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Craig M. Ranapia

@craigmranapia.bsky.social
2.2K followers 863 following 31K posts

"This heaven gives me migraine." Old enough to know better at the ends of the earth (New Zealand). I am large and contain multitudes, all of them intensely irritating. (Same-sex) married. Catholic. Conservative-ish. Cis-male. Jane Austen cultist.

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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 2h
SEVENTEEN PARAGRAPHS to mention that punitive criminalization of children is falling disproportionately on Black and Hispanic students isn't burying the lede. It's droping it down the deepest mineshaft you can find. America: Where's it's more offensive to call someone racist than to be racist.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 2h
This is what a 21st century pogrom looks like.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 8h
In retail politics as in life, I get the human urge to keep replaying the old hits when, to be perfectly honest, you've got nothing else to serve. The fact remains: There's only so many shades of lipstick you can put on your prize pig before it all gets weird AF.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 9h
Indeed. I don't blame anyone for making a living out of their copyrights while the going is good. Still, there's only so many shades of lipstick you can put on your prize pig before it gets weird.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 13h
SMILES OF A SUMMER NIGHT (Sommarnattens leende) - 1955, dir. Ingmar Bergman. Yes, Ingmar Bergman made a sex farce that is both genuinely funny and (for the time and place) rather saucy. There's no punchline. That's not a bit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElCn...
youtube.com
Comedy, Bergman Style: Smiles of a Summer Night
YouTube video by Austin Film Society
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14h
There's definitely that, but hoo boy... it really is tiresome watch the media go Full Urkel as they try to gaslight everyone into thinking people who have "editor" in their job titles have zero agency over when they do. Or don't, as the case may be.
static.klipy.com
Steve Urkel's Iconic 'Did I Do That?' Moment
Alt: Steve Urkel's Iconic 'Did I Do That?' Moment
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14h
Pop Culture Gatekeepers: "Gee, when did the yoof turn into such a pack of sex-hating prudes." Also Pop Culture Gatekeepers: "Go watch another thing where young people who fuck and dare to enjoy it are, at best, traumatized for life or straight up murder bait." Mixed messaging, much?
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14h
Everyone in NZ media circles who spent months hyping the Opportunity Party while glazing its random bumper sticker generator leader, now furrowing its brow in "Someone should do some basic due diligence on these people" mode THREE WEEKS before the election? #nzpol
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14h
Editor of a media outlet that has been glazing this empty pants suit for months says what? Perhaps I'm showing my age, but this recycled bullshit from media outlets that can't (or won't) do the basics once every three years is as tedious as it is dishonest. #nzpol
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14h
Having watched every frame of HANNIBAL RISING while stone cold sober, I could have told you CRYSTAL LAKE was a fucking undead murder-zombie turd of a bad idea. When it comes to iconic horror villains, explaining your backstory is losing.
static.klipy.com
Alan Chow: Why Is This Happening To Us?
Alt: Alan Chow: Why Is This Happening To Us?
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15h
Dean Stockwell had one job in BLUE VELVET: In less than five minutes of screentime, convince us all that you're indefinably freaky enough to face down Dennis Hopper at his most off-the-chain with the weirdest lip sync ever burned into celluloid. Mission accomplished, I'd say.
static.klipy.com
Dean Stockwell as Ben in Blue Velvet Spotlight
Alt: Dean Stockwell as Ben in Blue Velvet Spotlight
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15h
The whole world over, whatever your ideological bent, the First Rule of Political Fight Club remains a universal constant: PAY NO MIND TO THE NOISES COMING OUT OF THEIR LIE HOLES, INSTEAD PAY CLOSE AND CONSTANT ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY DO. Second Rule: KEEP ALL YOUR RECEIPTS IN A SAFE PLACE. #nzpol
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 17h
Add “for Tax Purposes” to a movie: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover for Tax Purposes
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 17h
Simeon Brown: New Zealand politics' (not really) shocking reveal as the Big Bad in an 80s teen slasher flick, who info-dumps his entire nonsensical backstory to the Final Girl and just won't die.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 18h
💯 THIS. I'll also note that, in this specific instance, it's a multi-level irony that the "DEI gone wild!" nonsense is running under the masthead of a magazine whose bills are being covered by Laurene Powell Jobs. If only every black writer had a billionaire sugar mommy of their own. MERITOCRACY!
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 18h
*sigh* I see we're heading into the stage of the electoral cycle where Press Gang start cry-wanking "It's a handful of days until the Election. Why isn't anyone asking the hard questions of the people we've been glazing for months?" #nzpol
static.klipy.com
Elmo Shrugs
Alt: Elmo Shrugs
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 18h
It is also another expression of every absuer's creed: "Don't blame me. The bitch asked for it."
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Also, I know it isn't very 'woke' in these sensitive times, but perhaps we need to start asking if men aren't just too damn emotional to be in high-pressure jobs like law enforcement, Supreme Court Justice, legislators etc.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
With all due and sincere respect, but I'd take the whole "race to the bottom" argument against Supreme Court expansion if SCOTUS justices weren't already appointed in a highly political and partisan process. (Yes, we all like to pretend otherwise, but come on...)
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
My man looks like Salman Rushdie couldn't be bothered changing out of his PJs before going down to the corner store for a pack of cigarettes.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Indeed - I'd also respectfully suggest that anyone fretting about Supreme Court expansion being a "race to the bottom" of partisan court-packing? Respecfully, I think that ship already sailed, hit an iceberg and went down with all hands.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
