Other people are disgusting. I get it. That's part of the reason why I like looking at other people. I appreciate being disgusted by the conditions of their physical humanity.
I have a couple of secret and disgusting habits myself. So ingrained are our own disgusting habits that we don't know what others find disgusting until they tell us. And we certainly don't care unless they are a loved one.
That being said, some habits are not disgusting. Sure, they are inconsiderate, but disgusting?
This is the problem I have with germaphobes. They are annoying activists that are disgusted by inconsiderate behavior. To them, every human action they disagree with is a threat to the safety of their health. It is exhausting to live this way, and germaphobes that want to live their private lives disgusted by inconsiderate behavior should do so privately so as not to drag normal people down to their level of misery.
It is like politics, or religion. Unless expressly asked for opinions on these matters, or if the conversation naturally ebbs in that direction, these topics should be avoided unless you are prepared for potential hostile disagreement. If not, simply shut up.
Last week I was in the work breakfast tent 15 minutes prior to its closing. Normally it is open for 2 hours to allow time for the entire crew to eat. As such, I was in the tent alone to feast upon the scraps. As I eyed the croissants I noticed another man, also late to breakfast, and sensed him milling about behind me. I chose to be inconsiderate, and hedged that the man wouldn't see my next course of action or wouldn't care if he did see it.
I picked up one of three remaining croissants with my bare hands, tore off a piece and put it back on the communal tray. Croissants are designed to be torn and I didn't want to commit to eating a whole one. This guy turned out to a nosy activist that could also see through my body.
"What about other people?" he asked with a rude intonation. I looked around the empty tent and chose to respond rudely to his rudeness. "Ah well," I shrugged then added "There's no one else here." If there were more people in the breakfast tent and more people to come to the breakfast tent I wouldn't have touched the croissant with my bare hands, yet this activist spoke to me like the breakfast tent had just opened and was full of people.
Naturally the activist didn't like my response and continued to insult me. "It's disgusting."
It wasn't, so I ignored him. He wasn't going to make me miserable. I still had to a full day of work.
His activism backfired, and his attempt to shame me will never result with me not tearing off a piece of croissant in an empty breakfast tent; nor will I change my actually disgusting habits.
I am vindictive because I am not going to allow myself to become a hostage to someone else's extreme fears. I want that man to live in fear of an unsanitary life and I want someone with poop on their hands to give him a high five.
Sunday, June 30, 2019
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Crush: Tony Soprano
When James Gandolfini died suddenly six years ago, fans of The Sopranos unironically celebrated his life by remembering him as the person he was not. Thus is the legacy of a beloved actor.
At his memorial Edie Falco reiterated this sentiment, saying “There are a lot of people who have a hard time believing that’s not who he really was.” Watching him give his Emmy acceptance speech without the New Jersey affect was surreal. The illusion of The Sopranos was so strong it made reality appear like another dimension.
As excellent as the writing was, The Sopranos could not have been special without Gandolfini. His weight and follicle count were attributes not often seen in lead roles, judgmentally deemed by Hollywood to be average. However, New York is TV town, and it is these exact attributes that made Tony Soprano relatable to so many fans.
Like tiny Joe Pesci in the lesser Goodfellas, Tony Soprano was not traditionally attractive, nor did he look swarthy or hirsute the way Italians are typically portrayed in mobster movies. He looked unique, with his fat armpits and a face as fearsome as it was jolly. It didn’t have to be angular or gruff. It was cherubic in its roundness, his thin lipped grin cute, boyish, mischievous. His exuded power came from his massive roundness. He was the shape of a teddy bear until he wanted to be as brutal as a grizzly. Many women found him sexually attractive with the weight and power of his size. Tony wasn’t like Bobby or Vito either; so fat he couldn’t be taken seriously as a boss. He was out of shape, but he still knew how to fight, and was cunning enough to know when to prove it to his crew.
Women are attracted by confidence. I am attracted by the unexpected. The masculine men of The Sopranos were emotional devils without discretion. I was attracted by their unexpected appearances, especially because they didn’t resemble the “assholes” manufactured by Hollywood. Preferable assholes are the ones that look like they were so bullied in high school that they grew up to bully the world.
Michael Imperioli had that same unique kind of look as Tony Soprano, with the exception that he sounded like Christopher Moltisanti when accepting an Emmy. This made it easier to believe that he “was that way.” He was selected with the same eye as Tony Soprano: because he could act, and had the physical attributes that Hollywood ignores. He may have looked like a dweeb, but he played a temperamental mobster with a hot girlfriend.
Good example: In the first season, Christopher is at a bakery,, buying cannolis for the crew. The kid behind the counter is making him wait, unfairly. Eventually Christopher loses his temper, tells the customer to take a walk, pulls out his gun and orders the kid behind the counter to put the cannolis in the box.
“Do I look like a pussy to you?”
“No.”
“Then why the hell would you give me a hard time and treat me like I’m nothing to worry about?”
“Come on, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” he says before shooting the kid in the foot. It’s a lesson: Christopher might look like pussy, but he certainly doesn’t act like one.
I liked to watch Christopher, with his atrophied arms, beat up someone bigger than him, someone with nicer arms. It was realistic too, because he would kick them in the nuts first.
In this case, attraction isn’t about love, it is about respect. Sometimes, respect is fear. For a civilian fan like me, that fear could also be awe, and that awe, alongside great writing and storytelling, kept me attracted. I don’t like to be around people I’m afraid of, and don’t like to get kicked in the nuts. I can watch the show, feel the exhilaration of fear and suffer none of the consequences. It’s like riding a roller coaster.
As boss, Tony’s greatest perk was getting away with making choices that broke the oath. His hypocrisy was forgiven by the audience, and reluctantly, by his crew. Using fear Tony gave them reason to respect him, regardless of his actions.
Only temperamental Christopher had the balls to call Tony a hypocrite because the two were “family.” (They were cousins once removed.) However, Christopher was the only family Tony didn’t mind treating with his hands. Thus is the perk of "family" business—getting the guy made gives you a right to put your hands on him when he mouths off. Tony would grab Christopher by the throat, get in his face and tell him, “you don’t have to love me, but you will respect me.”
To a younger, more naive viewer, Tony’s chief attraction is his criminality and the secrecy of the underground world in which he operates. This lawlessness is romantic because of the severe consequences the characters know they can suffer. It is badass. (These characters would resent that term.) Tony was so stressed by this life that he had to seek therapy for his panic attacks. Not that there were ever results.
