Re: Harris. I’m an elder millennial midwestern left-leaning white woman living in a red state. I have had my moments over the years where the subconscious pull of white nationalism feels a little safe. (I’ve consciously fought this feeling numerous times, but I can recognize it and admit it when it comes up!) So, I think it’s safe to say I have a fair amount of unconscious bias I must always be aware of and keep in check.
What struck me this week was… I opened the NYT and there was a photo of Harris behind a podium and my first visceral reaction to that photo was “That looks like a president.”
My takeaway from that reaction was “REPRESENTATION MATTERS!!” Because I know in my heart of hearts I would not have seen a photo of a black woman in the year 2006 or even 2010(?) and thought “presidential.” But since then our culture has DONE SOME WORK so that now, my little white-programmed brain can be reprogrammed to see things more fairly and more accurately! I was very excited. Not because my bias seems to have faded, but because if my bias is fading, so are many many others’ biases.
So this is a shoutout to all the people who have done this work - whether it be in the media, in hiring decisions, on social media, in fiction - to reset the image of what a leader looks like. Because Kamala Harris looks like a damn good president!
Kudos to you for mentioning your biases and that you're working on them in this forum, that's brave. And glad to see that the excitement about Kamala does indeed seem to be as penetrating and widespread as it appears, not just blue relief at Biden stepping down
You absolutely do not have to talk more about this if you don't want to, but I'd be so interested to hear what it is about the white nationalism that is emotionally appealing to you. I don't mean this in a judgemental way at all, just a curious one. I have lived 90% of my life in red states and I find all nationalism inherently off-putting, so a different perspective is fascinating to me.
I didn’t say it was appealing, but “safe.” I think as a white woman in a red state, the messaging around white nationalism can take forms of fear mongering that, left unexamined, can make you entertain some MAGA policies. An example would be “your children are no longer safe to play outside.” Or messaging that your way of life is somehow threatened. Nothing *overtly* white nationalist or racist, but ideas that feel comforting until you follow it through to the logical end and realize how terrible it would be. I have found myself thinking at times “maybe it would be simpler to xyz,” with xyz being some ideal or vision of right wing thinking. For instance, I’ve always had a hell of a lot of working mom guilt. So the idea of going back to an economy where only one spouse needs a job to survive has seemed appealing at times and the Right is sitting there promoting women staying home with children. But I always always challenge myself in those moments and I’m self-aware enough to know it’s a trap. I don’t want people to think I’ve ever voted like a white nationalist. But there are ideas touted by the far right that, in my laziest moments, if I’m being totally honest, can feel safer for me, as a woman with racial privilege. Does that answer your question? It’s not that it’s appealing when you look at the idea head on.
That is so helpful, thank you! I appreciate and admire your vulnerability.
I don't have children (and don't intend to), so things are very different for me, but I can absolutely 1000% see how the right's narratives about ~danger~ would trigger your maternal desire to protect your children. And I've definitely had wistful thoughts of, "Oh, wouldn't it be nice to let someone else economically support me," though ti's immediately followed by remembering all the horrible problems that arise for women when they're financially dependent on a man.
Yes all these things! And most of this is just really about my own biases and not how I consciously think. I’ve never been tempted to vote MAGA or anything! But just knowing how MAGA thinks because I’ve felt it too at times makes me excited that my own biases are changing so others’ are probably too. It gives me hope!
That's great! It is such an important lesson to learn: that your first, instinctual reaction to things doesn't define you, that you don't need to listen to it, that you can look at it and choose something else. Here's to many more people doing the same!
I think this makes perfect, evolutionary sense. Our brains are designed to keep us safe and comfortable. It’s not a moral failing. You’ve done great work on your unconscious biases and just talking about them is hugely helpful for others!
Sure, sure, write about Glen Powell, who will forever to me be the arrogant and misunderstanding boyfriend in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but I am ready to be convinced. (Although "Anyone But You" was truly awful and trite, IMO.)
But also, please consider writing a bit about the 'Childless Cat Ladies' thing and the whole EXTRA misogyny lobbed at VP Harris regarding her lack of biological children -- and even the whole riposte to it, which is oooh, but she's a stepmom! That's awesome that she's Momala, but if she wasn't, is she somehow lesser than? Somehow unfit to govern? Can these people google Angela Merkel and get a clue?
