The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is my overall reaction to the finale of “Ms. Marvel,” as well as my review of the series as a whole. I also talk about THAT scene near the end. If you’ve seen the episode, you know which one I’m referring to. And from it, I do a little overly excited speculation. Enjoy!
Thor: Love and Thunder Review | Action, Romance, And Heavy Metal
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is my full review of “Thor: Love And Thunder.” Please note this review contains a few major spoilers. So, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you have been warned.
But the long and short of it is simple. It rocks!
Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, superhero comics, superhero movies, YouTube
Sexy Short Story: Summer Pajamas
The following is a sexy short story I came up with on a hot summer day. Enjoy!
Roderick “Rod” Nichols loved summer as much as the next teenager. Even though his parents made him work a summer job at his uncle’s gas station, he enjoyed the warm weather and lack of school. But recently, he gained another reason to love this time of year. And unlike high school, this reason could end up applying for years to come, long after graduating college.
That reason came courtesy of his girlfriend, Regina “Rina” Meyers. They’d met over the winter during a holiday festival near school. And things moved fast. Things moved very fast, in fact. Their respective parents called it teen puppy love, but Rod didn’t believe that. And neither did Rina.
They had something special. They were certain of that, even before the winter snow melted. Rod’s certainty only grew when he learned of a unique summer tradition that Rina had enjoyed since she was in middle school. She called it the window for enjoying her “summer pajamas.”
That was just her way of saying she slept fully nude. And of a couple of horny teenagers in love, that made balmy summer nights like this so enticing.
“I know you’re waiting for me, babe. Tonight is just too perfect,” Rod said under his breath as he approached Rina’s one-story house.
It was just past midnight and her street was dead quiet. Since it was less than two blocks from the gas station, he could walk there without drawing too much suspicion. As far as his parents knew, he was working a few extra hours. His uncle even covered for him, ensuring he and Rina could take advantage of this opportunity.
Still, Rod moved swiftly through the muggy night, carefully making his way towards the back yard. That involved hopping a fence, carefully stepping over the garden Rina’s mother tended, and arriving at the window on the west side of the house.
That was the window to Rina’s bedroom. And, whether by fluke or design, her room was at the far end of the house. That meant he could easily slip into the window while not alerting her parents. Tonight, that was even less a concern because her dad was working late and her mother was out of town. That meant they had the night to themselves.
“Rina,” Rod whispered, looking at the window, “I’m here.”
There was no response from the darkened window. But he knew she was there. The window was just slightly open. That was her signal to him that she was inside and ready for him.
Still wearing the same clothes he’d worn during his shift at the gas station, he carefully peaked through the window and into his girlfriend’s bedroom. Sure enough, she was there – and wearing those “summer pajamas,” no less. She didn’t even bother sleeping under the covers. There was just a light blanket covering half of her nude body. Naturally, he grinned at the beautiful sight.
“You and your summer pajamas,” he commented.
Still grinning, Rod carefully opened the door and slipped into the room. Even though her parents weren’t home, he was as quiet as could be. That was part of the thrill of nights like this. It got his heart racing and his blood flowing, especially to certain parts of his body.
That adrenaline kept him focused as he quietly closed the window behind him, slipped out of his greasy clothes, and approached the bed. Rina shifted slightly as he approached, sighing and turning over so that she faced away, which happened to give him a perfect glimpse of her butt in the process.
“She definitely did that on purpose,” Rod said under his breath.
She knew he was there. If the smell of his sweaty clothes didn’t give him away, his heavy breathing certainly did. He swore he saw her crack a smile when she turned over, as if she wasn’t some cute girl pretending to be asleep naked in her bed.
Hiding his lurid snicker, he stealthily joined her in her bed, curling up behind her so that his exposed skin made contact with hers. The sudden feeling of such intimate contact evoked a content purr from Rina, as though she hadn’t been expecting a warm body to join her in bed tonight.
“Are you awake?” Rod whispered into her ear, as though he didn’t already know.
