#uncoffeed...

I watch all the foreign detective shows on Netflix (foreign here means with subtitles and not filmed in the U.S.) Since I was old enough to stay up and watch The NBC Mystery Movie I've been enthralled by the idea of resolution - questions answered, circle completed. I learned from TV detectives that it's a thing to make observations and calculate. My young brain was so happy. Columbo, Quincy M.E., and MacMillan and Wife were my childhood role models. I make assumptions that the host culture's authentic nature is reflected in the narrative of my foreign detective shows. Right now I'm watching The Method , which is set in Moscow. I compare it to my Russian archetype which is mostly built from Stalinist-era l iterature and Ukrainian lifeguards - agreed that this is not a very stable archetype, but the TV show is fitting well enough within it. Long ago I sought to identify White People culture in America. My friends who are not white people often use the pronoun ...

A tree on Roanoke, photo by débora Ewing The first English Expedition to explore Roanoke Island in 1584 was a fact-finding mission bent on gaining land as a means of wealth and strategic advantage for the British Crown. A second expedition came in 1585 as a military and scientific mission, far from peaceful. The extant citizenry of The New Land were disrespected and blood was spilled. In July of 1587, a third expedition to the island came with women and children, intending to control property by permanently settling British colonial families. Not  only did the attempt fail, but the settlers disappeared completely, possibly integrating with natives in order to survive. The only clue was the mysterious word 'CROATOAN' carved into a tree. In 1607, Jamestown was founded. Christian white settlers became permanent fixtures in the new British territory. Expeditions sent by France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal carried out similar missions. Their narratives have n...

I've gone around the block and come to an undeniable truth: public opinion matters.  What your friends think about you, your life, your mate, should be noted. What you do with this information is not so cut-and-dried  (that's a farming term, if you didn't  know.)  Plan on continuing the discussion. Public opinion matters because our American society is a complex amalgam , no matter how badly certain people don't want to see it that way.  You can use the metaphor macadam if the other reminds you of uncomfortable dental visits, but I sort of like the idea that there's an element blended into the mix which is unhealthy, like mercury.  Macadam may be more accurate in describing America, as it's a collection of disparate objects which have settled and compressed into one collective substance which is comprised of individuals but becomes another entity in toto.   Y tú también. And that's my point here:  Public opinion of you helps you det...