Vance and others are saying the quiet thing loud - which is there's a special sort of misogyny reserved for women who, by choice or circumstance, have no children. Or should I say that there's a brief hall pass given to women who succeed at becoming mothers. They are celebrated while at the same time they are being undermined in so many ways and judged for how they raise their kids and work and do anything else. But let's face it: there's no hate like the hate for the women who don't have kids, especially by conservative men (and maybe also the #tradwife movement). I love that our Queen, Jennifer Aniston has risen up in these last few days with her truth bombs about the challenges women face on this issue. Like Aniston, I don't like revealing to everyone my husband's and my terrible and tragic journey with multiple pregnancy losses and the enduring pain of not having children, however, I would like a double helping of STFU served to all the weasels who judge any woman's choice or circumstance around motherhood (or anything else). There's a real and pervasive judgement about women without children that is everywhere from who pick up the slack at work to the signifiers in our politics (Families! Working Parents!).... and we need to talk about it.
re: stepmom discourse — I also love that her stepkids (and her husband's ex-wife) are being very clear in her role as a parent, but also IT'S FINE IF SHE DOESN'T HAVE KIDS, IT'S FINE!!
My stepmom, who also has another daughter, my sister who was adopted, said "I have two daughters but I never gave birth, am I a miserable cat lady??"
Just so frustrating to see this dumb narrative that procreating is a woman's sole societal function, and something she is obligated to do. Leave women alone, jfc.
The childless cat ladies I know (including myself) are among the happiest people I know, doing a ton for their communities....
#childlesscatladies4kamala
But honestly, people simply do not know other people's stories. For all we know, Kamala desperately wanted her own children and couldn't have them and every time someone says something about it, it's hurting her. (I don't think that's the case, but it could be! The point is that other people don't know!) All people everywhere should STFU about other people having children or not having them.
It's true, no one knows anyone's story, really, which is why it is so important not to assume. And agree 1000% that women without children are some serious societal glue. I can't think of one woman I know who is without her own children, but crucial to her community (whatever shape that may take), workplace, for other people's children, elders, animals...
Much less important than the other stuff, but if you want a better take on the concept of Glen Powell, may I recommend his other Netflix offering, Set It Up (2018), a much better use of his talents and better executed romcom. I maintain that he has the best chemistry with his co-star Zoey Deutch in it.
Glen Powell as Chad Radwell in season one of Scream Queens is my personal favorite display of Glen Powell's talents, specifically as a comedic actor! He's also good and not as "over the top" in Everybody Wants Some! which is a Richard Linkletter joint and I hope they continue working together!
I often think about how we pigeonholed Jon Hamm into dramatic roles when he has such character-driven comedic acting chops, and I fear we will do the same with Glen Powell!
My heart goes out to you, Lori. These are experiences that are indescribably hard, which is compounded by the fact that most people probably don't understand just how hard it is.
I'd love an analysis of the whole "cat ladies" thing too. Agree with the "childless women are subject to suspicion and misogyny" idea, but there's also been enormous and witty pushback -- which I also find fascinating. Everything from zoom calls for cat ladies for Kamala to "single cat lady and proud" tshirts all over social media.
It may seem a stretch, but I see an analogy to the repeal of abortion rights. For all the gains the right has made, there's also a strong and growing core of "enough with the nonsense." You don't get to restrict choice/you don't get to stereotype/you don't get to look down on.
I did not know and could NOT believe that her husband is a billionaire's son/JetBlue heir?? The way the reporter eviscerated their dynamic was intense to the point of making me uncomfortable, and just so massively sad for her. (As did the fact that she snuck in an epidural for one kid and thought it was amazing....?!?)
I also came running to the comments for this. If you only read the article, I highly recommend listening to The Story podcast as well, so you can hear both of them in the audio.
SO MUCH behind the scenes in the article though. She almost didn’t do the pageant after Flora was born? She got an epidural and admitted it was wonderful? She sometimes lays in bed for a week with exhaustion?!
And the fact that she “was able to” because he wasn’t there. I had complications with my first birth and made decisions for my next one based on what I wish could have happened with my first and a friend commented about my plans to my husband and he was really annoyed about it. He said “it’s her body, man. I’m not going to tell her what she should and shouldn’t do as long as everyone is safe.”
In general I thought this was the best/most clear-eyed mainstream profile of the Ballerina Farm brand that I've seen. Really let the hogfather tell tales on himself.
Also came down here to see if y'all were going to talk about it. I feel torn about it because it felt so clearly that the author was sure she knew what was really going on there, and built this whole awful picture -- and maybe it is 100% correct, and I'd totally believe it, but it also could be some amount of projection and looking for/pulling out what she wanted to see, in which case it's kind of icky.
That is a chronicle of abuse. I don’t believe humans were meant to breed like that. That poor girl didn’t have a chance. I don’t see her surviving this kind of life.
That was so much harsher than I expected, both in its rawness and how the reporter discussed her husband AND, of course, the huge revelation that we don’t see on Instagram. All in all, a really important glimpse inside for anyone who thinks that life is somehow aspirational.
