#and almost no one says anything unless the artist is revealed to be racist or something

[weird-gay-disaster]

I'd probably be more okay with being in LGBTQA+ places online if they weren't so predominantly white. And the only thing white people have ever done for me is annoy me.

[msmovingforward]

Re-Engaging: SLC Reunion Pt I

Part one of the the first season reunion! We get the typical footage of the women’s jitters before the reunion begins. Whitney and her glam team saying they’re going to really feature her new boob job in the look for the evening. Jen and Heather saying they’re excited. I would be excited too! I mean, I’m a shady bitch... I would love to get paid to sit around and talk smack to people’s faces. 

The set is actually pretty shah-mazing. Imagine a very gay food court set up for Santa, but socially distanced. Andy Cohen says, “This is the Super Bowl, guys!” Accurate. These reunions really are like the gay Super Bowl, complete with fumbles, MVP’s, and emotional tackles. Those are the four football terms I know. OK... Roll footage. I love that!

Andy opens by saying he gives the season two thumbs up, and congratulates the women. “Hey, Lisa! Does God care now that you own at tequila company?”

“Yeah. He’s blessing me by selling more.” All the women look very rested, and their makeup for the most part in my opinion is pretty understated. Lisa has a somewhat modest outfit. Her tan is looking very nice. Very white teeth. A curled look for her hair. It’s sort of fancy free, and I love that for her.

Heather is wearing a light pink dress with a bejeweled motif that is somehow both tight, but also does almost nothing to show off her curves. It’s very Mormon, but make it fashion.

Whitney is giving me beachy vibes with her blonde bob this evening with a plunging-neckline maroon sequined number and a pair of really EXPENSIVE white gold hoops.

Mary looks like Beyonce’s wax figurine at Madame Toussaud’s, with a rose gold sparkling dress and eyeshadow to match.

Meredith looks like Jessica Rabbit got dressed in the dark and is now ushering a Cirque Du Soleil knockoff show at the Nomad Hotel Casino, but what do I know? This is probably just too fashion forward for me to understand.

Jen stopped at the Spirit Halloween inside the closed Linens-n-Things next to Heather’s new Beauty Lab+Laser and bought a knock-off Jasmine from Aladdin costume.

Some highlights from the customary 20-minute greetings are Heather being DM’d by Rihanna and being told Rihanna thinks Heather is “everything,” and Jen promising to be “Zen Jen,” unless somebody “makes [her] turn up.” So basically no one has learned anything. We’re off to a great start for this reunion. I’m glad everyone is on the same page for what makes a good viewing experience. These reunions are like group therapy if no one were willing to change, and everyone lied and yelled the whole time. I’m NOT disengaging for this one.

Round one! (This is a boxing reference. I’m basically a jock now). Whitney’s journey this season is shown, and Andy brings up the whole swinger situation. Whitney denies being a swinger herself, but says she knows a lot of Mormons who do it, and it’s very Mormon 2.0. I give this one to Whitney because Lisa is riled up, and it was like very nuanced shade, especially for Whitney. Whitney zing!

Next Andy asks how Meredith feels about Jen’s reaction to Brooks’s sweat suit line at Park City Fashion Week, asking “Are you appalled that Jen would be picking on a child?”

Meredith replies, “One hundred percent I was ... He saved his own money to launch his brand ... He should be commended, not criticized.” So Brooks (who by the way is well over 21 at this point, but at the time of filming was definitely NOT a child) should always be commended no matter what, even though he couldn’t even be industrious enough to rip off two Givenchy track suits? Also how was Brooks saving his own money? What does he do for work to earn this money? He couldn’t even call the coordinator of the fashion show himself to say he was going to be late!

