Sunday’s Forum

FILED UNDER: Open Forum
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor of Political Science and a College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter

Comments

  1. OzarkHillbilly says:

    Florida urged to ramp up vaccination effort amid ‘alarming’ Covid rise

    The week began with Florida’s “quote-unquote” Governor, Ron DeSantis, in Texas, bashing Joe Biden over immigration at the southern border. But with the highly contagious Delta variant pushing new cases of Covid-19 in his home state to their highest level since January, DeSantis’s road trip was looking increasingly deaf in tone and timing.

    By week’s end, Florida was accounting for almost a quarter of new infections nationally, with the US surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, warning of an “alarming” rise in deaths and hospitalizations.

    “The challenge in Florida, and in far too many states, is [that] we still don’t have vaccination rates high enough, and in some pockets we have actually vaccination rates quite low,” Murthy said in an interview with McClatchy newspapers.

    “The consequence is that Covid is now spreading very quickly in those populations.”

    Meanwhile, “quote-unquote” Governor DeSantis, who recently launched a line of campaign merchandise mocking masks and medical experts, was back home extolling the virtues of vaccinations.
    ……………………………
    Edwin Michael, professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, said: “The upsurge in cases and hospitalizations are due to fewer vaccinations, relaxation of social distancing measures, greater population mobility, plus the spread of more contagious variants.

    “Until vaccination rates are ramped up to achieve herd immunity over this fall, people will still need to follow social distancing measures, such as wearing face coverings at the very least, to protect themselves and to reduce infection spread.”

    Michael said Florida’s current vaccination rate must double to prevent the resurgent virus getting out of control.
    ………………………..
    DeSantis has promised action: but only to convene a special session of the Florida legislature to block any move by the Biden administration to implement a mask mandate in the state’s public schools.

    I will hereafter always refer to this A-hole as the ” ‘quote-unquote Governor’ because of “his attacks on federal health officials – ‘quote-unquote experts’ “, in his own words and will modify any quote in said fashion. Come to think of it, I should do the same for Parson.

    4
  2. charon says:
  3. charon says:
  4. CSK says:
  5. Teve says:
  6. Sleeping Dog says:

    @CSK:

    CSK, does Saturday, 7/31 or Sunday 8/1 work for you on getting together? Also, how many in your party?

  7. senyordave says:

    This is the man that almost half the country would vote for POTUS:
    Trump, during a speech at a rally in Arizona, speculated that LeBron James might get sex reassignment surgery.
    He suggested that the basketball player could “get the operation” to compete in women’s sports.

    I don’t think this is a case of Trump being crazy as a fox, just a case of him being crazy. But according to Gar Abernathy of WaPost, we should try to understand Trump voters.

    6
  8. CSK says:

    @Sleeping Dog:
    Sorry, no. You guys go ahead, though. Things are a little complicated for me now.
    I think I got an email through to you.

  9. CSK says:

    @senyordave:
    Aw, come on. This was just another case of how gloriously Trump owns the libtards.

  10. Teve says:

    @senyordave: the top WNBA players make ~$222,000/year. Last year, LeBron made $40 million from the Lakers. If you think those numbers encourage LeBron to transition, you’re dumb even for a Trumper.

    10
  11. Teve says:

    @justinbaragona

    Jake Tapper: “About a month ago we saw President Biden and a number of governors…saying that the virus was in retreat. In retrospect, that sure seems premature.”

    Dr. Fauci: “Well, it certainly is in retreat among the vaccinated, Jake.”

    4
  12. Teve says:

    CLEVELAND, OH – Portage County Sheriff Bruce D. Zuchowski today is speaking out against the Cleveland Indians changing their team name to the “Guardians” after the 2021 season. Zuchowski, whose wife is part Cherokee and Blackfoot says the Indians name does not offend American Indians.

    “I felt compelled to make a statement on behalf of the silent majority,” Sheriff Zuchowski said. “For the past few days, the release has been weighing heavy on my mind with disappointment and hopelessness. I thought back to the roots of baseball – an American family tradition. Sometimes referred to as America’s National Pastime, the game of baseball has played an active role in our nation for centuries.”

    Zuchowski said changing the name is changing history and an American staple to soothe the complaints of a few.

    “When I was a child, I remember observing my grandfathers watching the Indians game on TV or listening on their AM radios. They both loved the Indians back in the day. Today, I know they are both turning over in their grave with anguish and disgust toward the recent actions,” Zuchowski said. “My wife is a descendent from the Cherokee and Blackfoot American Indian tribe. Both she and her relatives never viewed the Cleveland Indians as a biased or prejudiced team but rather their hometown baseball franchise. This is once again another attempt of trying to erase our history due to the outcry of the few that affects the many.”

