I enjoyed this Andrew. I know your piece delves into the social media aspect that fuels so much of what you're talking about - but what should also be noted is the dramatic increase in news coverage entirely based on "things said" that have nothing to do with social media.
These stories are typically centered on what a politician, bureaucrat, tech titan, etc says they *think* might happen. Journalism has pivoted from reporting on things that actually happened to covering the prognostication of experts. It's an emphasis on interpretation over facts, and no one talks about it. Blaming the masses on social media only allows these supposed guardians of legitimate news to avoid the criticism they deserve.
The reason you see so many Millennial vs Gen Z vs Boomer headlines is because its click bait for publishers. These comments are case in point. Stats on this story are probably through the roof.
Generational terminology will never die out because we are a nation of narcissists. What are they saying about "us" now??? Click, click, click ...
No. The Good Friday Agreement (which predates the formation of the EU) guarantees movement of people.
The tricky bit is the movement of goods, primarily.
I was just over for the first time since the pandemic started in August. Going through Dublin (IRE) you had to state where you were staying and fi you planned to cross the border (different policies, quarantines, etc) but when I crossed over it was the same as always. No border check. (But that's a Covid thing not a Brexit thing. NI had less restrictive policies than Republic of I).
A movie is not a concert, it's not a sporting event, and it certainly isn't sex.
When I'm immersed in a film or television show, it's a completely personal experience. It's made for an introvert like myself. A crowd can only detract from my viewing experience. I don't want or need to share it until it's over. (then I love discussing it).
People talking, chewing loudly, cheering? No thanks.
The gap between the multiplex experience and a home theater experience is pretty small at this point. (A flatscreen and sound bar in every pot!)
Add in the convenience, new releases available on demand and hell being other people, if Tarantino doesn't make another film, I may never step foot in a movie theater again.
Definitely Brooks. Also, the Marx Brothers had a few winks and quips directed at the audience.
I think its probably easier to pull off in comedies than any drama (not a stage adaptation).
Scorsese definitely started doing it with Goodfellas, Wolf of Wall Street and, I think, Casino.
My favorite would probably be the end of Fellini's Nights of Cabiria. Probably the most subtle but impactful breaking of the 4th wall in movie history.
It would certainly be an interesting dissertation. I don't want to write it but I would definitely read it! You volunteering?
If Garner were anti-democratic or an oligarch, what would that make FDR?
The guy essentially sacrificed his career because of that showdown. It was a Pyrrhic victory. As I said, I personally found it heroic. You're entitled to your own sentiment.
I think you are discounting the role of FDR's own party (VP J Nance Garner and other prominent Dems) who were always dead set against court packing as it consolidated even greater power within the executive branch. Their resolute objection always struck me as separate to the New Deal policies that were deemed unconstitutional by the court. Personally, I thought their actions were heroic considering the consequences they faced for opposing FDR.
I read your comment and thought it plausible. So I googled the show, and picked an episode from Nov 4, 1984, a few days before the election.
The show was actually better than I remembered. Brinkley/Donaldson/Will interview VP Bush through 3 blocks (starting around 20 minute mark). Tough questions asked and responded to respectfully. If today's average show temperate is 98 degrees. This is a noticeably different breezy 72. .
No comparison between this show and what we see today.
I grew up on This Week w David Brinkley and the George Will v Sam Donaldson dynamic. Nothing on Sunday morning (or anywhere else) remotely resembles that show and it's a shame.
Seems most of these hosts want it both ways. Cuomo was a journalist up until the point his brother gave LoveGov a deeper meaning. Then, not so much.
But even the "newsier" hosts that you mentioned are pretty opinionated when they want to be. They're not like a Hannity or Maddow - who are clearly there to spew partisan messaging - but it doesn't take very long to know where they stand on the political spectrum.
This post reminds me of Joan Didion's critique of second wave feminism in the White Album. (As does the Yeats inspired title of the recent Netflix documentary). I'm not sure if that's subconscious or intentional, but I believe Didion's take on Marxist influence was incredibly prescient and as relevant today as it was when she wrote it in 1972. It's always about deconstruction.
I'm two decades down the road as.a parent. Despite best intentions to raise my 2 kids to be self-resilient and resist the current culture of entitlement, the societal pull towards "my truth" and 2+2+5 is an overwhelming force.
You do the best you can and when they truly, finally, cut the chord, you trust they will figure it out. If anything, with the pragmatic grounding you instill in your children, it should give them an advantage over their snowflake cohort.