The more mature viewer will experience peak attraction because criminality (secrecy) meets therapy (exposure). This is unconventional behavior for a mafia boss to expose his hidden feelings with a civilian, but it fit the character well. Tony lives by his own rules, even the rules that he swore to his “family” never to break. This is granted by his title, and makes him a forgivable, graceful hypocrite.
At his memorial Edie Falco reiterated this sentiment, saying “There are a lot of people who have a hard time believing that’s not who he really was.” Watching him give his Emmy acceptance speech without the New Jersey affect was surreal. The illusion of The Sopranos was so strong it made reality appear like another dimension.
As excellent as the writing was, The Sopranos could not have been special without Gandolfini. His weight and follicle count were attributes not often seen in lead roles, judgmentally deemed by Hollywood to be average. However, New York is TV town, and it is these exact attributes that made Tony Soprano relatable to so many fans.
Like tiny Joe Pesci in the lesser Goodfellas, Tony Soprano was not traditionally attractive, nor did he look swarthy or hirsute the way Italians are typically portrayed in mobster movies. He looked unique, with his fat armpits and a face as fearsome as it was jolly. It didn’t have to be angular or gruff. It was cherubic in its roundness, his thin lipped grin cute, boyish, mischievous. His exuded power came from his massive roundness. He was the shape of a teddy bear until he wanted to be as brutal as a grizzly. Many women found him sexually attractive with the weight and power of his size. Tony wasn’t like Bobby or Vito either; so fat he couldn’t be taken seriously as a boss. He was out of shape, but he still knew how to fight, and was cunning enough to know when to prove it to his crew.
Women are attracted by confidence. I am attracted by the unexpected. The masculine men of The Sopranos were emotional devils without discretion. I was attracted by their unexpected appearances, especially because they didn’t resemble the “assholes” manufactured by Hollywood. Preferable assholes are the ones that look like they were so bullied in high school that they grew up to bully the world.
Michael Imperioli had that same unique kind of look as Tony Soprano, with the exception that he sounded like Christopher Moltisanti when accepting an Emmy. This made it easier to believe that he “was that way.” He was selected with the same eye as Tony Soprano: because he could act, and had the physical attributes that Hollywood ignores. He may have looked like a dweeb, but he played a temperamental mobster with a hot girlfriend.
Good example: In the first season, Christopher is at a bakery,, buying cannolis for the crew. The kid behind the counter is making him wait, unfairly. Eventually Christopher loses his temper, tells the customer to take a walk, pulls out his gun and orders the kid behind the counter to put the cannolis in the box.
“Do I look like a pussy to you?”
“No.”
“Then why the hell would you give me a hard time and treat me like I’m nothing to worry about?”
“Come on, I’m not gonna hurt ya,” he says before shooting the kid in the foot. It’s a lesson: Christopher might look like pussy, but he certainly doesn’t act like one.
I liked to watch Christopher, with his atrophied arms, beat up someone bigger than him, someone with nicer arms. It was realistic too, because he would kick them in the nuts first.
In this case, attraction isn’t about love, it is about respect. Sometimes, respect is fear. For a civilian fan like me, that fear could also be awe, and that awe, alongside great writing and storytelling, kept me attracted. I don’t like to be around people I’m afraid of, and don’t like to get kicked in the nuts. I can watch the show, feel the exhilaration of fear and suffer none of the consequences. It’s like riding a roller coaster.
As boss, Tony’s greatest perk was getting away with making choices that broke the oath. His hypocrisy was forgiven by the audience, and reluctantly, by his crew. Using fear Tony gave them reason to respect him, regardless of his actions.
Only temperamental Christopher had the balls to call Tony a hypocrite because the two were “family.” (They were cousins once removed.) However, Christopher was the only family Tony didn’t mind treating with his hands. Thus is the perk of "family" business—getting the guy made gives you a right to put your hands on him when he mouths off. Tony would grab Christopher by the throat, get in his face and tell him, “you don’t have to love me, but you will respect me.”
To a younger, more naive viewer, Tony’s chief attraction is his criminality and the secrecy of the underground world in which he operates. This lawlessness is romantic because of the severe consequences the characters know they can suffer. It is badass. (These characters would resent that term.) Tony was so stressed by this life that he had to seek therapy for his panic attacks. Not that there were ever results.
The more mature viewer will experience peak attraction because criminality (secrecy) meets therapy (exposure). This is unconventional behavior for a mafia boss to expose his hidden feelings with a civilian, but it fit the character well. Tony lives by his own rules, even the rules that he swore to his “family” never to break. This is granted by his title, and makes him a forgivable, graceful hypocrite.
The oath of the mob is a superficial one. They need to call it a “family” is to establish a bond to discourage betrayal. The family pretends to love you like a family, but their instinct is to protect themselves first. When they see an opportunity to quickly ascend the ranks, even if it means killing their fellow “family” they actually consider the consequences.
Tony is not a good man—he cheats on his wife and murders his enemies—but he is a decent man—he may be tough on his children, but he doesn’t abuse them, and he takes care of his ungracious and elderly mother. He gives into the temptation of gambling, and other women and we disagree but accept it as his lifestyle. Criminals make their own laws, that is what makes this entertainment. Our family values are tested by their “family” circumstances.
The violence Tony employs to get money from 'degenerate gamblers' is unusual for a spineless civilian, but it is only part of the larger portrait of Tony’s life and upbringing. We are conflicted when like Tony anyway. We respect him because of the hard choices he has to make and we begin to understand his struggles, despite his demeanor. His struggles to do what is right for the business and still maintain the respect of the crew and his normal family. It is a balancing act. High stakes are attractive from the couch. The reason Tony Soprano is an attractive characters is the same reason why Donald Trump was elected President. If The Wire is a portrait of Baltimore, The Sopranos is a portrait of Tony Soprano.
The ending of The Sopranos left Tony’s fate mysterious. With Gandolfini still out there, us fans felt that Tony was doing just fine. With Gandolfini now gone, we have lost Tony Soprano for good. We will always remember James Gandolfini for the man he was not. The fictional man is more real to more people than the man who portrayed him. This essay was a celebrated defense of Tony Soprano, not a celebration of James Gandolfini’s depiction of him. James Gandolfini was Tony Soprano, but he was not Tony Soprano. Thus is the legacy of this truly amazing actor. RIP.
Tony is not a good man—he cheats on his wife and murders his enemies—but he is a decent man—he may be tough on his children, but he doesn’t abuse them, and he takes care of his ungracious and elderly mother. He gives into the temptation of gambling, and other women and we disagree but accept it as his lifestyle. Criminals make their own laws, that is what makes this entertainment. Our family values are tested by their “family” circumstances.