We also learn that Meredith was not upset that Jen made Meredith’s birthday party all about her, but she was upset that it was thrown on Lisa’s actual birthday. We are shown unseen footage of a thousand-plus dollar wedding cake for Meredith being wheeled out and a comparatively tiny birthday cake for Lisa being brought out behind it. Unseen footage of Lisa singing happy birthday to herself is also shown. So that makes two women who were confused as to whose birthday party it was and singing anyway: Lisa and the drunk woman whose name I won’t mention because she attempted to overtake the Capitol. Conversely, Lisa reveals that she wasn’t upset about the birthday party itself, the thing that she found to be upset about was how Heather gave her a quick once over because Heather had heard that LIsa was calling Heather a “good-time girl.” Don’t worry though, because Lisa explains what actually happened, saying, “ I said she was a good time! My friend told me an antecdote ... Heather was so much fun. She would press her boobs up against things.” Heather denies all allegations of ignoring Lisa, and Lisa yells, “Roll footage!” Heather tells her that’s not a thing, as the footage of Heather blatantly ignoring Lisa is shown. Lisa calls Heather a pathological liar.

I will say, In this situation originally, I was on Heather’s side, but it does seem like Lisa really didn’t know Heather prior to filming. If we remember even more though, it was Jen who told Heather that Lisa had said this about Heather in the first place.

Andy asks Whitney what he thought of Lisa’s comments regarding her love of the stripper pole. Whitney says she is more angry at the overall vibe Lisa gives that she’s better than Whitney. I definitely can see where this is coming from; Lisa and Meredith do seem to have an elitist attitude toward the other women, however, Lisa hypocritically claims that she doesn’t have a problem with Whitney’s dancing in general, just how she handled herself at Sharrieff’s put-put golf birthday party, “twerking” in front of another woman’s husband. Footage is shown of Lisa trying and failing to one-up Whitney’s splits on the dancefloor. The editors throw in a helpful arrow to let us know where in the crowd Sharrieff is standing (far closer to LIsa). Whitney says Lisa called Whitney trash multiple times, to which Lisa replies that she only called Whitney trash once, AND SHE CAN’ EXPLAIN THAT! I’m glad we’re only sticking to the facts here. Objectively, Whitney, you are trash, but I’ve only called you that once. Love that.

After commercial, we are shown Jen’s season highlights (This really is similar to SportsCenter, isn’t it?) It’s mostly footage of Jen yelling, throwing things, crying, more yelling, and crying more. We find out that Heather’s father passed away in April, though. Mary shares that her father also died this past year, but she has this weird dreamy chipmunk look in her eye when she says it. Also, I love how these women aren’t even going to pretend for the cameras they know even the most basic things the others are dealing with when the cameras aren’t rolling. HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR “FRIEND’S” FATHER DIED?! Heather says that there’s more than enough drama to talk about during this reunion without talking about her dad’s passing. Exactly! The really important stuff, like how Mary can fit into a loofah dress that most people can’t.

Andy asks Jen what it is exactly all her assistants do. We learn that Jen actually has a real job in the marketing field. While I doubt that she actually came up with the technology she uses, I was impressed with the amount of industry jargon she threw out. She says she does “direct response marketing.” I worked in advertising for five months, and I was basically an assistant. I can confirm that telling people they were pretty all the time was about 90% of my job as well.

Jen goes into the story of her father’s passing and Sharrieff missing the funeral. We learn that Jen nearly kicked him out for missing it, and it’s a very big point of contention for the two of them. This is where I start to feel sorry for Jen. While I can’t justify much of her behavior this season, it does seem like she’s dealing with both the loss of her father and realizing that her 20-year marriage is not as solid as it could be.

Speaking of Jen’s behavior, someone from Hawaii asks if Jen thinks it’s appropriate to act the way she did all season at 50 years old. At this, time stands still, and the women are ALL flabbergasted. How DARE?! Jen is only 48! So distracted by being confused for someone two WHOLE TWO YEARS older, Jen needs to regroup before saying, “Shit happens.” and that she’s just “temperamental,” which, according to Oxford Dictionary means “liable to unreasonable changes of mood”. Jen just admitted her behavior is unreasonable. ROLL THAT FOOTAGE! Mary jumps in and talks about how she has been a scapegoat for Jen all season, which didn’t really make sense because Mary seems like a genuinely terrible, racist scam artist. Don’t kick her off the show, though. It’s very entertaining!

