After all the Bizarre and Not-Funny Events of the Week this is well….Bizarre Period
In a somewhat famous and now infamous episode of The Simpsons, Homer has a dream (nightmare?) relating to the U.S. elections, that were about to take place. The segment aired on November 1, 2020, and, in the end, became eerily prophetic. It didn’t take long for the world, particularly on Twitter, to take note and react.
In his dream, he never ends up voting and the scene cuts to January 20th, 2021, inauguration day, a day that has not yet arrived, of course, but, as if often the case with physic phenomena, the details had a shocking correlation to what we all witnessed on January 6th, 2021.
#DiaperDon trends as Trump has a T-day Tantrum behind a Very Tiny Desk
The date discrepancy is worth noting, since some of the scenes that were not directly accurate on January 6th, could well be at a future date.
The clips show apocalyptic, war like scenes, buildings burning, robots all around and the course horsemen bearing flags that read: famine, war, and pestilence.
Another clip from the 1996 episode “The Day the Violence Died” shows the constitution (as a person) atop the Capitol hills steps saying “Doors open boys” resulting in a horde of amended bills (also anthropomorphized) toting shot guns and bombs as they storm the building.
The visual similarities, how the mob is somehow savage and yet ridiculous and mirrors the videos and photos of real life to a T. Maybe there’s more than just the ability to predict the future at work here? Maybe there’s a message of wisdom in Homer’s dream?
A “big” day is brewing ahead of the January 6th official electoral vote count, but don’t expect a revolution
Trump tweeted an invitation to his followers to come to Washington D.C. on January 6th for a “wild time”. There are many tweets and a social media barrage to make this into a public spectacle, ardently in the hope that a large turn-out will somehow have an effect on the official counting of the electoral votes. It won’t.
In typical Trump style, the plausibly-deniable-adjective “wild” is meant to imply, depending on which way you spin it, to be harmlessly “high-energy” or a kind of veiled threat of violence by the militant fringes of the far-right.
Many are on edge ahead of this attempt to turn the 6th into something dangerous sounding – and it is right to remain vigilant with all the bizarre twists that have already happened.
Now, on top of all the other chaotic factors, the confusion around two major funding packages that are near finalization, could complicate matters.
As we have stated before, in previous articles, whatever “malarky”, to use Joe Biden’s go to phrase, Trump and his wacko band of followers are planning they will fail and fail miserably.
The telegraphed, scheduled-coup attempt has awoken counter-measures, you can be certain
The massive failures can be easily predicted for one simple reason: everything beyond a “peaceful” and benign protest is against the law and we still have laws and a constitution. For each illegal act the response by the “state” will be 100 times larger and more consequential. And, of course, it won’t take more than a tiny response by law enforcement to quell this fake unrest.
”The massive failures can be easily predicted for one simple reason: everything beyond a “peaceful” and benign protest is against the law and we still have laws and a constitution.”
— D.L.
Trump will whine and bellow that it is not the sate, but rather the “deep-state” that is against him, as it has been (in his mind) all along. He will try to turn himself into some bizarre kind of martyr- hero who is at the same time also a carnival-barker clown.
In his mind, just as with the original run for the presidency, it’s a no lose situation. Either he somehow manages to succeed beyond all reason, or he can continue to monetize the chaos and his position as King of Fools, a world where his marks are, at the same time, his most ardent followers.
There will be no need for him to end up like Mussolini, or to be taken seriously with his tin-pot army. It’s highly likely now, actually, that the military, FBI, CIA and all the rest of the national security apparatus is receiving two messages, related to this publicly telegraphed “coup” attempt.
Be on heightened alert for any activities inspired by Trump’s, basically ridiculous, stunt, and at the same time, do not say or do anything to draw attention to its existence.
Even if there are small disruptions and illegal acts by his most crazed “supporters” these will be small, not-coordinated and local. Washington D.C. will be, as we have seen in Portland and elsewhere, a lot of pick-up trucks with waving flags and people wearing silly red hats.
