If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what’s an empty desk mean? Empty items from a cluttered mind:
Well, I, for one, find it hard to believe that there could be anything unsavory about the creators of “Rick & Morty,” a show about a sociopathic alcoholic sex addict who abuses his grandchildren.
Hey, and I say that as someone who likes “Rick & Morty.” When I ruptured three discs in my back five years ago, and was in tremendous pain for months, binge-watching “Rick & Morty” was one of the things that actually lifted my spirits.
I think the show has brilliantly poked fun at cliches from science-fiction movies and TV. I also appreciate the show’s willingness to explore really toxic, unhealthy family relationships. (I enjoyed “BoJack Horseman” for the same reasons, even though I sometimes got to the end of an episode and had to take a break for a while.)
“Rick & Morty” also ponders really trippy, dark psychological questions unlike any half-hour TV program I can recall, other than the original “Twilight Zone.”
But there’s a cringe factor that goes past comedy into sadism, and it doesn’t take too much imagination to speculate that maybe the creators are working through some personal demons in their fiction-writing.
The other thing that has soured me a little bit on “Rick & Morty” is the fandom. I don’t think creators can be blamed for toxic fans — and, to their credit, the show has called out the fandom on more than one occasion. Unfortunately, there’s a certain kind of very intense “Rick & Morty” fan who views Rick Sanchez as a hero to be admired, not as a cautionary tale about having power without empathy.
Someone on social media pointed out that “Rick & Morty” has two co-creators — Roiland and Dan Harmon — and that only Roiland has been implicated in this scandal.
Yeah, but Harmon has also faced allegations of being abusive, unfortunately. So I said “creators” and I meant “creators.” (And I’m a fan of Harmon’s work, too, including “Community.” But them’s the facts.)
Anyway. In other news, I’m not a law enforcement expert, but this is bad, right? It seems bad:
From the criminal complaint, the accused police chief allegedly encouraged a confidential informant to use an app called “Wickr” to arrange drug transactions, telling him, “It’s encrypted so virtually impossible to be intercepted ever.”
Oh yeah. You wanna bet?
I’ll bet you 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine you’re wrong.
Old Google slogan: “Don’t Be Evil”:
New Google slogan: “OK, maybe just a little bit evil”
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the hands of the Doomsday Clock 90 seconds to 12 midnight — the closest it’s ever been — representing the highest-ever threat of an event that ends all life on Earth.
You shameless teases.
I feel like we’re all in a bad relationship with the apocalypse right now.
“I’m going to end it all!”
“Oh yeah? You don’t have the guts.”
“I mean it! I’ll end all life on this planet!”
“You’re all talk! Go ahead! Do it!”
This week I learned that Donner House, one of Carnegie Mellon University’s dorms from the 1950s, is named for William Donner, the same person who lent his name to the town of Donora, Pa.:
Donner was a pioneer in the steel industry who later developed an interest in philanthropy — specifically, scientific research and cancer research, funding full-professorships (the “Donner professorships”) at Harvard, MIT, Penn, Princeton and Yale.
His grandchildren, unfortunately, have taken the Donner Foundation in a different direction, according to the InfluenceWatch website. They reportedly now fund causes such as attempts to disprove that certain chemicals and pollution increase the risk of cancer, as well as groups that promote climate-change skepticism. (Although they’ve also made grants to Rain Forest Action Network and The Nature Conservancy, so go figure.)
Facebook is preparing to restore Donald Trump’s account and allow him to resume using their platform to peddle conspiracy theories and insurrectionism. Rolling Stone, showing a level of credulity that is usually reserved for people who give their bank account numbers to “exiled Nigerian princes” over email, writes:
If Meta officials reinstate his account, Trump will face a moderation process with new and potentially stricter reviewers involved than the environment he faced during his presidency.
Anyone who believes that should not be permitted to play with sharp objects.
Facebook and Twitter want Trump back is because he engages and/or enrages people. They make their money by keeping you locked into their service.
It doesn’t matter to them if you’re happily posting photos of your pets and kids, or if you’re angry and having a flame war with @MAGATrump2024NukeTheWoke. Either way, you’re locked into the service.
And if it results in the violent overthrow of elected government, I mean, Facebook and Twitter will act really sorry about it … for at least a little while.
They don’t care what kind of propaganda you’re fed by their services. All they want is your attention, as often as possible, so that they can sell ads for products you don’t want (and sell your information to other companies).
