Five Bizarre And Hauntingly Disturbing Deaths

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

We’ve all got to go sometime. Just hopefully not like this.

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With Halloween just passed, death has been on my mind lately. It might be due to the changing fall season. Or it could be due to recently watching horror flicks Barbarian and the latest Scream films.

How in the world does the Scream franchise keep chugging along? I thought it ran out of gas 15 years ago. Guess audiences will never tire of watching a dude in a mask stab people in the face.

Of course, if I have the choice on how to die, it’s definitely NOT going to be via some psycho going stabby stabby with my vital organs. I’d much rather die peacefully and in my sleep, with loved ones gathered around.

But sadly, not everyone gets to go out that way. Some people have died in freakishly weird and distubing ways. Ways that keep me up at night. Here are a few of them.

Guy Dies Accidentally Stabbing Himself To Death Trying to Separate Frozen Hamburgers

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This story is why our moms warned us to always cut away from our bodies when using a knife or a pair of scissors.

Barry Griffiths, age 57, lived alone, and apparently was in the process of making himself hamburgers for dinner. His freezer door was left open. Thawed meat left on the counter. Police say it was an “unexplained” death, but that while separating the burgers, he inadvertantly stabbed himself. He was found on his bed several days later. Griffiths lived alone, and by all accounts was a “private” man. He also had limited use of one arm.

This death disturbs me because it’s so mundane and random. All the guy wanted to do was eat his dinner. You could easily imagine this poor fellow eager to make himself a meal, only to wind up slowly bleeding to death from the stomach. Blood was found throughout the kitchen and hallway. Making matters worse, he died alone. Who knows if he could have been saved. Many times people who are injured are in shock. If someone had been there, he might still be alive.

Guy Gets Himself Trapped Upside Down In A Cave And Dies 27 Hours Later

Source: 

Why people go cave exploring where it involves squeezing themselves into VERY narrow crevices without knowing if there’s even an exit will never ever fucking make sense to me whatsoever. Why do that? Just why? Seriously, why?! I know there’s nothing good on Netflix to watch anymore, but that’s no excuse.

I say this as someone who liked doing bike tricks off ramps as a kid and has gone skydiving. I’m okay with some unnecessary risks. But not that.

John Jones was all of 26 when he and a few friends decided to go cave exploring at Nutty Putty Cave in central Utah back in 2009. They were in search of a passageway called “The Birth Canal.” Only Jones mistook an unmapped passageway for the correct one, and wound up becoming permanently stuck. Rescuers tried to pull him out, but the angle in which he was trapped made it almost impossible. At least not without breaking his legs in the process. Just look at the above diagram to see what I mean.

Actually, don’t look at it. That shit is pure nightmare fuel.

Still, rescuers were able to get Jones partially pulled up, before their rope and pulley system collapsed. Joned eventually died later. They were forced to leave his body there. The cave was sealed to prevent anyone else from accessing it in the future.

Man, what a way to go.

Danish Astronomer (And Guy) Dies Due To A Burst Bladder After Refusing To Leave A Banquet

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Look, we’ve all been in social situations where suddenly nature came calling, forcing us to quickly find a place to do our business. When I was a little kid I once went number two at a hardware store when I found a row of display toilets that I evidently thought were working models. They were not. No, were not.

Tycho Brahe, aside from having probably the coolest-sounding name ever, was a prominent scientist in his day. He also famously lost part of his nose in a drunken duel with a fellow academic over who was the superior mathematician. Nerd fights were hardcore back then.

While at a banquet in 1601, Brahe felt the need to urinate. But he refused to leave, as he thought it would be seen as improper. So he wound up staying. But later, when he did try to pee, he could only go a little, and only very painfully. He languished in his bed for eleven days, before eventually dying from what many modern medical experts deem a burst bladder.

This death freaks me out because it demonstrates how social pressure (real or imagined) can compel people into doing self-destructive acts just to be “polite.” It also shows how even geniuses can be catastrophically stupid.

Teenaged Guy Eats Slug On A Dare, Goes Into A Coma, Becomes Paralyzed, And Dies

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Speaking of social pressure, this next freaky death happened because of a stupid dare amongst teenaged boys. In 2010, 19-year-old Sam Ballard, an Australian who liked playing rugby, was hanging out at home on his patio with a couple friends when a slimy snail happened to come crawling by. Prompted by a dare to eat it, Ballard scooped the creature up and swallowed it. Yes, alcohol was involved in this decision.

Almost right away, Ballard began to feel negative physical effects. Before long he was in a coma for over a year. When he finally awoke, he was paralyzed, and required a feeding tube and 24/7 medical care.

It wasn’t actually the snail itself that did Ballard in, however. It was due to a parasitic worm in the snail called rat lungworm disease. This worm is particularly harmful to humans because its larvae can spread to the brain, causing eosinophilic meningitis. This causes the membranes of the brain and spinal cord to swell. Ballard eventually died in 2018.

What makes this death especially haunting is the fact that Ballard retained his mental faculties until his death. He was fully aware of his surroundings. Making matters worse, his friends had to live with the fact that they had all played a hand in his demise. We’ve all done dumb things on dares. Or done stupid stuff while young. Ballard paid the ultimate price for doing something that probably seemed silly and harmless in the moment.

Guy Is Pushed By Jealous Friend Down A Manhole Into Boiling Water, Dies Later From Scalding Burns

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This one is so bad it even gave a New York medical examiner nightmares.

In 2002, Sean Doyle, a NYC bartender, went out drinking with his friend Michael Wright and Wright’s girlfriend. At some point during the night, Wright accused Doyle of flirting with his girlfriend. While details aren’t clear, Wright wound up throwing his friend down an 18-foot manhole. Unfortunately, there was a broken main at the bottom leaking out boiling hot water, and essentially turning the narrow confine into a pressure cooker. Trapped down below, Doyle was, according Dr. Judy Melinek, “steamed like a lobster.”

Making this even more horrific, steam burns don’t kill nerve endings the way regular burns do. This meant that Doyle likely suffered all the way until his death. Emergency services arrived to help, but they were unable to retrieve him due to the 300 degree temperatures down below. By the time his body was brought up, his skin was completely peeled off, and his internal organs were cooked.

Undoubtedly, this ranks pretty high on the list of worst ways to go. It disturbs me not just because of the graphic and painful death, but that it started over an argument. Some men can become stupidly jealous and violently possessive when it comes to their girlfriends. Wright was later charged with second-degree murder. But there are conflicting reports about what really happened. His girlfriend maintains that the two men were just roughhousing, and that Doyle only accidentally fell in the manhole. I don’t know about that. If the girlfriend is covering for her boyfriend, that makes the whole thing even more tragic.

Well, that’s enough dwelling on death. I may never leave my house again. From now on, I’ll be staying indoors 24/7 wrapped in bubble wrap and seated on a nice plush sofa.

A Few Easy Ways I Automatically Make Extra Money Every Month

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

Who says side income has to be hard work?

