All elections are vibe elections
Lessons from If Books Could Kill + Fanfic shipping + Christmas cars + the new “it” handbag
Kaley on what a podcast taught her about American politics.
I know I said I was done, but I’m still grappling with the outcome of the election. Sue me! I’m still almost entirely off X and have been skipping all content about Trump, his cabinet choices, and what policies he may or may not pursue. But tigers can’t change their stripes and I’m a political animal! 🐯These days I find myself gravitating towards macro analyses of American culture - stuff that steps back from our current depressing situation and puts it into a broader historical context. The most recent episode of the podcast If Books Could Kill definitely fits the bill and is worth a listen.
The podcast’s general conceit is to revisit “airport books,” or hugely popular nonfiction titles whose theses have permeated the public’s collective wisdom (think the 10,000 hour rule in Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers, the power of manifestation in The Secret, etc.) and analyze their accuracy and cultural impact. Hosts Peter Shamshiri and Michael Hobbes are my favorite combination of snarky, witty, and incisively intelligent and it’s one of the few podcasts I immediately listen to as soon as it hits my feed.
This week’s episode was a bit of a departure in that they actually agreed with the book of the week: What’s the Matter With Kansas? and used it as a jumping off point to dig into decades of political science research. The episode was revelatory for me, and so packed with insights about the American voter that I listened twice.
The biggest takeaways, rooted in data:
Two variables predict the outcome of nearly every election: the state of the economy during the campaign and the length of the incumbent in the White House. Which means a candidate's political ideology isn’t very important and candidates are not punished for extremism
Individual voters are not rational, but follow the wisdom of the crowd
Voters don’t have fixed views on most issues and vote instead based on their social identities and affiliations
The aesthetics of identity are more important than a political party’s policy platform
“Republicans generate outrage over cultural issues, and they use that political capital to implement policies that favor business over working people. So, the working people are basically being duped into supporting a party that undermines their own material conditions.” -Peter Shamshiri, describing Thomas Frank’s thesis in What’s the Matter With Kansas?
In the age of Trump, the Democratic Party has been focused on cultural issues and protecting institutions more than touting economic policies that materially improve the lives of the working class. And with a demagogic wrecking ball as an adversary, it seemed reasonable to do so! But it didn’t work. It didn’t produce a winning outcome. And in this case, winning really is everything.
So a pivot is necessary. And it’s one I’m reluctant to come to because I reject the implication that we should cast aside the concerns of vulnerable populations targeted by the right. I think we should take a cue from first openly trans representative Sarah McBride’s response to her Republican colleague’s policing of Capitol bathrooms: Don’t engage on cultural issues. Acknowledge the sleight of hand and move on.
So if aesthetics and social identity are the key to winning, perhaps we should do as Bernie suggested and nominate someone for 2028 who comes from the working class and understands vibes? *cough* AOC *cough*
This week in Cool Shiny Culture:
🛳️ 📊 Kaley’s Cool: Sometimes something crosses your internet that feels so perfectly made for you it gives you goosebumps. That’s how I felt when I woke up on Wednesday to Anne Helen Peterson’s newsletter in my inbox. TWO pieces on romantic fiction?! A gift! The first, her amazing podcast Culture Study devoted an episode to queer romance with the author Adib Khorram joining as her guest. Second, an analysis on who gets shipping and why by the amazing data nerds at The Pudding. They used a decade’s worth of data from Archive of Our Own (AO3) to chart the most popular pairings in fanfiction.
📽️ Megan’s Cool: Shoutout to my friends Kevin & Lena who recommended I check out Didi, a beautiful coming-of-age film that I hope wins all the Academy Awards. Written and directed by Sean Wang based on his own experiences of growing up in Northern California, it’s an incredibly layered and emotional movie that made me nostalgic for 2008. There’s so much to love in this film but my top 3 favorite things are:
Joan Chen’s iconic performance as Didi’s artist mom who loves her family with unconditional grace
The integration of the internet as a character. From the old YouTube interface to the familiar sounds of AIM, I thought they incorporated digital media and platforms in a way that authentically and artfully enhanced the plot.
That the main character is unlikeable. As much as I loved the movie, I didn’t like the main character and may or may not have referred to him as “NorCal Holden Caulfield little shit” in a review to a friend. However, that’s part of why the film works. Sean Wang said of Didi that he wanted to convey the way “13 is old to enough to know better, young enough not care” and as I watched him make teenage dirtbag mistake after mistake that definitely came through.
🤢 Kaley’s Shiny: Joe Mande’s new special Chill on Hulu had me laughing to the point of crying with his bit about vomiting. Which is especially impressive when you know that throwing up is up there with whales as a personal phobia of mine. Bonus points for being shot in his (and my) hometown Minneapolis.
💡 Megan’s Shiny: I’m noticing an IRL trend that I honestly can’t decide how to feel about yet: holiday light covered cars. People are taking strings of lights you’d typically see on a Christmas tree or house and carefully taping them to their (often very nice) cars to completely cover the surface area in lights. While at night it looks very striking and festive, in the daytime it looks stupid as hell. Jury’s out on if it’s cool, but cops across the US (Massachusetts, Kansas, Wyoming) are saying it might be illegal as it poses a safety hazard.
Must See TT: Gilmore Girls Horror Trailer
The fan edit is evolving. Gilmore Girls lovers especially have to check out this edit posted by TikToker @user6299101076391. By splicing scenes from across all 7 seasons of the show and recontextualizing them with horror music cues, this edit takes the story of Dean–Rory’s first love –from a slightly problematic puppy dog to a Joe Greenberg-level psycho stalker.
This is part of a larger media trend of recontextualizing villainy. It’s going beyond the simple fascination with the anti-hero that drove Walter White to be a household name to something deeper. From the love for Barry Keoghan’s Saltburn character to the themes in Blockbuster hit Wicked (Part 2 is officially titled Wicked: For Good) to the internet’s fascination with accused murderer Luigi Mangione, culture seems to be asking: what if the ‘bad guys’ are good & the ‘good guys’ are bad?”
The Opposite of Cynical: Chappell Roan’s parents on Carpool Karaoke
Apple Music said take me to church and on Sunday surprise-dropped a special Holiday edition of Carpool Karaoke starring pop stars Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, and Chappell Roan. Chappell had an especially wholesome segment which featured her parents talking about how proud of her they are before all singing her hit song Pink Pony Club.
Marketing we love 💖: Eckhaus Latta the Snap taps aesthetics of fandom
Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta, the founders and designers behind Eckhaus Latta, may have the next “it bag” on their hands: The Snap. But we’re bringing this up less to talk about the bag itself and more to talk about the promo shot which artfully captures that fandom is more in fashion than ever. Featuring a relatively unknown model (@alice.mcnally), the editorial style shots shared with the product announcement on Instagram are inspired by modern fandom. The evocative shots of a fan at the barricade will likely resonate with the current generation of young people for whom fandom is an especially integral part of their identity and experience with culture.
Fandom forever,
Megan & Kaley
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You are soooo right. The integration of the internet was chefs kiss in Didi.