Michael Hopcroft

I find this song very comforting and inspiring at a time like this.
 


 
It goes from stating the problems that result from people and societies giving in to the temptations to hate. But then, in the incredible final verse, it gives one of the best descriptions of agape you will find in popular music. This lyric must have really appealed to Elton John, especially as a member of an oft-oppressed sexual minority. It describes why we need love to make sense of the world and to bring ourselves to action in the face of injustice.
 
The only thing we have to hate is Hate Itself.

Thank you, everyone, for your words of encouragement.
 
I think I have the same challenge ahead of me that we all face: we have to find ways of valuing life in the face of a coalescing societal order that is contemptuous of our lives. Trump and his power elite see us as little more than roaches to be ground under heel, and now--"checks and balances" platitudes notwithstanding--they have all the power they need to grind us into the filth. Our culture tragically shares this vision of life. Our entertainment media is saturated with a kind of death porn that proclaims that only heroic lives are worth paying attention to, and only then so long as they continue to fascinate. Collectively, we have lost faith in the idea that even humiliated lives have dignity and significance: we see each other as disposable commodities, and so we ultimately see ourselves that way, too.
 
Every time we turn away from people who plead for help and dignity--and, God help me, I have turned away from many--we slander sentient life itself, and rob ourselves of any sense of entitlement to help and dignity. I am tempted by self-destruction not only because I am afraid of the colossal and unexpected evil of Neo-fascism, but because I have too little faith in the value of life. I have throughout my life struggled against an inner nihilism, an abjectly desacralized vision of existence. I have wrested little sparks of sanctity from that unholy vista, but only with monumental effort. Now I face a future in which the social order is going to exponentially accelerate its efforts to drown the working class in self-contempt, hatred, and fear. Those of us who are white and who have not yet been condemned to the horrors of the deindustrialized rust belt are going to get a taste--we're going to get ever-larger mouthfuls--of the humiliations inflicted for centuries upon people of colour. I have precious little reason to believe that my vision of the good is sturdy enough to support that weight for very long.
 
I may very well ultimately lose this fight against moral despair. If I was placing bets, I wouldn't wager much on my long-term prospects. But the value of the struggle for each of us may lie not in whether we lose but rather in how long we hold out, how long we continue reaching out for those sparks.
 
There was an existentialist vampire movie called "The Addiction" that came out in the 90s, and there was a line in it that's stayed with me. It goes something like this: "Our propensity for evil lies in our weakness before it." It is our vulnerability in the face of monstrous and malevolent power to succumbing to moral horror and its desacralized vision of life that opens us up to infection by that malevolence. Cruelty inflicted or witnessed tempts us with nihilism, and nihilism tempts us to hate life, regardless of whether that life resides elsewhere or within our own breast. That's the price of turning refugees away: by radically devaluing their lives, we radically devalue our own. If they don't deserve love, then neither do we. The lynch mob ultimately hangs its own humanity.
 
I think that's what I've done to myself. By abandoning someone in need when I felt overwhelmed by that person's demands, I abandoned myself, I corrupted myself. I am, I think, damned, and I don't know how to find redemption. My cowardice is born of shame.
 
We are going to be terribly tempted, because this horror isn't going anywhere. The timeline is not going to reset, he's not going to be impeached, his power is just going to grow until something catastrophic happens. The disease is too far advanced.
 
He is clearly making China his regime's official enemy, so we can expect war, emergency measures acts to eliminate dissidents, the draft, the further militarization of the economy, and, I fear, nuclear confrontation. The characters of the men in this regime show no signs of wisdom, virtue, or restraint, and they are threatening what China rightfully sees as its non-negotiable vital interests.
 
Love has to be strong now. I don't mean the saccharine love that Clinton spouted, I mean the real deal, I mean agape in its deepest sense. Love does not trump hate, but it can endure and eventually weaken hate if it has time enough to work. We may not have that long: the fire next time may well be the fire within a year or two. But whatever our moral measure, the call of love is insistent and it remains so until death claims us as individuals and communities.
 
I honestly want to answer that call, but I have to drag myself through my own sewer to do so, and the undertow is very strong.

Kaspar, I have some idea what you're going through. At times I go through it myself. I am not going to deny or belittle your fears, because in many ways they are my fears as well.
 