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Everyone needs side income these days. Thanks to inflation and the rapidly rising cost of living, one income is too close to having none. Many people work two or even three part-time jobs if they don’t have a solid main source of income. Wealth “gurus” will sell you all sorts of complicated programs guaranteed to make you rich.

The effect of all this is PRESSURE. Pressure to make more. It can all seem complicated, difficult, and time-consuming. Luckily, there are some very simple, stupidly easy (and lazy) ways to supplement your income. Every little bit helps, even if it’s just a few dollars. Here some methods I use.

1. High Interest Savings Accounts

This one may seem obvious, but you’d be really surprised how few people take advantage of this. Even though the Federal Reserve just recently lowered rates by half a point, there are still opportunities to earn decent yields. Just go to an aggregate site like Bankrate and look under their high yield savings account section. As of now, October 2024, you can still find savings accounts with reputable FDIC-insured banks offering 4.00% to as high as 5.30% APY. Some banks even offer decent savings rates in their checking accounts, though this is not often.

Another key to taking advantage of this is to have multiple savings accounts. I do this with bank accounts in the interests of safety and diversification, should one of my accounts become compromised or I lose a debit card. But it’s also good to have at least one seperate account that you can transfer money to. This can even motivate you to save money, because you wont see it everyday in your regular bank. “Out of sight, out of mind,” as they say.

Right now, between all my accounts, I earn over $50 a month from interest. I expect to make at least $600 this year.

2. Credit Card Reward Points

This will bother the Dave Ramsey fanatics, I know. The money management radio host is famous for his devout stance against credit cards no matter what. I used to think the same way. But if you’re disciplined, and you use them for things you would be spending money on anyway, then there’s no reason not to take advantage of their cash back rewards.

My one card pays 1.5% cash back. I have a number of bills that automatically deduct from that card every month, that add up to anywhere between $300-$500. This means at the end of the month I can apply $5–$8 to my bill. I always pay my bill in full. I’m a proud “deadbeat,” as the credit card companies refer to those who never maintain a revolving balance. Even though $8 may not seem like a lot, that’s basically a free $96 or more every year, that you can make without having to really think about it. Put another way, if you saw $96 lying on the sidewalk, would you not bend down to pick it up? Of course you would.

Cash back can also help when you have a big purchase. If you were to spend $1,000 on something like a new computer, that would translate to a $15 “discount” due to the cash back feature. Some credit cards even offer higher cash back rewards with certain companies.

Again, the key here is to buy things you would anyway. Don’t just buy something to “get a discount.” That’s what gets people in trouble, and why Dave Ramsey is mostly right about avoiding credit cards altogether. But if you’re savvy and disciplined enough, there’s no reason not to look for ways to save even just a few dollars.

3. Dividends On ETFs/Index Fund Stocks

This one requires some clarification. I don’t personally buy dividend stocks. I stick to low-cost ETFs that track the S&P and Nasdaq. Namely SPY and QQQ. This goes for both my retirement accounts and my personal brokerage account.

Many people will recommend this dividend stock or that, looking only at the yield. I don’t really care. Many dividend stocks tend to go down in value over time, essentially making any gains you make from the dividends a wash. For example, AT&T (T) offers a nice 5.15% dividend, or about $.27 a share, but its stock has declined by almost 50% over the last five years. If you had bought 100 shares in 2019, you’d have made around $550 in dividends so far. But your position overall in terms of the value of the stock would be down almost $740. Meaning you’ve lost about $200 on paper. AT&T has gone up this year, but it’s long-term trend is down. This is not the case with every dividend stock, of course. Some may actually be good deals, but they’re just not for me. Do your own research here.

My personal brokerage allows me to see an estimate of future earnings from my dividends. As of now, I earn about $100 a quarter from my SPY and QQQ holdings. SPY offers a “low” 1.21% yield, while QQQ only gives a “measly” 0.61%. But these ETFs track the market, including the largest and most successful companies. SPY has gone up over 50% over the last five years. QQQ has more than doubled in the same time span. You have to look at the overall value of the asset and the risk involved in holding it, not just its annual yield. A dividend stock may offer a decent yield one year, then cut it the next. But even if SPY and QQQ were to cut their dividends entirely, they would still track their indexes. Whereas a dividend stock’s price might drop big because a flood of investors exit over its diminished yield.

Adding up these three brain-dead easy ways to make extra money comes out to almost $1,000. Or about $83 a month. That’s like getting an annual “performance bonus” from a job. A thousand may not seem like much. But it’s enough to pay rent for a month. Or get a “free” computer every year.

The best part is I don’t have to do anything really to get this $1,000. I consisently save money. I use credit cards to conveniently centralize monthly payments. I invest into my personal brokerage regularly. An extra thousand bucks is just a nice incentive for doing things I’d be doing anyway.

Movie Review – Barbarian

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

Barbarian: Timely Treatise On Sexual Assault, Or B-Movie Schlock? Or both? A well-crafted but weirdly-structured flick.



By 20th Century Studios — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15791034/mediaviewer/rm3095860225/?ref_=tt_ov_i, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71533473

Last night I finally had the chance to catch Barbarian, the 2022 horror film written and directed by Zach Cregger. Like most films with memorable twists that I’m not able to see the very second it premiers, I had this one spoiled massively for me due to rampant YouTube reviews with certain images in the thumbnails.

Can we talk for a second about the humanitarian crisis this clickbait spoiler-craze really is? Barbarian is the just the latest in a string of highly anticipated films and shows that had plot reveals ruined for me. Don’t Look Now was, too. I’ve also had every major plot twist of Invincible (my new favorite show) shoved in my face thanks to YouTube shorts and “critical analysis” vids. It’s frustrating, but I suppose that’s the way things are now.

That said, SPOILERS incoming.

Barbarian starts off appearing to be your standard Hitchcock-style roommate stalker thriller, like The Resident or Single White Female. A young woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) shows up late at night during a thunderstorm to her AirBnB in a decrepit part of Detroit, only to find someone else staying there. A young man named Keith, who looks nice enough. But can she really trust this guy? Somehow their reservations were booked simultaneously, leading to the awkward situation of two strangers having to share a house for the evening.

After Tess is unable to find a hotel due to a medical conference, she’s forced to spend the night. But soon she discovers this AirBnB has dark, macabre secrets, including a creepy basement room with a dirty mattress and a subterranean labyrinthine that seems straight out of a Kane Pixels “backrooms” video. But that’s only the beginning of the terror. A hideous humanoid monster also lives down there, too. And she feels the need, the need to feed.

Then suddenly we cut to Southern California, where working actor AJ (Justin Long) is cruising along in his convertible when he receives word from his agent/producer that he’s been accused of rape by a former co-star. With his life in shambles, he’s forced to liquidate some assets to pay for legal defense. So he flies off to Michigan to visit his, you guessed it, AirBnB rental property, where Tess and Keith just disappeared. It isn’t long before he too is captured by the monster, who has a bizarre need to “mother” her captives by forcibly breastfeeding them.

