Tag: 2018

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Toxic Misandry

If I read another article that blames school shootings on “toxic masculinity”… scream. Yes. Young men are usually the shooters or bombers or vehicle drivers who kill lots of people. Maybe we should wonder why besides blaming it on a whole gender. Current societal and cultural energy is focused on empowering women. That’s fine. Let both women and men feel valued. Why is it a zero sum game? If fathers are nurturing and loving, isn’t that great? I saw moms at the Women’s March make their sons wear t-shirts that said “female is the future”.  Hmmm. Wonder how it made those boys feel not to be female.

What’s the answer? Value all people. Let the students of Florida lead the way. Yay.

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Writing Wrongs

Just finished the novel Golden Hill by Francis Spufford. Manhattan 1746. Richard Smith, a young handsome man, appears at a counting house after a long voyage from London. He has a note for an extremely large sum to be paid to him in sixty days. Everyone is wary because his plans for the money are secret. Smith finds New-York gritty and dark where a sense of morality seems out of place. During the days he awaits payment, Smith has many misadventures as a result of bad luck and bad choices. Especially his love for a combative clever girl. But in the end. He rights some wrongs. Historical redemption. A beautifully written read.

Speaking of horrific wrongs. Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida is named for a journalist who turned activist protecting the Everglades. As with the shooting in her eponymous school, journalists converged to report the story. Yet they lost objectivity and immediately became anti-gun activists, even going so far as to exploit students in shock. It’s okay to have opinions. Editorialize. Show sadness in the face of tragedy. But do it after the story has been reported. And tell your audience that it’s an opinion piece. Not news.

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Board Games

Boring Olympic Games. Pretty much. Aside from a triple axle and the hilarious Schitt’s Creek sibling-esque duo of Johnny & Tara in figure skating. Not exhilarating. The only USA gold medals are in snowboarding so far. Two of the three 17-year olds. That’s cool.

Meanwhile. Like the game of Risk. Pence promises diplomatic potential with Kim Jong Un. Or his sister. As Israel places tokens all over the map from Syria to Iran. Back at home. Congress is still playing two-dimensional checkers. Chess anyone?

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Philly Dilly

Superb Bowl 52. Great game. Everything from missed kicks to creative plays. Couldn’t miss a minute. Including commercial breaks. Eli & Odell stole the ads fest. My fave was Stranger Things Tide guy. Justin Timberlake’s half-time show may have been good. Who knows? Muffled bad sound. Again. So. My predilection was Minnesota beats Pats at home. No. My prediction Pats beat Eagles. Also no. But. Who cares? Philly is the dilly!

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Music Hits Manhattan

Grammys return to NYC. Riri & DJ beat Bruno & Cardi B as well as Elton & Miley. They all bested Jay-Z. But. What do puppies have to do with it? Dogs are everywhere. Jeez. And. It’s a music show. Why can’t they ever get the sound right? Even at MSG. In Memoriam Imagine mosaic at Strawberry Fields. Where daily we hear buskers sing Lennon songs off-key.

At the end of the day it’s 24K.

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Advanced Perspectives

Trucked-in snow for the little ones. Afternoon outdoor pop-up bar at Tavern on the Green in Central Park with visiting sis as her husband took in Tosca at the Met. Tiger made the cut. Always good. Mex dinner with cousins fun. As for tonight’s Grammys. It’s a bit sad. Recognize Jay-Z and Bruno Mars. That’s about it. Fewer every year. Even more telling, enjoyed Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon.
So. It’s official. We’re advanced.

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Crossed Lines

School shootings no longer covered door-to-door on cable news.
So-called journalists overtly perpetuate the Trump “resistance”.
Olympic “doctor” finally brought to justice.
James Franco denied Oscar nom by disgruntled actresses.
Christopher Plummer gets Oscar nod replacing true perp.
Blurring lines. Diluting real criminal actions with creepy encounters.
New Yorkers struggle. Pats or Eagles? Neither nemesis. Alexa predicts Eagles.
As injured NFL players languish in locker rooms.

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March? No. Run!

Second Women’s March will be clustering Central Park West on Saturday. No pink pussy hats this year. Why not? You don’t want to know. Suffice it to say that it’ll be an amorphous mess of militant causes. For some stuff. Against other stuff. Chanting. Placarding. Misandry on parade. Fun for many. What will it accomplish? Not much. Registering women to vote in Manhattan? Great.

Take all the signs and hats and run! Work for candidates in Middle America. Read these letters in the New York Times. Find out why people voted for Trump. Give them a better reason to vote for a woman. Or a man. In districts where it will count.

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Misfired Ire

Hair on fire! Trump is a racist misogynistic tyrant! Finally we see him for who he really is!! What? This is the same guy whose immigration policy was to ban all colorful people from entering the country, hung out at the Playboy Mansion, owned beauty pageants, led the birther movement. BEFORE he was elected President. What is with this surprised outrage? Have you met him?

None of the ire directed at Trump will win the next election. Broken record alert! Jamie Dimon said it yesterday. Dems don’t have a centrist candidate who can win the general election in 2020. That’s where the biased media should be focusing its rants.