"If you see him doing something, it is safe to assume that the correct thing to do is the opposite"
As a NYer I've been doing this for decades. It's a simple concept: whatever comes out of Trump's mouth, in any capacity, and until proven otherwise, I simply assume the opposite is true. It doesn't even phase me anymore. If the anti-Christ is an actual thing, and human, I'll give you one guess who I believe that person is.
I think the big mistake I -- and many others -- made with him early on is that while we knew he was loathsome, we still didn't take him seriously, as, like, a figure. I wrote about this a while back, but I saw him at a restaurant in NYC one time, in, like, 2012, and he was like a waxen figure from a previous time, like a Hollywood Squares-type celebrity, like Charo, or Charles Nelson Reilly. I treated him with exactly that much seriousness. (I was wrong.)
I’m constantly reminding myself of the importance of modeling good behavior to my kids, so thank you for talking about it here. It’s one thing to tell them to show up for their friends, to tell the truth when they screw up, to engage with their community, to honor their commitments. But it doesn’t have nearly as much teeth unless I do the same thing. We all make mistakes as parents. But living out the values you try to impart on the next generation is so vital if we’re going to raise kids that will grow up to be the kinds of adults who take responsibility for their actions.
What a great piece you wrote today. When it comes to parenting, well, most of us wonder how we did until we get to watch our kids all grownup, interacting in the world and raising their kids. I thought I was a less than a stellar parent but I tried and my daughter always knew she had our love and support 100%. She is the best person I know and her children, my grandchildren make me proud everyday. My parents did the best they could raising my sister and I, but it was a challenge. My Mom had serious mental health problems. Not much she could do really and in that era, mental health problems like schizophrenia were hidden not dealt with. But my Dad gave me the best advice ever. When I was about 9, I got into trouble and lied about it. Of course, I got caught. My Dad said my punishment would be much worse not because of what I did but because I lied. He said when you make a mistake, own it and accept responsibility for it. He said people will forgive you and respect you for your honesty. I watched all those fools this week disgrace and embarrass themselves as they lied and lied. They fooled no one…certainly not their kids. Shameful.
My son attends Indiana University, and I tried to give him a crash course in Mellencamp before he began (we also showed him Breaking Away, of course, but still have to watch Hoosiers). He was in the Marching 100 (IU's band) and they play Jack and Diane and R.O.C.K in the U.S.A, but when I played I Need a Lover him, I played the extended version (the best one) and probably should have chosen the regular version.
He literally lives in a pink house this year, as soon as I saw it I began singing, and made him listen to Little Pink Houses.
For years these corporate chud types always talked about how they wanted to have the longest view in the room, now they're all taking turns rolling over and showing their bellies. They're doing this for a guy who has the worst approval ratings in history and, due simple math, will be dead relatively soon. My kids are 4 and 2 (and another on the way) so my goal by the end of all this is when they ask me about these times, I will have the most appropriate way of describing what an absolute shit head this guy was and how spineless every entity that bent to him became.
Great words Will. My father was a WWII marine in the Pacific. The fact he grew up on an Illinois farm saved his life. Instead of storming the beaches he was working on planes. He raised 6 boys as a Steelworker in a working class neighborhood I remember displaying Wallace signs. Suffice to say we were kids during the 60’s. In the face of the assassinations and the resulting racial tension he embraced the civil rights movement at the kitchen table. A profound lesson in parenting.
"But the signature moment of his career, of probably his life, will be him standing up in front of the whole world after an absurd mistake and, rather than taking responsibility, lying and blaming someone else. Over and over and over. The kids will notice."
I'm glad you think this and think that there are people out there like this, but my fear is that the children will become like their parents. They will think that their parents were "treated unfairly" by the media. That the media and the leftists were just out to get him and he was in the right.
Great essay this week, and I always appreciate my fellow illini hatred of Bruce Pearl. I always forget about him and then the tournament rolls around and there he is again. Ugh.
Trump says he's running again in 2028. I hate doing this, but if Obama said this in 2016... It almost literally doesn't register anymore, I can't explain it. It must be pure numbness. He could turn into an alien cockroach like Men in Black during a speech, and I would probably still make dinner that night.
I appreciate seeing someone who still remembers, as I do, that Bruce Pearl is not a good human. He's Exhibit A of someone whose rep has been rehabilitated by recent success, because people have short memories. But he's a tool, and I will always root against him. In addition to all his publicized misdeeds, he also made some wildly false and derogatory accusations against Jon Scheyer at the end of his playing career. And for no reason whatsoever except to whine about recruiting. Hardly anyone took note of that, but as a Scheyer fan, I did, and I won't ever forget.