I assumed it was the "in bed for a week with exhaustion" part, because I knew the JetBlue part and I've never followed her, only heard about her on here.
I mean, it's got to be this, right?! "Daniel also grew up in a Mormon family, one of nine, in Connecticut, the son of David Neeleman, billionaire founder of a number of commercial airlines, including JetBlue."
Oh no, I already knew that one (though the story about him getting on the flight was creepy). I mean the revelation that she sometimes has to stay in bed for a week because of exhaustion! That’s definitely not something that is shared on SM.
I’d love to hear what you all think, especially anyone who works in politics or brand strategy. I am convinced that the Kamala rollout has been planned behind the scenes for days, if not weeks. It has gone so smoothly. Joe announces, Joe endorses. Kamala gets the delegations lined up. She makes her first appearance, gets high profile endorsements and rolls out a campaign ad four days later with a Beyoncé soundtrack. I wonder if Joe’s “I’m not going anywhere” was cover to get all the ducks in a row, and then launch. Impressive however it went down.
It is truly impressive. And also, even if her team was working behind the scenes NOTHING LEAKED. With the steady drip drip of discontentment in the press prior to Biden withdrawing, it felt like it was going to be utter chaos, infighting, and mismanagement until the convention (which is most of what I was dreading) and then it was just the opposite.
I'm just so bowled over by the sheer COMPETENCE on display!
I just saw the Beyoncé-soundtracked ad this morning, and was like, darn, that was FAST!! Cheering crowds with Kamala signs—I guess they must have been from the Milwaukee rally. Also, there was a full range of merch up on Monday, including a trans pride sticker pack (!). https://store.kamalaharris.com/kamala-trans-pride-flag-sticker-2-pack/ The most impressive thing is that no one blabbed to the media, which really shows that there's more discipline than disarray in this Democratic team.
Edited to add: I also love the fact that they announced (a) immediately after the Sunday pundit shows had gone off the air and (b) two days after the GOP convention!!!
The ending of Hit Man WAS weird! I enjoyed the movie but I need a full discussion of what they were aiming for and whether that was achieved. (I also think Adria Arjona was great in that and I hope she gets more attention/a breakthrough moment like Powell seems to be having.)
Thanks for sharing more evidence that the 2020 Biden campaign's ceiling is the 2024 Harris campaign's floor. Joe peaked three days after the South Carolina primary but never generated this kind of excitement. Low-info voters have different motivations. They'll want to be a part of history. Her first campaign promise seems to be Make Social Fun Again — kept!!
Not a read, but I want someone to talk about one of Glen Powell's early roles -- John Glenn in Hidden Figures. From imdb, it looks like he was very small parts in non-prestigey movies before that, but it's the first role I remember him in, and I think Hidden Figures has an unusual cultural identity as commercially successful, Obama Era Progressive feel-good that isn't embarrassing, and prestigy actors. Glen Powell is on screen for like two minutes as one of the top Good Handsome White Guys of the 20th century, John Glenn -- centrist farm boy who's bffs with Bobby Kennedy, lots of teeth, wife guy, etc. The whole role is him going out of his way to meet the main characters in a receiving line.
I think this also did the interesting cultural work of associating Powell with Ed Harris, whose breakout role was Glenn in The Right Stuff.
Speaking of early Glen Powell early roles, to me he will always be Dickie Dollar Scholar Bro from SCREAM QUEENS (Netflix show from 2015-2016 that was campy horror tropes). So much so, that when I saw him in HIDDEN FIGURES, I couldn’t take him seriously and did not think he would be as big as he is now. I am very intrigued to read this article AHP is cooking up!
I have to put a shout out for Rebecca Traister’s piece in NY Mag about Kamala. The last two paragraphs have me goosebumps. I’m in the car and can’t link, but it was in there yesterday.
I know that I'm stuck in my little Dem bubble, but I'm actually surprised at how little criticism I've heard so far (I know that will change). Remembering back to the Hilary candidacy, it felt like every other article was about why SHE CAN'T WIN, and I'm curious if anyone who is more political than me may have suggestions about why this may not (yet) be the case with Kamala.
I think a big part of it is the upside of just not being sick of someone yet. Clinton had been on the national stage for more than 30 years by the time she was running for president, and she was so thoroughly defined by fans and detractors that there wasn't much room for change. Approval numbers -- particularly women's approval numbers -- always go down the minute you're asking for more power than you already have. (One of several reasons "generic Democrat" always polls higher than an actual person.) I think an underrated dynamic of the Biden/Trump rematch was just being tired of these particular guys, who have been cultural fixtures for a very long time. Harris is newer to most Americans -- there's a race to give her a brand from both sides now, but I think she benefits from a faster timeline.