“No,” she said incredulously. “I’m fast asleep. I’m even having this wonderful dream. This handsome, rugged guy just snuck through my window and slipped into my bed. He’s spooning me now. I can even feel his dick pressing against me. And I just happen to be very horny tonight.”
“Sounds like quite a dream,” he teased. “How do you want it to play out?”
“Hmm…don’t know. Guess that depends on how horny the handsome guy is.”
Rod snickered and teased her by lightly nibbling on her ear, something that always got her going. She let out a soft coo, her body shifting a bit to scoot closer to his. In the process, her butt rubbed right up against his penis, which got him semi-hard with unsurprising ease. She knew that got him going too. So, he returned the favor by slipping his hand around her from behind, reaching between her legs, and gently cupping the outer features of her pussy.
“Ooh!” Rina said with a louder coo. “He must be very horny too!”
“He must have been thinking about you and your summer pajamas all day,” Rod quipped.
Her cooing quickly turned into playful laughter. From there, there was no use keeping up the ruse. He was there, just as he’d promised. They were both naked in bed, each wearing their “summer pajamas” so to speak. Her parents weren’t home, meaning they could be less tactful than usual.
Summer was a great time of year for many reasons. Rod and Rina planned on giving themselves even more.
“Rod…take me,” Rina said through the gasps.
Like a good boyfriend, he answered her siren’s call. She turned over, doing away with the light blanket that had barely covered her body. They quickly came together in a passionate kiss, their naked bodies now enmeshed atop the undersized mattress. The kiss started soft, but quickly escalated. They went from lovingly making out to full-fledged foreplay.
Hands roamed wildly and freely. Rod traced a path up from her shapely hips to her well-developed breasts, making sure to give her nipples that slight squeeze that got her moaning for all the right reasons. Rina returned the favor by pawing his chest and tangling her legs with his, communicating her growing desire with every touch. Already, the heat of their bodies filled the room, mixing with the lingering summer air. And within this heat, Rod followed the full extent of his desires.
“Lie back,” he whispered into her ear, just as their make-out session got energetic.
Rina wordlessly complied, rolling right onto her back. He rolled with her so that he was on top, his masculine form hovering over hers. He continued kissing her for a while. Then, he began making his way down her body, shifting his hands to her thighs in the process. Just as his lips reached her abdomen, he pushed her legs apart so that he had full access to her womanhood.
“Now, I know I’m dreaming,” Rina said. “I swear my wonderful boyfriend is about to go down on me.”
“Just close your eyes,” Rod whispered. “Let this be a dream come true.”
She took his advice, grasping the sheets below her while he worked his magic. Like the wonderful boyfriend he was, he buried his face between her thighs and proceeded to give her oral sex. The sweet, intoxicating taste of her womanhood consumed him.
Rod learned early on in their relationship that he loved the taste of pussy. And Rina loved letting him gorge on her to his heart’s content. He quickly learned the intricacies of her anatomy, using his lips and tongue to hit all those special spots that got her feminine juices flowing. His efforts got her so wet and worked up, especially on nights like this. It also supplemented his own arousal, getting him fully erect and ready to give his girlfriend the lovemaking she deserved.
“So hot and wet,” Rod said after lapping up a trail of juices. “A perfect summer delight!”
“Mmhmm…beats the hell out any dream,” Rina moaned.
“And it gets better!”
Licking his lips in anticipation, the taste of her pussy still hanging strong, Rod got back on top of her. His love welcomed the weight of his naked body, wrapping her arms around his neck and hooking her legs around his waist. Their figures entwined, Rod grasped her hips for leverage and guided his throbbing member towards her entrance.
Then, with a firm thrust of his hips, he entered her. The smooth, silky feeling of their fleshly union washed over them, evoking the distinct gasps and moans of sex. From there, the summer heat gave way to impassioned inferno.
“Ohhh God!” Rina cried out in that heavenly voice.
“Rina…my love,” Rod said in a daze.
She closed her eyes and tightened her embrace on him. He buried his face in her naked, taking in that sweet feeling of her body embracing his. And through a potent blend of lust, love, and plenty more feelings that defied description, Rod made love to Rina.
