Gina Harris's Blog, page 99
June 7, 2018
Band Review: Francesco Liccari
Francesco Liccari's 2016 EP Raw Notes starts with the track "Long Winter", and I think in that way shoots Liccari in the foot.
Just under five minutes, the dismal tune does have something in common with a long, cold, and hopeless season. It then colors the rest of the EP, which is not quite as dreary.
It might have worked better as the closing track, but I suppose it depends on what you want to say. I think Liccari's downbeat manner is generally intentional. In some ways, opening with "Long Winter" could act as a positive, because it all gets better after that.
But somehow it doesn't feel that way.
This might be a good fit for Smashing Pumpkins fans.
http://francescoliccari.it/
https://francescoliccari.bandcamp.com/album/raw-notes
https://soundcloud.com/francesco-liccari
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP9PzgCttvHeMGelWMjvgzA
https://twitter.com/Franz_Liccari
Just under five minutes, the dismal tune does have something in common with a long, cold, and hopeless season. It then colors the rest of the EP, which is not quite as dreary.
It might have worked better as the closing track, but I suppose it depends on what you want to say. I think Liccari's downbeat manner is generally intentional. In some ways, opening with "Long Winter" could act as a positive, because it all gets better after that.
But somehow it doesn't feel that way.
This might be a good fit for Smashing Pumpkins fans.
http://francescoliccari.it/
https://francescoliccari.bandcamp.com/album/raw-notes
https://soundcloud.com/francesco-liccari
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP9PzgCttvHeMGelWMjvgzA
https://twitter.com/Franz_Liccari
June 6, 2018
One more personal truth
In April I went to see Timothy Snyder speak:
https://www.pdx.edu/judaic/event/11th-annual-sara-glasgow-cogan-memorial-lecture-timothy-snyder?delta=0
I was really impressed by his book, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century and I think everyone should read it. Obviously, I was excited to get a chance to hear him, and he did a great job.
Out of many memorable things he said, the one that is pertinent to this post is when he said of the things that we see there is one study that can tell us more and predict and that is history. It gave me a little thrill, because I have always felt that, and that is a big part of how history ended up being my thing. Yes, maybe some of it is just wanting to know everything, but I also want to know what to do, and how you fix things, and history is better for that than anything else.
Over the past section of my life, I have been learning things about myself. That includes learning that I have value, and understanding that some previous beliefs were false, and even gaining some perspective on things that seem contradictory but aren't (like yes, you deserve downtime, but this particular way of spending downtime does not work well for you).
In addition, lately I seem to be discovering three defining traits. I am a caretaker. I am a writer. I am a historian. If all three of those are essential to me, then that could explain a lot about me.
I might have previously guessed that my religion was more defining. It is important to me, and it affects a lot, but there are lots of Mormons who manage to feel very differently and act very differently. If I broaden the definition from being Mormon to Christian, it's still true. Taking care of others feels like a natural extension of my religious beliefs, but maybe that is who I would be anyway, and that part of me is something that responds to the religion.
And it is something many other people don't seem to interpret the same way, but maybe if there is another care-taking student of history out there who has to write about everything, maybe we would have a lot in common. Because I know that when Snyder said that, that thrill wasn't only that this is something for me, but also that I am not the only one who feels that way.
There is something wonderful about finding your people, but it is also pretty good finding yourself. It's not that I didn't know that writing, caring for others, or history were important to me before; I knew.
Instead, this is more that hey, this is you. It is good and you need it, and you will do good things with it. Hang onto it. It is a call and response in conjunction with the universe. It is connection both with self and beyond self.
And no matter how different those answers might be for a different person, I believe they are out there all the same.
https://www.pdx.edu/judaic/event/11th-annual-sara-glasgow-cogan-memorial-lecture-timothy-snyder?delta=0
I was really impressed by his book, On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons From the Twentieth Century and I think everyone should read it. Obviously, I was excited to get a chance to hear him, and he did a great job.
Out of many memorable things he said, the one that is pertinent to this post is when he said of the things that we see there is one study that can tell us more and predict and that is history. It gave me a little thrill, because I have always felt that, and that is a big part of how history ended up being my thing. Yes, maybe some of it is just wanting to know everything, but I also want to know what to do, and how you fix things, and history is better for that than anything else.
Over the past section of my life, I have been learning things about myself. That includes learning that I have value, and understanding that some previous beliefs were false, and even gaining some perspective on things that seem contradictory but aren't (like yes, you deserve downtime, but this particular way of spending downtime does not work well for you).
In addition, lately I seem to be discovering three defining traits. I am a caretaker. I am a writer. I am a historian. If all three of those are essential to me, then that could explain a lot about me.
I might have previously guessed that my religion was more defining. It is important to me, and it affects a lot, but there are lots of Mormons who manage to feel very differently and act very differently. If I broaden the definition from being Mormon to Christian, it's still true. Taking care of others feels like a natural extension of my religious beliefs, but maybe that is who I would be anyway, and that part of me is something that responds to the religion.
And it is something many other people don't seem to interpret the same way, but maybe if there is another care-taking student of history out there who has to write about everything, maybe we would have a lot in common. Because I know that when Snyder said that, that thrill wasn't only that this is something for me, but also that I am not the only one who feels that way.
There is something wonderful about finding your people, but it is also pretty good finding yourself. It's not that I didn't know that writing, caring for others, or history were important to me before; I knew.
Instead, this is more that hey, this is you. It is good and you need it, and you will do good things with it. Hang onto it. It is a call and response in conjunction with the universe. It is connection both with self and beyond self.
And no matter how different those answers might be for a different person, I believe they are out there all the same.
June 5, 2018
Balancing
A few months ago I wrote about realizing that I am a caretaker.
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2017/11/i-care.html
Two months ago that got a bit scarier, when I felt a little overwhelmed with my responsibilities, based on having two sick people in the house with me and no one else. Then, when Mom never really bounced back from that, it started to feel like maybe that was going to be all I could do for a while.
We have a better understanding now of what was going on, and that's good, but there's this one area where I am still having a really hard time, and that is including self-care with my care.
There are things that I have been meaning to do for so long, but I keep putting it off because there is always something else that needs to be done. I also feel flabby, overly tired, and I don't know that a stronger immune system would have made a difference last week, but it couldn't have hurt.
I know that I need to take care of myself. I know that if I don't take care of myself, I will not be much good for anyone else. It's still really hard to get there.