What was the line in one of the early age stories circa 2020, probably a Leibovich special, about journalists secretly admitting what a relief it was to see a senior politician trotting up the steps full of youthful energy??
This is soooo interesting to me and I guess the difference between a “dem” bubble and a “leftist” bubble. My experience is that everyone around me irl and on social media immediately and harshly criticized her record as a prosecutor, on Gaza, on asylum seekers, etc. I think Reginald Dwayne Betts’ piece is mandatory thinking on the nuance, and my career in the refugee space leads me more towards pragmatism/incrementalism than many of my political peers, but from my vantage point the mood is that she offers nothing, has an indefensible, and is no better than Biden, and in fact an affront to market Biden in Gen Z clothing. I know I’m in a thick bubble but makes me so curious what this all looks like from a more mainstream liberal position!
Yes, the bubble thing is fascinating. I’m a leftist with institutional liberal inclinations (former DSA member, two time Bernie primary voter, but I always vote for the Dem in the general even if I don’t like them) who moves back and forth between mainstream Dem and leftist spaces. I see three bubbles right now - the mainstream Democratic bubble that feels like it’s recycling a lot of the Clinton 2016 enthusiasm, the Extremely Online leftist bubble that is saying “Kamala is a cop” and extremely cynical about her approach to Palestine/Israel. There is also a third bubble that I think I’m in, which are maybe what I would call normie leftists who are having a “we go to war with the army we have” moment but also engaging in some silly fan fiction group chats like saying “What if she picked the UAW or Flight Attendants Union president for VP”
“And yet... something has shifted. I hope. We have a chance to begin the process of changing the message, to genuinely start to rearrange the structures on which our society rests. Many of us, because we care about the future, are going to participate in different kinds of political narratives in the next few months. Ideas, images and words are going to be tossed around, and we don’t have to accept how people with awful intentions or uninvestigated biases use them to create narratives that don’t move our society forward. “
Yeah, I would say the valley more in conversation, but I feel like over the years a lot of organizations that once had Pioneer Valley or Valley in their names shifted. Anyway it was nice to see in print here.
My question my whole life is, does anyone *actually* say Noho? I grew up knowing the joke and seeing it on t shirts and such at the Mercantile and understanding the cultural divide it described, and as someone whose family moved there because my dad got a job at UMass (although, funny story, it turns out that when I was going to Bridge Street School every day I was passing a cemetery where one of my ancestors was buried in 1729), we were pretty firmly in the Noho demographic but I really don't think I ever remember anyone using that name as anything other than a reference to the Hamp vs. Noho joke. Whereas a lot of the people I went to school with really do say Hamp all the time. I don't know, maybe I still just know the wrong people for Noho.
I grew up in Amherst and definitely knew more people who said Noho (including my family) than Hamp! I'm 36 FWIW, and also the child of transplants who came to work at UMass.
I cannot wait for the convo on Glen Powell. I can’t tell if I think he’s attractive because he reminds me of every white boy I had a crush on in college or if there is something particular to him. Whatever it is, he’s the only 30-something American actors among his peers that would inspire me to watch something just because he’s in it.
I agree with everything you said re: Glen Powell. I can't tell if I really find him attractive or not but I do find him compelling to watch. I thought Anything But You was pretty bad, but not because of him. In fact, right after finishing it I immediately watched Top Gun Maverick just to get a bit more of him.
Dust to Digital is an amazing record label; some years ago they put out this incredible box set of recordings of traditional Moroccan music made by the author Paul Bowles in 1959. I have one on my shelf and it's seriously one of the most beautiful music-related objects I've ever seen.
Yes! Welcome everyone to the content queen who is Ilona Maher! More lipstick and rugby! Big shoulders! Olympic Villa! And that's just on Instagram, for the millennials who still can't get on TikTok. We love to see it.
I also really enjoyed Mo Ryan's piece on Kamala and misogynoir in entertainment. It made me so very angry all over again about the demise of the show "Sleepy Hollow" and the way its star Nicole Beharie was treated in the industry. I'm so glad that she is now an Emmy nominee. But it is so important that all of us call out this bullshit for what it is when we see it.
"we are just not allowed to live in precedented times anymore" — this is the second use of that word I've encountered today, which for me is … um, a first
Re: Harris. I’m an elder millennial midwestern left-leaning white woman living in a red state. I have had my moments over the years where the subconscious pull of white nationalism feels a little safe. (I’ve consciously fought this feeling numerous times, but I can recognize it and admit it when it comes up!) So, I think it’s safe to say I have a fair amount of unconscious bias I must always be aware of and keep in check.