To be fair, its not like a sitting member of Congress having her passport taken in a dawn raid is a a newsworthy matter of public interest like... the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court's vacation at his country house being totally ruined because his mean neighbours think he's an asshole.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
I don't know how much(if any) of C.S. Lewis is still under copyright, but whoever is signing off on this kind of crap, and there's a lot of hacky recycling around, deserves a good slap. I know publishing is a business but damn...
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
"Abandoning the Romulans" is logically on this list of times The Federation pooped the biobed, but to massively over-think things did everyone just forget about the Remans? @seanferrick.bsky.social and Co. any beta canon particles my scanners missed? #StarTrek
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Re-watched FUNNY GAMES (1997) for the first time in many years last night - and still vile. Smug, not half as cleverly meta- or profound in its social comment as it fancies. Michael Haneke wants to have his torture porn cake and call his audience fat pigs for eating it. Leck mich, baby. #FilmSky
Still from FUNNY GAMES (1997). Image of a blandly attractive young white man in a white polo shirt, on a beige couch, sitting next to a child with a pillowcase over his head.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Know I'm a broken record on this, but if you're a university that can impose punitive sanctions at warp speed on students and faculty for participation in rowdy pro-Palestinian demos, you've no excuse for dragging your feet on purging your campus of crime zone frat houses.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Your woke scolding for the day: There's nothing intrinsically shameful about turning a profit off sex work. There's everything shameful about being an adjudicated rapist, self-confessed serial sexual predator and general purpose misogynistic dirtbag.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
IKR? It is exactly what it is, and for the most part does it with more panache than is strictly necessary. What more can you ask for?
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Of course, I'm highly confident that any who accused The Atlantic of committing journalistic fraud in its hallowed pages would be hearing from the very best lawyers billionaire proprietor Laurene Powell Jobs could buy. God help you if the allegation didn't stack up, because nobody else would...
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Know I've come very late to this, but just seen TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL. Runs out of steam before the end, but curiously endearing... even downright sweet for the horror-comedy sub-genre it (mostly) gleefully extracts the urine from. #FilmSky #MovieSky
Theatrical release poster for satirical horror-comedy TUCKER & DALE VS. EVIL.  The main image is of the three lead actors, two stereotypical hillbillies (one holding a chainsaw above his head, in an allusion to Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and an conventially attractive young white woman in a crop top with long blonde hair.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
I know plenty of people do - just pointing out the double standards and I'm not pretending I'm above and beyond it all. Because we're all soaking in a culture where certain people, certain acts. get all the "grace" to move on, have their redemption arc, and who absolutely does not.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Isn't it weird how all the culture war bullshit doesn't matter when you have to decide which credit card to max out (again) to put a half tank of gas in your car to get to your insecure job, so you can pay just enough of the bills marked FINAL NOTICE not to freeze to death in an alley this winter?
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Under no circumstances change it up by issuing an open invite to your next ALIEN-themed dinner party.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Tapping the reminder that there's a whole lot of people who face a long laundry list of profound, lifelong consequences for nonviolent drug-related convictions in their distant past. And most people just don't give a shit.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
YMMV, but you'd think the legacy media and pundit class would be on this with the same pitch and volume as they "just asked questions" about whether it was legit to call Abdul El-Sayed a doctor.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Metallica or Ed Sheeran? It's getting hard to tell the difference...
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Cool! Lower Decks pretty broadly isn't my cup of tea (but does what it does damn well, which is fine with me!) but I did like the visit to DS9 and Nana Visitor getting to play my goddess, Kira Nerys, lighter and broader than usual. A good character is one where you can play all the notes.
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Reposted by Craig M. Ranapia
HappyToast @happytoast.co.uk · 14/10/2026
Mark Zuckerberg unveils the EU compliant version of his pervert glasses.
Zuckerberg demonstrating glasses in the shape of the word “Nonce” with glowing red lights on.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
wouldn't have a bloody clue how to manage the practical day-to-day on a fixed budget. They only know how to contemptuously make it all harder and meaner than it has to be. #nzpol
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
YES! BTW, you know when we try and avoid the local greengrocer where we buy our milk and most of our vegetable rather than at the supermarket 100m away because they're significantly cheaper? The days most people's pensions or benefit clear into their accounts. Of course, these ACT weenies...
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
That would be... grimly amusing.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
OK, technically not a pet but you're going to argue with this foxy fella from Lars von Trier's ANTICHRIST?
static.klipy.com
Fox Says Chaos Reigns - Anti-Christ
Alt: Fox Says Chaos Reigns - Anti-Christ
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Reposted by Craig M. Ranapia
Mel🏳️‍🌈 she/they universal healthcare now @knownforms.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
My wife, who works in public health and policy now wants this shirt for her bday.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Irony isn't dead, but it sure looks like it could do with a lie down with a nice cup of sweet, milky tea and a biscuit.
The test will check applicants understand the responsibilities and privileges of being a New Zealand citizen.  

