Tag Archives: donald trump

Billy McFarland

‘Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.‘ –Sir Walter Scott, Marmion, Canto Six, Stanza Seventeen

“This thing is like an onion. The more layers you peel, the more it stinks.” –George Costanza, Seinfeld, ‘The Soul Mate,’ Season 8, Episode 2

Yes, now that I and the rest of the industrialized world have learned that Billy McFarland is organizing a second Fyre Festival, I’m jumping on the bandwagon–here and in my most recent podcast episode. But this is just as much a public-service announcment as it is the latest entry into this rogues’ gallery.

As so many people before me have pointed out, McFarland was sentenced to six years in prison for various forms of fraud, but was released after less than four–and his life after prison has been less then exemplary. One of the first things he did when he got out of prison was launch a social-media campaign for a ‘remote-island extravaganza’ he called PYRT (pronounced ‘Pirate’–how appropriate); some time after, he connected Donald Trump with rappers, who he managed to convince to endorse Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign (presumably at Trump’s request–as if rappers and their endorsement would make him cool to anyone outside of his fan club). Apparently, Billy McFarland isn’t very good at keeping his head down, even after a public embarrassment–even if it isn’t the magnitude of the first Fyre Festival.

And now there’s the alleged Fyre Festival Part 2.

Just the first Fyre (non)Festival alone should alert us all that Billy McFarland cannot, and should not, be trusted. As Calvin Wells pointed out at the end of the Netflix documentary Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, “if there’s anything the guy is good at, it’s separating consumers from their cash.” There’s no doubt McFarland is good at marketing; former Fyre Media employee Shiyuan Deng stated in The Greatest Party That Never Happened that, “He can sell you on anything.” Unfortunately (from what I’ve heard and read), McFarland has decided to use his marketing skills to con people out of their money rather than for any good purpose. As Magnesis, Fyre, NYC-VIP Access, PYRT, and now potentially Fyre Festival 2 show, Billy McFarland is, as they say in Texas, all hat and no cattle. In fact, it seems to me that McFarland would rather play at being an entrepreneur than actually be an entrepreneur–and scam people out of their money in the process, while other people do the actual work and eventually have to come to terms with the fact that they won’t get paid–or, if they do, it won’t be for the right amount (they’ll be short-changed). He reminds me of Cartman in the South Park episode ‘DikinBaus Hot Dogs,’ except McFarland has no Butters Stotch to pick up the slack for him and make sure his ‘businesses’ actually deliver, especially in the long-term. And let’s not forget McFarland has been barred from ever serving as director of a public company–for good reason, from where I’m standing.

In this economy–hell, in any economy, but especially in this one–I’d recommend against buying any bill of goods this guy sells you; it’s clear he can’t–or more to the point, won’t–deliver. I’d just hate to hear any more about people forking over their money for something that doesn’t deliver on promises its creator/s made or doesn’t even exist; even more than that, I’d hate to hear any more about people, locally and in far-off locales, enduring hardship because they didn’t get paid for their labour–or didn’t get paid enough–for the sake of the aformentioned something, especially because someone like one William Zervakos McFarland doesn’t want a regular, legitimate job–or at least put in a stroke of work at any of the businesses he starts, and check his ego at the door.

For the love of all that is holy, do NOT, under any circumstances, buy any tickets to Fyre Festival 2, or anything else Billy McFarland feels like selling you. Learn from the first Fyre Festival–this individual will not deliver. as he has a mouth full of thunder but no lightning in either of his hands.

Sources (in no particular order):

https://www.businessinsider.com/fyre-festival-billy-mcfarland-magnises-history-townhouse-2019-1

https://fortune.com/2017/08/30/fyre-festival-billy-mcfarland-magnises/

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jimmy-kimmel-surprised-fyre-festival-161158179.html

https://www.foxnews.com/us/convicted-fyre-fest-fraudster-billy-mcfarland-return-mexico-sounds-like-ticking-time-bomb-experts

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_McFarland

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/fyre-festival-fraudster-launching-latest-thing-looks-party-island-rcna62564

Elon Musk

I know, I know–this has been a long time coming. But, I have to be honest, I was just too damned lazy to post anything about anything–and keep up with the news–within the last couple of years or so, and I’m only writing this because two-time United States President Donald Trump has apparently allowed Elon Musk more than a fair amount of power in the United States government, and between them they will mess up United States government policies and more for years to come. I’m Canadian, but I’m speaking out because I want my American neighbours to know that i am not OK with what is going on south of the border right now–even if Trump and Musk supporters are.

