So, I’m sitting here in front of the screen at 5:30 and blundering about in the cavern between my ears searching for a hook, something to build a Shade around. It’s not going well today. I know why. I had a moderately long conversation with a tRump supporter today and don’t feel like I made any real headway at all. Pressley and I were out gamboling about the neighborhood and we stopped to pass the time with another resident (at a safe distance). We agreed that the situation sucks and that we need to have comprehensive testing in place to make any real progress in getting back to a semblance of normalcy.
So far, so good. Right? It was after that that the misinformation bubbled out. I was only able to defuse a couple of the most absurd points while we were talking (overcounting deaths to make tRump look bad & the virus has been here since last June) by working through numbers. Neither of those addressed the core issues of tRump v Biden and that will need to wait for another day. We both had other things to do (like me writing a Shade) and I left the conversation feeling I had left something important unfinished. The conversation was quite civil and I hope we’ll get to revisit it.
There’s an old joke about a false pregnancy being called laboring under a misconception. It strikes me that part of tRump’s support is just that. If all someone watches is Faux News, they are going to thing tRump is a great guy. That makes me sick. So I’ve been replaying the conversation with my neighbor over in my head and making mental notes about what to say the next time we talk.
And that brings us to tonight’s shade. I’m not feeling particularly funny or clever at the moment and don’t have any of the Shade projects far enough along to post them while I mope around about an opportunity missed (at least so far). While I despise and revile republican politicians and their propaganda network, I don’t feel that same anger at people like my neighbor. For him I just feel sad (and maybe a little hopeful). So tonight, I have some memes and booze pie and an apology (but no guilt) for not having a fresh bit of heartfelt carefully crafted (ha!) derision to share with you.
It’s day seven of the Evening Shade readership drive and we’re up to two memes so far. Congratulations to RunawayRose, our newest winner. Remember, if you spread the word and your spreadee announces themselves in the comments, you too will become eligible to receive your very own very special noprize of a personalized meme. So get out there and start proselytizing!
Today was Goodie’s almost blogiversary. It’s been three years minus one day since the first ever Good News Roundup. Goodie did not disappoint (double negatives make my brain hurt): So Much More Than Just Good News: Saturday's Good News
There was also a second GNR this morning. I thought it was hilarious (but I would, I wrote it): Four-thousand-one-hundred-ninety-two Reasons to Worry - GNR's 3rd Anniversary Special Bonus GNR