Sometimes faith offers answers, but that can be difficult as it is your faith (and,m in a way, the faith of all of us) that is being tried right now. Fortunately we have other sources of solace. Art, for example. I think about the humanizing experiences of art all the time, and I've turned to many examples of art where corageous people and characters face many demons, especially their own.
 
I think of Don Camillo and Peppone. I think of David Bowie fleeing Hollywood for Berlin to rediscover his own humanity. I think of the wonders and terrors of Miyazaki's films and the courage of animators like Rebecca Sugar. I think about Mel Brooks using comedy to skewer racism and Anti-Semitism, and of the Marx Brothers riffing hilariously on the inanity of power in times eerily similar to our own. I think of Dave Grohl on the first Foo Fighters album and his electrifying rejection of the nihilism that destroyed his bandmate and friend Kurt Cobain, I think of Beethoven celebrating the joys of peace while his country's armies were getting crushed by Napoleon. I think of Van Gogh reaching out from the depths of encroaching madness to show us the world that only he saw. I think of the struggles of Teyve facing a world he no longer understood. I think of the banal evil of Jerry Lundegaard and the compassion and courage of Marge Gunderson.
 
Our courage is going to be tested in ways it has never been tested before, but we have examples, both from art and from history of people who stood up and said no. People who refused to give in to the temptation to hate,m and the equally strong temptation to cower in fear and do nothing. There is the possibility that I will be hurt in ways I can barely imagine, but I refuse to believe that I am helpless against fate. I refuse to believe that I am a pawn blindly marching forward to my own destruction.
 
This post, of course, does not solve anything for you. Your struggle is yours, your decisions are yours, your fears are real and palpable. I am not going to stand by helpless, though. I will put in the effort to reach out to people I don't know at all and tell them the same thing I am telling you: take courage. Take courage wherever you can find it, because we all need it now. 

Kaspar, I have some idea what you're going through. At times I go through it myself. I am not going to deny or belittle your fears, because in many ways they are my fears as well.
 
Sometimes faith offers answers, but that can be difficult as it is your faith (and,m in a way, the faith of all of us) that is being tried right now. Fortunately we have other sources of solace. Art, for example. I think about the humanizing experiences of art all the time, and I've turned to many examples of art where corageous people and characters face many demons, especially their own.
 
I think of Don Camillo and Peppone. I think of David Bowie fleeing Hollywood for Berlin to rediscover his own humanity. I think of the wonders and terrors of Miyazaki's films and the courage of animators like Rebecca Sugar. I think about Mel Brooks using comedy to skewer racism and Anti-Semitism, and of the Marx Brothers riffing hilariously on the inanity of power in times eerily similar to our own. I think of Dave Grohl on the first Foo Fighters album and his electrifying rejection of the nihilism that destroyed his bandmate and friend Kurt Cobain, I think of Beethoven celebrating the joys of peace while his country's armies were getting crushed by Napoleon. I think of Van Gogh reaching out from the depths of encroaching madness to show us the world that only he saw. I think of the struggles of Teyve facing a world he no longer understood. I think of the banal evil of Jerry Lundegaard and the compassion and courage of Marge Gunderson.
 
Our courage is going to be tested in ways it has never been tested before, but we have examples, both from art and from history of people who stood up and said no. People who refused to give in to the temptation to hate,m and the equally strong temptation to cower in fear and do nothing. There is the possibility that I will be hurt in ways I can barely imagine, but I refuse to believe that I am helpless against fate. I refuse to believe that I am a pawn blindly marching forward to my own destruction.
 
This post, of course, does not solve anything for you. Your struggle is yours, your decisions are yours, your fears are real and palpable. I am not going to stand by helpless, though. I will put in the effort to reach out to people I don't know at all and tell them the same thing I am telling you: take courage. Take courage wherever you can find it, because we all need it now. 

Kaspar, I have some idea what you're going through. At times I go through it myself. I am not going to deny or belittle your fears, because in many ways they are my fears as well.
 
Sometimes faith offers answers, but that can be difficult as it is your faith (and,m in a way, the faith of all of us) that is being tried right now. Fortunately we have other sources of solace. Art, for example. I think about the humanizing experiences of art all the time, and I've turned to many examples of art where corageous people and characters face many demons, especially their own.
 
