"Gladwell’s rise coincided with the September 11 terrorist attacks, the war on terror, Hurricane Katrina, the 2007-09 financial crisis, the hijacking of the U.S. Supreme Court, the reemergence of the far right, POTUS 45, the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and the disastrous conflagration consuming the Middle East. Our intuition tells us there’s no way Gladwell caused these disasters, but the data might surprise you…"
Counterpoint: Gladwell's rise definitely caused all of these disasters. 10,000 hours tore through the space-time continuum and unleashed a wrath of hell upon all of us, culminating in Hawk Tuah and chopped sandwiches. I will never forgive him for what he has brought onto this world.
Also, you finally made me read about Hawk Tuah Girl and I've lost the will to live. The subtitle of the following Rolling Stone profile is: "a charming Gen Z Dolly Parton who's rightfully becoming America's Sweetheart."
I'm sure she's lovely, and I'm glad she's enthusiastically horny and sex positive. That said, calling a girl "America's Sweetheart" for making a blowjob joke is proof positive Western culture is in irreversible decline.
Fuck, ok considering I've spent the last few weeks writing about Mark Robinson, Eric Adams, and Laura Loomer, I'm not going to pretend I'm above this. I'll read this and report back to you.
While we're on the topic of absurd Rolling Stone comparisons, I read their list of top 100 vocalists recently and they described Robert Smith of the Cure as "the goth Sade." I love both artists, but... what the fuck? lol
Re: Madame d’Artois - girl's got two paywalled posts from August ... and that's it?? I am curious what it takes to become a certified sexologist. Sounds wonderfully made up. I'm a certified bullshitographer, myself, so my lack of faith in her expertise may have something to do with that.
The profile she did with The FT wasn't total nonsense, but it was very woo woo. She said she thinks society's in a collective malaise driven by politics and technology and climate change and all those factors are denting people's desire. That seems broadly correct, but tough to quantify and even tougher to address.
I'm just curious what qualifies her to "fix" the undesired/undesiring. She's hot and writes erotica ... guessing she doesn't suffer from the problem she's telling other people how to deal with. I just love disingenuity so dang much!!! 🐉
Agreed. TV writing is very tricky and I'm not sure how much better I could do. On one hand, the setting and interiority are executed by the sets and actors, so you'd think it'd be a little easier. On the other, the writer doesn't control those things, so what might look good on paper could turn to shit on the screen.
All that said, this character-to-character dialogue is BAD. Just truly, truly awful. And that's ironic because the "business" dialogue is pretty sharp.
It's possible the actors are just bad at screen chemistry. Could be why I'm a fan of comedy shows and even dark comedies where you get the sense half the dialogue is improvised. It may or may not be, but the characters sell it so well it hardly matters. Dramas are harder, because people don't really TALK that much during dramatic situations. They hit people or run or break stuff or cry or whatever. I can see how that would be challenging for a writer to put into "words." And don't get me started on romantic dialogue. Barf city. Sayeth the romance writer. 😂
Good points. For space considerations I didn't get into the tone/message of the show, which is also erratic. They seem to be trying to thread some needle where the characters realize they're finance scumbags, but are still introspective and modern people who are in touch with their feelings.
There's a ton of talk about "vulnerability" on this show, as if it's some over-corrective to the macho days of yesteryear. That may be the case in these settings nowadays, but creating consistent characters with clear motivations in that context is a hard sell.
I'm having a lot of fun preparing these and I'm glad to hear the energy's shining through. Next issue I'm thinking about leaning into a "cringe-y" Halloween theme, so that could be a fun one.
That sounds like fun. My daughter who is also into horror is really into this holiday, in fact I think it is her favorite--in custody battle, she got the boys for Halloween while the ex got them for thanksgiving!! Me, except for fond memories of the zorro costume my mom made me at age 8 or so (black mask, black cape, black hat with bobbles around edge, and great sword made out of one of those tv habit ears) never been a big fan or either Halloween or horror!
I used to be a bigger fan when I was young, then lost motivation for costumes and parties during my thirties. My son is a very macabre little guy, however, so that's certainly rekindled my interest.
I read Black Edge a few years ago too. I think we talked about it. Great reporting & infuriating that he not only walks free, but has become an even bigger deal. Never thought I’d say this, but I feel sorry for Mets fans.
I know Andrew would be crushed, but I'm hoping your Dodgers win tonight and then take them out.
