A Complete Unknown

 

 In between all my calls to action, I've watched all the tv and even went to a movie. The three of us were looking forward to seeing A Complete Unknown, the biopic about Bob Dylan. Well, B was really looking forward to it. I was looking forward to movie popcorn, and E- I don't really know. It was about a musician so we'll say- he had an interest. We went on Christmas Day. I'm writing about it now because it's awards season, the Oscars are coming, so there are interviews with the actors everywhere on the daily.

I didn't know anything about Bob Dylan. So I was going in with a totally open mind. I couldn't even name one song off the top of my head. If you played a popular one, I'd know some of the words but I couldn't tell you a name. 

Totally not sure why this movie is being praised the way it has been. The acting- I get that. Timothy Chalamet, by all accounts, made himself into Dylan. Learning the mannerisms and the guitar playing and the voice. He did a great job. But the movie itself? I didn't get it. B agreed with me, so it's not like I'm just not a Dylan fan and didn't get it. 

We've seen a lot of biopics- Elton John in Rocketman, Freddy Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody. Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, The Doors. You were invested because you were seeing from the start, where they came from, what motivated them, their dysfunctional families. You were ROOTING for them to make it. Bob Dylan? Eh. The movie starts where he just somehow hitched from somewhere to Woody Guthrie in a hospital, was able to just walk into his hospital room, sing to Woody and Pete Seeger, he plays a few places thanks to Pete, and next thing you know, he's famous. There was very little struggle shown whatsoever as to his rise to fame. No parents telling him he'd never amount to anything. No living in squalor or in a van, trying to make it, doors slamming in his face.

Most of these other biopics show struggle. Struggle with family, with drugs and alcohol, sexuality, infidelity, anxiety. A few of those things, all of those things. Something. Bob Dylan just comes off as a narcissistic dick, possibly with some level of ASD. There is nothing in this movie that shows any insight into his mind, his motivations, etc. We don't even find out anything about his childhood, his parents, whether they were supportive, if he was close to them, NOTHING. They had one tiny moment in the movie where I think it was a party, someone seeing his real last name on his mail (Zimmerman), making what I think was a reference of "did you know he's Jewish?" to Sylvie, and then it was just brushed aside. Leave his mail alone and move on. It could've been a reference to whether she even knew Dylan wasn't his real name- Who. Knows. It wasn't fleshed out or explained in any way.

Why even do a biopic if you can't tell anything about the guy? Not only did we not find out any history, nothing about him being Jewish and how that fit into his life or shaped him, and none of how long it took to get recorded. Shit, if it was that easy to get a record deal, E was born in the wrong time for sure. We learn nothing about Dylan, except that his hair got bigger and frizzier and Phil Spector-like as the years went on. I've since read that Dylan is hugely into disguising and lying about his background. No one seems to know the real truth, even in biographies the truth is obscured, made up, etc. Maybe he isn't the person to make a big feature film about that's touted as a biopic? Leave it for a documentary about the era, the music, and all the people in that music scene then? I don't know. What I do know, is that it wasn't a real biopic.

The climax of the whole movie is the Newport Folk Festival of 1965 where Dylan wanted to play different music, electric, than he'd played all along. It wasn't what the conservative organizers or the fans wanted. It was "only" the difference between electric and acoustic though. I get that at that time it was a big deal, but in a movie being made and seen today- that ISN'T A CLIMAX. He didn't encounter struggle and strife over years time, at least in this movie, to get to this pivotal moment. When Freddy Mercury walked out in that end moment, everyone was cheering and clapping. You FELT that moment. There were TEARS. I felt nothing at the end of this movie except that I'd never get that three hours or whatever it was back.

I couldn't believe that was the big moment. He just seemed annoyed that he was being told what he could and couldn't do for this one particular festival. So what? Do or don't do the festival then. He does it, brings a mixed race band, they're showing people crying, carrying on, throwing stuff. For music fans now- this kind of thing doesn't even make sense. Who would even care. Sure, if Taylor Swift all of a sudden wanted to do death metal- that would be news, her fans wouldn't like it, and I guess they'd be upset? But electric vs acoustic? That's not a battle. Or it's not a battle anyone cares about now.  Yes, I UNDERSTAND the significance for the TIMES. It just wasn't the same kind of conflict anyone would relate to now, besides being an artist not wanting to be the puppet of a label or anyone in charge.

