I won’t continue series by writers I find problematic because my enjoyment is impaired by what I know of them. But I am a little iffy at looking for how it “leaks into their art” as I know my tendency to see problematic people as only their problem, and not as a multi-faceted human beings.

I think Trump’s base support comes from those who are in danger of losing their most valuable asset: having their culture (and thus ethnicity) define what it is to be American. Given American dominance, it meant they felt they were the envy of the world, no matter their personal circumstance.

When my son was in grade 10, he had a band rehearsal at another (private) school. I googled the school once to get directions. I received well over 50 ads for the school, the last being when he was in third year of university…

A good friend who has a strong case of aphantasia always jokes about the dubious sanity of those who have, as he put it, “consensual hallucinations”. Now people are talking about hearing conversations in their head and I find myself slightly disquieted :-).