I started watching the Vietnam War documentary, and it was depressing to me, so I quit. I usually enjoy Ken Burns docs, especially the Civil War. I'll try it again sometime when I'm in the mood. I lived through it, though I was looking at it from a kid's standpoint. I was in High School when it finally ended. It sucked up most of the memories of my childhood.
Will, for your March Madness rootability rankings, I would have to turn in my diploma if I didn’t comment that Jim Gaffigan is a Georgetown graduate (and played on the football team there). He left Purdue after one year.
Your Mike Trout piece was excellent. His career reminds me of two greats: Mantle and Williams. The former because of all the injuries and pain he endured at yet he ended up hitting 536 home runs and the later, because as great as Ted was, he only played in one World Series. Ernie Banks never played in the post season. So did his teammate Ron Santo. In 2012, when Miguel Cabrera won the triple crown, something that hadn't been done in 45 years, many considered Trout to be the real MVP in the American League. Of course, Miggy won the MVP and will be a near-unanimous pick for the Hall. Trout, in 2036 or later (or sooner) will be also.
Thanks for the article link about the book of Candy Clark's Polaroids. That was the perfect palate cleanser for the discussion my wife and I had around the main topic of your article. I may find myself indulging in 20th century nostalgia more than what may be healthy these days, but, y'know, any port in a storm right?
"If you see him doing something, it is safe to assume that the correct thing to do is the opposite"
As a NYer I've been doing this for decades. It's a simple concept: whatever comes out of Trump's mouth, in any capacity, and until proven otherwise, I simply assume the opposite is true. It doesn't even phase me anymore. If the anti-Christ is an actual thing, and human, I'll give you one guess who I believe that person is.
I think the big mistake I -- and many others -- made with him early on is that while we knew he was loathsome, we still didn't take him seriously, as, like, a figure. I wrote about this a while back, but I saw him at a restaurant in NYC one time, in, like, 2012, and he was like a waxen figure from a previous time, like a Hollywood Squares-type celebrity, like Charo, or Charles Nelson Reilly. I treated him with exactly that much seriousness. (I was wrong.)
I’m constantly reminding myself of the importance of modeling good behavior to my kids, so thank you for talking about it here. It’s one thing to tell them to show up for their friends, to tell the truth when they screw up, to engage with their community, to honor their commitments. But it doesn’t have nearly as much teeth unless I do the same thing. We all make mistakes as parents. But living out the values you try to impart on the next generation is so vital if we’re going to raise kids that will grow up to be the kinds of adults who take responsibility for their actions.
This is the goal. It should be said that I screw this up a lot. I guess we all do.
What a great piece you wrote today. When it comes to parenting, well, most of us wonder how we did until we get to watch our kids all grownup, interacting in the world and raising their kids. I thought I was a less than a stellar parent but I tried and my daughter always knew she had our love and support 100%. She is the best person I know and her children, my grandchildren make me proud everyday. My parents did the best they could raising my sister and I, but it was a challenge. My Mom had serious mental health problems. Not much she could do really and in that era, mental health problems like schizophrenia were hidden not dealt with. But my Dad gave me the best advice ever. When I was about 9, I got into trouble and lied about it. Of course, I got caught. My Dad said my punishment would be much worse not because of what I did but because I lied. He said when you make a mistake, own it and accept responsibility for it. He said people will forgive you and respect you for your honesty. I watched all those fools this week disgrace and embarrass themselves as they lied and lied. They fooled no one…certainly not their kids. Shameful.
When I was that age my father caught me lying about a shoplifting incident. His response: "You dont EVER lie to me son! You lie to girls!" 😁
Ha, we're not quite at those sort of conversations yet ...
My son attends Indiana University, and I tried to give him a crash course in Mellencamp before he began (we also showed him Breaking Away, of course, but still have to watch Hoosiers). He was in the Marching 100 (IU's band) and they play Jack and Diane and R.O.C.K in the U.S.A, but when I played I Need a Lover him, I played the extended version (the best one) and probably should have chosen the regular version.
He literally lives in a pink house this year, as soon as I saw it I began singing, and made him listen to Little Pink Houses.
Authority Song👍
This was *almost* the song I chose this week.
