Okay... about to start the 5th episode, and I'm hooked. (Since this original OG S/OG post, I'm now in the 4th season... needless to say, it's been an amazing ride so far). I'd only previously seen clips from this show featured in James' GentZ videos back when we were either in the Lobby or Lounge, and then mentioned again in videos by The Masculine Home that I recently shared. So, I finally decided to watch it. Took me until the end of the first episode and into the second to really pull me in, but it gets good fast. Not bad for a show that started in 2014, and I believe finally ended in 2022. Initial take-away was all the period/setting aesthetic. Absolutely love it. If I ever get my own house again, I'd love to apply the aesthetic of Thomas' room to one of mine (particularly the wallpaper). Especially fond of the post-industrial revolution style in general and how it contrasts with posh accents of wealth and old-world bespoke craftsmanship. I was familiar with Nick Cave's music well before this, so it's a nice bonus. Has anyone else watched this? As I recall, @David Zandar mentioned having watched and much enjoyed it. So far, I highly recommend it. It's like a nice hard shot of extra peaty Scotch after the fine aged wine of "A Gentleman in Moscow". EDIT: As an update to this re-post, I'm dressing like a Shelby/Peaky Blinder for Halloween. Pics to come later this month.

It is commonly reported that 22 veterans commit suicide every day in the United States. I don't know if that is the precise number, but whether it is 2, or 22, or 42 it is too many. And it is not just veterans that choose to end their lives. People from all walks of life make that irreversible decision every day. Check on your friends often.

I warned Scott in a comment, and I know we've had our share of rants about "modern fashion", so I'm taking my turn. When waiting to pick up my daughter from school, while I have noticed more men showing up more often to pick up their kids (which is a good thing), I can't help but notice they look so much like most people I see out and about. Basically, like homeless ex-convicts. Ill-fitted clothing, dirty, torn, faded graphic shirts, covered in tattoos, pajama pants, faces like they just escaped the Dust Bowl (no skin care routine or attempt to be clean apart from maybe a nice haircut), sometimes with piercings bigger than a pencil or sharpie marker, etc. Even when I was a kid/teen/20-something, I never saw the appeal in dressing like a slob. Sure, I was into the Goth style for 12 years (from high school until my late 20s), but I made sure it looked good/refined. Even James of GentZ was Goth once upon a time. The closest AI-generated answer search could give is it's just "trendy" to look like trash (partly thanks to the fashion industry). That, in some weird way, it's considered "more masculine", and the worst excuse yet, "showing solidarity to accept ex-cons back into society". While that last one seems well-intended, I think there are far better ways to be supportive than to dress like shit. Sure, it's the first thing we see, so "normalizing it" seems to reduce stigma, but it's detrimental as it overall lowers society's bar for standards. At least with "Lumber-sexual" (as opposed to the metro-sexual trend of 20 years ago), they tried to have kempt beards, neat haircuts, and their style aesthetic made sense. At this point, even athleisure-wear looks more appealing (and I'll never do that to myself). The "homeless ex-con cosplay" as I call it, just comes off as fake and a sorry excuse to "be comfortable" or "give up" in the face of an unfavorable economic era. Personally, I'd rather be intimidating as a well-dressed man with manners (or even seen as "a snob", "judgmental", or "trying too hard"), than some pseudo ex-con you'd approach for a toilet wine recipe and wonder if you'll get shanked. While sadly many end up in prison for totally unjustified reasons, many DO end up there for a good reason.

Similar to the last one, I have two quotes for us to analyze and share thoughts on: "Ideology itself, may be defined as the illusion of reality, produced by language in the absence of such. From this standpoint, ideology is linguocracy; the capacity of language to produce and impose on others a pseudo-reality that claims to be uniquely valid." ~Kabakov "Once children have been indoctrinated into the expectations of a dominator society, they may never outgrow the need to locate all evil outside themselves. Even as adults they tend to scapegoat others for all that is wrong in the world. They continue to depend on group identification and the upholding of social norms for a sense of well-being." ~Walter Wink, “The Myth of Redemptive Violence” And yes, that's Walter Wink, not White :P I share these at the same time because, in my mind, ideology goes hand in hand with social expectations/norms, and how we handle feelings of in/justice in any given society. That, while our feelings are valid, because they are our personal truths, they can be easily influenced by the masses. To remain an individual and in better control of our own thoughts, it's best to have a well-rounded source of input. What are your thoughts? What is your take-away from these quotes? How have you shaken yourself from a perceived injustice, and changed it to do the right thing instead of seek vigilante compensation? Do you experience people who often only care about pushing an ideology, rather than expanding upon that knowledge? Doesn't have to be anything big, even just mundane experiences.

I saw this and thought of our wordsmiths.