Forgetfulness is both blessing and curse. On the blessing side, we have the ability to move on, to not get lost in one’s trauma, injury, or shortcomings. In many cases, it is very important to be forgetful, or at least not to be daunted by memory.
OTOH, there is Donald Trump.
*****
I am going to rant here. This is my forum for expression. I pay the bills, and since I’m lousy on the phone, this is among the only good ways I have to influence an election towards the correct conclusion. Also, it is relevant. But if you just want a review, better skip down a bit.
Lately we’ve been asked if we are better off than we were four years ago. Is this even a question? I’m sorry. Are you people honestly brain-dead or dishonestly brain-dead? Four years ago today was a nightmare. We were all at home. We were endlessly homeward bound for fear of COVID. People like me didn’t fear getting the disease (I’m pretty sure I could survive it), but I was terribly afraid I’d catch it and pass it to someone who couldn’t. And what was our country like? The streets were empty, the shelves were empty, unemployment surged by the millions, and the idiot in charge kept spewing nonsense like a fountain of bullshit. Was Trump responsible for the outbreak of COVID? No. Was Trump responsible for the handling of COVID? Well, you tell me: The United States had 5% of the world’s population and 20% of the world’s cases and deaths due to COVID. And researchers targeted Trump as the #1 source IN THE WORLD of COVID misinformation.
Want to know why inflation was low under Trump? No demand. If people don’t buy things or go anywhere, of course the prices aren’t going to rise. That’s not something to be proud of.
There was nothing surprising about any of this. For four years, we were subjected to a President who was a monster. An inept, callous, inhuman, narcissistic monster. President Trump delivered exactly zero of his campaign promises – he didn’t replace Obamacare with anything cheaper or better; he didn’t create any infrastructure, he built very little border wall (which the Mexicans did not pay for). He didn’t even lock Hillary up as promised. Despite the luxury of all three branches of government with a red majority (and knowing the political affiliations of SCOTUS was never a thing until this century), Trump accomplished exactly one (1!) piece of memorable legislation: a tax cut to extremely wealthy Americans who needed no such break. This move by itself added $1 Trillion to the national debt.
What DID Trump accomplish? He had the most corrupt administration in US history (“I only hire the best people”), he returned racism back to the White House with a Muslim ban and border policies that fractured families and caged children. He remade the Supreme Court to be dominated by a Christo-fascist minority. He celebrated dictators; he peddled influence. He gave Afghanistan to the Taliban and stuck Biden with the bill. He played a lot of golf, charging the secret service -at Trumped-up prices- for use at his courses and hotels. He indulged nepotism and cronyism. He violated the Hatch Act and the Emoluments Clause again and again and again. He went to war with science, truth, and anyone who dared speak honestly. He attacked, relentlessly, anyone attempting to hold him accountable … for anything. Under Trump, every.single.thing (from weather to bible sales) became a political issue leading to the creation of a friends and enemies list. There is no one in American history who sought to divide (and successfully divided) the country more than this asshole.
And it was exhausting. So, so exhausting. Because every day we would wake to a circus of grievance, hatred, and gaslighting spewed by a man with the ego of a diva, the morals of a pit viper, the vocabulary of a nine-year-old, and the strategic thinking of an institutionalized conspiracy theorist. Every.single.day. you, me, and everyone else in the country would wake up and sigh with exhaustion asking, “What did he do now?”
He cheated, cheated, cheated on the way in (the Stormy Daniels story suppression was only part of the illegalities he accepted or pushed). He cheated, cheated, cheated in attempting to hold onto office (all the while accusing his opponents of the same), and when he lost to Biden by 7 million votes, he became the first American in history to reject a peaceful transfer of power.
Did you forget all that? Seriously? I haven’t even gotten to the good stuff … I’m sure there are those of you yelling right now, “DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE 91 INDICTMENTS, THE 34 FELONY CONVICTIONS, THE SECOND IMPEACHMENT, THE PART WHERE HE A COURT FOUND HIM LEGALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT, THE 30,000 LIES -ALL DOCUMENTED- HE TOLD WHILE IN OFFICE …” Look, I could be here all day. Donald Trump is trainwreck of a human being and a walking scandal generator.
In any sane world, the Democratic party could run out a potted plant against Trump and the plant would be up by twenty points.
But our world is not sane, and despite Joe Biden having one of the greatest, most consequential, and perhaps the most important presidency of my lifetime –successfully undoing Trump’s damage took A LOT of work and A LOT of cooperation- polled Americans decided they like Trump better.