Andy brings up vagina-gate. This was very revealing to me. (See what I did there?) Meredith says she’s upset with Jen for purposely “rattling” her kids. Jen claims that she loves Meredith’s kids, and she would never do anything to harm them. Jen says that the whole story was taken out of context, and Brooks had caught Meredith smoking, which is the real reason Brooks was so upset. Meredith reveals that she does occasionally smoke a cigarette (but so what? Meredith is cool, and smoking is very elegant), and she says that Jen recorded Meredith smoking without her knowledge or permission. Jen denies this allegation (but looks like she’s lying to me). The real confusion is cleared up, though, and we learn that Brooks in fact did see Jen’s vagina, and he had to go to Best Buy at that point. Meredith also reveals that she had not invited Jen to sleep over that night, but Jen passed out in Meredith’s bed and had to borrow one of Brooks’s track suits in order to have something to wear home the next morning. Jen denies this as well, and doubles down, saying that Meredith was actually the one who passed out. This is like the time my mom caught me drinking when I was 16, and she said, “:You’re drunk!” and I said, “No I’m not. You’re drunk!” Jesus, Jen!

Meredith accuses Jen of attacking Brooks on social media, calling him white privileged. (Um, that’s not an attack, Meredith. That’s just the truth. I’m white privileged, and I can’t even open a credit card right now). Jen denies this too, and the following tweet is shown: “ @therealitybitch R U SERIOUS?????? I never went spread eagle... it's COMPLETELY INSANE to me that NOT ONLY did you all SEE I DIDNT but bcuz a white privelaged family tells you I did, you somehow think I Sis something wrong. (Girl with face palm emoji).” Arguably my favorite part of this episode is the dramatic music playing as the misspelled words “white privelaged” are highlighted on screen.

Next we’re shown Lisa’s highlight real, where she mostly says, “I love that,” and talks about how much she loves herself and what a go-getter she is. Andy asks Whitney which couple out of the group she would swing with, and Whitney answers Meredith. Not Seth. Just Meredith. Really, Whitney? You don’t want to get down with Mary and her grandfather? At this point, Jen’s superiority complex is brought up by essentially all the women except Meredith. I understand LIsa’s response; she doesn’t feel like she owes anyone an explanation for how she acts like a boss bitch, and I truly believe her. I guess I have a soft spot for Lisa? I am team Lisa on this one for sure, though. I don’t understand why Heather and Whitney feel the need to change Lisa’s attitude. Meredith jumps in and says that Lisa says the same things to her in the same tone, and Meredith doesn’t take it personally, which is why she and Lisa have been able to remain close friends for ten years. This rings true to me.

What gets tricky to me, though, is then Heather and Lisa start fighting. Lisa plays a victim, claiming all the bad press she got for coming off as elitist was in direct response to how Heather portrayed her on the show. I feel like Lisa is trying to walk a line of owning her bossiness, but still wanting to throw Heather under the bus for people hating her for being a boss. I truly don’t understand where Lisa is coming from on this one, and it’s not a good look.

Mary then brings up that she NEVER talks down to people or makes them feel less than, and Lisa tells her that she most certainly does do that to all the members of her church. Dramatic music plays, as Mary blinks and twitches Bewitched-style, and says that Lisa better not bring up Mary’s church, or Mary will bring up Vida Tequila.

in the midst of all of this nonsense, Whitney tries to have an epic moment in which she reveals she has TEXTS from Lisa regarding the bartenders she had claimed made a mess of her party at the beginning of the season, but when Andy goes to read them, he says, “This is a bad Xerox, babe.” (”Jen, you know I’m a straight shooter.. wait. Can I start over?”) Before we’re shown the scenes from next week’s episode, everyone basically starts talking over each other, and Lisa says something about Taco Bell.

My final thoughts: I’m wondering what it is Jen has to offer that is so appealing to Meredith and Jen that they’re giving her so much grace. Beyond the fact that neither of them seem to vibe with her at all, the sudden change of heart Lisa had in the finale was VERY fishy to me. Meredith didn’t seem to have much to say in the way of Jen, but I assume that bridge will be crossed in the parts of the reunion to come. I was also a little shocked to learn that the bartenders Lisa hired really were a gift, and they really had nothing to do with Vida Tequila. Maybe there is something to what Lisa is saying about Heather and Whitney portraying her as more of a monster than she really is. Did she get a bad edit? Also, though it may be a long shot, I would love to learn that Whitney is actually an evil genius playing dumb. There are hints of it I’ve seen so far. She DID organize the whole trip to Vegas, and she DID start the ball rolling on Sharrieff’s birthday-gate. One thing is for sure, after the reunion thus far, I’d say these women all came to PLAY, and I’m living for Salt Lake. 

