SouthOfTheBorder

you do realize the irony here, yes ??

hard to say - your assumption is the profiles here are reporting age accurately, which is highly unlikely

very different shows with very different reviews & everything else. Oklahoma made no attempt to market itself as “woke” and none of the actors did any press to suggest otherwise. Oklahoma had a great run in New York on/off Broadway with sold out shows and critical acclaim. Sometimes NY theatre doesn’t translate to the rest of the country, especially for shows that aren’t just pure entertainment. 1776 sought to market the politics of the show from the get go. There was infighting among the cast & production among various issues including politics, which spilled into the press in some very unfortunate interviews that worked against the show. The show was not well-reviewed and my understanding is it struggled in NY. There was literally nothing positive about 1776 in the press or reviews to make anyone want to see it. If it went on tour, then that was a risky decision and probably only because it was a relatively inexpensive show to tour. I didn’t see it and had no desire.

wise words indeed - applicable to paid or other encounters sexy is 80% attitude/20% looks that said, chances for success are increased by thorough research & selecting well-reviewed providers and then focusing on what you can bring to the experience. it’s a two-way street

that’s the main choice. if you’re traveling economy/coach there’s not much anyone will do for you when things go wrong. First or Business is another scenario altogether. I won’t spend extra money for short domestic flights, but usually do for long-haul international. btw - the performance of the airlines is not just up to them. Increasingly, the passengers are creating problems & delays beyond the airlines control. Climate change is also affecting schedules with more extreme weather than ever.

there’s another service which is very useful for frequent travelers - MedJet. It’s not travel insurance but rather a medical evacuation if you end up in a hospital for something major and you want to return to US for treatment, surgery, etc The decision to medically evacuate is not up to an insurance company- it’s the decision among patient and the doctors: doctor where the incident occurs and the your doctor at receiving hospital. Can be both international or domestic Very inexpensive and another layer of protection. They have an add-on for security services should something go south when you’re traveling, like robbery, assault, etc

intellectually correct - unfortunately, the body & its functions are different matters entirely. my urologist isn’t buying the social construct there are some very interesting studies about the disconnect between one’s own chronological age & self-perceived age. Lots of thinking we are much younger than we actually are. Not that it’s a bad thing as it might actually keep us more active and healthier longer as long as it doesn’t lead to excessive risk-taking. the disconnect is probably due to the elderly becoming invisible in our culture and the reluctance to talk about it and/or acknowledge it. Of course, we all think we are the ones who won’t become invisible- until it’s happened. And of course, what follows elderly is an absolute taboo for most Americans. We do not like the D word.

this is more a commentary on imperfect humans & exposing their flaws and humanity, exonerating someone in their community who they think is guilty. it’s not so far fetched - happens all the time, actually the bigger point is that great theater not only entertains, but makes you think & question your own thoughts/interpretations. You’re doing exactly that. And there is frequently no single true interpretation, many questions are not neatly answered and there are intentional loose ends. a really good thought provoking show takes days to settle - and that’s great theatre

I think you’re putting way too much emphasis on how you perceive a productions “wokeness”. Oklahoma as an example had a tremendous run on Broadway and therefore would naturally do a national tour which always includes LA. It has nothing to do with the politics of the show and everything to do with the popularity and corresponding ticket sales. The trajectory of a Broadway show (before Broadway and after) is entirely predictable and follows a pattern. Oklahoma was first staged off Broadway at St Anne’s Warehouse in Brooklyn where it was sold out & rave reviews, then transferred to Broadway and the subsequent touring companies. It’s all about money. There are some real duds that somehow go on national tour. 1776 was not well reviewed and I don’t think that was a high demand show. Very surprised that would be on tour. it won some Tony’s but that is basically paid PR.

interesting observation - I saw the most recent Oklahoma revival on Broadway 3x. I thought it was an outstanding reimagining of a classic American musical. It didn’t strike me as woke or political in any sense. The cast was updated to reflect a more modern sensibility & the music was in a stripped down acoustic vein which was gorgeous. Part of bringing back a classic is figuring out how to make it relevant and engaging for todays audience - updating the casts racial makeup is an easy way to do that. The thing I’ll remember about that show was the beautiful music. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea for sure and some really don’t like any changes to their beloved musicals

American gets a bad rap. American domestic service is on par or superior to all except Delta. if you have status, they are excellent with domestic upgrades American international is a completely different airline and no complaints after dozens of trips. Forget about any long-haul upgrades tho unless you’re paying with cash & miles. International service almost always runs on time. Excellent business lounges in Miami & JFK

yup, so many here spending lots of time trying to censor those they don’t like or agree with. very “unlucky” if you become their target the ages where children are confused about sexual identity & gender is very young. it serves no purpose keeping those subjects hidden & allowing the issues to fester while impacting mental health. while people with no personal experience in the area may disagree, those of us who have experienced denial of our authentic selves know this is about education and preventing more damage to children. my sense is the families that need this kind of help welcome it and the families that don’t need this help are the vocal opponents. If parents object to certain class subjects, then remove the child on those days - it’s not an ongoing all encompassing topic.

