Monday, August 24, 2020

I love Jerry Seinfeld (Stand-Up and New Show, Not The Old One), But His Op Piece Was ... Slightly Tone Deaf?

(Updated and edited.)




Sometimes?

His over-privileged cluelessness and whining about shallow, petty things just isn't my cup of coffee - only sometimes, though ;)

For example,  his whining, about some other whiner from the NY Post, who whined, "New York is Dead." 


For starters, I couldn't believe for a guy who claims that he won't get "political" - because "it's not his schtick"-  THIS is what he chose to finally speak up about, with all of the other untruths and injustices going on, on the first day of the RNC Convention? LOL



Ya know what New Yorkers?

We love you and we hope you stay afloat, and we appreciate all you've done for American business and our culture - and we're super sorry you got hit so hard with COVID, and we wish you nothing but the best with recovery.

However, it's STILL not all about you. The world is a lot bigger than you.  And there's a lot more people's lives and livelihoods at stake than JUST New York, right now - and not just because of COVID.




Secondly, and most importantly, he broke his own golden rule of comedy:   "Push boundaries, say whatever you want - just be sure it's funny."

Well, I almost smiled a couple of times?

In fact, he kinda sounded  - mad. 

Unarmed black men are still being shot, strangled, and beaten by cops, people are being tear-gassed and clubbed for even peacefully protesting it, COVID is on the rise again, and people can't afford to pay their NYC overpriced rent, during COVID, and are being evicted right and left.

And Jerry Seinfeld doesn't say a word about any of it - until someone says NYC is dead?

I agree with him when he says this isn't true.

However, he also stated that the reason people are leaving is that too many people are "giving up" on New York, instead of reality - which is that nobody who makes less than 7 figures a year can afford to live and own a business in NYC anymore and people are being evicted right and left for inability to pay their rent during COVID, plus they can't pay their medical bills despite having insurance!

Lastly, I'm not sure if it was his own lack of self-awareness of his own legendary whining, his over-privileged perspective on New York life, or his analogy of "Can you imagine being in an actual war with this guy?" - that rubbed me the wrong way - considering Jerry himself has no military background at all. 



Who would I want to fight alongside me in an actual war - the NY Post guy or you, you ask, Jerry? 

THESE are my choices?!? lol

Gee, let me see ... either the NY Post pessimist, or the comedian that'd spend the entire war whining about NOT being in New York and his inability to get a good NYC cup of coffee? lol

Because the reality would more likely be that myself, you, AND the pessimist whiner would all be hiding in our underground bunkers, while my retired Army ranger husband (who, like me, is a DEMOCRAT) would be the one outside fighting the battle, along side a few good men and women :)



Thus, I wrote this comment - pending approval. Who knows if it will be, I'm quite sure there are better responses than mine.  

But here's a copy - unfortunately, there was no edit feature to correct the redundancy and sentence cutoff (I was interrupted mid sentence): 










Update:   My comment was published just moments ago.  Not an NYT top pick, but they did publish it - thank you, NYT :) 

Sorry, Jerry - I love you, but this just didn't do it for me, this time :/

In fact, the only thing I laughed-out-loud at was THIS guy's comment: 







LOL. Dang that Newman!  ;)

So I just replied, telling him so, adding essentially what I said above in light orange ,about these being my only choices and the bunker thing lol.  (Again, not sure if it will be published - replies to others often aren't.)








Out-of-touch opinions and focus on things like this, that really aren't that funny, at such a critical time - being cheered on by my fellow liberals - especially the wealthy New Yorker elitist kind - combined with watching some of my fellow libs roll over/afraid to take a stand against this darkness for fear of not being liked - combined with the dark upcoming cloud from Trump at the RNC - just isn't my cup of coffee today, sorry.  

In fact, I feel like some rich white people - on both political sides - still just don't get it, how the other half lives - and just took a toxic dump in my morning coffee, on the heels of last week's DNC being so unifying and inspirational lol.


I guess I'm already feeling a bit daunted, because I know that regardless of what we libs or don't do, Trump is going to cheat, we know that - whether it's voter suppression through discouragement of mail-in votes or actual sabotage of the mail process, or Russian/Ukrainian, Chinese, or Saudi interference again - which his supporters have proven they aren't at all concerned with, as long as he wins.


