Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Open Thread

Just a couple minor thoughts. Didn't have time for much else.

1. The best reason to vote for Trump is to piss off all the right people. Right now, the left (and in particular the media left) are driving me nuts. I would love to see Trump win and watch all these people contemplate suicide.

2. TV ratings are down, just like NFL ratings and movie attendance. I'm wondering if this isn't related? Could it mean that we've reached a point of mindless-entertainment-saturation-syndrome (MESS)? Or is it that the quality of programming has finally started to lose people? Let's call this CRAP. Or maybe it's the politics? Maybe people are just sick of seeing politics everywhere? Let's call this BS. Ultimately, I don't know if this is just a MESS or if it's all CRAP or if the problem is BS. I suspect it's a combination of all three, but I definitely admit that little appeals to me anymore and the minute they turn political, I change the channel. At the same time, so much of what they are producing today is the worst kind of pointless. Not sure, but I think this is a self-inflicted wound, not a change in public behavior.

3. Lie down with dogs, wake up with flees. Amy Schumer really screwed the pooch, and I find it hilarious. She did a parody of the racist Beyonce video "Formation," which is about "the empowerment of black women." Yawn. Anyways, Schumer assumed that because she's a card carrying liberal that she could make a parody of this song. Wrong! The world of "strong" (read= whiny) liberal chicks is now in an uproar. Apparently, it's racist to parody THAT SONG. Really? So we are now inventing sacred cows? What's more, the comments have been brutal. Apart from all the typical whining, you have people hoping this ruins her career and threatening violence. I love it when the left turns on each other.

4. There was a flash mob of teens in Filthadelphia the other day. They roamed the city near Temple beating up students. Welcome to Philly... the land of feral children. BTW, I heard no condemnation from the likes of BLM, who recently took the time to object to someone using a football game to honor the police. Apparently, that was a racist show of force. Racist jerks.

Finally, don't forget that Rustbelt has given us another article over at the film site==> Film Article

The floor is yours. Please share your thoughts...

34 comments:

  1. "Finally, don't forget that Rustbelt has given us another article over at the film site"

    Yep. And I consider these to be the scarier versions of the story!

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  2. Well, when it comes to TV, I'm waiting for Veep and Silicon Valley to return. And I'm enjoying Patrick Stewart's Blunt Talk on Starz - it's a little out there, and it took me a second viewing to enjoy the first season, but I like it. :-)

    I started watching Westworld on HBO... now Lost ruined me when it comes to long-form arc-based storytelling so I pray they know where they're going... but it's certainly intriguing!

    I'd like to see Trump to lose because of how many people will be pissed off. So let's consider that a draw. (And no, it doesn't mean that I automatically want Hillary to win. Just Trump to lose.) :-)

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  3. ABC deciding to go SJW with so much of their programming has actually freed up a bunch of my primetime, um, time. Once Upon a Time, Modern Family, and the since-cancelled Nashville insisting on shoving the LEGO-BOAT agenda down our throats got to be too much. Gay, trans, whatever -- don't care ... till you overplay your cards. You'd think this might inspire me to get back to reading something in addition to my monthly Referee magazine, but no. Re-watching Justified seasons instead. How this show didn't snag awards or accolades for Timothy Olyphant or Walton Goggins baffles me. Eh, at least Margo Martindale and Jeremy Davies got the show some love, and Nick Searcy mentions the show's ensemble Peabody Award every so often on Facebook.

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  4. CRAP: Complete Rejection of Aired Programming

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  5. I'd like to see Trump to lose because of how many people will be pissed off.

    Those people are already pissed off, so you won't see much of a difference.

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  6. I'll be voting for Evan McMullin.

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  7. I have not decided whether I will vote or not. I just looked to see what other down-ballot options I have and discovered that Chuckles Schumer is actually up for reelection! Since there has literally not been one peep about this, I was kind of surprised. Wendy Long, a really good Republican candidate, is actually running against him...well, "running" is a misnomer since I have not seen any evidence at all that there is a campaign at all. As best I can tell, her only expense so far has been the filing fee to get on the ballot. Such is the state of the Republican Party in the state of New York.

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  8. As for the decline in viewership. First off, we have actually lost our ability to concentrate for more than 140 characters at a time. We live in soundbites, photo shots, and Twitter feeds. Heck, most of writing has devolved into a series of emojis which are just modern-day hieroglyphs anway. No need to think when everything does the thinking for you. I have noticed I can't get through an entire book anymore where 5 years ago, I was reading up to 60 books a year.

    As for tv and movies - No one seems to be taking into account that people just do not sit down at 7pm and watch "All In The Family" like they used to. We watch on demand, DVR, or just wait for the shows to show up on Hulu et al. I don't think Nielsen ratings take that into account. And certainly the traditional cable companies are fighting to stay alive because of it. AT&T buying TimeWarner is a big clue though.

    Also, the shows they are making are crap - either preachy political statements even in the most benign sitcoms, or so violently dystopian and cynical, they are unwatchable. And why go to the movies when you can wait to watch any of the movies eventually on your 50 foot flatpanel screen in your own home away from people who can't put their phones away long enough to actually watch the movie?

    Btw, it is not only a problem with films and tv. One is hardpressed to find a play or musical that lasts more than 90 minutes anymore. Apparently even theare lovers have lost the ability to concentrate for more than 90 minutes and God Forbid, there be an intermission...half the audience would leave.

