Category Archives: Nihilism

Hope.

Four little letters, yet together they represent the most powerful substance in the universe. Whether associated with Princess Leia or Samwise Gamgee or Gene Roddenberry, hope conjures up images of the impossible victory, the candle in the darkness, the moral arc of the universe finally snapping back to its correct path.

In recent years, the idea of hopeor, as Barack Obama once famously put it, the sheer audacity of hopehas taken on a more tangible form as a movement among storytellers. The term hopepunk was originally coined by fantasy author Alexandra Rowland to be the opposite of grimdark. As Rowland puts it:

Hopepunk says, No, I dont accept that. Go fuck yourself: The glass is half-full. YEAH, were all a messy mix of good and bad, flaws and virtues. Weve all been mean and petty and cruel, but (and heres the important part) weve also been soft and forgiving and KIND. Hopepunk says that kindness and softness doesnt equal weakness, and that in this world of brutal cynicism and nihilism, being kind is a political act. An act of rebellion.

A narrative beacon in a time of political and environmental chaos, hopepunk as a movement is equal parts dreamer and realist, the former holding onto the thought of a better tomorrow and the latter unafraid to get ones hands dirty in the process. In a time of resistance when the daily news feels like a dystopia fueled by chaos and disinformation, hope is indeed the most punk rock thing you can have.

Its important to note that hope isnt as simple as a happy ending. Its a sense of justice that is greater than a single characters romantic or business aspirations. In recent years, such a feeling has been seen in the best of science fiction and fantasy, from Annalee Newitzs The Future of Another Timeline to Mary Robinette Kowals Lady Astronaut series to Rowlands own A Conspiracy of Truths.

But can you find hope when the world has literally ended? The answer, it seems, is yesif you know where to look.

Throughout many traditional subgenres of science fiction and fantasy, hope is inherently woven into the elements of a narrative. In an epic tale of good versus evil, regardless of whether it takes place in space or a magical realm, the very existence of the proverbial good guys inspires hope, even if it starts with one person. Time travelers have a built-in mechanism to set things right. In cyberpunk, the goal is often to reset a beings or a societys humanity back after layers of technology have buried it.

Those examples find hope built into the narrative DNA of the subgenre. The timeline can be corrected, the empire can be overthrown, humanity can overcome machines. The apocalypse, though, presents a much different challenge: where does that hope exist? The apocalypse, whether it came via zombies or climate change or nuclear war, cant be reset. The dead cant be brought back to life. Water, infrastructure, and other resources cant return.

Except that isnt the end of the story. If it was, then the following books wouldnt exist. In each of these examples, the end of the world is the storys foundation. But while the desolate landscape may feel like its own character, each story has a heart much greater than any apocalypse.

In Sam J. Millers Nebula-nominated title, the pressures of the modern world have led to collapse, as climate change and economic warfare have led to a new world. From this emerges Qaanaaq, which symbolically merges these issues into a floating Arctic city. Despite living in post-apocalyptic conditions, the inhabitants of Qaanaaq have not relied upon grimdark violence to re-establish society as seen in so many other end-of-the-world scenarios. Instead, Blackfish City presents a living, breathing society that combines the simple pleasures of spectator sports and steaming noodles with the repeated horrors of economic inequality and deadly disease. In short, Qaanaaq represents a microcosm of the world at large as humanity pushes onexcept with an old woman leading a polar bear across the sea.

Emily St. John Mandels novel is recognized as a seminal work in post-apocalyptic fiction, something that stands apart from many of the ideas established by The Road or The Walking Dead. Yes, theres a pandemic, and yes theres danger on the road, but at the heart of it is a different type of survival. Station Elevens shifting narrative puts a spotlight on the survival of ideas rather than daily sustenance, acknowledging that art and music and stories are as vital to our civilization as infrastructure and technology. And by keeping the creative spirit alive, Station Eleven dares to challenge the reader to examine what exists outside of the general definitions of faith and communityand how the answer to that can keep humanity going.

The cover for The Book of M uses iconography familiar to fans of post-apocalyptic media: the lone vehicle traveling down a dark road. But in the end, Peng Shepherds debut novel pushes beyond tropes found in other post-apocalyptic fiction towards the establishment of a new society. In this realm where memories and shadows disappear and mere ideas can become magical reality, ultimately the building blocks of civilization lay in two separate but equally important pieces of the human experience: the stories we carry with us and the search for answers. Each of these feed into the other for an emotional chicken-egg cycle that allows humanity to step forward from the shadows of devastation.

The bond between humans and their pets often represent the best, most wholesome parts of our lives. Consider that social media and video streaming sites often feel filled with mudslinging and division, and yet, cute animal photos unite all of us. The unconditional love we give and receive with animals is universal, and yet heightened even more so in C.A. Fletchers tale of the apocalypse. In this book, a young boy named Griz traverses the post-apocalyptic landscape following The Gelding, an event that leaves only thousands in the world. Griz sets out on a simple quest: to find his dog.

Through his journey, Griz encounters both humans and people, some helpful and some harmful. Things get messy of course, and the plot twists and turns, though the bond between Griz and his dog remains the foundation of the story. Through it all, Griz maintains his humanity by refusing to let the desolation and violence pull him down. Holding onto hope in our world is hard enough, but maintaining that humanity in the face of nothing sometimes needs a guiding lighteven one with four legs and a wagging tail.

If Station Eleven dove into how live theatre could carry on the human spirit, Sarah Pinskers book gives that a punk-rock boot to the face. Rather than a single decimating event for humanity, Pinker portrays a world on edge with death coming from multiple sources: powerful viruses, climate change, terrorist attacks, and more. These threats take a mirror image of our own world and, to quote Spinal Tap, turn it up to 11. The public response to this is an authoritarian rule, where public gatherings are illegal and homogenized entertainment rules the day.

This repression leads to two very different points of view: dynamic performer Luce and corporate employee Rosemary. As their stories begin to intertwine (along with some cool worldbuilding for transforming the live music experience), this dangerous world details the risks of suppressing the artistic spirit. As Luce begins to perform illegal concerts, Pinsker deftly illustrates a key point: art, hope, and rebellion often overlap, making each an indomitable part of the human spirit.

