Season Three and Beyond: FFwSB

[biakbiak]

I can’t believe there is more than one person named Mortimer Sackler. 

Good episode.

[attica]

I find it horrifying/fascinating that nobody in Britain has just said, 'you know what? We don't have to do this! We could just....Not!' Everything about the Brexit referendum/negotiations have been/are completely arbitrary, but everybody seems to be running towards the cliff because, well, because.

I also found it weird that the screen card with the definition of Brexit showed its pronunciation as 'breg-zit' rather than 'brek-zit' But that's a whole other discush.

[ganesh]

Most MPs iirc argue that because the British people voted on it, they have to do it because it would be undemocratic to just not. I also thought that Article 50 was signed between the UK and EU and is binding. 

If this was the US, someone would likely sue on the validity of the referendum itself. 

[meowmommy]

5 hours ago, attica said:

I also found it weird that the screen card with the definition of Brexit showed its pronunciation as 'breg-zit' rather than 'brek-zit' But that's a whole other discush.

Oxford dictionary:

Quote

BrE /ˈbreksɪt/ NAmE /ˈbreksɪt/; BrE /ˈbreɡzɪt/; NAmE /ˈbreɡzɪt/

And in more detail than you'd ever want to know, The Guardian:

Quote

Why the split, though? Brexit is a recent coinage and, linguistically speaking, a “blend” (like brunch or smog), so you would expect most people to take their cue from the words used to create it: Britain and exit. If you say exit with a “k”, you will carry that over into Brexit. If you are in the significant minority of British people who say eggsit, you will say Breggsit.

I find it weird that I've learned more about Brexit from two comedy shows, Last Week Tonight and here, than I ever learned from actual news sources.  Maybe it's because of the British accents....

[peeayebee]

Amy's segment explaining Brexit was excellent -- informative and funny.

[ganesh]

7 hours ago, meowmommy said:

I find it weird that I've learned more about Brexit from two comedy shows, Last Week Tonight and here, than I ever learned from actual news sources. 

To be fair, PBS has covered Brexit comprehensively. 

Though also to be fair, the relationship to the administration to Fox isn't covered enough at all, as Sam presented in the first segment.

May got positively killed in Parliment on her Brexit proposal. I don't think they'll have anything in place by the end of the month. 

[ABay]

Didn't FF already do a piece on the Sackers? Not that they don't deserve to be reviled at every opportunity, but I thought this episode was a repeat at first.

[ganesh]

One of these shows did. It might have been Oliver iirc. 

[wendyg]

Lots of people are in favor of "just not" doing it, but there's still a large percentage of the population that voted for it and expect it to happen and who will be really angry if it doesn't. But in any case, nearly two years ago Theresa May formally triggered Article 50, the one that covers withdrawal by writing to the EU. The clock runs out on that on March 29, at which point unless the Article 50 request is formally withdrawn (and accepted as withdrawn) or there is a deal in place to cover the EU/UK relationship going forward...the UK will crash out with nothing in place.

And as of today, the politicians seem unable to agree on anything.

[Hanahope]

Loved the tucker Carlson take down!

[ganesh]

Better Off Ted did an hilarious episode about how AI couldn't recognize black people. 

On a more serious note, I broke down when that woman was talking about how her father was saying how much he missed her smell. It's just continually heartbreaking how consistently cruel this administration is. 

[peeayebee]

23 hours ago, ganesh said:

Better Off Ted did an hilarious episode about how AI couldn't recognize black people. 

That was the BEST!

I loved Sam's roundup of the Democratic hopefuls.

[Victor the Crab]

12 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I loved Sam's roundup of the Democratic hopefuls.

And I'm with her. Running far away from it as humanly possible.

[meowmommy]

Really solid show.  In a half hour, Samantha managed to smash:

• the idiotic Barr Letter that is the equivalent of buying a car by looking at the floor mats,
• the idiotic Mulvaney who sucked up and sold out by going to work for a man he despises, just to get the nihilistic domestic results he wants, and
• the idiotic immigration policy that shoots our national security in the foot while simultaneously potentially causing the death of educated, hard-working wannabe citizens.  

Great job.