    Zuchowski said he will continue to boycott professional sports as they work through their wokeness.

    “I have boycotted professional sports for the past three years and if you were to ask me who the starting lineup was for the Indians, I couldn’t tell you. Some may question if I don’t care to watch or follow their progress, why should I care about their name change? The fact is that the general standpoint is not about this particular position taken by the team but rather the principle of the decision-making process,” Zuchowski said. “These unfortunate decisions are being made while continuously impacting individuals and industries across the nation. Both lawmakers and decision-makers need to begin to think about the majority of their constituents before caving to the impulsive demands being made by a small group of the public.”

    1) you’re not a member of a ‘Silent Majority’, you’re a member of Trump’s Whiny Minority

    2) die mad about it 😛

    3
  13. senyordave says:

    @Teve: My wife is a descendent from the Cherokee and Blackfoot American Indian tribe. Both she and her relatives never viewed the Cleveland Indians as a biased or prejudiced team but rather their hometown baseball franchise.
    And Chief Wahoo, the grinning, bucktoothed caricature was just a lovable reminder of what a respectful tribute to Native Americans that the team name was.

    2
  14. Kylopod says:

    Donald Trump said Cleveland’s baseball team should never have changed its racist name.

    Said Trump: “If I were an Indian, I’d sue! Sue them, Indians! What could be better, especially if you have a good team? It’s one of the greatest names, one of the most incredible logos, people loved it. They are going absolutely crazy in Ohio over the name change.”

    He added: “Cleveland Guardians? What’s that all about? The insanity of the Left knows no bounds, and both Indians and baseball fans should be greatly insulted.”

  15. Kylopod says:

    “Eric!”

    “Yes, Father.”

    “Get me an Indian!”

    “You mean Dinesh?”

    “D’Souza? He doesn’t have feathers on his head.”

    6
  16. CSK says:

    @Kylopod:
    “…one of the most incredible logos…”

    It was hideous.

  17. de stijl says:

    All the talk about Cleveland yesterday got my memory alit.

    I went to Cleveland State for a model UN conference. We were Saudi Arabia which was odd as we had three native Persians as members, but adapt as must. We did very well.

    Yes, I was, and still am a massive nerd.

    I liked Cleveland a lot. A very North East old school style city lay-out. As a western outpost. A bit scruffy in the early 80s, but endearingly so.

    We did very well coming in third.

    Next year was Norman at OU. Disaster. We pulled New Zealand which is frankly boring. Junior member to West aligned nations. Going back north we fought a big blizzard after getting stuck in south Missouri. A helpful MSP trooper told us we could hole up at a church basement. It was a Saturday night so we were semi-obligated to attend Sunday morning service.

    That was the last church service I’ve ever attended outside of marriages, christenings, and funerals. They put us up for the night so we were gracious. The Persian contingent was highly bemused.

    Sunday we crawled north on I-35 until we hit the Ames exit where we hit a hard blockade. Road was closed north.

    A dude was an ATO member so we crashed out at the ISU chapter house for free. Adequate basement couches.

    Next day we finally got home. I was relieved that we got everybody home safe. One thing about stressful situations is that you see what everybody has as practical skills. Many were sorely lacking.

    Year after was at Columbia. We drove hard and switched out drivers every couple of hours. Long drive. We stopped for gas and restrooms. Slept in our seats.

    Sweet draw as West Germany, the focal point of the cold war. We did okay. Barrel-through drive back and thankfully no blizzard. Harlem was awesome.

    The flipside of the International Relations club was we also hosted the local HS level model UN.

    A different story.

    1
  18. de stijl says:

    There is a lot to like about Canada.

    Perhaps my favorite is that native Canadians are referred to as First Nation. I like that nomenclature construct a lot. It fits very well.

    European invaders treated native Canadians as badly as we did in the US, but I do like “first nation”.

  19. Teve says:

    A 140-second knowledge drop on the mRNA vaccine

    https://twitter.com/jaesofamous/status/1419000103575109632?s=21

    1
  20. Teve says:

    ‘Sellout’: Ron DeSantis Accused of Taking ‘Bribe’ by Conservatives After Promoting Vaccine

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ recent push of the coronavirus vaccine has provoked Republican ire, with some even accusing the GOP governor of taking bribes. Their pushback indicates the difficulties facing conservative leaders who have pivoted their messaging after months of vaccine disinformation by right-wing outlets.

