As IF Times

Source: NFL free agent Ryan Russell reveals hes bisexual in letter he calls my truth

In this current era of pervasive self absorption, the word “celebrity” has lost all meaning.  People in societies everywhere have always been fascinated with the lives of those apparently leading more interesting ones than their own.  The rich and powerful to be sure, but also the famous by virtue of their appearances in popular entertainment.

In America, that fascination focused on Hollywood stars beginning in the 40’s and 50’s when actors were credited with the personas they portrayed in their roles. Larger than life characters such as John Wayne, Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe and other assorted entertainers of the day provided ample headlines for the common folk just plugging along in their comparatively dull lives. Some may recall a very minor actress named Rula Lenska who did hairspray ads for Alberto VO5, supposedly a celebrity, but whom no one had ever heard of.

To this day, tabloids are still bursting with breathless headlines on the activities of the current crop of “celebrities”.  We’ve long passed the Brad and Angelina stage and have now moved on to various one hit wonders who are having their 15 minutes of fame.  The real outlet for celebrity adulation has moved on to new platforms now that the internet has become as common as wall outlets.  Social media is now the medium for spreading fame and notoriety.  Presumably, the exploits of everyone and anyone can be offered for the world to ogle.  It’s the democratization of fame.  Let’s not kid ourselves, what we are fed is still manipulated by small cabals of influencers; someone always runs to the front of a mob and pretends to lead a parade.  But notionally, we can now be exposed to the banal utterances of anyone who has opposable thumbs.

Now we are free to consume stories like the one in the linked article in which the hero exposes his personal truth to a presumably rapt audience.  No one has heard of the guy before, but he obviously thinks that his revelation is important enough to share with his fan base of 3.  The modern narcissistic selfie culture has made everyone think that their mundane exploits and banal observations are worthy of exposure on par with those with genuine accomplishments.  If a guy gets exposure for finding a cure for snoring, that’s one thing, but to expose your sexual proclivities, your preferred handbag, your recent meal at a chi chi restaurant is to spread spam.

This self delusion of importance has affected every level of society.  Consider the present crop of characters vying for the Democratic Presidential nomination.  It would be impossible for a screenwriter to make up the nutters that constitute the contenders.  Most of them are so deluded in their self importance and abilities that in another time, they would be confined to padded rooms wearing suits with the fancy arms that tie at the back. The idea that any of them have any standing at all speaks volumes about the makeup of the general population that first elected or supports them.  The message is that being a rational person with simple math skills is not really that important in potentially guiding the path of 330 million people.  Apparently being gay, or a skateboarder that fries burgers and changes tires, or a believer in healing crystals, or claiming native heritage, or a member of a visible minority, or a believer in junk science, or having sat in elected office for over 40 years is enough.

You would think that the democratization of information would allow people to make more critical judgments of the world and those around them.  But the opposite has happened.  Instead, people gravitate to those that reflect their own sensibilities and “truths”.  In doing so, they elevate those fringe people who would otherwise just mercifully and harmlessly yell into their own voids.  Fame and the delusion of its importance is a drug that has permeated all of our modern culture.  It allows for confirmation and self aggrandizing on a scale never before seen in history.

If you’re the Queen of Instagram, ie: Kim Kardashian, you may have a coterie of groupies hanging on to your every wardrobe malfunction.

But for all of the other would be celebrities out there, you’re all a bunch of Rula Lenskas.

Source: Trump’s retweet of a Jeffrey Epstein conspiracy theory is part of a dangerous cycle that Twitter makes worse – The Washington Post

The mainstream media is sadly predictable and predictably sad. You cannot even raise suspicion about the most laughable circumstances surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein, officially declared a suicide by those in charge, without accusations of propagating a conspiracy theory.

Here’s a guy who is arguably the highest profile prisoner on the planet, but nevertheless was found dead in his cell which had been under a 24 hour ‘suicide watch’ regime. There are accounts of guards being called away from duty to allow ‘maintenance’.  The cameras in the cell of this high value prisoner somehow didn’t work.  He was denied a belt, shoelaces, dental floss and hard candy.  His bedsheets were made of a paper-like substance which is unable to sustain any weight.  The cell is likely free of any hooks or knobs.  Yet somehow, this resourceful guy was able to end it all just as he was to give testimony and evidence against a virtual who’s who gang of international politicians, bankers and assorted heavyweights, including of course many parties tied to the Clintons.

If none of this seems even a bit iffy to anyone out there, I have some headlight fluid for sale at cheap prices to anyone interested.  Epstein’s death is as suspicious as gas station sushi.  Contrast this to the last 3 years of expensive and intensive investigations of the Donald Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russian interests in influencing the last presidential election.  After probing everything and everyone ever connected to Donald Trump since the second grade, there was no evidence found of any collusion on the part of the Trump campaign.  On the other hand, there are dozens of smoking guns emanating from the investigators who were charged with finding wrongdoing; some of whom were fired and many of whom are now under intense investigation for their roles in the manufactured conspiracy.

But getting back to Epstein, he was widely known to have consorted with some pretty big league individuals and revelations of their relationship and activities with Epstein could have proved not just embarrassing but even criminal if some of the allegations are proven.  The highest profile figures happen to be the Clinton family.  Here again, we’ll hear protests of conspiracy theories regarding the former first family and of course, they’ll be dismissed as just that; partisan muckraking.  Coincidences happen of course, but they seldom seem to line up like arrows pointing to magnetic north as in the case of the Clinton family.  It has become internet legend and even a semi vocation for those adding up the list of individuals who have met their untimely demise coincidently as they were to give information on Clinton activities.

Now we can add Jeffrey Epstein to the roster of unlucky individuals.  It may still be possible that they conclusively demonstrate that he offed himself, but something tells me that the person most surprised by Epstein’s death was Epstein.