Privileges and responsibilities of a citizen 

Test topics will include: 

    the Bill of Rights Act 
    human rights 
    voting rights and democratic principles 
    New Zealand’s system of government
    Te Tiriti o Waitangi – the Treaty of Waitangi
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
So many scribbling fellas in dire need of a good shake and a well-aimed kick in the nadgers, so little time.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
The life cycle of the Lesser Literary Man: 1) Whining about the girls who won't fuck you. 2) Whining about the ones who will. 3) Whining about the wife who'd rather you didn't fuck anyone else. 4) Whining about the ex- who'd rather fuck everyone else. 5) Whining as you can't even fuck yourself.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
"It's only weird if you make it weird" strikes me as a useful text to meditate on in these kinds of circumstances.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Also, if ACT think the bank that gets the contract to run these things isn't going to gouge away with a ridiculous fee every time some beneficiary buys an emergency bottle of milk? Well, they're either hopelessly naive or dumb as a sack of hair.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
THIS 🧵 - which unlike ACT's ideological war on poor people is written by someone who actually know about grocery shopping for a family on a budget.
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Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Well, there's a non-trivial number of people who don't think any election where Republicans don't win could possibly be legit. So yeah, I'm sure it is pure coincidence that it looks like two Republican held Senate seats in states that use ranked-choice voting are looking increasingly likely to flip
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