Suddenly, we’re launched into a flashback to the early 1980s, when the neighborhood was in good shape. We’re introduced to Frank, a middle-aged single man who kidnaps young women and holds them prisoner in his house of horrors. The “mother” creature there now is the hideous offspring of numerous inbreeding generations over four decades. Essentially, the ultimate thematic representation of male sexual assault coming home to roost.

—

Barbarian is mostly a smartly-written B-movie flick with a tight opening act. But I’m not sure the transition from its tense-filled beginning into a sequence straight out of The Hills Have Eyes, entirely works. It feels like two seperate stories were mashed together in the service of creating a Get Out-style socially conscious horror film. It’s tonal shift and plot twist is basically Psycho. Even Keith, played by Bill Skarsgård, reminded me of Norman Bates. The underlying theme regarding male violence, sexual harassment, and rape, is a relevant and timely one.

The movie is a cut-above the “hilbilly horror” schlock of the early 2000s, such as Wrong Turn or Jeepers Creepers. I enjoyed it, overall. But the film was far more engaging during its subtext-soaked first act, when even something like a simple bottle of wine appears menacing. When it becomes a freaky monster mash, it loses its thematic impact. Sexual predators rarely appear like the monsters they are. They’re often smooth talkers, manipulating their victims emotionally, only implying the threat of violence, until finally trapping them. Sexual assault is a grotesque physical crime, but much of it is psychological, too. Such ghastly human behavior is better explored realistically to relay its horror. AJ has a conversation with his best friend at a club, where he confesses how he had to “convince” the young actress to have sex with him, which is far creepier and more true to life. As is his later drunken phone call to his victim. AJ is a classic “mild-mannered” wolf in sheep’s clothing abuser. Clark Kent, except he rapes instead of changes into a hero in a phone booth. That sort of everyday psychopath is far more intriguing to observe than just another mutated creature.

There are many illogical plot turns and character choices that no sane person would ever make. While it’s believable that a single woman might stay at an AirBnB with a strange man by herself due to a reservation mix-up, you’re telling me she never even checked out the surrounding neighborhood? Google Maps is your friend. I also highly doubt anyone, male or female, would keep heading down into a creepy labyrinthe, even if their new guy friend was supposedly in trouble. The irritated police showing up, only to dismiss Tess as just another slumming crackhead, was far too convenient. Most police have very good sixth senses. Tess comes across as clearly educated and articulate, i.e. someone you take seriously. And wouldn’t there have been a history of young women disappearing in the general neighborhood that would trigger some suspicion from the cops? Frank’s abductions numbered in the dozens. There was no logical need for AJ to even visit his rental property, as liquidating it could all be done via email and pdf file signatures. He only went there because the plot needed him to. And how did a malnourished inbred freak develop super strength and become a giant? Most victims held prisoner in similar cases have usually turned up bony and uncoordinated due to isolation and vitamin deficiencies.

Then there’s that ending, which was almost laughable.

These questionable elements aside, and its jarring narative shifts, Barbarian is a decent film worth checking out.

Don’t Worry, These 13 New Dating Apps Are Here To Fix The Dating Woes Of Today

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

Including a sure-to-work idea for one that I came up with myself.

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Are you an average guy who’s tired of striking out with the honeys on popular dating apps like Tinder and Match? Are you a woman who’s fed up mindlessly swiping on random dudes?

Well, don’t you worry. Socially conscious venture capital has your back. Here are 13 of the absolute best all new dating app startups that are sure to usher in a new age of love and relationship bliss for millions of lonely singles out there.

(Also, I have a BONUS genius dating app idea of my own down below that you’ll want to check out, especially if you’re an investor. So be sure to read all the way through to the bottom.)

1. Smitten

Smitten’s schtick is using creative games and interactive ice breakers to help bring lonely hearts together, while promising to make conversation easy.

This is a great development as we all know the biggest problem for men on dating apps is that too many women want to message them. But what’s a guy supposed to say? I don’t know! Thank God Smitten’s been invented to help take all the effort and guesswork out of coming up with stuff to discuss.

2. Datefit

This app aims to help connect people who are into fitness, healthy living, and want to become the “best version of themselves.”

I don’t know about you, but typically people who fall into that elite “Type A” category already have an active social life and a lot going on for themselves. I don’t see too many high-powered types needing some stupid app to find the love of their lives.

Also of note, more than half the adult population in the U.S. is obese. And that number is only going to climb. Just look around. Nobody cares about being the “best version of themselves” unless they’re some weirdo hanging around a Tony Robbins seminar. So good luck chasing after a rapidly shrinking market, Datefit. Maybe try rebranding to “DateFAT.” Now THAT’S a billion dollar idea.

3. Clover

You probably think to build a company that attracts millions in venture capital you have to be original and offer something unique and valuable. Well, you’d be wrong. Clover has the most generic description ever, promising to help people find “high-quality dates with minimal effort.”

Thanks, but no thanks, Clover. According to a pop-up ad I’m looking at right now, there are tons of hot women in my area that want to fuck me. And I didn’t even have to download an app. Suck on that.

By the way, Clover has gone bankrupt and its app is defunct. Shocker, I know.

4. Lex

This forward-thinking “text-based” dating app was founded for the LGBTQ+/trans/non-binary crowd, but switched its focus from dating to community last year. Wow, even dating apps are transitioning these days.

But if Lex is going to get into text-based forums, they’ll have their work cut out for them. Everyone knows if you want to find true love you go to 4Chan.

5. Crossed

Serial killers and stalkers rejoice! This app helps connect people who “have recently crossed paths” using geolocation.

Finally, no more having to lurk in the shadows or dark alleys while hunting down your latest infatuation. If only John Hinckley, Jr. could have had this app, he might have been able to win Jodie Foster’s heart without having to go through the trouble of almost assassinating President Ronald Reagan.

6. Marriage Pact

This app aims to help college students find their life partner by using a questionnaire-based dating system.

Because if there’s one thing college students definitely want to do, it’s take yet ANOTHER damn test. Maybe try making a dating app based around keg stands, cramming for a biology final, or banging out a five page essay on Nietzsche two hours before it’s due.

7. Dua.com

At first I thought this was an app designed to get you a date with singer Dua Lipa. Talk about an Illusion.

But instead, it’s just supposed to connect people from different cultures with those who make them “feel at home.” Dude, I’m from Philly. If you want to make me feel right at home, you’ll need to jack my car, cut me off going 85 while driving on the expressway, or spit at my feet while I’m walking down the sidewalk.

8. Quivr

This app lets you play Cupid, or you can let someone else be a matchmaker for you.

What a great idea. Let some random stranger decide your fate in life. Why stop there, though? Just have an app that randomly connects you with some person and only that person. You could call it Randomr or Arbitray. That’s how this works, right? You just delete a letter from a word and it instantly becomes a million dollar app? Wow. I just founded two dating apps right there. I’m a genius.

9. Couple.ai

You didn’t think we’d explore the latest cutting edge dating apps and not find one using AI, did you?

