The Culture We Deserve

Every week there's a new docuseries where the victims of horrific violence or exploitation have to get in front of the camera and tell us the bad things that happened to them. And within a few days, we've forgotten again. Nico and Jessa look at the overproduction of nonfiction content, from the multiple "investigations" into Twin Flames to the multiplicity of deep dives on Nickelodeon damaged child stars, the constantly refreshing stream of information, and the way clickbait media feeds off the streaming ecosystem. This episode's sponsor: http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Are the tradwives coming to take your husbands? Page Six printed an essay by a woman whose partner got addicted to depictions of effortless domesticity and wondered why his house was not as blissful. Divorce rates are high, marriage rates are low, what is the meaning of wife in this moment? Jessa and Nico talk tradwive propaganda, why the feminists are divorcing, and whether we should abolish the family altogether. Today's sponsor: http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

The viewership of the Oscars is less than half of what it was a decade ago, and yet the award ceremony dominates celebrity media more than ever. The films themselves are almost secondary to what the awards represent, which is... racial equality? social harmony? proof that our democracy is working? Unclear. People take sides in the awards so much that Emma Stone was threatened with cancellation immediately for winning Best Actress over Lily Gladstone. Nico and Jessa dig into the discourse and imagine a better, less "important" award ceremony for the future. This ad's sponsor: http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Hey, hey you. No no no, act cool. Listen, I have discovered some pretty potent information about the dealings of our government in (Iran/Nicaragua/Chile/Brooklyn). People have died knowing this stuff, you know what I'm saying? So this is for your eyes only, well, yours and the rest of the Netflix audience. Netflix has been releasing very successful conspiracy-related docuseries the last few years. The latest is American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders, which dives into the CIA's involvement in drug trafficking, at least one serial killer, spying on enemies and allies alike, and global instability. Jessa and Nico look at the popularity of these shows in an election year, and whether CIA conspiracies are just QAnon for leftists. This week's sponsor: http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

The Oscars love the Holocaust. Jessa and Nico look back at the short history of the Oscar bait Holocaust film, from Sophie's Choice to Schindler's List to Zone of Interest, and why we set so many films in this apocalyptic moment. And what is the lasting effect of a culture overstuffed with these good vs evil tales and allows our historical education to be done by entertainment properties? http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com Episode is sponsored by Better Help. For more information go to: http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve

Families of the victims of mass shootings are participating in The Shotline, where AI recreates their loved ones' voices to plea for political action. How useful is sentimentality as a political tool? Jessa and Nico look through how various advocacy and political groups have used appeals to sentimentality to sway opinion in the name of gun control, support for Israel, amnesty for FARC in Colombia, and abortion rights. Are there better ways to build empathy than to overwhelm the voter with tales of sorrow and horror? Does this tactic change minds or just cause apathy? This week's episode is sponsored by Better Help. Go to http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve for a discount. http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Has TikTok ruined music? With its users flooding concert venues to meow at the artists, with the "oh no" song playing in the background of videos of puppies falling down and actual atrocities, with a standoff between two global corporate forces in its battle with Universal Music Group? Or will Spotify have that honor, by algorithming us all into mediocre bliss, as we toss our pennies at our geniuses and amuse ourselves to death? Sponsored by http://betterhelp.com/culturewedeserve

With the release of "Griselda," a Narcos-adjacent Netflix show that reboots Scarface as a woman as if this were the Ghostbusters, Jessa and Nico look at the specific place Colombia and the international drug wars has in the American imagination. http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

America has an arrested development problem. But while men are castigated regularly for not meeting the markers of basic adulthood, the feminine, the girly, the infantile in women's culture is cause for celebration. Women want to be girls forever. Hosts Nico and Jessa discuss the auteur of childishness Greta Gerwig, our eternal teen Taylor Swift, the taboo of aging, and the dark side of staying in toddler mode forever.

Media continues its decline with layoffs and closures. The only winners appear to be the tech intermediaries like Meta, Amazon, and Google. (X continues to lose at everything.) Hosts Jessa Crispin and Nico Rodriguez discuss the new models of journalism, the fantasies of meaningful work in the modern age, and why everyone profits except the people who do the work. http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com