The violence Tony employs to get money from 'degenerate gamblers' is unusual for a spineless civilian, but it is only part of the larger portrait of Tony’s life and upbringing. We are conflicted when like Tony anyway. We respect him because of the hard choices he has to make and we begin to understand his struggles, despite his demeanor. His struggles to do what is right for the business and still maintain the respect of the crew and his normal family. It is a balancing act. High stakes are attractive from the couch. The reason Tony Soprano is an attractive characters is the same reason why Donald Trump was elected President. If The Wire is a portrait of Baltimore, The Sopranos is a portrait of Tony Soprano.
The ending of The Sopranos left Tony’s fate mysterious. With Gandolfini still out there, us fans felt that Tony was doing just fine. With Gandolfini now gone, we have lost Tony Soprano for good. We will always remember James Gandolfini for the man he was not. The fictional man is more real to more people than the man who portrayed him. This essay was a celebrated defense of Tony Soprano, not a celebration of James Gandolfini’s depiction of him. James Gandolfini was Tony Soprano, but he was not Tony Soprano. Thus is the legacy of this truly amazing actor. RIP.
Sunday, June 16, 2019
Unsolicited Advice 7
Dear Carolyn,
I had a baby six months ago. Because of luck, general good health and diet/exercise, I gained a fairly small amount of weight during pregnancy and shed it pretty quickly afterward.
My friend "Mia" is 18 weeks pregnant with her first baby and has gained substantially more weight than I did but looks great and apparently is in good health. Our families get together often, and her husband has taken to casually interviewing me about how I stayed in shape through pregnancy.
He is totally transparent — he only asks when Mia is in the room, presumably either to help motivate her or to outright shame her for gaining weight.
I don't want to be complicit in this. What should I say to Mia's husband, and do I say it in front of her or privately? I don't just want him to stop asking ME for advice, I want him to stop shaming her altogether.
— Complicit in Mommy ShamingYou want too much.
What is 'shame' to you could be a tested dynamic that works for both of them. Shame is the best motivator after all. There is no shame in shame, especially from a loved one.
Mia's husband has his reasons for thinking and acting this way, and they are somewhat justified, at least to him. Therefore you can't shame him into not shaming his wife. You can only not answer his questions and hope they talk about it with one another, assuming they haven't done so already, which you have.
It is also possible that Mia could be too embarrassed to ask you for your diet regiment herself, and asked her husband to nudge you on it because she is ashamed of herself. Your very diet could be shaming her. You could be shaming her without knowing it!
But, if you are convinced this is shaming and that shaming is always wrong then simply stop answering questions. If you want to be an activist about it then privately tell him to stop shaming Mia and see how he responds.
DEAR AMY,
A dear friend recently passed away, leaving a very unworldly 32-year-old daughter with a great deal of money and property.
Until he was very sick, she was unwilling to be friendly toward me. After his death I brought her to our home, a five-hour drive away. The idea was to get some peace in the area where I live.
I paid for everything: gas, tolls and food. It never once occurred to her to offer any financial help or to pay for a meal.
She only wanted to shop (over an hour away) where, again, it was my money for gas, my driving, etc. (I am 68). There was no gratitude expressed for any of my trouble.
I invited her again, four months later. The same situation prevailed. No offer to help with expenses. Basically, a demand to shop, followed by no “thank you.”
I am incensed. This time, when she got home, I texted, “I think there is a little phrase missing: ‘thank you.'” She responded, “Oh, I thought I said it. Thank you.” She has shown no gratitude or willingness to pay the others who give her rides (she doesn’t drive), or who helped her through her father’s illness!
I’m done, but I’m on the fence about whether I should write her to set her straight about gratitude and how much a “thank you” means.
What do you think?
Incensed
Say whatever you want to her. She is 32. Whatever hasn't sunk in yet likely will not sink in unless people treat her like the spoiled 32 year old that she is. A dying father is no excuse not to thank someone.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
The Executioner's Song, Part 3: Gary & Nicole
Nobody trusts Gary. And he doesn't exactly give anyone a reason to trust him: he is dishonest, has a temper, terrible work ethic, immature social behavior.....
But I don't get the feeling that he is a pedophile. He has Nicole. She is young enough to be his child but she is not shaped like an actual child.
So when Pete Guloven--the man who rents his Uncle Vern's cottage--notices Gary propositioning Toni--the young daughter of Annette--to babysit while he and Nicole plan a romantic trip to the canyon, he nosily misinterprets Gary's proposition as something perverse when he sees Gary give her a peck on the cheek.
Gary can only solve disputes with fighting. First, he threatened to fight Pete, then did fight him, and was surprised when this did not inspire Pete to apologize to Gary for telling Ida--Gary's aunt--what he thought Gary was saying to Annette.
Pete believes that "Gary is getting more out of line every day" and Gary confirms this by telling Nicole "...in prison you don't leave things like Pete undone..."
Nicole also threatened to kill Pete for pressing charges. It takes love to threaten someone else's life, so she must really be in love. Pete was a Mormon and prayed that Gary would control himself and dropped the charges. He also could have feared for his life, now that Gary and Nicole want him dead.
Meanwhile, Gary and Nicole continue to live excessively. A girl named Rosebeth (who is also a minor) is introduced into Gary and Nicole's relationship. (Ok, this technically makes Gary a pedophile, though Annette was 14, but Gary would "never hurt you [Toni] or your family.) Nicole "liked the idea of giving this gift [Rosebeth] to Gary."
Rosebeth is a gift Nicole gives herself too; she cheats on Gary with Rosebeth. It doesn't make a difference that Rosebeth is a girl because Nicole's lust is a slippery slope. Many men want her, and she wants them. It is only a matter of time before she cheats on Gary with an ex-husband or someone else, and then it is only a matter of time until Gary finds out.
Gary's relationship with his boss, Spencer is crumbling. Gary is an increasingly bad worker, takes too many breaks, shows up late. The government pays half of Gary's salary, so a disappointed Spencer rationalizes Gary's behavior.
Gary is also stealing more and more. He steals beer from the store, then he steals things he doesn't need and tries to sell, like guns and water skis. Nicole doesn't approve because Gary is on parole. Getting caught could endanger his freedom, but Gary wants to buy a crappy truck to replace his unreliable mustang and doesn't think things through.
The fights between Nicole and Gary intensify. Nicole, feeling cooped up with Gary, was thinking of her ex-husband Barrett after receiving a letter from Kip, her fourth ex and the father of her second child. The men in her life return.