I tried to get into baseball when I first moved to Chicago but during the pandemic I lost interest again. I, a casual fan at best, would be compelled to watch a Dodgers-Yankees World Series though.
Black edge was a great book! Though I still wish I understood why precisely none of his underlings flipped on him. Even the prosecutors seemed so confused!
It's a fascinating conundrum. Based on my time in that world, I'd point to two factors. First is fear. Rich guys like Cohen never face real consequences and have the resources to destroy those who are disloyal.
The second is some misguided, Mafia-esque sense of honor. Nobody likes a rat, and when you join a criminal syndicate you know the risks you're assuming and are expected to live with the consequences.
Did you ever watch BILLIONS? It's heavily influenced by SAC and the show portrays the villainous fund as having zero illusions about their tactics.
But the guys who didn't flip, they went to actual prison! How much more destroyed can you be? If hedge fund guys have actually figured out how to use fear and loyalty the way a mafia fund does, that's amazing! Like, that's a light speed advance in white collar crime. Definitely a topic for some future book someday
But consider the alternative: The Mets take out the Dodgers and then the hated Yankees en route to an all-time great championship season, and you have to live with the fact your team is the villain.
Well, in fairness, I’m not even a Mets fans, I just empathize with their struggle. I am actually something far far worse…an Astros fan. So, yes, I know very well what it’s like to be the villain, I embraced the dark side long ago.
That podcast apocalypse item: Oy....
I'd ask which part was the most horrifying, but I already know the answer is all the parts.
"Gladwell’s rise coincided with the September 11 terrorist attacks, the war on terror, Hurricane Katrina, the 2007-09 financial crisis, the hijacking of the U.S. Supreme Court, the reemergence of the far right, POTUS 45, the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and the disastrous conflagration consuming the Middle East. Our intuition tells us there’s no way Gladwell caused these disasters, but the data might surprise you…"
Counterpoint: Gladwell's rise definitely caused all of these disasters. 10,000 hours tore through the space-time continuum and unleashed a wrath of hell upon all of us, culminating in Hawk Tuah and chopped sandwiches. I will never forgive him for what he has brought onto this world.
Point conceded.
Also, you finally made me read about Hawk Tuah Girl and I've lost the will to live. The subtitle of the following Rolling Stone profile is: "a charming Gen Z Dolly Parton who's rightfully becoming America's Sweetheart."
I'm sure she's lovely, and I'm glad she's enthusiastically horny and sex positive. That said, calling a girl "America's Sweetheart" for making a blowjob joke is proof positive Western culture is in irreversible decline.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hawk-tuah-girl-haliey-welch-interview-1235057659/
Fuck, ok considering I've spent the last few weeks writing about Mark Robinson, Eric Adams, and Laura Loomer, I'm not going to pretend I'm above this. I'll read this and report back to you.
While we're on the topic of absurd Rolling Stone comparisons, I read their list of top 100 vocalists recently and they described Robert Smith of the Cure as "the goth Sade." I love both artists, but... what the fuck? lol
Good stuff!!! 🥂🥂🥂
Re: Madame d’Artois - girl's got two paywalled posts from August ... and that's it?? I am curious what it takes to become a certified sexologist. Sounds wonderfully made up. I'm a certified bullshitographer, myself, so my lack of faith in her expertise may have something to do with that.
Thanks!
The profile she did with The FT wasn't total nonsense, but it was very woo woo. She said she thinks society's in a collective malaise driven by politics and technology and climate change and all those factors are denting people's desire. That seems broadly correct, but tough to quantify and even tougher to address.
I'm just curious what qualifies her to "fix" the undesired/undesiring. She's hot and writes erotica ... guessing she doesn't suffer from the problem she's telling other people how to deal with. I just love disingenuity so dang much!!! 🐉
This is pure capitalistic opportunism, no doubt about it.
In fact, that was my initial thought for the joke until I realized she had a Substack newsletter.
When I figure out how to adopt a fake expert alter ego without crumbling under the weight of my pesky shoulder angels there will be no stopping me.
Television dialogue is appalling. I still have cringe nightmares about the way the "kids" on Dawson's Creek used to talk to each other.
Agreed. TV writing is very tricky and I'm not sure how much better I could do. On one hand, the setting and interiority are executed by the sets and actors, so you'd think it'd be a little easier. On the other, the writer doesn't control those things, so what might look good on paper could turn to shit on the screen.
