Hello, fabulous person!
This is my third attempt at tapping out something on this keyboard that isn’t accompanied by a dirge played on the world’s tiniest violin. It’s been a little heavy around these parts, if I’m being honest. I think many of us are feeling heavy these days. This little four year hiatus from the constant chaos of the Worst Circus Ever has provided a tenuous thread of hope to which many of us have been clinging with every ounce of our residual moxie. It’s become painfully clear that the American media loves ratings far more than they love this fragile experiment in democracy. News is a business and views drive the bottom line. Right wing, left wing, chicken wing, wingdings, wing nuts…
Nothing sells like chaos, baby!
Deny, distract, divide is back with a vengeance amplified by new and improved microtargeted internet algorithms, the lurking specter of AI, and the 24-7, not so thrilling thrill ride of the Outrage Machine. Add to that two horrifying wars where, as usual, the majority of the dead, sexually assaulted, and wounded are innocent women and children, the relentless attacks on women’s reproductive rights, civil rights, voting rights, human rights, and LGBTQ+ rights, the undeniable (yet still vehemently denied by far too many) increase in serious ramifications of climate change, the fake news blather about the “woke mind virus” which boils down to people being mad about other people asking for basic human rights, the actual virus from our recent pandemic that keeps on mutating, the new and improved bird flu currently percolating on our dairy farms, greedflation, the impossible real estate market, AND the shocking and swift rise of neo-fascism and dictators globally…
It’s no wonder I’ve been tapping out dirges.
For fuck’s sake, people. History REALLY needs to stop repeating itself, it’s getting old.
In other news, our garden is finally starting to come alive. We have a new dog on the farm who is bringing a little much needed levity (see above.) I’m getting my hair done on Wednesday and the plan is to do something fun with it. I’ve been plodding away on the scant beginnings of the Tales of Sebastian Fox, trying not to infuse every word with the underlying feeling that it’s yet another exercise in futility or Thing 10,004.
Speaking of Thing 10,003, which I wasn’t-but it’s tangential, I’ve not been painting as much as I should…not that I should…it’s supposed to be my happy thing. Happy things shouldn’t be shoulds. Should they?
Damn it, Madge. This is not the upbeat, full filled, happy go lucky post you had planned.
Pull yourself together, lady pants.
I bought some rose colored glasses with vague hopes that they’ll shift my outlook. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Tiny violins may cease playing…now.
Woot.
Madge
Laughing about the glasses. My prescription needs updating ;-)
As for the rest, I am experiencing much of the same. Having studied journalism and spent a great deal of my career ferreting out the truth (I would have been mortified to publish most of what passes are "real" news these days) I am really dismayed by the media's failure to accurately report what is going on.
As you said, "It’s become painfully clear that the American media loves ratings far more than they love this fragile experiment in democracy. News is a business and views drive the bottom line. Right wing, left wing, chicken wing, wingdings, wing nuts…"
Many MANY wing nuts. Sigh...
P.S. Do you have a Frenchie?
Well stated and sadly very, very true. Thank you for sharing this.