I think of Don Camillo and Peppone. I think of David Bowie fleeing Hollywood for Berlin to rediscover his own humanity. I think of the wonders and terrors of Miyazaki's films and the courage of animators like Rebecca Sugar. I think about Mel Brooks using comedy to skewer racism and Anti-Semitism, and of the Marx Brothers riffing hilariously on the inanity of power in times eerily similar to our own. I think of Dave Grohl on the first Foo Fighters album and his electrifying rejection of the nihilism that destroyed his bandmate and friend Kurt Cobain, I think of Beethoven celebrating the joys of peace while his country's armies were getting crushed by Napoleon. I think of Van Gogh reaching out from the depths of encroaching madness to show us the world that only he saw. I think of the struggles of Teyve facing a world he no longer understood. I think of the banal evil of Jerry Lundegaard and the compassion and courage of Marge Gunderson.
 
Our courage is going to be tested in ways it has never been tested before, but we have examples, both from art and from history of people who stood up and said no. People who refused to give in to the temptation to hate,m and the equally strong temptation to cower in fear and do nothing. There is the possibility that I will be hurt in ways I can barely imagine, but I refuse to believe that I am helpless against fate. I refuse to believe that I am a pawn blindly marching forward to my own destruction.
 
This post, of course, does not solve anything for you. Your struggle is yours, your decisions are yours, your fears are real and palpable. I am not going to stand by helpless, though. I will put in the effort to reach out to people I don't know at all and tell them the same thing I am telling you: take courage. Take courage wherever you can find it, because we all need it now. 

My sister Mary is a Lutheran pastor with three teenage children. I actually asked about this very thing a year ago when the campaign started and before Trumpism was a thing. I expressed my fear of what my generation was leaving my nieces and nephew. Part of her response was a quote by mystery writer and Anglican apologist Dorothy Sayer, written during World War II (a pretty dark time to be British:):
 
:  "A man told me the other day:  'I have a little boy of a year old.  When the war broke out, I was very much distressed about him because I found I was taking it for granted that life ought to be better and easier for him than it had been for my generation.  Then I realized that I had no right to take this for granted at all--that the fight between good and evil must be the same for him as it had always been, and then I ceased to feel so much distressed.'"

My sister Mary is a Lutheran pastor with three teenage children. I actually asked about this very thing a year ago when the campaign started and before Trumpism was a thing. I expressed my fear of what my generation was leaving my nieces and nephew. Part of her response was a quote by mystery writer and Anglican apologist Dorothy Sayer, written during World War II (a pretty dark time to be British:):
 
:  "A man told me the other day:  'I have a little boy of a year old.  When the war broke out, I was very much distressed about him because I found I was taking it for granted that life ought to be better and easier for him than it had been for my generation.  Then I realized that I had no right to take this for granted at all--that the fight between good and evil must be the same for him as it had always been, and then I ceased to feel so much distressed.'"

https://www.instagram.com/p/BALHZUbgDxP/
 
Old Man, why do your kids go to Sunday School at this particular church? If they have this kind of belief about one of Christianity's core tenets (responsibility to others), what other beliefs do they have on other tenets that are just as significant?

My sister Mary is a Lutheran pastor with three teenage children. I actually asked about this very thing a year ago when the campaign started and before Trumpism was a thing. I expressed my fear of what my generation was leaving my nieces and nephew. Part of her response was a quote by mystery writer and Anglican apologist Dorothy Sayer, written during World War II (a pretty dark time to be British:):
 
:  "A man told me the other day:  'I have a little boy of a year old.  When the war broke out, I was very much distressed about him because I found I was taking it for granted that life ought to be better and easier for him than it had been for my generation.  Then I realized that I had no right to take this for granted at all--that the fight between good and evil must be the same for him as it had always been, and then I ceased to feel so much distressed.'"

My sister Mary is a Lutheran pastor with three teenage children. I actually asked about this very thing a year ago when the campaign started and before Trumpism was a thing. I expressed my fear of what my generation was leaving my nieces and nephew. Part of her response was a quote by mystery writer and Anglican apologist Dorothy Sayer, written during World War II (a pretty dark time to be British:):
 
:  "A man told me the other day:  'I have a little boy of a year old.  When the war broke out, I was very much distressed about him because I found I was taking it for granted that life ought to be better and easier for him than it had been for my generation.  Then I realized that I had no right to take this for granted at all--that the fight between good and evil must be the same for him as it had always been, and then I ceased to feel so much distressed.'"