[peeayebee]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

Really solid show.  In a half hour, Samantha managed to smash:

• the idiotic Barr Letter that is the equivalent of buying a car by looking at the floor mats,

Not even the floor mats, but a drawing of the floor mats.

[ganesh]

If Sam is doing a show at the end of April to honor real journalists, then she needs to have Jane Ferguson win the award for BAMF. 

[iMonrey]

Sam Bee is the only person in the world who can crack a joke about reproductive rights and get a smile out of me considering the horror show going through the courts right now. But she's absolutely right in saying "men who want to regulate our snatches always look like they've never been within 10 feet of one." 

[meowmommy]

I'm just trying to imagine the logistics of declaring an unborn baby as a tax deduction, given that the IRS demands name and social security number for all dependents.  Sam's picturing of home pregnancy tests taped to the return doesn't sound all that far off from what kind of crazy-ass proof would be required.  How about a molar pregnancy?  Or an ectopic pregnancy?  Or vanishing twins?  How would that work?

I don't know what Riverdale is.  Is there a vaccine for that?

[ALenore]

On 4/5/2019 at 1:18 AM, meowmommy said:

How about a molar pregnancy?  Or an ectopic pregnancy?  Or vanishing twins?  How would that work?

I can see other problems too.   What if a woman claimed she was pregnant with triplets, would she be able to claim three dependents?  Could a woman say she was pregnant every year and then say she miscarried (after April 15th)?   

[ganesh]

Are these racists so dumb AF that they thought because the sculptures were white, then the people were white? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. 

[ganesh]

I liked Sam's take on the Conways. I was rolling my eyes when this whole issue came out in the news because Kellyanne is the most blatant, bumbling, obvious troll. The professional trolls were probably rolling their eyes. The most delicious revenge will be when the media finally can let her fade into obscurity and they don't have to deal with her any more. 

I hope all those families come to Sam's special on the 27th. It's not just the ignorance of this administration - it's the outright cruelty. It's premeditated. Every week is just something even more appalling. 

[meowmommy]

On 4/11/2019 at 7:49 PM, ganesh said:

I was rolling my eyes when this whole issue came out in the news because Kellyanne is the most blatant, bumbling, obvious troll.

The rumor out there is that KAC is the author of the mysterious NYT op-ed piece.

Those clips from March were evidence she's absolutely had work done.  Her real self is ten years younger than me but looks at least ten years older.

[Lantern7]

Anyone else catch the special tonight? Samantha was awesome, but I'd expect nothing less. I will say that the execution of face swapping technology is frightening. And the basic package having a Nicolas Cage starter set? Yikes. It'd be weird with any one actor, but Cage makes it extra creepy.

[walnutqueen]

10 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Anyone else catch the special tonight? Samantha was awesome, but I'd expect nothing less. I will say that the execution of face swapping technology is frightening. And the basic package having a Nicolas Cage starter set? Yikes. It'd be weird with any one actor, but Cage makes it extra creepy.

Just watched it, and I agree, that face swapping tech is one of the scariest things to come down the turnpike.  I can see it being used to further fuck up the elections - who needs Russia when home-grown trolls have this at their disposal?

[peeayebee]

I'd heard about that face-swapping stuff but hadn't seen it until this show. It truly is scary, not just in what can be manufactured, but also giving people a way to deny that an actual video is real.

Good show.

[ganesh]

I didn't care for it too much I thought most of the segments ran on a little too long. I thought Sam could have ripped way way harder into Trump. I was impressed she landed DeNiro though. 

I did like the dirty song about journalists.

Edited April 28, 2019 by ganesh

[Florinaldo]

It was a very enjoyable show, although I had to watch it on YouTube because in Canada TheComedyNetwork had technical difficulties and lost the feed after the opening skit. They are now going to broadcast it in full on Wenesday at 10 PM.

The opening Aliens parody was very clever but I must say I was rather dismayed by the godawful musical number that followed. It that parade of skin-tight costumes clinging to every curve of the lead singer's body, along with the barely masked crotches and butt cracks of the backup singers/dancers, turned up in a hip-hop video or an action movie of the Fast and Furious type, it would rightfully be called stereotypically sexist, especially with all that booty shaking and those leg splits. But does it magically become valid and empowering simply because it is featured on a show hosted by a female comedian?