Hope is only human.

Despite the devastation in these examples, hope is found simply by existing and engaging in the things that make us human: relationships, art, and community. This all boils down to a common thread through each of these examplesin each story, humans adapt rather than give up.

In fact, that core trait is more than just a narrative tool, its a scientific theory called variability selection. Our brains are essentially social brains, paleoanthropologist Rick Potts told Scientific American in 2013. The originator of the term, Potts spoke about how humans may be the most adaptive species in earths history. We share information, we create and pass on knowledge. Thats the means by which humans are able to adjust to new situations, and its what differentiates humans from our earlier ancestors, and our earlier ancestors from primates.

Resiliency, adaptability, making the best out of situations even in the face of widespread destructionthats not just the way to survive after the apocalypse, but to thrive when everything else has gone. Should the world end (hopefully only a fictional one), then theres still a reason to be optimistic that the survivors wont always be murdering each other over resources, despite numerous stories portraying this.

Our wiring is a little better than that.

We change. We adapt. And we find a way to overcome. Fiction offers a mirror to humanity, and by creating the most extreme and hopeless circumstances with end-of-the-world stories, it becomes clear that hope will always win. Because, as it turns out, hope is an inherently human thing.

And in times like these, where headlines can feel more dystopic than post-apocalyptic fiction, hope might be the most powerful thing in the world.

Originally published in January 2020.

When hes not writing about sci-fi for Tor, The Mary Sue, StarTrek dot com, and other geek media, Mike Chen writes sci-fi books. His second novel A Beginning At The End (January 14, 2020, MIRA/HarperCollins) is an intimate post-apocalyptic story with heart, hope, and humanity (Publishers Weekly). Visit his website or follow him on Twitter for geekery discussion, dog photos, and many curse words. Visit him on twitter and on his website.

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Five Books About Finding Hope at the End of the World - tor.com

The horror genre thrived in the darker, grittier "New Hollywood" of the 1970s, with hits like Alien. But not every scary movie was a cinematic gold.

The 1970s brought some of the greatest horror movies of all time. As the New Hollywood movement took over the industry, movies in general were becoming darker and grittier, with a rebellious, staunchly anti-establishment point of view. It didnt take long for this nihilism to bleed into the horror genre.

RELATED:The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) '70s Action Movies

George A. Romero solidified his creation of the zombie genre with Dawn of the Dead, Richard Donner gave a face and name to the Antichrist in The Omen, and Brian De Palma terrified moviegoers with his big-screen adaptation of Stephen Kings debut novel Carrie. So, here are the five best and five worst horror movies from the 70s.

When Ridley Scott was hired to direct Alien, he couldve easily phoned in a schlocky, half-baked haunted house movie set in space, designed to cash in on the sci-fi craze that followed the success of Star Wars. But Scott went above and beyond with a perfectly paced Hitchcockian thriller that slowly builds to a terrifying midpoint twist, then holds that intense atmosphere for the rest of the movie.

Sigourney Weavers portrayal of Ellen Ripley revolutionized the female action hero, while H.R. Gigers haunting designs beautifully distorted the familiar human form.

As with any sequel that no one involved in the making of the original was interested in doing, Exorcist II: The Heretic is a pretty obvious cash-grab with nothing inventive or fresh to add to the story.

William Friedkin and William Peter Blatty managed to dodge this bullet, but cast members like Linda Blair and Max von Sydow were sadly dragged back into the proceedings.

Slashers follow a pretty rigid story structure, and John Carpenters Halloween perfected that structure. Usually, movies that created clichs (from Lethal Weapon to National Lampoons Vacation) dont age well because they seem clichd in hindsight.

RELATED:The Night He Came Home: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Halloween (1978)

But Halloween is just as terrifying today as it was in 1978. Carpenter reveals just enough about Michael Myers to make him an intriguing and somewhat sympathetic character, without revealing so much that he ceases to be a chilling on-screen presence.

Marketed as if it was an actual snuff film, Snuff follows a cult leaders obsession with an actress to ludicrous lengths. This is low-budget splatter cinema at its absolute worst.

This movies main notable accomplishment is popularizing urban legends about snuff films, but thats hardly a noble artistic achievement.

The franchise that spawned from Tobe Hoopers The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has been defined by its excessive gore, but the original is surprisingly bloodless. Instead of relying on bloodshed for scares, Hoopers film expertly uses tension and less-is-more cinematography to create an overriding sense of dread.

All kinds of symbolism has been read into The Texas Chain Saw Massacres deceptively simplistic storytelling. Its been perceived as everything from a discussion of violence against women to an allegory for animal rights.

Richard Donners The Omen wasnt just a series of jump scares playing on religious imagery and revolving around an evil little boy. It was smarter and more thoughtful than that. Its sequel, on the other hand, doesnt have that layer of complexity to elevate it above cheap, shock-driven horror.

Donner didnt return to helm the second filmas he was busy shooting Superman: The Movie, and his signature directorial flair is sorely missed.

Dario Argentos Suspiria is one of the cornerstones of the horror genre. Its use of unsettling imagery to dive into the darkest abyss of the human psyche is a prime example of what makes this genre so uniquely challenging.

Moviegoers flock to horror films to be unnerved and drawn to the edge of their seats, and Argento nailed this kind of instinctive audience reaction with the chilling genius of Suspiria.

The great thing about 70s horror cinema is that it was so unabashedly weird. The Bat People squanders an absurd premise about a honeymooning scientist being turned into a bloodthirsty maniac by a mutant bat with a movie thats so bad that it was covered by Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Theres so much potential in its drive-in B-movie premise, but director Jerry Jameson lets it down with a painfully slow pace. The movie never really takes flight.

Steven Spielbergs Jaws changed the film industry forever. It created the summer blockbuster. Its the reason why Hollywood studios cram a ton of high-concept crowd-pleasers into multiplexes over the summer season.

