Hey hi hello. Some thoughts to send to you into le week-end:
Media Bullying Heals Old Wounds
One of my favorite TikTokers is comedian Rob Anderson. His most prolific series recaps episodes of 7th Heaven and skewers the once popular dramedy for its puritanical nonsense. As pretty non-religious people, my mom and I were SAT for new eps each week on The WB. And I don’t think we ever batted an eyelash at these unhinged plotlines????? Lots of uncool and, like, incorrect messaging that I as a young kid internalized and no one disputed. For this reason, Anderson’s series is oddly healing. Feels like this instinct to revisit and unpack old media is trending amongst millennials. Early aughts photos of actresses and singers incorrectly labeled as grotesquely overweight have been circulating on social media. By 2023 standards everyone looks hot and healthy. Adjacent clownery: Teen Vogue’s table of contents pre-glow-up and Disney Channel’s patriotic propaganda commercials. Surely this is the result of nostalgic deep dives & the wide availability of old content online. Media criticism comes more naturally to younger generations who grew up with #FakeNews so I’m glad millennials are getting a second chance to examine past media consumption with fresh eyes and acknowledge where we were led astray.
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No Treasure Here…
…Because X Does Not Mark the Spot. I read three separate articles about El*n M*sk’s fascination with the letter “X” this week. Among other changes to HQ, he’s renaming conference rooms “to words with X in them, including ‘eXposure,’ ‘eXult’ and ‘s3Xy’” (New York Times). eX-squeeze me???? In the words of Jason Kottke, “What a colossal dope.” Setting aside the stupidity of Twitter’s rebrand, I can’t stop thinking about the Executive Hubris of it all. It’s giving Playground Dictator. It’s giving I’m Flipping the Monopoly Board Because Everyone is Having Fun But Me. Where does this desire to smash every sandcastle in the sandbox come from? Are some people just blind/deaf to what consumers actually want? I need to stop being so surprised by low EQ in business. And billionaires. Probably the result of not reading enough fiction.
Groupthink Ghouls
Speaking of bonkers business decisions: Let’s discuss Haunted Mansion’s odd July 28 release date. I have theories. A long tail for when it inevitably hits streaming in September/October. Increased awareness during busy summer months at theme parks (although…….) Capitalizing on summer box office szn (I probably will end up seeing it bc I got Regal Unlimited for Barbenheimer so like, why not?) Still. With the compounding spending power of Spooky Season each year, none of these explanations feel satisfying enough. This is an especially sad story because Haunted Mansion mythology is really quite perfect for the big screen. Also a bad look to have two Black-led Mansion films fail!!! Following The Little Mermaid flop!!!! Disney claims it cares about diversity then (a) produces objectively bad films and (b) does a crummy job marketing them. I can’t take them seriously.
Dirty Old Mitten Beat
A couple of months ago Vogue reported on the untapped allure of Northern Michigan. This week The Wall Street Journal weighed in. As someone who grew up spending summers in Traverse City, I feel equally excited and annoyed. The traffic is abysmal these days—you can’t have a single productive conversation with my grandmother without first bemoaning the growing popularity of her hometown—but as a response to or rejection of the scene-y, moneyed spectacle of the Hamptons et al, I’ll co-sign. I have lots of happy all-American memories there so it’s unsurprising when the Secret Seal is broken every few years. A friend tells me the Upper Peninsula will be the ideal climate in roughly a decade so, idk, buy property now if that’s realistic for your budget. More free advice: don’t have high expectations for the wine.
Paying Union Dues with Sardines
Lots of (squid) ink being spilled this summer about sea creatures “revolting.” Sea otters swiping surf boards earlier in the month. San Diego sea lions reenacting the Battle of Helm’s Deep last Sunday. GOOD FOR THEM. I’m especially invested in the orcas’ apparent unionizing. One orca, White Gladis, is teaching other killer whales how to sink yachts. Let’s Go Norma Rae Bay!!!!!!! I think lots of people could use a healthy dose of ego-leveling re: trying to dominate and control nature. Let’s all agree to Leave the Sea Alone.
Sidewalk Reporting
Beautiful sentiment at the local nursery. Also, relevant!!!!!!!!!
Have a nice weekend!