Sparking Up Some Joy
But perhaps the greatest of [social media] sins is convincing ourselves that posting is a form of political activism, when it is at best a coping mechanism—an individualist solution to problems that can only be solved by collective action… “A solipsism that says you are the main protagonist in a sea of NPCs.”
— Janus Rose,
I’ve begun another round of decluttering and hope to make a relaxing day out of the distraction. I’m getting rid of anything utilitarian that I don’t expect to use much over the next several years and packing up collectibles and objects of sentimental value into moving boxes for spring.
I can’t go too far from home anyway because, ironically enough, I’m also recluttering, waiting on UPS to deliver some packages. I’ve been acquiring higher-quality clothing and equipment made to last for at least the next 5-10 years, or even the lifetime of a much younger man in some cases. These are double-plus-weird times and about to get even weirder. You’ll need good boots to see you through.
I’m still off the social media sauce but backsliding into checking news aggregators several times a day. In response, I’m reducing my list of trusted sources to two or three European-based outlets and a local newspaper. I’m not suggesting those are the only (mostly) trustworthy resources, but I don’t need to know so much in a day. Neither do you.1
The Super Bowl is tomorrow. I will probably watch a movie instead. I’m thinking of Casablanca. If you haven’t seen it, or it’s been a few years, make an absolute point of watching it as soon as possible. After the game, Philadelphians will either run wild in the streets in drunken revelry with chaos abounding, or else the lot of them will wander home in sullen silence. I took Monday off, so if they win, I can stay out late taking photos — if I’m not too sleepy or cold or whatever excuse may occur to me.
Footnotes
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“The point of this deluge is not to persuade, but to overwhelm and paralyze our capacity to act…The result is a media environment that keeps us in a state of debilitating fear and anger, endlessly reacting to our oppressors instead of organizing against them.” —Janus Rose, You Can’t Post Your Way Out of Fascism ↩