What struck me this week was… I opened the NYT and there was a photo of Harris behind a podium and my first visceral reaction to that photo was “That looks like a president.”
My takeaway from that reaction was “REPRESENTATION MATTERS!!” Because I know in my heart of hearts I would not have seen a photo of a black woman in the year 2006 or even 2010(?) and thought “presidential.” But since then our culture has DONE SOME WORK so that now, my little white-programmed brain can be reprogrammed to see things more fairly and more accurately! I was very excited. Not because my bias seems to have faded, but because if my bias is fading, so are many many others’ biases.
So this is a shoutout to all the people who have done this work - whether it be in the media, in hiring decisions, on social media, in fiction - to reset the image of what a leader looks like. Because Kamala Harris looks like a damn good president!
Kudos to you for mentioning your biases and that you're working on them in this forum, that's brave. And glad to see that the excitement about Kamala does indeed seem to be as penetrating and widespread as it appears, not just blue relief at Biden stepping down
You absolutely do not have to talk more about this if you don't want to, but I'd be so interested to hear what it is about the white nationalism that is emotionally appealing to you. I don't mean this in a judgemental way at all, just a curious one. I have lived 90% of my life in red states and I find all nationalism inherently off-putting, so a different perspective is fascinating to me.
I didn’t say it was appealing, but “safe.” I think as a white woman in a red state, the messaging around white nationalism can take forms of fear mongering that, left unexamined, can make you entertain some MAGA policies. An example would be “your children are no longer safe to play outside.” Or messaging that your way of life is somehow threatened. Nothing *overtly* white nationalist or racist, but ideas that feel comforting until you follow it through to the logical end and realize how terrible it would be. I have found myself thinking at times “maybe it would be simpler to xyz,” with xyz being some ideal or vision of right wing thinking. For instance, I’ve always had a hell of a lot of working mom guilt. So the idea of going back to an economy where only one spouse needs a job to survive has seemed appealing at times and the Right is sitting there promoting women staying home with children. But I always always challenge myself in those moments and I’m self-aware enough to know it’s a trap. I don’t want people to think I’ve ever voted like a white nationalist. But there are ideas touted by the far right that, in my laziest moments, if I’m being totally honest, can feel safer for me, as a woman with racial privilege. Does that answer your question? It’s not that it’s appealing when you look at the idea head on.
That is so helpful, thank you! I appreciate and admire your vulnerability.
I don't have children (and don't intend to), so things are very different for me, but I can absolutely 1000% see how the right's narratives about ~danger~ would trigger your maternal desire to protect your children. And I've definitely had wistful thoughts of, "Oh, wouldn't it be nice to let someone else economically support me," though ti's immediately followed by remembering all the horrible problems that arise for women when they're financially dependent on a man.
Yes all these things! And most of this is just really about my own biases and not how I consciously think. I’ve never been tempted to vote MAGA or anything! But just knowing how MAGA thinks because I’ve felt it too at times makes me excited that my own biases are changing so others’ are probably too. It gives me hope!
That's great! It is such an important lesson to learn: that your first, instinctual reaction to things doesn't define you, that you don't need to listen to it, that you can look at it and choose something else. Here's to many more people doing the same!
I think this makes perfect, evolutionary sense. Our brains are designed to keep us safe and comfortable. It’s not a moral failing. You’ve done great work on your unconscious biases and just talking about them is hugely helpful for others!
Sure, sure, write about Glen Powell, who will forever to me be the arrogant and misunderstanding boyfriend in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but I am ready to be convinced. (Although "Anyone But You" was truly awful and trite, IMO.)
But also, please consider writing a bit about the 'Childless Cat Ladies' thing and the whole EXTRA misogyny lobbed at VP Harris regarding her lack of biological children -- and even the whole riposte to it, which is oooh, but she's a stepmom! That's awesome that she's Momala, but if she wasn't, is she somehow lesser than? Somehow unfit to govern? Can these people google Angela Merkel and get a clue?
Vance and others are saying the quiet thing loud - which is there's a special sort of misogyny reserved for women who, by choice or circumstance, have no children. Or should I say that there's a brief hall pass given to women who succeed at becoming mothers. They are celebrated while at the same time they are being undermined in so many ways and judged for how they raise their kids and work and do anything else. But let's face it: there's no hate like the hate for the women who don't have kids, especially by conservative men (and maybe also the #tradwife movement). I love that our Queen, Jennifer Aniston has risen up in these last few days with her truth bombs about the challenges women face on this issue. Like Aniston, I don't like revealing to everyone my husband's and my terrible and tragic journey with multiple pregnancy losses and the enduring pain of not having children, however, I would like a double helping of STFU served to all the weasels who judge any woman's choice or circumstance around motherhood (or anything else). There's a real and pervasive judgement about women without children that is everywhere from who pick up the slack at work to the signifiers in our politics (Families! Working Parents!).... and we need to talk about it.
re: stepmom discourse — I also love that her stepkids (and her husband's ex-wife) are being very clear in her role as a parent, but also IT'S FINE IF SHE DOESN'T HAVE KIDS, IT'S FINE!!
