Month: February 2019

There is a car in front of my house. It is a white hatchback that sits way too low on the ground with rims that stick out past the edge of the wheel rubber. It is clean to the point of obsession and on the front glass the word, “Philthy” is written in a permanent white script. Mark Twain is is credited for writing, “Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn’t.” I often feel that real people are often unbelievable because they feel impossible in one way or another while fictional characters, even the ones with super powers, tend to feel more grounded in a reality I understand.

When I write characters I build them from a conglomeration of the people around me. This is a safety mechanism to create a thing that is actually realistic. When I develop characters without the thought of a living human, these characters tend to represent the better part of my ideals. They are sensitive, thoughtful creatures who, in the face of overwhelming evidence, will point their minds towards fact. Real people do not behave like this. Real people come pre-loaded with cognitive bias and their delicate mental lattices point them towards cognitive ease. It is under these precise conditions that a person, thick with belief in God and the tenets of the bible, can look at Trump and call him a proper follower of the righteous path of God and then, in that same breath, side-eye Obama and declare him a sinner.

Real people do not make sense, which is why they make interesting but difficult characters. In a story the reader generally tries to make sense of or identify with at least one character in the story. In my experience this is usually the protagonist. So, at least one character in the story ought to be inhuman. In other words, at least one character needs to make sense, because the rest of us absolutely don’t.

That car in front of my house belongs to the boy a few bedrooms down. He isn’t my boy but he might be legally related to me one day. Maybe his youth is him time to not make sense. I’ll forgive him that. However, if he doesn’t figure out a way to move closer to reality eventually there could be a problem between me, him, and the law that has nothing to do with kinship.

When I read the news online inevitably that news includes six or seven ‘tweets’ from random people I don’t know who are somehow included as valuable sources. We live in a world where social media defines truth and voracity. In that world Trump says whatever he wants and it hits our eyes long before anyone bothers to vet the language for accuracy.

Trump is a liar. This is not an attack on the man but merely a statement of fact. He practices in open hyperbole and appears to believe or at least promotes the belief that he is the best ever at everything and we live in the worst time for everything that comes across his face. Consider his arguments about North Korea. If Trump is to be believed, we were on the brink of war with North Korea before he took office. However, there is no evidence of such that he has presented. I would argue that Trump himself fanned the flames of Korean conflict by insulting and threatening the regime. Once the problem was ramped up to what he felt was the brink of war (and had us thinking maybe we are going back in there) he went to meet with their fearless leader and had a sit down. Trump made it seem like he talked us down from the brink of war but in reality we are in the same place we were before he took office.

We were sold a lie.

We were also sold a debt. Even as recently as this SOTU address he maintained the lie that China is paying us billions each month in tariffs. He says this again and again, but this is not true. The tariffs are paid by the American companies who deal with China and thus will eventually be paid by the American consumers.

This is the biggest lie and threat of Trump. In the end the people who support him the most are the ones threatened and hurt by him and don’t even see it. His assault on farmers has hurt farmers tremendously, but they don’t see it because the government is subsidizing their losses. It is welfare for a set of people who feel that welfare is one of the worst things you can do to your country. Trump makes America Worst Again, and the horror is that none of the people who matter are willing to acknowledge it.

I’ll dispense with the formal introduction. If you found your way here you know who I am and know what this is. I want to start the argument with a quick recap of Trump’s position prior to the speech and likely late tonight or in the morning once he realizes this speech did not go well. Trump is severely partisan but not to the republican party. He is about the people he believes believe in him. It is his party now and the vocality in the party is reflective of the crowds he draws for these speeches. Trump is a talker — a snake oil salesman– and he has an audience that he knows how to work. So, he is going to work his base.

On to the speech:

Trump led with the argument that he is speaking to the agenda of the American people. However, when Trump speaks of the ‘American people’ he is speaking of that previously mentioned base. He is not talking to me. He is not talking to the people who grew up in the inner city or the people who came over the border to find a better life. He is speaking to the rich and the white. He is speaking to his people, but the people who are listening think they are or can become his people or him and they cannot.

He goes on to state, “we must reject the politics of revenge, resistance and retribution, and embrace the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.” but he forgets to mention his own vindictive nature and the fact that, above all else, he is one vindictive son of a bitch who cares more about being seen and loved than anything else in his world.

He continues to tout achievements begun in the previous administration that are now either coasting or slowing–military strength, economy, unemployment. He doesn’t mention the deficit growth, which we know has worsened under his Reagan-esque policies.

Okay. Ten minutes isn’t enough for this. I’ll be back tomorrow.

Not a lot to report this evening. I believe it is best to simply fast forward to…

Some Thoughts:

1. 13-3 Super Bowl. Media was a bit pissed about it, but I liked it. The game reminded me of a solid soccer match. Excellent defense throughout and big chances for points. Brady was not good. Edelman was very good. I see the decline in Brady. I don’t know that he can go a full 19 game season any longer. The team ought to think about spelling him with a backup some games. They won’t, of course, but it is the best option. It is also the option I’d love to see the Giants take this season should they bring in a rookie QB. Media will make it very tough for that to happen once the QB hype train embarks.
2. Anime is a way of life in both of my households. I enjoy it, but not nearly as much as the kids do. I’m into cop drama lately–the fun comedy/dramedy kind. I will say that Bleach is low key softcore porn. Easily Maxim/Chive level. No wonder boys like it.
3. Trump makes his state of the Union tomorrow night. I will be offering the ten minute Talis rebuttal.
4. Big NBA trades supposedly about to drop by Thursday. I say nothing impactful happens between now and then.
5. Back to the Anime–I’m finishing One Punch. Very funny.
6. That’s about all I can swing time and brain energy for…

I’m not going to blog about the Super Bowl. Not tonight. Instead the sound you hear is the thud of the latest captain marvel trailer smacking heavily into futility. Hear me: This is not an important movie. Captain Marvel is being retconned as the world’s most powerful Avenger and it is the latest in a series of painful MCU retcons that simply do not work.

