Steve this is a brilliant essay. I just want to comment on one subtle aspect, the relationship of knowledge, understanding, and doing... because I see it as a framework to aid our thinking in any realm.
We randomly get, and seek out knowledge/facts. We then take that information (I'll use the analogy of a clothes dryer) toss it around with other information and the heat of our emotions/desires until we understand relationship. When we understand we can do something new based upon What We Value. So: Knowledge in > Understanding > New ability.
45 values only "me." He does not care what happens to "we" or the "many." Thus the results are evil. Obama demonstrated caring for himself, others, and multitudes. Thus the results are good and honorable.
Sharp of you to hone in on the theme of knowledge, as a scholar did it just jump off the screen to you? I didn't pick up on that until you pointed it out, just enjoyed the variety and piqued my interest in the movies. Like Sharon, I really want to make time to see a few! As usual, waiting for heads to explode and someone's knickers to get in a knot over Hollywood once again highlighting uncomfortable history. Slava Ukraini
Buckle up, good people, because we're about to witness a puppet show that puts Punch and Judy to shame. In this twisted theater of American politics, where truth is just a casualty, left bleeding on the stage by the marionettes of grandiose fiction, we find ourselves teetering on the brink of a future so dark, it makes the Brothers Grimm look like bedtime storytellers.
Enter Donald Trump, the puppet master extraordinaire, pulling the strings of his fellow autocrat, Viktor Orban. They prance across the gaudy, gold-plated stage of Mar-a-Lago like a pair of demented Pinocchios, their noses growing with every lie they spin. It's a sickening display of mutual admiration, a duet between two puppets who get their kicks from stomping on the very principles of democracy they're supposed to represent.
But here's the thing: this isn't just some twisted children's tale. This is a full-blown assault on the very foundations of our society. When Trump proclaims his love for "the poorly educated," he's not just playing to the cheap seats. He's declaring war on knowledge itself, on the very concept of enlightenment that has cut humanity's strings and allowed us to think for ourselves.
And now, as the 2024 election looms on the horizon like the final act of a Shakespearean tragedy, we've got a choice to make. Are we going to sit back and watch as the curtain falls on democracy, smothering the last gasps of freedom? Or are we going to stand up, grab the puppet strings, and yank them back from the hands of the autocrats?
Because make no mistake, this is a battle for the very soul of America. It's a choice between a future where truth matters, where knowledge is valued, and where the power of the people is the only script that matters - or a future where the puppet master's word is law, and the masses are nothing more than marionettes, dancing to the tune of tyranny.
As Steven Beschloss has so eloquently asked, what's it going to be, America? Are we going to let the puppets of autocracy and ignorance take their final bow? Or are we going to storm the stage, armed with the unshakable conviction that truth and democracy will always triumph in the end?
The curtain is rising, and the stakes couldn't be higher. It's time to choose sides, to take center stage, and to fight like our lives depend on it. Because in this twisted puppet show of politics, the only thing that matters is the pursuit of truth - and the courage to cut the strings of those who would manipulate it.
An unusual, but illuminating assessment of how our current cinema reflects our better angels, and yet also shines a light on the worst of what we do as people. Knowledge, wisdom, truth, facts, are all things we should seek to expand in our personal lives and society. But we also need introspection, to acknowledge the consequences of what we do, no matter the intent, but see how others may use and abuse new knowledge.
I wish you had mentioned “20 Days in Mariupol” as it shows both the best and worst and the strength to continue on and fight for what is right regardless of the cost to us personally. It is a lesson in grit, determination, and perseverance in the face of unimaginable destruction and impending evil. We should all pay heed to that here in the US as we fight for our survival as a nation at the ballot box.
I really appreciate your pointing out this theme, even though I haven't had time to actually watch movies in a long time. I do wish people would search for knowledge before they start spouting opinions.
My current bête noire is the number of people speculating on Chubb's ties to Russia (re the E Jean Carroll bond). Come on folks, learn how sureties operate. If it took, as is usual, full cash collateral, its issuing of the bond is risk free to Chubb and its shareholders and is a slam dunk decision that most sureties would take, given the premium. (Remember, it is likely to be over a million PER YEAR).
Surety isn't understood by most Americans, and most Americans haven't had to care they don't know about it--until now. I just read extensive comments on a story on the bond, and they tend to go all out conspiracy theory about Chubb itself.
The danger of undue influence regarding this bond is who provided the collateral. That's a legitimate concern, but it is far more likely to be any of the abundant home grown billionaires who want to see tax breaks continue. Focus on the likely, not the conspiracy, once you understand how the whole thing works.
Sorry for the soap box. It's just that forming opinions in ignorance isn't limited to the Right Wing. So anything that causes people to increase their knowledge and understanding is a plus for me--even if it is movies I don't have time to see myself.
Always excellent read. I look forward to new postings.