Correction: I conflated gay rights and SSM re libertarian platform. Gay rights was a plank in 1972. SSM wasn't within the realm of imagination back then. Regardless, the Libertarians were still way ahead of the Dems. They actually opposed DOMA. Now I need to look up when it first was on their platform...
I think we agree. Libertarians deserve credit for being very early on issues that were political non-starters at the time. But they never had the juice to enact change, and in knowing that, the stakes are much lower for them. The other point in here about it being more critique than movement is very valid.
I'm consistently amused by the revisionist history of those who "evolved" on the issue of same sex marriage. As if Ds and Rs didn't create a veto proof landslide to pass DOMA, as if Clinton didn't sign it w/o veto anyway (playing both sides) and as if the the Peoples Republic of California didn't pass Prop 8 only 12 years ago.
Libertarians can't take credit for gay marriage, that's SCOTUS, but they can at least claim higher moral ground than almost everyone else.
On “Confessions of a Chicken Sandwich Hipster”
The hot chicken at Hattie B's in Nashville has ruined fast food chicken for me anywhere else.
Similar to how I just stopped eating BBQ in the Northeast after hitting 3 joints in Lockhart, Texas.
On “A Thing Was Said: The Indefatigable Self-assurance of Metamodern Jackassery”
I enjoyed this Andrew. I know your piece delves into the social media aspect that fuels so much of what you're talking about - but what should also be noted is the dramatic increase in news coverage entirely based on "things said" that have nothing to do with social media.
These stories are typically centered on what a politician, bureaucrat, tech titan, etc says they *think* might happen. Journalism has pivoted from reporting on things that actually happened to covering the prognostication of experts. It's an emphasis on interpretation over facts, and no one talks about it. Blaming the masses on social media only allows these supposed guardians of legitimate news to avoid the criticism they deserve.
On “Shut Up, Boomer!”
The reason you see so many Millennial vs Gen Z vs Boomer headlines is because its click bait for publishers. These comments are case in point. Stats on this story are probably through the roof.
Generational terminology will never die out because we are a nation of narcissists. What are they saying about "us" now??? Click, click, click ...
On “Belfast Goes Hollywood”
No. The Good Friday Agreement (which predates the formation of the EU) guarantees movement of people.
The tricky bit is the movement of goods, primarily.
I was just over for the first time since the pandemic started in August. Going through Dublin (IRE) you had to state where you were staying and fi you planned to cross the border (different policies, quarantines, etc) but when I crossed over it was the same as always. No border check. (But that's a Covid thing not a Brexit thing. NI had less restrictive policies than Republic of I).
On “OT Advent Calendar Day 21: Silly Christmas Songs”
Speaking of Murder and Christmas, thoughts on "Don't Shoot Me Santa" by The Killers?
I maintain it's the best Christmas song of the 21st Century.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cglLJJ0Czo8
On “To Those Who Say Going To The Movies Is Dying, I Say “Well, Bye””
A movie is not a concert, it's not a sporting event, and it certainly isn't sex.
When I'm immersed in a film or television show, it's a completely personal experience. It's made for an introvert like myself. A crowd can only detract from my viewing experience. I don't want or need to share it until it's over. (then I love discussing it).
People talking, chewing loudly, cheering? No thanks.
"
Well said, Andrew.
The gap between the multiplex experience and a home theater experience is pretty small at this point. (A flatscreen and sound bar in every pot!)
Add in the convenience, new releases available on demand and hell being other people, if Tarantino doesn't make another film, I may never step foot in a movie theater again.
On “The Real Lesson of Siskel and Ebert”
Definitely Brooks. Also, the Marx Brothers had a few winks and quips directed at the audience.
I think its probably easier to pull off in comedies than any drama (not a stage adaptation).
Scorsese definitely started doing it with Goodfellas, Wolf of Wall Street and, I think, Casino.
My favorite would probably be the end of Fellini's Nights of Cabiria. Probably the most subtle but impactful breaking of the 4th wall in movie history.
It would certainly be an interesting dissertation. I don't want to write it but I would definitely read it! You volunteering?
"
Woody Allen, I think before and after Annie Hall.
I'm sure there are others. Like any film adaptation of a Shakespeare play.
"
"Red Letter Media is probably the closest thing to a Siskel/Ebert that we have in the current year "
I was going to type the same exact sentence... obviously agree 100%
They are brilliant. Just wish they were more expansive in the genres they covered. It's almost entirely scifi/comics/horror.