When I was reading the badly-written book on Asian health secrets and the better-written but poorly thought out book on Ayurveda, one of the frustrating aspects was that there was always this assumption that something would be wrong with you: you would be out of balance in some way.
Without it making either of those books any better, I think there might be some truth in that. There are always a lot of things to attend to, and you are not getting to them all, and at some point you will need to shift in some way.
I can accept life being cyclical, and that being fine. That doesn't change that right now I am performing sub-optimally, and it's in a pretty clear direction.
One of the things I have not been spending enough time on is increasing my walking distance in preparation for the Turkey Trot. I have done a few miles, and they are fine, but one thing that I notice is that sometimes I feel this tightness in my body that it is pretty clear is stress. I don't worry about it because it is so clear that it is stress, but what is the point of clarity if you don't do anything about it?
So that's what I need to work on, and I am focusing on myself this week, even though I know there were previously existing threads that I dropped right when I started barfing.
I know I lost some readers when I stopped blogging after my computer died, and I think I lost a few this week as well. I am pretty sure that if I chose titles more carefully and promoted differently I could grow my readers that way too. Still, the most important thing right now seems to be becoming whom I need to be, and there have been messages all around about that.
Sometimes it means asking for help on something, and seeing that I can get it. Sometimes it means simply realizing that I can't do it all and prioritizing differently.
And apparently sometimes it will have to mean choosing me, but still being aware of those who rely on me.
It will have to mean finding a balance.
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2017/11/i-care.html
Two months ago that got a bit scarier, when I felt a little overwhelmed with my responsibilities, based on having two sick people in the house with me and no one else. Then, when Mom never really bounced back from that, it started to feel like maybe that was going to be all I could do for a while.
We have a better understanding now of what was going on, and that's good, but there's this one area where I am still having a really hard time, and that is including self-care with my care.
There are things that I have been meaning to do for so long, but I keep putting it off because there is always something else that needs to be done. I also feel flabby, overly tired, and I don't know that a stronger immune system would have made a difference last week, but it couldn't have hurt.
I know that I need to take care of myself. I know that if I don't take care of myself, I will not be much good for anyone else. It's still really hard to get there.
When I was reading the badly-written book on Asian health secrets and the better-written but poorly thought out book on Ayurveda, one of the frustrating aspects was that there was always this assumption that something would be wrong with you: you would be out of balance in some way.
Without it making either of those books any better, I think there might be some truth in that. There are always a lot of things to attend to, and you are not getting to them all, and at some point you will need to shift in some way.
I can accept life being cyclical, and that being fine. That doesn't change that right now I am performing sub-optimally, and it's in a pretty clear direction.
One of the things I have not been spending enough time on is increasing my walking distance in preparation for the Turkey Trot. I have done a few miles, and they are fine, but one thing that I notice is that sometimes I feel this tightness in my body that it is pretty clear is stress. I don't worry about it because it is so clear that it is stress, but what is the point of clarity if you don't do anything about it?
So that's what I need to work on, and I am focusing on myself this week, even though I know there were previously existing threads that I dropped right when I started barfing.
I know I lost some readers when I stopped blogging after my computer died, and I think I lost a few this week as well. I am pretty sure that if I chose titles more carefully and promoted differently I could grow my readers that way too. Still, the most important thing right now seems to be becoming whom I need to be, and there have been messages all around about that.
Sometimes it means asking for help on something, and seeing that I can get it. Sometimes it means simply realizing that I can't do it all and prioritizing differently.
And apparently sometimes it will have to mean choosing me, but still being aware of those who rely on me.
It will have to mean finding a balance.
June 4, 2018
Plague! Pestilence! Fire!, or why I haven't blogged for a few days
Last week I hinted that there were stressful things going on, but I didn't explain further and also, I kept the blog up, kind of impressively, but then more stuff piled on. Such is life.
Last Saturday night (so the Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend, not of the Starlight Parade), my mother had two fainting spells and we took her into the ER, which resulted in her being admitted into the hospital.
That was the first source of stress, and also the first source of being reluctant to give details. After all, it is more her story than mine, and there are confidentiality rules about medical status. Of course, we have been giving every friend all of the details upon request, but that has been one on one. Anyway, she had some issues that are being treated.
I was not too surprised (though a little dismayed) when the hospital attending doctor had a completely different course of treatment in mind than the ER attending doctor; television has prepared me for different mindsets there. I was much more dismayed when every shift change in the hospital brought a different resolution. I was getting pretty murderous by the time we finally got Mom home Wednesday evening. It was still a relief.
Now, hospitals can be scary, lonely, and disorienting under the best circumstances, but with memory issues it can be worse, not only for remembering what is going on but remembering whether you are allowed to get up and walk around without staff present (no), so it seemed best to have someone there with Mom as much as possible. I spent many hours there, which I believe is germane (keyword: GERM) to what happened next.
Mom was discharged at 6 PM Wednesday. We came home, I threw dinner together, we ate, and I collapsed on my bed, exhausted, until about 3 AM Thursday morning, at which point I spent the next three hours violently expelling everything from my digestive system.
(I have not blogged since Thursday.)
At first I thought it could be that had been holding so much stress in that a brief relaxation of tension let everything loose. Plausible, but then I remembered that I had foolishly consumed some raw cookie dough before dinner. I knew dinner was fine, because everyone else was fine so far. Okay, food poisoning, brought on by my own bad decisions, but I would live and not spread things around.
Friday afternoon, Mom started to throw up. This is really scary with someone who just got out of the hospital - and who would be very reluctant to return to the hospital - and is on some new medications. Except, her symptoms were remarkably similar to mine. Timing, textures, color (I had to check for possible side effects, okay?) was exactly like mine. And then my siblings started to fall. Friday evening. Friday night. Saturday morning. And finally, just when we thought she was going to escape it, my final sibling succumbed yesterday.
We had all been together Wednesday evening for our mother's return. We ate together. It wasn't the food, though, it was me. I believe I picked up something (I suspect Norovirus) at the hospital, and have now demonstrated its extreme communicability.
I have been mostly okay since Friday. I mean, my stomach knows something happened, but it is digesting normally. I have also been trying to do a good job of getting things cleaned up, though it is hard to do a thorough disinfecting of the house when it keeps getting more infected.
