CDP
“Ever since the Christmas of ‘53, I have felt that the yuletide is a special Hell for those families who have suffered any loss or who must admit to any imperfection; the so-called spirit of giving can be as greedy as Receiving – Christmas is our time to be aware of what we lack, of who’s not home.” – John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany
Everyone has heard the adage that suicides increase around the holidays. Like a lot of common knowledge, it happens to not be true.
But it nevertheless remains true that, for a lot of people, the Christmas season isn’t only, or even mainly, one of joy and good cheer. People forget that Scrooge had his reasons. Everyone loses people, of course. But the knowledge that your loss is in no way special doesn’t lessen it. In a way maybe it makes it worse, this knowing that loss and sorrow are just part of the human experience, that it’s just par for the course. Over the years families expand and contract, expand and contract, inhaling new births and exhaling those who have departed, always changing. But all we know are those whose breath overlaps our own. Humans love rituals, because rituals are comforting. Rituals help to beat back the loneliness. But holiday rituals, more so than others, are often tied up with memories of people and places we no longer have access to physically, even if they are only lost to us by the geography of life. So the rituals become both comforting and saddening. They become an anchor to both the joyous memories but also the memory of loss, and we doubly feel the absence. Each person’s internal holiday stuff is their own, and none of this is in any way a call to be mindful of the Scrooge’s feelings. If anything, it’s the opposite. Those with the full allotment of Christmas cheer should hang another strand of lights, put that Santa hat on the dog even though he hates it, and sing that stupid novelty song a little louder. Scrooge just needs a minute, and maybe another eggnog, but he’ll be alright.
0 Comments
Rebecca de Winter
Seasons Greetings from the Misfits! We have exactly two weeks from today til Christmas, are you in the holiday spirit yet? If not, that’s OK, we have several Scrooges among us (cough*Alex*cough*HM*cough*CDP*cough), so you’re in good company. Nevertheless, we are all having a good time, as usual. Please join us in enjoying our latest shenanigans, and don’t forget to scroll down to see our latest blog posts!
A week ago, to the delight of the Standing Rock protesters, and the disgust of those who actually know better – the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced it would not grant an easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline, blocking the construction. We had something to say about that:
Last Monday, Trump met with Al Gore, causing all kinds of speculation.
Trump was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year – causing a complete nuclear meltdown on the left.
Honda announced the possibility of a concept car that would have "emotions" of its own.
Some wonderful soul started a tweeting trend: “Me at the beginning of 2016 VS. me at the end of 2016.” Hilarity ensued.
RUSSIA is back in the news, with the announcement of a “Secret CIA assessment” claiming Russia tried to influence the presidential election.
Miscellany and random thoughts and observations:
Finally, please check out our blog posts from this past week:
“A Bloody Shame,” by Rebecca de Winter “The Season has a Reason, Finally,” by CDP Thanks for joining us for this week’s edition of the Weekly Rewind. Check back often for updates, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @misfits_radio!
Rebecca de Winter
“I don’t believe human and fetal remains should be treated like medical waste and disposed of in landfills,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
In a clear victory for human dignity and the inherent worth and value of the unborn, Texas recently passed legislation requiring abortion clinics to bury or cremate fetal remains. The usual suspects are up in arms, of course – NARAL, Salon.com, Vox.com, the Satanic Temple (yes, you read that right). Those are all par for the course, and their hysterics are predictable, if not mildly entertaining.
Because their tantrums rarely lead to solutions, the progressive left and their ilk have been getting bolder in their protests – they have a curious way of demonstrating their displeasure in ways that would make even Veruca Salt blush. In the fall of 2015, feminists demonstrated their ire du jour by posting selfies of themselves in their urine-soaked pants in what they called the #pissforequality challenge. In another display of idiocy, a Harvard Business School graduate ran the London Marathon while menstruating, without any feminine products. She was hailed by feminists everywhere as a hero for “raising awareness.” This then led to the “free bleeding movement” (use your imagination, or not). “I felt kind of like, Yeah! F— you!,” she said. “I felt very empowered by that. I did.” Huh. I’m not sure what happened to the word “empowering” – but it’s no longer something I want for my daughter, based on current trends. Nothing gets the left riled up more than actions they perceive as a threat to their right to snuff out human life, and in what is possibly the most disgusting, repulsive campaign yet, women are being encouraged to demonstrate their rage about the new Texas rule by sending Texas Gov. Greg Abbott their used tampons (and other soiled feminine products). It started with this Facebook post, shared thousands of times before being deleted: “YO TEXAS LADIES/ IM SURE U HEARD/ AS OF DECEMBER 19TH: all miscarried and aborted fetal tissue must be cremated or buried in the state of Texas. So, if you aren’t sure about the fertilised status of your used tampons, panty liners or indefinitely ruined underpants, place them in a 4×6 bubble envelope and mail them to the office of Governor Greg Abbott for testing. It’s your civic duty.” While that alone makes me feel nauseated, I still could only roll my eyes about it until I discovered that the popular magazine, Teen Vogue, was promoting it. It’s one thing for grown women to gleefully crow about sending bloody tampons to the governor in a fit of pique, it’s quite another to encourage tween and teen girls to join in. The feverish screed goes on to claim: “Women are steadily losing what little control we had over our reproductive system, so who's to say the white men who make the laws around here won't soon punish us for losing eggs that could have been fertilized?” Note that this article (written for teen girls, remember) singles out “white men” as the villains. You don’t have to be a parent to understand that tweens and teens are highly impressionable, somewhat gullible and emotionally vulnerable (I recall sending my hard-earned babysitting money to PETA and Greenpeace in a rash of emotion at age 15 – I’m still embarrassed). The articles in the teen magazines I enjoyed when I was young included tips for the perfect manicure, which haircut would be the most flattering, and cutesy advice on “how to flirt.” Some of the featured video clips on the Teen Vogue site today are: “13 Sexting Secrets” “When You Hook Up With Your Friend” “The One Way You Should Be Having Sex” I guess they figure if they’re going to sell sex this blatantly to kids just a few years out from playing with teddy bears and tea sets, they should throw some good old-fashioned radical feminist abortion propaganda in there as well. |
MisfitsJust a gaggle of people from all over who have similar interests and loud opinions mixed with a dose of humor. We met on Twitter. Archives
January 2024
|