Showing all posts in Afterthought

In Afterthought
Author Jesse SteelePosted on

Throwing Kevin Spacey to the wolves won’t solve any problems. It won’t expose corruption. It won’t act as any kind of deterrent. It won’t satisfy any cry for justice.

There’s no acquittal for Spacey and I won’t defend him. I will level the charge, however: He’s an influential figure gone way off track, not a pen-signing boss demanding pay for play. Kevin is no Weinstein, but he still needs a “come to Jesus moment” about the entire Hollywood situation to which he has been part and parcel. Like Rapp, Yiannopoulos, and so many others, Spacey probably has his own story.

I was an actor in high school, a decent one who landed “Captain Jim” in Little Mary Sunshine. I know the kind of crude jokes in back-stage culture, which I was shamefully a part of. There you have the “men behind the curtain” culture of nearly every TV show and movie that we whore ourselves out to, week after week.  · · · →

In Afterthought
Author Jesse SteelePosted on

America’s problem is tone of voice. We care too much. Trump cares too much. Trumpists care too much. Anti-Trumpists care too much.

What point have we reached when a Congressman resigns over the president’s tone? Why do Democrats in media overlook a Conservative agenda being rammed through Congress just because the president sent a Tweet? Lots of bark, zero bite, yet people react as if someone is being eaten alive by mere words. Did the schoolyard rhyme about “sticks and stones” get buried when the First Businessman took office?

I remember as a kid, when the dog was bad, dad would roll up the advertising section of the local newspaper and start beating the dog with it. It wasn’t a Sunday paper, so it couldn’t have hurt, but it made lots of noise. The dog would yelp and scream, but I saw the rolled up paper flopping every which way and eventually lose its own form.  · · · →

In Afterthought
Author Jesse SteelePosted on

As unpopular—and arguably inappropriate—as Trump’s unsympathetic comments were, the feeling of “urgency” will grip far more people than before. It’s unlikely that his words about Puerto Rico will result in mass abandonment. By thumping his chest and barking well before bite, Puerto Ricans will fight against their own corruption and bring out their “A” game. So will Congress. So will America. And, that is what should have happened in the first place.

Where was the nation-wide rush for our “A” game in Puerto Rico before the hurricane? All Americans share some level of blame for the presence of problems in Puerto Rico. It’s easy to blame the thunder Trumpet who wrongly splashes water in our faces to wake us up when we shouldn’t have been sleeping. But, don’t let anyone else’s wrong distract you. America has a job to do that we all have been too lax on, including this columnist.  · · · →

In Afterthought
Author Jesse SteelePosted on

Americans don’t understand each other.

The kneeling NFL saga has informed the public about many problems, including the need for schools to educate students about types of flags, types of salutes, dexter, sinister, standing profile, half mast, the difference between flying a flag upside down or in the rain, and other meanings behind parade protocol. Ignorance of color-guard basics has become evident in both Black football champions and the rich White guys who own their teams.

Where was the outcry against car dealerships for flying their over-sized American flags during the rain? Where is the teaching in school about “how to get along”? Students should have learned about “understanding deeper intent”, then they would know that the football players don’t mean the disrespect they unintentionally give; they are asking for help with a genuine need in a way they don’t know is wrong. This may have been their only means of getting attention.  · · · →