Lil Bites

Just here for a quickie roundup of great Pop Culture pieces around the web? That’s cool, I get you. Pinky promise they won’t all be from my website, even! Sure, this week's WandaVision heavy. But, y'know... it's been a minute since Marvel content and a bunch of folks really brought their A game!

Daniel Reynolds put together a stellar piece discussing why queer folks are so into Kathryn Hahn's Agatha Harkness. Minari is connecting with audiences in a myriad of ways. Isaac Feldberg took a look at how the film hit him due to his own connections with a sibling with a heart defect. Meanwhile, Sarah Mars took a look at how WandaVision, while doing a great job at exploring Wanda's pain, failed to explore how her pain affected others. "Our trauma is not our fault but our healing is our responsibility" has become a personal mantra, so Sarah's piece hit hard.

From my little corner of the web, Emma Fraser and Steph Williams did a great job with their unintentional tag-team highlighting the ways that WandaVision did exceptionally and the ways that it failed, respectively. Because we can critique the things we love and still love them.

ICYMI...

• Kim's Convenience will end after its fifth season.
• Just watch lil Alan Kim accepting awards. Trust me.
• The Eurovision town is campaigning for "Husavik" to win best original song at the Oscars.
• The Queen's Gambit is headed to Broadway!
• Chelsea Harris will be sticking around on Snowpiercer.

The Good News Is,

When we don’t celebrate the little wins, we lose the will to fight. Even on the darkest days, there’s a little light out there.

• Listen, I don't know if this is "good" news or not, but I just found out that the CDC has a zombie preparedness page and I both laughed and am mad about it.
• Here's a little something to hand the next unhelpful gnat who tells you to just "change your perception."
• This town surprised a frequent UPS driver with a $1000 tip and a nice thank you card and it's v cute.
• Some aquamen saved some kittens.

But How Do We Deal With the Guilt?

I think about this one a lot right now. Survivor's guilt doesn't just come for us after we experience loss — though that's obviously a problem America is facing right now. We also feel it when we have power or water and someone else doesn't. It nags in the back of our minds while we're employed while friends have dealt with the countless layoffs. Hell, it even hits us when we can't be there for our friends the way we used to be because we're just trying to survive ourselves.

That last bit has knocked the air out of me a lot in recent months. I'm the Mom friend™. I'm the one people come to with their problems, and the one who knows enough to ask "do you want solutions or do you just want to be mad?" Lately though, I haven't been able to be either. The crushing empathy that would lead to my response in the past isn't there right now, leading to a constant question of "have I become a terrible person?"

The answer may be yes, but it's not because of that specific situation. I am not a bad person for not being able to give that part of me right now, and neither are you.

So many of us have been living in quarantine for an entire year. Privilege undoubtedly plays a part in that! But, for me personally, there was a wall in December that knocked me on my ass. It was the crushing realization that everything we had done for the 9 months meant nothing. We skipped events, missed loved ones, sat sad on our own, etc. etc. for months and it did nothing. No, we didn't infect other people, and that's ultimately what matters most, but damn did the realization that we'd have to keep doing it sucked the air out of me. I never got that air back.

Fasten your seat belt and secure your mask before assisting other passengers. Your friends are important. But so are you. You want to take care of them? You gotta make sure you have the air, and the guilt ain't bringing it back. Do not set yourself on fire to keep other people warm.

Get Loud

Political accountability isn’t something either party is used to. Having a democrat back in office is much better than a full-blown fascist, but we’ve still got to hold them accountable. I’m not here to preach at anyone! This section will simply be under-reported or represented stories that deserve our eyes and our voices.

• This should go without saying, but Governor Abbott's callous claim that immigrants are bringing COVID to Texas is fundamentally false and nothing more than an attempt to distract from the fact that he chose The Economy™ over the people of Texas yet again.
• Vaccines are great! Scientists are amazing. Let's stop romanticizing Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, etc. They're all profiteers raising prices on Americans during tragedy because they can.
• Wondering what's actually in the American Rescue Plan? Here's a breakdown.

The Baby Step

Read more about the transgender folks in your life over at transequality.org! Our trans sisters are often excluded from conversations during Women's History Month, and education can go a long way to help us all be better allies.

I Want to do More

The very best thing to hear! There are always countless causes to support, and that can be pretty overwhelming. Here are some options for this week for those with the time and inclination!

• You can support immigrants in Texas by donating to the American Immigration Council. They're actively working to ensure that immigrants have more representation against America's laws and the miles of red tape. Can't donate? That's okay! As always, raising awareness is a huge step! You can also sign up for updates on initiatives to stay more in the know.
• If you want to get more involved in actively supporting the trans community, donations to the aforementioned transequality.org can really help their cause!
• Bloody Sunday was only 56 years ago. Learn about it here, and sign up for updates from the King Center to join in on their mission to "prepare global citizens to create a more just, humane and peaceful world using Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy and methodology."

Why Aren't You Watching This Show?

Yeah, I know, I never have time for new shows either. I'm not judging you. But I would like to heartily reiterate that Snowpiercer has been utterly exceptional. You can catch the first season on HBO Max, and the second season is airing now on TNT. (You can find older S2 episodes on TNT's website. The season will be added to HBO Max at some point after the finale.)

I Like Movies.

Me too! Have you watched Psycho Goreman yet? It is extremely weird, exceptionally silly, and a huge amount of fun. Hit the link for rental options. If you're looking more in the free territory, might I recommend the incredible film that awards shows are inexplicably ignoring — One Night In Miami... It's an absolutely stunning ensemble, and it's free on Amazon Prime.

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