Tha Good Good, Week of 1.07.20
Here's a roundup of some podcasts, documentaries, articles, and ideas I've been into this week.
1. Stand up special that's cracking me up –
Dan Soder: Son of a Gary on HBO
“My dad picked the bottle over me, so … comedian!” My fellow Billions fans: our boy Mafee has a new HBO special. He maintains the energy of a guy you’d want to watch the Jets with at a dive bar on a Sunday, while able to deliver some seriously funny jokes. If you want a breather from politics and don’t mind a little dark humor, check it out.
2. Long but worthwhile article –
Kate Julian for The Atlantic, "Why Are Young People Having So Little Sex?"
"I was told it might be a consequence of the hookup culture, of crushing economic pressures, of surging anxiety rates, of psychological frailty, of widespread antidepressant use, of streaming television, of environmental estrogens leaked by plastics, of dropping testosterone levels, of digital porn, of the vibrator’s golden age, of dating apps, of option paralysis, of helicopter parents, of careerism, of smartphones, of the news cycle, of information overload generally, of sleep deprivation, of obesity. Name a modern blight, and someone, somewhere, is ready to blame it for messing with the modern libido… A handful of suspects came up again and again in my interviews and in the research I reviewed—and each has profound implications for our happiness." Thanks @Meg for the rec!
Learn about the sexting generation’s sex recession.
3. Docuseries I'm still not over –
Don't F**k With Cats on Netflix
Tortured kittens. Internet sleuths with way too much free time. An international manhunt. Ignore the title and watch this three-part series ASAP so we can talk about it.
***Not to be confused with Cats, the heinous looking new musical film.
Even if you’re not a cat person, check it out.
4. Video I keep watching –
Lin-Manuel Miranda's 2009 White House performance
We see quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy. We watch actresses receive recognition for great performances. We see the “after,” rarely catching a glimpse of the thousands of hours of effort that goes into a final masterpiece. At the 2009 White House Poetry Jam, Lin-Manuel Miranda nervously took the stage to perform a freestyle about one of America’s founding fathers. Everyone laughed. Ten years and ten zillion sold out shows later, we all know who’s laughing now.
Watch the creator of Hamilton put it all on the line.
4. Quote I'm thinking about –
One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half.
- Winston Churchill