“We’re not anti-vaxxers,” he told me. “We’re ex-vaxxers. If you could prove that there are safe vaccines, we’d take them. But they can’t.”

Ugh. Great. Another bout of trying to figure out if I am gay because I am attracted to Katee Sackhoff...

“Remember, we’ve had gay students before, many of them,” Sparks wrote. “[The former headmaster] handled it quietly and wonderfully… I expect you to do the same.”

He said as USA Today followed him around a bookstore for a 2010 profile: “‘A Farewell to Arms, by Hemingway. Good stuff. That’s what I write,’ he says, putting it back. ‘That’s what I write.’” Just so we’re all clear!

Later in the letter, Sparks wrote: “Regarding diversity, I’ve now told you half a dozen times that our lack of diversity has NOTHING to do with the school or anyone at the school. It’s not because of what we as a school has or hasn’t done. It has nothing to do with racism or vestiges of Jim Crow. It comes down to 1)…

Honestly, none of the Lorne Michaels stuff is that surprising to me but I’m really upset about the Amy Heckerling thing. :( 

“Why would a boss sexually harass her? I mean look at her. He’s successful and she’s fat and ugly. No way do I believe her. He could do way better.

Am I wrong in being extremely weird out about how the article brushes off Amy Heckerling actions? I mean all this criticism of Lorne Michaels is more than valid and he should be call out about it but the article kinds of skips over that all that Kattan alleges happened, did so because Heckerling propositioned him and…

Is one of the male writers’ family members standing IN THE MIDDLE OF AFGHANISTAN?

Very true. I’m sure there are people in North Korea who secretly and inwardly rage at the conditions they live in, but no revolution will come to save them. Or look at Venezuela - people there have revolted and demonstrated, but the regime still stands, with no end in sight. Most of those who are able to have fled.

The inherent problem is these kind of stories are dystopias. There is not meant to be happy ending. It is kind of the entire point. It is a fictional, sometimes science-fictionary story to make a political allegory. If some believable “revolt” was possible, it would have been done ages ago. To stay true to the theme…

I’m against such a plot development as well, but if nothing else I don’t think Billy’s a self-insert character, given how he’s clearly supposed to be seen as a massively unpleasant psycho-asshole and, well, the whole point of writing a stand-in is to make yourself look pretty good to the audience.

Cara Buono however was Shaw’s nemesis Martine on Person of Interest, who once had a shootout with her in a crowded department store at Christmas. So, she does have a life outside of being Mike and Nancy’s mom

I enjoy this show, but they’ve really wasted Cara Buono, who deserves better than playing the role of sexually dissatisfied  mom.

I had said that if anything happens between Mrs. Mike and Nancy’s mom and Billy, I would throw my computer in the trash. And I will stand by that.

I might be one of the few, but I really don’t care for this character and cannot, for the life of me, see how he makes any meaningful impact in the Stranger Things story.

Are we fine with Billy, a high school student, being objectified by middle-aged women?

Glad I didn’t rent Vox Lux last weekend. It’s been on my to-watch list for a while. Also, 12 Monkeys was a highly underrated show and I’m glad it’ll all be there for easy viewing.

I’ve been saying this in conversations with my friends as well. Why are we rooting for a monarchy? Why does fantasy always get a pass when it promotes feudalism and caste systems? Even with a just ruler, it’s still a fundamentally unjust system (in fact, one of the most unjust systems in history!)

Gita is right, that throne looks super uncomfortable. “Oooh, look at me, I’m Big King Toughguy, behold my absurdly pointy chair. My ass hurts more every day and I think I might be bleeding.”