The world of sexual objectification suffered a devastating setback with the news that the Miss America pageant has scrapped its famous swimsuit competition. No longer, says a female spokesperson, will contestants be judged on their physical appearance. So what will they be judged upon?
Comedian Roseanne Barr got into trouble for her racist tweets about former Obama administration official Valerie Jarret. Now she’s blaming, in part, taking Ambien. While it is true that the anti-insomnia medication has been associated with strange behavior in the past, the drugmaker drolly notes that there is no history of Ambien causing racism. But what other counterindications might there be?
Donald Trump has been issuing more pardons than his predecessor Barack Obama, and that’s a good thing. The problem is, he’s less interested in correcting miscarriages of justice then promoting himself through the cult of celebrity. So if you’re not famous, you’re probably not going to get any mercy.
The anti-Trump “Resistance”: what is it? At this point, it’s a bunch of Democrats grousing about Trump’s latest utterances. What an insult to the men and women of actual resistance movements who gave their lives and suffered torture and deprivation.
Trump unleashed ridiculous insults against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He appointed the off-kilter John Bolton as national security advisor, and then Bolton suggested that the US will overthrow Kim after he denuclearizes. Now Kim says he’s unhappy about this and is no longer sure whether he wants to meet with Trump to discuss giving away his nuclear weapons. So why is the media calling HIM “erratic”?
After years of failing to respond to complaints that newsrooms weren’t demographically reflective of America’s diversity, publishers and broadcasters are taking steps to bring in people of color, women and other people who have been historically underrepresented and whose stories weren’t being told as a result. But the issue of classism remains. Most Americans cannot afford to attend journalism graduate school, which many journalistic organizations require to work for them. And the ideological divide is even more extreme. There still isn’t a single socialist or communist opinion cartoonist or columnist working for any American newspaper, even though 40% of Americans are socialist or communist.
When you watch cable news TV, you can’t help notice all the formers among the guests. Former editor of the former whatever. They’re still the smartest journalists in the room, but they’re unemployed.
Conventional wisdom within the Democratic Party says that Donald Trump is politically toxic, yet when he appoints one of the most horrendous political nominees in American history, a woman who is unquestionably guilty of crimes against humanity in the form of torture, they vote for her to become the head of the CIA.
Robert Mueller’s investigation into Donald Trump’s supposed collusion with Russia began a year ago. However, there’s still no evidence that such collusion occurred and there’s no end in sight.
There’s been another mass school shooting, this time in Texas. The question is, will politicians even bother with the usual pledge for action? Yes, if Donald Trump is any indication. But we know that real action would require radical change beginning with the repeal of the Second Amendment. Obviously that’s not going to happen. What is going to happen is more school shootings. And workplace shootings. And mall shootings. And on and on and on.
