#572 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Wednesday February 1)
Good morning,
Every once in a while, I find there is a weird congruence of strange news stories. They are worth ticking off, perhaps under the heading, “the apocalypse already is here”:
Your nurse may not be a nurse. 7,600 fake nursing diplomas were sold in a complex scheme. 25 people have been arrested. Forget the fact that there was fraud but what has the damage been in human health and, possibly, lives lost? This isn’t exactly the same as fake diplomas in product marketing.
Lobbying for an Oscar nomination. Andrea Riseborough was a surprise nominee for Best Actress for her performance in To Leslie, a small indie film. Her rise from obscurity has been the subject of much news print and angst. People aren’t arguing that her acting wasn’t worthy of inclusion (it is, after all, a highly subjective standard). The pushback is at least in part based upon the fact that there are two Black actresses who also can lay legitimate claim to an Oscar nomination, but apparently were snubbed as a result of Riseborough’s inclusion. Needless to say, the same can be said that any one of the other four nominees was the culprit in snubbing the apparently deserving other actresses. Then again, perhaps the performances of the snubbed actresses were deemed by their peers not of equivalent merit. I am uniquely unqualified to speak to this. But the crux of the argument is that Ms. Riseborough engaged in an unseemly lobbying effort to secure the nomination, enlisting the support and social media postings of her “A-list” friends. Really—too much marketing and lobbying? Isn’t the entire pre-Oscar season, with all the hype, billboards, Golden Globes, and massive advertising budgets in the same category of unreasonable lobbying, albeit on a grander scale? Reminds me of Claude Rains in Casablanca, “I’m shocked, shocked, that there is gambling in this establishment.” If the Academy is to have a system devoid of lobbying, friendships, and favorites, perhaps one should revisit who is voting. Perhaps the voters should be limited to film historians, academics and critics, not actors and actors, who likely aren’t the best judges of the relative value of performances, many of which they haven’t seen.
The French are perfectly happy being “the French.” We are tied up with not referring to any group as a group (e.g., “the Blacks,” or “the Jews”), so as not to offend or group. I’m not sure this always is problematic, but accept the premise. But the French may not feel the same way. Thehe Associated Press was caught by surprise when the French government indicated it apparently is perfectly happy with being identified as “the French” and the pride in French-ness that comes with it.
M&Ms apparently are too woke. When the actual news slows down, leave it to Fox News and Tucker Carlson to manufacture their own. Apparently, the animated M&Ms who dance around on commercials have been deemed “too woke.” Some M&Ms are “too obese,” some too androgynous, and some have changed their feminine high heels for more comfortable sneakers. Really? This is news?
In the category of “well isn’t that obvious?” It apparently is news (reported in a study commissioned by The New York Times) that mass shootings often are committed by people with mental illness and/or are experiencing personal relationship or financial problems. And they’re generally committed by people who own lots of guns. Great conclusion. Now what do we do about this?
A Black man breaks through in North Carolina. The good news is there is a Black man running for Governor of North Carolina as a Republican. The bad news is he says climate change is junk science, refused prayers for Paul Pelosi, mocking him and claiming he wasn’t an innocent victim, thinks the transgender rights movement is “demonic,” talks about “Marxist Jews,” seems to encourage unlimited gun ownership and violence, and subscribes to any number of conspiracy theories.
Documents are everywhere. We have too many “top secret” items on the loose. Some people willingly return them. Other people say the documents belong to them, were planted, and/or were declassified without any record (or all three excuses, simultaneously!). According to the Republican leadership, voluntarily turning in the documents is exactly the same as being found out and stonewalling their return. In any event, the lack of controls and the ubiquity of unaccounted-for documents points to another problem—are we classifying too many documents unnecessarily?
George Santos’s lies continue to multiply and yet House leadership is silent. Mr. Santos has been given committee assignments, notwithstanding legal inquiries into his behavior here and in Brazil, and multiple lies have been uncovered in his quest for a House seat. In the meantime, Marjorie Taylor Greene is getting plum committee assignments, including the committee going after the Justice Department and the “deep state.” It doesn’t get any weirder. As I write this, Santos has elected to waive-off on his committee assignments for the moment.
Donald Trump is back. He’s been back on Twitter for a while, courtesy of Elon Musk. Now Meta has allowed him back on Facebook and Instagram. But this is a new Trump, testing the limits of decency even more than in the past. He has been on his own (relatively unsuccessful) social media platform sporting a lapel pin of QAnon reference and origination and increasingly is reposting the rantings of known racists and conspiracy theorists. He is solidifying the nut-jobs of his base. I think we have to accept the realization that 1/3 of our nation is behind this man and is unmoved by the baseless statements about elections, the audacity and unacceptability of his behaviors and statements, and the racism and antisemitism lurking just below the surface and telegraphed through subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) tropes.
Let the games begin. The new House committee investigating the “weaponization” of the Justice Department and other ridiculous claims government-led conspiracies against Trump and the far right is set to begin its “work.” I am confident that this will lead to three things. First, the FoxNews-powered base will be fired up. Second, the plan will backfire on the crazy conspiracists, while mainstream Republican candidates will be faced with the difficult choice of distancing themselves from this debacle, while not being “primaried” by the far right. Finally, the very existence of the committee, its basic premises, and the claims being made will further erode confidence in our democratic institutions, our government and our democracy.
Further erosion of confidence in American institutions. Here’s the latest from Kari Lake, ignominiously defeated for governor in right-leaning Arizona, who has not yet conceded defeat, even after a recount: “Friends, I need you to hear this: They are running our elections like they do in Venezuela, like they do in North Korea. If we don't stand up and fix it now, our children will be living in a communist country. We’re not doing this for ourselves — we’re doing it for our children, our grandchildren, the future generations. We’re doing this to preserve American Democracy and the values we hold in this country.” This sort of thing weakens us as a democracy and as a people.
Struggling to be less sensitive. Continuing on the track of demonstrating hostility to minorities as performative art for the angry white right, Ron DeSantis is against an A.P. Black History course. I may be against most A.P. classes (the subject of another Musing), but I fail to see how America is lessened by the study of great Americans of any ethnicity.
The Hall Fame apparently includes very good players, as well as great Players. Scott Rolen is in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And still Pete Rose is outside, looking in. Really?
Have a great day,
Glenn
From the archives: