I was “black” when I read The Odyssey in high school... ...but somehow I never imagined the characters as looking like me. Why? Because they were GREEK characters. I didn’t need Odysseus to look like me to appreciate his story. I didn’t need Helen of Troy to look like me to understand her importance. They were Greek characters from a specific culture, with a specific history. And this is what Hollywood keeps getting wrong. We don’t identify with characters because they look like us. We connect with them because we recognize something human in them - their struggles, their courage, their flaws, their values. Odysseus is a GREEK hero. Helen of Troy is a GREEK woman. Their identities are part of what makes their stories meaningful. Casting Colombians and Africans and Indians as Greek ISN'T "representation." It’s just insulting. Stop it.

This is an ancient Greek warrior according to Christopher Nolan.

I’m watching the game at a bar. Patrons are getting antsy because the bartender said he couldn’t change the channel to the Kid Rock halftime show. Little do they know, I came prepared with my own universal remote. I’ll be changing the channel as soon as Bad Bunny appears.

I am settling in for a showing of ‘Melania’ and the theater is PACKED! Earlier, a bystander asked if I was heading in to see Avatar, and I stopped dead in my tracks. “Avatar? No, son,” I curtly replied. “I don’t watch woke movies. I’m here to see the groundbreaking documentary about our incredibly talented First Lady.” The man’s two little girls began jumping up and down, pulling on his sleeve, and begging, “Daddy, we want to see Melania!” “But. But…” he stammered, “I thought you girls wanted to see Zootopia 2?” “No, no, NO,” they said, now nearly shouting. “We want to see Melania!! She is the most beautiful First Lady EVER.” Their father was scrambling, stressed out, and disoriented. “Girls, I’m afraid you aren’t the only ones who are captivated by President Trump and his beautiful wife,” I said, kneeling to get on their level. “Virtually everyone in this theater is here for the 7:30 PM showing, and it’s been sold out for days.” Tears began to well up in their eyes. “But…” I said in a hushed tone, “I happen to have a few extra tickets with me, and I’d like you and your dad to have them.” They jumped for joy and began hugging their father. He looked relieved as he wiped the sweat off his brow with a smile. I handed him the tickets and pulled him close. “Raise these girls right,” I whispered. “Teach them to be classy conservative women of faith like Melania, don’t let them become like Meghan Markle. Capisce?” He hugged me and thanked me profusely. “What are you going to do now?” He asked. “Don’t worry about me, son,” I told him, with a twinkle in my eye. “I’ve already got tickets to the next showing.”

A new Pope from Chicago needs a true Chicago introduction... 🔊

JUST IN: White House: Amazon, $AMZN, showing tariffs on each product is a hostile and political act

Completely unacceptable. This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here. We will be FIT, not FAT.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck

Fixed it for you, @NYTimes. Oh, and by the way, @ChrisVanHollen — he’s NOT coming back.

Since his retirement from politics, Barack Obama has displayed an astonishing lack of regard for the public good. Instead of serving his fellow human beings, he has mainly devoted himself to a rigorous program of conspicuous self-celebration. jacobin.com/2021/08/barack-o…