliptical is better than the bike. Who cares? It's like asking if Mammoth is a good place to ski and the response is: skiing sucks compared to sky diving. What is the appeal of this weirdo rabbit hole of logic?
20 years ago you could find what we'd now call a "woke" person on every college campus asking some stupid question about Che Guevara every lecture, but you never thought such people would amount to anything. I figured that person would either change their tune or be unemployed. Instead, they run newspapers, public schools, and corporations. Joke's on me. So I wonder what happens to these Enthusiasts in 20 years, especially after all the woke are finished eating each other. Just asking...
Truth Commissions
To be honest, I could do without a January 6th commission. I know what happened. A mob got riled up by reckless Republicans pushing the election was stolen narrative. They could've caused some damage, even gotten a public official killed, but guess what: these were clowns. They weren't in the least bit dangerous. There was not a single person or group plotting anything that could be said to be a coup or something of that magnitude.
But what I do want a commission on: corona virus origins. And how the NY Times helped quashed any initial inquiries. And how the virus sequence was published by Chinese scientists only to be taken down and now over a year later, republished. I'm sure with no edits.
Let's get our priorities straight.
And note: I'm sure it's true Rupert Murdoch and his fox empire have been searching diligently for the CCP-made origins of the virus theory. Liberal reporters cite this as a negative -- that Murdoch is pushing an anti-China agenda in the West, leading us down a path to war. But to me, he's doing the job of what places like the NYTimes OUGHT to be doing -- tracking down the freaking truth. Now, apparently, the NY Times thinks their job is to make things copacetic between the great powers in the world? Thereby entrenching those already in power...like the CCP and our current elite. And they wonder why the hatred and backlash from the public.
Interesting
At around 5th grade, most semi-intelligent kids can figure out this logic puzzle.
But, the interesting find: if the 5th grader gets it wrong, the adult version of this (let's call them not semi-intelligent) still does not get it right. Some people are not capable of 2nd or 3rd level logic and never will be. Which is why we have lots of folks who would benefit from getting vaccinated, not getting vaccinated. And income inequality, btw.
LeBron Mural Defaced
From the artist: "[W]hy would you even take time our of your day to go f*** up what someone else did for the community"
Now ask: how do you feel about all the statues vandalized and tore down across America last year?
Security Theater
This guy's convinced me masks are pointless now.
He makes an incredible point about the philosophical debate of personal responsibility vs. obligation to others, the dynamic of which so much of our public policy debate hinges. But here, with vaccines, we have almost a perfect real world example where we ought to have basically zero obligation to protect those who refuse vaccines from the virus because they choose not to protect themselves.
And he makes an interesting case for why partisanship in the US is actually good -- because reveals through hatred and dichotomy, the flaws of both sides. Ideal world, in other words, is one with no masks, no security theater, no safetyism, but a lot of private and public incentives to vaccinate.
On a separate note, the vaccine rollout somewhat confirms my preexisting concern that 20-25% of the population is too stupid to make even semi-optimal decisions for themselves (and much less others) and I have no idea what do about that fact given we live in a liberal democracy.
Noble Lies
I'm all in favor of noble lies if they work. But Fauci's "lies" have been transparently wrong to moderately intelligent Americans. He doesn't know his audience.
It's a noble lie to tell a 4 year old about Santa Claus. But try the same with a teenager and you're up shit creek.
The important part of a noble lie - you've got to have the right explanation for the lie once uncovered (as it will be) that will make the person understand why you needed to tell it. Fauci can't even play this 3D level chess, much less the 12D chess he imagines himself playing.
Newsom
So the camp he trusts enough to send his kids to doesn't even respect his mandate. Good luck with the red parts of California.
A Form of Projection
We might need a new word for this phenomenon, where folks criticize behaviors of out groups but simultaneously defend the same behavior by in groups. Maybe it's just hypocrisy...but the neurosis involved is such that I really think the white liberal mind really blames Trump supporters for non-vac and blocks out the fact that POC communities right next door to them are doing the exact same thing.
Logging
Film: Black Widow
Inoffensive, and rather enjoyable. Family stuff the best part.
Film: Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Pretty unique, but not a film I care to continually revisit. A good worldwide introduction/document of Bob Hoskins, however.
TV: White Lotus, pilot
Intriguing insight into the depression and unhappiness evident in our coastal elite class. And a clever twist on the murder mystery plot - who is dead? Who is the killer?
Film: Space Jam, A New Legacy
My children insisted I turn off the film after 15 minutes and it's one of the better decisions they've made this week. A disgusting Lebron vanity project - god this guy is gonna be insufferable after he stops playing bball. Are we gonna have to see a Last Dance - LeBron documentary? Is there anything I'd like to watch less? And PS - I'm a LeBron fan.
Film: The Tax Collector
Interesting as a crime drama/thriller concept -- story of Job set in the Mexican Mafia, but stretched believability for me - and not because I didn't buy Shia LeBouf in La Eme, but more because the Bloods suddenly team up with the main character at the end (spoiler). Also, let's be real, Shia didn't get to kick enough ass.
