Looking Back

Earlier today I heard Terry Gross on Fresh Air interview Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower and author of Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America; click here to listen to that interview, access the transcript, and purchase the book if you’re so inclined. Wylie outlines how in the months leading up to the 2016 presidential election in the United States Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, teams of well-financed social scientists, and some sophisticated Facebook algorithms targeted and harnessed the residual power of an interesting demographic, i.e., straight white men who felt humiliated and emasculated by marginalizing forces well beyond their control. They were manipulated and promised a return to an imaginary golden era that fortunately never existed. I’m considering getting the book. The title says it all! The interview prompted this:

an iPad drawing using Sketch Club and iColorama

The Bible: Crystal Ball or Mirror?

I know a little bit about the bible. I have an M.Div. for Christ’s sake; it’s one of three graduate degrees for Pete’s sake! I may no longer be an ordained Benedictine monk, but I sure as Hell sat through my share of biblical studies, theology, even Greek courses. Most of them were fascinating. I had a brilliant seminary professor, one of several like that, in fact, who approached the study of sacred scriptures from a literary-criticism perspective, steeped in critical hermeneutics, semiology, and philology…right up my alley. He planted the following image in my mind (I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.):

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A Gallery of Trump or Trump-Related Illustrations: 2014-2018

Well over 100, and counting, of my digital (iPad) cartoons, doodles, and photo-mashups about this nightmare, dating back to late 2014: This Post has been converted into a Page (See above) called Trump Gallery since it keeps on growing.

 

click on image to enlarge

Heavens to Betsy: Deregulate this!

I’m just going to say it. These folks are deep-down frightened. They see what’s unfolding, and no matter how hard they slam on the brakes, there’s no stopping the inevitable demographic and economic changes and the corresponding cultural diversification and darkening of our collective pigmentation. Right now all they can do is wall themselves off economically, skim off as much as possible for themselves, take refuge in their own amnesia, and throw it in reverse.

Beer context: Pine and Palm’s Pacific Coast Porter
17th Street Pub
Sketch Club, iPad Pro, Apple Pencil

Click on image to enlarge

Transubstantiation & Optical Delusion

Once in a while I can’t help seeing our current excremental political situation from the standpoint of the opposition. For example, just yesterday I saw a tweet with a link to an actual story about how American evangelicals could overlook this so-called president’s sexual relations with a porn star because he was subsequently ordained by “God” to become POTUS. How could the views be so different?

What explains the perceptual and conceptual polarization? I came up with the following explanation, a variation on an earlier explanation.

The earlier explanation:

Words escape me.