The Long Road Out

Colin Kaepernik's career was ruined because he sat down twice for the National Anthem two years ago. Trump joined in on the debate back then--if the mob has an idea, Trump will repeat it on Twitter. So, the NFL owners had a problem:  highly paid players they needed to get rid of.   Two years later, they decide on a policy to stop this.   As of today, every one must stand if they're on the field when the music starts. Kind of like a junior high school dance!  In a gracious bow to free speech, the NFL decided dissenters can avoid the embarrassment of participating in a silly ceremony they don't support by staying in the locker room. I love the thought of an empty playing field once the recorded bugles start to pound.  Build some bigger locker rooms, guys--it's gonna be CROWDED in there! Here's Roger Goodell, summing up the wisdom of two years of what must have been painfully stupid discussions among a whole lot of rich-ish white men: "We want people to ...

I want to celebrate this cultural essay by Zach Webb , writing for thebaffler.com.   Webb is incensed that a bunch of entrepreneurs are charging more than the Louvre so that millennials and others can photograph themselves with ice cream, or in one of eight pre-editted dreamscapes. To make matters more commercial, most of these "look at my picture now" rooms are sponsored by web brands.   The noose of selfie celebrity tightens beneath our chins. The good news is Webb sees what's happening clearly, and he can write.   Starting with the quote in the headline above.   Yes, we are, in fact living in "populated meme-crap."  Over 150,000 repostings from The Museum of Ice Cream, late of Miami and elsewhere, sponsored by Dove, Tinder, and American Express (swipe right on that shit!).   What does Webb have to say about this?  He quotes Jonathan Crary, author of 24/7, to build up steam: “[W]hatever remaining pockets of everyday life are not directed towar...