Part of that is laundry. I wanted to wash all sheet sets today, except just on a normal load of clothes last night the dryer stopped turning and started to smell really hot. So, no, not fire, but if we hadn't unplugged it, who knows?
On one level it feels like time for a primal scream of "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????????", but at this point I am kind of just laughing at it. I don't know what happens next. I should probably be scared. I'm not.
I do have a greater understanding of how there is so much that you can't control, and yet it doesn't meant that things don't matter. It does mean that you should use time wisely, but I have wasted a lot of time and I don't care enough about that either. I may not have the energy to care quite yet. We'll see how I feel later.
But also, last night I woke up from a really interesting dream that has some good stories in it. It's not like I didn't already have things to write about, but something new is always exciting.
Of course, I'm probably not going there, but I do also have plenty of material for a gross-out comedy!
Last Saturday night (so the Saturday night of Memorial Day Weekend, not of the Starlight Parade), my mother had two fainting spells and we took her into the ER, which resulted in her being admitted into the hospital.
That was the first source of stress, and also the first source of being reluctant to give details. After all, it is more her story than mine, and there are confidentiality rules about medical status. Of course, we have been giving every friend all of the details upon request, but that has been one on one. Anyway, she had some issues that are being treated.
I was not too surprised (though a little dismayed) when the hospital attending doctor had a completely different course of treatment in mind than the ER attending doctor; television has prepared me for different mindsets there. I was much more dismayed when every shift change in the hospital brought a different resolution. I was getting pretty murderous by the time we finally got Mom home Wednesday evening. It was still a relief.
Now, hospitals can be scary, lonely, and disorienting under the best circumstances, but with memory issues it can be worse, not only for remembering what is going on but remembering whether you are allowed to get up and walk around without staff present (no), so it seemed best to have someone there with Mom as much as possible. I spent many hours there, which I believe is germane (keyword: GERM) to what happened next.
Mom was discharged at 6 PM Wednesday. We came home, I threw dinner together, we ate, and I collapsed on my bed, exhausted, until about 3 AM Thursday morning, at which point I spent the next three hours violently expelling everything from my digestive system.
(I have not blogged since Thursday.)
At first I thought it could be that had been holding so much stress in that a brief relaxation of tension let everything loose. Plausible, but then I remembered that I had foolishly consumed some raw cookie dough before dinner. I knew dinner was fine, because everyone else was fine so far. Okay, food poisoning, brought on by my own bad decisions, but I would live and not spread things around.
Friday afternoon, Mom started to throw up. This is really scary with someone who just got out of the hospital - and who would be very reluctant to return to the hospital - and is on some new medications. Except, her symptoms were remarkably similar to mine. Timing, textures, color (I had to check for possible side effects, okay?) was exactly like mine. And then my siblings started to fall. Friday evening. Friday night. Saturday morning. And finally, just when we thought she was going to escape it, my final sibling succumbed yesterday.
We had all been together Wednesday evening for our mother's return. We ate together. It wasn't the food, though, it was me. I believe I picked up something (I suspect Norovirus) at the hospital, and have now demonstrated its extreme communicability.
I have been mostly okay since Friday. I mean, my stomach knows something happened, but it is digesting normally. I have also been trying to do a good job of getting things cleaned up, though it is hard to do a thorough disinfecting of the house when it keeps getting more infected.
Part of that is laundry. I wanted to wash all sheet sets today, except just on a normal load of clothes last night the dryer stopped turning and started to smell really hot. So, no, not fire, but if we hadn't unplugged it, who knows?
On one level it feels like time for a primal scream of "Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????????", but at this point I am kind of just laughing at it. I don't know what happens next. I should probably be scared. I'm not.
I do have a greater understanding of how there is so much that you can't control, and yet it doesn't meant that things don't matter. It does mean that you should use time wisely, but I have wasted a lot of time and I don't care enough about that either. I may not have the energy to care quite yet. We'll see how I feel later.
But also, last night I woke up from a really interesting dream that has some good stories in it. It's not like I didn't already have things to write about, but something new is always exciting.
Of course, I'm probably not going there, but I do also have plenty of material for a gross-out comedy!
May 30, 2018
Fear of falling
I thought I might write about Reparations Happy Hour, because that was causing some irritation too. As I was hearing it in my head, though, it sounded an awful lot like a post that will probably hit in about three weeks, and maybe it's better to wait on that.
It would still have been leading to the point that I notice this irritation that happens with various news items that seem like they shouldn't be taken personally. An actor apologized for his part in allowing abuse of one of his costars by another costar. Some white people voluntarily paid for some drinks for Black people as part of acknowledging our country's history. If those things do not affect you, why do they bother you?
I had a thought, but I am going to provide a plausible alternative first.
Due to a family member I am hearing a lot of talk radio now - mainly Limbaugh and Larsen.
I guess in one way it is good, because in the past when some people would say things that seemed so disconnected from reality, I found it confusing, and now I get it, but this is not just about the lying.
It seems that they (especially Rush) spend most of their time talking about how bad, stupid, and insincere liberals are. When I first noticed that I thought it might be a reflection on conservatives not having a lot to say about themselves, but that attention has shifted to the cumulative impact it might have. The constant trash talking could easily turn "liberal" and all associated concepts into irritants, so maybe it's that.
I may spend more time on that in a later post, but for now I am just going to mention that even though being told everyone else is stupid and bad except you and the host you are listening too might seem like it would be affirming, it does not seem to improve mood (or social skills).
My thought, though, was that maybe there was this fear of the slippery slope. Usually only invoked on the topic of gun control, it might feel that once you accept one liberal belief that more of them will cumulatively pull you down and you will have to give up a lot of things that are cherished and feel important.
I also think that's entirely possible. There are some really shaky beliefs out there, and if you want to be a good person, especially on a religious level, there is a conflict. I don't want to be unsympathetic to that. Also, I recently realized that I had lost some things, and had to look at what I had gained instead, and what I still had, and have decided that I am ultimately better for it. That's going up on the Sunday blog though.
So all I can really say is be brave. The demonization might make it seem like any giving in will mean terrible corruption, but I offer you my assurance that is not true.
You may also find yourself more sensitive, and more vulnerable. I get the downside of that. Be brave anyway. It may also open you up to more joy.
I know it feels easier to be pugnacious. I have been there. I am going to try and write about that Monday.