Are you jokers insane?
No. Probably not. IMHO, the problem is twofold. 1) The media hasn’t done its job properly. Even the media dedicated to truth and investigation has essentially normalized the candidacy of Trump as if he were just another Mondale, Dukakis, or McCain with strengths and weaknesses rather than what he actually is: an existential threat to our democracy. [You know what the biggest difference between Republicans and Democrats really is? The things Republicans fear about a Democratic takeover are complete nonsense: e.g. “They’re coming after my guns”, “They’ll destroy the country”, etc. whereas the things Democrats fear are the Republican agenda –starting with the overturn of Roe v. Wade and moving directly to Project 2025, a playbook for fascism- I digress] But I cannot deny that the real problem, media-wise, is that the Right has claimed the narrative. If we’re talking about “Trans” or “Woke” instead of “Climate Change” or “Universal Health Care,” the Right is winning. And as far as I can tell, the Right has owned the country’s narrative for years, else we’d all have a negative opinion of Trump. 2) Forgetfulness. (I told you we’d get back here.) People don’t want to remember how awful President Trump was, so they tell themselves stories and pretend -not unlike Trump himself- that he did some good stuff. He didn’t. The best thing he did in four years was Operation Warp Speed, and if you want to give Trump kudos for that or the end of COVID, you’re seeing the world through red-colored glasses. Trump’s entire M.O. is taking credit for things other people did and ignoring the consequences of whatever he did.
I won’t say we bought it … but how else do you explain Trump leading Joe Biden in polling? Our economy, the BIDEN ECONOMY? Currently, the best in the world; no other nation has emerged from COVID better off. You want to blame Joe for inflation, then you have to give him credit for deflation and job creation, both of which have happened on his watch and through bills Biden pushed. Open borders? That’s a myth, and you’re ignoring facts. Increased violence? No numbers support that thesis. I think it all comes down to forgetfulness. We hated our COVID lives, so we pretended they didn’t exist without exploring how we got there and who got us out. Forgetfulness … it can be so useful and so burdensome simultaneously.
*****
Today’s film is all about forgetfulness and the power to wield it. Frida (Naomi Ackie) has a blissful yet very pedestrian life. She’s a finger-nail artist who moonlights as somebody who walks around with serving trays at fancy events. In her world, she knows of exclusive, charming, and enigmatic billionaire 
Slater King (Channing Tatum), but could never meet him, right?
Turns out, she “gets” to work a Slater King event and makes a splash when she trips over another guest. Slater himself helps her up … and invites she and her friend Jess (Alia Shawkat) to the island he owns. The island is of another world. It is paradise, found. Warmth, luxury, indulgence. Every amenity is provided. Time disappears. Crises disappear. Concerns disappear. You could live on this island and be ok with President Trump. He can’t touch you where you are. Jess and Frida get to live the good life. Don’t they deserve it?
But wait; there’s a catch, right? Of course there’s a catch.
I will give no more of the plot away.
Blink Twice is the feminist anthem of 2024. It joins Barbie and The Woman King among the best in the genre of recent years. That’s pretty good company. I was puzzled by all the corpses this film unearthed – gosh, I can’t remember the last time I saw [Haley Joel Osment, Christian Slater, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis], but it kinda works because all of those actors belong to a different era of sexual politics, one that wasn’t spoiled forever by Bill Clinton’s sleaziness. Don’t get me wrong; this change is a good thing; another way in which we won’t go back.
Blink Twice comes with a first-screen trigger warning. There’s little question that Blink Twice can be a tough watch for problematic elements. One wonders, however, if you’ll find the subject matter or the themes tougher to watch. Depending on who you are, I could see either answer as a possibility. I’ll say this – if you are a feminist unafraid of taking a mirror to your trauma, the is the best film you’ll see in 2024. If that doesn’t describe you … or you have a weak stomach, you might just walk out. I found the film brilliant, knocking it only for how closely it resembles Get Out … but, again, that’s some damn good company to keep.
There once was an artist named Frida
Longing to live La Dolce Vita
She met a billionaire
With realm extraordinaire
Be careful on how you define “succeed”-a
Rated R, 102 Minutes
Director: Zoë Kravitz
Writer: Zoë Kravitz, E.T. Feigenbaum
Genre: Speaking truth to power
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: Feminists
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Powerful men and the creepy sycophants who enable them