He started slow and steady, moving their bodies at just the right pace to adjust to the feeling. They usually had to temper the energy of their sex, usually to keep themselves from making too much noise. But with Rina’s parents not home, they could be bolder. And, not knowing how many nights like this they’d get this summer, he and Rina took full advantage of it.
Harder and faster, Rod rocked his love’s world with each targeted thrust. The bed shook with each movement, the headboard banging up against the wall. Rina moaned louder with each fleshly slither, not even bothering to mute herself.
“Yes! Yes! Oh yes! Ohhh yes!” she exclaimed.
Rod loved that noise. Hearing it was as much a delight as the hot touch of her naked flesh. It sent him deeper into that impassioned daze – one in which all thoughts, sensations, and emotions converged on this one intimate act.
It was an act made possible by a warm summer night and his girlfriend’s fondness of sleeping nude when it got hot. It had the qualities of reckless teenage lovers acting on raging hormones. But he and Rina knew it ran deeper than that. It didn’t just show in their willingness to sneak in on another’s room in the dead of night. It manifested perfectly within their sex.
“I love you, Rod,” she whispered into his ear. “I love being your girl…your lover…your everything.”
That loving sentiment she said mid-coitus wasn’t just a product of a horny woman overwhelmed by sex. The way she raked her fingers over his back, tracing along his sinews in just the right way, made his heart race with passion. It motivated him to pull out all the stops, making the most out of their bodily alignment to get her to that special place.
His efforts soon bore fruit. Eventually, he felt her body tremble – her inner muscles tightening while her gasps became more labored. She was getting close. She was about to climax.
“Ooh I’m close, Rod! I’m so…so close!” she gasped.
“Then, let me guide you…my love,” he said to her.
He stepped up his movements, rocking her body with their sex to carry her the rest of the way. At some point, she grasped his hands with hers, interlocked their fingers, and squeezed firmly as that powerful orgasmic feeling washed over her.
“Oohhh Rod!”
He cast her a beaming grin as the spectacle unfolded. Still squeezing her hands, he held Rina and watched her climax under her. It was such a beautiful sight, seeing her contort and writhe under him in the throughs of ecstasy. She was so animated when she came. She claimed she had always been like that since she discovered the joys of sex. At this point in their relationship, he believed her.
“I never get tired of seeing that,” he said to himself.
Rod ceased his movements, letting his love soak in every bit of the feeling. She kept holding him close, her legs still locked around his waist. He also used this as an opportunity to catch his breath. Because, knowing Rina, he had a good idea of what came next.
“Mmm…your turn, babe!” she said, her voice still drunk on ecstasy.
From there, a sudden surge of energy came over his girlfriend – energy that didn’t seem possible for someone who’d pretended to be asleep mere moments ago. But Rod didn’t fight it. He was happy to just keep grinning while his girlfriend grabbed his shoulders, kissed his lips, and repositioned their bodies.
The next thing he knew, he was the one on his back with Rina on top. Their flesh never parted, her tight inner folds still throbbing around his cock. She was now the one with all the leverage, straddling his waist and ready to ride him to paradise. She made good use of that leverage, but not before casting him a loving gaze.
“Now, let me make your dreams come true,” Rina said to him.
“You already have,” Rod replied.
“You know me. I like to overachieve!” she said seductively.
Rod laughed while his beautiful girlfriend worked her magic. With the same care and skill he’d shown her, she made love to him.
Still squeezing his hands, her knees and feet dug into the mattress, she worked her hips with an intensity not usually possible when her parents were home. Every gyration and undulation was so fervent, the wet folds of her vagina sliding smoothly along his length. She was so focused in her efforts, her sexy gaze narrowed on him as she pushed to bring him to the same ecstasy he’d given her.
It really did feel like a dream – a very sexy, erotic dream. He found himself squeezing her hands harder, if only to make sure this was real. He didn’t dare close his eyes, either – not wanting to wake up. Rod just held on and soaked in every feeling, letting their naked bodies move to the rhythm of sensations born from their sex.
