General Harris knocks out Donald Trump

9/11 is now inextricably linked with one of the most tragic days in modern human history — an act of wanton violence that revealed the depths of our intolerance as a species. However, it wasn’t always like this. Exactly 108 years before that fateful day, a football enthusiast in Chicago preached the opposite message, declaring: “I am proud to belong to a religion that has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in universal toleration, but we accept all religions as true. I am proud to belong to a nation that has sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and nations of the earth.”

This clarion call to tolerance remains just as important today, even when fanaticism seems to dominate the discourse. This intolerance was on full display during the first US presidential debate. In this week’s edition, we also explore a fresh ripple in Indo-Bangladesh relations, Darth Vader becoming one with the Force, dadbod Wayne Rooney, and Making America Cat Again in this year’s election.

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General Harris wins Round 1

Debates are often uncomfortable. As a 12-year-old in boarding school, I participated in a debate where the motion was: "Today’s schools force conformity and crush individuality." To this day, no one involved in the debate even knows what the topic meant, let alone know whether the motion won or lost. Thankfully, the first debate between Vice President Harris and former President Trump wasn’t that confusing. Before the debate, there were questions about which Harris would turn up: the one decimated by Gabbard or the one who destroyed Pence? It was definitely the latter.

MAGA Republicans like Vivek Ramaswamy were quick to blame the format, calling it 3-on-1. Even the conservative New York Post — while claiming the ABC moderators had a 'lighter touch' for Harris — had to admit that the VP came out looking stronger.

The Post wrote: “The 59-year-old Harris, meanwhile, delivered a far stronger appearance than the dismal showing by President Biden in June that stoked Democratic fears of a Trump landslide victory — with the former prosecutor avoiding major gaffes and deflecting potentially damaging questions about her record and evolving stances on a range of major issues. The VP was helped by her opponent, who proved unable to resist when Harris used what she described as Trump’s strategy of ‘lies, grievances, and name-calling’ against him.”

But it all boils down to whether voters will actually change their minds.

A CNN poll found that 45% of debate watchers viewed Kamala Harris favourably, up from 39% before the debate, while 44% viewed her unfavourably. Donald Trump's favourability remained steady, with 39% rating him favourably and 51% unfavourably. Both candidates received similar confidence ratings in their ability to lead, with 54% of viewers expressing at least some confidence in both. Debate watchers slightly favoured Harris's plan for solving the country's problems over Trump's, 42% to 33%.

The Weekly Vine Quip: Rep Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla) summed up the debate, when he wrote: “This debate was so bad, Nancy Pelosi is quietly working the phones to get Trump out of the race.”

Hilsa Woes

"Ilish machher tirish kata, boal machher dari. Bhutto saheb bhikkha kore, Sheikh Mujib-er bari."

(The hilsa has 30 bones, the wallago catfish has a beard, and Bhutto is begging at Sheikh Mujib’s home.)

Ilish (hilsa) holds such a significant place in Bengali cuisine that even anti-West Pakistan chants before Bangladesh’s independence referenced the fish as they mocked Bhutto’s impotence in front of their national father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Sadly, Bangladesh’s relationship with both its founding father and the nation that helped establish it has deteriorated since then. Like all younger siblings, Bangladesh seems to blame India for its recent troubles.

The latest strain in the relationship emerged when the interim Bangladesh government announced they wouldn’t export hilsa to India ahead of Durga Pujo. In 2023, around 3,950 tonnes of hilsa had been sent to India for the festive season, and there will be noticeable impacts due to the absence this year. Meanwhile, the Adani Group has written to the interim Bangladesh government requesting the payment of $800 million in receivables owed by the Bangladesh Power Development Board. The letter further urges the government to make timely payments.

Given the current scenario, it seems unlikely that Indo-Bangladesh relations will thaw anytime soon — not unlike the hilsa traditionally frozen before being sent to India for the festive season.

The Weekly Vine Quip: "Love thy neighbour like thyself" might be a popular Biblical verse, but it’s hard to do when you live in a neighbourhood like India’s.

Goodbye Dad

From fraternal love, we turn to paternal affection, as we mourn the loss of cinema’s best and worst dad: James Earl Jones. Jones voiced both Mufasa in The Lion King and Darth Vader in Star Wars, becoming the embodiment of both good and evil. Sadly, Lord Vader became one with the Force yesterday, but his voice will live on forever, thanks to AI.

Prior to his death, Jones ensured that his voice would endure in future Star Wars projects. According to Vanity Fair (via Deadline), Jones signed over the rights to his archival voice work, allowing the Ukrainian startup Respeecher to use AI technology to recreate his voice for future appearances of Darth Vader, including in Disney Plus's Obi-Wan Kenobi. His voice may even appear in future Star Wars projects featuring Vader. Just as Anakin Skywalker became part-machine after losing the high ground, James Earl Jones' Darth Vader will live on thanks to machines.

The Weekly Vine Quip: Eric Cantona once said: “Soon, science will not only slow the ageing of cells; it will fix them to a state where we become eternal.” AI is making that possible, bit by bit.

Dadbod Rooney

A few years ago, the internet was obsessed with the ideal male body type, dubbed the 'dadbod' — a man clearly fond of his pints and chip butties. That body type could easily describe Wayne Rooney, who recently appeared at Old Trafford and scored his first direct free-kick in years. What made it even more remarkable was the sight of his love handles peeking out from his sides, proving that a racehorse never forgets its tricks.

Even more fascinating is the fact that this free-kick came exactly 20 years after his debut for the club, where he scored a hat-trick against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League — a match that also featured a free-kick. Rooney may now resemble Cristiano Ronaldo’s grandfather and may not have scored 900 goals, but he will forever remain a greater Manchester United legend than Ronaldo.

The Weekly Vine Quip: The flesh might be overflowing, but the spirit is never weak.

Make America Cat Again

Not since ancient Egypt has the feline held such sway over a nation’s fate. First, JD Vance's diatribe against childless cat ladies galvanised the base of single women supporting Harris. Then, the MAGA crowd became enamoured with a bizarre rumour claiming immigrants, particularly Haitians, were eating their neighbours' cats in Springfield, Ohio. Despite the Springfield Police denying the rumour, it sparked a flood of AI-generated “Cats for Trump” memes.

However, the final word in this cat-themed election season came from Taylor Swift, who kept the world waiting before endorsing Harris-Walz. Referring to the fake AI endorsement for Trump, Taylor wrote on Instagram: “Recently, I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really heightened my fears around AI and the dangers of misinformation. This brought me to the decision to be transparent about my voting plans. I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”

She signed off the message with the moniker "childless cat lady," a term JD Vance had used to deride women without children.

The Weekly Vine Quip: Taylor’s not-so-swift endorsement is certain to have a huge impact on the US elections. Only time will tell how big it will be.

(Written by: Nirmalya Dutta )