RELATED:Jaws: 10 Things That Made The Original Great (That The Sequels Missed)

With its everyman protagonist Chief Brody, pitch-perfect story structure, iconic suspense-building score by John Williams, and Hitchcockian restraint in depicting the shark, Jaws is a virtually unparalleled masterpiece of horror cinema.

Although it touts a brilliant poster tagline and its easily the best of the Jaws sequels, Jaws 2 is not a good movie. Following the impeccable craft and searing social commentary of the original,the sequel was depressingly shallow.

Steven Spielbergs idea for a Jaws follow-up was a prequel telling the story of the shark-infested U.S.S. Indianapolis shipwreck that Quint told in the first movie. This wouldve been a lot more interesting than what we got, which follows the grand sequel tradition of shamelessly rehashing the original with diminishing returns.

NEXT:The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) '90s Horror Movies

Next 10 Most Bizarre Star Trek Episodes Of All Time, Ranked

Ben Sherlock is a writer, filmmaker, and comedian. In addition to writing for Screen Rant and CBR, covering a wide range of topics from Spider-Man to Scorsese, Ben directs independent films and takes to the stage with his standup material. He's currently in pre-production on his feature directorial debut (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema and BabbleTop.

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The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) '70s Horror Movies | ScreenRant - Screen Rant

In his first Inaugural Address, and hopefully his last, Donald Trump talked about American carnage. He got it last week. What we couldnt have known in January 2017 is that he wasnt here to save us from this carnage, but to perpetuate it; that incitement wasnt just a feature of his campaign, but of his governance. When historians look back at the Trump era, they may very well say his presidency was encapsulated by this moment, when a sadistic cop knelt on the neck of an African-American man in plain view for almost nine minutes and the streets exploded in rage.

Derek Chauvin was by no means the first cop to gratuitously brutalise and lynch an African-American. But he embodied something essential about Trumpism: Its us versus them. Thats the poison ethos at the heart of police brutality, and its the septic core of our 45th presidents philosophy. Neither a toxic cop nor Donald Trump sees himself as a servant of all the people theyve sworn to protect. They are solely servants of their own. Everyone else is the enemy.

From the beginning, the police has received a lot of perverse messages from Trump, encouraging them to embrace the bitter angels of their nature. Three summers ago, he gave a speech on Long Island, disparaging officers who cradled the heads of suspects as they tucked them into their squad cars: You can take the hand away, OK? (A bank of cops, seated behind him, started to laugh and cheer.)

File image of Donald Trump. AP

One of Trumps most revealing tweets since the rioting began was a boast about the prowess of the Secret Service and to threaten to sic the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons on the crowds outside the White House if things intensified. Hes Bull Connor with a comb-over. Or Walter E Headley, Miamis former police chief, who in 1967 said, When the looting starts, the shooting starts, a phrase that reappeared in a Trump tweet on Friday.

And this is the point, is it not? Trump, who made his political bones by peddling apocrypha about our first African-American presidents country of origin, thrives on racial divisions. Us-them. Conflict zones are his comfort zone, perfect for firing up his base.

But the pressures of this historic moment proved to be too much. We cant see the African-Americans who are dying in disproportionate numbers inside our hospitals, but we can see George Floyd, an African-American, cruelly singled out for asphyxiation in the street. His death in police custody is a potent symbol of the obscene inequality and racial hostility of this moment, with the police officer as Trumps smirking and pitiless proxy. African Americans and many whites, too were so enraged that they poured out into the streets to protest, even in the midst of a pandemic, even though African Americans are most at risk in this pandemic.

A month from now, its quite likely many will end up in hospitals, once again in disproportionate numbers. Its too awful to contemplate.

And once again, theres a leadership vacuum in response to the chaos, just as there is with COVID-19. Its every state for itself, with Trump trolling the most liberal leaders for their supposed failures to contain the unrest.

How these protests devolved into violence across the country will be the subject of analysis for years to come. For now, what has riveted me is that somehow, in spite of the dystopian horror unfolding in front of us, in spite of execrable responses from some of the largest police forces in the country (including New York Citys), were nonetheless hearing talk of America as a perfectible place of the arc still bending. Its been more than three years since weve heard that tune.

Yet there was Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, issuing a wee-hours statement that asked Americans not to ignore their pain, but to use it to compel our nation across this turbulent threshold into the next phase of progress, inclusion, and opportunity.

There was Killer Mike, the rapper from Atlanta, reminding his fellow citizens, Atlantas not perfect, but were a lot better than we ever were, and a lot better than cities are.

Conservatives will focus on the pleas for law and order in their messages. But what I hear is a repudiation of Trumpian nihilism a rejection of the tyranny of the perpetual anxious present that Masha Gessen describes in her forthcoming book Surviving Autocracy. Theyre instead speaking with what Gessen calls moral ambition, inviting fellow citizens to build a more expansive country, rather than an us-versus-them one. Their messages werent, Dont destroy your community, so much as, Theres a still community left for you to join. Come and make it better.

And so, along with terrifying imagery of fire and fury, we also saw images over the weekend of police officers and protesters marching together. The bonds were sometimes fragile, only to later disappear. But they happened. In Flint, Michigan. In Camden, New Jersey. In Coral Gables, Florida. In Santa Clara, California. In Ferguson, Missouri. In Kansas City, Missouri, where two cops, one White, held aloft a sign saying End Police Brutality.

Or listen to the chief of police in Atlanta, Erika Shields, tell an anxious protester, I hear you. When Trump met with those whod lost loved ones in the Parkland shooting, he needed an empathy cheat sheet that contained those very words; it was item No 5. For her, they simply spilled out, as naturally as rain.

Jennifer Seniorc.2020 The New York Times Company

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Us versus them: It's the poison ethos at the heart of police brutality in America and Donald Trump's... - Firstpost

Several things happened in the year 2000. We made it to January 1 without the fears of the Y2K bug being realized. The Millennial generation was filling up college campuses. And Tom Brokaw published a book called The Greatest Generation. He described the Builder generation who fought World War II, survived the Great Depression, and sacrificed greatly to build America. You could say the Builders made America great back then.