And, just like her, she eventually brought him to that special place.
“Oh God! Rina, I…I’m gonna come! I’m…I’m gonna come!” Rod panted.
“Come, my dream lover. Come!” Rina urged him.
Her choice of words was so fitting. They echoed within his head as he reached that special threshold. His flesh burned and his heart raced, his mind becoming awash with orgasmic sensations. When it hit, he shot up, threw his arms around his love, and held her close for the coming rush.
“Rina!” he cried out.
In a culmination of so much passion and exertion, Rod came. It was so hot and intense – hardened manly flesh burning inside moist womanly depths. The feeling of their juices mixing within her womb added that uniquely intimate feeling. It was all that love and desire taking its final physical form – a tangible product of their love.
As Rod processed the ecstasy, a partial silence fell over the darkened room. Only their heavy breathing and beating hearts could be heard or felt. Before the full feeling passed, he and Rina met again in a soft kiss. And their lips remained entwined as they collapsed atop the bed together, their naked bodies now sweaty and disheveled.
“I love you,” Rod said to her when their lip finally parted.
“I know. I love you too,” Rina said.
“And I love your fondness for summer pajamas,” he added. “It’s enough to make a guy appreciate this time even more.”
“What can I say? I get hot easily,” she said with a playful shrug. “On top of that, it just makes things easier when the man I love wants to sneak over in the middle of the night.”
“That, it does,” Rod laughed. “Speaking of which, how much longer do you think we’ll have before I have to sneak out?”
She cast him another seductive grin. Rina had that glint in her eyes again. It was enough to make his manhood perk up again.
She knew as well as he did that this was a rare opportunity. Until they went to college and moved in together, they had to make the most of this – and not just in terms of how much noise they could make.
“We have more time than usual,” Rina told him. “So, get comfortable with those summer pajamas! Because with all this summer heat, I’m feeling extra restless tonight.”
Filed under Sexy Short Story
A Frightening (But Possible) Scenario For The Near Future
It has been a strange, scary, and distressing time for the United States of America. Anyone who has been following the news in any capacity these past five years would likely agree. Between the politics, the culture wars, and people whining about female characters in “Star Wars,” it has gotten quite ugly.
I also sincerely regret that I have likely contributed to that ugliness at times. I don’t deny that I have written things on this site that, in hindsight, were probably misguided in terms of both intent and overall point.
However, I won’t go so far as to delete what I’ve written or deny that I ever felt differently than I do now. I just accept that there have been times in my life where I believed, accepted, and propagated things I thought to be right, but eventually realized were wrong.
That’s neither good nor bad.
That’s just life and how your perspective changes with time.
Except now, I’m at an age where it’s a little easier to see the forest from the trees, with respect to current events. Not long ago, I thought I understood the general arc of politics, trends, cultural issues, and what not. I could see the patterns that began with people whining about Marilyn Manson and “South Park” in the 90s and culminated with people whining about diversity in children’s shows and boob armor today.
I now realize I was wrong, yet again.
I didn’t know just how messy, regressive, and irrational these issues could be, even in a first world country like the United States of America.
If I ever gave the impression that I was more informed than most, I apologize. I’m not. I know now that I hadn’t been on this planet long enough to see just how bad things could get or how much large groups of people could collectively deny objective reality.
As a result, the optimism with which I once harbored about the future of America and the human race in general has taken a severe hit. I won’t say it’s utterly dead, but it is on life support at the moment. With each passing day, I see people with objectively un-American ideas about freedom claiming they’re the true patriots. I also see people exercising blatant, unambitious hypocrisy and paying no price and feeling no shame.
Now, in wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade and setting abortion rights back 50 years, I’m just about out of hope. It’s not just that I’m strongly against forcing women to have babies they don’t want or using misguided religious zealotry to justify certain laws, policies, or positions. These are all positions that a vast majority of people don’t agree with.
The same goes for organized religion. It has been in steady decline for decades. Young people, especially, are no longer buying into this old dogma. Despite that, the religious right has never been more powerful and it shows no signs of waning. And I’ve been on this planet long enough to understand something disheartening and distressing.
