U.S. Society

Thoughts and Musings While Re-Watching “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World”

/ Jack Marshall / 3 Comments

There were three distinct stages in my consideration of the sui generis Cinerama feature from 1963, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World.” The movie’s gimmick was that it collected more comedians and comic actors in a single Hollywood production than has ever been featured before, which meant, naturally, that it had to be the funniest movie ever….or so we were told.

I first saw IAMMMMW at Boston’s Cinerama Theater when I was 12. It was the first of the new, improved, seamless Cinerama features, which meant it was inferior to the original format, which wrapped around the audience. There were few effects in the movie that took advantage of the giant screen, either. But like all boys under 20 or so, I thought IAMMMMW was very amusing and a lot of fun. Girls didn’t get it, for the most part, and that has never changed. It’s physical comedy and slapstick throughout, and often cruel slapstick. This is a real male-female divide that appears to be timeless.

I was also, even back then, an omnivore of popular culture. Seeing so many familiar comedy icons of the era (and the previous one) in one movie was a thrill; of course, that was one of the main goals of the film. Sid Caeser, Milton Berle, Jimmy Durante, Jonathan Winters, Phil Silvers, Buddy Hackett, Mickey Rooney and more, with well-conceived cameos by the likes of Jack Benny, Jerry Lewis and Don Knotts—in the waning period of Hollywood all-star cast spectaculars, the idea of doing one with comedians was irresistible.

I saw the movie a second time in my thirties, and was shocked how different my reaction to it was. To be fair, I recalled many of the sequences that would have been funnier as a surprise, but the film seemed over-long, abrasive and, most surprisingly, sad. The subplot in which Spencer Tracy plays an aging police captain who becomes disillusioned with his professional and family life to the extent that he tries to steal the money that has set off an insane race among the assorted loonies is more tragedy than comedy, and, oddly, Tracy didn’t play any of his role for laughs. Grace, my wife, hated the movie in 1963 and hated it just as much when I made her watch it again with me.

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It’s Official: “A Nation of Assholes” Has Come to Pass, and Its Herald is Jasmine Crockett

/ Jack Marshall / 27 Comments

The U.S. now has a member of Congress who is regarded as a rising leader of a major political party who talks like this…

“Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there. Come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot-ass mess, honey!”

That was Rep. Crockett speaking at a human rights event over the weekend. The intentionally vulgar, street-talking Texas representative (she was raised in a wealthy family and attended private schools, so her Samuel L. Jacskon imitation is pure cynical artifice) was already being justly criticized for telling Democrats to “take out” Elon Musk, at a time when her party’s loonies are looking for an excuse to move from domestic terrorism against Tesla owners to more direct forms of violence. Now this member of what styles itself as the sensitive, caring party is mocking a man, Texas Governor Abbott, who has been in a wheelchair for decades by calling him “Hot Wheels.” Be proud, Democrats, Texans, women, homo sapiens.

Crockett’s excuse after her cruel ad hominem attack was properly condemned tells us even more about the character of the latest “rising star” of the Left:

“I wasn’t thinking about the governor’s condition—I was thinking about the planes, trains, and automobiles he used to transfer migrants into communities led by Black mayors, deliberately stoking tension and fear among the most vulnerable. Literally, the next line I said was that he was a “Hot Ass Mess,” referencing his terrible policies. At no point did I mention or allude to his condition. So, I’m even more appalled that the very people who unequivocally support Trump—a man known for racially insensitive nicknames and mocking those with disabilities—are now outraged.”

She’s beneath contempt, but Crockett’s “Whataboutism” (#2 on the Rationalization List) argument following her self-evident lie is not without validity. How far is calling a governor in a wheelchair “Hot Wheels” from calling a President obviously suffering from progressive dementia “Slow Joe”?

I’ll accept the utilitarian conclusion that electing Trump President twice was, on balance, important for the nation; I might even agree with it. However, I don’t think it is possible to credibly argue that the destructive decline in civility and decorum in society, and especially in political discourse, should not be laid at Donald Trump’s feet. It is a major cultural wound with implications for democracy as well as social relations in our society generally.

I warned about this on September 10, 2015.