And yet I'm still putting my vote on public record, because I want my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren, and my great-great grandchildren to know, someday, that I stood up, spoke up, and voted against this crazy, amoral, racist, merciless, overly nationalistic/authoritarian, 
emotionally unstable, dishonest, corrupt, serial-cheating, narcissistic, psychopathic, pathologically lying sack-of-shit that we currently have in the White House - whom not only could even our Sheltie do a better job with leading and "herding" the people of this country  -  but is a piss-poor excuse for a human being - who some other fellow corporate con artists stamped Christ's name on, to give him faux authority and a cult-like following, who then turn a blind eye to the fact that virtually everything Trump says and does is contrary to what Christ spent all the gospels preaching against.



Regardless, how is shit like this on the front page of the NYT, the first day of the RNC convention, going to help anyone at all - was that supposed to be a pep talk for New York?  

Because it sounded more like a condemnation of people leaving New York, with Jerry misunderstanding entirely their necessity to do so.


What does he expect them to do, invest in New York, when they can't even pay their rent? 


Thus, I'm going to hibernate for the next few days and go without any morning coffee, thanks lol.



Update x2:   My reply to the hilarious "Newman" commenter was also published :)


Then I saw this one, even funnier  ...








LOL - amen!  I remember that episode - and true!


Unfortunately, the thread underneath it devolved into an argument regarding which was the more important city in America ...







Oh, for Pete's sake, Pete! lol.

Do y'all really think that now is the time for any of this? 

*sigh*

Thus, I wrote this to the original commenter, SDW, because she wins the price for making me laugh out loud the most today  ... 







In case you can't read the screen shot on this last one, here's what I said ...



@sdw 
Amen lol. The more I return to this op-ed piece and comments section, the less funny either seems - with the exception of your comment - thank you lol. 
And did the replies under this thread seriously just devolve into debating which is the most important city in America? lol 
Okay, listen up, Jerry, New Yorkers, Chicagoans, and Americans ... 
We love you all, we appreciate your contributions to our culture and business, we are SO sorry you were hit so hard by COVID, and we wish you nothing but the best recovery - but it's still not all about you - sorry. 
The RNC convention starts tonight - and "Newman" will actually be speaking live with some more toxic yada yada yada - at the expense of lots of people's lives and livelihoods at stake, all over America, and they all have value and are important. 
Helllooooo - focus? lol. 
Seriously - there are bigger fish to fry, here, on the front page of the NYT, than Jerry finally speaking up about something - and too bad when he did, it was only to defend the over-privileged bubble within in NYC that he lives in. 
TBH, not only was it NOT helpful, considering what's at stake on the table tonight, but it really wasn't as funny as his usual, as distraction - in fact, I laughed harder at this comment I'm replying to lol :/
(That is said with love for Jerry, but it's true)

_____________________________




This reply was also published :)


And now, I'm now going to pretend my fellow liberal readers in the NYT are going to stop being shallow, petty and divisive amongst themselves - at exactly the wrong time - arguing over who has the most important city - and focus, grow up, and wake up and smell the actual national toxic sewage that's brewing for the RNC, trying to pass itself off as coffee lol.

Which I WILL be watching, by the way, with vomit bag in hand, witnessing as much toxicity as I can stomach before I develop severe gastrointestinal distress, just so I won't be a hypocrite like all those Trumpers who refused to watch our convention, and instead believed what Trump and right-wing press said about what was said/happened, instead of what was really said/happened lol. 

And because it's important to still be fair and do the right thing, listen to opinions contrary to our own, despite what other people do - because it's the only way we're going to retain basic human decency and civility and combat this president - who so is NOT any of those things - we still need to exemplify the values we claim to uphold and play fair. 


Update x3:  



So as promised, I'm watching it, so as not to be a hypocrite.

Might I just say, that although I'm not vomiting yet, I AM restraining myself from throwing my grilled chicken and veggie fajita  - as well perhaps some holy water - at the Barbie doll from Montana on my screen, right now, who just blasphemed Jesus, by saying he "clearly told" her everything would be okay under Trump - which I don't take lightly. 


Well, if you think that you're important enough for God -  the sovereign, intelligent designer and master scientist of the universe - to literally speak words to you personally, you've already proven you've got a screw loose, my misguided, falsely-entitled Christian sister.


