conspiracies and some actual plot

[rose_griffes]

I may have to put Facebook on block; it’s been a disaster for months now and is only getting worse. And now I’m seeing a few people casting about for any excuse to vote for Trump; discouraging, to say the least. The most recent iteration of this: Biden and Harris are just waiting to turn our country socialist, starting with Coronavirus-related restrictions!

I find this particular theory all the more hilarifying because one of my own relatives believes the opposite; he is certain that COVID-19 will disappear from the news if Biden wins. Most of the “hype” about it is just part of a left-wing media effort to ensure that Trump loses, you see. *sigh*

Anyway. It’s easy to find anti-Trump echo chambers, but people should know that there’s folk out there who would rather hunt for “proof” of a conspiracy theory about Biden and our impending socialist doom than actually vote for Biden.

Edited to add: for context, I grew up in a red state, with conservative-leaning parents and a conservative-leaning church population. (Well. It leans conservative in many parts of the US; outside the US is very different.) I think that Trump has been the worst possible choice for a Republican party that should be trying to widen its base rather than increase divisions. I don't love Biden as a choice for the Democratic party, but I'm happy to let the Republican party reap what it sowed.

Ironic to think that Reagan--despised by many on the left but revered in many Republican circles--was far more positive and open to immigration than the party now. Just one small example of how his party has gotten more and more extreme. /end edit

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Currently reading a non-fiction book by Elizabeth Wein, about the “night witches”—women who flew attack missions for Russia during World War II. I haven’t gotten very far yet, but I’m enjoying it.

T. Kingfisher’s The Seventh Bride was compelling. Kingfisher is a nom de plume for Ursula Vernon. The setting for the books reminds me a bit of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Not quite as bonkers, but still whimsical, with lots of references to folk legends and fairy tales… but Vernon’s world is also dark. In this story a miller’s young daughter is about to be forced into marriage with a power-hungry sorcerer. Kingfisher’s prose is lovely and the storytelling solid. My only complaint would be a wish for a slower-paced ending.

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Season two of The Umbrella Academy was drawn with a lighter touch than season one, even with some of the darker themes. The actors appeared to be having fun, too, which adds to the enjoyment. My main reasons for watching: the cast is good and the visual aesthetics are fantastic. Having a coherent plot? Well... it tries! And even succeeds, at times. Feel free to talk to me about the season: I do have opinions (mostly positive) about several different pieces. I’m just too tired and rushed to recall them right now.

Season one of The Mandalorian was... fine. It was fine. It wasn’t really my thing, for whatever reason. I diagnose artistic mismatch, among other elements. I realized at the end that Jon Favreau was heavily involved in the show. His work is very hit or miss for me, and even when it’s a hit, it’s usually not a rousing success. Obviously, many others think differently; he’s been very successful working for Disney, specifically for Marvel.

I did enjoy the two-part finale. But the stand-alone episodes were, well, skippable. As in, I literally skipped one of ‘em because by that point, it was either skip something or never finish watching.

(Star Wars loving co-worker was so disappointed that I didn’t have glowing praise for the series. “Eh, it was fine” isn’t exactly what he expected. Also, I may have popped out the phrase, “Y’all just want to watch Gunsmoke with a cute alien baby” when the conversation warmed up over it, so… Heh.)

Comments

[grav_ity]

The Umbrella Academy is 90% aesthetic (including music) and 10% ??? and I watched the whole silly thing because my brain needed the fluff.

I feel you on the Mandalorian. Favreau is...Favreau. And, uh, so is Filoni.

[rose_griffes]

Given that I haven't watched much of animated Star Wars shows (yet?), I'm not familiar with Filoni's work. It looks like he worked some on ATLA, but his name wouldn't be at the top of the list of people who had the biggest impact on that show.

Umbrella Academy does have a good soundtrack. By which I mean "Oh hey, I recognize that song and I like it!" So... the creators are probably close-ish to my age, I'm guessing. ;P

[grav_ity]

I'm pretty sure Umbrella Academy is written by a Fallout Boy, which explains the music, at least.

[senmut]

I have unfollowed 90% of the people on my Facebook to keep my nerves sane.

[rose_griffes]

Probably a wise choice. Ugh. I keep doing the "unfollow for 30 days" thing with certain people, but it may not be enough.

[ioplokon]

For what it's worth, I think in terms of analysis (vs rhetoric, where it can be useful), it's a mistake to put too much distance between Nixon and Reagan and today's GOP. The line from Buckley to Bannon is a fairly straight one, after all. It's true the party has shifted to the right but it's also true they let the wolf in the door themselves.

(Though honestly, this is as much a condemnation of the American left - we've seen these tactics for 50 years and are still so ineffective organizing against them? Not good.)

[rose_griffes]

Agreed that left-leaning US political leaders ought to do better, given that the rival is so consistent. My older brother said years ago that, "The Republicans are too greedy and the Democrats are too stupid," and it's hard to argue with that summary.

And both parties are self-righteous to the point of being unwelcoming to anyone not already on the inside. That's another piece I'm seeing on Facebook: the repeat message from 2016 that yeah, Trump is awful but THE DEMOCRATS ARE EVIL SO YOU CAN'T GO OVER THERE. And the flip side, of course, is that if you're considering voting for Trump, YOU are evil. (Which, I'll admit, is a tempting mindset for me, even with my right-wing relatives. Trump is truly so horrible to me that I find myself reaching for that brush and bucket of tar to slather on anyone who might align themselves with him, whatever their motivation. Hence the need for a break from Facebook before I damage some important relationships. The unimportant ones, though? I'm just gonna block or unfriend 'em. I don't need to know what my brother's college girlfriend--long since married to somebody else--has to say about politics.)

Anyway! Time to look at the down-ballot races so I can make some choices that will, hopefully, be useful at a local level.

[ioplokon]

I mean, I think that kind of relativism can be useful if you're trying to persuade people who value your opinion but... it is a false equivalence to say the parties are identical or even equal in magnitude in terms of their ills. Also, fuck it, turnout drives elections far more than actually persuading people so despite the "get out the vote" campaigns, if you can even convince them to just skip the presidential vote because they don't like Trump and hate everyone else, that's still, like, fine (though of course, only really matters if you live in a swing state). And to clarify, I don't support voter suppression or discouraging people from voting but null and blank votes have a purpose in democracy and they're not the worst possible vote in all situations. But also, historically, what people think in August has little relation to how they vote in November so... we've still got a lot of road to hoe.

But yeah, local initiatives have a lot more impact and same with approaching people's political beliefs on a concrete and issue-based level. Most people who aren't politicos don't have an ideologically consistent political worldview derived from first principles (and those who do are often still incomprehensible to political commentators - see the mass confusion on the voting habits of American Catholics), so it's a place where you can actually sometimes get some work done.

[fleurviolette]

Overall I did enjoy The Mandalorian, though it was interesting that each episode had its own contained story instead of just one continuous story.

I liked season 2 of the Umbrella Academy more than season 1. It also seemed like a soft reboot of the show mainly to fix the criticisms from season 1. Ben was my fav from the show. I imagined that he arrived in The Good Place. The Good Place waited for him all along..

Just wondering, have you watched Hunters?

[rose_griffes]

I had never even heard of Hunters, although I sort of knew(ish) that Al Pacino was doing... something.

[fleurviolette]

Yeah so much happens in that show. Plenty of hints and foreshadowing.