Inspired by William Hazlitt's essay "On the Pleasures of Hating," I googled "Kristi Noem" and was soon enjoying the endorphin rush generated by the above clip. Probably I could "eliminate the middleman" by watching Fox News directly but that seems potentially inefficient. There is no cost connected with using a middleman to hone in quickly on things you love to hate. Though it's possible, I suppose, that I'm depriving myself of new discoveries.
From an altitude, the most enjoyable thing about the interview is the way in which it careens madly between matters of genuine import and the beaten-up hobby horses of right-wing fever dreams. I take it that there is not currently a "caravan" of brown-skinned people advancing on Texas because, when the governor appears to be getting bored with the COVID discussion, blondie-in-a-bright-dress adroitly (if somewhat abruptly) turns her to the grave matter of a transsexual having won a race in a high-school swim meet somewhere in Pennsylvania. Horrors! And, as if that were not shocking enough, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are on the outs! At this point, it seems a reasonable question might have involved an invitation to compare and contrast the Biden-Harris partnership with the famously close-knit one between Trump and Pence—but, yeah, this is Fox News, I get it, that's why there were also no questions about the governor's daughter's rising career prospects appraising South Dakota real estate.
When, however, one descends into the details of the governor's COVID answers—that's when my pleasurable disgust meter gets a real jolt. The president is such a bummer! He's focusing on the negatives! The country needs hope. People should focus on the promise of Christmas, the love they have for family and friends, and enjoy the season. It's as if only Scrooge would be distressed by waves of disease, suffering, and death. The Fox host says, "The numbers are rising. The president is concerned. Are you?" You should reassess when a Fox host feels the need to call you back to reality. Asked about "commonsense steps" to take, the governor has some bullet points. People should wash their hands. People should stay home if they feel ill. They should do the hard work of caring for one another. The list is growing, is she going to say the one obvious thing? Can she bring herself to do it? Wait, wait, here it comes, the last bullet. People should
choose to get a vaccine if they'd like to. If they don't, they go into this knowing that they should focus on exercising, taking their vitamins, and being very healthy people.
She's ridiculous, a disgrace.
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