Ethics Dunce: President Donald Trump

/ Jack Marshall / 24 Comments

President Trump is an important figure in American history, perhaps a transformational leader, and definitely a crucial one whose success or failure will have an enormous effect on the fate and future of the United States of America.

Thus it is all the more alarming that the man has so many Achilles heels that he could be some hind of monstrous human-arachnid hybrid.

Take that portrait above… please! Yes, it stinks. I don’t know who painted it and I don’t care, but somehow this obscure painting, hanging in the Colorado State Capitol building with portraits of the other U.S. Presidents, is the object of our President’s ire.

“Nobody likes a bad picture or painting of themselves, but the one in Colorado, in the State capitol, put up by the Governor, along with all the other Presidents, was purposefully distorted to a level that even I, perhaps, have never seen before,” Trump birched on Truth Social. “In any event, I would much prefer not having a picture than having this one.”

Oh for the love of Mike, man, grow the hell up! Who cares about your portrait in Colorado? With everything else going on, with the Axis trying to foment domestic terrorism and rogue judges trying to kneecap your policies, why are you complaining about a crummy piece of art? Sure, that doesn’t look like you—it reminds me a bit of Millard Fillmore—but so what?

I have criticized Jethroe Gibbs of “NCIS,” Nathan Brittles of “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon” and John Wayne for promoting the false ethical standard, “Never apologize, it’s a sign of weakness,” but that’s a minor misconception compared to the leader of the free world throwing a hissy fit over an oil painting. Trump’s insecurity, narcissism, obsession with meaningless symbols of popularity and personal slights constantly leads him into unforced errors, blunders and needless controversies. He doesn’t have the luxury of indulging these infantile habits. If this life-long weakness doesn’t sabotage his ability to accomplish his mission, it will just be moral luck.

The President’s vanity is one of many gifts to the foes who are determined to halt and destroy him.

“Incompetence Monday” Continues With the “Incompetent Driver of the Year” (So Far)

/ Jack Marshall / 2 Comments

But her drives from the tee have improved dramatically!

Ellen Richman of Palm Beach Florida was driving to her golf lesson a week ago when her Mercedes struck bicyclist Justin Rogers. Instead of stopping she continued to drive, dragging both the cyclist and his bicycle down the highway. Eventually both were released from the car; meanwhile Ellen continued to drive happily along to the Palm Beach Country Club where she handed her car over to valet parking.

Following cyclist’s description of the vehicle that hit him, leaving him in the road with compound fractures to his tibia and fibula as well as other lacerations and dragging abrasions on his left leg, police located the car in the country club parking lot. Officers were informed by employees that Ellen was taking her golf lesson.

The car had broken headlight glass and evidence of missing pieces that were found at the accident scene. The undercarriage of the Mercedes also showed signs of a recent accident. The club’s parking valets told police that Richmond had volunteered the information that she had “struck something” when she gave them the keys to the car.

The avid golfer was read her rights, arrested, and is being held on $10,000 bond, which is, as the saying goes, par for the course.

Wow, the Trump Deranged Are Out in Force on Facebook Today!

/ Jack Marshall / 12 Comments

I decided to post this after seeing one of the most moronic anti-Trump memes yet, again posted by another Facebook friend who once had a functioning cerebrum even as you or I. This one listed various sinister and negative meanings of “maga” in various languages, the approximate equivalent of arguing that Coca-Cola contains wax tadpoles because those sounds mean “bite the wax tadpole” in some Chinese dialects, or that Chevy Novas didn’t work because “No va” means “no go” in Spanish. This moronic display was greeted by dozens of laughing emojis and “likes.” No push back at all, certainly not from me. When you hear growls, screams, head-banging, objects being thrown and breaking glass coming from inside a locked room full of friends, do you open the door, walk in, let the door slam behind you and say, “Hey, guys! This is nuts!”? You might, but I sure won’t. But it sure is terrifying to hear.

That idiotic meme above is just one of the new ones that debuted this moring, and the Facebook mob really seem to think it’s profound. Then there is this, for a really nice, smart guy, an actor…

How separated from reality does someone who just went through four years with a fake President while their favorite news sources covered up the scandal have to be to post that publicly?