When uptight, repressive people gain power, they seek to use it. And they will use it in ways that are bound to be unpopular, damaging, and destructive. Since my beliefs, politics, and background are not at all in line with these zealots, I will likely feel that impact. I might not feel it as much as others, but I will feel it.
I don’t claim to know the future. I also know that things always change, no matter how hopeful or bleak they seem. However, given the cycles I’ve seen and the trends I’ve seen throughout my adult life, I get the sense the direction of that change is not going in a good direction. Moreover, it’ll never go in the direction it needs to for more people to prosper.
In order to illustrate this sentiment, I want to offer the following scenario that may or may not be a result of ongoing trends.
The year is 20XX.
The White House, both sides of Congress, and the Supreme Court are dominated by conservative Christian republicans. They’ve spent the past two years furthering their agenda, passing wildly unpopular policies that curtail abortion rights, denigrate LGBTQ communities, undermine public education, and embolden politically connected religious organizations.
Now, the mid-terms are coming up and it looks very likely that they’ll lose control of Congress. Several prominent democrats even promise to block any further policies by the religious right. However, rather than accept the loss of power that comes with every election cycle, leaders in the religious right decide to take action.
First, they start passing laws meant to “preserve democracy,” but end up limiting peoples’ ability to vote.
Then, they start promoting stories claiming that the other side is preparing to cheat during the election.
Then, they elevate news stories of questionable credibility that claim operatives within the democratic party have been arrested or charged with potential election crimes.
Then, in the name of preserving democracy, the upcoming election is deferred several months.
Then, protests and outrage break out across many major cities.
Then, the republican president declares a state of emergency, which includes enacting martial law within multiple states, especially those likely to have democratic governors or majorities.
Then, the National Guard and local police are deployed to quell riots and ensure peace.
Then, mass arrests take place. The fact that many of those arrested happen to be democrats or minorities is claimed to be just a coincidence or unrelated.
Then, voting rights for those arrested and charged with crimes are suspended.
Then, “special elections” take place, but under strict rules governed by a republican Congress and many republican dominated state governments.
Then, democratic leaders sue and attempt to block the act, but the conservative Supreme Court rules against them.
Then, the election results are in and, despite vast swaths of the public not being able to or allowed to vote, the conservative Christian republican candidates win and win big.
Then, armed with this new power, they alter more rules regarding elections and legislation in the name of “preserving the peace” or “protecting the public” or “maintaining democracy.”
In the end, the only citizens who are allowed to or are capable of voting are conservative Christian republicans and the only candidates they can vote for just happen to be conservative Christians. As a result, more regressive laws are passed that are not at all popular, let alone constitutional.
But that doesn’t matter at this point. It’s too late. They have the power and they’re never letting it go again.
Now, what I just described is only one possible scenario. I freely admit it’s an extreme scenario, not unlike what played out in “The Handmaid’s Tale.” However, extreme or not, the possibility is there, as are the disturbing trends.
The reversal of Roe vs. Wade and the domination of the Supreme Court by conservative right wing Christian may very well be the first act in a new trend. I’ve seen throughout my adult life how bold and unapologetic these types of shameless bullies can be.
It doesn’t matter if they’re caught lying.
It doesn’t matter if they’re caught in an act of blatant hypocrisy.
It doesn’t even matter if someone finds out they paid their mistress to get an abortion.
They face no consequences and feel no shame. They keep getting away with their deplorable behavior and they have every incentive to seek more power and influence. So long as they get the right people to vote for them, use the flaws of the system to their advantage, and depend on the relative apathy of most citizens, they’ll remain in power and they’ll keep securing more.
That’s always the endgame. It’ll go on as long as there’s are new opportunities and no obstacles, be they laws or people, to get in their way. And at this point, I honestly don’t know if there’s enough obstacles anymore.
Encouraging people to vote doesn’t seem to work anymore because voting has become so diluted in the United States. Unless you live in a swing state, it really doesn’t matter.