Taiwan
Agree, the US will not shed blood over Taiwan. But if Taiwan is willing to fight for their own freedom, we ought to support and fund them without condition.
Logging
Film: Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The best Marvel film -- although that's not saying much. How did they get both Shandling and Redford?
Opposite Greg (Gregorio) take: Marvel Universe is one of the most brilliant innovations of the past 20 years - 22 films that manage to weave their storylines into each other using different actors, filmmakers, writers, etc, and satisfy millions (if not billions) of movie goers.
NFL
I'll be curious about the dynamic that unfolds when the NFL makes vaccinations mandatory.
You will have a number of players criticizing the heavy handedness (not unusual). But you will have the sports media, who usually takes the sides of players, perhaps jumping over to the side of the NFL on the issue.
Then, you'll have the red state fans, who normally would be on the side of the teams, perhaps taking the sides of the players.
I find this sort of stuff entertaining.
Our Species Is Doomed
For those who criticize Bezos and other billionaires going to space, perhaps you will rethink upon seeing one of your fellow Americans notions on vaccinations.
The reason they won't get vaccinated is because "they" want you to get vaccinated.
I'm hard on how the CDC, FDA, US, World, and local governments handled COVID, but at this point, it's on the rest of us to use common sense. But we gotta face reality that there's a good 25% of folks out there who a) just want to see it burn or b) cannot make rational decisions even with all the information.
A Tell
That China won't support a transparent investigation into the virus origin is the "tell" that makes it much more likely it was created in a lab. I mean for crissake, they were testing "gain of function" coronaviruses in a Wuhan lab where the weird, new coronavirus first showed up. Then they covered it up for months and scrubbed all the evidence and punished anyone who talked about it. And the "natural transmission" story is pure speculation based upon...what evidence? The word of the government whose main interest is not taking blame for the lab leak theory? Even in the best case, the natural transmission hypothesis is still just a hypothesis and no new information has come out in the past year to further support the thesis. It's all very fishy.
Yep
The best defense of Fauci. Here is the issue:
Essentially, Paul is outraged by the 12D chess official system and wants to break out one question. Fauci wants to protect that system which probably believes that it’s safer to be in bed w/ CCP than to be shut out. Fauci is playing dumb on GoFR and Rand is insinuating too much.
and this:
In the end the system creatures are correct that we need grand strategies that are at times counter intuitive. The populists are correct that many grand strategies are batshit crazy. Hence the two incompatible world views. I expect this thread to be popular with neither. Alas...
Eek
Fauci does not come across well here. He makes a deliberately narrow point in order to avoid answering Paul's question about gain of function and NIH funding of the Wuhan lab.
"Did you cheat on your wife?"
"No, I did not cheat on my wife on December 22nd as you allege."
"Sir, I did not say that, I said did you cheat on your wife?"
"My whereabouts on December 22nd are well documented. And let me say this: to suggest I cheated on my wife on December 22nd -- well, that's an outright lie."
This might get ugly.
Gen Z / Millenial Contributions to Society
My favorite is the term "extra" which is perfect descriptor/insult for a certain type of person or behavior that existed, but lacked a word to aptly describe.
In contrast, I don't care for the term "fire" nor the emoji for it. It has the same meaning as the word "rad" or "awesome" from earlier generations.
Plot Twist
Are we all about to regret #freeBritney?
Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Jerry gets sentimental but is scared straight when George tells him his deepest darkest feelings.
CA Energy Policies
So, the state government is asking people to limit their energy use. Hmmm. Is this the same state government that's been hell bent on promoting the use of electric vehicles.
Does this add up?
Vague, Generalized, and Probably a Series of Lousy Thoughts
The powerful have always told the public lies. But in the old days, the lies were noble in intent. They were hypocritical for sure, convenient for those in power, but the lies had an ennobling purpose. Today, the ruling elite still lie, but the intent is no longer noble...the intent is to seize power at all costs and eliminate dissent. It feels different because it is.
While a lot of the economic reports are good with respect to jobs, household debt, etc, it's pretty obvious to me we are borrowing heavily against the future.
Newsom Recall
He should be recalled for the EDD scandal alone.
If the CEO of a company lost $31 billion to scammers, he would've been removed by the board months ago.
And it would be another thing if EDD actually functioned, but it both doesn't work for Californians and has been scammed by criminals. It's unbelievable.
Logging
Film: The Tomorrow War
Halfway through, but I want to make note that in the story world of this film, human beings can travel through wormholes to the future, but opt to fight an invincible alien species with untrained, out of shape 40 year old draftees carrying machine guns and pistols. Hmmm.
Note
There are few things I hate more than CRT or the obscurantism of "anti-racism," but I also don't favor laws banning it. And I'm also coming around to the idea that this CRT shit is a drama being acted out by sick liberals and conservatives who want a culture war to give their sad, lonely lives meaning.
All that is to say, this fire needs no more of my oxygen.
Smart
A twitter thread about what's going on in our "culture war."
We ignore at our peril - and yes, this is part of my book's argument - the idea that a bored and affluent middle-class, raised on a steady diet of narcissism and self-actualization are the real danger here. We have to stop making up noble excuses for illiberal ideas.