Couple, or Couple.ai, uses online interactive events like speed dating and trivia, combined with artificial intelligence to help forge matches. Basically, the AI tracks your every move, learns from it, and then delivers highly compatible matches. Not a bad idea. At least now when you get ghosted or another date fizzles because you don’t share the same liking over the latest dumb Netflix show, you can just blame the algorithm.

10. Bloom Community

This cutting edge app is geared toward sex-positive people in the LGBTQ+ community.

Hey, no fair. Why does it always seem people who are sex-positive are exclusively in the LGBTQ+ camp? What about us straights? Don’t we get an app for no-strings meaningless sex that’s sure to leave us empty shells questioning the meaning of life, too?

11. Blueheart

You think you know about love? You don’t know the first thing! Luckily, Blueheart is here to “put things right” by using a combination of “courses, exercises, and science-backed advice.”

Man, that’s an awful lot of homework. But what if you’re only on a dating app to get your dick sucked? How much studying do you got to do for that? Hopefully just a quick fill in the blank quiz or something. But then I guess you’d have to change the app’s name to Blewhard.

12. Ex-human

Tired of presenting yourself honestly in the hopes of attracting a like-minded partner? Now you don’t have to. Ex-human allows you to create customizable “AI Humans” and characters that will do all the interacting for you.

This is fantastic. Maybe I can import one of my many anon Reddit profiles I used way back in the day, and put it to work helping me lure the love of my life. Hello again, AssCheese69420.

13. Hulah

This one is my favorite. Hulah takes Bumble’s idea where women get to make the first move and goes light years beyond. I’ll let the app explain:

Here’s how it works: As a single woman going through men, you’ll only see the best of the best guys because every guy on Hulah has been endorsed by a woman to be on the platform. If you’re a guy who is lucky enough to be endorsed by a Hulah ringleader, you’ll earn points for good, gentlemanly behavior.

This is honestly very brilliant as it mimics the way some women play matchmaker with their friends in the real world. It’s also great because I’m sure there’s no way this can be gamed. It’s not like a guy could just pay a couple girls to endorse him on the app so he looks like Prince Charming. We know scams and fake profiles don’t exist on dating apps whatsoever.

It’s also incredibly encouraging for average guys. Most of whom can barely get one woman to return a message. Now they need one to endorse them just so they can be presented on some shitty app like a show pony? Good luck with that. You might as well rename this app “Rich Alpha Male Chads with Golden Cocks” because that’s just about the only guys who will be using it successfully.

Wow, that’s a lot of dating apps that I’m sure will all work extraordinarily well. Now we just need an app that lets you use all these apps simultaneously. I like to be as efficient as possible when wasting my time.

On the plus side, I’m glad no one has yet stolen my brilliant idea for a dating app. Allow me to present:

CerealDater

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A dating app that brings singles together based on their favorite breakfast cereals. Are you a Wheaties man? A Lucky Charms girl? You could meet your Count Chocula cutie or Cinnamon Toast Crunch chick. “How’d you two lovebirds meet?” they’ll ask. “Oh, we’re both Corn Poppers,” you’ll say. No matter if you’re a Frosted Flakes Freddy or a Raisin Bran Betty, you’ll be sure to couple up through your cereal of choice. Try CerealDater today.

I Sure Hope I Don’t Catch ‘Sudden Wealth Syndrome’

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

You think being broke and destitute is bad? This is far worse.

Dollar sign lesions. One of the first symptoms of this horrible new disease. (Made with Midjourney)

Forget Covid. Forget Monkeypox. Don’t even think about H.I.V. or Ebola. There’s a new pandemic threatening to strike soon. It’s called ‘“Sudden Wealth Syndrome.” What’s that, you ask? A recent Yahoo Finance article explains:

Sudden wealth syndrome is a real challenge for people who suddenly get a lot of money. Children who inherit enormous sums or receive unexpected wealth may experience overwhelming anxiety and uncertainty about what to do with all of their newfound income.

I don’t know about you, but that sounds downright terrifying. I once found $200 on the ground as a kid and I had to be hospitalized for six weeks due to acute shock. I couldn’t even imagine the impact of a million dollar windfall on my fragile psyche. Surely, that would kill me. I’m no longer worried about bleeding blood from my eyes, losing my immune system, or being covered in puss-filled lesions, I’m worried about waking up every morning with eight figures in my bank account.

So, what’s driving this new epidemic? Is there anyway to avoid this scourge? Or are we all doomed?

Well, as it turns out, Sudden Wealth Syndrome, will likely only effect the super wealthy. More specifically, their kids. There’s a generous tax incentive for inheritance that’s set to expire at the end of 2025. Right now, individual parents can transfer up to $13.61 million tax-free to their children, while couples can transfer up to $27.22 million.

But that tax incentive is scheduled to end in a little over a year. Many wealthy people are worried that if Democrats retain control over the White House, they won’t renew the benefit, and may even increase taxes. This has prompted a stampede as parents try to hand down their wealth before the window of opportunity closes. If that happens, the amount that can be transferred down tax-free may drop by a whopping half.

The article goes on to state that over the next decade, 1.2 million people worth $5 million or more will pass down over $31 trillion. The vast majority will come from those worth more than $30 million.

My heart goes out to those poor people who will soon be suffering from this ravaging new disease. I’ve had the good fortune of associating with a few trust fund kids in my life, and let me tell you, it’s not their fault that they’re often entitled, condescending, lazy assholes who think the world revolves around them. Those traits are just symptoms of Sudden Wealth Syndrome. They’re helpless victims in all this, and this new scourge threatens to only make things worse.

Is there nothing that can be done for these poor souls? I sure hope the CDC is cooking up a vaccine or some kind of cure for them. Should we hold a telethon and ask for donations? Maybe not. More money would just make things worse.

Luckily for the super wealthy, I’m here to help. I’m starting a professional counseling service. For the low rate of $700 an hour (plus travel and lodging expenses), I’ll happily lend guidance and emotional support during this troubling time. Note: my services are only available to heiresses aged 18–25 with modeling contracts, and my counseling involves sensual massages and seductive pillow talk.

Going Back To College In Your 30’s: Is It Worth The Trouble?

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

Is college worth it at all? Examining the time and opportunity cost vs. benefits of a diploma.

Photo by Stanley Morales from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-wearing-backpacks-1454360/

Nowadays, college is under fire. Enrollment overall is down. Fewer men are signing up, and instead choosing the trade route or just going to work. The value of a 4-year-degree is being challenged. The “uselessness” of liberal arts degrees (i.e. Himalayan Basket Weaving or Gender Studies) has become a meme.

But it doesn’t end there. Even business degrees, MBAs and Master’s degrees are getting excoriated anymore. We’ve reached our quota for finance bros.

You’ve got the extreme left wing culture that has permeated the college campus scene. 1960s UC Berkley looks like a GOP convention compared to today. Combined with the uber-feminized atmosphere, college is a weird place anymore. Many will charge that it’s no longer a place of free thought or learning, but an indoctrination camp. Yes, there is a strange preoccupation college has with turning students into activists. But to be fair, I think some of the right wing hysterics are overblown.

