Weekend Parting Shot: An Oldie but a Goodie

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,

I hope this missive finds you well.

I am praying for rain this weekend so I don't have to mow the backyard. Once you've hit mid-September, the joys that come with a well-tended lawn are easily eclipsed by the joys of not giving a rat's rear end about it. 

The boy who cried wolf

In a day and age of routine assassination attempts, antisemitic violence, governmental skullduggery, crime, war, and increasing (sometimes successful) attempts to undermine free expression and the exchange of ideas, it is a little heartwarming to see that there are still a few on the Left clinging to the bizarre ideas that marked the end of the Trump administration and the start of the Biden-Harris fiasco, even if they are across the pond. 

Did you know that self-identifying as an emotion, shape, color, season, inanimate object, or animal is still a thing? Me either. I thought the world had moved on to other equally inane, if more deadly, preoccupations. But I was wrong. There are few pockets of interspecies identification out there. It does give one a warm feeling of nostalgia in one's heart, doesn't it? Or maybe a less positive sensation in one's digestive tract. 

For our latest affront to common sense, we are off to the UK, which is quickly becoming the biggest purveyor of left-wing weirdness. At times, it appears it will outstrip the United States, but not to worry, we in America are not far behind.

According to the Daily Mail, a British schoolboy has decided that he is a wolf. See? I told you people were still doing it! Like the little black dress, the classic Oxford shirt, or the tuxedo, delusion never goes out of style. Or maybe they are just bringing the classics back across the pond. 

The paper reports that not only has the child declared himself to be a wolf, but he also enjoys the full support of many of his teachers. The claim is that the boy suffers from "species dysphoria." The Mail said this issue has become a growing problem in the UK. Some kids are reportedly identifying as dragons. So what happens when a kid identifying as a dragon meets a kid identifying as a knight?

Clinical neuropsychologist Dr. Tommy MacKay told the paper:

There is no such condition in science as 'species dysphoria'. It's not surprising that we are seeing this in an age when many people want to identify as something other than they are. Now we have a council which appears to accept at face value that a child identifies as a wolf rather than being told to snap out of it and get to grips with themselves, which would be the common-sense approach.

And over in Scotland: 

The latest council in question has told the Daily Mail its policy on ‘species dysphoria’ is guided by the Scottish Government’s GIRFEC (Getting It Right For Every Child) strategy.

Central to the strategy is that ‘children have their rights upheld at all times’ and that they are ‘to be treated with kindness, dignity, and respect at all times.’

GIRFEC employs a diagram called a "wellbeing wheel," which demonstrates how children can overcome feelings of inequality. Hopefully, it can help children overcome the urge to eat the neighbors' livestock at night.

This is not the kid's fault. In reality, this probably wasn't even his idea. He has grown up in a world of rampant narcissism and is thoroughly indoctrinated with the notion that to have any value, he must be dysfunctional. On top of that, the rest of the world must not only celebrate said dysfunction but must accommodate it.

Some may call it tough love, but I say that people only learn from their mistakes once they taste the fruits of them. So I say if he is a wolf, so be it. Tell the youngster and his parents that if he believes he is a wolf, then a wolf he shall be. A few hours of divesting him of all his worldly belongings and letting him gnaw on a bone in a cage at the London Zoo might bring him around. 

If not, why not have him go the Full Mowgli? Someone can tell him that they are going to crate him up, ship him across the pond, and drop him in the middle of Yellowstone. "Good luck finding your pack, Lobo. We hope you make Alpha Wolf someday. Oh, and try not to bite the tourists. It's not good for advertising."

Actually, it might make more sense to do this to the "council" and whatever deranged identity holdovers put this concept in the boy's head. Why not leave the kid be, and drop them off in Yellowstone? The world would be a better place, and I'm sure the wolves and grizzlies would appreciate a snack. Hey, I'm just doing my part for the environment. 

Or it could be that he isn't a full-blown wolf at all? Maybe he only feels a bit lupine during certain phases of the moon. In that case, the council can give him a Chinese menu and drop him off on the streets of Soho. 

Wine recommendation

Because wolves eat red meat, which calls for red wine. 

I swear I did not pick this wine with that story in mind, but in any event, this is the 2021 7 Moons Red Blend.

In the past, I've caught a little heat for buying inexpensive wine and noting that it was not up to par. But one of the points of these reviews is to find a wine that isn't expensive but still enjoyable. And I can definitely say that this wine isn't expensive.

Besides, this isn't middle school. There are no participation trophies at PJ Media.

To start, I sank the corkscrew into it, only to have the cork drop with a plunk into the bottle, which is not a good sign. That should have been my cue to strain it out and put in the marinara sauce I was making. But I take my commitment to my craft seriously, and Mrs. Brown and I buckled down and drank it.

By all indications, I may have gotten hold of a bad bottle. This wine has some glowing reviews, but I found it dull and flat. Despite the promises of vanilla, cherry, plums, and chocolate, nothing particularly stood out except the strong taste of alcohol. 

My guess is that this bottle was improperly sealed when it was laid down, and air seeped in around the cork. Air definitely affects the taste of red wine, which is why you let it breathe when you open it and why red wine glasses are wider on the bottom than at the top. It's also why you find so many bottle attachments on the market that aerate the wine when you pour it. But if air slowly seeps into the bottle while it ages, that can ruin the taste. So I will swallow my pride, along with the cork, and give this wine another shot in about six months. 

On the other hand, maybe it would go well with a big dish of beef chow mein. 

That's it for me. Have a great weekend, and I'll see you next time.