    DeSantis, whose name has been mentioned as a possible 2024 presidential candidate, praised the effectiveness of vaccines in his most direct effort to encourage Floridans to get vaccinated in a press conference Wednesday.

    “These vaccines are saving lives. They are reducing mortality,” he said. “If you look at the people that are being admitted to hospitals, over 95 percent of them are either not fully vaccinated or not vaccinated at all.”

    “If you are vaccinated, fully vaccinated, the chances of you getting seriously ill or dying from COVID is effectively zero,” DeSantis added.

    His remarks came as Florida topped the nation in new COVID-19 cases, with hospitalizations in some areas climbing to its highest rate since the pandemic started last year. The state recorded 67,413 new cases of COVID-19 over the past week, which accounts for 20 percent of total infections across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    But negative reactions to DeSantis’ vaccine push among vaccine-resistant individuals and new polling data suggests that it could be too late to change the minds of those who refuse to get the shot.

    Former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn accused DeSantis of “trying to be politically correct” in his promotion of the vaccine. “That’s a dangerous place to be for people in this country who do have influence,” Flynn said.

    Conservative podcaster Stew Peters—”confused” by DeSantis’ vaccine push after supporting his anti-lockdown stance—falsely accused the governor of taking bribes.

    “It was all about bribery,” he said, calling the governor a “sellout.”

    Let’s pander to our voters’ basest anti-intellectual instincts! What could possibly go wrong???

    3
  21. de stijl says:

    @Teve:

    One of my favorite songs of all time is Pressure Drop. Whether og Toots and the Maytals or The Clash don’t care. All is good.

    1
  22. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @CSK: Yep. Real common clay of the heartland types all right. 🙁

    2
  23. CSK says:

    @Just nutha ignint cracker:
    “You know…morons.”

    5
  24. de stijl says:

    One of my favorite moments in South Missouri was rolling into the parking lot of the Precious Moments compound / chapel blasting The Clash very aggressively.

    I was very punked out. A black band tee of a band I can not recall. Black trousers tucked into calf high black boots. Shaved head. My dude Jon also was like attired.

    We signed up for the tour. It was awesome!

    We got the newest tour guide who got the gist while still not nailing the patter. “Please stay on the path. We can get some nasty snakes here.”

    She was ultimate. She was Jan Hooks doing a guided tour of the Alamo from Peewee’s Big Adventure, but ignorant of that fact. Such a star she was.

    We hit the focal point. The chapel itself. Frescos of dead Semetic angel toddlers on the left and dead Aryan toddler angels on the right side. It was ludicrous and fascinating. Old Testament and New symbolism.

    The altar held the ur Precious Moments figurine. The first.

    We were studiously well behaved. It was glorious. Our very presence was the pointed rebuke. No need to be rude about it.

    Our star tour guide told us not to take flash pictures as if it were the Louvre and this was equivalent to the Mona Lisa.

    I had to contain myself from laughter. I did. I am a good boy. I am never rude.

    It was glorious!

    2
  25. CSK says:
  26. CSK says:
  27. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @de stijl: @CSK: EEEWWWW!!!!!

    1
  28. de stijl says:

    @CSK: @Just nutha ignint cracker:

    Not ghastly at all. I had a marvelous time being a silent rebuke. A memory I will hold forever.

    A precious moment if you will.

    3
  29. CSK says:

    @Just nutha ignint cracker:

    And there’s this.

    http://www.holylandwaterbury.org

    Even us sophisticated, secular News Englanders aren’t immune.

    3
  30. CSK says:

    @de stijl:
    The fact that you “had a marvelous time being a silent rebuke” suggests otherwise, at least in the sense that you were contesting what it stood for.

  31. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @de stijl: Coming back from Mexico in Jan of ’89 (I think) we hit an epic ice storm in Dallas. A total end of the world disaster. Finally gave up and got a motel room. I was effectively broke and so had to “sneak” into the room (in quotes because nobody was going to stick their heads out of the office for any reason). The next morning road conditions were no better even if the storm had largely passed, se we headed up interstate 30 instead of 75/69 like normal. Finally got clear of the ice just west of Texarkana and we all thought,

    “Whew. Glad that’s over.” WRONG!

    Hit the storm again on 55 somewhere north of Memphis and the further we went north, the worse it got. By the time we got to Sikeston there was a foot on the ground and near white out conditions. Managed to crawl the rest of the way to STL without incident, arriving well after midnight.