Encouraging people to protest doesn’t seem to matter, either. At most, it just inconveniences people who are rich, powerful, and capable of hiring private security. They literally have no incentive to change anything about what they’re doing or why they’re doing it.
I wish I knew of a solution or recourse. I really do. Maybe there is and I’m just not smart enough to realize it, let alone articulate it. But at the moment, I’ve never been less hopeful about the future of the United States and the human race in general. I really hope I’m wrong about my current outlook, but I’m not sure what could change these distressing trends.
If we’re at a point where we can’t even agree on objective reality anymore, then what hope do we have of creating a better reality for our future?
Filed under Current Events, politics
Happy 4th Of July! A Brief Message On Love And Patriotism
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. And in the spirit of the 4th of July holiday, I made this video to celebrate America, the country I love. I also take a moment to share my views on patriotism and what it means to truly love your country. Enjoy!
Filed under Current Events, Jack's World, YouTube
Gorr The God Butcher: How And Why He Became A Great Villain
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is a deep dive into Gorr the God Butcher. He is, in my opinion, one of the best villains Marvel has created in the past two decades. He challenged Thor and every god in the Marvel universe in a way no character has before. Now that he’s set to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Thor: Love and Thunder, I think the time is right to explore and celebrate this menacing butcher of gods. Enjoy!
Thoughts, Feelings, And (Dire) Predictions For The Future Of Abortion (And Many Other Rights)
Let me start by saying I had a sinking feeling I would have to write about this a while back when Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. I also want to make clear that I am very hesitant to give my opinions and feelings on topics like abortion and not just because I’m a man who will never know what it’s like to be pregnant.
However, I think this moment in history is worth talking about. It may very well mark a turning point for the United States and the western world in general with regard to abortion rights and human rights in general. And it’s a bad turning point, at that. That much, I am willing to say.
But there’s no getting around it anymore. Last week, the Supreme Court made it official. Roe vs. Wade is overturned and abortion is no longer a constitutionally protected right in America. It is hard to overstate what a big deal this is for women, men, and children of every age. I honestly don’t think I can put into words what a monumental shift this is.
That’s why I gave myself a few days to process it before writing about it or mentioning it in any meaningful capacity. Like many others, I certainly had a knee-jerk response when the news came down. Even though I wasn’t surprised, it still had an impact once it became official. And it’s hard to know where we’ll go from here.
Even with that extra time, I do find myself settling into a certain resignation to what this means for the near and immediate future. And it’s here where I want to share some of my sentiments.
First off, let me just start by saying my usual hope and optimism that I’ve discussed in the past is pretty much dead. I made an effort to cling to hope and some general idea that the good of humanity will overcome the bad. Well, now I’m willing to say it outright.
I was wrong.
I still believe there are good people in this world and they vastly outnumber the bad people. But the bad people are the ones with the money, power, and influence. They’re the ones who spent years working behind the scenes, exploiting the system, and lying when they had to in order to make this happen.
You can’t appeal to their humanity.
You can’t reason with them.
You can’t even call them out on their hypocrisy and expect that to change anything.
These politicians, judges, religious zealots, and advocates are as bad as they come. But that doesn’t matter. Don’t expect them to lose a wink of sleep over any outrage or suffering this decision causes. They knew what they were doing. They just didn’t care. And there’s nothing anyone can do to make them feel guilty about it.
Secondly, I also want to make clear that I have no more respect for religious convictions. Usually, when I talk about religion, I make it a point to say I respect the sincerely held beliefs of others. I even acknowledge I have religious people in my family.
Well, I still love and respect those people. But I have absolutely no respect for their religious convictions anymore.
More than anything else, this ruling has proven once and for all that religiously motivated morality is dangerous, detrimental, and regressive. It’s not a coincidence that those on the Supreme Court who made this ruling are devout Catholics, a sect of Christianity that has always been vehemently anti-abortion.
Never mind the fact that the Catholic Church has been behind some pretty horrific crimes.
Never mind the fact that the Catholic Church is run by celibate priests who will never need abortions.