It would still have been leading to the point that I notice this irritation that happens with various news items that seem like they shouldn't be taken personally. An actor apologized for his part in allowing abuse of one of his costars by another costar. Some white people voluntarily paid for some drinks for Black people as part of acknowledging our country's history. If those things do not affect you, why do they bother you?
I had a thought, but I am going to provide a plausible alternative first.
Due to a family member I am hearing a lot of talk radio now - mainly Limbaugh and Larsen.
I guess in one way it is good, because in the past when some people would say things that seemed so disconnected from reality, I found it confusing, and now I get it, but this is not just about the lying.
It seems that they (especially Rush) spend most of their time talking about how bad, stupid, and insincere liberals are. When I first noticed that I thought it might be a reflection on conservatives not having a lot to say about themselves, but that attention has shifted to the cumulative impact it might have. The constant trash talking could easily turn "liberal" and all associated concepts into irritants, so maybe it's that.
I may spend more time on that in a later post, but for now I am just going to mention that even though being told everyone else is stupid and bad except you and the host you are listening too might seem like it would be affirming, it does not seem to improve mood (or social skills).
My thought, though, was that maybe there was this fear of the slippery slope. Usually only invoked on the topic of gun control, it might feel that once you accept one liberal belief that more of them will cumulatively pull you down and you will have to give up a lot of things that are cherished and feel important.
I also think that's entirely possible. There are some really shaky beliefs out there, and if you want to be a good person, especially on a religious level, there is a conflict. I don't want to be unsympathetic to that. Also, I recently realized that I had lost some things, and had to look at what I had gained instead, and what I still had, and have decided that I am ultimately better for it. That's going up on the Sunday blog though.
So all I can really say is be brave. The demonization might make it seem like any giving in will mean terrible corruption, but I offer you my assurance that is not true.
You may also find yourself more sensitive, and more vulnerable. I get the downside of that. Be brave anyway. It may also open you up to more joy.
I know it feels easier to be pugnacious. I have been there. I am going to try and write about that Monday.
May 29, 2018
Work families
Without really seeking out information on the royal wedding, I had heard some nice things and some sad things (mainly from The Talk). My favorite stories were how Harry handpicked Meghan a bouquet of his mother's favorite flowers; how Meghan's dog was rescued from a no-kill shelter, eventually leading to his adoption by her, and this one:
https://www.etonline.com/meghan-markles-suits-co-stars-make-stylish-entrance-at-the-royal-wedding-102563
That was the story I actually sought out. After the wedding there were some guest shots, including people from Suits. I suddenly wondered about Gina Torres: Was she there? What did she wear? She's married to Laurence Fishburne; was he there? So I Googled.
Torres was there and she looked gorgeous. She and Fishburne are recently split up - which saddened me - but that ended up being overshadowed by the sweetness of the relationships.
All of her co-stars were there. The actor who played her father couldn't make it, but he watched at home. Her cast mates worked to protect her privacy. That could just be general respect, but also one person pointed out how the length of the show is longer than your college years or high school years, and you can build some pretty deep bonds.
I think it resonated with me more because I had seen some things on her father and half-siblings being pretty terrible, so it was reassuring to know that she had a supportive and caring work-family. That seemed more important, based on this:
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/5/23/17387116/jessica-walter-jeffrey-tambor-arrested-development
I chose this article because it has the dialogue quoted that I heard on The Talk (apparently my main source of pop culture information now).
Let me back up. I had already hear about Jeffrey Tambor being fired for harassing a transgender person. I know people often feel they have (but do not have) a right to touch transgender people around their genital areas - maybe it goes back to Crocodile Dundee - and I had thought it was probably something like that. Then there was not only another person claiming abuse, but Tambor (while still denying those allegations) admitting that he is so passionate about his work and everyone doing a good job that some people may be upset by him that way.
At that point I was simultaneously reminded of how even people who did not know Weinstein was a racist knew he was a bully, and how Dustin Hoffman's "method acting" included slapping Meryl Streep and verbally abusing her, and Kevin Spacey's dedication to his craft involving abusing interns. Also, I was reminded of countless people at this point admitting that they had been difficult in one way, but they didn't remember it the same way, and so on.
Then The Talk played that audio.
The Vox article has some other good stuff. The tweets from Rebecca Traister and Marin Cogan are sadly on point. David Cross being a weasel even as he acknowledges it is not at all surprising. The additional information is great, but the primary thing for me is still hearing Walter say that she needs to forgive Tambor so they can be friends again, and that Bateman told her this happens all the time - even though her own memory and history was telling her that was not true - and Tambor just agreeing with that one word, because it is his due to have her forgiveness and friendship. It is the confidence and lack of caring in his voice despite the palpable hurt in hers. I wanted to scream.
YOU DON'T OWE HIM ANYTHING!
I'm not anti-forgiveness. It can be very healing. It can be helpful to lay down those hurts instead of carrying them around. That can even be true when the person is not apologetic. However...
Forgiveness may not be healthy when it means suppressing your own pain instead of processing it. When doing so is pressured by other people elevating the needs of the offender over the offended, that adds more pain instead of healing it. Forgiveness does not automatically mean that the forgiven person gets trust back and friendship back. I might have written about this anyway, but an additional impetus came from seeing someone bothered by Jason Bateman's apology.
Looking that the original interview, I think it's pretty clear that the New York Times was going for a light-hearted family reunion vibe, and they thought the elephant in the room of misconduct allegations against Tambor could fit into that; because this is his work family and they are all funny people and he was probably just misunderstood on Transparent. Except that they were wrong and there was real damage and real pain and they dragged it up. Then it was awkward for everyone and people tried to make the awkwardness go away.
We could probably make some pointed remarks about NYT goals and results, but let's consider some alternate possible scenarios.
People could have listened to Walter's pain, and promised that they would work to have a better set and not let it happen again. Tambor could have taken a moment to sincerely apologize and promise to be a better "friend". That could have come not just from listening to Walter but also from listing to Shakwat. It might be embarrassing, admitting they had those family problems, but that is Tambor's fault, not Walter's. Not only was he the original offender, he is the one who put his his history of abusive behavior out there as a way of minimizing his behavior on Transparent.Cast members could have realized that the question was going to come up, and gotten together to talk about it prior to the interview. This would have allowed for a private chance to hear pain and promise to do better. Of course, there is a good chance they would have talked over Walter there too, but it at least gives them a chance to work things out in private.Back when the original incident happened, someone could have said it was not acceptable back then. Putting pressure on Tambor to shape up then might have led to him still having a job on Transparent today.It is reasonable to apologize for that. It is reasonable to apologize for asking someone to suck up abuse and take one for the team because you want to keep the abuser on the team. It is reasonable to apologize for not hearing someone when they are trying to say something important to them. That's true whether it's someone you love and have a history with, or if you are just a decent human being.