    @de stijl: Driving back from a 2 week backpacking trip in WY, we stopped at Wall Drug just for the hell of it. It was right after Sturgis week and it was wall to wall bikers and suburban moms and dads with little Johnny and Suzy buying every piece of tourist trap knick knack they could get Mommy and Daddy to buy. An absolute hoot. I highly recommend it.

    I was never brave enough to stop at the Precious Moments chapel. Always kind of figured they would burn me at the stake.

    2
  32. Sleeping Dog says:

    @CSK:

    Typical Missouri

    1
  33. CSK says:

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    http://www.walldrug.com/things-to-do

    I never see a shootin’ gallery at my local CVSs. Can you get a prescription filled at this place?

  34. Jen says:

    Looking more than ever like Sununu will be taking on Maggie Hassan for Senate.

    Sununu Signs ‘Medical Freedom’ Immunization Bill

    Hard for me to overstate how stupid I think this bill is. He’s clearly working hard to secure the right wing vote.

    1
  35. de stijl says:

    Been to Wall Drug too.

    It’s not worth it. Kinda blah and boring. Easily skippable.

    But if you love kitsch you’re obligated to check it out though. Do it. Take pictures. Leave unfulfilled. Move on.

    Theodore Roosevelt National Park is just down the road and way much cooler. Bison herds.

  36. Stormy Dragon says:

    @de stijl:

    Have you been to South of the Border?

  37. Teve says:

    @blakehounshell

    Many Southerners “are turning down Covid-19 vaccines because they are angry that President Donald Trump lost the election and sick of Democrats in Washington thinking they know what’s best.”

    https://t.co/c0mfVxzLe3

    Liberals like me are bad for making fun of such high-powered intellects. These people are Definitely not acting like toddlers.

    1
  38. de stijl says:

    @de stijl:

    Besides going to college level model UN conferences, we hosted one for local high schools. It was stressful because you always want to be a good host. Make sure everyone is having a good time.

    Senior year I was Secretary General. Had to know Roberts Rules Of Order. Ran the General Assembly.

    People on HS Model UN teams are smart nerds. Brilliant little bastards. Once, I declared a ten minute recess so I could review the rules of order for proper procedure.

    Reining in those smart little bastards was hard taxing work.

    One team got Libya and they went all in on role-playing. The captain RPed as Gaddafi and they had an all female squad escort the delegation in a la The Revolutionary Nuns. It was brilliant.

    Cantankerous bastards, yes. But well within the boundaries of fair play. I internally saluted the effort they put forth. It was good cheeky fun.

    Those folks were a great part in making the whole a successful and enjoyable experience.

    Being parliamentary decider is tough. You have to know your business. It is not easy. I enjoyed it greatly.

  39. de stijl says:

    There is a stretch of road in northern NDak into Montana that is the loneliest road I have ever witnessed. Up near the border.

    You go 10-17 miles between driveways to farms. Astonishingly empty.

    No people. No trees. Horizon. Huge sky. It bonks my head hard. So much emptiness. A blank space.

    I love it. And it is spooky.

    2
  40. Sleeping Dog says:

    @de stijl:

    Montana 200 runs east to west and goes through Jordan, for those old enough to remember the Freemen standoff.

    On a motorcycle trip we traveled on 200 and were in Jordan the morning the Freemen surrendered. Told our friends that they surrendered because word came from town that we had arrived. Later that day we needed to pull off to the side of the road and wait for a half dozen drovers to push about 150 head of cattle down the highway to another range.

    1
  41. Gustopher says:

    @Teve:

    Liberals like me are bad for making fun of such high-powered intellects. These people are Definitely not acting like toddlers.

    I think you need to show more empathy. Imagine being in a situation where you are so overwhelmed and have so little control of your life that the only bit of control you can exercise is to turn down a life-saving vaccine allegedly created by your hero because someone else is handling the distribution…

    Imagine what pathetic, miserable and unfulfilling lives these people must have.

    A little empathy can go a long way to sweetening the schadenfreude. Bask in their suffering. Savor it.

  42. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @de stijl: I’m glad you found meaning in it. Those little chunks of tchotchke set my teeth on edge. You have acknowledged doing the occasional shroom in the past; if I went there, I’d NEED shrooms.