They also gave us the biggest generation in U.S. history following World War II, until the Millennials came along later. The Baby Boomers were named for their population boom: from 1946-1964, some 77 million Boomers were born, making up 40 percent of the U.S. population at one point.

This is the second of six articles on generations. For this one, I want to give credit to one of those Builders who influenced countless people. Elmer Towns was an early hero to me, and a friend of decades. Elmer has written over 140 books, which basically means he has no unpublished thought!

Elmer Towns and the Five B's of the Boomers

I remember attending the first of what we might consider a church growth seminar taught by Towns called How to Reach the Baby Boomer. I was a very young GenXer learning how to reach the then-young Boomers!

I believe it's still the best-selling church growth seminar of all time. Towns described things that shaped the Boomer generation in terms of the five B's. I want to walk you through these to think about Boomers.

First, Towns spoke of bucks. The Boom refers to its size, but this generation also experienced an incredible increase in wealth in one generation. Some Baby Boomers had parents who grew up without electricity or with dirt floors in their homes.

But Boomers parents, the Builders, were determined to give their children a better and more prosperous life than they had. This was when America came into the fullness of its economic promise. Sadly, the remarkable economic wealth led many Boomers to embrace the consumerism-driven prosperity gospel.

Next was the bomb. Sometimes, it's easy for us to forget that there was a certain nihilism that arose in the 1960s and 1970s. The Cold War was a real and present danger in the minds of many. There was this idea that at any moment on any day somebody could set off a global thermonuclear war and we'd all die.

Today, students have drills to know what to do if an active shooter came on campus. Boomers performed civil defense drills in case a nuclear bomb came to their town.

Generation of Revolution

The angst around the Cold War helped ignite a sexual revolution, helped by Towns' third point: birth control. This is more important than most people think. When a couple had sex before the birth control pill, babies were a normal result.

All of the sudden, sex could be freed from the reality of childbearing. This revolutionized sexual practice, and not in a biblical direction. Some sociologists think the birth control was the most important technological innovation of the last millennia.

It changed women's roles in the home in many ways. It changed people's perception of sexuality. It created a pathway to sexual practice that before was not there which led to new levels of promiscuity. Baby Boomers changed sexual mores of the nation.

Following this revolution, Towns recognized the book. It was not the Bible it was Dr. Benjamin Spock's book Baby and Child Care. Dr. Spock taught people permissive parenting. This marked a radical departure from previous generations. Revolutionary changes came in views of morality in the 1960s; authority figures like Dr. Spock gave credibility to some of the more permissive ideas cutting against the grain of previous generations.

The fifth one may sound odd today, but it was a common term in the past. Google it and see for yourself. The final mark Towns gave was the boob tube, or the television. It came from the fact that TV sets originally used cathode tubes, and critics called the millions suddenly glued to it "boobs" (aka idiots). Of course, this was before people binge watched Netflix.

Back then, a television remote control meant sitting close to the television. If you were really good, you could turn the knob to change channels with your foot.

But there wasn't one knob. There were two. There were three channels on the top knob like ABC and NBC. The bottom knob had the letter U. You could get PBS and maybe others depending upon the weather and how the antenna was working that day.

The television influenced Boomers the way computers did Gen X, the Internet impacted Millennials, and the iPhone affects Gen Z youth, who depend upon their smartphones about as much as oxygen.

There's something I want to add about Boomers. The Boomer experience was overwhelmingly enjoyed by white Americans. Many of the opportunities afforded white Boomers was not shared with people of color. Various ethnicities were also underrepresented on television shows or movies in that era.

Boomers and Church Innovation

Still, the Boomers came in the early stages of a technological and innovation revolution, which also influenced the church. Boomer pastors and ministry leaders brought a revolution of entrepreneurial evangelicalism starting in the 1980s.

If the church you attend worships like a Calvary Chapel and is led like a Saddleback, that relates to things that happened with the Boomers in the 1980s. Boomers shifted the church culture and practice in substantial ways, from megachurches to multisite, from contemporary worship forms to new ideas about global missions. Their entrepreneurial spirit paved the way for other approaches in church life as I will note in coming articles.

Next, we will talk about Gen X.

Ed Stetzer holds the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College, is executive director of the Billy Graham Center, and publishes church leadership resources through Mission Group. The Exchange Team contributed to this article.

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Understanding, Engaging, and Deploying the Generations, Part 2: The Baby Boomers | The Exchange | A Blog by Ed Stetzer - ChristianityToday.com

As a reader and supporter of Evolution News, you must have noticed the same thing I have. Its an ominous sight to observe the two waves approaching each other. On one side is an intensifying drive to police social media, where countless people get most of their information. On the other are biologists who (according to a Darwinist scientist!) spend a fifth of their time fretting about how to combat intelligent design, as we reported here the other day.

One prominent scientific journal, BioEssays, has already brought the waves together. They have called for Internet censorship of intelligent design, identifying Discovery Institute by name as being in need of special attention by the censors. If giants like Facebook and Twitter dont follow through on the threat, then says biologist Dave Speijer, the government should Make them. Its only because we are changing how people think about life and its origins thanks to you! that we have attracted this malice.

Dont doubt that their idea has a bright future with what journalist John Zmirak calls Darwins Inquisition. Nobody Expects the Darwinist Inquisition, as Zmirak says in a headline at The Stream, a wry homage to a famous line from a Monty Python sketch. Well, I expect it! He cites the BioEssays article that takes aim at Discovery Institute and its Center for Science & Culture:

Theyre drilling down to essential matters, to the fundamental divide of basic worldviews. That is, the yawning chasm between Darwinian nihilism, and a universe designed and replete with meaning.

Zmirak adds that ideology isnt all that motivates the would-be Internet police: Its the classic will to dominate, to bully and rule your neighbor.

As editor of Evolution News, I appeal to you to join us in resisting these moves. A universe designed and replete with meaning is a vision that strict Darwinists cant stand. They will do what they can to suppress it. The fact that a designed universe is supported by responsible science, as we make clear here every day for our growing audience, is what really drives them to the edge.