I think the irritation with the apology could come from many things. There was something about the facts being in dispute, but I wonder if that was about the Transparent allegations. For Tambor's initial berating of Walter and for everyone minimizing her discomfort during the interview, there does not seem to be any dispute.
It could also been a reaction to the perception that Bateman was apologizing for Tambor. You are not responsible for other people's behavior, but you are for your own. Bateman could have been better, and he wasn't.
It could also have been that Bateman used the term "mansplaining" in his apology. It was not a completely unreasonable use, but as a word used to describe something that men do to women related to the patriarchy, it may be tainted for some. That leads into something different though, and I want to get into that tomorrow.
https://www.etonline.com/meghan-markles-suits-co-stars-make-stylish-entrance-at-the-royal-wedding-102563
That was the story I actually sought out. After the wedding there were some guest shots, including people from Suits. I suddenly wondered about Gina Torres: Was she there? What did she wear? She's married to Laurence Fishburne; was he there? So I Googled.
Torres was there and she looked gorgeous. She and Fishburne are recently split up - which saddened me - but that ended up being overshadowed by the sweetness of the relationships.
All of her co-stars were there. The actor who played her father couldn't make it, but he watched at home. Her cast mates worked to protect her privacy. That could just be general respect, but also one person pointed out how the length of the show is longer than your college years or high school years, and you can build some pretty deep bonds.
I think it resonated with me more because I had seen some things on her father and half-siblings being pretty terrible, so it was reassuring to know that she had a supportive and caring work-family. That seemed more important, based on this:
https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/5/23/17387116/jessica-walter-jeffrey-tambor-arrested-development
I chose this article because it has the dialogue quoted that I heard on The Talk (apparently my main source of pop culture information now).
Let me back up. I had already hear about Jeffrey Tambor being fired for harassing a transgender person. I know people often feel they have (but do not have) a right to touch transgender people around their genital areas - maybe it goes back to Crocodile Dundee - and I had thought it was probably something like that. Then there was not only another person claiming abuse, but Tambor (while still denying those allegations) admitting that he is so passionate about his work and everyone doing a good job that some people may be upset by him that way.
At that point I was simultaneously reminded of how even people who did not know Weinstein was a racist knew he was a bully, and how Dustin Hoffman's "method acting" included slapping Meryl Streep and verbally abusing her, and Kevin Spacey's dedication to his craft involving abusing interns. Also, I was reminded of countless people at this point admitting that they had been difficult in one way, but they didn't remember it the same way, and so on.
Then The Talk played that audio.
The Vox article has some other good stuff. The tweets from Rebecca Traister and Marin Cogan are sadly on point. David Cross being a weasel even as he acknowledges it is not at all surprising. The additional information is great, but the primary thing for me is still hearing Walter say that she needs to forgive Tambor so they can be friends again, and that Bateman told her this happens all the time - even though her own memory and history was telling her that was not true - and Tambor just agreeing with that one word, because it is his due to have her forgiveness and friendship. It is the confidence and lack of caring in his voice despite the palpable hurt in hers. I wanted to scream.
YOU DON'T OWE HIM ANYTHING!
I'm not anti-forgiveness. It can be very healing. It can be helpful to lay down those hurts instead of carrying them around. That can even be true when the person is not apologetic. However...
Forgiveness may not be healthy when it means suppressing your own pain instead of processing it. When doing so is pressured by other people elevating the needs of the offender over the offended, that adds more pain instead of healing it. Forgiveness does not automatically mean that the forgiven person gets trust back and friendship back. I might have written about this anyway, but an additional impetus came from seeing someone bothered by Jason Bateman's apology.
Looking that the original interview, I think it's pretty clear that the New York Times was going for a light-hearted family reunion vibe, and they thought the elephant in the room of misconduct allegations against Tambor could fit into that; because this is his work family and they are all funny people and he was probably just misunderstood on Transparent. Except that they were wrong and there was real damage and real pain and they dragged it up. Then it was awkward for everyone and people tried to make the awkwardness go away.
We could probably make some pointed remarks about NYT goals and results, but let's consider some alternate possible scenarios.
People could have listened to Walter's pain, and promised that they would work to have a better set and not let it happen again. Tambor could have taken a moment to sincerely apologize and promise to be a better "friend". That could have come not just from listening to Walter but also from listing to Shakwat. It might be embarrassing, admitting they had those family problems, but that is Tambor's fault, not Walter's. Not only was he the original offender, he is the one who put his his history of abusive behavior out there as a way of minimizing his behavior on Transparent.Cast members could have realized that the question was going to come up, and gotten together to talk about it prior to the interview. This would have allowed for a private chance to hear pain and promise to do better. Of course, there is a good chance they would have talked over Walter there too, but it at least gives them a chance to work things out in private.Back when the original incident happened, someone could have said it was not acceptable back then. Putting pressure on Tambor to shape up then might have led to him still having a job on Transparent today.It is reasonable to apologize for that. It is reasonable to apologize for asking someone to suck up abuse and take one for the team because you want to keep the abuser on the team. It is reasonable to apologize for not hearing someone when they are trying to say something important to them. That's true whether it's someone you love and have a history with, or if you are just a decent human being.
I think the irritation with the apology could come from many things. There was something about the facts being in dispute, but I wonder if that was about the Transparent allegations. For Tambor's initial berating of Walter and for everyone minimizing her discomfort during the interview, there does not seem to be any dispute.
It could also been a reaction to the perception that Bateman was apologizing for Tambor. You are not responsible for other people's behavior, but you are for your own. Bateman could have been better, and he wasn't.
It could also have been that Bateman used the term "mansplaining" in his apology. It was not a completely unreasonable use, but as a word used to describe something that men do to women related to the patriarchy, it may be tainted for some. That leads into something different though, and I want to get into that tomorrow.
May 28, 2018
Beloved songs
There are some frustrating things going on currently, both in the outer world and in my personal life. I don't want to get into details on that right now, but I won't be home very much through Wednesday, probably, and I may be extra tired and stressed.
