Turn the Channel on the Inauguration

Like I suspect many, I will not be tuning in to any of the inauguration  coverage.  My purposes are two fold: (i) I cannot to see much less hear the voice of Donald Trump and (ii) I do not want to in any way increase viewership which I hope will be low compared to past inaugurations.  A an added good measure, I chose to dress all in black today - even underwear - since to me today should be a day of mourning.  Mourning for the damage that Trump will do in the nightmare years ahead, but also for America's lost soul.  To MAGA and self-prostituting Republicans, morality and decency simply no longer matter.  Trump gave permission to his supporters to be their true selves and now we know these people for who and what they truly are.  A lengthy piece at Salon lays out numerous ways to find something else to watch today which I will be doing.  Here is  the beginning of that piece:

[J]ust know that you are under no obligation to watch the second inauguration of You-Know-Who. You’ve undoubtedly heard insistences from well-meaning crusaders like The Lincoln Project’s Ryan Williams, who rang the shame bell for all to hear last Monday. . . . Williams posted on Bluesky. “Don't you dare turn your eyes away from history, even the awful, scary parts. If you don't watch it with your own eyes, you rely on others to tell you what you saw. We must all bear witness to what's coming.”

Do we, though? We’re about to be flooded in four years of covfefe, if not more. Withstanding the onslaught will require us to protect our energy whenever we can. So instead of donating your attention to a man who thrives off ratings, use those hours to fortify yourself with knowledge or rest. 

Monday is also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, don’t forget. . . . . If you subscribe to Paramount+, you can watch “Selma” for no additional cost. Also highly recommended are “I Am Not Your Negro” on Hulu; “Rustin” or “Amend: The Fight for America” on Netflix; and a trove of options from Henry Louis Gates, Jr. via PBS.org or one of its apps. “Reconstruction: America After the Civil War” is stunning and might wake people up to the truth that America’s been here before. It’s available via the PBS Documentaries app on Prime Video.