“There is a kind of selective memory that afflicts men when they view the past. They see the good and overlook the evil.”
Isaac Asimov
Is it just me, or has every news cycle turned into a one giant gladiator match?
“X vs. Y” headlines are designed to get the crowd riled up and keep us coming back for me. Outrage not only sells by pitting one group against another, but it also keeps us from paying attention to what’s going on behind the curtain.
Special interests are everywhere. But common sense? Not so fucking common.
While most of us are doom-scrolling through disintegrating democracies, dumbass debates, and dystopian disasters, the billionaire and ruling classes are consolidating their power and fucking the rest of us (and Mother Earth) over.
The performative outrage and spectacles aren’t just noise—they’re tactics. And they have a real-life body count.
Yet we can hardly resist rubbernecking when these manufactured car wrecks appear in our feeds. We’re only human. We click. We share. We rage. We forget.
Our selective memories keep the news cycles spinning like a record, baby.
Right round. Right round.
For my own sanity, I have to unplug from the ongoing clusterfucks on a regular basis. This week, that means no more news for me. My “fuck budget” has officially run out.
Instead, I’ll be busy taking stock of what I can and can’t control. Rather than asking, “What are they doing this time?” I’ll be asking myself, “How can I stop being so easily distracted?”
Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️
P.S. While I don’t advocate violence, history shows that those who live by the mob tend to die by the mob. Personally, I rather focus on kindness, love, and peace.
COLLIDE PRESS is a reader-supported publication.
Please consider becoming a Paid Subscriber or Patron.
FYC = FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = SEPTEMBER 11
BIRTHDAYS
1816 = Carl Zeiss = German lens maker
1862 = O. Henry = American short story writer
1885 = D. H. Lawrence = English writer 🌈
1928 = Earl Holliman = American actor 🌈
1930 = Cathryn Damon = American actor and dancer
1939 = Charles Geschke = American businessman and Adobe co-founder
1940 = Brian De Palma = American filmmaker
1942 = Lola Falana = American actor, singer, and dancer
1943 = Mickey Hart = American musician
1948 = Jewelle Gomez = American author, poet, critic and playwright 🌈
1950 = Amy Madigan = American actor
1953 = Tommy Shaw = American singer-songwriter
1956 = Tony Gilroy = American filmmaker
1958 = Scott Patterson = American actor and baseball player
1959 = John Hawkes = American actor
1961 = Virginia Madsen = American actor
1962 = Kristy McNichol = American actor 🌈
1965 = Moby = American singer-songwriter, musician, and DJ
1967 = Harry Connick Jr. = American singer-songwriter and actor
1970 = Taraji P. Henson = American actor and singer
1977 = Ludacris = American rapper and producer
1987 = Tyler Hoechlin = American actor
1989 = Michael J. Willett = American actor and musician
1993 = Farrah Moan = American drag queen and entertainer 🌈
1996 = Karel Kovář = Czech YouTube personality 🌈
EVENTS
1789 = Alexander Hamilton is appointed the first US Secretary of the Treasury.
1914 = W. C. Handy, the “Father of the Blues,” publishes "Saint Louis Blues," his most famous composition.
1916 = Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service supermarket, opens in Memphis, TN.
1928 = The Queen's Messenger, tv’s first drama, is broadcast (as an experiment) by a Schenectady, New York station.
1961 = KQED in San Francisco broadcasts The Rejected, the first made-for-television documentary about homosexuality on American tv.
1967 = The Carol Burnett Show premieres on CBS.
1972 = Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system begins passenger service in SF.
1974 = Little House on the Prairie premieres on NBC.
1986 = Our House premieres on NBC.
1993 = And the Band Played On, the film adaptation of Randy Shilt’s 1987 book, premieres on HBO.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“In every living thing there is the desire for love.”
D. H. Lawrence
“I like to write when I feel spiteful. It is like having a good sneeze.”
D. H. Lawrence
Yay, my services as your unofficial rainbow icon spotter are still required! Please add a rainbow to Earl Holliman's name. The set of the film Giant must have been fascinating for several reasons, including the gay testerone of Rock Hudson, James Dean, Sal Mineo, and Mr. Holliman.
Clint I've finally opened this post. At this point in my cycle of life I fall into the book title 'The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck' but what tickles me the most are those Holidays and Observances real or your imagination running wild again 😉 I have to admit it I Nationally Make My Bed every bloody day 👍😉😎 Cheers DougT 🇫🇴🇬🇧