I woke up to a mixed bag of nuts this morning.
A bit of good news and a bit of online nonsense.
First, the happy headline: Supreme Court denies Kim Davis’ petition to overturn same-sex marriage ruling. Cue the confetti and the collective eye-roll from anyone who’s had to hear her name for the past decade.
Davis, as you might recall, is the former Kentucky county clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples because Jesus told her not to. Well, Jesus gave her some bad advice. She wouldn’t do her job, violated the law, served a brief stint in jail, and has since lost every major court case she’s filed.
Lady Justice may be tardy to the party, but usually shows up and gets the job done.
After doing a little happy dance, somewhere between breakfast and my morning medications, I stumbled across some digital nonsense in my inbox from a former follower: An empty email with an all-lowercase subject line: “in that case, fuck you.”
Charming. And fuck you back, asshole.
It turns out, the author of this poetic declaration was a Mr. LaRochelle—someone I probably should’ve blocked on YouTube last week for being annoying, but didn’t.
My mistake for not trusting my instincts. He ended up emailing me a poem he wrote, allegedly inspired by one of my video montages. When I didn’t read or respond to his email over the weekend, I guess he decided to lash out. He’s not the first, and sadly, he won’t be the last. Some people….
Parasocial relationships can be tricky. Most are sweet and supportive—I’m genuinely grateful for the majority of people who connect with my work and reach out with kindness. But every once in a while, a few folks cross the line and seem to think I owe them something.
For the record, I don’t, Blanche. I really, really don’t.
I’m not the one. So please don’t fuck around. Or you’ll find out.
Look, I’ll admit it: I’m terrible at email. My inbox is a chaotic mix of spam, Substack notifications, and digital tumbleweeds. But if your self-worth depends on whether a stranger reads your poem within 48 hours, that’s between you and your therapist.
In my book, Ms. Davis and Mr. LaRochelle both need to go fuck off and touch grass.
If you ever feel the urge to write angry emails to strangers on the internet, maybe pause, take a breath, and check yourself before you wreck yourself.
Some of us won’t take your bullshit lying down.
Some of us will block you and blog about it.
A modern-day cautionary tale.
As for poetry, I barely like my own.
So why would I rush to read anyone else’s?
Nothing personal. Just…some people.
Keep calm and carry on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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FYC = FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
ON THIS DAY = NOVEMBER 10
BIRTHDAYS
1879 = Patrick Pearse = Irish teacher, barrister, writer, and activist 🌈
1889 = Claude Rains = English-American actor
1901 = Lisette Model = Austrian-born American photographer 🌈
1911 = Harry Andrews = English actor 🌈
1913 = James Broughton = American poet and filmmaker 🌈
1924 = Phyllis Lyon = American activist and Daughters of Bilitis co-founder 🌈
1925 = Richard Burton = Welsh actor and singer
1928 = Ennio Morricone = Italian composer and conductor
1931 = Lilly Pulitzer = American fashion designer
1932 = Roy Scheider = American actor
1937 = Albert Hall = American actor
1944 = Tim Rice = English lyricist and author
1945 = Terence Davies = English actor, director, and screenwriter 🌈
1947 = Greg Lake = English singer-songwriter
1948 = Diane Torr = Canadian artist and writer 🌈
1950 = Debra Hill = American screenwriter and producer
1955 = Roland Emmerich = German filmmaker 🌈
1956 = Sinbad = American comedian and actor
1957 = Nigel Evans = Welsh politician 🌈
1959 = Mackenzie Phillips = American actor
1960 = Neil Gaiman = English author, illustrator, and screenwriter
1963 = Adam Ebbin = American politician 🌈
1963 = Hugh Bonneville = English actor
1963 = Tommy Davidson = American actor and comedian
1968 = Tracy Morgan = American comedian and actor
1969 = Ellen Pompeo = American actor
1977 = Brittany Murphy = American actor and singer
1978 = Diplo = American DJ, songwriter, and producer
1978 = Eve = American singer-songwriter and actor
1982 = Heather Matarazzo = American actor 🌈
1983 = Miranda Lambert = American singer-songwriter
1984 = Lou Ferrigno Jr. = American actor
1986 = Josh Peck = American actor
1989 = Taron Egerton = Welsh actor
1999 = Michael Cimino = American actor
EVENTS
1775 = The US Marine Corps is founded at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia.
1951 = With the rollout of the North American Numbering Plan, direct-dial coast-to-coast telephone service begins in the US.
1958 = The Hope Diamond is donated to the Smithsonian Institution by New York diamond merchant Harry Winston.
1969 = Sesame Street premieres on National Educational Television (the predecessor to PBS).
1983 = Bill Gates introduces Windows 1.0.
HOLIDAYS + OBSERVANCES
PORTRAIT + QUOTE OF THE DAY
“How strange are the tricks of memory, which, often hazy as a dream about the most important events of a man’s life, religiously preserve the merest trifles.”
Richard Burton
If you don’t want my poetry, you can just say that 🤣. I love and appreciate the way you deal with bullshit so much!
Being on social media opens one to the craziness of others. I would guess we both hold to Bette Midler's famous, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke!" Fondly, Michael