Anyway, today can be one shorter, easier post.
A couple of weeks ago, someone I know from Twitter lamented not having fallen in love with a song recently, and asked for recommendations. I wrote back three times.
If that were just three tweets with one song each, that would be one thing, but that was not the case. I gave her my top four from last year, plus two songs from this year, plus another that I just remembered.
I could have kept going, too, but I know inundation isn't really ideal, and then the last band was one she knew and that shifted the conversation.
The thing is, it was like I had just been waiting to be asked, and maybe asked in that way. Like, if you ask me to recommend a band, I will want to get an idea of whom you like, and what you like about them, and then I will try but at least in the past I have found that to be a lot of pressure. Falling in love with a song though, where it keeps coming back to you and you need to listen again and again, and there is this magic, yeah, apparently then I need to mention every song I've fallen in love with, or at least for the past three years.
I would not think that it's that I don't write about music enough, because I do two band reviews a week. I get it out.
However, it might be that I don't really share music with people. I only know if someone reads the reviews if I get feedback. Sometimes a band will be really happy, but a lot don't notice.
Also, sometimes reviewing the bands isn't that fun. I try to see every band's good points and respect their current fans and say the things that would be helpful to direct potential fans to them, but a lot of them I do not love. The one I am listening to now is kind of dreary, which is not the same as being bad. They have to be really bad for me to say that in the review, but sometimes if they are just okay and not my thing, the review is a little lackluster. Maybe I want to share enthusiasm and don't get to often enough. Though, when I do love them, no matter how much I say that, it doesn't feel like enough.
Perhaps there is some frustration there.
There are a couple of things that come to mind.
One is that most of the songs I love do not come from reviewing bands that followed me on Twitter.
For the record, here's what I recommended:
"Brandenburg Gate" by Anti-Flag, from my emo research
""From the Heart" by the Slants, from a newspaper article on their court case, but also from targeted listening to Asian/Asian-American artists
"Kiss Me" by Kyosuke Himuro, from a team-up with Gerard Way, but also from targeted listening
"Whenever You're On My Mind" by Marshall Crenshaw, recommended by Jesse Valenzuela
"Local Roses" by Dear Boy, recommended by AFI
"Fight Like A Girl" by Emilie Autumn, recommended on a Shakesville thread about feminist artists
"Broke Down" by Reggie and the Full Effect, found via My Chemical Romance (and I could have said more songs on that album, but I think that one hooked me the hardest)
It probably isn't too surprising if musicians you like recommend music that you will also like. It is not a guarantee, because they also will often have a broader appreciation than someone less musical, but it is one guide. However, even beyond those seven songs, there are a lot of good things that have come from trying to listen to more Black artists or Native American artists or trying to stretch further, even if that means spending over a year listening to bands mentioned in a book that set out to explain emo and didn't do a really good job.
I have fallen in love with songs from the Twitter follows, too, and I don't want to give that up, but I need to make sure that I am making room for musical joy. Depending on the branching out part, that can be a slog too. For the alternative book, it was. A lot of the Greatest Guitar songs listening was quite frustrating. I don't regret it, but I need to make sure not to get mired in it.
Also, I want to have a better view of the long process. Even if I get my lost files back, the Reviewed list never contained more than the name of the band and if I had seen them live. I always felt that it should be more. I want to rebuild it, and look over each year and remember what other songs I loved, and see how some bands are doing now. I'd like to have that done before I hit 600. I mean, I won't know when I hit 600 unless I do that, just that it would probably happen around December.
Related posts:
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2017/10/six-months-of-emo-songs.html
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/07/musical-black-girls.html
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2013/08/greatest-guitar-songs-trouble-with.html
Anyway, today can be one shorter, easier post.
A couple of weeks ago, someone I know from Twitter lamented not having fallen in love with a song recently, and asked for recommendations. I wrote back three times.
If that were just three tweets with one song each, that would be one thing, but that was not the case. I gave her my top four from last year, plus two songs from this year, plus another that I just remembered.
I could have kept going, too, but I know inundation isn't really ideal, and then the last band was one she knew and that shifted the conversation.
The thing is, it was like I had just been waiting to be asked, and maybe asked in that way. Like, if you ask me to recommend a band, I will want to get an idea of whom you like, and what you like about them, and then I will try but at least in the past I have found that to be a lot of pressure. Falling in love with a song though, where it keeps coming back to you and you need to listen again and again, and there is this magic, yeah, apparently then I need to mention every song I've fallen in love with, or at least for the past three years.
I would not think that it's that I don't write about music enough, because I do two band reviews a week. I get it out.
However, it might be that I don't really share music with people. I only know if someone reads the reviews if I get feedback. Sometimes a band will be really happy, but a lot don't notice.
Also, sometimes reviewing the bands isn't that fun. I try to see every band's good points and respect their current fans and say the things that would be helpful to direct potential fans to them, but a lot of them I do not love. The one I am listening to now is kind of dreary, which is not the same as being bad. They have to be really bad for me to say that in the review, but sometimes if they are just okay and not my thing, the review is a little lackluster. Maybe I want to share enthusiasm and don't get to often enough. Though, when I do love them, no matter how much I say that, it doesn't feel like enough.
Perhaps there is some frustration there.
There are a couple of things that come to mind.
One is that most of the songs I love do not come from reviewing bands that followed me on Twitter.
For the record, here's what I recommended:
"Brandenburg Gate" by Anti-Flag, from my emo research
""From the Heart" by the Slants, from a newspaper article on their court case, but also from targeted listening to Asian/Asian-American artists
"Kiss Me" by Kyosuke Himuro, from a team-up with Gerard Way, but also from targeted listening
"Whenever You're On My Mind" by Marshall Crenshaw, recommended by Jesse Valenzuela
"Local Roses" by Dear Boy, recommended by AFI
"Fight Like A Girl" by Emilie Autumn, recommended on a Shakesville thread about feminist artists
"Broke Down" by Reggie and the Full Effect, found via My Chemical Romance (and I could have said more songs on that album, but I think that one hooked me the hardest)
It probably isn't too surprising if musicians you like recommend music that you will also like. It is not a guarantee, because they also will often have a broader appreciation than someone less musical, but it is one guide. However, even beyond those seven songs, there are a lot of good things that have come from trying to listen to more Black artists or Native American artists or trying to stretch further, even if that means spending over a year listening to bands mentioned in a book that set out to explain emo and didn't do a really good job.