word

not political- more human I can’t do much for basic, sorry

I have no problem w anyone who says something like - I’m completely educated about it & I accept the corresponding collateral destruction and I’m using it anyway & indirectly supporting/endorsing their actions. Because that’s what it is Otherwise it’s just delusional bullshit

someone famously said - I wouldn’t want to be in any club that would have me as a member or thereabouts still rings true

I wouldn’t expect an essay like that to recommend a boycott - it was a broad warning about the destruction of democracy by social media platforms & meant for others to draw their own conclusions. Is it really that difficult to figure out the next step on a personal level ? It’s not of course, but Facebook has figured out the magic formula by appealing to the narcissists who think their “sharing” is essential and something they absolutely can’t live without. Thus, the inability to quit and the mental gymnastics/blinders required to continue using. And for many it’s an addiction - it was designed that way. Impossible to quit given all the stimuli required by the users. Interesting that among young people there is now a backlash of sorts against social media as Facebook is absolutely for the over 50 set that really doesn’t understand technology. Thus, Facebooks desperate search for new products to re-engage their dying user base. I’d suggest social media users are the people in the cave - a cave where you are captive & where your every move is recorded, analyzed & then sold to whomever thinks they can use that data to sell you something or influence you in some way that is completely beyond your conscious comprehension. Sounds like fun. Come for connecting w “friends”, then stay for the political violence, conspiracy theories & hate speech. But, hey it’s free and everyone wants to know what I had for breakfast.

False equivalency Last time I checked - the Atlantic isn’t destroying democracy, influencing election outcomes, empowering dictators or surveilling people. Btw - dozens of articles from various sources that all say the same thing about FB & similar. but hey - I get that you just want to post vacation pics ! It doesn’t matter what happens in those OTHER countries….it’s probably just a little torture anyway

there are dozens of articles about Facebook & social media destroying countries like the Philippines In the Philippines, Facebook is the internet - users must access FB as their internet gateway, thus FB has total control over the population - and however the regime chooses to weaponize that power against the people. The Atlantic November 2022 Fight Fascism Before It’s Too Late - The Atlantic WWW.THEATLANTIC.COM If you live in a country where democracy is still intact: Don’t wait.

Capitalism when it suits them. Dictators & other despots when that’s more convenient. Just read about Facebook in the Philippines (and many other countries) where it’s the de facto internet gateway, thus allowing the regime to monitor, silence, capture & torture political enemies. Not so much freedom of speech there. Not many ideas exchanged either. Facebook will do whatever they have to do in each country to keep operating. no thanks - I’ll pass when it gets to dictators and torture. Thus, exactly the problem with the lazy first world folks.

I’ve been working in media for 40 years and specialized in digital for 15 - i know exactly the data that can be collected, how it can be manipulated and used for whatever nefarious purpose anyone chooses to pay for. I sat in enough meetings to literally get sick knowing what was going on behind the scenes. if you think it’s just about someone’s own user experience, tolerance, intolerance - then you have no idea how it really works behind the curtain. most people don’t give it a second thought - thus, a naive & malleable user base ready for manipulation. the front facing encouraging of hate speech targeted towards minority groups, largely driven by algorithms designed to create outrage & more engagement (you spending more time on those networks) is just the tip of the very toxic iceberg. if you think the purpose of social media is about free speech or an exchange of ideas - you do not have a clue the number one reason for social media is to keep you engaged at all costs - vacuuming up all of your data and online habits, then selling that data en masse to whomever is willing to pay and for whatever reason. It’s not about free speech and it’s not an exchange of ideas. It’s to make as much money as possible while building a base of users that can be monetized for their profit.

the individual user experience is not the point for social media in general - participation supports those corrupt companies & people as an example: many people on the left can’t quit talking about how much they hate Trump - yet, they remain on Facebook, and in effect supporting Facebook - when it was Facebook that made Trump & his victory in 2016 possible. the bigger societal problem is nobody draws a line in the sand and says enough with these social media companies - the social media companies play the most significant role in the destruction of American society, civility, politics and almost everything else. And people just can’t quit using those platforms. I don’t get it - social media is not necessary for daily living and you’ll actually recapture hours for other things by getting rid of it. It’s one thing if your professional livelihood depends somehow on social media - but that’s just not the case for most people. I wouldn’t patronize a hotel, airline, restaurant or destination that was actively hostile & promoted hate speech against LGTBQI people - why is it somehow ok on social media ?

Don’t support a platform that encourages LGBTQI attacks ! if you’re a Twitter user, delete your account today GLAAD report says Twitter is the 'most dangerous' social media platform' for LGBTQ users WWW.USATODAY.COM Major social media platforms inadequately protect users from anti-LGBTQ rhetoric, GLAAD said Thursday...

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