It's not that I don't believe it's possible that there are still modern day prophets out there, somewhere - but every evangelical believes they're a prophet, which just isn't possible -  nor is it supported by scripture.

Even in biblical times, not every believer was a prophet. 

In fact, Paul very clearly lays out examples of possible spiritual gifts - which is of course NOT a complete list - in I Corinthians 12:7-31 -  stating very clearly that different gifts are given to different members of the body of Christ:  Tongues, prophecy, interpretation, healing, spirit of discernment, etc.  

Neither Christ, nor Paul, nor anyone else EVER said any one person would get ALL the gifts of the Spirit.


In fact, Paul's entire point was exactly the opposite - that we all have different gifts of the Spirit because we're all different members of the body, but all equally important and the same spirit  - his point was that the Holy Spirit dispersing separate gifts to each member of the body therefore provides value to entire body of Christ.


In fact, I Corinthians 12:7-31 is about value diversity and unity -  comparing all members of the body of Christ as having equal value, based on their different gifts, and the inability of the other parts of the body to function fully without the other parts.  And that these gifts, and their recipients, are decided and given by the Holy Spirit - not the church body itself. 


Missed that point about diversity and unity entirely, in Paul's passage - didn'tcha evangelicals and Trumpers? ;)


And I highly doubt God would tell you everything would be okay under Trump, considering virtually everything Trump says and does is contrary to Christ's words in the gospels, particularly Christ's repeated sermons on greed and selfishness.




So that's not God talking, or even your conscience - that's called your self-serving, self-comforting ego, which is coming into play, because your graven-image idol, Trump, already appealed to your ego a few years ago - appealing to your greed, your selfishness, and your fear. 


And for the record, speaking of gifts of the spirit, I can't speak in tongues, prophesy, or heal anybody, but I sure has heck have been gifted (or cursed?) with the spirit of discernment that Paul talks about as one of the other gifts to the body of Christ - because at this point in my life, I have developed one of the strongest bullshit detectors you'll ever come across with people - claiming to be Christian or not -  LOL. 



But I'monna pray for you, "Montana Barbie" - who claims to have almost lost her coffee-shop business during COVID -  but still curiously somehow manages to have perfectly bleached and coiffed hair, perfect expensive make-up, French-manicured nails, and shoes that cost at least $200 during COVID!?!







And where'd you get the money to open a coffee shop to begin with, hm?   

Because it's not like banks hand out loans like candy to women under 40, even if you ARE white, unless you already have collateral or a sugar daddy - you're either the daughter of, or you're married to -  that does. 


Still gonna pray for you, though - your family and coffee shop - because you seem like a very sweet, but very naive, sheltered, and gullible girl.


I'monna also pray that you will someday know the difference between your self-comforting ego VS. the true spirit of God, who is not only the great comforter, but the convicter/tweaker of souls, when we're wrong - you know, that thing that you're currently dismissing and pushing away, in favor of the very real voice of your graven-image idol, Trump?

In fact, don't forget, it was the Holy Spirit who took the firstborn child of every family, Egyptian or not, in the OT, when God had given people plenty of time and chances to straighten up and fly right.

Or how about when Ananias and Sapphira in the NT, in Acts 7?


When Peter was trying to establish the first church, Ananias and Sapphira almost sabotaged the first church, by claiming church funds and possessions as their own. When they lied to Peter about it, the bible says blasphemed the Holy Spirit (which the bible also curiously states is the only unforgiveable sin) - so the Holy Spirit of God took their life on the spot - boom, they both fell dead.

Also WWII could be looked at that way - Nazis were God's children too, and he gave them plenty of time to change their ways, but they didn't - buh bye, Nazi regime!

Also, when the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, it wasn't comforting and gentle - it was a "tongue of fire" that descended upon them, a powerful force that literally knocked them down that'd never forget.

The bible mostly does mostly describes the Holy Spirit as the great comforter and healer - but never forget that the HS is also the convictor of souls, including, though rare, if God wills it after sufficient time - apparently God's Chief Ass-Whupper too lol. )


I'm also gonna pray that someday, you will truly know and understand what life is like for those who TRULY struggle, the TRULY less fortunate - who don't just lose their businesses, but  unable to pay their medical bills despite having insurance, lost it, and they're homes, and can't even afford to feed their kids, or themselves, despite working multiple jobs - and/or who are stopped by cops, beaten, choked, and killed, based on the color of their skin, which has been ignored for far too long, in this country.

