Despair, But With Birds

I’ve been too demoralized about politics to write much lately. Besides the redistricting debacle here in Virginia, I thought Trump’s clean-out of disfavored state legislature candidates in Indiana (with one exception) was significant.

Then there is the relentless liquidation of majority black districts all over the south. I wonder, if the ‘rural’ (really suburban) districts are infused with a large swath of Democratic votes, why can’t somebody use that leverage to influence outcomes in the red districts? Smaller constituencies have exerted great influence in some cases. I really don’t know where else to go from here. Gerontocratic Democratic leaders are as feeble as ever.

There is talk about the redistricting being conducive to a ‘blue wave,’ but the VA redistricting vote was close, not very wavy.

Instead, I keep coming back to the new Joaquin Phoenix movie sequel to The Joker. Its title is “Joker: Folie à Deux.” I saw it a few days ago.

For me the core of the movie is the pervasive social despair that drives the masses to pointless, destructive, and violent ends. The Batman frame is applied lightly and doesn’t do more than distract from the content. I suppose it provides some necessary grounding, given the lead character.

We’ve seen this before, the movie “Falling Down” comes to mind, but never with such a vivid view of mass psychosis. In that respect you could call it a radical film, though it provides no hope for any sort of resistance.

I’ve long admired Phoenix as an actor. Lady Gaga does very well too. The musical interludes foster a lot of earworms. They remind you of the inanity in the lyrics of popular songs, which dovetails with the mass lunacy.

I can’t complain, as far as personal circumstances go. I’m about to become a grandfather, twice over. The kids seem blissfully unaware of all that is going on. Maybe they’re lucky.

I’m always alert for pitches about emigration options, though on principle I would refuse to pony up a big chunk of money to buy my way in anywhere. I’ve mentioned my recent trip to Central Europe (Hungary, Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic). They live better than we do. Ignore ignorant reports that their economies are in worse shape than ours. They’re not.

The foreign affairs news is not so bad. Iran is still standing. Ukraine seems to be holding up. Vlad is afraid to go outside. The EU is getting its act together. Trump is hollowing out the arsenal of the U.S. military, though that ought to make Taiwan nervous.

It comes down to the insensate masses of our fellow citizens. I have as little contact with them as possible. We like our next-door neighbors, though if we ever move, an objective will be a place with no neighbors, for all practical purposes.

Instead, I commune with the birds, via our new AI solar-powered video bird feeder. Here’s one bad boy:

The gadget has only been up and running for less than a week. So far it’s always the same three birds. I might put up a suet ball holder to liven things up.