Every indication suggests that before long, they will take action against those who argue in public for design in life and in the cosmos. Please consider donating now to the Center for Science & Culture and its campaign for Evolution News and for freedom of speech. Theyve already come for the professors. Next theyll come for us. Expect it.

Image credit: Francisco de Goya, Escena de Inquisicin, via Wikimedia Commons.

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Nobody Expects the Darwinist Inquisition? I Do - Discovery Institute

Theres not going to be any desire on the Republican side to bail out state pensions by borrowing money from future generations, McConnell was quoted telling conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

The effort to so clearly and ostentatiously turn a national tragedy into yet another partisan issue was met with an immediate and sharp backlash. Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York pointed out that states like Kentucky, which McConnell represents, take in far more federal spending than they return in taxes the opposite of states like New York, which pays more in taxes to the federal government than it receives. But in a plea for decency, Cuomo said, "If there was ever a time for humanity . . . and a time to stop your obsessive political bias and anger, now is the time.

But were talking about Mitch McConnell. This is the man who mobilized his Republican caucus to prevent witnesses from being called in President Trumps impeachment trial; who rammed through, on a partisan vote, Brett Kavanaughs ascendancy to the Supreme Court; and who has shut down the Senate from crucial business except for the confirmation of conservative federal judges. He also strongly resisted efforts to expose Russias interference in the 2016 election on behalf of Trump. I have little doubt he did so because such exposure would have undermined Trumps White House bid and, in turn, possibly eroded McConnells Senate majority.

And if we want to go further back, this is the same senator who in 2009 and 2010 did exactly what hes doing now. In the midst of the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression, he used his 41-seat Senate minority to shoot down virtually every effort to pass stimulus measures that would have lessened the toll, because prolonging the countrys economic pain was in the political interests of the Republican Party.

Were seeing a variation of such political nihilism now.

There are lots of theories on why McConnell is resisting money for state and local governments now. Hes trying to cripple Democratic state governments by forcing them to cut basic services, goes one argument. Declaring bankruptcy might force states to default on their pension obligations, which would cripple public-sector unions (which strongly support Democratic candidates).

As President Trump hinted at Tuesday, when he said that payments to states would be contingent on the removal of laws creating sanctuary cities, perhaps McConnell is using the desperate fiscal situation as leverage. Indeed, his new-found focus on granting liability protection to businesses that force employees back to work and his concession earlier this week that state and local funds will probably be included in the next stimulus package suggests that might be what hes thinking.

But with McConnell, the best explanation for his behavior usually comes back to politics. As I wrote last year, For McConnell, politics is fundamentally about accruing political power for the sole purpose of accruing more political power.

Sure, squeezing Democratic states will boomerang against red states too. Not only will it make the economic downturn worse, which would further undercut Trumps reelection chances, but it will hurt red-state governors in Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Ohio too.

But from McConnells perspective, it will have the useful political effect of making the coronavirus pandemic a partisan issue. Already, Republicans have portrayed COVID-19 as a problem that is afflicting blue states more than red ones. Why should the country suffer because of New York City? one insidious line of argument goes. Blue state governors in swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin are enduring the brunt of partisan attacks for their tough line on strict social distancing rules. Why not up the ante?

The specifics of the bailouts matter less than the opportunity to find political advantage and activate Republican animosity toward liberals. Sure, if you can undercut public sector unions or maybe squeeze out some legal protections for Republican donors, all the better.

Its a troubling conclusion, but its also one that those who look closely at McConnells career generally arrive at. As Jane Mayer wrote in a recent profile of McConnell for The New Yorker, For months, I searched for the larger principles or sense of purpose that animates McConnell. . . . Finally, someone who knows him very well told me, 'Give up. You can look and look for something more in him, but it isnt there. I wish I could tell you that there is some secret thing that he really believes in, but he doesnt.

Politics has long been the only motivating factor for McConnell: the explanation for everything that he has done over the past several decades to undercut democracy and enable an authoritarian president, dangerously unqualified for the awesome power he wields.

Why should a deadly pandemic and an economic catastrophe be any different?

Michael A. Cohens column appears regularly in the Globe. Follow him on Twitter @speechboy71.

Originally posted here:

The nihilism of Mitch McConnell - The Boston Globe

When I decided to major in English, my parents thought I might use this highly versatile degree to pursue law or medicine. Little did they know that Id end up applying that (much too) expensive education to analyzing a television show about a drunken, sociopathic mad scientist with a flying space car. Rick and Morty, created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, is pretty much an instant cult classic. Kayla Cobb calls it a never-ending fart joke wrapped around a studied look into nihilism, and personally I think she hits the nail on the head with that description. There are probably a thousand different philosophical lenses through which you could study this show and never get bored. And probably someone who is better versed in philosophy should do just that (because yes please!)

The best I can do is follow my own laymans curiosity down the rabbit hole. What exactly is it about this shows gleeful nihilism that appeals to so many fans, the vast majority of which would not consider themselves nihilists in any sense of the word? The draw of the show is strong for Millennials in particular, which is odd, since were the ones who obsess over Queer Eyes unbridled optimism, Marie Kondos blissful joy, and Steven Universes wide-eyed hopefulness in equal measure. In a society enamored by the concept of self (self-care, self-responsibility, self-love), what is so fascinating about a fantasy world that revolves around the destruction of any sense of individual importance? As Morty so succinctly tells his sister, Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybodys gonna dieCome watch TV.

Rick Sanchez, the aforementioned mad scientist, is the lynchpin of the show in that all of the zany plots and fart jokes are his doing, directly or indirectly. Rick is an anarchist of the highest degree, vocally disgusted by any sort of rules or law, including those of decency and familial obligation. So I think its fair that a dive into the shows nihilistic philosophy should center on him. Im sure he wouldnt have it any other way.