[digital-arts-etc]

This Woman Reimagined Michelangelo's "The Creation Of Adam"

With Black Women  * And It's Beautiful

Michelangelo who?

Posted on May 16, 2017 Michael Blackmon - BuzzFeed News Reporter

This is Harmonia Rosales, a 33-year-old artist living in Chicago.

"I was raised in a creative environment," she said. Rosales also noted that "artistic expression was floating in the air" in her household growing up. Her mother is an artist and her father, a musically inclined guy, played the congas. 

Rosales credited her parents for sparking her interest in the arts. "Kids imitate their parents and my parents were great models for me. I repeated visuals of my mother hunched over her art table churning out illustration after illustration starting with a blank canvas and a vision of a full one. I often would crawl under my mother's art table and track her movements, her brushstrokes, her ideas, her illustrations. She would let me experiment with all her expensive oils and brushes, never once telling me what to paint or how, but letting me find my own style."

One of Rosales' pieces, which she calls "The Creation of God" recently went viral.

The piece is based on Michelangelo 's "The Creation of Adam," famously displayed in the Sistine Chapel. "I wanted to take a significant painting, a widely recognized painting that subconsciously or consciously conditions us to see white male figures as powerful and authoritative and flip the script, establish a counter narrative," she told BuzzFeed News, elaborating on why she decided to make reimagine the well-known work of art with black women.

Says Rosales, "White figures are a staple in classic art featured in major museums. They are the 'masters' of the masterpieces. Why should that continue?

Replacing the white male figures — the most represented— with people I believe have been the least represented can begin to recondition our minds to accept new concepts of human value. ... If I can touch even a small group of people and empower them through the power of art, then I've succeeded in helping to change the way we see the world. ... And when you consider that all human life came out of Africa, the Garden of Eden and all, then it only makes sense to paint God as a black woman, sparking life in her own image." "In the essence of Picasso, my whole life," Rosales said when asked how long it took her to create her latest piece. "Every skill, life experience, and emotion has led me straight to this particular piece and every piece thereafter."

And the way in which her ideas form, and the way she's acted on them, is a very organic process.

"I have an idea, it might not be fully thought out, but first the idea. Then I let it marinate. Often I'll place a blank canvas by my bed so that I may wake up and sleep to it. And, while I sleep, it speaks to me," Rosales said. She also said that she doesn't sketch her creations, everything happens at once on the canvas by which they are brought to life. "My subjects morph and their expressions change as they speak to me and reveal themselves to me. Sometimes I will go over an area multiple times until they virtually come to life." Rosales' work definitely has a recurring theme: women of color. "I paint women darker than me because I want no one to mistake who I'm representing. I paint what I know, who I identify with," she told BuzzFeed News.

We have been underrepresented and misrepresented for so long that I feel I should paint to empower us. We need powerful images for our youth to see." Her daughter is another reason why Rosales is passionate about the work she does. "I want my daughter to grow up proud of her curls and coils, her brown skin, and for her to identify as a woman of color, a woman of value."

What I do with my art contributes to the way she and all other little girls like her will come to recognize themselves."

Rosales' "The Creation of God" will be part of an exhibited series in the near future.

She also plans to work with fellow artist Aldis Hodge on a series about persecution that will debut at the end of the year. "This particular series will relate to the masses," she said.

Critics Disgusted With Artist’s Painting of God As a Black Woman

By: Seth D. Mills  - May. 31, 2017

The painting (above photo) The Creation of God by artist Harmonia Rosales of Chicago has caused a lot of controversy throughout the last 3 weeks. Since it was first shared on Instagram, the painting has had at least 7,000 likes.

But some people on Twitter have called it a “disgrace”, while others stated that it was “cultural appropriation” and “disgusting”. In The Creation of God, Harmonia showed God as a black woman touching the hand of another black woman, much like The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo.

