The Oscars were last night, and apparently nobody watched. Not interested. It may, of course, have been a reflection of the Covid shutdown, and nobody has gone to the movies, or conversely, people may be sick of so-called “celebrities” one has never heard of, mouthing off about politics that they clearly know nothing about.
Reporters have learned that if they can insert a “celebrity” into a story, it is apt to get more clicks that a story that doesn’t have one, simply because a familiar name attracts attention. That’s all a “celebrity” is, is someone whose name may be familiar. You are more likely to click on familiar than unfamiliar.
However, being a celebrity and thus familiar, does not mean that we want to listen to the works of their minds. Your views on politics are not welcome, and when they are stupid, as often happens, we reject the views and the celebrity as well. That could account for a lack of interest in the Oscars.
The current political battles are about words, and attempts to change the words people use to describe their beliefs. I just noticed a new one. The words “husband” and “wife” have been banished in favor of the currently ubiquitous “partner”. That is designed to eliminate any prejudice or disapproval of same-sex couples. Inclusiveness is good, disapproval is not acceptable, unless it is disapproval of the correct people. Trying to change a society is difficult, and the language must be controlled to make the necessary changes. I really don’t like attempts to redefine my language.
Sorry, I don’t welcome thousands of illegal aliens either. I welcome immigrants who apply properly to become citizens, not those who sneak in by the back door. I don’t welcome huge increases in the national debt and the raised taxes to pay off the unnecessary spending. If “infrastructure”, roads and bridges, need fixing to keep people safe, that is one thing, if you’re just trying to buy votes by scattering cash around, it’s quite another.
I expect people to “study up” and know what they are advocating. In the past 100 years, the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere had increased by about one degree Centigrade. The planet is fine, and controlled by the action of the sun. We do not need to banish fossil fuels, and America is fortunate to have enough to sell to other countries. We have had slightly warmer eras in the past, and cooler ones as well, and done just fine. If you recall, we have even had ice ages that shaped the Rocky Mountains, and left us lots of beautiful lakes. Unfortunately, wind turbines don’t work and cannot supply the energy needed by a modern society. It costs about $35,000 to take one down, and they have to be buried in a landfill because nothing is recyclable. I wrote a post in July of 2013 about abandoned wind turbines (the ones pictured were in Hawaii) that has proved to be perennially popular, I hope as a negative case for wind energy which just doesn’t work well enough for a modern society to depend on.
It’s hard to be well-informed. Some of what you read will be wrong. Your own prejudices may well lead you astray. You may be influenced by the wrong ideas. And you just have to read a lot to understand what is right and what is not. There are a lot of people out there who just don’t like to read. I’ve noticed that many articles now have a “reading time” and an effort to keep it brief for busy people. An attempt to be helpful, that’s a little scary. I’m a big reader, always have books I’m reading or re-reading. Always have. But I do recognize that many find reading to be a task rather than a pleasure.
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American Elephants 