Jeopardy – The Correct Question Is, Who Is Michael Flynn?
The Jeopardy game show is my favorite trivia game program. There are some categories that I’m good at. Sports is not one of them. Others include painters and chemistry. However, I’ve watched Jeopardy for so long that I’m getting pretty familiar with Shakespeare plays.
If you watch Jeopardy, then you know that the host, Alex Trebek, gives answers and three contestants compete to see who rings in first with the correct question.
There are contestants who know about Italian painters from the 1700’s; authors from Poland; what land locked country sits beside another land locked country. There are contestants who can practically recite all the lines in Shakespeare plays; know all classical composers; the names of rivers throughout the world and all of the kings and queens of England.
My son occasionally watches, and when Jeopardy has Black History or Bible categories, we take bets on whether those will be the last categories selected. Well, we used to bet. I got tired of losing. My son always bets that those categories will be chosen last, while I gave contestants the benefit of the doubt. (Should I add here that Jeopardy seldom has any Black or Latinx contestants?)
Last week, the three contestants worried me. The answer was not about Black History or the Bible, but about Russia.
The answer was:
“In 2017, this ex-National Security Adviser pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI”?
There I sat in anticipation of which contestant would ring in first with the correct question, “Who is Michael Flynn?”
That didn’t happen.
One contestant thought it was John Kelly and another thought it was Sebastian Gorka.
John Kelly is currently Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff.
Sebastian Gorka was a deputy assistant to Donald Trump from January 2017 through August 2017. He resigned his position, some saying that he was forced out by John Kelly.
There are people who no doubt prefer listening to classical music than watching television news. They probably prefer reading a book than reading a newspaper. Maybe their interest in politics is limited to history such as how many U.S. Presidents died while in office, rather than taking interest in current political events. Then too, maybe some folks just like sticking their head in the sand or just don’t care what is happening in the White House Administration because the policies do not affect them. There’s another alternative. Russiagate involves so many people in Trump’s administration that it’s difficult keeping track.
Posted on 07/12/2018, in politics and tagged Jeopardy, Michael Flynn, Russiagate, wrong answers. Bookmark the permalink. 20 Comments.
We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident 
It does move fast for sure. It has me so dizzy I am sick!
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Hi Rachael! You make a good point. We don’t become familiar with one person/name before another person resigns, or is fired, or indicted, or plead guilty, or awaiting trial. While this is going on, we have Trump’s insults to allies, children taken from their parents, attacks on healthcare, the environment, and the GOP stealing a SCOTUS appointment, and Trump’s closed door meetings with dictators. I’m pretty sure I’ve left out about 50 other things.
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I don’t know whether I should laugh or facepalm at this situation. Maybe this should be a reminder that even the smartest people in the room can be unaware of current geopolitical situations.
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Ospreyshire, I hung my head, but then too, I’ve hung my head when contestants coudn’t distinguish a photo of one Black actor from another Black actor.
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Oh wow. I’ve stopped being surprised about some of that stuff.
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Ospreyshire,
It’s revealed more to me than just answers to trivia questions. This is what I mean. Although I was a child, I remember my parents watching the evening news and Meet the Press. I knew of the Viet Nam conflict and the protests. I knew about the Civil Rights Movement, the sit-in’s, and marches. Yet, I’ve met Whites around my same age and older who blame the schools for not teaching them about those things that existed during their lifetimes as if television, newspapers, and radio didn’t exist. Later, I watched the video of the beating of Rodney King, and read the newspapers when the trials of those who beat him took place.
So here we are in 2018, and I’m meeting people who lived while those things took place who say they had no idea, but they can repeat poetry by British writers from the 1800’s. It’s like reality Jeopardy.
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I see and I’m glad you were able to have that perspective. Granted, I wasn’t born during those times, so I didn’t live through it, but I’ve heard about this generational amnesia with people not knowing about events that happened in their lifetimes. Actually, they remember commercials, TV shows, music, and other things before major events. I’m guilty of this with my generation by not knowing things that happened during my lifetime that were serious events. Worldliness affected me in ways I didn’t even realize as I was distracted by so many things even if they didn’t involve mainstream media or hobbies.