Harmonia said the painting was meant to show that “we have created God in our own image. So ‘God’ is whoever we want God to be, a representation of the ideal, of the divine, of wisdom and love and pure creativity.”

But not everyone agrees.

What do you think? Did she go too far?

http://www.wbls.com/news/d%C3%A9j%C3%A0-vu-afternoon/critics-disgusted-artist%E2%80%99s-painting-god-black-woman

Hannah Marie there are so many people in these comments that think they know what they are talking about but really don't. culturally appropriating something is taking something from another culture saying "it's mine i created it" profiting from and creating an entirely new meaning, while the (almost always) disadvantaged are left in the same position having their object devalued for the same things that are valued in said appropriated object. you can't culturally appropriate an image like this, it's literally impossible. if that was so then there are hundreds/thousands of images that have been by musicians, directors, artists, everyday people god damn photo-shopping themselves into images. why can't y'all just see the beauty and let it be ---------------------* James   "Cultural appropriation is the adoption or use of the elements of one culture by members of another culture.[1] Cultural appropriation is sometimes portrayed as harmful, framed as cultural misappropriation, and claimed to be a violation of the collective intellectual property rights of the originating culture.[2][3][4][5] Often unavoidable when multiple cultures come together, cultural appropriation can include using other cultures' traditions, fashion, symbols, language, and cultural songs without permission" Its the definition of cultural appropriation. News Flash: You cant just make up your own definitions of things. ---------------------* Hannah Marie James Nino didn't make up a definition, i never said i defined what it was, i was giving informed examples. what did i say exactly that was wrong? ---------------------* Bon N Why can't you see the gross double standards at play ---------------------* Hannah Marie Bon Nord but why do you think it's cultural appropriation? just because it's got black people in it? (genuine question) ---------------------* Aaron L Hannah Marie-Nova St Jean maybe because she literally said white people shouldn't dominate classic art and then literally stole someone's theme for a piece? ---------------------* Hannah Marie Aaron Lonnergan and you think they should dominate???? seems bizarre to me as there are millions of people in the world and one race should dominate? and if you see the work of Warhol and other pop art artists you'll see there is a heavy tradition of using other peoples images and making them ones own while still referencing the original work (like she clearly has done) but the difference is that she isn't making millions from the work. and this image has been so widely used in so many different re-imaginations, where people make fun of and transpose whatever image they want on to it doesn't make sense for this image to be so contested as cultural appropriation when people have literally put Ronald McDonald in the position of god and an overweight person, there's a Simpsons version too i just think it doesn't make sense. people interpret and re-imagine images all the time, the issue comes when someone claims the work as their own, purely original idea. that's when issues begin to arise ---------------------* Nicholas S That last sentence right there - buzz Feed makes it nearly impossible. Last year one of their big topics was how a white girl with dreadlocks was stealing from another culture. And it's just idiotic. ---------------------* Pepe C   Everything is cultural appropriation now so everybody might as well stop crying about it. Just like everybody is racist now these words have no meaning anymore. ---------------------* Igor R Yet another cultural appropriation, sure. Or is it a parody as a form of flattery? Celebration of the absent fathers, spending time in prison, while the girls are being raised by their mothers in the 'hoods? Brown skin and coils is nothing to be proud of, unless you think just an abundance of melanin is something to be proud of. But melanin is not the magic powder, not the midichlorians to make you into a Jedi. So far what I am seeing is one second-rate painter apeing the great and original artist of the past, with unintentionally funny results. ---------------------* Mathew B Isn't this just cultural appropriation? ---------------------* Daniel Z Apparently not, you know, Europe doesn't have culture apparently ---------------------* Danni T She gave credit to Michelangelo so no it is not. 😌 ---------------------* James N Danni Turner So if a bunch of white people in black face doing racist skits give credit to Bojangles then its not cultural appropriation or racist right? I mean they gave credit... ---------------------* Danni T It's racist for black face due to the derogatory comparison of said black person, but it isn't appropriating because it was made by Caucasians. So if anything, if a minority donned black face or made their face darker it would be appropriating idiocy from said Caucasian race lol. However, I would like to see you adorn black face in an all black neighborhood. It would be an exquisite scene to watch. ---------------------* Maximus Autizmus Fucking hilarious. A white girl can't braid her hair but blacks can "re-imagine" one of the most iconic European masterpieces? Double standard much ---------------------*

https://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelblackmon/god-is-a-black-woman?bftw&utm_term=.etzgENVRP#.ne0xA2KbZ

[theliterateape]

Election 2020: Swimming in Sewage Toward a Different Kind of More Hopeful Cesspool

by Don Hall

8:00 a.m.

