Pie Gate and Other Fake News
We just survived Black Friday, Black Friday weekend sales, and are on the verge of surviving Cyber Monday. Yes, the previous weekend holiday was used to be called American Thanksgiving. Now, it is eclipsed to be all about shopping and getting deals.
I think Americans have forgotten about the spirit of Thanksgiving. It is my understanding that originally it was a holiday about two cultures getting together and celebrating fellowship, each of them contributing their own culture and being grateful for the celebration. Despite two different colours of skin, we can still break bread together. Instead of focusing on what divides, it is supposed to be a feast where we celebrate what brings us together, and it is not the pursuit of a big screen television.
Let us review what happened on the weekend. Trump spent the actual day of Thanksgiving engaged in a twitter war with an otherwise irrelevant stage mom known as Lavar Ball. Trump felt that he didn't get enough credit for getting some shoplifters out of China. A time of reflection and he is complaining that he is not getting enough gratitude.
Then, Trump apparently can not handle time alone with his family, so then he started another scandal saying that he was offered Time Person of the Year and he turned this down. I guess he thought no one would actually check the accuracy of the claim. I guess he honestly thinks that people believe his every word. I guess he honestly thinks he is not embarrassing himself. Also, he also claims that the now famous "ET tape" where he degrades women has been doctored and is now fake news. I guess he honestly thinks we have forgotten that over a year ago, he admitted and apologized for his comments as insensitive. Now, it is fake. As a Canadian, I don't think the average American really understands how this President actually is putting down all Americans. I guess he honestly think you are all stupid and have no memory.
And, then, poor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She was the last of the Trump administration staff that has not had a scandal. Well, we now have PieGate. Sarah tweeted a picture of a pecan pie and made a claim that she made this well vacationing on her family farm. Immediately, the rest of twitter claims that this is fake because the pie looks too perfect, and that she couldn't have possibly made this pie. Some people have felt she was tweeting this to deflect attention away from POTUS and to take one for the team. That is ridiculous. Trump is a idiot and nothing will ever deflect attention from this.
But, what does it say about us as a society where we assume someone is lying and what does it say when a picture of a pie gets a "Gate" which is a reference to "Watergate". A picture of a pecan pie is the same importance as a scandal which brought down a Presidency. This is deeply troubling.
I obviously have never met Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but, here is what I think happened. Since becoming Press Secretary and succeeding Sean Spicey, she has done an adequate job despite everyone trying to scrutinize every word and trying to get a scandal. I think she was actually enjoying some down time with her family, which is what Thanksgiving is for. I think her tweet was supposed to be ironic and an example of the impossible high standards that are expected of her. I think she was trying to say that she was actually having a holidays surrounded by people she loved. She could have baked a pie, but, she could have enjoyed it with her family before she took a picture. Or her pie could have been so "imperfect" that she didn't want to tweet a picture of it for fear of being criticized for it being so "imperfect". I really think she was making a comment on the impossible dilemma she faces of being damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Not that I feel too much sympathy for. After all, she does work for Trump.
Still, I am spending an awful lot of time watching the parodies of Trump turning down things as well as others mocking the pie tweet. I should actually be telling the people I love how grateful I am for having them in my life. It appears we are all losers.
Today, a right wing group sent me a news alert. Apparently, this group things I share their point of view. The headline was that "Charlie Pride handles Whoopi Goldberg when she attempts to race-bait him." Well, I have never liked the View. The players change but it is basically 4 left-leaning women picking on 1 right-leaning woman. It has never been fair and there is always one woman who has the last and defining word. For the first two decades, it was Barbara Walters. Currently, the last and definitive word on The View is Whoopi. No matter what the issue being discussed, she is the expert and gets the last word. She mocks Trump (well, who doesn't) but then she also behaves like him. Regardless, this right wing group thinks she was schooled. I watched the UTube clip carefully. It did not happen. More fake news. Not so much fake, as it depends on your perspective.
Common sense again. Your perspective determines your reality. Here is more common sense. There is actual news happening in the world. The Pope is making a historic visit to Myammar as a peace ambassador. Reaching out and making connections. Just think of how positive the world could be if everyone did their part. Maybe we could all try spending some time with people we love and start spreading love. Spreading the message the love and gratitude should be what we all focus on.