On “Is the Supreme Court Afraid of Democrats?”
If Garner were anti-democratic or an oligarch, what would that make FDR?
The guy essentially sacrificed his career because of that showdown. It was a Pyrrhic victory. As I said, I personally found it heroic. You're entitled to your own sentiment.
"
I think you are discounting the role of FDR's own party (VP J Nance Garner and other prominent Dems) who were always dead set against court packing as it consolidated even greater power within the executive branch. Their resolute objection always struck me as separate to the New Deal policies that were deemed unconstitutional by the court. Personally, I thought their actions were heroic considering the consequences they faced for opposing FDR.
On “CNN Takes Bold Action In Firing Chris Cuomo On A Saturday Night”
I read your comment and thought it plausible. So I googled the show, and picked an episode from Nov 4, 1984, a few days before the election.
The show was actually better than I remembered. Brinkley/Donaldson/Will interview VP Bush through 3 blocks (starting around 20 minute mark). Tough questions asked and responded to respectfully. If today's average show temperate is 98 degrees. This is a noticeably different breezy 72. .
No comparison between this show and what we see today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2eHn9wrJLM
"
I grew up on This Week w David Brinkley and the George Will v Sam Donaldson dynamic. Nothing on Sunday morning (or anywhere else) remotely resembles that show and it's a shame.
"
Seems most of these hosts want it both ways. Cuomo was a journalist up until the point his brother gave LoveGov a deeper meaning. Then, not so much.
But even the "newsier" hosts that you mentioned are pretty opinionated when they want to be. They're not like a Hannity or Maddow - who are clearly there to spew partisan messaging - but it doesn't take very long to know where they stand on the political spectrum.
"
Are the people who host shows in primetime on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC actually journalists?
"
Mark Zucker = Captain Louis Renault
On “The Center Cannot Hold”
This post reminds me of Joan Didion's critique of second wave feminism in the White Album. (As does the Yeats inspired title of the recent Netflix documentary). I'm not sure if that's subconscious or intentional, but I believe Didion's take on Marxist influence was incredibly prescient and as relevant today as it was when she wrote it in 1972. It's always about deconstruction.
On “Choosing To Be Contrarian On “The Chosen””
The considerable extracurricular baggage aside, The Passion of the Christ was a brilliant film. I say that as a non-believer.
Your stance touches on an adjacent topic - can you separate art from the artist and, if not, where do you draw the line?
On “Make Truth Self-Evident Again”
Thanks for sharing this Becca.
I'm two decades down the road as.a parent. Despite best intentions to raise my 2 kids to be self-resilient and resist the current culture of entitlement, the societal pull towards "my truth" and 2+2+5 is an overwhelming force.
You do the best you can and when they truly, finally, cut the chord, you trust they will figure it out. If anything, with the pragmatic grounding you instill in your children, it should give them an advantage over their snowflake cohort.
On “Yes, Democrats Do Have to Be Perfect”
Q: What are 2 things Republicans and Democrats have in common?
A: Authoritarian Tendencies and a Persecution Complex
On “Is Leftist Authoritarianism A Thing Or Not?”
Correction: I conflated gay rights and SSM re libertarian platform. Gay rights was a plank in 1972. SSM wasn't within the realm of imagination back then. Regardless, the Libertarians were still way ahead of the Dems. They actually opposed DOMA. Now I need to look up when it first was on their platform...
"
I think we agree. Libertarians deserve credit for being very early on issues that were political non-starters at the time. But they never had the juice to enact change, and in knowing that, the stakes are much lower for them. The other point in here about it being more critique than movement is very valid.
"
Are the libertarians we are talking about not advocates, if not activists?
When did the DNC put SSM on its platform? 2012? Obama didn't even come out in support! His evolution was a slow one, i guess.
The Libertarians had SSM on its platform in 1972.
Politically speaking, the Libertarian party should get a hell of a lot more credit than the DNC, no?
"
I'm consistently amused by the revisionist history of those who "evolved" on the issue of same sex marriage. As if Ds and Rs didn't create a veto proof landslide to pass DOMA, as if Clinton didn't sign it w/o veto anyway (playing both sides) and as if the the Peoples Republic of California didn't pass Prop 8 only 12 years ago.
Libertarians can't take credit for gay marriage, that's SCOTUS, but they can at least claim higher moral ground than almost everyone else.