Gary had bad timing with a sweet though and told Nicole he loved her. She responded "Yeah and so do seven other motherfuckers." Gary hit her, then later apologized. Nicole said she wanted to die, then Gary held a knife to her stomach and asked her if she really wanted it. She said no.
Nicole got invited to Sterling Baker's (her cousin) birthday party. She jokes about having a crush on him, and then open mouth kisses him in front of everyone! Her lust does not obey familial bounds. Gary asks her if she's "Had Enough" then picks a fight with some Chicanos over sunglasses, gets his ass kicked, and Nicole questions her loyalty and attraction to Gary.
Gary drinks beer and eats Florinal for his headaches and can't get it up. Nicole thinks he is a "bad package." She is very tired of Gary's behavior, eventually has sex with Barrett and tells him "I love you" if Gary catches them together and kills them. Nicole leaves Gary, moves out of the apartment she shares with him in Spanish Fork and in with Barrett.
Both Nicole and Gary and immature cheaters who have not learned from their mistakes, and therefore continue to make them with consequences worsening. In this part Mailer introduces many "characters" that Gary has reason to murder.
Tune in next time to see which one it is!
But I don't get the feeling that he is a pedophile. He has Nicole. She is young enough to be his child but she is not shaped like an actual child.
So when Pete Guloven--the man who rents his Uncle Vern's cottage--notices Gary propositioning Toni--the young daughter of Annette--to babysit while he and Nicole plan a romantic trip to the canyon, he nosily misinterprets Gary's proposition as something perverse when he sees Gary give her a peck on the cheek.
Gary can only solve disputes with fighting. First, he threatened to fight Pete, then did fight him, and was surprised when this did not inspire Pete to apologize to Gary for telling Ida--Gary's aunt--what he thought Gary was saying to Annette.
Pete believes that "Gary is getting more out of line every day" and Gary confirms this by telling Nicole "...in prison you don't leave things like Pete undone..."
Nicole also threatened to kill Pete for pressing charges. It takes love to threaten someone else's life, so she must really be in love. Pete was a Mormon and prayed that Gary would control himself and dropped the charges. He also could have feared for his life, now that Gary and Nicole want him dead.
Meanwhile, Gary and Nicole continue to live excessively. A girl named Rosebeth (who is also a minor) is introduced into Gary and Nicole's relationship. (Ok, this technically makes Gary a pedophile, though Annette was 14, but Gary would "never hurt you [Toni] or your family.) Nicole "liked the idea of giving this gift [Rosebeth] to Gary."
Rosebeth is a gift Nicole gives herself too; she cheats on Gary with Rosebeth. It doesn't make a difference that Rosebeth is a girl because Nicole's lust is a slippery slope. Many men want her, and she wants them. It is only a matter of time before she cheats on Gary with an ex-husband or someone else, and then it is only a matter of time until Gary finds out.
Gary's relationship with his boss, Spencer is crumbling. Gary is an increasingly bad worker, takes too many breaks, shows up late. The government pays half of Gary's salary, so a disappointed Spencer rationalizes Gary's behavior.
Gary is also stealing more and more. He steals beer from the store, then he steals things he doesn't need and tries to sell, like guns and water skis. Nicole doesn't approve because Gary is on parole. Getting caught could endanger his freedom, but Gary wants to buy a crappy truck to replace his unreliable mustang and doesn't think things through.
The fights between Nicole and Gary intensify. Nicole, feeling cooped up with Gary, was thinking of her ex-husband Barrett after receiving a letter from Kip, her fourth ex and the father of her second child. The men in her life return.
Gary had bad timing with a sweet though and told Nicole he loved her. She responded "Yeah and so do seven other motherfuckers." Gary hit her, then later apologized. Nicole said she wanted to die, then Gary held a knife to her stomach and asked her if she really wanted it. She said no.
Nicole got invited to Sterling Baker's (her cousin) birthday party. She jokes about having a crush on him, and then open mouth kisses him in front of everyone! Her lust does not obey familial bounds. Gary asks her if she's "Had Enough" then picks a fight with some Chicanos over sunglasses, gets his ass kicked, and Nicole questions her loyalty and attraction to Gary.
Gary drinks beer and eats Florinal for his headaches and can't get it up. Nicole thinks he is a "bad package." She is very tired of Gary's behavior, eventually has sex with Barrett and tells him "I love you" if Gary catches them together and kills them. Nicole leaves Gary, moves out of the apartment she shares with him in Spanish Fork and in with Barrett.
Both Nicole and Gary and immature cheaters who have not learned from their mistakes, and therefore continue to make them with consequences worsening. In this part Mailer introduces many "characters" that Gary has reason to murder.
Tune in next time to see which one it is!
Friday, June 14, 2019
Hot Take: Psychology
This opinion is not for someone considering suicide. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255.
Everyone with a life has problems. Psychologists are not necessary to fix them unless they involve incessant suicidal thoughts that can only be quelled with medication. Otherwise they are not trustworthy.
Psychologists curate their demeanor to appear like a caring person when, in fact, they only care about themselves; they have expensive student loans and run a small business.
At best, psychologists can get lucky and offer helpful advice. At worst they are biased and manipulative. The most dishonest ones will invent disorders to treat their patients for. Most psychologists are middling, and too understanding. Without context, or an intimate understanding of the other people involved, a psychiatrist easily becomes lost. They have to grasp at straws and offer trite advice because they have little to go on.
There are certain types of people who do not need medication and could benefit from psychology, like troubled high schoolers. Troubled youth fit two criteria for psychology to have a positive affect:
A psychologist could be useful for a non-religious married couple in need of counseling, but it is dependent upon their honesty and mutual desire to mend their relationship. In this case the psychologist is just the referee for the argument when emotions interfere. Meanwhile, a religious couple would not need counseling because their value system would be the same, making differences of opinion trivial.
Talking through a problem is helpful. Talking to a good friend is more helpful. A good friend does not need an advanced degree to offer good advice because they have an understanding of the troubled person and equally importantly, context. They know the troubled person well enough to offer tailored advice, and might be respected enough to humble the troubled person enough for them to listen to unsolicited advice.
No psychologist, no matter how advanced their degree, can will someone to listen. Only money can do that. Then again, anyone that offers advice in exchange for money and time cannot be trusted to care for you the same way that a good friend can, and does.
Good advice shouldn't cost money. Confession, after all, is free. A psychologist just isn't necessary for a (religious) person with a good friend.
After receiving advice it becomes the responsibility of the troubled person to act on it....everyone is the solution to their own problems.
Everyone with a life has problems. Psychologists are not necessary to fix them unless they involve incessant suicidal thoughts that can only be quelled with medication. Otherwise they are not trustworthy.