A musician and lawyer who posts nothing but political rants and memes is really excited about… Continue reading →

Comment of the Day: “On Musk Derangement Syndrome”

/ Jack Marshall / 6 Comments

Chris Marschner filed this epic Comment of the Day yesterday. Thoughtful commentary with the intensity and outrage behind it of a rant, it its is personal, analytical, passionate and direct while touching on hypocrisy, layoffs, media misinformation, human nature, nationalism and Musk Derangement. Bracing and enlightening!

Here is Chris Marschner‘s Comment of the Day on the post, “On Musk Derangement Syndrome”…

***

“I also have sympathy for those who are reacting emotionally because friends and loved ones—or they themselves—are losing jobs, grants or other benefits because of the DOGE cuts. D.C. is full of such “victims.”

Actually, the entire nation has faced cuts because of government decisions. I for one lost a job running an academic program in a correctional institution when Clinton, with Biden heading the Judiciary Committee decided that it would save money by denying financial aid to inmate students in state correctional facilities. The only people who criticized the decision were those who were financially affected. I spoke out against the decision because we could prove reductions in recidivism and overall costs of incarceration. Emotion ruled the day. It was get tough on crime time as Clinton tacked to the center. No politician gave a damn about anyone involved in that program.

I took a big financial hit because my layoff happened less than a month after my stepson was involved in a nearly fatal car crash and laid in a coma through September. Dealing with that and my dad who was in hospice care put me deep in debt. That’s my story. You have to work through these setbacks because they happen to many others.

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Ethics Villains: 28% of American Voters

/ Jack Marshall / 12 Comments

Gee, great: a mere 72% of American voters as polled by Rasmussen Reports believe that “vandalism against Tesla” isn’t “an appropriate form of protest” against Elon Musk and DOGE.

In what world is that an encouraging result? Here are the results when asked “Tesla automobiles and Tesla dealerships have been vandalized by anti-Trump protesters. Is vandalism against Tesla an appropriate form of protest?”…

“No” Democrats, 61%; Independents, 79%; Republicans, 78%; All voters, 72%

That is disgusting, depressing, and nauseating. Where does that ethics rot come from? You disagree with the political views of someone, so your response is to vandalize someone else’s automobile? Under even the most warped ethical reasoning, that’s moronic and indefensible. If it is true that further left one leans on the political spectrum the more likely one is to answer “yes” to that question reveals an entire ideology in an ethical crisis.

I’m going back to bed.

On Musk Derangement Syndrome

/ Jack Marshall / 22 Comments

Perhaps the clearest sign that a formerly mentally competent Facebook friend has gone over the rainbow to Progressive Wacko Land is if they write nasty things about Elon Musk.

Trump Derangement I can understand. Oh, at this point it’s juvenile and embarrassing to the sufferer as well as his or her family, but I can understand it. I easily could be a victim myself: “There but for the grace of God go I!” [a quote attributed to John Bradford (1510–1555) who was imprisoned in the Tower of London for crimes against Queen Mary I and burned at the stake.]

After all, from 2011 to 2016 I wrote dozens of Ethics Alarms posts about how awful Donald Trump was and a fair amount of very critical posts since then. Trump’s personality, rhetoric and conduct are so far removed from the nation’s historical template for its Presidents that the gag reflex is completely understandable, though if his style causes an individual to fail to appreciate what he has done (or tried to do) that is courageous, necessary and important (what we call “substance”), then bias has indeed made that individual stupid.

Elon Musk, however, is an unquestionable Ethics Hero. He will eventually get honored with a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and could justifiably get the honor tomorrow. Musk’s purchase of Twitter rescued civic discourse from the slowly tightening grip of progressive/Democratic Party control over what the public could read, learn about, consider and write. It is very likely that without the platform’s transformation to “X,” the Democrats would have held on to the Presidency despite their Politburo-like management of it under Joe Biden. That unselfish and patriotic purchase alone should guarantee appreciation even from those who disagree with Musk politically; that it doesn’t reveals ominous aspect of the Left’s priorities and values.

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Friday Open Forum (“Is This a Great Country or What?”)

/ Jack Marshall / 16 Comments

I apologize for seeming to force a topic on participants here, as the Open Forum is for you to write about ethics issues that intrigue you, and not necessarily me. However, I can’t think of anywhere else to use the remnants of a post I did a lot of work on before giving up in disgust.