There is no reason not to be on guard, considering the statements and thinly veiled threats that have been made by so many
This is not to say don’t remain alert. It is truly sad that this kind of behavior is being drummed up by Tump and the least informed and most gullible amongst the population. At the extreme edge, of course, organizations such as Qanon and Proud Boys are very deranged and should not be excused or tolerated in any way.
But the veiled threats that some kind of uprising to bring down democracy and execute a coup by a deluded minority is about to take place , both in the general population and among lawmakers, is just wishful thinking by a deranged man that still, technically, remains president for a few more weeks.
More likely, we will all be witness to Trump’s greatest day of failure in his entire life. Bigger than his 6 chapter 11 bankruptcies, bigger than his many humiliating business and personal defeats, this will be the day that every hope he has to milk some kind of benefit out of losing the 2020 election will die.
And, afterwards, starting on January 7th, 2021 he will have to decide wether he should flee the country and go into exile, or stay and try to avoid the arrests, convictions and incarcerations that are likely in his near future.
Disney+ reels Subscribers in with Massive, Nostalgia-Inducing Hoard, such as 30 Seasons of “The Simpsons”!
Disney+ is here, and for the most part, it is living up to astronomical expectations. The streaming service has everything it promised under the Walt Disney Studios banner, from Marvel, to Pixar, to Star Wars, to Disney Animation vault material, to originals and more. The service allows its 10 million patrons to re-watch childhood classics and also discover something new, all for the affordable price of $7 per month.
One of the most appealing pieces of content available on Disney+ is all 30 seasons of “The Simpsons,” which Disney acquired when it purchased 20th Century Fox earlier this year. “The Simpsons” has been on the air since 1989, making it the longest running scripted television series. Its characters are household names and its humor has transcended generations.
Visual Humor is Extremely Delicate, and the Aspect Ratio makes can make a Huge Difference
Naturally, many people were eager to watch their favorite episodes of “The Simpsons” when Disney+ launched last Tuesday. Given that “The Simpsons” golden years are often considered between seasons 3 and 8, most users flocked to these chapters in the show’s history.
However, when fans finally selected the episodes and pressed play, they may have found themselves confused and disappointed to see that the show looks different than it did in their memory, and that it is missing a few jokes as a result.
This is not a case of people misremembering something as better than it actually is—“The Simpsons” is undoubtedly a hilarious show. The reality is that Disney adjusted the show’s aspect ratio for seasons 1-19 when adding it to the streaming service. While seasons 1-19 originally aired in a primitive 4:3 aspect ratio, Disney+ edited the episodes to fall in line with its contemporary widescreen 16:9 ratio.
A Funny Case in which Opting for a “modern upgrade” Backfires
This change could maybe be forgiven or perhaps even go unnoticed if it weren’t for the fact that the adjusted ratio comes at the expense of some of show’s humor. With the adapted framing, shots are cut off at unnatural edges. Therefore, some of the visual jokes in “The Simpsons” end up entirely out of frame.
Sometimes these graphic gags are subtle, but other times they are the focus of the entire scene or episode. Either way, many users consider this change insulting to both “The Simpsons” fandom and its creators. Viewers want to watch “The Simpsons” how they fondly remember it, in its original form.
Disney+ Responds Timely to Criticism Handling an American Television Staple
Seasons 20-30 of “The Simpsons” have gone untouched on Disney+ simply because these episodes were already made in 16:9 ratio. Disney+ wanted to create consistency amongst the series so it went for the latest, most often seen ratio. Unfortunately, it is the show’s development over time and that very inconsistency that enriches “The Simpsons’” as the series is watched in its original form, one can see its evolution over the years and better appreciate its long run as a staple of American television.
Disney has responded to complaints about the change, stating that it will soon release seasons 1-19 in their rightful 4:3 aspect ratios. This will happen in early 2020, at which time users will have the choice of how they want to watch “The Simpsons.” Nevertheless, it will keep the 16:9 ratio available for the sake of oncoming Disney+ features and unspecified digital viewing innovations.
