It’s also not unlike a really uncomfortable dialogue in a movie or TV show and you have to leave the room!

“as soon as the singing starts I feel so much secondhand shame and awkwardness on behalf of all the participants that it makes me want to run away”

According to one version of “The Little Drummer Boy Challenge,” the duration extends to the morning of 12/25. On the 24th I was excited to have beat one of the other versions, since I’d made it that far. Early in the evening while perusing the beer selection at a local deli, a wretched rendition of the song blasted…

And I now remember a story: years ago at an outdoor family reunion, we were playing music on speakers turned to face the outside from in the house. At one point, a concentrated stream of a cappella burst from the speakers and gradually diffused to the party below. An uncle’s immediate reaction was “what is this…

I’ve always physically recoiled at a cappella (along with harmonicas and most singing accompanied by only an acoustic guitar). As an adult I was diagnosed with an ADHD/mild Asperger combo and upon further investigation it turns out those on the Asperger scale are sensitive to certain sounds. So I have a legit…

I admit I had never heard of her prior to (only recently) watching this show, and these very qualities are part of why I find her fascinating. I saw the clips of her previous videos, and am flabbergasted that everyone who is close to her pretends her music is high quality...BUT this is a good thing. Hear me out:

Or rather, what average Americans are socialized to perceive as charisma. My own idea of charisma is different than those who are charmed by a home-schooled kid giving an overconfident smart alecky Ted Talk, or a viral video of a kid preach-yelling about self-reliance on the basketball court.

It’s tough to tell whether or not a woman with a shorter political career would have fared the same way. Clinton’s current reputation is predicated on a foundation of different strains of sexism from the ‘70s-early 2000s, so we don’t know where sexism ended and normal criticism of a longtime politician began.

Great points, and for some reason this is almost more depressing than the idea certain demographics simply overlooked the racism and misogyny for purely economic possibilities.

Have you SEEN our country? It ain’t pretty being easy.

Short of shoving a funnel down the throats of voters and feeding them facts, the DNC can only do so much. Yes it sucks that logic doesn’t always prevail, and clearly some still require dumbing-down of a message (not unlike the shift in tone and language when your local news switches to the sports segment).

Given the exponentially changing landscape of social media and news formats, even the most accounted for control variables may not matter moving forward.

Jinx!

My friend from WI was angry with me for dismissing her sorrow over the fact they went red. I kept asking why she was surprised that the state who gave us Walker and Ryan would do this.

Except that I’m a city dweller, and I vote in every election possible even if I’m not excited about my general election candidates. I know what would happen if I didn’t regularly participate in the process. I guess that’s my sense of personal responsibility in action.  

Eh, I’m just old enough to remember when politicians were tripping over themselves to roll out a red carpet for “Reagan Democrats.” I’m not impressed this time around either. It’s time for them to take personal responsibility and stop forcing the Buffalo Theory on the rest of us.

I’m sorry. That might have been the day someone in my office brought doughnuts from the Williamsburg location of Pies & Thighs.

Thank you. I know good people who worked for Hillary’s and Bernie’s campaigns (and even both), and there was just as much disorder in the latter’s.

I’m glad you have a time machine that will certainly indicate how well your candidate fared against not only potential information hacks but also the GOP opposition research. http://www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-presidential-election-521044

I’m a big fan of Silicon Valley and have really enjoyed Atlanta’s first season. Even though I’d love to see a female dev in their core group, SV is one of the few shows I find relatable from a professional standpoint (Halt and Catch Fire is another example). Season 1's “Optimal Tip-to-Tip Efficiency” is hands-down the…