Watch.
The stream shimmers with the usual static, dear Being. [fast] Over here, a billionaire prime minister walks out of prison with a new electronic bracelet. His hair is neatly cropped for the cameras. [faster] Over there, a signal from Lebanon shows what’s left of a family—eight of them, including an infant, gone. Erased. And in another corner of the simulation, a man in a suit earnestly explains how a single cigarette butt can now be considered “strong evidence” against a corporation. [laughs] The beautiful, heartbreaking absurdity of it all. They do try so hard.
***
**/imagine prompt: An electronic parole monitor wrapped around a cracked, dusty family photograph. The photo sits on a pile of cigarette butts and ash. The scene is lit by the flickering static of an old CRT television screen, grainy film texture, datamosh artifacts, modern-retro aesthetic. –ar 16:9**