I wake up a few hours ago. Slept like the dead. I read through the same bullshit with poll numbers and predictions with the same combination of hope, certainty, uncertainty, and boredom as I did yesterday and the day before. Yeah. Trump is a full-blown dickhead. Biden is a truly nice guy. Will Texas go blue? Do I even know anyone from Texas anymore?

My wife wakes up. She’s helping friends move to North Carolina by helping them drive their shit for the next week as if today is not anything big. She gives me a blowjob and gets a bagel.

I’m not worried about the results of today. I truly am confident that the nation will tip back into some semblance of rationality and dump Trump. I’m more interested to see how it all unfolds and if the deposed Mad King will take a shit on the desk in the Oval as a parting gesture in three months.

I have this image of he and his whole skeleton crew, fully repudiated by a massive and historic blue wave, sitting in the White House like squatters, selling off pieces of our national history on Ebay and hiding from His Majesty as he stomps through the hallways screaming at portraits of presidents past about the unfairness of it all.

In tandem is the image of the cultural left sharpening their knives to go in full attack once Biden is sworn in to remake the country into some bizarre Maoist Shangri-La doing what the Left always does — cannibalize it’s own — while the defeated Republicans pretend they were never in league with Trump but held hostage by him like the rest of us.

Fuck me. This is going to be a long day, isn’t it?

10:00 a.m.

I’m not terribly worried that Trump & Co. will steal the election.

I remember years ago a prominent Chicago poet who dressed and spoke like a rap star telling me “It ain’t the n****rs who talk about shit you have to worry about. They’re all bark and no bite. It’s the quiet ones you need to keep an eye on.”

Trump has been barking about stealing the election for months now and I’m pretty certain a man so overwhelmingly incompetent as the one who completely blew both his debate appearances and fucked up a national response to an epic pandemic so horribly that a retarded child could’ve done better is not going to suddenly reveal that he is an evil genius capable of stealing one of the most televised elections in history.

I’m likewise less concerned about the rabid, angry Trumpers wreaking havoc on the country. They were never in this for a long campaign. They couldn’t even take COVID seriously enough to wear masks. They’ll make some noise, get into some melees for a few days and then slink home and grouse just like their hero.

I wonder what the Antifa crowd will do once Trump is deposed? Start an emo band? Go back to working at Starbucks and REI? I hope they decide to occupy Kentucky and reign terror on Mitch McConnell. It’s a terrible thing to say but the party I’ll throw in my semi-quarantined apartment when Trump loses tonight (this week? Next month?) will be nothing when compared to the full-on Mardi Gras parade I’ll throw when the Evil Senator from Kentucky dies. I’m known to say that I can’t hate someone unless I’ve met them but I fucking hate Mitch.

I read a weird op-ed online that essentially thanks Trump for giving us four years reprieve from the cultural warriors of the Far Left. I wish I read it in a paper so I could wipe my ass with it because an iPad makes for an uncomfortable symbolic gesture.

I shower and get dressed. I’m on shift tonight at the casino so I’ll be dealing with the regular crowd while history unfolds like a soiled sheet and you can’t quite tell if that’s a bloodstain or merely ketchup. 

For our sixth anniversary, Dana got me my eleventh tattoo. She came up with a cool design concept: a Chicago tattoo for my right back shoulder that included the baby in the clamshell from the City of Chicago flag, a light blue background and three of the red six-point stars of Chicago, each representing one of my three decades there. She booked an artist in a very chic studio who happened to be a great trace artist but not so much with the original design thing.