Above all, college is ridiculously costly anymore, and often it ends up just leaving graduates in serious debt with minimal employment prospects. Many end up working in jobs that have nothing to do with whatever degree they earned, if they find jobs at all.

College has become tainted by the S-word — SCAM. It’s grossly inefficient, too. Four years is a LONG time to invest into something, only to get little or nothing out of it. Apple went from its founding to IPO in four years. A presidential term is four years. Colleges takes as long all while making you learn a bunch of stuff you end up not needing in the “real world.” This is especially glacial in today’s fast-paced digital world where apps like TikTok have built up tens of millions of users in as little as a few months.

The college system seems antiquated today. Almost purposefully faulty. A lot of the reputational attacks against it are justified. But it helps to think of college not as an educational system, but just as big business. Everything makes sense when you understand that people are getting rich off a bad system. Billions are made from student loans and sports programs. School administration has swelled, giving an elite few cushy jobs and incomes protected from economic fluctuations through tenure and grants. All while parents and the culture at large reinforce the NEED to go to college.

Every year millions of psyopped young people zombie walk their way into freshman year, happily shackling themselves with undischargable student loan debt, while getting little in return, and giving four of their prime years they can never get back. College is like the modern day equivalent of selling indulgences, like the Catholic Church did centuries ago.

It’s not even a great place to meet anyone for a long term relationship anymore. Fewer students graduate with a partner, instead choosing to venture into the world single.

What about medical school, engineering, and STEM degrees? Those are surely valuable and necessary. No one’s arguing with them. But the modern college system would collapse if it were stripped down to just those essential components.

All that said, is it worth going to college at all, especially for a worthless degree? I think it depends on your goals and what you’re getting out of it. And how you’re paying for it and what it costs. Due to lack of money, but mostly a lack of drive and focus, I failed to finish college in my early 20s. I attended two community colleges to complete my general credits, working full-time and doing classes piecemeal as best I could. I was accepted into a decent private school I really had no business attending, but only managed to pay for one full year. I dropped out with around 72 credits, right in the no-man’s land before the required minimum of 120 to graduate.

After dropping out, I was forced to go back to work. This was tough and demoralizing. I took it as a real personal failure and it bothered me intensely for years. It wreaked havoc on my psyche and my sense of self-worth. You see, I had been one of the “smart kids” growing up. I was in all the advanced placement classes and so forth. I‘d graduated from one of the best high schools in the country. There were BMWs parked in the student parking lot, though I drove a troubled 1982 Buick Skylark at the time. Many of my peers went on to the Ivy Leagues. I simply had to keep up with them, even if I was from the lower middle class. I had fully bought into the cultural psyop that a college dgree was crucial to SUCCESS. Making matters worse, I saddled myself with over $20,000 of student loan debt for a degree I never finished.

For the longest time, I gave up on my dream of completing college. Trapped by debt and terrible job prospects, I consigned myself to failure. But eventually, I found my way to the North Dakota oilfield in 2012, determined to fix my financial problems and set things right. In a few years, I had paid down almost $35,000 in debt, all while living in a basement with five other guys. There was a severe housing shortage in the town I lived in during the mid-teens oil boom. I didn’t find an apartment until two years after I moved to ND. It was tough living, to say nothing of the harsh weather and isolative nature of the region.

The effort took a toll on my mental health, too. After almost four years I’d had enough of the oilfield and decided to finally go back and finish my college degree. I enrolled in the state school at age 35, choosing to attend most of my classes in-person. Even though I could have finished my degree through any number of online methods, I wanted to go back and “do it right.” Even if that meant giving up working in a lucrative industry and moving across the state.

I decided on English as my degree. Not because it offered any real economic utility, but because I liked writing, and it gave me the shortest route to finishing as quickly as possible. I was passionate about completing what I’d started, but I wasn’t about to invest anymore time than neccessary. I had built up some decent savings, and was largely able to pay the tuition out of pocket.

Is it awkward going to college in your mid-30s? Initially, it was. A lot people tell me I look younger than I am, which might have helped. But it is slightly uncomfortable sitting in classes with people who are 15 years younger than you. I largely kept to myself, though. For me, the biggest struggle was overcoming my own psychological limitations. I had tried several times before to restart my college degree, only to give up. Could I finally break through the invisible barrier? As it turns out, this was largely part of my rationale for returning. I needed to prove that I could do it. My failure to finish almost a decade and a half earlier had left me crippled with self-doubt, depression, and if I’m being honest, self-loathing. If I couldn’t even finish a “worthless” liberal arts degree, what good was I? I know that sounds harsh, but this is part of the pressure that is put on “smart” kids living in a culture where college attendance is akin to worship of the Almighty or else your soul is eternally condemned to hell.

For me, college was not really a practical “necessity.” It was more like therapy. It was a way to heal my damaged psyche and get the monkey off my back. After two years, I graduated with my degree with well over the 120 credits I needed. I had finally done it. Fifteen years later than I had planned. But it was done.

The experience reignited my love of writing and illuminated my outlook on life. It definitely changed me for the better. I’d spent my twenties and early 30s largely pessimistic and depressed. But after paying off my debt and finishing my degree — two things I’d once thought impossible — suddenly anything seemed possible. I felt like Neo finally breaking out of the Matrix at the end of the movie, as corny as that may sound. I saw life not as just a string of unstoppable misfortunes, or as something that was merely happening to me, but as something I could take ownership of. “No fate but what we make for ourselves,” as John Connor puts it in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

After graduating in 2018, propelled by twin successes, I attempted completing a novel again. Something I had tried and failed at eleven years prior. I not only finished it, but went on to write another and another. I just completed my 11th.

Still, there was a severe time and opportunity cost to finishing my degree. Looking back, there were certainly ways of doing it that were more efficient and less costly. It did not cost me just the tution, but the income I would have made had I stayed working in the oilfield. At the time, I was making almost $90,000 a year. So, the decision to go back to school in-person, as opposed to online, really cost over $200,000 in income over the two years. That’s more than the cost of going to Harvard, for God’s sake. I could have bought a house for that instead of just a piece of paper with my name written in fancy font.

By every practical measure, returning to college like I did was not worth the cost. But you really can’t put a price on mental health and personal development. Finishing school helped transform my mindset. It helped me break a decade-plus-long negative feedback loop. Nothing succeeds like success. Paying off my debts kickstarted my “rebirth.” But finishing my degree permanently put me onto a better path. Even if my English degree has no real economic value, it means a lot to me.

After college, I returned to work in the oilfield. Using my reinvigorated mindset, I studied investing and personal finance. I’ve remained debt-free, and built up a solid net worth. Enough to know that in a few short years I’ll achieve another dream I never thought possible — becoming a self-made millionaire. And long before the statistical average for my age group. I’ll likely be able to retire before I’m 50.

