Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 2hSEVENTEEN 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. 0199
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 8hIn 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. 010
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 9hIndeed. 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. 000
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 13hSMILES 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.comComedy, Bergman Style: Smiles of a Summer NightYouTube video by Austin Film Society 150
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14hThere'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.comSteve Urkel's Iconic 'Did I Do That?' MomentAlt: Steve Urkel's Iconic 'Did I Do That?' Moment 142
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14hPop 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? 020
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14hEveryone 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 56616
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14hEditor 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 1227
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14hHaving 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.comAlan Chow: Why Is This Happening To Us?Alt: Alan Chow: Why Is This Happening To Us? 010
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15hDean 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.comDean Stockwell as Ben in Blue Velvet SpotlightAlt: Dean Stockwell as Ben in Blue Velvet Spotlight 1123
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15hThe 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 020
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 17hAdd “for Tax Purposes” to a movie: The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover for Tax Purposes 1101
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 17hSimeon 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. 060
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! 000
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?" #nzpolstatic.klipy.comElmo ShrugsAlt: Elmo Shrugs 0196
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 18hIt is also another expression of every absuer's creed: "Don't blame me. The bitch asked for it." 000
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Also, 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. 0150
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026With 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...) 061
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026My 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. 000
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Indeed - 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. 0251
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026To 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. 050
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026I 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... 110
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 010
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Re-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 030
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Know 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. 0131
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Your 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. 151
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026IKR? 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? 020
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Of 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... 010
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Know 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 341
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026I 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. 030
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Isn'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? 060
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 15/10/2026Under no circumstances change it up by issuing an open invite to your next ALIEN-themed dinner party. 110
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Tapping 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. 140
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026YMMV, 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. 052
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Metallica or Ed Sheeran? It's getting hard to tell the difference... 021
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Cool! 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. 110
Reposted by Craig M. RanapiaHappyToast @happytoast.co.uk · 14/10/2026Mark Zuckerberg unveils the EU compliant version of his pervert glasses. 9429118
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026wouldn'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 180
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026YES! 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... 1112
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026OK, technically not a pet but you're going to argue with this foxy fella from Lars von Trier's ANTICHRIST?static.klipy.comFox Says Chaos Reigns - Anti-ChristAlt: Fox Says Chaos Reigns - Anti-Christ 251
Reposted by Craig M. RanapiaMel🏳️🌈 she/they universal healthcare now @knownforms.bsky.social · 14/10/2026My wife, who works in public health and policy now wants this shirt for her bday. 413116
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Irony 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. 1193
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026So many scribbling fellas in dire need of a good shake and a well-aimed kick in the nadgers, so little time. 020
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026The 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. 340
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. 010
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Also, 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. 3120
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026THIS 🧵 - 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. 030
Craig M. Ranapia @craigmranapia.bsky.social · 14/10/2026Well, 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 030