Questions in my mind about media's handling of the two presidential candidates;
One can do no right, the other...oh well..
Why is this done by the likes of NYT, WaPo etc?
Why when DJT talks negatively about immigrants the reporting not start with his two immigrant wives- one ex, He complains about chain migration, his in-laws came under chain immigration?
Why when reporting about border, crime, and "illegal.." do the responsible reporting not juxtapose real statistics to provide perspective?
Would appreciate your setting my head straight about this and similar nagging questions.
Brilliant newsletter, Steven! I nearly felt that I was reading meaningful classical literature -the kind with timeless themes, metaphors, truths, and cause for reflection. We need more literature and great essays to be taught in our schools. Thank you.
My father and I lived in Osage county from when I was in 5th grade until I graduated from college. I never once heard any mention of the killings of the Osage for their oil headrights. I imagine there were plenty of people in town who benefitted from that, even if they were's the killers. There was so much money there back then that they called Pawhuska the Paris of America. I haven't read the book, but will watch the movie.
Considering what Melania did to the Rose Garden, I don't know why anyone would give her flowers. As for trump, he could stand up there and tell America I intend to be a dictator beyond day one, everyone will do as I say, there will be no more elections, no more voting, I am The Word. And those who follow him would clap and cheer, and NAZI flags would swing in the air. There is only one way to be rid of trump. I won't say it, but no doubt all of us have thought it. It has been done by CIA help in other countries. Even our JFK tried it with Castro. Just think of the change if that briefcase had gotten Hitler when it exploded. Is it wrong to think it, wish it? I don't know. Him for a country. ????
As for the pursuit of knowledge, the answer is better teachers. And how to get them? Salaries. There isn't an Oppenheimer or an Einstein out there who didn't first have teachers. Yet, such people go on to fame and riches while teacher tries to live on $50,000 a year. Many, tenured, just hang in there till they can retire. Others switch to Ed. because they couldn't make it in Business. Although money needs to be spent on school buildings and other tangible things, it has been proven that it isn't how much per student is spent but the quality of the teacher.
But it gets complicated. That means higher property taxes, higher salaries on and on. So many problems. So few solutions.
While the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment, remains fixated on Trump and his legal woes, other crucial and overlooked dangers continue to unfold in the United States.
First, we have about half our country responding to Trump like zombies - brainwashed followers of the Republican Party (similar to members of the Jim Jones cult), who were unsuspectedly caught in coercive control techniques that Trump uses daily to influence his followers. Second, we have a presidential candidate who sold his soul and our country to the Russians at least ten years prior to sleeping in the White House after 2016. (From Democracy to Democrazy by Graham) Third, the influence of Putin's strategies quietly attempts to reshape the trajectory of American politics and American lives. We see that happening NOW.
This current political race is not just between Democrats and Republicans, but between a decent, hard-working, public servant who has successfully served our country for almost 50 years. His constituents re-elected him for 36 years as a Senator - he must have been doing something right!!! His opponent is a man who has been compromised by Russia, who is a convicted rapist and a serial sexual predator, convicted of fraud with mounds of solid documented evidence and proof, and is now facing 91 criminal charges. His speeches are filled with revenge, hatred, defamation of others, and with no discernable ideology.
Americans were duped decades ago into believing that Russia is no longer our enemy and the world is living in peaceful coexistence. Yes, the Cold War did not die - a revelation for many Americans. We let our guard down, while Russia rebuilt their economy, their military, and their weaponry. Then in 2000, Putin became the second President of Russia. He instantly converted Russia from a communist-socialist form of government to a dictatorship. He is a man who spent his entire life as a KGB spy, and blames the United States for the downfall of the USSR. He wants REVENGE.
Over the last quarter of a century, he schemed and enacted his strategic plan. Based on the book called The Foundations of Geopolitics and published in Russia in 1997 - a carefully orchestrated and directed horror film has been produced. The movie theme is the destruction of the United States and the principal key actor is Donald Trump. It won't win any Oscars YET, because (1) this movie is still unrecognized by most Americans, and (2) the ill-informed Trumpers across our nation are the support actors.
Trump's dangerous and many-sided destructiveness includes unprecedented ways to influence and control his followers. Unbeknown to these followers, the person who's ideology they are following is not Trump, but Putin. They are not saving America, but destroying it.
The shadow cast by Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and darker by the moment. Our democracy hangs in the balance.
Steve this is a brilliant essay. I just want to comment on one subtle aspect, the relationship of knowledge, understanding, and doing... because I see it as a framework to aid our thinking in any realm.
We randomly get, and seek out knowledge/facts. We then take that information (I'll use the analogy of a clothes dryer) toss it around with other information and the heat of our emotions/desires until we understand relationship. When we understand we can do something new based upon What We Value. So: Knowledge in > Understanding > New ability.