    2
  43. OzarkHillbilly says:

    .@CSK: Never tried. We mostly walked around and gawked at all the stupid white people doing stupid white people things. I did buy a cheap black felt cowboy hat there. It was my river floatin’ hat for years. To say I looked even more hillbilly wearing it would be putting it lightly, especially after the mice found it. From the way the STL drunks would paddle a little harder every time they saw me, you’d think they were hearing banjo music.

    Somewhere along the line I lost track of it. Maybe one day I’ll buy a replacement.

    1
  44. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @de stijl: I’ve seen bison before. There’s a herd just down the road. If I want too watch bison chew their cud I can any time I want.

    Different strokes.

  45. CSK says:

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Wall Drug appears to have an online shopping service, so I suppose you could mail-order a replacement. I’d heard of the place, but never bothered to investigate their website till today. I probably won’t put an in-person visit on my bucket list.

    I’m sure you looked most fetching in your black felt chapeau.

  46. flat earth luddite says:

    @de stijl:
    What always tweeks my head hard is remembering that when this area “settled,” 10-17 miles was 1-2 days travel to get to your neighbor on a buggy/horse. In good weather.

    Same thoughts hit me driving through the Palouse country or between The Dalles and Boise.

    3
  47. OzarkHillbilly says:

    @CSK: Well, if not Wall Drug, you just have to stop at the Corn Palace.

    Hey, whad’ya want? It’s South Dakota.

    On the more serious side, if you get a chance, do stop and see the Crazy Horse Memorial. We stopped there in June when we went to watch my son climb Devil’s Tower. It was well worth the visit and I wish we’d been able to spend more time there.

    2
  48. Mister Bluster says:

    @Kylopod:..They are going absolutely crazy in Ohio over the name change.

    Trump wants to call them the Pussy Grabbers. Everyone knows this.

    1
  49. CSK says:

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    The Crazy Horse Memorial looks worthwhile. The Corn Palace, on the other hand…I notice they canceled the Johnny Rivers concert because he retired.

  50. Gustopher says:

    Dispatches from my brother:

    So they are pulling the nasal swab AND the antigen test for Covid. Nasal swab can’t differentiate between Covid and the flu. Explains why flu cases zeroed out the last year and a half. No solid info on the antigen test issues yet…

    And:

    And Cucker Carlson, likely zombie that he is, was being harassed by a “fishing guide” in Montana, who videoed and posted whole thing, but is actually CIA clown.

    I am pleased that our bloodline seems likely to end. He’s the only one to breed, and he has one autistic son who isn’t verbal, and a less autistic son who isn’t verbal around women.

    2
  51. Gustopher says:

    While attempting to source my brother’s crazy shit, I stopped by Breitbart.com — care to guess how many times they mention “woke” on their main page?

    15.

    That seems like a lot.

    Also, any American team that stumbles at the Olympics is “woke”. I have no understanding of the right wing. I would think that with all our men performing in women’s events we would be cleaning up…

    3
  52. flat earth luddite says:

    with a GINORMOUS h/t to Cracker for GOAL!!!!!!!!!!

    “Last August, the beer manufacturer Busch launched a new product well timed to the problem of pandemic-era solitary drinking. Dog Brew is bone broth packaged as beer for your pet.”

    He’s serious, and so am I! JUST STOP IT! RIGHT NOW!

    1
  53. CSK says:

    @Gustopher:
    Your brother may follow Lucianne.com. An article from something called Bizpac Review was posted there today maintaining that Carlson’s interlocutor was a CIA agent planted by the deep state specifically to harass Carlson. The commenters avidly agree.

  54. Just nutha ignint cracker says:

    @flat earth luddite: WOW! That was fast. I only sent that out at 4:57 PST.

  55. flat earth luddite says:

    @Just nutha ignint cracker:
    Well, it took a minute to mop up the drink I spewed when I read your email.

  56. de stijl says:

    @Just nutha ignint cracker:

    Oh! We shroomed HARD that trip, my friend.

    On the shores of a man made lake in N Tennessee. Watched barges push cargo downriver. The lights from the boats winking off the water. Sipping Maker’s Mark. It was pretty epic.

    Next day we hit Memphis and Sun Records and Graceland.

    Talk about kitsch and tchotchkes! That man had zero taste. The Jungle Room has to he seen in person to be believed. It is aggressively early 70s ugly. It offends the eye.

    There is a cased display of one of his bedazzled white jumpsuits.

    It was magnificently … Something to behold anyway.

    I love me some early Elvis. Blue Moon. Even fairly into late what with Suspicious Minds. Dwight Yoakum does a killer cover.

