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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe Man Who Pretended Not to Notice A fly landed on Mike Pence's head... he did nothing. (Atlantic)
Perfect analogy...
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/10/what-vp-debate-was-like-sound-off/616654/
We saw a vice president with a pale face, his mouth cankered by a cold sore, his eyes pink. He looked unwell, which evoked the pandemic that has gripped Americaa pandemic through which the Trump White House has modeled the most irresponsible and unsafe behavior. That irresponsible and unsafe behavior has sickened the president and the first lady, forced the joint chiefs of staff into quarantine, and spread infection though the West Wing. This White House is notorious for non-transparency and untruthfulness. The president evaded a COVID-19 test before the September 29 debate in Clevelanda date by which he very probably knew he was infected and infectious. Everybody watching tonights debate had to wonder: Whats going on with the vice president? At one point, Pence was at least the titular head of the White House COVID-19 response. He defied safety protocols too. He notably refused to wear a mask on a visit to the Mayo Clinic in April, despite the hospitals clear rule that he must.
We saw a vice president who had internalized the Trump White Houses culture of disrespect, and especially disrespect to women. He talked over Kamala Harris and the moderator, Susan Page; he ignored the rules of the debate to which he agreed. At the core of the Trump political project is the reassertion of dominance over the historically dominated by the historically dominant. That reassertion of dominance was Pences supreme project at this debate too. Pence did not imitate his bosss manic and undisciplinedand ultimately catastrophically unsuccessfulstyle of dominance. Instead, he brought to this debate the more measured and controlled disdain of a man who had considered the matter carefullyand decided that the woman in front of him had no right to control him and that the woman to his right did not deserve to be onstage with him. With the sound on, you heard Page trying and failing to summon Pence to order with a repeated, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Vice President. With the sound off, you saw Harrisa vice-presidential nominee, a U.S. senator, a former attorney general of the largest state in the nationobliged to smile and smile in an effort to assert herself without seeming well, you know, without seeming something that might offend somebody. Pence never worried about offending anybody. And he did not feel the need to smile when asserting himself.
We saw a weird moment where a fly landed on Pences snow-white hairand the vice president did not react at all. No doubt, its a conundrum, what to do in such a situation. If Pence shooed the fly and the fly refused to shoo, that would be bad. So he did nothing. And that doing nothing somehow in one powerful visual moment concentrated everything. It symbolized the whole Pence vice presidency, the determined, willful refusal to acknowledge the most blaring and glaring negative realities. Through all of the scandals and the crimes and the disasters of the past four years, Mike Pence was the man who pretended not to notice. And now there was a fly on his head, and he pretended not to notice that too.
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North Shore Chicago
(3,303 posts)Well written analogy.
olegramps
(8,200 posts)malaise
(268,715 posts)Great read
llmart
(15,533 posts)Pence = the do-nothing VP. Jack of all trades, master of none.
Same thing goes for the criminal Kushner.
cab67
(2,990 posts)llmart
(15,533 posts)It's the trade of peddling bullshit.
yardwork
(61,539 posts)zed nada
(60 posts)Fyrefox
(300 posts)During the debate, we witnessed the birth of a new superhero, for that was no ordinary fly...that was Audacious Fly! The religious far right probably expected to see the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending upon Mike Pence to sanctify him, and instead they got Audacious Fly, calling Pence out for the self-righteous Trump toadie that he is, and making him look foolish...
Audacious Fly...small but mighty! Let those who bear his mark beware...
BunnyMcGee
(463 posts)Buckeyeblue
(5,499 posts)In SNLs skit of the debate, the fly should be turned into a character. It should have the face of Trump and be whispering answers into Pence's ear.
At some point, the fly as Trump character should say, those expiramental drugs are better than we thought.
And of course there would be plenty of flies landing on shit jokes.
ananda
(28,836 posts)Frum describes Pence to a tee, along with
the entire Trump/WH culture that he was
emulating and representing...
and it didnt look good. Basically, white men
have to be dominant, and others have to ..erm..
know their place.
But the fly and Pences obnoxious behavior put an end
to that. Also, Pence did not look well, and its
possible that the attitude of disdain and disrespect
for other people, and most significantly for the
virus, will also bring him down.
We can see it as a kind of personal and cultural
hubris in the kind of tragedy that actually looks
like a really bad telenovela.
Its just sad that Harris had to sit in the same
room as the sick representative of a whole
culture that puts the their lives and the lives
of others at risk.