45 values only "me." He does not care what happens to "we" or the "many." Thus the results are evil. Obama demonstrated caring for himself, others, and multitudes. Thus the results are good and honorable.
Sharp of you to hone in on the theme of knowledge, as a scholar did it just jump off the screen to you? I didn't pick up on that until you pointed it out, just enjoyed the variety and piqued my interest in the movies. Like Sharon, I really want to make time to see a few! As usual, waiting for heads to explode and someone's knickers to get in a knot over Hollywood once again highlighting uncomfortable history. Slava Ukraini
You reminded me, I absolutely must make more time and more room for movies. Politics has invaded and taken over and it's time to put a stop to that.
Buckle up, good people, because we're about to witness a puppet show that puts Punch and Judy to shame. In this twisted theater of American politics, where truth is just a casualty, left bleeding on the stage by the marionettes of grandiose fiction, we find ourselves teetering on the brink of a future so dark, it makes the Brothers Grimm look like bedtime storytellers.
Enter Donald Trump, the puppet master extraordinaire, pulling the strings of his fellow autocrat, Viktor Orban. They prance across the gaudy, gold-plated stage of Mar-a-Lago like a pair of demented Pinocchios, their noses growing with every lie they spin. It's a sickening display of mutual admiration, a duet between two puppets who get their kicks from stomping on the very principles of democracy they're supposed to represent.
But here's the thing: this isn't just some twisted children's tale. This is a full-blown assault on the very foundations of our society. When Trump proclaims his love for "the poorly educated," he's not just playing to the cheap seats. He's declaring war on knowledge itself, on the very concept of enlightenment that has cut humanity's strings and allowed us to think for ourselves.
And now, as the 2024 election looms on the horizon like the final act of a Shakespearean tragedy, we've got a choice to make. Are we going to sit back and watch as the curtain falls on democracy, smothering the last gasps of freedom? Or are we going to stand up, grab the puppet strings, and yank them back from the hands of the autocrats?
Because make no mistake, this is a battle for the very soul of America. It's a choice between a future where truth matters, where knowledge is valued, and where the power of the people is the only script that matters - or a future where the puppet master's word is law, and the masses are nothing more than marionettes, dancing to the tune of tyranny.
As Steven Beschloss has so eloquently asked, what's it going to be, America? Are we going to let the puppets of autocracy and ignorance take their final bow? Or are we going to storm the stage, armed with the unshakable conviction that truth and democracy will always triumph in the end?
The curtain is rising, and the stakes couldn't be higher. It's time to choose sides, to take center stage, and to fight like our lives depend on it. Because in this twisted puppet show of politics, the only thing that matters is the pursuit of truth - and the courage to cut the strings of those who would manipulate it.
Thank you! I'm smiling as I read this.
I enjoyed this year's Academy Awards more than any in the past few years. I believe you've identified the reason..
I have to admit, however, that Trump's social media post, Kimmel's handling of it, and the resulting hilarity provided the cherry on top of the treat.
An unusual, but illuminating assessment of how our current cinema reflects our better angels, and yet also shines a light on the worst of what we do as people. Knowledge, wisdom, truth, facts, are all things we should seek to expand in our personal lives and society. But we also need introspection, to acknowledge the consequences of what we do, no matter the intent, but see how others may use and abuse new knowledge.
I wish you had mentioned “20 Days in Mariupol” as it shows both the best and worst and the strength to continue on and fight for what is right regardless of the cost to us personally. It is a lesson in grit, determination, and perseverance in the face of unimaginable destruction and impending evil. We should all pay heed to that here in the US as we fight for our survival as a nation at the ballot box.
I really appreciate your pointing out this theme, even though I haven't had time to actually watch movies in a long time. I do wish people would search for knowledge before they start spouting opinions.
My current bête noire is the number of people speculating on Chubb's ties to Russia (re the E Jean Carroll bond). Come on folks, learn how sureties operate. If it took, as is usual, full cash collateral, its issuing of the bond is risk free to Chubb and its shareholders and is a slam dunk decision that most sureties would take, given the premium. (Remember, it is likely to be over a million PER YEAR).
Surety isn't understood by most Americans, and most Americans haven't had to care they don't know about it--until now. I just read extensive comments on a story on the bond, and they tend to go all out conspiracy theory about Chubb itself.
The danger of undue influence regarding this bond is who provided the collateral. That's a legitimate concern, but it is far more likely to be any of the abundant home grown billionaires who want to see tax breaks continue. Focus on the likely, not the conspiracy, once you understand how the whole thing works.
Sorry for the soap box. It's just that forming opinions in ignorance isn't limited to the Right Wing. So anything that causes people to increase their knowledge and understanding is a plus for me--even if it is movies I don't have time to see myself.
Thanks Mr. B! Nice read on a chilly Monday morning!
