#850

It doesn’t escape me that there’s a major level of privilege which makes this blog possible. So every fiftieth post, I ditch the naked folks and focus on the desert of the real.

For this edition, I’m feeling dispirited.

I continue to worry about the hideous shit show that is the lead up to the US Presidential election.

I am grudgingly supportive of Bernie Sanders’ candidacy. His unflinching support of Israel, his aptitude for being effectively conversant with women’s issues boils down to little more than vehement support of Roe v. Wade and his track record on gun control all worry me. However, his response to Black Lives Matter interrupting his rally and his populist message are all–if nothing else–extremely refreshing.

What does concern me are the Berniebros and the ways in which a sizeable faction of youthful supporters are essentially anti-democracy.

The first contest in the electoral primaries takes place in Iowa on Monday. FuckFace von ClownStick and Ted Cruz are neck in neck going in; as are HRC and Sanders. A Sanders win would make put Sanders out in front. And since I believe New Hampshire is next–where he’s polling double digits ahead of HRC–that would give him two wins out of the gate. The concern, of course, is that if HRC isn’t the Democratic nominee, Bloomberg is already telegraphing his desire to run as a spoiler–which would almost categorically ensure victory for the Republican candidate. (Having lived in NYC for more than a decade, I’m hard pressed to pick who I dislike more between HRC and Bloomberg.)

Anyway, since I tend focus on dire sub-apocalyptic level current events, here’s something that although a reminder of the world wide refugee crisis: a 17 year old young woman who is a Syrian refugee in a Jordan learned how to use a dSLR from a digital filmmaking workshop set up in her refugee camp. The NYTimes featured a short film of hers recently and it is earth shattering. (As someone who has worked extensively with student filmmakers, I think you can take all the best kids I’ve encountered, add up their potential for excellence and place it next to this young woman and her ability exceeds their combined aptitude by a factor of at least two.)