Usually, there's a whole relationship aspect you're rooting for or against or feel something about. Like in Walk the Line- you wanted Johnny and June to figure it out even though it started out in a sordid way. Freddy Mercury- you understood the love he had for the woman, but you wanted him to be able to live his truth. You felt his struggle. You wanted him to win. Bob Dylan- I didn't care what happened to him, to him and Sylvie, him and Joan. It was never clear how he really felt about either of them. He was just sort of ambivalent about being with both of them. I know he married the real life Sylvie and had kids with her, but we didn't even see that. We just saw the anti-climax of this festival and was just kind of like- that's it? That's what we were working toward here?

Maybe the music and the lyrics are supposed to be the stars of this film. And that's fine. But just don't call it a biopic then. I feel like with a biopic, you want to leave with some kind of satisfying feeling of knowing the main character better. Like, when you read a memoir and feel like you KNOW this person. I know Bob Dylan the same amount now as I did before this movie. And I still don't care or even want to know anything more. His music spoke and continues to speak to people. Great. I'm just not one of them and watching this movie didn't make me anymore curious.

504 Under Attack- What you can do!

 

 So now they want to come for the 504. If you don't know what a 504 is- here is an easy to follow slide presentation on Instagram to explain it to you. It's quick and easy.

Cripple Media - 504 Slide post

But I feel like most of the people I know have kids with a 504 so I'm going to assume most people know what it is. NJ isn't under attack at the moment but if we've learned anything in the last three weeks- YOU HAVE TO CARE ABOUT EVERYONE.

CALL TO ACTION:

17 states have sued the federal government to try and eliminate Section 504. While these States primary objection is to the new gender definitions in the updated 2024 Biden Administration rules, they have asked the courts to eliminate Section 504 in its entirety.

https://dredf.org/protect-504/

It's time to reach out to our attorney general, Matt Platkin and demand that he file a friend of the court brief in this case because if Section 504 is eliminated, it will impact Nationwide.

You can contact the Attorney General's office using this submission form:

https://www.njoag.gov/con.../office-of-constituent-services/

Or using this contact information:

Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin
Email: Email Submission Form
Address: Office of the Attorney General, 25 Market Street, PO Box 081 Trenton, NJ 08625-0081
Phone: 609-984-5828

PLEASE CUT AND PASTE AND SHARE

A message from:
NEW JERSEY PUBLIC EDUCATION COALITION

PO Box 4451, Wayne, NJ 07474

Email: info@njpecoalition.org

Website: www.njpecoalition.org

Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/njpec

X formerly Twitter: @njpecoalition

Bluesky: @njpec.bsky.social

TikTok: @njpec

Threads: @NJPECoalition
YouTube: @NJPECoalition

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/njpec

You Can't Ignore Me Dan

 

Today's Action:
Call your friends at your state senator's office and demand that they address the Trump administration's seeming desire to ignore the courts.

White House spokesperson Harrison Fields: “Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful. Any legal challenge against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the American people.”

Vice President JD Vance (a graduate of Yale Law School btw): "...Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's legitimate power."

BOTH FALSE

The good news is that many of Trump's illegal executive orders are starting to be challenged in the courts. Currently, there are lawsuits against the administration in the areas of immigration, budget freezes and firings, transgender rights, and January 6 investigators. Many see the courts as the path of most resistance to Trump's aggressive agenda. Already, the courts have blocked some of Trump's actions. Alarmingly, the Trump administration did not fully comply with at least two of these rulings so far. Concerns are mounting that this administration will continue to ignore court rulings and throw America into a Constitutional crisis. In America, we operate on a system of trust that the government will work properly, and if the administration blatantly ignores court orders, there is a very limited course of action to stop them from doing so. The system of checks and balances is at the core of our democracy, and its upset, in this case giving more power to the Executive branch than others- as outlined explicitly in Project 2025, would provide unleashed power to an already dangerous administration.