I hope that the history professors who appeared on the show have tenure. I would hate for any one of them to get into trouble with their university's administration because of the jabs they took at DT.

[possibilities]

I liked it.

The face swapping terrifies me. I am trying to believe it will somehow be not as bad as it looks, i.e. that there will be ways to tell a doctored from real image, just like how photoshop scared everyone but hasn't really been the end of truth. But... in the current climate, I do worry.

Joe and Mika repulse me. I don't want them getting even a fake, sarcastic award.

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Aliens-inspired bit was awesome. So clever.

The show was a little bit too "mature" for my tastes ... I normally watch Full Frontal with my college-age daughter, but I was glad she wasn't with, given the R-rated (X-rated?) material.  Clutching my pearls ...   I'm not naive to think she doesn't know about this stuff, but that doesn't mean I have to encourage her to watch it. 

I enjoyed the musical number: "The racist said racist things, which is racism!"  The media absolutely need to admit their part in the craziness.

[ganesh]

That NRA woman is one of the most vile people ever, but she's so bad and hamfisted. I'd call it a dog whistle, but it was more like an air horn - 'the dead thug'. 

[purist]

Finally watched the special, and I loved it. Sam looked particularly gorgeous!

[Victor the Crab]

So the lesson to take away from Samantha's episode is: White men fuck up everything! And she ain't wrong about that!

[ganesh]

Sam is quite correct in saying that the people writing these laws don't know anything about women's bodies. 

Aside - This continually amazes me. Maybe because my mother was a nurse and I had to learn all about periods when I was 10, but still, these men are married to actual women, so how do you not know any of this? 

But she only mentioned at the end that the laws were passed specifically to challenge Roe kind of as an aside, and I think that carries some importance too. The guy that wrote the law literally said he wrote it to challenge Roe. 

[Florinaldo]

17 hours ago, Victor the Crab said:

So the lesson to take away from Samantha's episode is: White men fuck up everything!

There were a few female legislators who voted for or intitiated those laws; we saw some of them in the segment the show put together. And they usually present the same arguments as their male colleagues, indicating they can also be ignorant of women's biology (or are choosing to ignore it).

Stupidity and small-mindedness are not the monopoly of one single gender.

[ganesh]

I certainly like Harris a lot, but come on, "I eat no for breakfast"? That's where you get the 'both sides are just as bad' (which is not true), people who don't vote. 

I didn't like this episode. This is a different election in 2020, and I'm worried that whomever the nominee is going to be shredded for the general. 

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, Florinaldo said:

Stupidity and small-mindedness are not the monopoly of one single gender.

Though states that have voted for restrictive abortion laws have one thing in common they rank the lowest with women in positions of power in government.

[Florinaldo]

7 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Though states that have voted for restrictive abortion laws have one thing in common they rank the lowest with women in positions of power in government.

Yes, but the few elected women in the state majorities tow the line on those restrictive and abusive laws.

[ganesh]

And the AL governor is a woman and signed the bill! Appalling. 

You know what I'd like from at least one of the fifty bazillion candidates instead of a cutesy slogan? "Why should you vote for me? Because I'm a fucking adult."

Edited May 17, 2019 by ganesh

[Lantern7]

On 5/16/2019 at 5:33 AM, Victor the Crab said:

So the lesson to take away from Samantha's episode is: White men fuck up everything! And she ain't wrong about that!

I think it's more "White people don't fuck everything up, but the people who fuck everything up are white." Yes, I'm Caucasian. Why do you ask?

I'm hoping for a happier Sam. That would come about when people stop being assholes. The stuff in Alabama is jaw-dropping, and any resistance would be tiny compared to the beast that's been growing over the years.

Fox networks badmouth Kamala Harris? No way, you guys!! She seems nice, though I wonder if we really need all those candidates. This time next year, the only Democrats running stuff in Washington could be Pelosi and AOC.

[Slovenly Muse]

On 5/16/2019 at 7:37 PM, ganesh said:

she only mentioned at the end that the laws were passed specifically to challenge Roe kind of as an aside, and I think that carries some importance too. The guy that wrote the law literally said he wrote it to challenge Roe. 

I think this is sort of a chicken-and-egg situation. After all, the reason they want to challenge Roe is so they can enact laws like this.

