02 - 2015's Dying Breath...
*Tap Tap* Is This Thing On?
I’m not sure what the deal is with 2015, but almost everyone I know had a rough go of it at some point this year, or for a large part of the year. Health problems, layoffs and other job issues, never-ending harassment (both online and off), deaths in the family, and so many more things than I have time to list here. Add to that the marked increase in unjust civilian murders by the police (and the subsequent inept coverup attempts in almost every case), numerous politicians vying to become the living embodiment of a YouTube comments section, continued climate change denial in the face of overwhelming evidence, and everything else going on in the world right now and 2015 can’t end soon enough.
Let's be clear, I hold no illusions that 2016 will be any better, but the odometer clicking over always makes me feel a bit more hopeful for the coming year, even if only temporarily.
Are you Fucking Kidding Me, The First
No officers indicted in the murder of Tamir Rice. Not even with clear video evidence of the officers overreaction and negligence. They just parked, and opened fire. I can’t wrap my brain around this ruling, other than the racists win again.
The quote making the rounds right now is “he looked older” as some sort of justification, which has been proven to be the erroneous way white people view black children. But really, that SHOULDN’T FUCKING MATTER BECAUSE OHIO IS AN OPEN CARRY STATE. Sadly, we all know that really means open carry for white people; POC will always and only be seen as a target for these types of thugs masquerading as cops.
Meanwhile...
A 66-year-old white woman in Connecticut stood outside a police station, shouting things like “Boom, boom, boom” and “What are you doing, shoot me!” at officers WHILE pointing a realistic-ish BB gun at them, and somehow she was captured alive with no injuries.
I saw both of these stories on the same day; the juxtaposition was just too much to handle and I had to walk away from the computer for a few hours.
Are You Fucking Kidding Me, The Second
A supplemental (and less serious) AYFKM goes to The School of Accelerating Technologies who claim to be offering an MBA in Technology, with an emphasis on transhumanist-type topics. I say claim, because I visited the site, and it appears to a relic of circa 1993 web design. For shits and giggles, I clicked through to their enrollment "form”, which is a bit misleading, as you get a page that ASKS YOU TO COPY IT INTO A WORD DOC BEFORE FILLING IT OUT AND SENDING IT TO A REGULAR, @GMAIL ADDRESS.
Look, if you’re gonna ask for $4000+ and claim to be on the forefront of technology, you gotta come harder than some glitch art and a “blog” that’s really just your sidestepping the accreditation question. As I said over on twitter, I have a hard time believing their “degree” will be worth anything beyond the WordPerfect document they email to you upon completion.
**SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION TIME**
(though, it’s my newsletter, so, in a way, it’s all self promotion…)
Since Captain America 3: Civil War is coming soon, I’ve taken on the task of reading all 87 of the comics that were part of the Marvel Comics Event from a few years ago. If you’d like to throw me some money to help with that project, I’ll love you forever.
https://www.gofundme.com/chrisnovuscivilwar
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
Media Intake
The Written Word
Half-Resurrection Blues [Daniel José Older] - In a genre dominated by scruffy white protagonists, it’s refreshing to discover a cast that’s predominantly Latino/a. Be forewarned though, it’s not perfect; the main character's interaction with the love interest is frustratingly stereotypical at best. Still, worth a read, and I’m hoping some of the problems are fixed as Older grows as an author (in much the same way the Dresden files are at the start vs 15 books later).
The Library at Mount Char [Scott Hawkins] - I’m honestly not sure how to classify this one, other than dark modern magical realism, maybe? I burned through it in roughly 2 days, as it’s a page turner with cosmic/intergalactic consequences. Just, go read it, you won’t be sorry.
The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter [Rod Duncan] - While the premise, a woman who cosplays as her imaginary twin brother to get around legal issues in an alternate history Victorian era, seems exciting, in practice, the book was just dull; the dialog, clunky. I considered giving up on it at least a half-dozen times, but pushed through, because I paid for it.
Moving Pictures
Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens - I finally saw the Star War, and I really, REALLY dug it. Sure, there’s any number of critical hot takes, but damn if it wasn’t a ton of fun, with multiple laugh out loud moments, and it pushed all the right nostalgia buttons. I think there are too many folks who forget that IV, V, and VI are goofy as hell too, and were looking for the same life changing experience they had as a kid, as though that’s possible ~40 years later. VII is far superior to the prequels, and includes a much more diverse cast without it feeling shoehorned in.
Hunger Games: Mockingjay, parts 1 & 2 - Saw these within 24 hours of each other. I’m still processing the 2 of them together, but I can say part 1’s portrayal of PTSD hit me in a way few other films have; I spent most of the first movie trying not to break down and sob, holding it together to see what happens next. They collectively hit the DOWN WITH THE MAN FIGHT THE POWER part of my brain in the most delightful way. Fair Warning: Seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman in his last role will make you misty.
Welp, that should do it for this week. As always, hit me up on Twitter or Facebook if you wanna talk about anything in this newsletter, or just want to say hi. If you dig what I have to say, maybe share this newsletter with a friend or something? And, if you're feeling especially generous, you can share and/or contribute to my reading and review Marvel's Civil War comics event!
See you next year! </dad joke>