I have fallen in love with songs from the Twitter follows, too, and I don't want to give that up, but I need to make sure that I am making room for musical joy. Depending on the branching out part, that can be a slog too. For the alternative book, it was. A lot of the Greatest Guitar songs listening was quite frustrating. I don't regret it, but I need to make sure not to get mired in it.
Also, I want to have a better view of the long process. Even if I get my lost files back, the Reviewed list never contained more than the name of the band and if I had seen them live. I always felt that it should be more. I want to rebuild it, and look over each year and remember what other songs I loved, and see how some bands are doing now. I'd like to have that done before I hit 600. I mean, I won't know when I hit 600 unless I do that, just that it would probably happen around December.
Related posts:
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2017/10/six-months-of-emo-songs.html
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2015/07/musical-black-girls.html
http://sporkful.blogspot.com/2013/08/greatest-guitar-songs-trouble-with.html
May 25, 2018
Band Review: Browne Project
Chris Browne has some busking background, and a Busker Rhyme Album that acknowledges it.
While Browne Project is not limited to busking now, also playing clubs and radio stations and other venues, the acoustic music never sounds too far away from something that could be comfortably played on a street corner. There is an immediacy and a sincerity to the music that seems very approachable.
While I believe I prefer the Looking Forth album, which I think is newer, there is a strong sense of continuity between the two. This is Browne, stripped down and as he is; his project is himself, and it will contain hope and growth.
https://www.youtube.com/browneproject
https://soundcloud.com/browneproject
https://twitter.com/BrowneProject
While Browne Project is not limited to busking now, also playing clubs and radio stations and other venues, the acoustic music never sounds too far away from something that could be comfortably played on a street corner. There is an immediacy and a sincerity to the music that seems very approachable.
While I believe I prefer the Looking Forth album, which I think is newer, there is a strong sense of continuity between the two. This is Browne, stripped down and as he is; his project is himself, and it will contain hope and growth.
https://www.youtube.com/browneproject
https://soundcloud.com/browneproject
https://twitter.com/BrowneProject
May 24, 2018
Band Review: Kitcha Saventhes
I'm not sure I did this review right.
Kitcha got on the review list by following me on Twitter. The Twitter profile points to the Youtube channel, which has music but also has vlogs and makeup tutorials and all kinds of things. Still, I review music, so that seemed like the right place to focus, except that it looks like Kitcha has also been in two bands, or maybe some other kind of musical projects. It might have made more sense to direct the attention that way.
But I didn't.
So, Kitcha is a Youtuber based in Sweden who - among other things - records songs, often accompanying with some animation.
Song selection includes covers of bands that might be considered pop punk and emo, or at least pop in the case of "Call Me Maybe", but there are also songs from video games and cartoon series, I think. Many of them are unfamiliar, so I don't know how they compare to the originals.
That may affect how fans of the originals will feel about Kitcha's covers, but overall I think he does a good job. That includes song selection, presentation choices, and also in the delivery. Okay, sometimes the dance moves and gestures run a little weird and over dramatic. That seems like something you might do for fun if nothing else when you are regularly producing content. Vocals are nonetheless strong and expressive. Vocals are edited, but don't end up sounding artificial.
That right there is a reason why I wonder if I should have reviewed one of the bands instead. It could always happen at some other time.
I still find it weird that people are Youtubers and follow Youtubers, so I am not the target demographic (I know, get off of my lawn), but if you are into following Youtubers, Kitcha could be a good choice.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYCZplVe5QTwhhGIJEepAKQ
https://twitter.com/KitchaSaventhes
Kitcha got on the review list by following me on Twitter. The Twitter profile points to the Youtube channel, which has music but also has vlogs and makeup tutorials and all kinds of things. Still, I review music, so that seemed like the right place to focus, except that it looks like Kitcha has also been in two bands, or maybe some other kind of musical projects. It might have made more sense to direct the attention that way.
But I didn't.
So, Kitcha is a Youtuber based in Sweden who - among other things - records songs, often accompanying with some animation.
Song selection includes covers of bands that might be considered pop punk and emo, or at least pop in the case of "Call Me Maybe", but there are also songs from video games and cartoon series, I think. Many of them are unfamiliar, so I don't know how they compare to the originals.
That may affect how fans of the originals will feel about Kitcha's covers, but overall I think he does a good job. That includes song selection, presentation choices, and also in the delivery. Okay, sometimes the dance moves and gestures run a little weird and over dramatic. That seems like something you might do for fun if nothing else when you are regularly producing content. Vocals are nonetheless strong and expressive. Vocals are edited, but don't end up sounding artificial.
That right there is a reason why I wonder if I should have reviewed one of the bands instead. It could always happen at some other time.
I still find it weird that people are Youtubers and follow Youtubers, so I am not the target demographic (I know, get off of my lawn), but if you are into following Youtubers, Kitcha could be a good choice.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYCZplVe5QTwhhGIJEepAKQ
https://twitter.com/KitchaSaventhes
May 23, 2018
Political ads
The ad I referenced yesterday was an attack ad against Max Wall, candidate for Washington County District Attorney, who did end up losing the election. I am unhappy with the outcome and the ad, so let's spend a little bit of time on that.
I was first won over to Max Wall by one of his ads, where he was focused on using compassion and common sense on crime charges, especially drug ones. That probably made him look like too much of a hippie, but he ran another one about how identity should not affect personality, your position should not protect you from paying for your crimes.
That sounds much more tough on crime, but the two views aren't automatically contradictory. Jailing drug offenders is expensive and ineffective, and has tended to be very racist in how it has been carried out. We certainly don't need that.
There was also a message in the other ad that was reinforced with one final ad, about a police officer charged with domestic violence who was allowed to plead down and keep his weapon. Domestic violence is a great predictor of further violence, and a gun increases that danger, but how can he be a cop without a gun?
Obviously, the sheriff and former DA supported Wall's opponent, who had been the outgoing DA's assistant. I was never going to vote for him, largely because of two detention cases:
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2016/09/accuser_in_prison_sex_case_jai.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/03/oregon_man_commits_no_crime_bu.html
The articles focus on the judges who allowed detaining the witnesses, but the DA decides whom to prosecute, and how, and keeping men in prison when you don't even have custody of the person you want to charge is pretty horrible, and imprisoning a woman who was raped in prison shows such a lack of regard for the victim that I can't even understand why you would bother prosecuting. There were other articles; it was terrible for her in there.