As it stands, it’s a fine tattoo with some elements that look like a child drew them with a Sharpie. Not great but growing on me. But the odd thing is that it being being on back, I don’t see it so I forget it’s there. Reminds me that as Americans we tend to dwell on history but not what is directly behind us. We’ll send Trump packing and immediately forget how embarrassing he was and set into attacking the new administration because it isn’t as brazenly Marxist as we fought for (I use ‘we’ although I actually voted for Biden’s moderation).

12:00 p.m.

Dropped Dana off for her trip. Ran some stuff home. I’m now actively avoiding anything news related. I receive an email that our division of casinos is not putting the election coverage on the screens in our Sportsbooks and I’m relieved.

2:00 p.m.

At the casino now. It’s pretty empty and I’m unsurprised. I’m informed that the larger properties and on the Strip there are special task force groups of LVMPD set up at every location to stem any bad partisan behavior in the casinos. For our property, I’m the task force.

I recall clearly the night four years ago when so many of us were so certain Hillary had it in the bag only to be gut-punched around 9:00 p.m. with the news that Trump had won the thing. Unlike so many, I accepted the result regardless of fact that she won the popular vote. Until we sack up and remove the Electoral College, that’s a legitimate win.

5:25 p.m.

I checked. I couldn’t help myself. The only thing that pisses me off is that Mitch won Kentucky, that sour, putrid fuckface.

Yeah. I really want the Dems to sweep this up. The question I’m asking myself is if we repeat 2016, why? The answer so many gravitate to is that half the country is racist but I’m not buying that reductive bullshit. If I had to guess, half the country doesn’t buy into the identity politic of the Far Left.

Alright. Enough. Optimism. Fucking optimism.

7:30 p.m.

At this point I have to remind myself that Dems voted overwhelmingly early and so many of those votes are still to be counted. I’ll admit, I’m surprised that Trump is even competitive but given my disdain for the Wokesters I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. If I can’t take them someone from the rural side of Texas probably hates them as much as I hate Mitch.

I was hoping for a blow-out but it’s looking more and more like this thing will get decided in the courts over mail-in votes.

On the floor, no one is talking about the history unfolding. By now, the place is about half-full and people are far more concerned with getting their comp drinks and hitting payouts. I overhear a couple of guys at the blackjack table. They think the Dems are going down. One thinks it’s because of Kamala Harris. I walk away without saying a word.

If there’s anything we should have learned from 2000 is that, under no circumstances should the Blue concede until every last vote is counted. Every last fucking vote.

I’m finding a bit of Zen. We aren’t going to know who won tonight. In some ways this is a good thing. It means Trump will be wrapped up battling the process rather than losing and tearing shit apart out of petulance. We still have a raging pandemic and our economy is shredded.

The divide in this country is not one of race or racism. The divide is between city mice and country mice. As the picture emerges, the urban centers of almost every state skews left in statewide seas of rural red. It also demonstrates how deeply unpopular the extremes are with the opposing sides. The racial identity politics of the Far Left — you know, the folks who flatly state that all white people are racist — and the strident authoritarianism of the Far Right — you know, the ones who love the police and lotsa guns — are so toxic that equal measures of citizens will vote with little more than a passionate hatred for one or the other despite a host of rational reasons to vote the other way.

9:40 p.m.

We won’t know until later in the week. 

Votes are still uncounted in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. We wanted a decisive repudiation of Trump and, once again, half the country (and much closer to half than four years ago) took that away.

From one angle, this is the best outcome. Uncertainty as to who won means all those businesses boarded up can breathe a sigh of relief. With no clear winner so far, there isn’t a reason to riot in the streets. A couple weeks of legal battles and ballot counting and the assholes on both sides will get bored. 

I was humbled in 2016. I thought I knew how it would go because I was so certain my worldview was so obviously right that how could anyone not see it so? I’ve been ready for this. Like so many, I felt the surge of certainty once again with the polls and how incredibly monstrous Trump became in the last days of his campaign. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Don’t get me wrong. I still believe Biden will be our president on January 21st, 2021. I just wish it had been an easier road.

[hmubangtan]

Hey Sav, I was wondering if I could have a BTS ship?? (Anon revealed 🙈🙈) but here are some selfies of me and then here is some stuff about me, it gets really personal and could be triggering but I don’t mind if it’s posted (it’s just a forewarning) I hope I’m not overstepping any bounds by going so personal!