My stepmom, who also has another daughter, my sister who was adopted, said "I have two daughters but I never gave birth, am I a miserable cat lady??"
Just so frustrating to see this dumb narrative that procreating is a woman's sole societal function, and something she is obligated to do. Leave women alone, jfc.
I just would like justice for my fellow childless dog ladies out there. Representation matters!
The childless cat ladies I know (including myself) are among the happiest people I know, doing a ton for their communities....
#childlesscatladies4kamala
But honestly, people simply do not know other people's stories. For all we know, Kamala desperately wanted her own children and couldn't have them and every time someone says something about it, it's hurting her. (I don't think that's the case, but it could be! The point is that other people don't know!) All people everywhere should STFU about other people having children or not having them.
It's true, no one knows anyone's story, really, which is why it is so important not to assume. And agree 1000% that women without children are some serious societal glue. I can't think of one woman I know who is without her own children, but crucial to her community (whatever shape that may take), workplace, for other people's children, elders, animals...
Much less important than the other stuff, but if you want a better take on the concept of Glen Powell, may I recommend his other Netflix offering, Set It Up (2018), a much better use of his talents and better executed romcom. I maintain that he has the best chemistry with his co-star Zoey Deutch in it.
Glen Powell as Chad Radwell in season one of Scream Queens is my personal favorite display of Glen Powell's talents, specifically as a comedic actor! He's also good and not as "over the top" in Everybody Wants Some! which is a Richard Linkletter joint and I hope they continue working together!
I often think about how we pigeonholed Jon Hamm into dramatic roles when he has such character-driven comedic acting chops, and I fear we will do the same with Glen Powell!
It was really good!
These days a good romcom can be an excellent soul balm, so I definitely take that recommendation, with thanks!
YES!! Thank you for this! (Childless after infertility & stillbirth -- albeit not a cat lady, lol.)
My heart goes out to you, Lori. These are experiences that are indescribably hard, which is compounded by the fact that most people probably don't understand just how hard it is.
I'd love an analysis of the whole "cat ladies" thing too. Agree with the "childless women are subject to suspicion and misogyny" idea, but there's also been enormous and witty pushback -- which I also find fascinating. Everything from zoom calls for cat ladies for Kamala to "single cat lady and proud" tshirts all over social media.
It may seem a stretch, but I see an analogy to the repeal of abortion rights. For all the gains the right has made, there's also a strong and growing core of "enough with the nonsense." You don't get to restrict choice/you don't get to stereotype/you don't get to look down on.
First of all, yes to all these things. And, on a less serious note, my mom’s friend made this Cat Ladies for Kamala shirt and I wish I was a cat person so I could wear it! https://www.etsy.com/listing/1766287549/womens-cat-ladies-for-kamala-harris
Well I am absolutely sure that I'm the gazillionth person to ask, but what is your read on the Ballerina Farm article in the Times (UK) this week?
I did not know and could NOT believe that her husband is a billionaire's son/JetBlue heir?? The way the reporter eviscerated their dynamic was intense to the point of making me uncomfortable, and just so massively sad for her. (As did the fact that she snuck in an epidural for one kid and thought it was amazing....?!?)
I also came running to the comments for this. If you only read the article, I highly recommend listening to The Story podcast as well, so you can hear both of them in the audio.
SO MUCH behind the scenes in the article though. She almost didn’t do the pageant after Flora was born? She got an epidural and admitted it was wonderful? She sometimes lays in bed for a week with exhaustion?!
And the fact that she “was able to” because he wasn’t there. I had complications with my first birth and made decisions for my next one based on what I wish could have happened with my first and a friend commented about my plans to my husband and he was really annoyed about it. He said “it’s her body, man. I’m not going to tell her what she should and shouldn’t do as long as everyone is safe.”
In general I thought this was the best/most clear-eyed mainstream profile of the Ballerina Farm brand that I've seen. Really let the hogfather tell tales on himself.
And also can we just say that when those kids get older & realize that their dad calls himself "hogfather" it's gonna get weird?
They started out farming pigs only, so I assume it's from that (and I don't know that I want to give him credit for awareness of Terry Pratchett)
I know nothing about them and I was horrified at their dynamic reading the story.
