“Reality TV” doesn’t care about reality, but about presenting a version of life that the viewer can believe is true. Likewise, our Reality TV President cares little for truth, but only for what he can convince “viewers” to be true. And, as with Reality TV, the viewers go along, even if they know it’s not real, because Trump’s lies scratch an itch – for entertainment, catharsis, confirmation of biases, etc.
To get out of this mess, we must recommit to truth.
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Not a New Idea, But … -
If a business in a good neighborhood gets held up, everyone talks about it. But if a business in a bad neighborhood gets held up, it’s barely news. What can the locals realistically do except sigh and say, “Yeah, that happens now”?
The president is monetizing his office in broad daylight to the tune of billions per year? Yeah, that happens now.
No wonder, then, that Americans can’t get excited about Trump’s history with Epstein. If he were a person of good character committed to ethical government, it’d be earth-shaking to find him sending risqué letters to his child-molester pal. As it is, it’s like finding out that the leader of the local gang that runs the neighborhood is involved in a prostitution racket. You might not approve of it but you’re certainly not surprised.
That’s just how this neighborhood is nowadays.
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Happy 143rd Spurs 
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Fools and Crackpots I am continually awed (and frightened) by Hannah Arendt’s insights.
Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first-rate talents, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty.
Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism
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Good Lord, Deliver Us The passive acceptance of utter cruelty… has become the most characteristic feature of our cultural moment.
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This headline makes my brain twitch Scientists just created spacetime crystals made of knotted light
Researchers have developed a blueprint for weaving hopfions—complex, knot-like light structures—into repeating spacetime crystals.
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Stephen Shore, Photographer The NYTimes has a superb article about Stephen Shore’s recent publication of phenomenal photographs he took as a teenager. I love this quote:
I wanted to make pictures that looked like seeing and not pictures that look like photographs.
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Lending Out Books by Hal Sirowitz You’re always giving, my therapist said.
You have to learn how to take. Whenever
you meet a woman, the first thing you do
is lend her your books. You think she’ll
have to see you again in order to return them.
But what happens is, she doesn’t have the time
to read them & she’s afraid if she sees you again
you’ll expect her to talk about them, & will
want to lend her even more. So she
cancels the date. You end up losing
a lot of books. You should borrow hers. -
Archie, Saturday afternoon 
Look at that sweet face.
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Two - Nil Spurs very solid v. City. Consistently in control. Great performance after a miserable transfer week. COYS!