And I'm going to pray that you understand that it's not that you were better or more deserving or worked harder than anyone else and thus you were "blessed by God with prosperity."

God's grace is for everyone - none of us earned or deserved it, and he rarely "blesses us" with money - that would negate Christ's entire message of it
"being easier for a rich man to pass through the eye of a needle, than enter the kingdom of heaven. "

You were simply lucky enough to be born into/married into privilege already, compared to countless others - period.




Yes, I agree - there IS still an American dream, as you said - but when health insurance and homes have become luxury items that most Americans will never be able to afford, especially with the debt of student loans and medical bills so astronomical despite having health insurance, they aren't covered -  we have a problem, Hannah Montana.

Once you become aware of how much worse your life could be, your personal mountains in Montana will become merely molehills, compared to how others have to live, in this country -  and you will realize that even if you lost your business - , though it would be a disappointing setback, it wouldn't be the end of you -  like being unable to pay your medical bills despite having health insurance, losing your health insurance entirely, or losing a home IS the end, for many.



And I pray that doesn't happen to you personally, but that you be personally effected by someone's story and will come understand - but if this were to happen to you personally, I want you to  watch how fast your shallow, over-privileged "Christian" friends scatter and avoid you, when in need, and blame you for situation - that you were just lazy, not smart enough, not strong enough, etc. - despite these things being beyond your control, and actually being evidence of a broken economic system.



Otherwise, still waiting for even one personal story about Trump's charity work, kindness and/or personal generosity towards others, or personally mentoring others, like we heard with Biden - we still haven't heard one - because there aren't any.

Still waiting for actual mention of any policies, either.

In fact, literally, every single person that has been on here thus far has bitched about Biden and Democrats and blamed Democrats for all the unrest that has arisen during Trump's presidency.

Exactly how is this "lighter" and "less cynical" than the DNC?
 



And now they're talking about Trump's "quick action" on COVID saved thousands of lives?


Exactly how did he do that?


By calling it a "Democratic hoax" in February and minimizing the severity by supporting lawsuits on social-distancing restrictions, encouraging the country to reopen too soon, refuse mask wearing, and touting certain drugs he holds hedge-fund shares in that haven't proven themselves to be effective for even the majority of patients?




Nope - can't do it, can't watch anymore.

Well, I lasted 30 minutes, I tried?

Lol, but we all know how much Trump has minimized COVID the entire time, and his supporters still continue to pronounce it a government conspiracy, to their own detriment. 


I expect all politicians to lie to my face, but there is a point where lies become dangerous propaganda - a line Trump crosses without even blinking - and it's too toxic to watch anymore, and I'm on a toxicity-free diet, these days  - I'm sorry. 




Update x4:  




I'm told that Trump tried to talk to everyday people like frontline workers, like Biden did, but it was incredibly awkward - because Trump just doesn't have the ability to connect with others on an interpersonal level like Biden can, nor is he very good at listening to other people, instead of talking. 

I was also told  RNC Convention ended with a dire, gloom-and-doom warning that "Joe Biden will bring chaos to the streets!" 



Erm - no, Trump - again, that was you, fanning the flames of racism and white supremacy for the last four years  - stop projecting. 
(What am I saying? You can't, you're a narcissist and  gaslighter, who projects all his misdeeds and guilt onto anyone who even lightly criticizes you, and your enabling dysfunctional family helps you out with that, because it benefits them and/or are scared of you.) 
Protests which only became riots, after you tear-gassed peaceful protesters for a photo op in front of MY national church, and sent federal agents to Portland instead of Chicago or D.C. or Atlanta. 
Portland, mind you - one of the least dangerous cities in America - in a politically-motivated "show of political superiority force," just because Portland is also the most liberal city in America, trying to provoke violence and get the tail to wag the dog, and turn your lies into truth.

But gosh, thanks for the "uplifting" message you promised us all tonight, by warning us of "chaos in the streets!" 
 
I feel so inspired - to stab myself in both eyes with my pen, out of pure frustration, as well as in an effort to unsee what little I saw tonight lol.

And I feel so much safer, too, "America's bodyguard" - that my country will likely count on another 4 years of chaos in the streets, under your ineffective leadership, without you even giving the false appearance of trying to find common ground with, or even understand, your own frustrated people :)







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