College is not for everyone. College degrees, especially liberal arts ones, are overinflated in value and largely unneccessary. For most of history, the only people who went to college for liberal arts were rich kids whose parents could easily pay it. It’s only been relatively recent that anyone could “afford” to go via student loans. I don’t know that that’s a positive development. I think young people today are better served by staying out of debt, unless they are pursuing a degree with real economic value. You can learn most of what you need off YouTube and online for free. The future of education is not the grossly inefficient and costly system we have now, especially with the emergence of AI. It’s in learning specific, concrete skills with real utility. A monthly subscription to an online learning portal like Udemy is probably a better option than a four-year commitment. Way cheaper, too.

College is obsolete in many ways now unless you’re going for a high-value degree. It’s a dinosaur. It’s unnecessary for many. But so is climbing a mountain or putting a 1000 piece puzzle together. For me, going back in my mid-30s was expensive therapy, and a way to get back on the horse. Sometimes proving to yourself that you can do something hard can help motivate you to achieve other things as well. If college can help put you on a better path, then I say it’s ultimately worth it no matter how “worthless” the degree is that you’re obtaining. Not every decision will balance perfectly in an accountant’s ledger. Like with anything else in life, if it means something to you, then it matters.

Observing Two Recent Writing Milestones

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment
Photo by rovenimages.com from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/low-angle-photo-of-fireworks-949592/

On August 26th I completed my 100th article on Medium. It’s not the biggest writing milestone ever. There are accounts on there with hundreds, even thousands.

I had a goal of reaching the century mark by the end of this year, only to end up blowing right past it. This one is №118. A pleasant surprise, especially given how I was consumed with another writing project of mine for most of the past year and a half.

My experience with Medium has been decent. I’ve found some success with a handful of articles that got thousands of claps, and earned me some money. I’ve survived not one, but two account suspensions. One just recently, and another back in 2022. Both occurring without any real reason other than somehow my account became caught in the “spam filter.” Okay, whatever. Never had that issue with Blogspot back in the day or WordPress now.

On the positive side, I have over 900 followers. The majority of whom I’d say subscribed due to my finance-related articles. My highest earning month so far was this past July with $291. I’ve had multiple $100+ months over the last few years. I don’t know that Medium will ever be, or even could be, a full-time gig. Not without insane commitment and a willingness to plunge into primarily the most lucrative subjects (personal development and finance). I have too many other writing projects going on and other interests to go that far with Medium. As I’ve stated previously, I have no desire to try to build a “brand” there. I sure as hell don’t do coaching. I don’t do freelance work. I will never sell a stupid course or membership of some kind. I realize that’s how a lot of top writers on here make their full-time income, but it’s just not me. There are enough “gurus” out there peddling their snake oil. I just write novels and on occasion scribble out a usually sarcastic editorial. And a finance article here and there.

Writing on Medium for money is not a primary concern for me. My earnings have paid for the Friend of Medium badge for a few years though. Which is nice. At the least, the site is a net positive.

Overall, I see Medium as a good place to practice daily writing and gradually build a platform.

Source: Photo by Pixabay from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/burning-tree-270815/

The other milestone happened to take place the following day on August 27th. That is the completion of my 11th novel. A horror story with a dark and twisted romance at its core. This was a tough one to get through. I struggled with it for years. A sharp contrast to previous novels I’ve written, which largely flowed. The inception of the idea actually came way back in 1999, which makes it the oldest concept I’ve ever maintained and seen through to a completed work. It was just a tiny undeveloped spark of a thing. I didn’t know what to do with it then, so I wound up putting it on the backburner for a few decades.

It wasn’t until 2020 that the idea ignited further. Then in 2022 it started to really kindle. At times it felt like trying to hammer cooling iron into shape. I went down two blind alleys, and almost 50,000 words, before having to start over twice. Daunting and dismaying, for sure. But when I have an idea I’m passionate about, I like to stick with it.

This past March, after revising the outline, I began the third attempt. Six months later the first draft is finally finished, and stands at over 90,000 words. My first drafts tend to be strong. I don’t believe in doing “vomit drafts.” I try to get most of what is needed down on the page in a structured and coherent (more or less) fashion in the first go. Even still, it’s perhaps only 65% where it needs to be. As I typically do when finishing a novel, I let the first draft rest for a bit before returning for revisions.

Even though I’ve written 11 novels so far, I’ve only self-published three of them. This is largely because, while I love writing, I have no effing idea how to market or sell my work. Simultaneously, I have little faith in or concern to play the lottery with the traditional publishing side. I’ve read a lot of articles on here about publishing, and let’s just say it’s a sad state of affairs. Even if you land an agent or a publishing deal, the problem of selling your work remains the same. You have to do all of that yourself.

Few, if any, publishing houses, big or small, will put any money into some no-name like myself. I don’t begrudge the industry. It’s the way it is. Most publishing companies make money on their back catalogue of hits, or on “bread and butter” sales like the dictionary or something. Most authors only sell a few hundred copies of their work at best. Publishing in general is a boutique-style business driven by hits. Hits are random. Even celebrity books have totally bombed. So, until I can solve the marketing side of things and learn how to sell myself, I don’t see much of a purpose in putting my eight finished books out there. Perhaps that’s extreme and self-defeating, but I think it’s important to have a plan of execution and not just go out on a wing and a prayer. My books are like my children. I want to treat them right.

I do love my latest book a lot. I think if there’s one that will finally get me to solve the riddle of the Sphinx of Marketing, it’ll be this one. It’s tough to be a writer these days. You can’t just scribble away in a room and submit to publishing shops. You have to learn to do everything yourself. You have to build your own platform. I suppose that‘s part of why I stick around here on Medium. I probably should make YouTube more of a thing, too. That’s a fantastic digital ecosystem, and potentially, a money-making one.

I’ve also thought about posting some of my fiction on here, though I do like keeping the worlds apart. It’s strange. Even though I enjoy writing articles on Medium, non-fiction never makes me feel like I’m really “writing.” Only when I’m writing my novels do I feel like I’m actually really producing something. Fiction enables me to get into a flow state the best, which is my favorite head space. Nothing else comes close.

Anyway, since I don’t like to spend too much time navel-gazing about writing “successes,” I’ll just leave it at that for now. Two good milestones in the rear view mirror. Onto the next.

Online Dating Profile Clichés That Annoy The Hell Out Of Me

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

They’re also what’s possibly killing the dating app industry.

“She’s fluent in sarcasm, too? That’s the third one in ten minutes.” (Made with Midjourney)

Online dating is a pathetic slog anymore. Which is why I gave it up years ago. It’s like rummaging through the junk drawer looking for your favorite keyring, and instead finding a rusty pair of scissors, chewed-up No. 2 pencils, and a coupon for Lay’s Potato Chips that expired 18 months ago.

Dating apps make it easy to doom scroll through infinite faces, thumbing left or right with snap decisions. Though I found it was often what was written (or the lack thereof) in the bios that put me off, no matter the attractiveness of the face. People put so little thought into their profiles when it’s all you have to go on.

Your writing reveals a lot about you. What and how you write can indicate your intelligence, wit, self-awareness, education, social class, and perhaps even your character.

Here are some annoying cliché phrases I came across far too often, and my no-holds-barred opinions of them.

“If you want to know more, just ask.”

Thank God, because I have a detailed census questionnaire to send your way.