This film is being sold as Marvel finally standing up and having a powerful female lead. Well, that is a bloody insult to all of the existing kick ass women of the MCU. Take Guardians of the Galaxy for example. Gamora is absolutely the powerhouse there and the conflict between her and her sister guides a great deal of what we appreciate about the series. I can say the same for any number of women in the MCU without limiting myself to the big screen. Captain Marvel simply isn’t good, so stop trying to sell her as powerful and important and meaningful or as a moment for women on screen. She is none of that. She’s a shameless cash grab retconned to lead the next wave of MCU.

Why am I so averse to this film? It feels poorly constructed. Captain Marvel MCU borrows heavily from the comic adventures (including the fantastic four stuff that we won’t get into) and from the Agents of Shield lore. However it does so in a way that makes the movie about her journey to remember her true self as though it is an origin story in reverse. This could be interesting if not for the fact that every scene makes her look like an emotionless robot. We already have a robot Avenger and he has emotions. He also has a partner that is way more powerful, btw.

This is a new look for me. I’m going to try and have a bit of fun predicting a ton of things about the big game. Let me preface this with a summary of how Teen Titans Go! Obliterated the idea of the big game to begin with. Their recent special was spit out your drink funny and cold as hell at once. The highlight was when they broke down how people knew stats cold but couldn’t balance their own budgets… zinger. Real too. They went on to do sideline reports that mocked actual sideline reports. Finally they did all kinds of predictions, which leads us to this blog.

So, let’s start with the big one: Rams lose this game. I’ll call it 35 – 28. Goff gets picked late for the last drive. Brady gets picked too I think but that’s early before the big comeback.

That means Brady gets another MVP. I’m thinking Gronkowski has a big game too but it’s the runing game that shapes the contest.

Fun prediction: a classic singer like Gladys joins maroon 5 for a big final song.

Wild prediction: Trump says some crazy during his interview and tries to steal the spotlight.

Commercial prediction: Kaepernick gets another commercial opportunity to crash the big game.

That’s all, folks.

Listened to an impactful dharma talk today. It was especially impactful to me because I have been struggling with compassion. Recently a young disabled woman wronged me in what I feel was a grievous way. She impacted multiple professional relationships in my life to the point where those relationships and thus those avenues of professional discussion and discourse are forever closed. She did through lies, emotion, and manipulation and painted me as someone who I am not. This brought up a great deal of anger in me. It conjured so much rage that I wished her ill will and abject failure in her endeavors. I wished equal levels of negativity on those who sought to believe her without even considering consulting me. To be honest, I’m still angry. One strong spiritual teaching cannot dilute my anger so quickly. Still, the dilution is underway, because I am beginning to understand and through that understanding, forgive.

The teaching was simple: Do think to understand that people who are troublesome to you also want to be loved. They may have negative conditions in their lives outside of their interactions with you but you both seek the same goal. This does not mean excuse this behavior but instead excuse the core being in that they seek something that is pure and good and necessary.

I can work with that. After all, I don’t know everyone’s life. I don’t know what they face daily or their opportunities or even their ultimate self value. I do know that we all share the goal of being loved. We all wish to give and receive love in some manner. I am blessed to be love and feel that completely. I cannot fault another for wanting that feeling or wanting to give that feeling. I can not fault her protectors for feeling love and warmth in their treatment of her.

What I can do is move forward with my life aware of the conditions now set before me. I can offer them a quiet, ‘is that so?’ And continue to seek out the best version of myself while finding love for and in every version that comes before it.

I used to giggle at people who screamed at the tv, their rage building at the outcome of a situation over which they had no control. I would giggle and then remark to myself that they knew the outrage was false—manufactured almost entirely for them to feel put upon. Then one day I woke up and those people were my own kids.

Fact: it is impossible for the number of people my kids presume to be ‘hacking the game’ to actually be hacking the game. What they find outrageous is that what they perceive as what should be happening (based on their perceived ability and awareness of the situation) is not happening. They shoot. They miss. Must be hackers. Maybe you just missed. However them missing is impossible. The blame falling anywhere near themselves is impossible unless it is so blatantly their ‘bad’ that no excuse can cover it.

There is a ton of manufactured outrage associated with Fortnite. I sort of think they play for the chance to yell and feel outraged, in the same way many people watch sports in order to scream at the refs. To them it is part of the game. To me it is part of a deeper failure of personal responsibility for which I am, at least in part, responsible. What I ought to be doing is shutting down the system every time they complain about the unfairness of the game or the situation. Shouts of Hacker! Should be rewarded with bleeps of power down sequence.

Some thoughts:

1. Knicks just traded away their entire team on the hopes of landing a top player. The Knicks are stupid. Nobody wants to come to New York and rebuild. What will happen is they will, once again, pay top money for second rate players and face another decade of despair.