But what I find the most galling is ABSOLUTELY the way the men passing these laws have no understanding of how female biology actually works, how birth control works, or just what it's LIKE to be pregnant! What it's like to carry a life inside of you for 9 months, and the toll it takes on your body, mind, spirit, and entire way of life, to carry a pregnancy to term. Not to mention the horror of childbirth in a country with the highest maternal mortality rate in the developed world.

On 5/17/2019 at 6:16 AM, Florinaldo said:

Yes, but the few elected women in the state majorities tow the line on those restrictive and abusive laws.

For sure, there are a lot of anti-choice women out there, and I'm glad Sam doesn't shy away from calling them out. Yes, it's not as simple as "get more women in government" when the few women there are often cherry-picked for how little a threat they are to patriarchal rule. However, as Sam pointed out, all 25 of the "yes" votes for the Alabama bill were men. At least getting more women in government puts people in positions of power who understand how female bodies work, or have some personal experience with birth control, or who might be in a position to point out that, actually, 100% of unwanted pregnancies are caused by men, so maybe putting restrictions on women is not actually solving the problem? No one would expect the crusty old white dudes to listen, but simply speaking some things aloud can break a culture of willful ignorance, and put the indefensible on the defensive. Making government more diverse is not a solution in and of itself (of course, diversity of bodies but not of ideology gets us nowhere), but it's a hell of a good start.

[izabella]

1 hour ago, Slovenly Muse said:

Making government more diverse is not a solution in and of itself (of course, diversity of bodies but not of ideology gets us nowhere), but it's a hell of a good start.

I think we should try for a government that is 100% women and see what happens.  It was 100% men for 200 years, and look at where we are.  Let’s try something different.

[Florinaldo]

2 hours ago, izabella said:

I think we should try for a government that is 100% women and see what happens.

We would probably get an equivalent amount of stupid arguments and repressive laws in the same states as now (and the liberal ones would stay so). Howeer, the stupidity and repressiveness might be different in the details.

[ALenore]

I liked the sex education lesson Sam gave.   I couldn't believe the first guy she quoted who seems to believe that you get pregnant the second you have sex.   It can take days for the sperm to reach the egg, and then 6 to 10 days for the fertilized egg to implant itself in the uterus.  Where did he get the idea it happens instantly? 

[ganesh]

It continually amazes me how ignorant these old men are. I guess I benefitted from my mother being a nurse (maternity/obgyn) because this seems like basic knowledge. I had to learn about periods when I was 10.

[meowmommy]

57 minutes ago, ganesh said:

It continually amazes me how ignorant these old men are. I guess I benefitted from my mother being a nurse (maternity/obgyn) because this seems like basic knowledge. I had to learn about periods when I was 10.

We had sex-segregated education in junior high school in the 60s, where girls learned about periods and boys learned, well, I don't know what.  I'm guessing not about periods.  But my lily white, conservative, rural town's school board would have died if there was ever any actual sex education.

As a nurse, I'm always mortally irritated at the willingness of elected officials, many of whom were clearly extensively trained in medicine in their careers as car salesmen and cow farmers, to make definitive pronouncements on topics they don't know fuck-all about and aren't interested in learning.

[AngelKitty]

I lived in Maryland, just outside of DC when I was in the 8th and 9th grade in 1968/1969 and I remember my mom going off about them starting sex ed in the schools. The argument against it was that the communists were promoting it to ruin our morals and I laughed at her.

Edited May 20, 2019 by AngelKitty

[peeayebee]

12 hours ago, meowmommy said:

We had sex-segregated education in junior high school in the 60s, where girls learned about periods and boys learned, well, I don't know what. 

That's a good question. What were boys' sex ed classes about? Growing hair?

Edited May 20, 2019 by peeayebee

[ganesh]

Basically. And you smell more. 

[possibilities]

Now I'm really curious what communist sex ed would be like! Does everyone get equal amounts of sex? Does the state control the means of production?

[Florinaldo]

23 hours ago, meowmommy said:

We had sex-segregated education in junior high school in the 60s, where girls learned about periods

But did they learn about reproductive physiology? Considering the high rate of teenage pregnancy and the discouragingly ignorant statements high school and college girls often provide when interviewed about sex and how they can actually get pregnant, I am not so sure.