Jetheels
(991 posts)[link:
|keithbvadu2
(36,667 posts)He had the attitude. Pence showed those 'uppity' women that they could wait for him to finish.
ihas2stinkyfeet
(1,400 posts)2 min is likely his limit.
LAS14
(13,769 posts)Cha
(296,867 posts)did nothing?! Instead acted like he was dangerously Unobservant?
That's stupid.. no foresight that he would be the Mockery of the Internet.
Too busy being an Asshole to notice the black fly choosing his white hair to buzz around in..
What a look for a loser.
ihas2stinkyfeet
(1,400 posts)Cha
(296,867 posts)but Frum said pence "pretended not to notice".
ihas2stinkyfeet
(1,400 posts)Cha
(296,867 posts)notice & pence didn't have a clue.
Someone posted that pence was wearing a toupee.. said they figured it out before the Fly & the Fly confirmed it. Bizarre!
4Q2u2
(1,406 posts)When you are a big pile of steaming shit.
Where do you think a Fly is going to land?
I am just surprised there was not a swarm.
magicarpet
(14,121 posts)That would be excellent confirmation of the steaming pile of shit theorem.
chriscan64
(1,789 posts)magicarpet
(14,121 posts)Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)the answer would be "Yes".
Joinfortmill
(14,395 posts)Ponietz
(2,939 posts)This White House is notorious for non-transparency and untruthfulness. The president evaded a COVID-19 test before the September 29 debate in Clevelanda date by which he very probably knew he was infected and infectious.
Just 24 hours ago that was scurrilous speculation and a bridge too far for some peopleI know, I tried to broach the subject. All the facts point to the Dump Corp. appearing at the debate with the intent to expose Joe. Guess itll be common knowledge and belief by this afternoon.
Cha
(296,867 posts)hlthe2b
(102,138 posts)ecstatic
(32,653 posts)I figured that out last night, before the fly emerged. The fly just confirmed it.
Cha
(296,867 posts)no way.. & I guess it was a quiet little super Fly.
How strange.
Roc2020
(1,613 posts)and nasty. the fly was a sickening summary of Trump administration. The only thing people will remember from this 'debate' is the fly
yardwork
(61,539 posts)The Republicans are turning their rhetorical skills against Trump and his re-election campaign.
I'm 60 and I don't think that I've ever seen this happen before, where long-time leaders of one party turn against their sitting president to prevent his re-election. I hope it works.
Frum and the Lincoln project crew and all the rest will be back attacking Democrats as soon as Trump is out of office. I hope we learn from them.
LAS14
(13,769 posts)hlthe2b
(102,138 posts)that nothing moved.
bonniebgood
(940 posts)DinahMoeHum
(21,774 posts). . .and remember, flies is an anagram for LIFES.
WyattKansas
(1,648 posts)Has been swarming with flies, but the smell is even getting to some of the flies that need to get away for a breather and moved to Mike Pence when he went to a clean environment.
Republicans have been attempting to revive the dead hooker by injecting it with steroids and Vitamoxin, but that only caused a spewing of toxic gas that erupted like Mount St. Helens. It is reported that the decay and stench is so bad, that the Republican Party has become ground zero for the Super Spreader Dead Hooker tRUMP Virus Outbreak at the Supreme Court nomination announcement.
Republicans have now conceded that they need to find a way to make 'Remember the Dead Hooker' catchy for it's base. Some are trying write songs about the Super Spreader Dead Hooker tRUMP Virus Outbreak, but it isn't playing well to their Evangelical followers.
dchill
(38,447 posts)greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)IronLionZion
(45,380 posts)and he definitely looks sick of something, whether it's COVID or being Trump's VP or both.
But the whole concept of letting Americans make their own choices because of freedom doesn't work when they provide false information and some people are recklessly spreading the virus to others without a second thought.
jimlup
(7,968 posts)he's pretty oblivious to reality why would a fly matter even a little? We could obviously see it, he couldn't see or feel it. My guess is he didn't even know until after.
And that symbolizes the current situation exactly. He can't even FUCKIN See it!
ZZenith
(4,115 posts)Thats great writing - powerful and true and precise.
Lets put that on his headstone:
Michael Richard Pence
Vice President
A man with the determined, willful refusal to acknowledge the most blaring and glaring negative realities. Through all of the scandals and the crimes and the disasters, Mike Pence was the man who pretended not to notice. And then there was a fly on his head, and he pretended not to notice that too.