More Violence
Twitter thread on increased violence in America.
But it definitely doesn't look as simple as "the protests caused the violence." And any explanation needs to account for the effects of gun proliferation and carrying which pre-dates the killing of George Floyd.
I'm So Confused
By what's going on in the world these days. Here's an essay about loneliness being the root cause of our political isolation.
He seems onto something.
Every day you read about some additional form of craziness consuming our institutions, the temptation is to go somewhere else. But I ask: where? Where can anyone go when what consumes our culture is being experienced internally most of all--
Huh
NYC board of election discovers major irregularities.
So in a few years are we gonna come to the following conclusions -
Election 2020 was indeed messed up?
Pandemic failure was due to CDC and other "deep state" paralysis and not because of Trump?
That the thing we should be discussing is defunding the CDC and not the police?
The Uber Theme Of Our Time
Mate selection the Western world.
Women want and seek equality in the workplace (ie wages) but when it comes to mate selection, want a man who makes more money than them. Can anyone do the math and see the problem? (ps - men don't care if a their mate makes less than them and may even prefer it). Thusly,
Morgan Stanley forecasts that 45 percent of working women between the ages of 25 and 44 will be single and childless by 2030, the largest share in history. Single women are expected to grow by 1.2 percent annually from 2018–2030 compared with an 0.8 percent growth for the overall US population. By 2030, the percentage of single women will outpace that of married women.
Careful what you wish for because you might just get it.
But seriously, more and more, I'm noticing legal rules in our society creating unexpected cultural externalities. Could not the excesses of wokeness at least be partially explained by a whole lot of unhappy (and I'm guessing a disproportionate number of single) women? Should this not be at least considered?
On Cue
The matrix reveals it's intent.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden said on Thursday he is revisiting proposed legislation that would crack down on the giant tax-free retirement accounts amassed by the ultrawealthy after a ProPublica story exposed that billionaires were shielding fortunes inside them.
Told you.
And for anyone who believes they will only crack down on the "ultrawealthy" I urge you to look up the rules and history of the Alternative Minimum Tax.
Information warfare is being waged against us and the question remains: by who?
Updated Thoughts on Cruising and Rear Window
At the present moment, I regard a film where you need to check the internet to grasp the meaning of the ending as a form of storytelling failure. Cruising falls into this category. I might change my mind on this, however.
Rear Window rewatch - stunning film. The entire film, a meta-comment on voyeurism and fantasy. Upon first glance, Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly's relationship seems like a textbook case of preposterous male self regard and fantasy...but Hitchcock is entirely self aware of this deception and leans into it via casting, costume, and characterization. Grace Kelly is an illusion, an absurd, over-the-top depiction of the feminine ideal. And Jimmy is preoccupied with the nonsense next door. Hitchcock is making a joke about our perversions. It's brilliant. And no wonder he tried to coax Grace Kelly out of retirement to continue acting later in her career.
Glitch in the Matrix
Per Norm Finklestein, the identity politics "people" are both a fashion statement and insurance policy for the powerful against working class power.
The deal is thus: we'll give you a great living (ie sell kendi and diangelo books, speaking tours, cocktail parties, etc) but when we need you to jump, you say "how high?" His example: when push came to shove, they threw Bernie under the bus in order to get Biden in power.
The true purpose of the identity people are to distract the unwashed masses from the incompetence and corruption of the ruling class.
Maybe, you say.
Here's further evidence: Gavin Newsom on his own recall:
"An RNC-backed Republican recall of White supremacists, anti-Semites and people who are opposed to immigration and immigrants is an accurate assessment of who's behind this recall."
Nothing to do with his own political choices, note. White supremacists...right.
Every now and again, the matrix reveals itself.
Myocarditis Side Effect of Covid Vaccine
For healthy teenage boys, the expected value of vaccination might be negative.
If this proves to be true, my guess is the powers that be, ie our liberal central governments and local school and town officials will push to have teenage boys vaccinated for the "greater good," a position they would not take if applied to teenage girls or any minority group.
That's my prediction.
Note: They will also rig the numbers with fuzzy math to make their argument.
More of This Please
"Youth Protest Group Inspired By Greta Thunberg Disbands, Accuses Itself Of Racism"
Shouldn't all the school and corporate boards concerned with systemic racism ought to disband themselves, since they hold the power? They must be perps. If not them, who? The powerless masses?
"No More Evidence For Lab Leak Theory"
Odd position to take: there is no more evidence for the lab leak theory today than last year. Yeah, because no one was allowed to collect any! And to ask to do so was met with the charge of racism!
To Vax or Not To Vax
I'm fine with people not wanting to vax (their body, their choice), but can we please send the unused doses to Taiwan, then?
Racist or Genius
There’s some ridiculous candidates, I will tell you that. Andrew Yang is an absurd candidate for mayor of New York. He couldn’t get on my condo board, okay? I mean, this is someone who knows nothing about anything and has accomplished absolutely nothing.
I mean, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in school, but I can tell you that he would have been the most annoying boy in my high school. And he is still, in my opinion, the most annoying guy in my high school. So, he’s a ridiculous candidate.