Also came down here to see if y'all were going to talk about it. I feel torn about it because it felt so clearly that the author was sure she knew what was really going on there, and built this whole awful picture -- and maybe it is 100% correct, and I'd totally believe it, but it also could be some amount of projection and looking for/pulling out what she wanted to see, in which case it's kind of icky.
That is a chronicle of abuse. I don’t believe humans were meant to breed like that. That poor girl didn’t have a chance. I don’t see her surviving this kind of life.
That was so much harsher than I expected, both in its rawness and how the reporter discussed her husband AND, of course, the huge revelation that we don’t see on Instagram. All in all, a really important glimpse inside for anyone who thinks that life is somehow aspirational.
The paragraph in which the correspondent eviscerated Daniel's claims of sacrificial living was worth the read
What is the huge revelation because I refuse to follow people I don't know on IG?
I assumed it was the "in bed for a week with exhaustion" part, because I knew the JetBlue part and I've never followed her, only heard about her on here.
Same. The JetBlue stuff is mentioned in all the articles/profiles including (i'm pretty sure) the New York Times one last year.
I mean, it's got to be this, right?! "Daniel also grew up in a Mormon family, one of nine, in Connecticut, the son of David Neeleman, billionaire founder of a number of commercial airlines, including JetBlue."
Oh no, I already knew that one (though the story about him getting on the flight was creepy). I mean the revelation that she sometimes has to stay in bed for a week because of exhaustion! That’s definitely not something that is shared on SM.
Came here to mention that one!
My immediate thought was if she has long covid/something post-viral. Being in bed for an entire week is not a “normal” physical level of exhaustion.
In my family there have been people put themselves to bed for extended periods because depression.
I ran here to see if folks were commenting on it! https://www.thetimes.com/magazines/the-sunday-times-magazine/article/meet-the-queen-of-the-trad-wives-and-her-eight-children-plfr50cgk
Re: Glen Powell, this tweet sums him up pretty well I think https://twitter.com/kathryntdubbs/status/1816199194022936920?s=42&t=j4oxbMTOiC15IQP2_8mSHQ (why yes, I have refused to update the app)
WOW PERFECT
I’d love to hear what you all think, especially anyone who works in politics or brand strategy. I am convinced that the Kamala rollout has been planned behind the scenes for days, if not weeks. It has gone so smoothly. Joe announces, Joe endorses. Kamala gets the delegations lined up. She makes her first appearance, gets high profile endorsements and rolls out a campaign ad four days later with a Beyoncé soundtrack. I wonder if Joe’s “I’m not going anywhere” was cover to get all the ducks in a row, and then launch. Impressive however it went down.
It is truly impressive. And also, even if her team was working behind the scenes NOTHING LEAKED. With the steady drip drip of discontentment in the press prior to Biden withdrawing, it felt like it was going to be utter chaos, infighting, and mismanagement until the convention (which is most of what I was dreading) and then it was just the opposite.
I'm just so bowled over by the sheer COMPETENCE on display!
Yes! This is a demonstration yet again that if you don't want anyone to know about something, you play your cards very close to your vest.
I just saw the Beyoncé-soundtracked ad this morning, and was like, darn, that was FAST!! Cheering crowds with Kamala signs—I guess they must have been from the Milwaukee rally. Also, there was a full range of merch up on Monday, including a trans pride sticker pack (!). https://store.kamalaharris.com/kamala-trans-pride-flag-sticker-2-pack/ The most impressive thing is that no one blabbed to the media, which really shows that there's more discipline than disarray in this Democratic team.
Edited to add: I also love the fact that they announced (a) immediately after the Sunday pundit shows had gone off the air and (b) two days after the GOP convention!!!
Seriously brilliant all around. Could not have scripted it better. Well done everyone!
no one in politics can keep a secret, I can't believe it was planned because it's just not possible people didn't blab
It seemed very orchestrated to me as well, and I'm totally ok with that
I like seeing organization!
The ending of Hit Man WAS weird! I enjoyed the movie but I need a full discussion of what they were aiming for and whether that was achieved. (I also think Adria Arjona was great in that and I hope she gets more attention/a breakthrough moment like Powell seems to be having.)
Thanks for sharing more evidence that the 2020 Biden campaign's ceiling is the 2024 Harris campaign's floor. Joe peaked three days after the South Carolina primary but never generated this kind of excitement. Low-info voters have different motivations. They'll want to be a part of history. Her first campaign promise seems to be Make Social Fun Again — kept!!
