Shadenfreude Guilt Relief + Bette’s ‘Soft Fascism’ Speakeasy with Monique Camarra

Just a gentle reminder to mark you calendars for this Sunday, 5/21, 4 pm PT to meet geopolitical analyst Monique Camarra zooming in from Italy

Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended thee… I have been indulging in a wee bit of Shadenfreude, which is very bad for my soul and the spiritual program which I mostly practice in all my affairs lol.

As a former Catholic school girl - who even won the highest honor upon graduating, the ‘Religion’ honor, but only because I was a good writer - I know Shadenfreude is a sin-ish.

But as they say, progress not perfection. And I have watched my new boyfriend (lol) Joe Flood’s video taunting the cargo-panted nazis who marched to ‘reclaim their virginity’ this week about a zillion times. Since that vatnik Musk won’t allow we communicators to embed Tweets, I ask you to click the link under Joe Flood’s name above, and I also put together this photo montage of highlights for you to enjoy:

Joe Flood is my hero.

He is a reminder that we do not need to obey in advance and/or cower in our bedrooms in fear. We can stand beside guys like Joe Flood and give Nazis a full-throated double barrel F you.

The authoritarian right is engaged in a massive criminal cover up - what Ruth Ben-Ghiat calls a big ‘F you to every democratic process and procedure’ - and we have the right to ensure justice is served. All these made-for-tv titushky stunts are designed to create despair from those who care about the direction of our country, but one guy like Joe can entirely derail their efforts to be menacing by making them look stupid.

Okay, so while I am confessing my sins-ish, I will also tell you that I indulged in the lulz caused by this Trump trading card that a Twitter associate so wisely created as his own version of Trump NFTs. He figured why spend $99 on Trump’s set, when you can download his for free. Please forgive me in advance:

‘Arsch frisst hose’

There’s an old German saying that was spoken prolifically in my home - Arsch frisst hose. Translated, it means ‘ass eats pants’ - Germanic phraseology for what is colloquially known as a wedgie.

There you have it, Heidi behaving badly. I will now go say five Hail Marys.

Phew, I feel better now that I have confessed my sins-ish.

To fully redeem myself in all your eyes, I am going to share with you something that I want you to watch often - for me, it was my exquisite moment of the day - and that is a short video clip from the dearly departed good trouble warrior John Lewis. My friend Rex Chapman posted it three years ago, and it came across my doomscrolling radar just in time to buoy me back to work.

In the video, Lewis says:

“Be kind, be hopeful, be optimistic, never get down. It's all gonna be okay, all gonna be alright. We're one people, we're one family. We all live in the same house, not just the American house but the world house. I wish you well.”

Somehow hearing ‘it’s all going to be okay’ from that beautiful man made me believe it. I know ‘okay’ requires action and labor, but it’s all achievable provided we do not obey in advance and provided we do not miss this opportunity to say ‘no.’

As I wrote yesterday when reflecting on the words of Tom Stoppard’ from ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’:

“There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said — no. But somehow we missed it.”

This is our moment. Let’s not miss it.

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Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you as well to all those who support my work with your generous coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. Some of you have requested to donate via venmo, and it’s always greatly appreciated. A private link to an annual membership discount for activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous@gmail.com.

The next Bette Dangerous ‘Speakeasy’ Zoom for paid members is Sunday, May 21, 4 pm PT, featuring geopolitical analyst Monique Camarra, cohost of Kremlin File and WTF podcast, as well as the daily EuroFile Report. Monique will update us on what Ruth Ben-Ghiat refers to as Meloni’s ‘Soft Fascism’ , as well as updates on the Ukraine war, which Monique documents daily. Registration link will be sent on Saturday.

Paid members will also receive invites to our new weekly Bette’s Happy Hour, a wellness checkin every Tuesday. This Tuesday we will be checking in at noon PT, and links will be sent that morning.

Thank you to everyone - you have no idea how grateful I am for all your monthly and annual memberships and all your additional support. You know who you are💘🥹.

More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.

(Below, Monique Camarra in one of her many RadPod appearances.)

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“I say a silent prayer of thanksgiving as I walk upon the earth.”-Audrey Peterman.

“May the viral hope for truth and humanity wash away the chaos of these years.”-S.C., Bette community member

“Something Sacred never dies in almost all of us, that can hear the invitation of Truth…”-words from a Bette Dangerous community member

“Nothing but blue skies from now on…”-Irving Berlin

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