    \end rant

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  9. Rustbelt, I would very much like to see a genuine true--to-the-book scary version of Dracula.

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  10. Scott, I'm going to try Westworld again once they have more episodes. What I've seen so far hasn't caught my eye.

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  11. Eric, I miss Justified.

    Overall, I'm kind of happy to have more time away from the television, so it doesn't really bother me. I just find it interesting that the public is starting to tune out all of this.

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  12. tryanmax, Nice acronym! That is true. They are very angry and whiny people. But they are also smugly self-righteous. I want Trump to win to poke that. I don't want these people getting any validation.

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  13. Bev, What I don't understand is how the state GOP can get elected in Albany, but the national GOP can't even get within 30%?

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  14. BTW, happy birthday to our future feckless leader, Hillary Clinton.

    But it's ok, the day isn't all bad b/c #4 was born today and he's awesome enough to cancel out Hills.

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  15. Congrats! Best wishes to you and your family! :D

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  16. Hey congrats, Tryanmax!!!! That is totally awesome! I hope everyone is doing well. Since this is #4, just remember to take a picture every now and then. This message comes to you by way of being #3 in my family...;-)

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  17. Congrats Tryanmax!

    I haven't watched TV in awhile. With DVR and Netflix and rare Amazon prime along with the CRAPpy options, I wonder if I should even bother having cable.

    The family and I have been watching Halloween wars and Flash on Netflix, which we enjoy. Finished Stanger Things which was good. We are anxiously awaiting season 9? I believe of Dr. Who to show back up on Netflix and season 4 of Sherlock to start.

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  18. Koshcat, I just read Sherlock is back on PBS Jan. 1, 2017!

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  19. Congratulations on the latest little one, tryanmax!

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  20. My thoughts...

    1. More than a few people will definitely blow a gasket if he pulls it off, to be sure! I'm with Bev on general voting, though the idea of voting Trump doesn't sound as crazy as it used to. Unfortunately the numbers still favor Hillary and with the right having castrated itself it's hard to see many ways out of this mess.

    2. Aside from South Park and a few scattered WWE clips and matches I'm not much for TV, though I got out of it a long time ago. I was more into gaming as a kid and would often forget about TV shows and I didn't have much TV access in college, though back then Hollywood was in full BDS mode and I wouldn't have regained any interest anyway thanks to the constant propaganda and Republican bashing they were doing. It doesn't sound like much has changed, sadly. And to reference Bev again I find myself having the same attention span issues which has mainly affected my gaming, though eight months of mandatory overtime definitely isn't helping me either.

    3. Ha, that couldn't have happened to a nicer person! There's definitely a lot of entertainment to be had when the left turns on each other. It makes you wonder how they lasted this long sometimes until you look right and the answer becomes clear.

    4. Not surprised here; one of my good friends lives outside of Philly and he's always telling me what a filthy, violent, cold liberal shithole it is. Needless to say he's looking to pack up and head for better climates soon.

    And congratulations from me as well, tryanmax!

    - Daniel

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  21. i so agree about tv. i watched a show halt and catch fie, the tunnel on pbs, and iindian summers this year. it all sucks but no time for network liberal message shows

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  22. What I don't understand is how the state GOP can get elected in Albany, but the national GOP can't even get within 30%?

    Andrew - remember that being a Repub in NY and the NE in general is relative. And politics is local. Upstate NY is conservative relatively speaking. NYC has moved so far left, it's hard to tell who's NOT an avowed Marxist anymore. And since so many of our elected officials are being sent up the river (the last led away in handcuffs just last week), the picking are getting slimmer for candidates to clean up their messes.

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  23. Hey, Jed! It is great to hear from you! And yeah, I spend my TV time watching BBC/PBS/UK shows on Netflix/Hulu/AmazanPrime. I hardly ever turn on network TV anymore. Gave up cable a few years ago and haven't missed it much.

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  24. I've got nothing to post for tomorrow, so stay here at this open thread. Did anyone hear about the huge earthquakes that rocked central Italy today. At least 280 people are reported killed.

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  25. Thanks for all the congrats. #4 is doing great.

    Conspiracy theory time: RCP moved Texas into the toss up column a few days ago despite Trump having never polled behind Hillary in that state. About the same time come reports of early voters in Texas claiming that voting machines switched their votes from Trump to Clinton. Coincidence?

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  26. Sorry I'm late to the (literal) party, but congratulations on #4, tryanmax!

    You and your family are truly blessed!

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  27. Had the day off so I voted today. I was hoping for short lines, but no such luck. Lots of people, the overwhelming majority of them senior citizens.

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  28. If Hillary wins, well, the Russians have so much crap on her. If WikiLeaks could run around in her server, you can bet your bippy that the Russians did to. They have her by the short hairs..I am absolutely not in love with Trump, but she is a danger to this republic.

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  29. I've been watching Quarry on Cinemax, it's set in my hometown of Memphis in 1972. It's pretty good, despite some glaring problems with what people wore then, Tennessee license plates, etc..

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  30. Jed! Welcome back! I hope all is well. :)

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  31. Critch, I think it's easier just to buy Hillary than it is to blackmail her. She has no shame, but she does love her some foreign money.

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