In Rick theres no doubt an element of the (toxic) masculine archetype: Tortured Genius Who Is Lonely and Doesnt Care Because Feelings Are Overrated. Hes a character of frustrating paradoxes. Every act of debauchery or callousness is tempered by a glimpse of grudging generosity or heroism. He relentlessly mocks his grandchildren, using every possible opportunity to convince them how little they matter to him, but anytime someone else tries to take advantage of Morty or Summer, hes quick to avenge. In season one, after a chaotic nightmare of an adventure, Morty leads Rick on an ill-fated quest, determined to prove that adventures should be simple and fun. Mortys fantastical adventure takes a nightmarish turn when hes assaulted in a bathroom by an alien named Mr. Jellybean. Traumatized, Morty is ready to bail, but Rick, clearly intuiting whats happened, helps Morty to bring their adventure to a satisfying conclusionand then hops back through the portal to execute the alien pervert, for good measure.

In a later episode, Summer starts her first job in a shop run by Mr. Needful, aka the actual Devil (voiced by Alfred Molina) selling cursed artifactsyou know, typical high school job. Jealous of his granddaughters admiration for Mr. Needful, though he refuses to admit it, Rick starts a successful campaign to run the shop out of business, much to Summers dismay. But when the Devil pulls a Zuckerberg and screws Summer out of her share of the business empire she helped him build from the ground up, Rick joins her in a plot to get ripped and beat the shit out of her former boss during a TED Talk. Sweet revenge.

In Auto Erotic Assimilation, which is arguably one of the most emotionally fraught episodes of the series, Ricks oscillating character arc reveals a poignant, unexpected moment of the ordinary humanity he despises so much. After a run-in with an ex, a hive mind named Unity (voiced mainly by Christina Hendrix) who has plans to assimilate the entire universe, Rick goes on a debauched, sex- and drug-fueled bender that eventually causes Unitys control over the planet to falter. When Morty and Summer express concern, Rick dismisses them out of hand, explaining to Unity, Theyre no different from any of the aimless chumps that you occupy. They just put you at the center of their lives because youre powerful, and then because they put you there, they expect you to be less powerful.

Rick remains oblivious to the full impact of his words (His next order of business is: Im not looking for judgement, just a yes or no: Can you assimilate a giraffe?), but shortly thereafter Unity dumps him, leaving behind a series of breakup notes telling Rick that its too easy for Unity to lose itself in him, because in a strange way, youre better at what I do without even trying.

Rick pretends to be nonchalant and indifferent, but that night he attempts suicide with a death ray that only narrowly misses the mark. It is without doubt one of the darkest momentsif not the darkest momentof the series thus far, and in my opinion lays bare the crux of Ricks character. With infinite intelligence comes an infinite loneliness that makes you wonder if his borderline sociopathy is cause or effect. Maybe a little of both. The show certainly gives no clear answer.

In fact, if anything, the writers spend a great deal of time building up the trope of the lonely genius, only to poke fun at it every chance they get. In the season three premiere, we get a look into Ricks tragic and somewhat clich backstory, in which a young Rick is visited by an alternate version of himself and doesnt like the lonely, narcissistic future he sees. He announces to his wife that hes giving up science, only for the alternate Rick to toss a bomb through the portal, destroying both his wife and young daughter. After losing his family, Rick throws himself back into science and discovers interdimensional travel. Its another moment of humanity for the otherwise emotionally inscrutable Rick. Or it would be, except that its a totally fabricated origin story that Rick uses to trick Galactic Federation agent Cornvelious Daniel (voiced by Nathan Fillion) and escape the Series 9000 Brainalyzer in which he is imprisoned.

Theres never any solid footing when it comes to Rick Sanchez. Hes impossible to pin down. As Morty tells his sister, Hes not a villain, Summer, but he shouldnt be your hero. Hes more like a demon. Or a super fucked-up god. The show repeatedly suggests that we shouldnt admire Rick, but also constantly undermines itself with evidence to the contraryhe always comes out on top, hes always one step ahead, he always manages to protect his family (except for that one time he and Morty transformed the earth into a Cronenberg-style hellscape and then bailed into a new reality, but alls well that ends well, I suppose).

Screenshot: Cartoon Network

Ricks character is distinctly problematic, which is really a nicely academic way of saying that hes a piece of shit and if he somehow existed in real life I would hate him on principle. But in the fictional world he inhabits, hes a reflection of the darkest part of the human psyche. A safe, harmless way to embrace the shadowy corners of our minds that we otherwise avoid. We can find escapism in the romanticizing of life, the universe, and everything (through shows like Queer Eye or Steven Universe, for example) or in the oppositein the offhand dismissal of all we hold to be true and right. Im no psychologist, but I do think theres an element of cognitive dissonance that is key to our survival, if not as a species then as individuals. We need to be able to lose ourselves in nihilistic shows about demons and super fucked-up gods on occasion without losing who we are or what we believe in.

No disrespect to Nietzsche and his bros, but IRL we truly care about friends and family and cat videos and injustice and global warming. We have to. Its what makes us human, and I wouldnt have it any other way. There are many who would argue that all the fiction we consume must reflect the values we aspire to in our everyday lives, lest we lose sight of our own morality, and I get that. I really do. I try my best to support media that supports a better world, but Im not going to pretend to be a hero, here. As Rick proves time and time again, the universe is a chaotic and crazy place, and sometimes I need a break from the fraught emotional tangle of reality. And for that, I find my escape in shows like Rick and Morty, which are complex enough to analyze for layers of meaning, to study the problematic tropes that get dismantled and the ones that get reinforced. But its also fun and simple enough to kick back with an adult beverage, too much pizza, and just not think about it. Its less of a guilty pleasure and more of a release valve. Watching a show that cares about nothing is a way to siphon off the pressure of caring so damn much about everything.

And at the root of it all, I think its that pure escapism that attracts us most to Rick and Morty and their misadventures (aside from clever writing, complex emotional payoffs, and a character literally named Mr. Poopy Butthole, but I digress). The characters inhabit infinite realities where actions have virtually no consequences. Accidentally ruin this world? No problem. All you have to do is find a new reality, bury your own corpse, and youre back in business. Easy peasy.

