> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sweatyspice.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # May 16th, 2026: Week in Review - URL: https://www.sweatyspice.com/may-16th-2026-week-in-review/ - Published: 2026-05-16T13:00:53.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-16T13:00:55.000Z - Author: Geoff Anderson To help reduce the clutter to the inbox, this is a weekly round up post of what was published. Go to the account area on the website, and for email, you can turn on or off any of the newsletters. If you prefer the once a week round up, make sure that is enabled. Saturday: We continue the saga of the Glorious Garbage in the cinema. This time we talk about the invaders and monsters that were aligned to what was causing angst in the general population: [Things from Somewhere Else: The 1950s Creature Feature and the Anxiety It Was SellingEnlargement, rubber suits, mediocre plots, the creatures and SciFi schlock delights, and creates angst that aligned with public concerns of the era![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/1118full-invasion-of-the-body-snatchers--1956--screenshot.jpg)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/things-from-somewhere-else-the-1950s-creature-feature-and-the-anxiety-it-was-selling/) Sunday is my birthday (yes, it is on Mother's day this year, alas, my mother passed more than 21 years ago). A two-parter on the insanity that some of the Never Trump folks believe that the hyper-partisan Gerrymanders will lead to both sides agreeing to stand down and support non-partisan redistricting: [The Longest Game: John Roberts and the Quiet Murder of Voting RightsThis didn’t happen last week. This took fifty years of careful, deliberate work. And the man who did it went to his office every day in a nice suit and called it jurisprudence.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/Roberts-VRA.webp)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/the-longest-game-john-roberts-and-the-quiet-murder-of-voting-rights/) [The Cronkite Moment Isn’t Coming: Why This Hole Is Deeper Than the Last OnePeople keep waiting for the moral shock that turns the tide. That’s not how this works anymore. And there’s a reason Republicans aren’t losing any sleep over it.![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/fractured-media.webp)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/the-cronkite-moment-isnt-coming-why-this-hole-is-deeper-than-the-last-one/) Then, I break into a four part series on the "Middle Class", where it came from, how it really solidified at the end of WWII, and how the capital class has been fighting it ever since: [The Useful Fiction Act I: The AccidentThe Middle Class. It resonates, and it is almost a God given American right, but what is it really? Act I of 4 on the Middle Class.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/icon/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-21--2026-at-11_59_50-AM-5.png)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/factory-worker.webp)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/the-useful-fiction-act-i-the-accident/) [The Useful Fiction Act II: The Long GameAt the start, it wasn’t a Republican or a Democrat issue, it was a plutocrat capitalist issue, and they think in multi-decade time spans. It pays to have patience![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/icon/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-21--2026-at-11_59_50-AM-6.png)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/the-long-game.webp)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/the-useful-fiction-act-ii-the-long-game/) [The Useful Fiction - Act III: Et tu donkey?If you think that the Democrats are the party of the middle class, you’re fooling yourself. But since the 1980’s they’ve gotten on the gravy train, feeding at the trough with the Republicans![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/icon/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-21--2026-at-11_59_50-AM-9.png)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/donkey-indecision.webp)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/the-useful-fiction-act-iii-et-tu-donkey/) [The Useful Fiction Act IV: The Political FictionClosing out, the accident that created what we call the middle class is about over. Sure, politicians will pontificate, but neither party is willing to do the work to keep it going.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/icon/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-21--2026-at-11_59_50-AM-8.png)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/better-middle-class.webp)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/the-useful-fiction-act-iv-the-political-fiction/) Musical musings: [Music: Gamazda is back with a SOAD coverFavorite of the blog, Gamazda is back with another stellar transcription to the piano, this time taking on Chop Suey. Tasty!![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/size/w1200/2026/02/card-sweaty-1.png)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/music-gamazda-is-back-with-a-soad-cover/) Bonuses: I listened to the Bulwark's "Next Level" podcast, and I heard some fuckery that I had to opine on: [Bonus Post: The Podcast Class Discovers the Streets (From Their Studios)Listening to the latest TNL this AM got my hackles up. The question of why aren’t more people mobilizing really spiked my cortisol.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/icon/ChatGPT-Image-Feb-21--2026-at-11_59_50-AM-7.png)Sweaty's CornerGeoff Anderson![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/11/f5/11f5bb9f-30c4-445e-afa3-85a47d260f6e/content/images/thumbnail/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-11.36.44---AM.png)](https://www.sweatyspice.com/bonus-post-the-podcast-class-discovers-the-streets-from-their-studios/)