All that said, this character-to-character dialogue is BAD. Just truly, truly awful. And that's ironic because the "business" dialogue is pretty sharp.
It's possible the actors are just bad at screen chemistry. Could be why I'm a fan of comedy shows and even dark comedies where you get the sense half the dialogue is improvised. It may or may not be, but the characters sell it so well it hardly matters. Dramas are harder, because people don't really TALK that much during dramatic situations. They hit people or run or break stuff or cry or whatever. I can see how that would be challenging for a writer to put into "words." And don't get me started on romantic dialogue. Barf city. Sayeth the romance writer. 😂
Good points. For space considerations I didn't get into the tone/message of the show, which is also erratic. They seem to be trying to thread some needle where the characters realize they're finance scumbags, but are still introspective and modern people who are in touch with their feelings.
There's a ton of talk about "vulnerability" on this show, as if it's some over-corrective to the macho days of yesteryear. That may be the case in these settings nowadays, but creating consistent characters with clear motivations in that context is a hard sell.
Ahh ... but vulnerability is better shown than "talked" about, IMHO.
Just want to say, I will never watch that show, but I still really appreciated your take on it. Good subject. Good chat. 🙏🏼
Another winner!!!
Thank you, Mary!
I'm having a lot of fun preparing these and I'm glad to hear the energy's shining through. Next issue I'm thinking about leaning into a "cringe-y" Halloween theme, so that could be a fun one.
That sounds like fun. My daughter who is also into horror is really into this holiday, in fact I think it is her favorite--in custody battle, she got the boys for Halloween while the ex got them for thanksgiving!! Me, except for fond memories of the zorro costume my mom made me at age 8 or so (black mask, black cape, black hat with bobbles around edge, and great sword made out of one of those tv habit ears) never been a big fan or either Halloween or horror!
That's real commitment from your daughter!
I used to be a bigger fan when I was young, then lost motivation for costumes and parties during my thirties. My son is a very macabre little guy, however, so that's certainly rekindled my interest.
Lots of good stuff but the AI podcast is a grabber.
Thanks, C.K.! Yes, that AI podcast seems to have rightfully generated plenty of ick.
While I don't recommend this, if you peruse the "history" top-sellers you'll realize my riff is only barely satire. What a time to be alive.
I read Black Edge a few years ago too. I think we talked about it. Great reporting & infuriating that he not only walks free, but has become an even bigger deal. Never thought I’d say this, but I feel sorry for Mets fans.
I know Andrew would be crushed, but I'm hoping your Dodgers win tonight and then take them out.
I tried to get into baseball when I first moved to Chicago but during the pandemic I lost interest again. I, a casual fan at best, would be compelled to watch a Dodgers-Yankees World Series though.
Black edge was a great book! Though I still wish I understood why precisely none of his underlings flipped on him. Even the prosecutors seemed so confused!
It's a fascinating conundrum. Based on my time in that world, I'd point to two factors. First is fear. Rich guys like Cohen never face real consequences and have the resources to destroy those who are disloyal.
The second is some misguided, Mafia-esque sense of honor. Nobody likes a rat, and when you join a criminal syndicate you know the risks you're assuming and are expected to live with the consequences.
Did you ever watch BILLIONS? It's heavily influenced by SAC and the show portrays the villainous fund as having zero illusions about their tactics.
But the guys who didn't flip, they went to actual prison! How much more destroyed can you be? If hedge fund guys have actually figured out how to use fear and loyalty the way a mafia fund does, that's amazing! Like, that's a light speed advance in white collar crime. Definitely a topic for some future book someday
The book is called LEVERAGE and comes out next summer...
In all seriousness, Cohen's saga and the misadventures of the billionaire hedge fund crowd undoubtedly influenced the novel.
Looking forward to seeing how the market responds to it.
At least now I won’t have to feel bad when the Mets lose again in heartbreaking fashion.
Ha!
But consider the alternative: The Mets take out the Dodgers and then the hated Yankees en route to an all-time great championship season, and you have to live with the fact your team is the villain.
Embrace the dark side, Carlos. It's the only way.
Well, in fairness, I’m not even a Mets fans, I just empathize with their struggle. I am actually something far far worse…an Astros fan. So, yes, I know very well what it’s like to be the villain, I embraced the dark side long ago.
Lol, Gladwell
He certainly earned it.