I will gladly lose myself (and my clutter) in Maries joyful world, and I love to eat candy and dream big with Steven and the Gems. But some days require an escapism of a different caliber. We are burdened with the not-so-glorious purpose of surviving in a world where even an errant tweet can bear the most devastating of fruit, where assholes who think theyre smarter than everyone else are just assholes (no genius involved), where once we destroy the planet with global warming, there is no portal gun we can use to hop neatly into a new reality.

Rick and Morty doesnt give a shit about Twitter, or feelings, or this universe, or anything at all. And while youre watching it, you dont have to either. Sometimes thats exactly what you need, at least until the next season of Queer Eye drops.

Originally published in August 2019.

Destiny Soria lives and works in the shadow of the mighty Vulcan statue in Birmingham, Alabama. Destinys first book, Iron Cast, was published in 2016 to critical acclaim. Her second, Beneath the Citadel, is available now.

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Rick and Morty and Nihilism: Embracing a Show That Cares About Nothing - tor.com

By Jim Miller

The lunacy just keeps coming with the Presidents corporate-funded brown shirts staging armed astroturf protests in Michigan and unarmed displays of batshit crazy elsewhere across the country, angrily agitating for an end to state governments oppressive attempts to keep more people from dying. Doug Porter ably outlined some of the key aspects of these festivals of hysteria and hate last week in his blog , [Ed.: here on the OB Rag as well] but I think what we are seeing is a phenomenon that is both a transparent bit of obscene political theatre and a manifestation of a much deeper pathology.

Back in the beginning of 2018, I observed in this space that the previous year had been a time of generalized rage, as Noam Chomsky aptly puts it. For Chomsky, the collapse of belief in American institutions of all sorts has produced a nihilistic disillusionment that has led to a generalized rage that effectively erodes all the bonds of solidarity that hold society together because this kind of unfocused, flailing anger is deeply corrosive, not just towards social and political institutions, but on human empathy itself. The end result of this is a politics in the service of an ugly society driven only by the principle of selfishness.

I argued then that what we were seeing was generalized rage not only as a campaign tactic but as a governing strategy. Its not just about dividing and conquering in the service of oligarchy anymore as I wrote at the time:

[O]nce unleashed, the generalized rage now at play in the country transcends the economic. In our fundamentally alienated, radically atomized social sphere where unseen trolls lurk and molest online and in other realms in the dark forest of our social Id, anything is possible. In the universe of mean Tweets where real people recede and become targets like those in a violent video game, its easy to go for the kill.

I observed that a culture driven by this emotion had the ethics of the Vegas shooter, Because when your operating principle is generalized rage, there are no limits, nobody to tell you what to do or who to care about. There is nothing at your core. And thats the way it feels now, but not just when you see wingnuts with guns demanding haircuts on TV.

I see the same kind of pathologically radicalized individualism when I walk by the newly opened golf course near my house in my mask in the midst of a pandemic and see middle aged white guys, unmasked, shaking hands and high-fiving while the security guy sits on his cart and stares at his phone. And Im sure that the twenty-some pairs of golfers (yes I counted as I walked by) that I saw blatantly ignoring social distancing rules were all married or roommates too, just like the crew of 30-somethings in the giant house party next door to my home as I write this column on Friday afternoon.

Then theres the mayor of San Diego who can look at pictures of big crowds at the beaches clearly ignoring the health guidelines and cheer, Stay classy, San Diego. Of course, that ridiculous statement was in the service of pushing to hastily re-open the city to start up the economy so we can return to normala world where hyper-consumerist values rule and our immediate gratification is what matters most, no matter the social, economic, or environmental costs.

Its true that, if you believe the polls, most of us still want to do the right thing and follow the health guidelines to prevent a huge second surge of disease and death with the subsequent, even worse economic carnage it will cause. But there is a large swath of Americans across the country and right here in classy San Diego who will do whatever the fuck they want to even if that means killing more people and further gutting the economic engine they kneel and pray tojust because they feel like it.

Because, you know, freedom.

And that kind of selfishness may not always be driven by rage, but it still reveals a blank nihilism that only people who are beyond alienation can manifest so clearly.

This easy American life knows no pity.

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'Stay Classy San Diego' and Other Sordid Tales of the Pandemic - OB Rag

The MCU showed the world thedestructive might of the Infinity Stones, but what could that power be used to create in those same hands? In 1991, Marvel's TheInfinity Gauntletfollows The Mad Titan, Thanos, as he wields the most powerful weapon in the universe. Drunk with power and jaded in love, Thanos creates his vision of the perfect companion: Terraxia the Terrible!

Since hiscreation by Jim Starlin in 1973, Thanos has often been portrayed as a cold, unfeeling megalomaniac. But not without some sympathy, sinceThanos has been outcast his entire life, due to his appearance and his obsession with morbidity and nihilism. Only one being in the whole universe shows him any affection: the avatar of death incarnate,Mistress Death. She sees his potential to deliver her an unprecedented number of souls, and begins manipulating him from his earliest years as a child on Titan. Thanos relentlessly pursues herapproval by decimating Titan's population in a nuclear holocaust, going on a killing spree across the universe, and even going as far as slaughtering his own child. Death is unimpressed by his efforts, as her hunger can never truly be sated.

Related:Thanos Originally Looked Like DC's [SPOILER], Not Darkseid

Afterhis death at the hands of Adam Warlock, Thanos is resurrected by Lady Death for the sole purpose of ending half of all life in the universe. Thanos tricks her into helping him gather the Infinity Stones to aid him in his task, and thereby surpassed even the cosmic entity of Death in his power. Scorned, Death continues to spurn his amorous pursuits, refusing to utter a single word or even acknowledge his presence. Despite Death's cold shoulder, Thanos snaps away half of all life in the universe. Still, Death is unmoved. Thanos, furious and desperate, realizes that no matter his efforts, he will never earn that which he seeks. But he is a god, and will not be denied his quarry. If he can't earn love, then he will create it. To this end, he blinks into existence a "perfect" woman in the form of Terraxia.