This brand of religiously-motivated morality had driven the anti-abortion movement since the rise of the religious right. They claim they’re trying to save babies, but the end result is micromanaging and criminalizing female sexual behavior. If you need any proof of this, just look at how the anti-abortion crowd criticizes contraception.
It’s not hypocrisy.
It’s just a means to an end.
It’s also why this ruling is just a first step.
Make no mistake. This same court and these same politicians will go after birth control next. They’re not even trying to hide it anymore. They want an America where getting contraception is a crime, where any kind of pre-marital or extramarital sex is dangerous, and where women’s bodies can be controlled and managed by the state. Abortion and contraception are just obstacles and they’re going to keep attacking.
And lastly, here’s the final point I want to make.
These assholes are going to succeed.
I sincerely hope this post ages poorly, but give it another four years. I promise you that contraception is going to be the next thing on the chopping block. It won’t happen all at once, but it will happen. These people, who have ample access to oil money, religious organizations that don’t pay taxes, and a voting bloc that will never vote for another party, will keep pushing and they will push non-stop.
I’m sorry if that sounds dire or pessimistic, but this is where my broken spirit is right now. My faith in the future and in humanity’s ability to come together was already hit hard by COVID-19. Now, this is the final nail in the coffin.
It’s over now.
Evil didn’t win. Lying, cheating, power-hungry assholes won. And honestly, that’s worse.
Now, that they’re emboldened, they’re going to go after more rights. Losing a right like abortion and contraception access is just the beginning. It won’t be long before things like same-sex marriage, porn access, and voting rights are targeted. Yes, people will protest and voice their outrage. But that’s not going to change anything.
And here’s here where I’m going to make a few predictions. Granted, they’re very dire predictions and I hope I’m wrong about all of them. But having seen so many distressing trends in my adult life as an American, I think I’ve gotten a good feel for how our politics trend. So, this is what I expect to happen.
For the weeks and months after the ruling, there will be outrage and protests. It will garner quite a bit of media coverage. Abortion rights advocates will vehemently and passionately attempt to rally support.
But it won’t change a damn thing.
That’s because the people who make these laws and enforce them aren’t going to change their minds on anything unless it directly benefits them. Remember, they’re assholes. The most protests can do is mildly inconvenience them. Sure, you can try and commit to vote the anti-abortion people out of office, but because of gerrymandering and voter suppression laws, that’s not going to do much.
One way or another, these same politicians that fought to end abortion rights will keep winning elections. It’s not a matter of getting out the vote. It’s just a matter of them gaming the flaws in our election system to gain power and stay in power.
And don’t bother threatening them either. That’ll just get you arrested and allow them to paint your side as the violent radicals.
That’s no just me making an anti-violence disclaimer. Violence of any kind really won’t change anything with this issue either. The government has the soldiers, the guns, the military, and the drones. No matter how dedicated you are to fighting for abortion rights, anything you do to any authority figure will only mild inconvenience them and give them a perfect reason to put you in jail or worse.
With or without violence, the result will be the same. People will get bored of meaningless protesting and move on. Some other crazy news story will happen to draw everyone’s attention away from this issue, be it a celebrity scandal or some other political upheaval. And once the protests stop, it’s back to politics as usual.
By that, I mean that when November comes around, the republicans will win big because the democrats didn’t solve all the problems in America for the brief two years they had power. And once republicans get back into power, they will do anything and everything to ensure they can’t lose it ever again.
That means more restrictive voting laws and more efforts to ensure that their opponents can’t do anything to help anyone, ensuring they can paint them as ineffective in the next election.
Eventually, whether it’s in 2024 or 2028, there will be a situation where republicans control Congress, the White House, and the Supreme Court. When that happens, expect their control to be complete.
They won’t just take control. They’ll ensure that they never lose it again. That means they’ll be able to pass any law they want to end abortion access nationwide, ban all the books they don’t like, and make sure that everyone strives to live a life taken right out of a bland, boring 50s sitcom.
It’ll be a boring, repressive future in which women, minorities, and the LGBTQ+ community suffer horribly. But that’s where we’re heading. Baring a massive upheaval or an alien invasion, I don’t see this changing.