Psychologists curate their demeanor to appear like a caring person when, in fact, they only care about themselves; they have expensive student loans and run a small business.
This is why psychologists are always defending their worth to their patients who are frustrated by its lack of results.
At best, psychologists can get lucky and offer helpful advice. At worst they are biased and manipulative. The most dishonest ones will invent disorders to treat their patients for. Most psychologists are middling, and too understanding. Without context, or an intimate understanding of the other people involved, a psychiatrist easily becomes lost. They have to grasp at straws and offer trite advice because they have little to go on.
There are certain types of people who do not need medication and could benefit from psychology, like troubled high schoolers. Troubled youth fit two criteria for psychology to have a positive affect:
- they have bad friends and don't know it
- they don't respect their parents enough to take their advice
A psychologist could be useful for a non-religious married couple in need of counseling, but it is dependent upon their honesty and mutual desire to mend their relationship. In this case the psychologist is just the referee for the argument when emotions interfere. Meanwhile, a religious couple would not need counseling because their value system would be the same, making differences of opinion trivial.
Talking through a problem is helpful. Talking to a good friend is more helpful. A good friend does not need an advanced degree to offer good advice because they have an understanding of the troubled person and equally importantly, context. They know the troubled person well enough to offer tailored advice, and might be respected enough to humble the troubled person enough for them to listen to unsolicited advice.
Saturday, June 8, 2019
"The Executioner's Song" Part 2: Nicole
This part begins with Gary and Nicole's life together then segues into Nicole's life before she meet Gary. Mailer is slick; he knows that the reader will see Gary and Nicole's relationship as another pattern of her history if the story lines are swapped.
While visiting Sterling with Ricki's wife Sue one Saturday night, Nicole and Gary met. Nicole was immediately fascinated by him, but didn't want to let him know it, so she and Sue told Sterling they used to have crushes on him while Gary sat silently.
One thing lead to another and Nicole agreed to go out with Gary to buy some beer, taking her son Jeremy "for protection." Instead, things go well between them, and they kiss. Not wanting to seem like she "dates too much" in front of Sue, Nicole refuses Gary's inquiry for her phone number.
But she can't resist. She drives back to Sterling's house after dropping Sue at home and spends the night, putting her daughter Sunny and son Jeremy to bed. When Gary tells her that he spent half of his life in jail, she questions his status as "another loser." She didn't want to be with somebody "who didn't think enough of himself to make something of himself."
This time, Sterling sat there silently; Nicole and Gary talked for hours as if Sterling was not even in the room! This was the best conversation Nicole ever had, and when Gary came on to her she couldn't refuse. Gary blamed his lack of a hard-on on the beer and Fiorinal, but Nicole didn't want him to worry too much about it.
Gary didn't move in with Nicole completely for a week.
They got along very well with each other and Gary got along well with Nicole's children. It was the honeymoon period, after all. This is when the relationship is supposed to be perfect. The only time Gary seemed off was when Nicole found out--by snooping--that Gary had fake teeth. He acted like "someone had turned out the lights." She already knew that he had fake teeth when she kissed him, and teased him a little bit because she she wanted him to know that it didn't bother her. Gary still didn't take it well, but when they made love he told her it felt like he was "breathing into her soul."
Gary mentioned his mother to Nicole and it made him cry to mention her arthritis. This moves Nicole,who normally views a man crying as "disgusting" especially when they've cried over her. But they make plans to go to Portland to see her. For the time being money is very tight; they can barely afford to put gas in the car.
Nicole doesn't want to spook Gary and make him uncomfortable, so she tells him eventually her history. She is completely driven by sexual desire and has a problem controlling herself around men. She seems to sleep/marry men like a normal woman greets one. This is why she has had 2 children and 4 husbands by age 19.
Her history and habits make Gary look like just another fling. This was a good reason for her caution when telling Gary about her life.
Two major factors contributed to Nicole's history of deviant sexual behavior: her looks and her Uncle Lee.
Her "Uncle" Lee was her father's army buddy that lived with her family on and off since she was 6. Before he was shipped off, and killed, in Vietnam, he touched her inappropriately and made her touch him. When she was old enough to know better Nicole slept with her sister to protect herself from his advances but the damage had already been done.
Nicole was targeted by this man because of her looks, and she received attention from the boys at school because she had the biggest boobs in elementary school. She would let the boys touch her, but "no one could put it in her before she was 11."
Like most kids at that age, Nicole got into a bad habit and could not see any problem with it. Her mother tried to discipline her, but Nicole was caught stealing and sent to a reform school/nut house when she was 13. It was there that she met her second husband. (When she escaped reform school and went to an orgy at a party, she met her first.)
Nicole's life was very messy: she married multiple men, all of them a different kind of loser: dumb/drug dealer/paranoid/abusive. She mothers two children by two different men because she doesn't understand methods of successful birth control, and won't get an abortion because she can't fathom killing a baby.
Eventually Nicole keeps the good memories away from Gary because she was afraid that it would "bring down more spooks".
From the little we know about Gary's past and the reasons he went to jail/reform school, Nicole and Gary are the male and female equivalent of one another. Gary is violent and Nicole is sexual.
Lesson: Being a looker with big boobs is a curse for a young girl with a bad father.
Prediction: Gary's wish for "no unnecessary tragedies" goes unheeded.
Friday, June 7, 2019
Book Club: "The Executioner's Song" Part 1: 'Gary' Recap/Review
A house becomes a mess when its inhabitants cease their interaction and become accustomed to its degrading state. Book shelves are no different. If they are not interacted with, they start to resemble the wall they stand in front of. The Executioner's Song has lived on my shelf for so long that it was beginning to look like it was painted there.
The Executioner's Song was famous 40 years ago, but I don't think my generation knows it. I only know of it because I was a Matthew Barney fan in college--an obscure filmmaker by trade--and Cremaster 2 was more or less about The Executioner's Song. Before that I'd never heard of Gary Gilmore or Norman Mailer. Through my cursory research I learned that Norman Mailer was a renowned writer--about as much as Matthew Barney was a renowned artist, but who can quantify these things anyway--and I should know him.
I took the book when I found it on a 'free' shelf in a coffee shop a few years ago. Because of its girth and my excuses it has remained on my book shelf since.
Reading big books that take a long time is my recommended way to escape the hysteria of the mass media. Thinking about them helps to extend that escape, so I am trying something new: taking notes and writing little reports.