My sister Mary is a Lutheran pastor with three teenage children. I actually asked about this very thing a year ago when the campaign started and before Trumpism was a thing. I expressed my fear of what my generation was leaving my nieces and nephew. Part of her response was a quote by mystery writer and Anglican apologist Dorothy Sayer, written during World War II (a pretty dark time to be British:):
 
:  "A man told me the other day:  'I have a little boy of a year old.  When the war broke out, I was very much distressed about him because I found I was taking it for granted that life ought to be better and easier for him than it had been for my generation.  Then I realized that I had no right to take this for granted at all--that the fight between good and evil must be the same for him as it had always been, and then I ceased to feel so much distressed.'"

As far as I know, swans are no longer eaten.

This Amazon ad aired on Cartoon Network last night. Makes me wonder if they finally figured out who was actually watching their shows, as opposed to the bulk of their advertisers think watches their shows.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouu6LGGIWsc
 
Needless to say the conspiracy theorists are not amused.

Tailgating in -20°F (-29°C) temperatures while your team is playing in Tampa.

Slip mild hallucinogens into Millennium City's champagne supply so everybody of both genders thinks Foxbat is the most appealing person on the planet, (He only intended to drug Witchcraft's champagne, but you know how things go when you're the Gosh-Darned Foxbat!)

The alt-right has a different definition of "innocent people" than most folks who are, you know, sane. A definition that is not all that inclusive.
 
They bring to mind what Fred Rogers told his audiences about "scary mad wishes" -- intrusive, terrible thoughts children and adults get that feature intensively destructive things towards people (especially loved ones). He reassured the children who were watching that thoughts are not actions. Just because you have a terrible thought doesn't mean it's automatically going to happen, and it doesn't make you a horrible person. You are only a terrible person if you act on those ideas. That's why actors who play villains are usually not villains themselves, why a writer of horror stories can still be a decent and ethical person, and how a person who foresees a terrible future can act to prevent it.
 
Throughout this campaign cycle, and probably for the next four years, I will be wrestling with the notion that many of the intrusive thoughts I have are shared with powerful people who can act upon them. In my case, the intrusion is disordered and does not at all reflect my actual values. I hate them, and hate myself for having them, but will usually act in the complete opposite direction. The problem is that there are people in positions of power who think many of the same things and do not consider them intrusive at all. And that scares me. It really does.

I'd say he has Election Day pretty much beat.
 
NT: The Grinch's dog Max has had enough of all this. How does he strike back against his deranged master?

Last night I watched a full performance of Handel's Messiah from beginning to end. You may not know this, but the famous Alleluia Chorus is only the end of the second act of the Oratorio. The work goes on from there to an impressive conclusion drawn from Revelation ("Worthy is the Lamb who was slain!"). The text covers the prophesies of the Old Testament, highlights of Jesus ministry, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and finally a celebration of Jesus' power.
 
It took Handel less than a month to write Messiah. Compare that to the two years it took Beethoven to write his Ninth Symphony, another mammothly possible choral work associated with the holidays,

('Hey ! Wonder Woman here are some handcuffs in just your size !')
 
Depending on who gave it to her, she might think it's a great gift....
 
New Topic: More of the world's worst Holiday gifts to give a superhero (Marvel this time)
 
"Thor, since you're waving that big hammer all the time, I thought you could get some use out of it. Here's a metric ton of two-foot nails!"

Tailgating in -20°F (-29°C) temperatures while your team is playing in Tampa.

This Amazon ad aired on Cartoon Network last night. Makes me wonder if they finally figured out who was actually watching their shows, as opposed to the bulk of their advertisers think watches their shows.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouu6LGGIWsc
 
Needless to say the conspiracy theorists are not amused.

This Amazon ad aired on Cartoon Network last night. Makes me wonder if they finally figured out who was actually watching their shows, as opposed to the bulk of their advertisers think watches their shows.
 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouu6LGGIWsc
 
Needless to say the conspiracy theorists are not amused.

Ben Grimm gets uploaded into an AI and put online to create the Internet of Things.

Soar.

Famine now sits on the boards of both Nestle and Monsanto, while Death has cushy positions in Big Pharma. (Anti-Vaxxers? His fault....)