Again, I hope I’m wrong about all this. But this ruling has pretty much ended my remaining optimism for the future of America, the world, and human rights in general. This was just the first step towards a much larger regression. I wish I could say it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
But honestly, I don’t see that happening. Last week was a bad week, but make no mistake. The worst is yet to come.
Filed under abortion, Current Events, politics, religion
Avengers vs. X-Men: A Clash Of Heroes (That Nobody Won)
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video is a mini-documentary of Avengers vs. X-Men, one of Marvel’s most ambitious crossovers ever. It was set up to be the most epic hero-versus-hero clash of all time. But ultimately, it turned into a battle that nobody truly won the grand scheme of things. In this video, I attempt to explore the why, how, and what we can learn from this ambitious, but misguided event. Enjoy!
Jack Plays Cyberpunk 2077: Two New Videos Following The Main Story
The following is a couple more videos that I posted to my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. They are another entry in my growing crop of footage of me playing Cyberpunk 2077. Both these videos involve missions that tie into the main story. Enjoy!
This video is of the mission, “The Space In Between.”
This video is of the mission, “Disasterpiece,” which immediately follows the previous mission.
Filed under Cyberpunk2077, Jack's World, Marvel, video games, YouTube
Happy Juneteenth (And Why You Should Celebrate It)
Today is Juneteenth.
For a sizeable segment of the American population, it’s a day that carries a special, often personal meaning. That’s because it celebrates the formal end of legal, institutionalized slavery in the United States. For those whose ancestors endured the horrors of slavery and the slave trade, that meaning is impossible to put into words.
While this day has been celebrated in many forms since the end of the Civil War, it only became a federally recognized holiday in 2021. Now, many could argue it took way too long to formally recognized the importance of this day. I certainly understand and appreciate those sentiments. Regardless of how long it took, Juneteenth is here and we, as a country, are finally acknowledging its importance.
I know there are a lot of heated politics surrounding race, history, the Civil War, and minority issues in general. I’m certainly not qualified to discuss those politics, even though I’ve tried. For today, though, I think we should set the politics aside because what this day represents goes beyond politics.
We can’t beat around the bush.
We can’t ignore the facts of history.
For nearly a century after the United States gained its independence from Great Britain, slavery as an institution was both practiced and protected. In a country that espoused life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that is not a trivial oversight.
Slavery, no matter how common it has been throughout human history, is a barbaric practice. It was barbaric in the 1800s and it’s barbaric today. Sadly, the forces of greed, racism, bigotry, outdated traditions, and cruelty keep that practice alive and well. Sometimes it’s sanctioned. Sometimes it’s illegal. Whatever form it takes, though, it’s still unjust.
There’s just no way to properly articulate an atrocity that was allowed to legally fester and propagate for decades in the Americas. The fact it took a bloody civil war to finally end should make clear just how potent those ugly forces can be.
In the end, though, we were able to end the Civil War on the right side of the issue. We, as a nation, were able to accept and declare that slavery was wrong and could no longer be tolerated. It isn’t just barbaric. It’s antithetical to the ideals behind the United States of America.
Yes, we don’t always measure up to those ideals.
Yes, we still haven’t fully mended the wounds left by centuries of the slave trade.
That’s exactly why we need a holiday like Juneteenth. It doesn’t just celebrate how we were able to take this critical step in righting an egregious wrong. It reminds us that we’re still striving towards those ideals. We’re still trying to be the kind of nation that breaks the shackles of bondage rather than tighten them.
Sometimes, we make mistakes.
Sometimes, we encounter setbacks.
Sometimes, we’ll even outright fail in our efforts to pursue those ideals.
Even so, we can never lose sight of them. We should never stop striving for them. That’s what it means to learn, grow, and evolve as a nation. I believe we can continue to do better and Juneteenth is a way of reminding ourselves that we can be better.
So, in that spirit and with those ideals in mind, I wish everyone a safe and happy Juneteenth.
Filed under Current Events
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