Panem et Circenses: Die Kulturindustrie

•  Now, New and Improved, with Seven Whole Grains and the World's Smartest Trained Fleas!
• While I have the best hopes for MAGA, there's part of me wondering if we're not already to the bread and circuses phase of our nation's existence. Neither political party seems to have the citizens' interests at heart, and governance has become a farce.  Popular culture is little more than an open cess-pit.

No shame, no solution
No remorse, no retribution
Just people selling T-shirts
Just opportunity to participate in the pathetic little circus
And winning, winning, winning.¹ 

...
Ah, it's open season here my friend
It always is; it always has been
Welcome, welcome to the U.S.A.
We're partying fools in the autumn of our heyday
And though we're running out of everything
We can't afford to quit
Before this binge is over
We've got to squeeze off one more hit
We're workin' it

...

But, the barons in the balcony are laughing
And pointing to the pit
They say, "Aw look, they've grown accustomed to the smell
Now, people love that sh*t
And we're workin' it".²

• I may not be virtuous, but I try to avoid those things which I believe lack merit, and to live - as Socrates taught - an examined life.
• In other news, I am pleased that Justice Gorsuch has been confirmed, made all the more sweet by the protestations of the likes of Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein.  As many more intelligent than I have said, the SCOTUS picks are where the game's at for this administration. Sure, there are other important matters, but absent a Constitution-respecting Court, the Republic is as good as lost.
• John O'Hurley has a one-man ode to a time when society had standards.  I respect that.
• Flautist James Galway was on Carson show the other night with harp accompanist.  He is very talented, even if he didn't play Can't You See/Thick as a Brick/Sing Child, or even, I suppose, Stairway.
• Comes now news that Nivea, makers of skin care lotions and potions, is under fire from the snowflakes for alleged racism.

 Humbly recommended by introspective, cultured bloggers.

•  Although I carry the Nivea to work nearly every day, the Gold Bond Ultimate with Aloe, B, C, E and CoQ10 is probably a better restorative for my hands.
• Journey is being inducted into the Rock and Roll HOF.  According to my demographic, I should be a fan, but for some reason, other than owning a copy of Infinity (I think), and liking two or three of their songs, they never really turned my crank.  Chacun à son goût, n'est-ce pas?
• How 'bout dat?  I've now managed to use four languages in the creation of  this post.  And I've not even gotten to the Spanish yet.
• As a kid, I was probably in a Sears store 2-3 times a month, usually with Dad to get tools.  And, I think we always had a catalog in the house.  It's painful watching the once great company die a slow death.  I would love to have a reason to shop with that firm, but in the present tense, there is no compelling value proposition to do so, whether at their retail locations or online.
• I don't know if this is just Fox News whipping up stupid stories, or if the Left is really into this sort of mental onanism, but what possible talent does Chelsea Clinton bring to politics?
• Just last blog-post I mentioned Trading Places, then the next night on Carson, Eddie Murphy was a guest, with - wait for it - a clip from Trading Places.
• On the radio the other morning, Jody Dean said that his colleagues in the studio begged him to play Xanadu in connection with mentioning her appearance at Verizon that evening.  Xanadu, seriously?  His co-workers must be twits - Please Mister Please, or Have You Never Been Mellow, or even one of the Grease numbers would've better captured the essential ON-J.
• It would be the same as characterizing Neil Diamond by playing Forever In Blue Jeans, or maybe that stupid duet with Barbra Streisand.
• Wouldn't this sort of devalue the merits of a Stanford education?
• I've pretty much confirmed that the curators for MeTV choose Carson re-run episodes to coincide with current events.  For the past few days, they've run shows featuring Don Rickles. 
• I've mentioned before that as an adolescent, I was a fan of the likes of Redd Foxx, George Carlin, and Richard Pryor.  These days, I find I don't care to watch the old clips of Carlin (except in Bill & Ted) or Pryor (excepting the Wilder collaborations).  But Rickles' work seems to hold up well.
• Mystery woman absent from recent dreams, but a few nights back there was a very odd sequence in which I was attempting to secure the rights to publicly perform Words, an old Bee Gees song.  No earthly idea where that came from.  I don't think I've even heard that song in decades.
• Sometimes the juxtaposition of disparate art forms is pretty funny:

Starry, Starry Wars... 

 
¹/² The Garden of Allah, Workin' It - Henley et al