If You Use Facebook, Ignore This at Your Peril

July 27, 2022

By JESSE KORNBLUTH

DERECHO. KNOW WHAT THAT IS?

From the Washington Post: A derecho (pictured above) is a horizontal thunderstorm that can travel hundreds of miles with the impact of a 100-mile-wide tornado. This week a derecho struck the midwest. “Ahead of the derecho, thousands witnessed skies turn an ominous shade of neon green, the heavens appearing borderline phosphorescent. While green skies are sometimes byproducts of thunderstorms, few meteorologists could remember having seen skies reflect that peculiar hue.”

IF YOU USE FACEBOOK, IGNORE THIS AT YOUR PERIL

From a veteran web designer: “When Facebook (or Meta) released its new privacy policy this week, I noticed something about Facebook collecting data from the camera on your phone — ALL of your photos, not just the ones you share on Facebook. This is bizarre. I looked up how to check it and went to my settings. Sure enough, without realizing it, somewhere in the setup I had given Facebook access to all of my photos. I quickly shut that down. Suggest you check your phone ASAP.”

SERMON OF THE WEEK, THE MONTH, THE YEAR: “LIFE DOESN’T GET EASIER”

Some readers were freaked out by last week’s headline: A Nation of Hostages. In that piece, I argued that we’re losing our freedom much as it happens in “Handmaid’s Tale” — a little at a time, so we don’t notice. We are, I pointed out, one SCOTUS decision from giving state legislatures the right to choose electors, which was just what Trump tried to achieve in 2020. Several readers wrote to me, essentially saying: “Really? I had no idea! This must be stopped! You read everything, you know smarties, please tell us what to do.”

I accept the challenge.

First, I repeat what I wrote last week:

Buy the pocket-sized paperback of Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Snyder is probably our foremost Holocaust scholar. Here he compares what Hitler did to what today’s would-be autocrats are doing in our country and elsewhere. The history of the 1930s and 1940s grids with uncanny precision over what we’re experiencing now. Here’s an excerpt. Note the first line: “Do not obey in advance.”

You have one practical civic opportunity: Be part of the “Blue Wave” — help elect more Senators and Representatives this fall with (D) after their names. Who will lead that wave? Women and kids. ‘Twas ever thus. Women and their daughters are motivated to regain control of their bodies. Kids are generationally inclined to protest. And they’re passionate.

Look at Mario Savio, speaking at Berkeley in 1964, especially the last minute. And then they blocked troop trains. But a mass protest now? You get a sense of solidarity. You get one media cycle. But do you accomplish anything?

A smart friend suggested a general strike, a version of what Savio proposed: We stay home one day, and the country just… doesn’t… function. Dramatic. My smartest friend, she who is almost always right, says that not enough of us will do it, and then we’ll look weak.

The fact is: the road ahead is fraught. The right-wing militias understand that killing a few civilians can neutralize millions. I smartened up. I sold the 1994 Mercedes 420 because it screamed vintage, and money, and maybe Jew. Now I drive a Honda. “Personal style” is overrated.

“Careful” doesn’t mean my ambition is anonymity. I’m working on courage. That starts with physical fitness. Like seniors since forever, I’ve walked for years. Now I jog. Today, I sprinted a bit. Tomorrow, more. Personal strength may matter not just for me but for a loved one — I may be required to carry someone. You think I’m kidding? Meet me at the track.

I’m also working on my spiritual health. Writing a novel about the next Dalai Lama taught me the strongest Buddhist precept: Wishing happiness for yourself is the cause of all the misery in the world, wishing happiness for others is the source of all the happiness in the world. So I pray. To whom? To what? Matisse said: “I pray to the god in me.” Maybe that. In any event, it’s pretty basic here: I pray for a few friends who need a boost. And then for everybody. Does it work? I had what seemed like rookie luck in the beginning, so I felt encouraged. Not sure I’m getting much done for hungry kids in Kentucky and mothers in Ukraine, but at midnight, what else do I have to do?

Finally, I have a spiritual guide. Kara Lawson. 41, coaches the Duke Blue Devils women’s basketball team. She coached the US women’s team to gold in the 2020 Olympics. Her message: “What’s true in sports is true in life. It never gets easier. Learn to handle ‘hard’ well.” Player comment: “Every day I worked with Kara Lawson was a gift.” Every time I watch this, also a gift. Your turn. Watch.

How does it end? Matisse died at 83, in his own bed, loved and loving. I like to think his window was open, and he smelled lavender as he departed. More recently, I vote with John O’Donohue. Watch the first few minutes of the video. The guy’s last words: “I knocked the squeeze out of it.” No question: He had a life.

Physical fitness, caring as much or more about others than I care about myself, kindergarten-level courage — that’s it? Ok, add what I’m writing: work that might matter. When I have more to report, I will. Meanwhile, please tell me what brightens your days in this dark time. As ever I’m at HeadButlerNYC@AOL.com.

HEADLINE OF THE WEEK: “PREGNANT WOMAN GIVEN HOV TICKET ARGUES FETUS IS PASSENGER, POST-ROE”

The Washington Post has the story.

WEEKEND MOVIE: “LEAVE NO TRACE”

I’m President of the Debra Granik Fan Club. Her first films were industrial videos for trade unions in the Boston area. The subject: people doing their jobs. Now she makes films about a few unforgettable characters in a concise story about work, money, location and grit: Jennifer Lawrence’s debut in Winter’s Bone, followed by the father-and-daughter in “Leave No Trace.” Granik, once again, tells a powerful story about outsiders.. Here’s the trailer. To stream the film from Amazon Prime, click here.

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR… GAZPACHO

Makes 6-8 cups

2 pounds ripe tomatoes, halved and cored
1 small (1/2 lb) cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 medium green bell pepper, cored
1/2 small red onion, peeled
2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large clove), peeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
A few inches of a baguette, or 1 thick slice of white bread, soaked, crusts removed (soak bread/baguette under the faucet for few seconds, wring out the extra water)
optional garnishes: homemade croutons, chopped fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, or any leftover chopped gazpacho ingredients

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Puree for 1 minute, or until the soup reaches your desired consistency.

Taste and season with extra salt, pepper and/or cumin, if needed.

Refrigerate in a sealed container for 3 to 4 hours, or until completely chilled. Serve cold, topped with your desired garnishes.

I FORGOT: THIS IS MY “SONG OF THE SUMMER”

Jesse Malin is the kid with the shoe box under his bed that’s filled with skipping stones from sunny days and bottle caps from bad breakups. He’s the guy who can pick out each individual coin in a Central Park fountain and tell you the wish of every last person who let it fly from her hand. He grew up to become the poet laureate of a Lower East Side where no one has much money but everyone has a life — especially the kid on skates who’s kind of playing guitar in a bar. Todd Youth was in a bunch of bands you never heard of; he died, at 47, in India. Killer lyric: “I never say goodbye, it just ends.” Watch/listen.

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This post was previously published on headbutler.com.

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