Script:
Hi my name is (NAME) and I'm calling from (CITY, STATE, ZIP). I am calling to ask Senator (NAME) to do everything in his/her/their power to ensure that the Trump administration follows court orders- specifically those pertaining to the legality of his executive orders. I ask the senator to speak out publicly, work on contingency plans in the event that the administration does not comply, and reach across the aisle to save our democracy. As a citizen, I am becoming increasingly concerned that the power this administration is attempting to give the executive branch is going unchecked, and I ask the senator to please address this important issue. Thank you, (NAME) 

*If you are leaving a voicemail include your full address so your call is tallied. 

If you can't read the list I posted- here is a link to Senators and their phone numbers 

 

Something Rotten

***DUE TO SCHOOL BEING CLOSED 2/6, THERE WILL BE A SATURDAY MATINEE AT 1PM for the THURSDAY NIGHT TICKET HOLDERS!!**

 Come out and support the amazingly talented kids in the Glen Rock High School Theater Company! Friday 2/7, Saturday 1pm, and the final show on Saturday 2/8 at 7p in the high school Auditorium.

Follow the theater company musical on Instagram so you can see what they're up to!

Glen Rock High School, 400 Hamilton Ave (auditorium door is on Harristown Rd), Glen Rock, NJ 07452

TICKETS

 

Zuck the Cuck

 

 I have a page for this blog on FB where I share the entries there so people know there's a new one. I have NEVER had one taken down for spam before. Until TODAY. There were two "action" links in it, at the bottom, but it was 90% writing about how to remain calm and what you can do to feel less helpless as this administration continuously attacks every marginalized group alive. 

Against Community Standards. That's what they called that post. They took it down, yet, when I go to my page "issues" or "restrictions" and there are not. So it basically went *poof* into thin air and that was it. 

I don't know what to say except that we're fucked. We're seriously fucked. Just know there's probably a new post here, with more ways to part of the solution vs the problem. I think you can subscribe to this blog somehow if you're interested. I don't really know. I don't really care. I write this to keep my own mental health in check and if you're along for the ride, I'm happy to have you. 

And to those of you who voted for this, again, I wish you the USA you voted for. I hope you get EVERYTHING you deserve. And then some.

Action & Information links

 

I'm going to try to compile the best ways to do something about the dumpster fire around us. I know many of us feel helpless, scared, angry, sad, etc. I know it's tempting to want to just retreat and take to the bed, but we can't, or we won't even have that option. We'll be out of options. I'm going to keep updating this as I find stuff. Some are just for where to get news/information, some are for action.

Information: 

Heather Cox Richardson 

Global Health

Action & Information:  

Reproductive Freedom For All 

Abortion Access Front Volunteer Resources 

Anti Defamation League 

Feeding America 

Human Rights Campaign 

ACLU 

National Women's Law Center 

Operation Save Abortion Calendar 

Environmental Defense Fund 

Indivisible: Mobilization Events

MomRising 

 Donations:

Stop Marjorie Taylor Green from becoming a senator 

Gay Valimont to take Matt Gaetz's vacated seat

Josh Weil special election Florida 

 

Action

 

It's really hard to manage action and emotions right now. I saw a friend of mine share this a few days ago- I don't know the original poster but his name is here for credit. 

Thanks for sharing Jeff Berry. 

 

Your focus is resistance. Feel free to share - 

 

Wise and important words from sociologist Jennifer Walter about what is happening in our country right now and what to do about it:

 

"As a sociologist, I need to tell you:

 

Your overwhelm is the goal.

 

1/ The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump's first days exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn't just politics as usual - it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.

 

2/ Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.

 

3/ Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.

 

The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.

 

What now?

 

1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.

 

2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.

 

3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.

 

4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context

 

5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.

 

Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.

 

***********************************************************************************

 

Action:  

Email your state Department of Education and ask them to publicly reject President Trump's illegal executive order entitled "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling."