Absolutely brilliant piece, Steven. Many thanks for the insight, the synthesis, and connecting all the dots.
Thank you!
Excellent excellent read today. Thank you!
Always excellent read. I look forward to new postings.
Questions in my mind about media's handling of the two presidential candidates;
One can do no right, the other...oh well..
Why is this done by the likes of NYT, WaPo etc?
Why when DJT talks negatively about immigrants the reporting not start with his two immigrant wives- one ex, He complains about chain migration, his in-laws came under chain immigration?
Why when reporting about border, crime, and "illegal.." do the responsible reporting not juxtapose real statistics to provide perspective?
Would appreciate your setting my head straight about this and similar nagging questions.
Thanks,
nikhilesh
nikhilesh.agarwal@gmail. com
Brilliant newsletter, Steven! I nearly felt that I was reading meaningful classical literature -the kind with timeless themes, metaphors, truths, and cause for reflection. We need more literature and great essays to be taught in our schools. Thank you.
My father and I lived in Osage county from when I was in 5th grade until I graduated from college. I never once heard any mention of the killings of the Osage for their oil headrights. I imagine there were plenty of people in town who benefitted from that, even if they were's the killers. There was so much money there back then that they called Pawhuska the Paris of America. I haven't read the book, but will watch the movie.
Considering what Melania did to the Rose Garden, I don't know why anyone would give her flowers. As for trump, he could stand up there and tell America I intend to be a dictator beyond day one, everyone will do as I say, there will be no more elections, no more voting, I am The Word. And those who follow him would clap and cheer, and NAZI flags would swing in the air. There is only one way to be rid of trump. I won't say it, but no doubt all of us have thought it. It has been done by CIA help in other countries. Even our JFK tried it with Castro. Just think of the change if that briefcase had gotten Hitler when it exploded. Is it wrong to think it, wish it? I don't know. Him for a country. ????
As for the pursuit of knowledge, the answer is better teachers. And how to get them? Salaries. There isn't an Oppenheimer or an Einstein out there who didn't first have teachers. Yet, such people go on to fame and riches while teacher tries to live on $50,000 a year. Many, tenured, just hang in there till they can retire. Others switch to Ed. because they couldn't make it in Business. Although money needs to be spent on school buildings and other tangible things, it has been proven that it isn't how much per student is spent but the quality of the teacher.
But it gets complicated. That means higher property taxes, higher salaries on and on. So many problems. So few solutions.
While the American media spotlight, ever enthralled by the sensationalism of the moment, remains fixated on Trump and his legal woes, other crucial and overlooked dangers continue to unfold in the United States.
First, we have about half our country responding to Trump like zombies - brainwashed followers of the Republican Party (similar to members of the Jim Jones cult), who were unsuspectedly caught in coercive control techniques that Trump uses daily to influence his followers. Second, we have a presidential candidate who sold his soul and our country to the Russians at least ten years prior to sleeping in the White House after 2016. (From Democracy to Democrazy by Graham) Third, the influence of Putin's strategies quietly attempts to reshape the trajectory of American politics and American lives. We see that happening NOW.
This current political race is not just between Democrats and Republicans, but between a decent, hard-working, public servant who has successfully served our country for almost 50 years. His constituents re-elected him for 36 years as a Senator - he must have been doing something right!!! His opponent is a man who has been compromised by Russia, who is a convicted rapist and a serial sexual predator, convicted of fraud with mounds of solid documented evidence and proof, and is now facing 91 criminal charges. His speeches are filled with revenge, hatred, defamation of others, and with no discernable ideology.
Americans were duped decades ago into believing that Russia is no longer our enemy and the world is living in peaceful coexistence. Yes, the Cold War did not die - a revelation for many Americans. We let our guard down, while Russia rebuilt their economy, their military, and their weaponry. Then in 2000, Putin became the second President of Russia. He instantly converted Russia from a communist-socialist form of government to a dictatorship. He is a man who spent his entire life as a KGB spy, and blames the United States for the downfall of the USSR. He wants REVENGE.
Over the last quarter of a century, he schemed and enacted his strategic plan. Based on the book called The Foundations of Geopolitics and published in Russia in 1997 - a carefully orchestrated and directed horror film has been produced. The movie theme is the destruction of the United States and the principal key actor is Donald Trump. It won't win any Oscars YET, because (1) this movie is still unrecognized by most Americans, and (2) the ill-informed Trumpers across our nation are the support actors.
Trump's dangerous and many-sided destructiveness includes unprecedented ways to influence and control his followers. Unbeknown to these followers, the person who's ideology they are following is not Trump, but Putin. They are not saving America, but destroying it.
The shadow cast by Putin over the landscape of American democracy, and his influence and control over Trump grows larger and darker by the moment. Our democracy hangs in the balance.
Elizabeth, www.democrazy2020.org