I mean, of course if I want to know more, I’ll just ask. No shit. That’s the whole idea of using an online index of random single people. Do you think if I find your profile and become interested but I DON’T see an invitation to “just ask” I’ll just be stuck wondering what to do next like a Sim person walking in place against a wall?

“ . ”

No, that’s not a mistake. I’ve really come across profiles with nothing on them except a simple period. Yes, some people do this with the intention of filling in their bio later, but I’ve seen it on profiles I knew were weeks old.

What is it about bio pages that stymies so many people? How hard is it to write about yourself? Even just a few lines? Are women too modest? Are they skeeved out by putting down details about themselves onto the internet? It shouldn’t be that hard to summarize yourself in a few sentences. No doubt any woman at least in her early 20s and beyond has had to do job interviews where they’ve had to talk about themselves on the spot. Yet a simple bio page renders them mute? Weird.

“Do I look like I need to add details about myself?” (Made with Midjourney)

“I’m fiercely independent.”

This is like the “Eat, Pray, Love” of 28+ professional boss bitches. Yeah, we get it, you’ve got a business degree and you’re making $78K a year in the big city working for Dipshit, Inc. Congrats on making it to mediocrity. Girls really do get it done.

If you’re truly “fiercely independent” then you’re most likely not really interested in a relationship. Those are kind of 50/50 things. So then why the hell are you even on here? You do realize that a phrase like “fiercely independent” sends a not too subtle message of unfriendliness, hostility, and a desire to be left alone, right?

My theory is that this phrase springs up due to an unconscious conflict between a woman’s need for affection and her feminist I-need-a-man-like-a-fish-needs-a-bicycle social conditioning. Like how in Get Out the personality submered in the Sunken Place emerges when they see a flash of light. “Fiercely independent” is the compromise. Yes, I deserately need love. But I’m also totally strong and independent, too.

“Fluent in sarcasm.”

Aww man, just what every guy wants. A sarcastic asshole to deal with.

I saw this one a lot as well. I suspect it’s evidence of the toxic “Twitterification” of discourse. Or it could be a stupid Moo-llennial thing, in which one becomes buried under so many layers of irony and unseriousness that one’s head becomes lodged up one’s rectum. Or maybe it’s just another bothersome cliché signifier of hipness and badassery.

It’s one thing to be snarky writing online articles or tweets. Or with your friends at the bar. But I wouldn’t lead with my ability to caustically banter if I was trying to attract a partner.

“You could be a part of this.” (Made with Midjourney)

“My kid(s) are my whole world.”

I bet they are. If only contraceptives or the idea of choosing a man who isn’t a loser or psychopath to be the father of your children were also your “whole world” as well. Maybe then you wouldn’t be a broke single mom on a dating app looking to snare some poor sucker who should know better.

I don’t date single moms for the same reason I don’t visit places like Chernobyl or go on deep sea dives inside oil barrels operated by Xbox controllers. No man should. And if more didn’t, this epidemic of single mother households would begin to diminish.

Fellows, please. You’re not a stepdad. You’re a step-sucker.

Single moms will write this down to communicate how much they love their child(ren). Which is great, of course. But how much could you really love them if you’re willing to bring some strange man into their lives, especially one who may have no kids of his own? There are substantially higher rates of conflict and abuse between step-family. To say nothing of the difficulties that often occur in the adjustment period of a new family dynamic. It’s rarely The Brady Bunch.

“Tired of the games. I want something real.”

This is almost always written by someone with excessive baggage. Baggage that they brought on themselves due to poor partner decisions and bad lifestyle choices that they’ve taken little to no acountability for. When I see this it’s the equivalent of seeing those highway reflector cones police put up near a bad wreck. Proceed with caution or avoid altogether.

A common variation of this is something like, “Looking for a real man.” Or, “I want a real man.” Excuse me, but what the hell does that even mean? What is a “real man?” There’s never a concrete definition. It’s just an empty phrase. You might as well be asking for a “good person.”

“Are there any real men left?”

Nope. We were all replaced in the 1970s with pod people. Didn’t you know? It was known as The Great Swap. The Deep State’s been covering it up. I’ll probably be killed for mentioning it.

Aside from the slightly insulting and entitled undertone of this cliché phrase, there’s also the subtext that a woman’s screwed around a lot with fake men (i.e. fuck boys) and now that the party of her youth is over, is looking for a legit relationship that doesn’t involve being used like a public toilet. Or it’s evidence of relationship baggage and “trauma.” Either way, it’s just more highway cones.

“I’m not here for hookups.”

This one isn’t totally bad. It’s like putting up a “Please stay off the grass” sign, even though you know the neighborhood kids are going to come clomping through anyway.

Except very often, like the previous two phrases, it’s indicative of a woman with a rough past. Of one who’s trying to break out of the party life. It even comes off like it’s something she’s telling herself more than telling potential guys scrolling through the app. Like an affirmation.

And does it even work? Will your typical fuck boy read that and go, “Hmm, this one will obviously be immune to my innate charm. I think I’ll leave her alone. Afterall, if she wrote that, she must surely mean it.” Or will he be like those neighborhood kids and come racing through the corner of the lawn anyway? If I know fuck boys, they usually don’t follow the rules or care about things like feelings. That’s why they’re fuck boys.

“I’ve been hurt before.”

Thanks for letting me to know that you’re in all likelihood a complete basket case. I’ll be sure to steer clear.

Why would you broadcast this? What is the relevance? What am I, a random dude, supposed to take from this statement? Is this supposed to activate some white knight gene that will compel me to ride to to the rescue? Is this like a Bat Signal for simps, to come and lavish you with emotional support and free dinners? GTFO of here. Learn to deal with your past on your own and be discreet about things. You think you’re the only one? Everybody’s been hurt before. That’s life.

Anyway, that’s quite enough. I appreciate the numerous women who used the above clichés in their shoddily-detailed “profiles” that resemble more the scribblings you’d see on a toilet stall than a mini-biography indicating one firmly resolute in finding a suitable partner. They served as excellent sign posts alerting me which entities to avoid. They also saved me money as I realized paying for a subscription was clearly a total waste. They might even be the reason Bumble’s stock has crashed 90% since its inception. Who knew clichés could kill a billion dollar industry?

There’s Never Been A Nice Time In Politics

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

The Mighty Mean Meme Machine Strikes Again

Made with Grok

Whenever I’m feeling masochistic, I like to visit r/Presidents on Reddit. That sub has a rule that won’t allow posting or references to current or very recent U.S. presidents. You can only mention up to Obama. The reason for this is to prevent fighting over modern day politics.

However, a side effect of that rule is that many posters have built the sub into a hazy idealized nostalgia feels zone. I’ll often encounter comments referring to the “dignity” and “respectability” of past presidents compared to the divisiness and nastiness of today (meaning Trump, basically). Particularly when it comes to old presidential debates.