I think Americans have forgotten about the spirit of Thanksgiving. It is my understanding that originally it was a holiday about two cultures getting together and celebrating fellowship, each of them contributing their own culture and being grateful for the celebration. Despite two different colours of skin, we can still break bread together. Instead of focusing on what divides, it is supposed to be a feast where we celebrate what brings us together, and it is not the pursuit of a big screen television.
Let us review what happened on the weekend. Trump spent the actual day of Thanksgiving engaged in a twitter war with an otherwise irrelevant stage mom known as Lavar Ball. Trump felt that he didn't get enough credit for getting some shoplifters out of China. A time of reflection and he is complaining that he is not getting enough gratitude.
Then, Trump apparently can not handle time alone with his family, so then he started another scandal saying that he was offered Time Person of the Year and he turned this down. I guess he thought no one would actually check the accuracy of the claim. I guess he honestly thinks that people believe his every word. I guess he honestly thinks he is not embarrassing himself. Also, he also claims that the now famous "ET tape" where he degrades women has been doctored and is now fake news. I guess he honestly thinks we have forgotten that over a year ago, he admitted and apologized for his comments as insensitive. Now, it is fake. As a Canadian, I don't think the average American really understands how this President actually is putting down all Americans. I guess he honestly think you are all stupid and have no memory.
And, then, poor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. She was the last of the Trump administration staff that has not had a scandal. Well, we now have PieGate. Sarah tweeted a picture of a pecan pie and made a claim that she made this well vacationing on her family farm. Immediately, the rest of twitter claims that this is fake because the pie looks too perfect, and that she couldn't have possibly made this pie. Some people have felt she was tweeting this to deflect attention away from POTUS and to take one for the team. That is ridiculous. Trump is a idiot and nothing will ever deflect attention from this.
But, what does it say about us as a society where we assume someone is lying and what does it say when a picture of a pie gets a "Gate" which is a reference to "Watergate". A picture of a pecan pie is the same importance as a scandal which brought down a Presidency. This is deeply troubling.
I obviously have never met Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but, here is what I think happened. Since becoming Press Secretary and succeeding Sean Spicey, she has done an adequate job despite everyone trying to scrutinize every word and trying to get a scandal. I think she was actually enjoying some down time with her family, which is what Thanksgiving is for. I think her tweet was supposed to be ironic and an example of the impossible high standards that are expected of her. I think she was trying to say that she was actually having a holidays surrounded by people she loved. She could have baked a pie, but, she could have enjoyed it with her family before she took a picture. Or her pie could have been so "imperfect" that she didn't want to tweet a picture of it for fear of being criticized for it being so "imperfect". I really think she was making a comment on the impossible dilemma she faces of being damned if she does and damned if she doesn't. Not that I feel too much sympathy for. After all, she does work for Trump.
Still, I am spending an awful lot of time watching the parodies of Trump turning down things as well as others mocking the pie tweet. I should actually be telling the people I love how grateful I am for having them in my life. It appears we are all losers.
Today, a right wing group sent me a news alert. Apparently, this group things I share their point of view. The headline was that "Charlie Pride handles Whoopi Goldberg when she attempts to race-bait him." Well, I have never liked the View. The players change but it is basically 4 left-leaning women picking on 1 right-leaning woman. It has never been fair and there is always one woman who has the last and defining word. For the first two decades, it was Barbara Walters. Currently, the last and definitive word on The View is Whoopi. No matter what the issue being discussed, she is the expert and gets the last word. She mocks Trump (well, who doesn't) but then she also behaves like him. Regardless, this right wing group thinks she was schooled. I watched the UTube clip carefully. It did not happen. More fake news. Not so much fake, as it depends on your perspective.
Common sense again. Your perspective determines your reality. Here is more common sense. There is actual news happening in the world. The Pope is making a historic visit to Myammar as a peace ambassador. Reaching out and making connections. Just think of how positive the world could be if everyone did their part. Maybe we could all try spending some time with people we love and start spreading love. Spreading the message the love and gratitude should be what we all focus on.
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