This executive order, among other things, seeks to punish schools for any lessons that involve race, gender or politics the that administration deems inappropriate by withholding federal funding. The order goes on to instruct the US Attorney General to instruct state attorneys general to file "appropriate actions" against K-12 teachers and school officials who "facilitate the social transition of a minor student." This means teachers would face legal ramifications for using a transgender, non-binary, or gender-fluid student's chosen name and appropriate pronouns. You can read the full EO HERE. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/ending-radical-indoctrination-in-k-12-schooling/

Script:
My name is (NAME) and I live in (TOWN), (STATE) (ZIP CODE). I am writing to ask you to publicly reject President Trump's illegal and harmful executive order entitled "Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling." Our students are entitled to an education free from fear, bias, and historical revisionism, and our teachers and individual districts must feel the protection and full support of the (STATE) Department of Education. Thank you, (NAME)

**These are the states of people in the mailing list, if you want your state added, lmk and I can reach out to the mom running this!**
NJ stateboardoffice@doe.nj.gov
MA www.doe.mass.edu/contact/qanda.aspx
drop down "Commissioners Department"
CT Charlene.russell-tucker@ct.gov (Commissioner)
TX TEAfeedback@tea.texas.gov.
NY NYSEDCommunications@nysed.gov
GA askdoe@gadoe.org
PA ra-pde@pa.gov
FL Commissioner@fldoe.org
RI angelica.infantegreen@ride.ri.gov (Commissioner)

**********************************************************************************

For these- all you need to do is literally click a button. It's that easy. 

Protect the Department of Education - National Letter Campaign 

 

Vote NO on RFK confirmation 

 

 

 

 

Boulevard of Broken Dreams

 The photo above... it was called broken dreams and disappointments. I thought it was fitting. 

If only you saw all the drafts in queue of this blog. This is why this blog has basically become a wasteland. I start a brain dump but I can't even finish because I know I sound rambling and insane. B would say I sound like a Stern wackpacker. I can't just go around calling people trash either because I don't need to reach the people who read me because they're on the same side. I need to get into the heads of those who hate-read or don't realize what they're getting into when they're reading my stuff until they're already IN. 

I'm scared. I'm not usually scared of anything. But I'm scared. It didn't take Hitler long to dismantle a democracy and it doesn't seem like it's going to take long to dismantle this one either. I think I've been asking for like eight years- "WHERE ARE THE PARENTS??". At least with Biden, it wasn't like waking up to doom, gloom and chaos every day. We still had the threat of a second term looming though, for Don the Con. We were still barraged by crazy talk and threats and stupidity. We never fully got a reprieve. 

I'm trying to find a balance now...of finding ways to help, but not overloading on news. I'm writing letters, calling state representatives, and then watching a shit-ton of 90's tv. I've re-watched One Tree Hill, Felicity, and E and I burned through all of My So Called Life. I'm about to buy Party of Five so E and I can watch that. 

I wish I could understand what the actual F is going through the minds of people I know who voted for this hot mess of an administration. How they actually believe this six times bankrupt, sexual predator, convicted felon, was going to do anything positive for them. Also, I'd like to remind them, they can call themselves Christian or Catholic all they want but saying it doesn't make it true. You're supposed to walk the walk to actually BE one and everything this administration is doing is the antithesis of what I'm pretty sure Christianity is supposed to be about. So, they're fake. You're fake if you're reading this, you go to church, you claim to be a Christian, and you voted for this. I'll never think you're anything but a complete phony. You can continue to sit there, stand, take your wafer, do the Our Father or whatever, and get on your knees. But you're a fraud. A FRAUD. And since you believe in this stuff- you'll be the one answering to your maker. #isaidwhatisaid

 

Anyone I had to get rid of on Facebook, I had to do so, not (just) because they are a Trump supporter, but because they posted, re-posted, or liked something sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, antisemitic, or all of it. You thought that racist meme of Obama or Kamala was funny? BYE. Or continuously re-posted complete fabrications of news. Not real news. Completely moronic untruths. For example, let's say- stuff about Haitians eating cats and dogs. I DON'T WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. I'm not going to look complicit by being friended to you on social media. I don't want to be associated with lies, but I also don't want to know people who actually believe that stuff. I got rid of moms more concerned with banning books than making sure underserved kids get free school lunch. Pretty sure Jesus would give kids who need it free lunch and not say they should be working picking berries. Yeah, a real state representative said that. Look it up. I'm not Google. I had to block moms of old classmates who jumped on the Trump train even though their daughters now have less rights than they had. It's complete madness.