    Graceland weirded me out but I highly recommend it still. It is extremely interesting.

    Sun Records is a short tour but def worth it. The weight of history that happened there. Almost overwhelming.

  57. Teve says:

    @CSK: ‘Is America going to survive right-wing media?’ is a question I’ve asked for a while now.

    3
  58. Teve says:

    Here’s what Sean Hannity really said about COVID-19 vaccines

    I’ve seen some chatter on my Twitter timeline about whether Sean Hannity really told his audience to get vaccinated last week. Here’s what he said last Monday:

    Please take COVID seriously, I can’t say it enough. Enough people have died, we don’t need more deaths. Research like crazy, talk to your doctor, your doctors, medical professionals you trust based on your unique medical history, your current medical condition and you and your doctor make a very important decision for your own safety. Take it seriously. You also have a right to medical privacy, doctor-patient confidentiality is also important and it absolutely makes sense for many Americans to get vaccinated. I believe in science and I believe in the science of vaccination.

    For what it’s worth, there’s less here than meets the eye. “Research like crazy” is the giveaway. It’s the fundamental dogma of redpillers who are forever claiming that they’ve “done the research,” which is why they believe in QAnon or pizzagate or the Deep State or whatever. This is not even subtle enough to be called a dog whistle. It’s right out there. “Do the research” is all but a demand to start googling every vaccine conspiracy theory out there.

    As for the rest, Hannity spends most of his time talking about doctors and “your unique medical history,” concluding with his advice that it makes sense for “many” people to get vaccinated. This is pretty thin gruel.

    In fairness, Hannity is walking a tightrope. He knows that vaccines work and are a good idea for nearly everyone, but he also needs to maintain his cred with the nutball crowd. If they think he’s caved in to the establishment, they’ll tune him out instantly.

    And apparently even the timid advice he gave on Monday was enough to endanger his standing as a true believer. On Thursday, after being accused/praised for his unexpected statement, he hit back, telling his radio audience in no uncertain terms, “I’m not urging people to get the COVID-19 vaccine.” All he had done, he said, was tell them to do the research and talk to their doctor and consider their unique medical condition. Presumably he is now back in the good graces of the wingnuts.

    -Kevin Drum

    1
  59. Jax says:

    @Teve: Probably right after he got a briefing indicating Fox could be sued if people died from listening to them. The very weakest of tea, just enough to avoid culpability.

    I sincerely hope that every family member of a brainwashed Trumpie who refused to get their shots and died of COVID due to a steady diet of Fox, et al, joins a class action lawsuit suing them.

  60. de stijl says:

    Imagine yourself as a kid that grew up in northern NoDak or eastern Montana. Town is 30 miles away.

    And town is a lame place of perhaps 2000 souls. Surrounded on all sides by empty land.

    Imagine the loneliness. You have access to media from exotic places and interesting people. Its on your screen but you are not there. The wistful wishing that you were anywhere but here.

    Thinking it through creeps me out deeply.

    Anywhere’s Better Than Here by The Replacements.

  61. Gustopher says:

    @de stijl:

    Imagine the loneliness. You have access to media from exotic places and interesting people. Its on your screen but you are not there.

    Congratulations, you’ve described the experiences of about half of America over the past year! You have your little covid bubble, and everyone else is far away, even if they are two blocks away.

    Not trying to drag you, it’s just kind of amazing that people don’t always realize what they’ve just been through. Shit’s been hard, no wonder there are so many murders, and people are going crazy on airplanes and reach for any crazy ass bullshit that will tell them it’s ok… we’ve been living in a dystopia.

    (At least “1984” had universal healthcare… at least the Peter Cushing movie of it did. And “Max Headroom” had a functioning media where the good guys could get their message across. And the Detroit of Robocop… well, that’s about the same)

  62. de stijl says:

    Swinging Party

    Here Comes A Regular

    Tim was a masterpiece. Same summer as Talking Heads Little Creatures.

    I was stuck in a mean bad place where I blamed everyone but me for my station. Such a fool I was. Drank way too much.

  63. de stijl says:

    @Gustopher:

    The difference between Covid self isolation and actual isolation is pretty stark.

    I can look out my window and see houses and a street that cars drive down regular. Dogs bark. The occasional passer-by foot traveler. Life and civilisation exist. I can see it and hear it.

    In the back end of nowhere No Dak or Montana you are utterly alone. The grocery store is 30 miles away. School is a half hour bus ride.

    Entirely different scene.

    1