Dave Eggers wrote the introduction, and it was the best introduction I almost read. (I always get the feeling that the authors of introductions are writing to an audience of non-readers.) Eggers tells us that if we don't know anything about Gary Gilmore to skip the introduction, read the book, then come back to his introduction. (He also said it would be the fastest 900 pages we ever read, which depends on the reader. I get the feeling that Eggers really wants us to get through the book so we can read his introduction, which I might actually do since I'm trying new things.)
The first part is called "Gary," and is divided into 3 sections that are artfully named "The First Day," "The First Week," and "The First Month." This gives us an idea about the time frame it takes Gary to wear out his welcome with his generous and supportive extended family.
The story begins with Gary's cousin Brenda's childhood memory of Gary. She remembers climbing up her Grandmother's forbidden apple tree then the branch breaking. Gary helped her move the branch. He was a year older than she was and was a quiet boy. Then she didn't see Gary for a very long time. She found out through her mother Ida that Gary was in Reform School, then years later, jail.
Brenda was in touch with Gary, writing letters to him while he was in prison, and in the meantime got married and had children. Gary sounded so mature and intelligent in his letters to her, like he had been educated while behind bars.
Gary is released and Brenda decided to sponsor him. When the buses take too long he decides to treat himself to a flight. He alerts Brenda to his arrival at the airport at 2am. Brenda and her husband Johnny drive out to meet him there. The way Brenda talks about Gary it sounds like she is attracted to him. She wants to know how tall he is, a trait woman find attractive.
They travel to Provo, Utah from the airport, and Gary is reacquainted with his relatives: Brenda's sister Toni and mother Ida, and father, Vern.
Vern gives him a job at his shoe store as a favor, then gives him some cash because "A man without money in his pocket can get into trouble."
Vern tells Gary that he has time to correct his life, but it will take some time for him to readjust to life outside of prison. Maybe in a year he can have all the things that he wants Vern says.
Gary works at the repair shop and is quick to learn but slow to master, and loses patience quickly. Vern and his partner, a good young man named Sterling Baker, are too busy to teach Gary and he feels slighted. He still manages to befriend Sterling Baker, and his cousin Rikki Baker.
As time goes on Gary's immaturity and selfishness shows. He begins asking Vern for cash, then buys beer with it. Vern is nice but proud, and gives the money to Gary despite his need to save it for his knee surgery.
Gary doesn't know what he shouldn't do or say, and needs someone to tell him everything. Brenda had to tell him that asking Vern for beer money was selfish, that maybe he could buy groceries with it instead. He listens to Brenda and impresses Ida, who decides to set him up on a date.
The date is with a divorcee named Lu Ann and it does not go well. Gary is immature, and wants to drink beer before going out. Lu Ann says that she wants friendship, and drunk Gary asks her if she wants to go to a motel with him. She says 'No,' then says she wants to be his friend because he needs a friend and they never see each other again.
Gary tells some horrible stories about his time in jail, and he chuckles, disturbing Brenda and Johnny. One story involves him tattooing a penis on his friend Fungoo's neck. Gary laughs and mocks the Fungoo because he never gets mad at Gary, he always blames weed, or jail. Another time, Gary's childhood friend LeRoy was beaten up by his Valium dealer, Billy. Gary worked construction with the guy and hit him in the head with a hammer in retaliation. The witnesses didn't want to speak against Gary, so the warden gave him four months in the hole. Billy had brain damage and wasn't right after that.
Gary plays poker with Rikki and Sterling, but there friends don't like him because he always cheats. Rikki eventually gets Gary to leave the game. They try to get girls, but Gary is terrible at talking to them. Rikki teases him by offering his wife, who he is fighting with, then takes it back when he sees how Gary reacts uncontrollably. He tells Rikki that he wants to rape and Rikki tells him that he can't do that.
He demands that Vern drive him to Salt Lake City one night when his second date refuses to meet him. It is over an hour away, so Vern refuses. Gary decides to hitchhike and lands in Idaho. Vern tells him to call Brenda for a ride, and Brenda tells him to hitchhike back. Gary is arrested for driving a vehicle, and changes the story multiple times. First the guy was trying to hit on him so he knocked him out and decided to take him to a hospital. Then the guy fainted and Gary had to take the wheel and drive him to the hospital.
Even Gary's parole office, Mont Court indulges him. He doesn't believe that Gary can be all evil because he has seen his paintings and drawings from prison. He wants to give Gary another chance and not lock him up in an overcrowded prison so soon.
To celebrate the purchase of his new car he goes to see One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with Johnny and Brenda. He talked loudly, oblivious to the other moviegoers. He couldn't stop, even when they asked him nicely. Brenda eventually tires of Gary's antics and lies . She is disappointed by who he is, and she and Johnny tell him but he does not understand why.
Eventually Gary meets Rikki's sister Nicole, a 19 year old "space cadet"and "looker" with a four year old son. They fall in love. Brenda disapproves because of her age, but Gary says he 'feels' 19, and Brenda tells him he needs to grow up.
He can't. And he can't avoid trouble. This is his nature. It got him in jail and it follows him out of jail. This is why Brenda is disappointed: Gary doesn't know that some of his actions bother people. (Also he had horrid table manners.) This doesn't make them exceptionally acceptable; it makes Gary dangerous.
The Executioner's Song was famous 40 years ago, but I don't think my generation knows it. I only know of it because I was a Matthew Barney fan in college--an obscure filmmaker by trade--and Cremaster 2 was more or less about The Executioner's Song. Before that I'd never heard of Gary Gilmore or Norman Mailer. Through my cursory research I learned that Norman Mailer was a renowned writer--about as much as Matthew Barney was a renowned artist, but who can quantify these things anyway--and I should know him.
I took the book when I found it on a 'free' shelf in a coffee shop a few years ago. Because of its girth and my excuses it has remained on my book shelf since.
Reading big books that take a long time is my recommended way to escape the hysteria of the mass media. Thinking about them helps to extend that escape, so I am trying something new: taking notes and writing little reports.
Dave Eggers wrote the introduction, and it was the best introduction I almost read. (I always get the feeling that the authors of introductions are writing to an audience of non-readers.) Eggers tells us that if we don't know anything about Gary Gilmore to skip the introduction, read the book, then come back to his introduction. (He also said it would be the fastest 900 pages we ever read, which depends on the reader. I get the feeling that Eggers really wants us to get through the book so we can read his introduction, which I might actually do since I'm trying new things.)
The first part is called "Gary," and is divided into 3 sections that are artfully named "The First Day," "The First Week," and "The First Month." This gives us an idea about the time frame it takes Gary to wear out his welcome with his generous and supportive extended family.
