Blackout.

by Therese Odell, posted in Uncategorized

I am not going to talk about TV today. Aside from the listings below, I’m not interested in talking about renewals or premiere dates or How the Simpsons Predicted Blah Blah or any of that. Today is not the time.

Today is not the time because yesterday, some 20 minutes before Washington D.C.’s official curfew was set to begin, the President of the United States had hundreds of peaceful protestors tear-gassed, shot with rubber bullets and chased by mounted officers, so to clear a path for him to walk across the street for a photo opp in front of a church.

All this, because he was mad people called him a coward for hiding in the White House bunker during the protests.

And while it is BULLSHIT that Americans were harmed just so that the Pants-Pisser-in-Chief could cross the street and awkwardly hold a book he’s never read in front of a church he’s never attended (and whose priests were gassed along with the protestors), it’s what he did before he took that walk that is easily one of the most terrifying moments of my adult life. In the Rose Garden, while explosions from tear gas canisters could be heard on the streets nearby, the President of the United States declared war on the American people:

That is why I am taking immediate presidential action to stop the violence and restore security and safety in America. I am mobilizing all available federal resources civilian and military to stop the rioting and looting to end the destruction and arson and to protect the rights of law-abiding Americans, including your Second Amendment rights. Therefore, the following measures are going into effect immediately.

First, we are ending the riots and lawlessness that has spread throughout our country. We will end it now. Today, I have strongly recommended to every governor to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets. Mayors and governors must establish an overwhelming law enforcement presence until the violence has been quelled. If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.

I am also taking swift and decisive action to protect our great capital, Washington, D.C. What happened in this city last night was a total disgrace. As we speak, I am dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property.

You can read the entire speech here. My favorite part might be this line, while he was literally tear-gassing peaceful protestors yards away: “The biggest victims of the rioting are peace-loving citizens in our poorest communities. And as their president, I will fight to keep them safe. I will fight to protect you. I am your president of law and order, and an ally of all peaceful protesters.”

 

This monstrous man would rather call down the power of the American military on its own citizens than try to offer a message of hope, solace, understanding, unity — never mind actually trying to DO something to mitigate, even just a smidge, even just symbolically, the systemic racism and injustice that lies at the very root of our democracy. No, much easier to go full autocrat. But hey! At least we’re not talking about the 108,000 dead Americans from COVID-19 or the fact that cases are now spiking all across the country, right?

So, no, I’m not interested in writing about television today. And while I’m glad to have the cover of the #blackouttuesday project to suggest that I’m supporting the movement by not writing about new shows in development or the latest nonsense Bachelor gossip,  the truth is, I didn’t need it. I am too scared, my heart is too heavy for that crap today.

Instead, I am going to focus on what we can do to support this movement at this moment.

If you can’t protest for whatever reason (no judgment — I’m not protesting, but my family is), you can still help by donating what you can to any number of organizations. There are many, many groups doing good work right now, but here are a few that stood out to me:

Black Lives Matter: The organization was founded in response to the murder of Trayvon Martin, and seeks to end white supremacy and violence inflicted on Black communities.

Campaign Zero: This group uses research-based solutions to police brutality and tries to change laws on a local, state, and federal level.

Act Blue: They are collecting bail money and dispersing it among 39 different campaigns to help out arrested protestors.

Know Your Rights Camp: This organization was formed to “advance the liberation and well-being of Black and Brown communities through education, self-empowerment, mass-mobilization, and the creation of new systems that elevate the next generation of change leaders.”

The Freedom Fund: This group helps bail LGBTQ folks out of jail because they are three times more likely to be arrested.

RollingStone.com has an excellent and much more comprehensive list of local organizations if you want to find something more granular to support.

This is a scary moment. I have literally not been this frightened for our country since 9/11, and at least that attack was an external one. Things could tip in a very dangerous direction — and President Dicktator is certainly doing everything in his power to make that happen.

But I am also hopeful: this is a painful moment for our entire country, but change always comes with some pain, even happy change. I just hope that’s what this is.

 

hospital workers protest
Photo by @https://twitter.com/thisismarkc

 

 

WATCH THIS

Dirty John: The second season of the true-crime-based drama follows the wild story of Betty Broderick, and stars Amanda Peet and Christian Slater. Look, I’m not saying this series is prestige drama, but it is satisfying in that trashy good kinda way. Season premiere. 8 p.m., USA

Fuller House: Final episodes. Netflix

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Legends find themselves in an Orwellian world. YES, THAT IS SO HARD TO IMAGINE. Season finale. 7 p.m., The CW

Late Night:

  • Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Joel McHale, Phoebe Robinson, Nick Jonas, Charli XCX
  • Late Night with Seth Meyers: Tracee Ellis Ross, Tim McGraw
  • The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Keegan-Michael Key, Milky Chance & Jack Johnson
  • The Late Late Show with James Corden: Michael Sheen, M. Ward
  • Jimmy Kimmel Live: Shaquille O’Neal
  • The Daily Show: The Daily Social Distancing Show
  • Conan: Patton Oswalt

 

TUES. 7:00 7:30 8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30
ABC The Conners
(repeat)		 The Conners
(repeat)		 Modern Family
(repeat)		 Modern Family
(repeat)		 The Genetic Detective
(new)
CBS NCIS
(repeat)		 FBI
(repeat)		 FBI: Most Wanted
(repeat)
CW Stargirl
(new)		 DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
(new)		 Local
FOX Hell’s Kitchen
(repeat)		 Gordon Ramsay’s 24 Hours to Hell and Back
(repeat)		 News/Local
NBC America’s Got Talent
(new)		 World of Dance
(new)

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