Exactly! I talked about some of those things in my last article on the Ospreyshire page. We have people who know lots about trivial things, but not about important events.
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Ospreyshire,
In general, priorities change as responsibilities change. I remember that although we had cable television for years, I did not watch CNN until Persian Gulf 1.
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That’s true. It’s what “adulting” is all about. Haha!
Okay, in all seriousness, I do regret not knowing more about the world when I was younger.
I see. I didn’t have cable until I was in high school, so I had to be at a friend’s house or relative’s house to watch cable-related things when I was younger.
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Ospreshire,
Don’t get down on yourself. Ask me a question about rap music after around 1993, and I’ll probably stare at you with my mouth open. LOL!
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Thanks. Don’t feel bad about it. There hasn’t been a ton of good rap music long after 1993 unless it’s underground and/or conscious rap. Hahaha!
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Ospreshire,
Re:
I agree with that. LOL!
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Hahahaha! Yup. I’m not a fan of a lot of the mainstream rap that’s been going on for years now.
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Ospreyshire,
I take offense with rap music that denigrates women. “Female” was not a word applied to humans of that gender until rap music became popular. They brought it with them from jail and prison where law enforcement identifies suspects and inmates as “male” and “female’. Every creature on God’s earth was created male and female, but only human beings are men and women.
There is also the use of sex to denigrate. But then, maybe I’m from the generation where Gil Scott Heron hit a nerve.
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Gotcha, and that’s understandable. It’s very common in several mainstream rap and even some independent rap songs. While you’re right about “female” being used in jail, but it goes even farther. Interestingly enough, I found out from this independent conscious rapper named Immortal Technique that the first time in the English language that “female” was uttered was when the slave owners would address the women as such in the breeding pens and the children would be called pups to drive their dehumanization home by slandering the slaves. Even though Lupe Fiasco is on a major label, (I’m surprised he hasn’t been dropped given his conscious lyrics and anti-establishment worldview) he is one of the few rappers with notoriety who deconstructed that word in his song “[female] Bad” by showing the psychological effects of men and women using that word.
That’s right. I’d rather listen to Gil Scott-Heron more than so many of these commercial cats. Besides, he’s one of the archetypes of hip-hop alongside The Last Poets.
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Ospreyshire,
Lupe Fiasco is DEEP. He hit the proverbial nails on the head.
I did not know about “female” and slavery. Thanks for the info. With the dehumanization, it makes perfect sense.
Now, I have to get back to listening to more of Lupe. Thanks so much for bringing him to my attention.
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Yup. Lupe Fiasco is definitely deeper than his other major label counterparts. He did a great job in that song. Some other good songs of his would be “Madonna (And Other Mothers In the Hood)”, “Dumb it Down”, “Deliver”, “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)”, “Words I Never Said”, and “The Show Goes On”. The last one still shocks me to this day how it became a top 10 hit.
No problem.
Sure thing! I’m glad you like his music. Some other rappers and rap groups you should check out are Immortal Technique, Killer Mike, Run the Jewels, Brother Ali, LPG (especially The Gadfly album), and Psalm One.
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Dear Xena,
In today’s society it seems far too many seek to tune out that which they feel will not affect them. Little do they realize that the current political climate is set to possibly create a huge disaster that will have major consequences for each and every one of us! Some days our nations political culture seems to be some what like stepping in an elevator on the 80th floor of a building, watching the door close and suddenly the elevator starts to fall like the cable that is supposed to control it is broken, it is a long ways to the bottom yet there is no time to do anything but wait for the crash… Is it time to call in the repair man for the elevator?
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Mothman,
It feels more like being on an elevator with Trump as the operator. It stops with a jerk on each floor with people getting off and on. When the cable breaks, there will be people saying, “I never take the elevator. I take the stairs for the exercise.”
One day when they can no longer take the stairs, they realize the damage done to the elevator and want building management to repair and give them guarantees that the cable won’t break. By then it’ll be too late because there will be some law saying that building owners are exempt from repairing elevators, the doors to the stairways are locked and require special clearance (with an expensive application fee) for security purposes.
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