The story begins with Gary's cousin Brenda's childhood memory of Gary. She remembers climbing up her Grandmother's forbidden apple tree then the branch breaking. Gary helped her move the branch. He was a year older than she was and was a quiet boy. Then she didn't see Gary for a very long time. She found out through her mother Ida that Gary was in Reform School, then years later, jail.
Brenda was in touch with Gary, writing letters to him while he was in prison, and in the meantime got married and had children. Gary sounded so mature and intelligent in his letters to her, like he had been educated while behind bars.
Gary is released and Brenda decided to sponsor him. When the buses take too long he decides to treat himself to a flight. He alerts Brenda to his arrival at the airport at 2am. Brenda and her husband Johnny drive out to meet him there. The way Brenda talks about Gary it sounds like she is attracted to him. She wants to know how tall he is, a trait woman find attractive.
They travel to Provo, Utah from the airport, and Gary is reacquainted with his relatives: Brenda's sister Toni and mother Ida, and father, Vern.
Vern gives him a job at his shoe store as a favor, then gives him some cash because "A man without money in his pocket can get into trouble."
Vern tells Gary that he has time to correct his life, but it will take some time for him to readjust to life outside of prison. Maybe in a year he can have all the things that he wants Vern says.
Gary works at the repair shop and is quick to learn but slow to master, and loses patience quickly. Vern and his partner, a good young man named Sterling Baker, are too busy to teach Gary and he feels slighted. He still manages to befriend Sterling Baker, and his cousin Rikki Baker.
As time goes on Gary's immaturity and selfishness shows. He begins asking Vern for cash, then buys beer with it. Vern is nice but proud, and gives the money to Gary despite his need to save it for his knee surgery.
Gary doesn't know what he shouldn't do or say, and needs someone to tell him everything. Brenda had to tell him that asking Vern for beer money was selfish, that maybe he could buy groceries with it instead. He listens to Brenda and impresses Ida, who decides to set him up on a date.
The date is with a divorcee named Lu Ann and it does not go well. Gary is immature, and wants to drink beer before going out. Lu Ann says that she wants friendship, and drunk Gary asks her if she wants to go to a motel with him. She says 'No,' then says she wants to be his friend because he needs a friend and they never see each other again.
Gary tells some horrible stories about his time in jail, and he chuckles, disturbing Brenda and Johnny. One story involves him tattooing a penis on his friend Fungoo's neck. Gary laughs and mocks the Fungoo because he never gets mad at Gary, he always blames weed, or jail. Another time, Gary's childhood friend LeRoy was beaten up by his Valium dealer, Billy. Gary worked construction with the guy and hit him in the head with a hammer in retaliation. The witnesses didn't want to speak against Gary, so the warden gave him four months in the hole. Billy had brain damage and wasn't right after that.
Gary plays poker with Rikki and Sterling, but there friends don't like him because he always cheats. Rikki eventually gets Gary to leave the game. They try to get girls, but Gary is terrible at talking to them. Rikki teases him by offering his wife, who he is fighting with, then takes it back when he sees how Gary reacts uncontrollably. He tells Rikki that he wants to rape and Rikki tells him that he can't do that.
He demands that Vern drive him to Salt Lake City one night when his second date refuses to meet him. It is over an hour away, so Vern refuses. Gary decides to hitchhike and lands in Idaho. Vern tells him to call Brenda for a ride, and Brenda tells him to hitchhike back. Gary is arrested for driving a vehicle, and changes the story multiple times. First the guy was trying to hit on him so he knocked him out and decided to take him to a hospital. Then the guy fainted and Gary had to take the wheel and drive him to the hospital.
Even Gary's parole office, Mont Court indulges him. He doesn't believe that Gary can be all evil because he has seen his paintings and drawings from prison. He wants to give Gary another chance and not lock him up in an overcrowded prison so soon.
To celebrate the purchase of his new car he goes to see One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with Johnny and Brenda. He talked loudly, oblivious to the other moviegoers. He couldn't stop, even when they asked him nicely. Brenda eventually tires of Gary's antics and lies . She is disappointed by who he is, and she and Johnny tell him but he does not understand why.
He can't. And he can't avoid trouble. This is his nature. It got him in jail and it follows him out of jail. This is why Brenda is disappointed: Gary doesn't know that some of his actions bother people. (Also he had horrid table manners.) This doesn't make them exceptionally acceptable; it makes Gary dangerous.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
The Feed
The Feed lets you choose. At first.
From an endless array of profiles, each with its own jokes, opinions, memes, headlines, drama. So many to choose from! And the list never ends.
Soon The Feed isn't just the profiles you chose. It is what those profiles like. And what they retweet, and what their friends--whom you don't like--comment on their posts. The Feed becomes more than you thought you curated. In fact, The Feed is not what you curated at all...
You can unfollow profiles. Cut back 90%. The Feed definitely won't update as much. But its job is to find a way to update. And it is good at its job. It is programmed to lure you in, as you are programmed to be lured in. It stays relevant because it wants you to come back. Again and again. Forever and ever.
Profiles interact with other profiles. Other profiles that you might be interested in following. And as they interact and talk to one another the Feed feeds them to one another, and to you.These other innocent profiles don't realize how they are used by The Feed. Simply by existing they help the feed to update itself, and they become the feed.
The Feed succeeds because other profiles Feed themselves to you.
The Feed is kind of like a spider's web but there is no spider. The web gets stickier and stickier and keeps them trapped. But there is no spider, so what are they trapped for?
The are trapping themselves. They completely forget what is outside the web they are so accustomed to talking to themselves. Maybe there is more to the web, but they will never know because they are comfy, scrolling through The Feed.
The Feed is not The Web. The Feed is the simplified web that controls what you think by giving you what it wants you to think. It does this by thinking it knows what you want by watching you.
Most that use The Feed will fall prey to its ease. When you catch yourself scrolling, The Feed has trapped you.
But your Web doesn't have to be The Feed. The Feed streamlines The Web.
The Feed is passive curation.
Search the web. Don't scroll the feed.
From an endless array of profiles, each with its own jokes, opinions, memes, headlines, drama. So many to choose from! And the list never ends.
Soon The Feed isn't just the profiles you chose. It is what those profiles like. And what they retweet, and what their friends--whom you don't like--comment on their posts. The Feed becomes more than you thought you curated. In fact, The Feed is not what you curated at all...
You can unfollow profiles. Cut back 90%. The Feed definitely won't update as much. But its job is to find a way to update. And it is good at its job. It is programmed to lure you in, as you are programmed to be lured in. It stays relevant because it wants you to come back. Again and again. Forever and ever.