Hindsight is 20/20 of course. I should've known who would end up being a racist loser but I attribute not knowing to having grown up in a white bubble. I knew my friends using the N word was wrong. I didn't use it. It made me extremely uncomfortable. I said it makes me uncomfortable. But no one cared and I didn't do anything about it because I didn't know what to do. I should've known the guy who bullied people in school would end up being a mentally ill racist as an adult but I don't know- he didn't bully me so I didn't think much about it. By high school I was being bullied, and was barely there- physically and mentally, so I really stopped knowing these people and their trajectory by middle school. I should've known that the ignorant parents would end up with ignorant kids. I just never thought we'd get HERE. To this place of a complete lack of humanity, compassion, and tolerance of just letting people live their lives. And I'm not going to be complicit or ignorant. I have a KID. I have to help leave this world better than this. Just know now, though, I try to walk the walk every day. 

 

Nostalgia means zero to me. I can recognize that we had some good times in the 80's and 90's but that's over. I don't need or want friends who only give a shit about people who look like them, worship like them, believe like them. People who say they want small government out of one side of their mouths, but are all about legislating gender, reproductive health, religion (forcing Christian Nationalism) and more. I certainly don't want to be on the same planet with people smiling next to cardboard cutouts of their big orange daddy. Bye girl bye. I wish others would put their money where their mouth is and shun the worst of humanity among us and stop worrying or caring about the fact that we may have gone to nursery school together. I've already explained- this isn't about "politics". This is about humanity and values. If your values suck, I care zero that you were at my Bat Mitzvah. Or that we had fun sleepovers in fifth grade. If you suck in 2025, you suck. Full stop.

So here we are. In a shitstorm race to the bottom. The worst of the worst people. What are we going to do? No other countries want us. B, E and me- we have the added layer of being Jews. So, REALLY, no countries want us. I actually looked into it. It's not easy to leave this country and the countries who might accept us, Americans, may not be the best place for Jews. We're pretty much stuck. We also don't have unlimited funds to just fly the coop, so to speak. So we have to figure out how we're going to stay here and thrive in what we've been handed. Hopefully I won't have to really start judging people by who would hide us.

 

I just don't know how we're going to endure four years of this. Already, I just saw a new breaking news post about the Department of Education being eliminated. Like the southern states weren't already at the bottom of the barrel of education. Keep the people dumb so they're easy to control... It's happening, my friends, it's happening. The only positive I can come up with is that this is a test of our complacency. Hilary losing wasn't enough. We got respite with Biden. Many of us, who were exhausted by the first Trump term and the pandemic, just needed a nap. Well, that nap cost us BIGLY. Now, we have no choice but to fight or Elon is our president and we might as well get fitted for our Handmaid's Tale dresses. I can't spend any more time debating people on what is or isn't a Nazi salute. So instead of debating people I'd rather spend time doing positive things. I don't know much more 90s and Y2K tv I can watch or how much longer I can sustain this new cooking thing I've taken up, but I plan to do more of that and find ways to help take action. 

That's all I can say now. My attention span is short, I'm half listening to The Bachelor right now- hey, I said I have to find balance.... and I'm tired. The theater production, Something Rotten, that E is in is finally on stage this week, and I've been consumed with stuff for that. I don't want another half finished entry. What I'll leave you with is- I HOPE PEOPLE GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY VOTED FOR. And then some. All. Of. It. "I didn't know" "I didn't realize" - guess what? You should have and my wish for you is to get the USA you deserve.

Stay tuned for ways to get involved. Talk the talk. Walk the walk. I'm not just going to dig my own grave, that's for damn sure.