Except how many people remember anything of substance from old debates? We really only recall the gaffes or the attacks. I remember “binders full of women” by Romney. “Please proceed, Governor,” by Obama. “Well actually, he forgot Poland!” said by George W. Bush to Kerry when the Massachusettes Senator happened to forget one of our allies in the global War on Terror. There was George H.W. Bush checking his watch in the 1992 three-way debate with Perot and Clinton. In the 1988 Vice Presidential debate Lloyd Bentsen delivered perhaps the G.O.A.T. comeback ever with his “You’re no Jack Kennedy,” to potato-mispeller Dan Quayle. Reagan had his humorous “youth and inexperience” line against a knew-he-was-going-to-lose Mondale. Then there was the famous Nixon vs. Kennedy debate, where the youthful JFK came across as dominant and likable on a newfangled invention called the TV, while those who listened by radio thought Nixon had won. Or so the legend goes.

Aside from all that, I can’t think of too many other presidential debate moments prior to Trump’s clomping and stomping foray into the modern day political arena.

The recent Trump vs. Harris debate did produce a couple of bangers. All by Trump. Most notably, in response to reports of Haitian migrants chowing down on family pets in Springfield, Ohio, “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats.” After the moderator informed the GOP candidate that a city official had not confirmed that, Trump followed up with, “Well, I saw it on TV.”

Hilarious. Hate him or love him, the man truly is a meme come true. The humorously visceral comment has caught on like a pop song ear worm. “They’re not sending their best,” and “Because you’d be in jail,” saw similar mileage.

Scott Adams puts it succinctly here:

Contrary to what Reddit intellectuals may think, there was never a golden age of agreeableness in American politics. Or politics in general. It’s comforting to paint the past in pleasing verdant green, when it’s mainly been a flame-red hellscape. The era of George W. Bush is even hailed as some better bygone age. How quickly people forget. I remember how viciously Bush was hated, in no small part due to his disastrous war of choice against Iraq. The man’s poor speaking skills were also routinely ridiculed. Reagan was called an “amiable dunce.” Lyndon Johnson hated Robert F. Kennedy. Andrew Jackson thought the people were a “beast” and hated the central bank with a passion. Nixon hated most and distrusted just about everyone.

Trump’s comments have gone viral on TikTok. AI photos of pets armed and wearing camo gear, ready to defend themselves against attackers have trended on X. In twenty years, cats and dogs and the threat of them being eaten will more than likely be the only thing remembered from that singular Trump/Harris debate. Is it “good” or “right” that a 90-minute discussion between two people who hold the keys to the nation’s future be ignored in favor of a silly soundbite? Maybe not. But that’s how it’s been down through history.

A Pathological Obsession With Diversity

On By Dean BrooksLeave a comment

Virtue signaling or genuine longing to display the human rainbow?

By An article in The Baltimore Sun, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20960240

The title of this piece is in reference in part to some recent comments made by Adam Goldberg, who played a bit part on the show Friends back in the day. In an interview with Independent, when asked about modern criticism toward the show due its lack of diversity, he said:

And in terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane. I’ve heard Black people speak about this and it’s like, you never expected to see yourself, so when you didn’t, it was not a surprise, and you ended up identifying to characters, irrespective of their race.

The ’90s was a weird time in TV history when it came to racial integration. Back then, TV shows were largely segregated, with little integration unless an episode was racially-themed. You had White shows like Full House and Married with Children. Then you had Black shows like Family Matters and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There were no mainstream Latin or Asian shows to my knoweldge. Certainly no Native American ones. It was vanilla and chocolate, with hardly any mixing.

Friends was not unsual in its milk-colored casting choices. I never watched the show, nor did I ever care for it or find it funny. What little I’ve seen of it I find cringe and annoying. I’m a Seinfeld guy. But I do recall that Friends had a wide and ironically diverse audience despite its “insane” lack thereof.

In 2004 in college I was friends with a young African woman who loved the show and raved all week about seeing the anticipated series finale. In one of the lounges, people gathered around watching the last episode. To be clear, it most likely had a largely White audience, but the show’s humor (or what passed for it) seemed to catch on with all kinds.

Photo by fauxels from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-people-holding-each-other-s-hands-3184436/

Goldberg’s comments are rather innocuous. The show’s co-creator, Marta Kauffman, however, was more passionate in her response. Saying to the Los Angeles Times:

“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” Kauffman said in a Zoom interview. “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”

She adds:

The series’ failure to be more inclusive, Kauffman says, was a symptom of her internalization of the systemic racism that plagues our society, which she came to see more clearly in the aftermath of the 2020 murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and the worldwide protest movement that erupted around it.

Kauffman felt so bad about her supposed “failures” that she donated $4 million to her alma mater, Brandeis University, to establish a professorship in the school’s African and African American Studies Department. A nice gesture on her part, I suppose. Perhaps the largest sum anyone’s ever paid to soothe their conscience for the crime of creating an insufficiently diverse hit TV show.

Though I would call it pathological. How sad and tragic that someone’s greatest accomplishment in life should be sullied by such pointless feelings of guilt over an imaginary transgression. This is the kind of remorse appropriate if you killed someone drunk driving. But casting six White people with good chemistry in a dumb sitcom? Please. It all seems performative and just a cynical attempt to pay off an angry mob.

It’s not the job of a TV show or movie to perfectly represent some fictious ideal image of a multicultual society. Or to live up to some hypothetical future standard. Sitcoms are notoriously tricky to cast for and rarely succeed. Many are canceled right out of the gate. The best ones all have a rare casting synergy, and for the most part have been homogenous. Comedy in general is largely a birds of a feather affair, save for some exceptional pairings like Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. Or Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

Even when a show injects some ethnic mixing, it often comes off as unconvincing, forced, or awkward. I always felt that the Indian character Raj in The Big Bang Theory was marginized and especially virginal compared to the better developed White characters. In the first season he hardly even speaks. But I suppose he represents “diversity,” or at least serves as an avatar of it.

I find myself agreeing somewhat with Lisa Kudrow, who said in the New York Post (emphasis mine):

“I feel like it was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college,” Kudrow said.

“And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know. They have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of color,” she added.

I think Kudrow’s comments make a very good point, and illustrate how we should not assume that a lack of diversity is due to malice or internalized racism, but an inability to be as authentic as the art requires. If you had primarily White friends in college and directly after, and then you proceed to make a hit show based on that life of yours, and that show goes on to get made with an all-White cast and becomes a cultural touchstone (however undeserving or absurd that is), then I say good for you. You have nothing to feel bad about.

I mean, at the end of the day, are we really going to take some overrated crap show like Friends and call that a mirror or summation of ’90s culture? No show could possibly encapsulate the ’90s. I lived in and remember that entire decade. Does that show reflect our society or just one woman’s experiences as a young person living in New York City with her stupid friends? Are people so desperate to see themselves in things that they’ll attack a show that’s been off the air for two decades over its lack of diverse casting? Especially now in the social media age we live in, where anyone can put themselves out there on a dozen platforms and find an audience no matter what race or ethnicity they are?

Attack Friends all you want for being unfunny and cringe as hell. But don’t waste your time bashing it for its lack of diversity. That’s actually insane.