Andy Duncan

The Inspector Gadget theme song had no right to slap so hard

Krunk asf in Chicago for 11 anniversary AND WHAT #slomodanceparty

Like, you want to offer me a "fair" price for my home? Gimme $2mil and a dissertation on Madame Defarge's knitting project...

That's it! I'm done with the predatory offers to buy my house. From now on every text and call is to be answered with tracts on the overthrow of the aristocracy and the parasitism of landlords...

If under-5s could get approved for the vaccine before all federal funding support dries up, that'd be tight!

Like all SCOTUS confirmation hearings, this one for #JudgeKetanjiBrownJackson is pure political theater; but these theatrics do the REAL work of reminding us EVERYTHING is political, and suggesting that a whole-ass branch of government is somehow immune to politics is propaganda.

And now I feel like Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas are the three points of some IdPol triangulation everyone on the Left has to wrestle with, but ultimately doesn't really matter nor effect the greater story nor the world at large.

Saruman is every Neoliberal - basically Sauron, but in white robes - you know, Capitalism with DEI training - spineless, ineffective, makes his own cuddlier, softer orc armies that can’t even sack Helms Deep with the help of his feckless Wormtongue, THE corporate shill politician

Gandalf is obviously Marx and Kropotkin in one (he MAY just be Marx and Radagast is Kropotkin, I could see that read) - he's seen some sh*t and decided that the Hobbits' way of life is basically the apex of what can reasonably be expected in Middle Earth

BUJT, we know Capitalism can’t be used, it only uses, and must be tossed into the fires of Mt Doom (Western European Culture) from whence it was forged! Which means the power to dismantle it rests in the cultural criticism/social science work that has been done the last 500 years

Boromir is every Tankie, arguing that the One Ring is a gift (STATE Capitalism) to be used to save Gondor (humanity) from the depredations of Imperialistic Capitalism from the outside world/The West (Mordor), and to make his papa Steward (Vanguard) Denethor (Lenin/Mao/Kim) proud

Hobbits are Anarcho-Communists who begrudgingly leave their stateless, classless, non-hierarchical commune - The Shire to save the world. These absolute sigma chads DGAF about laws or political power. They smoke weed, they eat food, they party, and help each other when necessary

Let's begin with the obvious: The One Ring = Capitalism, natch. Sauron is the Ur Capitalist - doing no work himself, but binding the labor of everyone else via their overlords and the other rings of power, plus all of his orcs. Also inventing racism to accomplish this...

Okay, this roman à Left is a work in progress, but I'm pretty sure JRR Tolkien was a Leftist and LotR is a take-down of Capitalism/Imperialism/Liberalism AND Authoritarian Communism. No, I won't be checking his ACTUAL stated politics, this is Reader-Response MFers

Hey nerds, I came up with a perfect Leftist metaphor AND a new reading of Lord of The Rings at the same time. Like a Roman a Clef, call it Roman a LEFT... Stay tuned.