The Digest—Sunday, 4 December, 2016

[The Digest is a collection of articles, videos, and other media I've viewed and found significant throughout the day. It is a way to divest myself from other social media that is more reliant on likes, click-bait, and peer-approval rather than quality, intelligence, and diversity of opinion, which are the qualities I find important. It is also a way to devote myself to daily contributions to this space...at least in theory.]

-=Summary: Actors react to director confessing to raping actress with stick of butter on set; byebye Medicaid, unfair voting, and Predator=-

Articles:

Actors voice disgust over Last Tango in Paris rape scene confession
Hannah Summers from The Guardian

Yes, this is pretty disgusting, especially that it took the director confirming this to acknowledge the actor's "story" from almost 10 years ago that no one believed or made a fuss about. "Just another actress whining about being violated," etc. But, no, the director and Marlon Brando actually conspired to shove a stick of butter up a female actor's ass for a scene without telling her first to get a "genuine" reaction. The only way to get a "genuine" reaction to a rape scene is to commit rape. Yeah. Really messed up, and part of a pattern of acceptance of the treatment of women for years, centuries, milennia, to this day. 




Trump's pick for key health post known for punitive Medicaid plan
Jessica Glenza from The Guardian 

Fabulous. I finally get health insurance and this individual will surely do her best to take it away. 

Where Unfair Voting Practices Began
The Editorial Board from The New York Times

It's telling to me that the party that goes into hysterics about constitutionality and eliminating government intervention must intervene and manipulate maps to maintain their power, intentionally rigging systems in their favor. I know everyone does it, but as the article explains, never, ever to this level in this country. It is egregious, unless you're a Republican congressman with zero lifeskills terrified of looking for a real job. Whee. 

Citing no evidence, Priebus defends Trump's claim on millions of illegal voters
Reena Flores from CBS News

Yeah, pretty much just what the headline says, but this tidbit is choice:

“I think the president-elect is someone who has pushed the envelope and caused people to think in this country,” he said. “He’s not taking conventional thought -- on every single issue and has caused people to look at things that maybe they have taken for granted.”

Yes, taken for granted, things like science and facts and common sense. The freakin' gall. 

TV/Film:

Predator (1987)
via Amazon Prime

I think this must actually be a feminist film shot to prove how totally stupid and ridiculous men can be sometimes in the guide of dude-porn. All of the biceps and bro-mourning and I won't leave you, brother moments, the military music cues, the guns and grenades and 80s one-liners. Still, the predator itself remains badass, but it's Stan Winston. So, duh.

Since lore states predators come when the years grow hot, I propose another Predator movie in which waves of them come a-hunting due to global warming, which will likely convince more citizens of climate change than all the scientists on the planet.