I’m Scorpio sun and Pisces moon, INFP, and slytherpuff (def Slytherin as my main, Hufflepuff as secondary characteristics and this is important because Harry Potter helped me through a lot of shit when I was younger…okay even still I’ll shush). I suffer from severe depression, an anxiety disorder, and insomnia. I’ve been hospitalized twice for suicide with a minor OD and a lot of self-harm. (I got a tattoo to cover up a large portion of the scars on my leg, too!) I won “most original” for my senior superlative and I have an almost non-existent self-esteem. I am overly sensitive and can take things too personally (but am trying to stop), I have a major guilt complex and will do anything to prevent an argument (it gives me major anxiety), though should one occur I try to remain articulate and calm, though I will walk away if I need space so I don’t say something I will regret (which I’m afraid is everything). However, occasionally my stubborn and opinionated nature will start arguments without intention. I will always apologize (and often first - even if it wasn’t my fault) I’m slightly manipulative without realizing it but I’m pretty introspective. I’m very imaginative and creative, but am rather lazy and lack motivation.

I’m really into art- painting with acrylics mostly but I love all forms of art. I excel at writing and aim to become an author or artist in life. I also love helping people and am told often to become a therapist. I’m generally a hippie/witch?? - candles and incense, weed, chill vibes, music, and nature. I’m an empath and animal lover. I have an odd interest in the macabre with a weird (dark, dry?) sense of humor and my “aesthetic” switches between grunge and pastel. I’m very mature and know a lot about sex education (sexualities, gender identities, etc, but also kinks, as well.) I love vintage glass, especially if it’s weathered and clearly old. (I have a lot of vintage glass that was thrown into my woods by my house so I like to go out and collect it, as long as it’s not broken, and clean it up, so I have quite the collection.) I really enjoy thunderstorms and rain, choosing to revel in the weather by either watching or standing outside in the rain, or even meditating, the sound of rain and thunder is calming to me.

However, I do have auditory repulsions such as chewing noises, lip smacking, teeth grinding, slurping, etc. Also, loud unexpected noises freak me out, so yelling or fireworks without warning gives me anxiety attacks. I am good with fireworks and such as long as I have a warning, but yelling (especially angry yelling) is def something I hate. I also hate when people judge others, especially if it’s in a more negative manner…Actually, I hate constant negative energy in general. While I consider myself a rather non-judgemental or negative person, anyone who is overtly racist, sexist, transphobic, etc will get an earful and a half from me before I leave them alone. (However due to conditioning with my family, more subtle racism, etc. will be discussed or even ignored if it is brought up.) I really hate big crowds of people, especially if those people aren’t inclusive with everyone around them. (Like, they expect others to put themselves into the circle even if it’s only a few friends hanging out.) I also hate deadlines, as it gives me excessive anxiety unless said deadline is something enjoyable like a concert or party.

I’m sorry this is so long and personal 🙈🙈 this blog is honestly amazing, y'all do such amazing work’ 💕

Thank you for supporting this blog! It means so much to me and the other Admins. You’re absolutely stunning (😍😍) and Ik this doesn’t mean much coming from an absolute stranger but you’re so strong and I’m rooting for you and everyone else who struggles with these kinds of hardships in life! You can do it and as Namjoon said, “love myself, love yourself”. Hhm... speaking of The Destruction God 👀 I ship you with... (you guessed it) Namjoon!

⇢with your described values and your overall personal energy,  you were giving me a lot of namjoon vibes! he’s understanding and caring but can also be very down to earth and willing to question and talk about what trully is “real” for hours. he’s struggled with anxiety as well and even depression so with him slowly healing, he’s confident that he’ll be able to help you along your own personal journey to contentment. he has a taste in art whether it be fashion, photography, or music; namjoon appreciates it and he’ll admire you painting as he smiles softly at you enjoying the quiet serenity of your peaceful work-space.

⇢note: thank you for requesting love! you were very brave to tell me all of this and I thnak you for that! 💓 have a good day/night! —Admin Sav