I’ve logged into my X (formerly Twitter) account recently, and came across this gem:

Though the added reader context may state that there is no record of Musk ever tweeting that, I wouldn’t put it past him, especially given the kerfuffle over his Nazi-esque salute and apparent sense of entitlement, which has become more pronounced since he purchased the site formerly known as Twitter and renamed it. Ignoring for a second that there are plenty of posts on Twitter (yes, I still insist on calling it that) calling out Trump and Musk and, as far as I know, those accounts haven’t been suspended, it still sticks in my craw that the owner of a social-media platform is flexing his muscles like this. In this manner, Musk reminds me of this:

But it doesn’t end there.

Apparently, once he was back in the Oval Office, Donald Trump has made Musk a ‘special government employee’ and given him special powers–such as dismantling government agencies like USAID (which he has called a ‘criminal organization’)–and allowed him to create a group called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is made up of young men who look like they recently graduated from college or university (if not younger) who have so far accessed people’s personal data and the nation’s money; apparently, lawyers are going after anyone who reveals the identities of these young men (you’ve seen their pictures if you’ve been on Twitter/X and/or Bluesky)–so much for freedom of speech and information, transparency, and accountability. Several people on X have pointed out that Musk is neither an elected nor an appointed official, and thus does not have the authority to do what he’s doing–but it doesn’t help that the current leader of the so-called free world is enabling him. But–stating the painfully obvious here–Trump and Musk are like two peas in a pod.

Unfortunately, I know, in terms of everything wrong with Elon Musk and what he’s doing with the power he has, I’m just scratching the surface.

I can’t tell you how bad I feel for everyone living south of the 49th parallel and north of the Rio Grande right now–well, those who didn’t vote for Trump, anyhow. As for those who did…well, I don’t know what to say, especially to those seeing the consequences of that action and having regrets.

I know Elon Musk is just another rich man looking to flex his muscles and avoid accountability while screwing over those who are most in need, but, much like Trump, his actions in his new position have serious repercussions, especially for those less fortunate than himself. The next President of the United States is going to have a hell of a job cleaning this administration’s mess; I can only hope that when Trump goes, Musk goes with him.

P.S.: I know this post is rather disjointed and incoherent, and I could make a million and one excuses for why that is, but I trust everyone reading it sees the point(s) I’m trying to make.

Natsukashii Revisited: Trump and Beyond

On January 20, 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States of America. Within twenty-four hours, people marched on Washington, D.C., and in cities all over the world, to announce to President Trump, and the world, that we stand for human rights, diversity, inclusion, and progress.

We must, however, realize that these issues go beyond Donald Trump.

Within the race to fill the leadership role of the Conservative Party of Canada are individuals like Kellie Leitch, who wants newcomers to Canada tested for ‘Canadian values’–which she has been quoted as claiming are conservative values, though not everyone in Canada is conservative. And Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary is now running; he has been quoted as saying he wants to, among other things, make unions illegal, saying, “Unions themselves are borne of evil.” He has also been quoted as saying it’s “fantastic” that a small percentage of people are wealthier than the poorest people, saying, “It gives them (the poor) motivation to look up to the one percent.” Very promising potential future leaders of Canada, indeed.

Trump, Leitch, and O’Leary are part of a recent trend towards leaders and political candidates wanting to turn the clock back to a time that never really existed, a time where everybody supposedly ‘knew their place.’ The presence of these folks, and others like them, is a reflection of the desire of a portion of the general population to live in a world without political correctness or left-leaning social justice, and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States is a manifestation of the current attitude that ‘political correctness’ has gone too far and things need to go back to the way they supposedly were. In short, the people who willingly buy what the likes of President Trump, Leitch, and O’Leary are selling cling to, and benefit from, the status quo, even if it doesn’t work for everyone.

President Trump is also a manifestation, and a symbol, of a larger culture of entitlement, a culture which fosters, among other things, vitriol against left-leaning social-justice advocacy and activism and a desire to uphold the status quo simply because a small portion of the human population benefits from it. This culture of entitlement encourages kyriarchy–white supremacy, xenophobia, classism, patriarchy, jingoism, heteronormativity, cissexism, ableism, etc.–and bigotry.

I’m fully aware this problem goes beyond North America. All over the world, there are people who are afraid of change and will fight tooth and nail against it, because they think the status quo is better, or they think some period in the past was a better time, and the world needs to return to that time, even if it never existed in reality. President Trump, Leitch, and O’Leary cater to these people, and play on their fears to get votes and whatever else they want, and the election of Trump as the 45th President of the United States is very encouraging to them. However, if this trend of electing people with a serious case of natsukashii into positions of leadership continues, the world and all of its inhabitants will suffer.