Profiles interact with other profiles. Other profiles that you might be interested in following. And as they interact and talk to one another the Feed feeds them to one another, and to you.These other innocent profiles don't realize how they are used by The Feed. Simply by existing they help the feed to update itself, and they become the feed.
The Feed succeeds because other profiles Feed themselves to you.
The are trapping themselves. They completely forget what is outside the web they are so accustomed to talking to themselves. Maybe there is more to the web, but they will never know because they are comfy, scrolling through The Feed.
The Feed is not The Web. The Feed is the simplified web that controls what you think by giving you what it wants you to think. It does this by thinking it knows what you want by watching you.
Most that use The Feed will fall prey to its ease. When you catch yourself scrolling, The Feed has trapped you.
But your Web doesn't have to be The Feed. The Feed streamlines The Web.
The Feed is passive curation.
Search the web. Don't scroll the feed.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
Unsolicited Advice #6
Dear Amy,
Perhaps you can help me negotiate a sensitive breakup — with my book club.
Ten of us have been meeting monthly for seven years, since our founding by a dear friend (who passed away recently). We have had a pleasantly eclectic sequence of fiction and nonfiction books and, invariably, terrific meals.
But lately we've had a run of titles I just find tedious. More and more, conversation drifts from our book to work, family, vacations and other matters I don't much care to chatter about. I find myself daydreaming about more exciting book partners.
There are great reasons to belong to a book club. It keeps you anchored to a world of books and focused, intellectual conversation. You may find yourself in the company of worthy people you'd otherwise not have met. In my big city, there are bound to be abundant alternatives.
The other book club members are neighborhood friends and other acquaintances whom I like. I don't want to hurt their feelings, and I can't think of any way to gently back away. If I say I can't do second Tuesdays anymore, they will surely agree to find a new night. But it's time to go. How?
Burned-out BookieThe books are tedious but you like the company...so skim the books and attend the club as a friend. The conversation drifts from the book anyway, so they won't know that you are missing the finer points of the plot. Play dumb if they pick on you.You can find a book club more suitable to your expertise in the meantime.
When the lying about reading the book and the pressure of another Book Club inevitably reaches its boiling point, you can release the stress and come clean. They will have no problem letting you go after that. Or keeping you as an honorary member.
This is the coward's way out, but you refuse to be honest with them because of the death of the founding friend. This person died and the group remains. Do you really think that the group will cease because you leave? Or are you afraid of what they will say about you in your absence?
Dear Amy,
Today is the eighth anniversary of my marriage. We are spending it apart.
Two years ago, my husband started putting a body pillow between us in bed, he said, "I don't consider us married anymore." He is not having an affair.
He is very wealthy. We have separate bank accounts.
He has given his adult children millions.
He just gave the house we live in to his youngest son and is building a new one. He has even made the comment that I should feel privileged to be living in his house, rent free. He refuses to go to marriage counseling. We live in a community property state. There was no prenup.
He is very emotionally abusive and a narcissist. Until I came along no one ever stood up to him. I even had to go out of the county to find an attorney because local people are so intimidated by him.
Call me paranoid, but every night he brings me a drink and I don't dare drink it.
Should I go or stay?
Worried
Go. He is not afraid of you anymore and has let you know it with a body pillow. His mind is made up and you cannot convince him otherwise probably because he is a wealthy and powerful narcissist.
You held the title of standing up to him for a long time. It is pathetic to cling to this past glory.
His children don't sound like your children either, so they will turn on you and take his side when things get worse. I don't know why he is trying to poison you when there is no prenup, but he can make your death look accidental. Isn't your life worth more than this marriage?
Saturday, June 1, 2019
The "Alt Right" doesn’t matter
Like SJWs, the Alt Right was an inevitable annoyance.
The left—controlling the universities and the media, and feeling invigorated by two consecutive progressive presidential terms—felt comfortable enough to browbeat the right.
The right didn't appreciate being called names (sexist! racist!) and decided to return the name calling (Feminazi! SJW!).
When one side pushes, the other side pulls. One side gets mad and pokes the other side in the eyes and now both political parties have an unofficial paramilitary wing. The left has Antifa, and the right has the...Alt-Right? (Viewers can tell Antifa for their black bloc uniform, my guess is that the Alt Right wears uniformed polos.)
Either way, you can find them both at protest that someone powerful paid for. They are there to hear ideas that are so contrary to their own that have no choice but to yell obscenities at one another.
The media loves this! They publish stories about the spike in violence of the Alt-Right with the hope that their leftist readers will share the article and say, "Look! The SPLC and the ADL saw the Alt-Right being violent at a protest! How evil!”
These extremist protestors are abnormal by definition, and do not represent the hardworking stiff. They are mere pawns in the iceberg of political theatre. By someone’s else’s nefarious plot they are used to distract the hardworking stiff from his own life.
Politics is not fair. The Alt Right knows that Antifa punches in the nuts, and then complains about it. They put themselves at risk, then complain. It should matter that we live in America, but it doesn’t.
This media delusion goes so deep that I wouldn’t be surprised if the same SPLC and ADL employed Antifa to instigate the Alt Right with money the media paid them! This kind of political theater is pervasive and persuasive. A life is better lived in ignorance.
The left—controlling the universities and the media, and feeling invigorated by two consecutive progressive presidential terms—felt comfortable enough to browbeat the right.
The right didn't appreciate being called names (sexist! racist!) and decided to return the name calling (Feminazi! SJW!).
When one side pushes, the other side pulls. One side gets mad and pokes the other side in the eyes and now both political parties have an unofficial paramilitary wing. The left has Antifa, and the right has the...Alt-Right? (Viewers can tell Antifa for their black bloc uniform, my guess is that the Alt Right wears uniformed polos.)
Either way, you can find them both at protest that someone powerful paid for. They are there to hear ideas that are so contrary to their own that have no choice but to yell obscenities at one another.
The media loves this! They publish stories about the spike in violence of the Alt-Right with the hope that their leftist readers will share the article and say, "Look! The SPLC and the ADL saw the Alt-Right being violent at a protest! How evil!”
These extremist protestors are abnormal by definition, and do not represent the hardworking stiff. They are mere pawns in the iceberg of political theatre. By someone’s else’s nefarious plot they are used to distract the hardworking stiff from his own life.
Politics is not fair. The Alt Right knows that Antifa punches in the nuts, and then complains about it. They put themselves at risk, then complain. It should matter that we live in America, but it doesn’t.
This media delusion goes so deep that I wouldn’t be surprised if the same SPLC and ADL employed Antifa to instigate the Alt Right with money the media paid them! This kind of political theater is pervasive and persuasive. A life is better lived in ignorance.
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