If you were on Twitter during Trump’s first term, you probably remember the Blue Grifters. These are the people who preyed on Democrats’ paranoia and fears to gain followers, followings, and the perks that come with them. There was the woman who kept insisting that the Supreme Court was moments away from sending a U.S. Marshal to arrest Trump, because that’s a thing, there was the legendary “game theory” guy who insisted that he could seen ten steps ahead into Trump’s “plan”, there were the many people insisting that the voting machines had been hacked by Russia and that, actually, it was the Republicans who had stolen the election. Countless numbers of blue trolls convinced hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of hapless Democrats that they had the answers. It was embarrassing and more than a little sad. It’s also back.
Over the last few weeks, I have seen so much bad advice, ridiculous ideas, and just plain lies crossing the few remaining strands of the interwebs that I still voluntarily peruse. One woman suggested that we should avoid using Trump’s name. You know, the President of the United States, because, what, that would be giving him a platform? The “Republicans stole the election” crowd have been loud and wrong since November. And of course the Democrats are just full on middle school trolls at this point.
Whoever is still misguided enough to believe that only one side of the aisle is prone to hero worship, cult like behavior, and willfully ignoring reality has not spent a lot of time among middle aged white Dems. Trust me, it goes both ways. And it is absolutely not healthy. The influencers trying to lure you into their cult are doing it for the sponsorship dollars. No one has the answers. No one knows where we are going. No one is going to beat Trump by refusing to say his name. That didn’t work with Voldemort and it won’t work here.
The truth is, we are in deep shit and we have to keep wading through it one step at a time until we come out the other side, take a long hot shower, followed by several baths, and end up cleaner and happier than ever before. We have a lot of work to do for a long time but we will all be better for it in the end. And if some moron tries to tell you that the US Postal Service is sending its best pony to citizens arrest He Who Shall Not Be Named, block and delete.
Choose the Bear
Speaking of getting through things, let’s talk about national security. It’s a mess and we’re in big trouble. The end. But actually not, because this week’s podcast guest is the incredible Lauren Bean Buitta, who runs Girl Security, a badass nonprofit that gets high school girls excited about national security! How cool is that?? Lauren’s goal is to get more women and people from disinvested communities on the front lines of national security which, I think we can all agree, we desperately need. I loved talking to Lauren and I am so excited about Girl Security’s mission. Enjoy!
What to do with yourself
Watch
Black Bag (theatres)- On Friday I recommended this for a weekend watch, preferably as the capstone to an excellent Soderbergh retrospective and I was right! This is such a great movie. Steve may be eligible for AARP now but he has not lost his cool factor. Black Bag is a sexy, stylish spy thriller featuring Cate Blanchett in an almost believable brown wig and Fassbender playing the devoted nerd so well that you can almost forget that he is one of the hottest men to ever live. Almost. Run, don’t walk, to the theater. When is the last time you went to the movies and actually really enjoyed what you saw?
Nosferatu (Peacock)- This new take on an old story is not as scary as I would have liked, much gorier, and at the end of the day is about a pedophile who returns to his victim when she is an adult and murders and terrorizes everyone she loves until she agrees to go back to him. But, you know, vampires and Willem Dafoe. It’s worth a stream.
Deli Boys (Hulu)- This show is so fun!!! It’s basically a Pakistani Schitt’s Creek with more drugs. Stop what you’re doing and watch it now. You won’t regret it.
Listen
Dancing With Shadows (Podcast)- I love ballet and I love ballet drama, but if you’re a fan it’s impossible to ignore the decades of tales of sexism, assault, and harassment that have always been part of the ballet world. This podcast dives deep into the dark side of the world renown New York City Ballet from Balanchine to the present day. It’s a tough listen but an important one.
You’re Dead to Me (Podcast)- This super fun BBC podcast dives deep into history, one podcast at a time. I just listened to a great episode about Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquest of Mexico, I loved the ep about the causes of the British Civil Wars, and I tink next I’ll listen to the story of Catherine de Medici whom I find endlessly fascinating. These hour long dives into a variety of historical moments is easy to listen to and extremely bingeable.
This Book Made Me: The Bluest Eye (Podcast)- I’m on a podcast about books! I was so thrilled to join Kim Middleton to talk about the book that changed my life. I had fun, we dove deep into Toni Morrison’s first and possibly best book, and so much more, and after you listen to my episode I recommend that you listen to all the rest, especially my friend Russ’s episode about The Hotel New Hampshire.
Read
The Missing $25 Gift Card That’s Rocking the Hamptons (if there’s a paywall use 12ft.io)
I’ve bought some things from Quince, they were fine, but after reading this, I don’t know…
Germany is Suffering an Identity Crisis 80 Years in the Making