The impetus for this aborted project was reading more of the increasingly unhinged rants of the formerly rational lawyers, artists, scholars and baseball fans on my Facebook feed, whose Trump Derangement is something to behold. One of them posted a chart purporting to list the nations in order of their “quality of life”; this one showed the U.S. 19th, after, among others, Slovenia, Oman, and Estonia. #1 was Switzerland. “I wonder how much lower we will be after Trump and Musk are through with us?” the poster queried to a flurry of likes. angry faces and the “care imogi. The moronic post moved me to look at the most recent such surveys, most of which seem to conclude that Spain is the best country to live in. Spain is a country where you can be imprisoned for criticizing the king, and where the average household income is around $40,000. On the one that was posted by my friend who is leaking IQ points, Spain finished 15th. Huh! First in one quality of life survey, 15th in another. This is, of course, why none of these “scientific” surveys are worth the paper they are printed on: the rankings will always reflect the biases of the researchers. The reason the U.S. always finishes absurdly low in these things is because our learned class believes fervently in socialism, and any nation that isn’t a nanny state is, by definition, inferior. The U.S. allows its citizens to own guns. It allows “dangerous” speech. It isn’t committed to fighting “climate change.” It hasn’t solved its racial tensions, while Switzerland has done such a bang-up job dealing with the descendants of its African slaves.

Yeah well, the U.S. is still guided by the most aspirational mission of any nation on Earth, and it has Major League baseball too, so bite me. (One of the rankings rated the U.S. low for “climate.” Which climate? Hawaii? Fairbanks? )

Spain is, I’m sure, a great country for someone like Richard Gere to live in (he moved there with his Spanish citizen wife and kids after Trump won the election: he was a big Harris supporter) who had lots of money and has already made his mark in life. For the most part, however, the immediate retort that comes to mind when I read someone on Facebook arguing seriously that Spain is a “better” nation than the United States of America, is “Wow, you really are an idiot, aren’t you? I’m so sorry.”

Anyway…Open Forum!

Today’s “Nah, There’s No Mainstream Media Bias!” Smoking Gun…[Corrected]

/ Jack Marshall / 10 Comments

I’m going to have to keep posting pieces like this until anyone who insists that the Axis media is “independent and non-partisan” gets laughed out of the room and has to change their name and identity.

Tim Walz, the Minnesota Knucklehead whose national exposure during the 2024 campaign showed the nation that 1) progressives like him don’t like freedom of speech, 2) and haven’t read the First Amendment; 3) Kamala Harris picked an understudy who was almost as unqualified to be President as she was; and 4) Minnesotans are out of their minds to elect such a boob governor. But, amazingly, with the dearth of competent, trustworthy, non-wacko leaders in the increasingly absurd Democratic Party, Walz is looking (everything is relative, after all) pretty good, since the alternatives are Gavin Newsom, AOC, Pete Buttigieg and “None of the above.” So, as the man who managed to make J.D. Vance seem like Abe Lincoln in their debate goes around the country saying the same kinds of dumb things he said while helping Democrats lose the White House, the Axis media feels unethically obligated to mitigate the negative impact.

Walz was in Eau Claire for a town-hall-style event aimed at supporting his party’s candidate for Chief Justice of the Wisconsin [NOT Minnesota, as the first version of the is post carelessly stated] Supreme Court. [The position at Ethics Alarms is that electing judges is unethical and, duh, guarantees critical decisions will be based on politics rather than that law thingy.] The New York Times writes that “Groups backed by Musk have poured millions of dollars into the race on behalf of the conservative candidate, Brad Schimel.” Yes, those groups backed by Musk are called “conservative groups” and “the Republican Party.” Why didn’t the Times write that “groups inspired by Abraham Lincoln” support Schimel? Democrats are promoting the contest as “The People vs. Musk.” [I hope to have a post on Musk Derangement up later today.]

To be fair, it should be noted Fox News et al. routinely describe progressive advocacy groups as “supported by George Soros.”

Back to Walz: in his speech to the crowd, Walz called Musk a “dipshit” and, later, an “unelected South African nepo baby.” Nice.

The Times headline: “Taking a Page From Trump’s Book.”