It shows a lack of regard for the average person, a willingness to abuse, and given that these involved people who could be marginalized for multiple reasons, it is not really a sign of holding everyone equal before the law. Therefore, Barton's previous service is a vote against him for me.
People know that executive positions - like president and governor - are important, but there are two office that may not get a lot of attention, but have a huge affect. Those are the secretaries of state and district attorneys.
Republicans made a concerted effort to make sure that more states had Republican secretaries of state.They did that because a state's secretary controls the election, Katherine Harris being just one example. Remember, one of the first things that happened with Richardson was a desire to redistrict before the census. We're stuck with him for now, but we should be aware of what is going on. The Voting Rights Act has been weakened and Russia has paid no penalties for tampering, so it matters.
District Attorneys are the key decision makers on who gets prosecuted and for what crimes and for what kind of penalties. Yes, they have to work with the existing laws, but there is room to exercise a lot of discretion, and it is their discretion. How they see people matters.
I mention this because of a key point of the ad. Yes, the manipulation of mustache was irritating, but the real issue was the sinister way in which they painted him receiving a donation from the Law & Justice political action committee, which has received donations from George Soros, meaning that MAX WALL WAS FUNDED BY A GEORGE SOROS SUPERPAC!
And people did hold that against him. He was getting outside superpac funding! And did you see that mustache? He looks like a cartoon supervillain!
Okay, yes, George Soros contributes a fair amount of money to politics. Superpacs aggregate donations from many small people to maximize the funds. Superpacs often donate in states where they are not based, though that may very well be in states from which some of their donors come. None of that is illegal, and it doesn't have to be nefarious, based on the values.
If the Koch brothers are supporting a candidate, I probably am not in favor of that candidate. This is not because they are not Oregonians, but because they are reprehensible human beings and their values are almost completely opposite to mine.
Do you know what George Soros' big cause has been? Fighting nationalism. Also ending poverty. Now that everyone is getting really poor and it's used to justify Nazis being Nazis because of economic anxiety, I can imagine he would contribute to many causes. Yes, if he were busing in voters over state lines, that would be illegal; it is also ridiculously impractical, so much so as to not be possible. I could almost wish that Soros were writing checks to protesters, because I could use the funding, but that's not how it works.
I guess my point is that I do not like deceptive practices, I do not like stupidity, and I do not like when it works.
A lot of the loudest voices out there sound pretty clownish, and they should be easy to see through. There are some pretty sophisticated machinations going on out there as well, and we need to be aware of that.
I was first won over to Max Wall by one of his ads, where he was focused on using compassion and common sense on crime charges, especially drug ones. That probably made him look like too much of a hippie, but he ran another one about how identity should not affect personality, your position should not protect you from paying for your crimes.
That sounds much more tough on crime, but the two views aren't automatically contradictory. Jailing drug offenders is expensive and ineffective, and has tended to be very racist in how it has been carried out. We certainly don't need that.
There was also a message in the other ad that was reinforced with one final ad, about a police officer charged with domestic violence who was allowed to plead down and keep his weapon. Domestic violence is a great predictor of further violence, and a gun increases that danger, but how can he be a cop without a gun?
Obviously, the sheriff and former DA supported Wall's opponent, who had been the outgoing DA's assistant. I was never going to vote for him, largely because of two detention cases:
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2016/09/accuser_in_prison_sex_case_jai.html
http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2015/03/oregon_man_commits_no_crime_bu.html
The articles focus on the judges who allowed detaining the witnesses, but the DA decides whom to prosecute, and how, and keeping men in prison when you don't even have custody of the person you want to charge is pretty horrible, and imprisoning a woman who was raped in prison shows such a lack of regard for the victim that I can't even understand why you would bother prosecuting. There were other articles; it was terrible for her in there.
It shows a lack of regard for the average person, a willingness to abuse, and given that these involved people who could be marginalized for multiple reasons, it is not really a sign of holding everyone equal before the law. Therefore, Barton's previous service is a vote against him for me.
People know that executive positions - like president and governor - are important, but there are two office that may not get a lot of attention, but have a huge affect. Those are the secretaries of state and district attorneys.
Republicans made a concerted effort to make sure that more states had Republican secretaries of state.They did that because a state's secretary controls the election, Katherine Harris being just one example. Remember, one of the first things that happened with Richardson was a desire to redistrict before the census. We're stuck with him for now, but we should be aware of what is going on. The Voting Rights Act has been weakened and Russia has paid no penalties for tampering, so it matters.
District Attorneys are the key decision makers on who gets prosecuted and for what crimes and for what kind of penalties. Yes, they have to work with the existing laws, but there is room to exercise a lot of discretion, and it is their discretion. How they see people matters.
I mention this because of a key point of the ad. Yes, the manipulation of mustache was irritating, but the real issue was the sinister way in which they painted him receiving a donation from the Law & Justice political action committee, which has received donations from George Soros, meaning that MAX WALL WAS FUNDED BY A GEORGE SOROS SUPERPAC!
And people did hold that against him. He was getting outside superpac funding! And did you see that mustache? He looks like a cartoon supervillain!
Okay, yes, George Soros contributes a fair amount of money to politics. Superpacs aggregate donations from many small people to maximize the funds. Superpacs often donate in states where they are not based, though that may very well be in states from which some of their donors come. None of that is illegal, and it doesn't have to be nefarious, based on the values.
If the Koch brothers are supporting a candidate, I probably am not in favor of that candidate. This is not because they are not Oregonians, but because they are reprehensible human beings and their values are almost completely opposite to mine.
Do you know what George Soros' big cause has been? Fighting nationalism. Also ending poverty. Now that everyone is getting really poor and it's used to justify Nazis being Nazis because of economic anxiety, I can imagine he would contribute to many causes. Yes, if he were busing in voters over state lines, that would be illegal; it is also ridiculously impractical, so much so as to not be possible. I could almost wish that Soros were writing checks to protesters, because I could use the funding, but that's not how it works.
I guess my point is that I do not like deceptive practices, I do not like stupidity, and I do not like when it works.
A lot of the loudest voices out there sound pretty clownish, and they should be easy to see through. There are some pretty sophisticated machinations going on out there as well, and we need to be aware of that.
