Reflections on films, politics, and everything else.

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Pro-Death

I grew up in an evangelical church, and as soon as I could escape it, I did. I remember my mother talking longingly about the mansion she would have in heaven and, even at a young age, I felt uncomfortable hearing her talk about her life when she would be dead. It was as though she’d given up on anything good happening in this world, and only had the next life to look forward to. If you read the recent rulings from the Supreme Court it’s as if they’ve given up on anything good happening in this world too, but also are trying to hasten us all, in one way or another, to the “next world.” If the baby that you shouldn’t be carrying doesn’t kill you then the guns that they made even easier to get, and easier to carry around, will. Or if neither of those situations do you in, then tying the hands of the EPA to reign in pollution and other hazardous-to-our-health chemicals will. One of my own coping mechanisms may have some similarities – dreaming of living in another, better, country.

Cruel Extremists

Right at the time Roe v. Wade was overturned, I was finishing Jennifer Egan’s recent novel, The Candy House . In the novel, one of the characters is the creator of a social media company who develops a machine that can record your thoughts, including all that you forgot. People could either keep these boxes holding their memories to themselves or upload them to the collective for all to see and experience. No surprise that lots of people shared all. One of the things mentioned about this creation was that it caused an increase in empathy due to people being able to experience what was going on in other people’s minds. It makes me wish we had such an invention now, but I wonder if it actually would change any of the deeply rooted extremists we have dictating our now minority-ruled country of the DSA (Divided States of America). It seems unlikely someone like Alito would change his mind. He reminds me of a boss I had who had such a chip on his shoulder from being o

Impatient

A few weeks ago I was standing at the downtown square with lots of other women, holding signs and shouting. One woman had a sign saying that she couldn’t believe she was still having to fight for the right to control her body. I understand that sentiment. During that day, we rallied and listened to moving speeches, but I left not knowing what to do other than make what donations I could to various organizations helping with the fight. I also left the rally feeling slightly guilty, but fortunate, that I’d never been put in a situation where I either needed an abortion or had to help someone acquire one. When I was an adolescent I remember a neighbor telling my mother that her daughter-in-law was getting an abortion, not seeming to acknowledge that I was present, and maybe this wasn’t something I should be hearing. The woman and her husband had a child already, around my age, and they couldn’t afford another one. Strangely I don’t remember my mother having much to

Raging

To steal a line from Roxane Gay’s recent article , I am raging. When news broke shortly before I went to bed on Monday night about the leaked Supreme Court decision. I struggled with which emoji represented my feelings on Facebook. I know that seems utterly silly at this moment, but I wished I could have chosen more than one. Ultimately I chose Pissed Off, but Angry, and, more truthfully, Heartbroken could also represent me. I feel my spirit has been broken by what will most likely be coming in the next month to this country. This wasn’t much of a surprise, although I’d hoped the day wouldn’t come. I’ve been nagging my husband off and on for years to think about leaving America or least move to a Blue state, as the Republicans have become more radicalized in this country. We may live in a Blue city, but that makes little difference with Ohio becoming increasingly out of touch. What incenses me the most from the anti-choice groups is their belief that, as one of

Clueless White Privilege

I should state up front that I am a white woman, and compared to many in this country I would be considered privileged. There have certainly been times in my life that I didn’t fully grasp that and said and did things that make me cringe now, wondering how I could have been so unaware, but I never had the power mixed with that cluelessness to affect the lives of so many people in such drastic ways. The U.S. Supreme Court does have that power, and appears to have a majority of clueless wonders that are about to do just that. Depending on what poll you look at, anywhere from half the country to three-quarters support the right of a woman to control what happens to her body (i.e. get an abortion), yet it looks very much like that long-held civil right will be taken away by what, I view, is absolute cluelessness of the world we live in, and with five of those justices being white, it really is impossible to not proclaim it white privilege after hearing their comments

You Broke It; Now Fix It

It seems like no matter what I search for (sweaters, shoes, kitchen items), I begin feeling like I’m being stalked later on by those products, while looking at other websites. After browsing sweaters on Talbots’ site, I suddenly see the same sweaters appear on the side of a Washington Post article about impeachment. I keep wishing some clever coder could come up with an algorithm to stalk members of the GOP with non-stop videos of “real people” suffering due to these politicians’ inaction and stupidity. My hope is that seeing what has happened to citizens in this country, through no fault of their own, would somehow open the eyes of these politicians, and shame them into doing something to help them. Our country is so utterly broken, and I feel accountability should force these politicians to have to fix what they broke. Of course, I know that is unlikely to happen. Right now Mitch McConnell thinks Biden’s economic recovery plan “missed the mark,” while Mitt