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I'm a movie buff. I don't know everything about all movies, but when I DO have an interest in a movie (and that is a lot of them), I have traditionally sought out the store that had the preorder copy available, and secured myself a copy.
Those days appear to be ending. I visited my local Best Buy a while ago, and was completely shocked when the movie section had apparently entirely disappeared. I was probably standing there with my mouth hanging open long enough for a clerk to approach me and ask, "Can I help you find something?" I replied, "Yes. I'm looking for the movies. Where did they all go???" Given the question, my grey hair and beard, and the look that was beginning to surface, I could feel Old People Patronization coming. "Well, we don't sell as many movies as we used to because of s-t-r-e-a-m-i-n-g," (it's difficult to find the font that says "I'm speaking to you like you're retarded" so dashes will have to do). I don't respond well to this attitude, and said, "Look, I'm in IT and understand what 'streaming' is; I just enjoy collecting movies." No, that wasn't enough, so I continued. "Here's the deal- let's say I want to watch The Patriot, but Netflix decided that it didn't want to stock that any longer. Let's also fantasize for just a minute that different services may be instructed and guided by the same mindset, and will eliminate what doesn't fit their narrative (SO farfetched- I know). Now I either have to subscribe to a service that DOES have it, or I'll never see it again. I do NOT want someone else to have that kind of control over what I can and cannot watch." That ought to do it, though it begs for at least four more posts, but I'll stop with that point. I left there more resolved to keep my movie collection in better condition, and quite sad, as well. I've seen older folk rejected, refused, or just left out of things because of what they don't know, don't want to learn, or don't understand, but I've never actually experienced it until that day, and I don't think I liked it. I've seen malls in my area torn down, restaurants close, and such, and this just adds another "you're old and irrelevant" to my list...which is growing at an alarming rate. It also makes me a treasure of information that, without me, things will die out of existence and people's awareness. Maybe some things can safely be forgotten- but not everything. I need to get writing....
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It seems like I’ve written about this before, and if I did- “oh well.” It seems pressing enough, and present enough, to warrant some attention.
I’ve been advocating attention to our country’s present condition for a while now, and am mostly met with blank stares or a rapid loss of attention (is that what people mean by “cognitive dissonance” I wonder?). I’m particularly fond of the case of the direct question, followed very closely by the person’s attention being drawn away by their smartphone, usually while I’m still answering their question. Is that rude? Am I really that boring? You can be the judge if you have read my book. I see things that are clearly jeopardizing the existence of the US as we know it, yet no one seems to care. More importantly- at least to someone who wouldn’t be interested in politics per se- I see things that directly jeopardize our children, to the point of them being in physical danger, yet I still hear crickets in response. People are too busy going to a soccer game, watching TV, or doing just about anything other than paying attention to their surroundings, and that leads me to the question- Where are the men? Traditionally I would expect men to be, at the very least, somewhat like I am; I’m not the most “manly” fellow by many stretches of the imagination, so if I, as a man, react to something- I would expect the more manly man to do at least the same. But nothing. For example: I just had a discussion with a small group of coworkers about the latest abomination of the drag queen “family friendly” events being held in the presence of children, and the inappropriate books available to them at an increasingly young age. No one heard anything about these things, which was disturbing for many reasons, but more importantly I received almost no gut reaction from the men- nothing- and they have daughters. Not an eyebrow raised, or a change in blood to the cheeks- nothing. And I most definitely didn’t have any follow-up conversations that included proving what I have said, or where these events have occurred. Where are the men? Where are the men who react immediately, and sometimes violently, to anything that threatens the safety of their people? Where are the heroes, regardless of their physical stature? Where are the fighters? I’m fond of the phrase, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog.” And so I ask- where are these people? Oh, I’d LOVE to engage in a discussion about the latest “toxic masculinity” and feminism; that’ll undoubtedly be the subject of a later post, but not today. I try to keep these entries manageable, in small portions for easy digestion and better focus, because too many topics can result in nothing learned. And with that I’ll say “enough” and stop writing. Think on this. Then go do something about it. |
AuthorJust the blog of an American patriot. Tips, insights, and thoughts on modern American living. Archives
August 2025
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