For years these corporate chud types always talked about how they wanted to have the longest view in the room, now they're all taking turns rolling over and showing their bellies. They're doing this for a guy who has the worst approval ratings in history and, due simple math, will be dead relatively soon. My kids are 4 and 2 (and another on the way) so my goal by the end of all this is when they ask me about these times, I will have the most appropriate way of describing what an absolute shit head this guy was and how spineless every entity that bent to him became.
Man, well said.
My kids are 36 & 40, and the most satisfying part of my life is that they are some of the nicest people I know.
And good on Pablo. I’m with you man, especially the dog poop thing.
Go Green
This, friend, is the goal. That's a life well lived, right there.
Great words Will. My father was a WWII marine in the Pacific. The fact he grew up on an Illinois farm saved his life. Instead of storming the beaches he was working on planes. He raised 6 boys as a Steelworker in a working class neighborhood I remember displaying Wallace signs. Suffice to say we were kids during the 60’s. In the face of the assassinations and the resulting racial tension he embraced the civil rights movement at the kitchen table. A profound lesson in parenting.
"But the signature moment of his career, of probably his life, will be him standing up in front of the whole world after an absurd mistake and, rather than taking responsibility, lying and blaming someone else. Over and over and over. The kids will notice."
I'm glad you think this and think that there are people out there like this, but my fear is that the children will become like their parents. They will think that their parents were "treated unfairly" by the media. That the media and the leftists were just out to get him and he was in the right.
This is the reality that I think exists now.
Great essay this week, and I always appreciate my fellow illini hatred of Bruce Pearl. I always forget about him and then the tournament rolls around and there he is again. Ugh.
If they win this coming Saturday, I'm about to be the biggest Duke fan on the planet. (Or biggest Kelvin Sampson fan.)
Trump says he's running again in 2028. I hate doing this, but if Obama said this in 2016... It almost literally doesn't register anymore, I can't explain it. It must be pure numbness. He could turn into an alien cockroach like Men in Black during a speech, and I would probably still make dinner that night.
I appreciate seeing someone who still remembers, as I do, that Bruce Pearl is not a good human. He's Exhibit A of someone whose rep has been rehabilitated by recent success, because people have short memories. But he's a tool, and I will always root against him. In addition to all his publicized misdeeds, he also made some wildly false and derogatory accusations against Jon Scheyer at the end of his playing career. And for no reason whatsoever except to whine about recruiting. Hardly anyone took note of that, but as a Scheyer fan, I did, and I won't ever forget.
It's important to remember all of it. He's the worst. (Unfortunately, I am watching his team win right now.)
I started watching the Vietnam War documentary, and it was depressing to me, so I quit. I usually enjoy Ken Burns docs, especially the Civil War. I'll try it again sometime when I'm in the mood. I lived through it, though I was looking at it from a kid's standpoint. I was in High School when it finally ended. It sucked up most of the memories of my childhood.
I have a hard time watching anything about American History these days, actually. It all feels like ... nostalgia? Even the bad stuff?
This reminds me of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. Of course, there's no head fake here.
Will, for your March Madness rootability rankings, I would have to turn in my diploma if I didn’t comment that Jim Gaffigan is a Georgetown graduate (and played on the football team there). He left Purdue after one year.
Good eye! He still SEEMS more Purdue.
Your Mike Trout piece was excellent. His career reminds me of two greats: Mantle and Williams. The former because of all the injuries and pain he endured at yet he ended up hitting 536 home runs and the later, because as great as Ted was, he only played in one World Series. Ernie Banks never played in the post season. So did his teammate Ron Santo. In 2012, when Miguel Cabrera won the triple crown, something that hadn't been done in 45 years, many considered Trout to be the real MVP in the American League. Of course, Miggy won the MVP and will be a near-unanimous pick for the Hall. Trout, in 2036 or later (or sooner) will be also.
Yeah, that's the bummer, though ... at least Williams got to play in a World Series!
When hit couldn't hit the ball and the Red Sox lost because Slaughter scored from first base on a single.
Thanks for the article link about the book of Candy Clark's Polaroids. That was the perfect palate cleanser for the discussion my wife and I had around the main topic of your article. I may find myself indulging in 20th century nostalgia more than what may be healthy these days, but, y'know, any port in a storm right?
And yes, it feels GREAT to have baseball back!
Those Jeff Bridges photos are nuts. It's always good to remember that he was the most handsome man in the world.