One of my favorite movies of all time is Mike Judge’s Idiocracy. Although not imagined as a documentary, history has proven otherwise. And (by the way), years ahead of schedule!
***Spoilers Below!***
I never expected #idiocracy to become a documentary.
In that same spirit of not-supposed-to-be-a-documentary, Don’t Look Up takes current events (including global warming, “living in these unprecedented times,” and what happens when nepotism runs rampant) through an almost incredulous lens. Today’s power-hungry, celebrity-obsessed, politically weary society needs to hear this message. (Not all news shows need to run the extreme gamut from “let’s all yell lies at each other” to “everything is so peachy perfect! follow us online, subscribe and forget the world!”) I honestly forget the source of the phrase “Every good disaster movie begins with a group of people not listening to the scientists,” but that definitely applies here. If you’re not familiar with the movie, witness the trailer below:
Those were the words that signified the beginning on the “the new normal.” March 11, 2020 was the day the United States was truly introduced to the novel coronavirus, or as we came to know it, COVID-19. Diseases like this have come and gone around the planet before, but generally the United States has been geographically isolated from the worst of the recent past. With these words spoken by ESPN announcers prior to the NBA Utah Jazz-Oklahoma City Thunder game scheduled for that Wednesday evening, normal American life began to grind to a halt. And the desperate search for toilet paper was just about to get underway…
The NBA prepares to postpone the first game due to the pandemic.
When enough time passes, and we, as a society, take a look back on this event (“these interesting times,” “these uncertain times,” “these unprecedented times,” “the new normal,” “massive governmental failure,” and any other phrase you would like to add to this list…) I believe the postponing of this basketball game will be the singular event that got the nation’s attention: This situation is serious, we’ve never seen anything like it in almost a hundred years, and we don’t know what’s happening next.
To almost every extent, this uncertainty remains, over two months later. We’ve become familiar with words and concepts that are new to our modern society. Face masks. “Social distancing.” Pandemic. Wild times, indeed.
There is a lot of we still don’t know. There’s a lot to be sad about, a lot to be mad about, and a lot to be frustrated about. I’ve always tried to create posts on this site that inform, entertain or uplift. Honestly, I haven’t posted since the beginning of March because I don’t know what’s appropriate. But we still have lives to lead, and there are still things to say. And, as John Krasinski showed us for eight episodes during “these unceratin times,” there is still Some Good News…
I like this. I like everything about this idea… I think that we should try something like this when the Harrison County voters get the opportunity to (or are “made to” depending on your point of view) vote on another school bond. A vote against a new school or a new library is a vote against your own children, and their future.
But sometimes it’s not best to present it in a direct way.
Here is just a little reverse psychology in action…
BBC News – Why do people vote against their own interests?
The Republicans’ shock victory in the election for the US Senate seat in Massachusetts meant the Democrats lost their supermajority in the Senate. This makes it even harder for the Obama administration to get healthcare reform passed in the US.
Political scientist Dr David Runciman gives his view on why there is often such deep opposition to reforms that appear to be of obvious benefit to voters.
I am so tired this evening… I just told Tina that I have been over-stimulated today… Just an exciting day.
Today was a very busy day at work. I was able to catch the inaugural address at lunchtime though. And afterwards I found myself once again (for the first time, really?) defending My President. I am getting a little tired of having to do that, but I am also getting a little bit more confident about doing it. At one time I would have backed down. Not anymore.
I think I’m just happy that we have voted for real change, and hopefully it will be a real, lasting kind of change. And I’m disappointed that not everyone shares that positive feeling…
It was so cool to see so many people turn out for the inauguration and the parade. Wow! Downtown D.C. is crazy on a normal day… I can’t imagine how nuts it must have been today. I followed the inauguration online at CNN.com and Facebook. It was cool to see all the (mostly) positive comments roll up the screen beside the live video. Great job CNN and Facebook! Bonus points!
It was inspiring, amazing, unforgettable, and it was a day I will never forget. I don’t think it has all really sunk in yet. Mr. President. Wild.
So now, after a long day, I’m sitting down and watching American Idol, and I’m really not into it. I feel like I watched the real reality once already today. Anything else would probably just be disappointing.
But that’s okay. I try to remember that some people are so entrenched in their ways that they will never understand. But what stinks is that some are so determined to create failure, it makes it much more difficult to succeed. But that will not stop me from trying. Because I know it is right.
And another thing… (Oh no, he should just shut up now!) Where do people get off calling the Internet evil? I’ve heard some otherwise (seemingly) rational people blame all of society’s ills on the Internet. Do they not understand that it is a tool, created by people to accomplish and streamline the task of communication? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised… This is the same race that decried the invention of radio, of television, of rock music, of all kinds of things. If we depended upon them, we’d still live in caves. Maybe these people aren’t as rational as I thought…
I guess I’m just in one of those moods today where stupid people are getting on my nerves. Sometimes I just need to chill out and let things go. But apparently this is not one of those times.
Oh boy, round three has just started. (Shut up now, Jason, you’re going to offend somebody!) Oh well. I just found out that someone told my daughter at my church, that now that Obama is president, “they” are going to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance. I told Allison that sometimes when people lose things like elections, they like to spread rumors, and make things up. It kind of goes back to my first thoughts in this post. They are determined to see failure, so they are more than happy to cause it to occur. I have since corrected Allison’s information and told her that any time she hears anything from church that mommy and daddy wouldn’t agree with, she is to tell us immediately, so we can inform her of the truth, and also so we can decide how to deal with that situation at church.
I am disheartened by this information, but I will still be a positive force for change. Our deeds and actions say a lot more than our words.
Obama harnessed the grass-roots power of the Web to get elected. How will he use that power now?
This is a good little article. I think this issue deserves some attention because a lot of people who helped elect Obama expect to continue to be involved. But I can also understand the fine line that now must be walked by former campaign managers and staffers who now find themselves working for the president-elect.
The rules have certainly changed. Things like transparency and data-retention are serious issues that are complex but need to be addressed.
If I were Obama, I wouldn’t give up my Blackberry. I would certainly be very judicious about how I used it though. It’ll be most interesting to see how he will be able to use the small army of volunteers and “Facebook followers” that have been built up over the past two years. You see, it’s great that President-elect Obama uses technology to establish a two-way communication between the governed and the government, but he also doesn’t want to create a fundamental gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” Believe it or not, there are still people who don’t spend their days YouTubing.
There is a lot of potential here. But the right balance has to be struck, and that little ballet will be entertaining to watch.