Terraxia looks less like an ideal lover for Thanos than his sister. She shares his purple skin, black eyes, and is dressed in a female tailored replica of Thanos's uniform, right down to the gauntlets and horned head piece. It makes sense for an egomaniac such as Thanos to envision the perfect woman as simply an extension of himself who lives only to please him. Even while Terraxia is clinging to Thanos's leg like a harem girl, Thanos is attempting to impress Death with his exploits. As the massive army of Marvel superheroes approach, Thanos knows he must seize this final opportunity to win over his true love. Realizing that there is no bravery in absolute power, Thanos temporarily severs his connection to the Mind, Soul, Time, Space, and Reality Gems, leaving only the Power Stone at his disposal.

Thanos and Terraxia face down the gathered forces side by side, and for a brief moment, it seems as though Thanos is proud of the viciousness with which Terraxia tears through their foes, having decapitated Iron Man and crushed Spider-Man's skull with a rock. But at the climax of The Infinity Gauntlet, when they are banished to the void of space, Thanos quickly realizes he may have forgotten to provide Terraxia the ability to survive in the vacuum. And just as quickly, Thanos moves on, with nary a tear for his lost love.For all his effort, Death still shows no feeling toward Thanos, and eventually goes as far as to make him immortal, so that he may never know Death's embrace. Thanos's true weakness is not his love, but his own hunger for power.

The Infinity Gauntlet shows Thanoswants Death because she is the only thing can never possess, despite his raw might. His lack of vision while he possessed true omnipotence proves that he has no true purpose, save for the accumulation of more power. Thanos had everything he could ever dream of, but lacked the imagination to dream.

More:The Silver Surfer Used The Infinity Gauntlet... For Good (Mostly)

D&D Accidentally Stole A Race From The Creator Of Game Of Thrones

Doug Romshe is a writer, comic book historian, and most importantly a fan. He lives in Durham, North Carolina where he enjoys comics, novels, video games, craft beer, and cheap whiskey. Doug holds a degree in Philosophy with a minor in writing from Kent State University.

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Thanos Used The Infinity Stones To Make... The Perfect Woman? - Screen Rant

Guinea-Bissaus Prime Minister, Nuno Gomes Nabiam, and three members of his cabinet have tested positive for the novel COVID-19, according to the health ministry. Health Minister, Antonio Deuna, told journalists that Nabiam, Interior Minister Botche Cande and two other ministers were diagnosed on Tuesday and have been quarantined at a hotel in the capital Bissau.

Although the health minister did not reveal details of the officials condition or treatment, he warned that the countrys rate of infection could rise.

So far, the country has confirmed over 70 cases and one death.

Africas case

Infection rates on the continent are low and so is the case count even in comparison to individual countries such as France, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. Many more Africans are recovering from the virus by the day too and yet, many Africans and those who are not, remain unconvinced by less-than-horrific statistics.

The people believe the scourge will be worse for them than theEuropeanshad it because Africas leaders are woefully incompetent. Africas professional class insists that there are a lot of causes for concern and Euro-American spectatorship wonders how the people on the poorest continent arent dying as much.

There has been a 43% jump in confirmed cases over the last week but real numbers tell a highly manageable coronavirus problem in Africa. So why are observers worried?

There are arguments to be made about Africans distrusting their own institutions apsychopathologyof colonization.

They do not teach in a class on philosophy of statistics, the emotional compendium necessary for interpreting any sort of mathematical data set. Put simply, what it means for one to be in theright frame of mindin order to read from given scientific data is poorly conceptualized and sorely under-urged.

Are Africans and outsiders expecting the continents problem to grow exponentially because they are not in theright frame of mind?

But perhaps, we may say that the doom prophesied is as a result of empiric inefficiencies in the modern African way of life.

Probity and accountability have not been selling points of many of the national governments over the decades. It is thus considerably hard to find the best way of accepting such information as Mauritania claiming it is coronavirus-free; Ghana arguing that its infection rate is 1.5% or Madagascar insisting that a new tonic advertised by the countrys prime minister is a coronavirus suppressant.

A coronavirus-ensured doom may also be prophesied of the continent where so much of the economy depends on vis--vis, cash-dependent interactions that happen in crowded and environmentally-questionable surroundings.

This is the same continent with the poorest health networks and healthcare facilities, poor modern communications capacities and where it is more difficult to maintain law and order, according to Ugandas presidentYoweri Museveni. Add the problem of food security to this list.

Statistics, on the other hand, is pliable and results could be predetermined by carefully choosing what to count and how to count it. A question of how governments are arriving at their coronavirus-related numbers is important to ask of authorities in Africa and anywhere else.

The problem with Africa therefore, is not the clichd dilemma of how much water there is in the glass. We are debating whether there is a glass at all and whether there is any water in it.

We are dared to embrace some sort of nihilism forced by endemic pessimism. No belief in the leaders, no belief in the numbers, no belief in the physical structures and no belief in the rules and regulations.

How do a people emerge on the other side of a pandemic when they are being dared to embrace nihilism? This question may seem far-fetched until you realize answering it opens the door to the discussion on what normal times will be in these days of the novel coronavirus.

There are over 40 vaccines at various levels in trial but we have been warned that we may have to wait until 2021 for the proper treatment of COVID-19. This therefore means that lockdowns, the restrictions employed by many countries to calm the spread of the virus, would have to be lifted at some point this year.

South AfricasCyril Ramaphosaput it bluntly: Our people must eat.

Life must go on but what kind of life are we talking about? How do they live when the people have been beaten into their shelves and asked to entertain solely, pessimism and nothing more?

One could make the argument that life must go on but we should not live as though we are in normal times. Although that is understandable, the gaping problem is that these are unchartered waters and we may not find our way back to the dock, now or ever.

What Africans have always entertained will be their refuge in these unfamiliar times. If the people are in search of new normal times, the pessimism and near-nihilism which have been entertained for so long will provide no comfort.

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Guinea-Bissau PM and three ministers test positive for COVID-19 - Face2Face Africa