The Culture We Deserve

Quick, how do we politically, financially, and culturally exploit the lower classes, now that the politicians admit maybe wealth inequality and the abandonment of class issues has led us to a second Trump administration. There will be lots of solemn talk about the dignity of the working class, lots of PhDs doing working class ethnography, etc. But probably we still won't get healthcare, unless you count RFK replacing fluoride with ivermectin in our water supplies. Jessa and Nico talk about how the working class just can't win, and if there is still an American dream. Shownotes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

It's the era of the sore winner. Trump voters are feeling emboldened, from racist texts to more Trump flags going up to personal confrontations. And billionaires from Silicon Valley to pop music are bitter they should ever be questioned or criticized about the constant stream of dreck they pump into the world. Jessa and Nico discuss why too much is never enough in the age of infinite branding. Shownotes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

In DC, Philadelphia, and Portland, monuments to Donald Trump's legacy as a white supremacist and sexual predator have been popping up. Their creator has yet to be revealed (please don't be Banksy). But it does open the door to the question: are we doomed to suffer through four more years of bad anti-Trump art? Or will the pro-Trump guys like Beeple take over cringe creation? And if the bro podcasters are to blame, and the socialist Twitch streamers couldn't save us, what do we do with our culture of overproduction? Shownotes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

God, this is so boring and please let it be over. Swing state fatigue, billionaire media, and a political sphere dominated by bro podcast hosts. Show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Is it a contradiction that in this age of trigger warnings people are calling this a golden age of horror? Or is there something cozy and coddling about what is celebrated as prestige horror? Is Longlegs even scary, is The Substance just a montage of better horror films, does Red Rooms even haunt you, bro? Jessa and Nico discuss Variety's 100 Best Horror Movies list, lists as anti-content, and why contemporary horror fails to get at what people are truly afraid of. Show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Still dealing with pre-election tension. But some bullying ads ("everyone will know whether you voted!") have us thinking, is it true what they say, that the Democratic party has become too feminized? And the Ta-Nehisi Coates media tour prompts us to ask, is it possible to have a great run in interviews and TV and still have written a not very good book? Or do we have to support bad books forever just because they have good politics. (See also: Han Kang Nobel discourse.) Show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Everyone is eager to turn themselves into a robot these days. Deepak Chopra has created an AI spiritual guru version of himself, Laura Kipnis botted herself up to help Silicon Valley bros read books, and the dead are returning and walking the earth and reviewing art again for UK newspapers. Who will restore our humanity? Well, the Department of Defense is now hiring writers to help us kill people more effectively, hooray. Jessa and Nico get into the urge to replicate, also Elon Musk's Heinlein fantasies of an extinction-level event. Show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

The Lunar Eclipse brought America some moral dilemmas. Too bad America doesn't believe in morals anymore. Should a reporter sext with the people she profiles? If she writes things we like, why not. Should we elect someone who calls himself a Nazi and questions the Holocaust? If he angers the right people, why not. Should we in the media alert people that a rapper blew up someone else's car? If he invites us to good parties, I don't know man. Oliva Nuzzi, Mark Robinson, Matt Gaetz, Sean Combs, and others had big revelations, now we just have to figure out what to do about it. Show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

People are fed up with the United States (again), and are threatening to leave if the election doesn't swing their way. American expat enclaves are popping up in Costa Rica, Portugal, and France. But is this a real response to political instability or a childish tantrum that you might be expected to live among people with whom you disagree? Jessa and Nico look into the role social media is playing in sending Americans to a small number of places, the dream of frictionless living, and exaggerating harm for the sake of your brand. Show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com

Google Books wanted to scan all the books of the world to digitize and hoard them and, potentially, monetize them. OpenAI wants to scan the history of human intellect to teach its computer program to think. The Internet Archive wanted to make books that weren't accessible accessible for no charge. Guess which one the court system shut down? As long as your plan is to make money, the American gov will let you do basically anything you want to do. Also: Tim Pool and other Russian tools, the FBI loves influencers, and the return of the honeytrap. For show notes and references: http://theculturewedeserve.substack.com