Not a read, but I want someone to talk about one of Glen Powell's early roles -- John Glenn in Hidden Figures. From imdb, it looks like he was very small parts in non-prestigey movies before that, but it's the first role I remember him in, and I think Hidden Figures has an unusual cultural identity as commercially successful, Obama Era Progressive feel-good that isn't embarrassing, and prestigy actors. Glen Powell is on screen for like two minutes as one of the top Good Handsome White Guys of the 20th century, John Glenn -- centrist farm boy who's bffs with Bobby Kennedy, lots of teeth, wife guy, etc. The whole role is him going out of his way to meet the main characters in a receiving line.
I think this also did the interesting cultural work of associating Powell with Ed Harris, whose breakout role was Glenn in The Right Stuff.
Speaking of early Glen Powell early roles, to me he will always be Dickie Dollar Scholar Bro from SCREAM QUEENS (Netflix show from 2015-2016 that was campy horror tropes). So much so, that when I saw him in HIDDEN FIGURES, I couldn’t take him seriously and did not think he would be as big as he is now. I am very intrigued to read this article AHP is cooking up!
I’m sorry, I believe you mean THE Chad Radwell. 😉
Haha but of course! How could I forget!
I have to put a shout out for Rebecca Traister’s piece in NY Mag about Kamala. The last two paragraphs have me goosebumps. I’m in the car and can’t link, but it was in there yesterday.
Here it is!
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/the-thrill-of-taking-a-huge-risk-on-kamala-harris.html
Thank you!
This was SO good.
I know that I'm stuck in my little Dem bubble, but I'm actually surprised at how little criticism I've heard so far (I know that will change). Remembering back to the Hilary candidacy, it felt like every other article was about why SHE CAN'T WIN, and I'm curious if anyone who is more political than me may have suggestions about why this may not (yet) be the case with Kamala.
I think a big part of it is the upside of just not being sick of someone yet. Clinton had been on the national stage for more than 30 years by the time she was running for president, and she was so thoroughly defined by fans and detractors that there wasn't much room for change. Approval numbers -- particularly women's approval numbers -- always go down the minute you're asking for more power than you already have. (One of several reasons "generic Democrat" always polls higher than an actual person.) I think an underrated dynamic of the Biden/Trump rematch was just being tired of these particular guys, who have been cultural fixtures for a very long time. Harris is newer to most Americans -- there's a race to give her a brand from both sides now, but I think she benefits from a faster timeline.
What was the line in one of the early age stories circa 2020, probably a Leibovich special, about journalists secretly admitting what a relief it was to see a senior politician trotting up the steps full of youthful energy??
This is soooo interesting to me and I guess the difference between a “dem” bubble and a “leftist” bubble. My experience is that everyone around me irl and on social media immediately and harshly criticized her record as a prosecutor, on Gaza, on asylum seekers, etc. I think Reginald Dwayne Betts’ piece is mandatory thinking on the nuance, and my career in the refugee space leads me more towards pragmatism/incrementalism than many of my political peers, but from my vantage point the mood is that she offers nothing, has an indefensible, and is no better than Biden, and in fact an affront to market Biden in Gen Z clothing. I know I’m in a thick bubble but makes me so curious what this all looks like from a more mainstream liberal position!
Yes, the bubble thing is fascinating. I’m a leftist with institutional liberal inclinations (former DSA member, two time Bernie primary voter, but I always vote for the Dem in the general even if I don’t like them) who moves back and forth between mainstream Dem and leftist spaces. I see three bubbles right now - the mainstream Democratic bubble that feels like it’s recycling a lot of the Clinton 2016 enthusiasm, the Extremely Online leftist bubble that is saying “Kamala is a cop” and extremely cynical about her approach to Palestine/Israel. There is also a third bubble that I think I’m in, which are maybe what I would call normie leftists who are having a “we go to war with the army we have” moment but also engaging in some silly fan fiction group chats like saying “What if she picked the UAW or Flight Attendants Union president for VP”
The alternative is approximately 100x worse, isn't it?
NY Times has done a fair amount of those so far
From Maureen Ryan’s piece, worth highlighting…
“And yet... something has shifted. I hope. We have a chance to begin the process of changing the message, to genuinely start to rearrange the structures on which our society rests. Many of us, because we care about the future, are going to participate in different kinds of political narratives in the next few months. Ideas, images and words are going to be tossed around, and we don’t have to accept how people with awful intentions or uninvestigated biases use them to create narratives that don’t move our society forward. “
Yes!
The way I yelped with delight to see "Pioneer Valley of Western Mass" in this newsletter, as someone who lives in that valley. Thank you!
I feel like "Pioneer Valley" is used less than when I was growing up there and it was a pleasure to see it used in full.
I tend to say "the valley" but still hear it quite a bit! Kind of like Hamp vs Noho haha
Yeah, I would say the valley more in conversation, but I feel like over the years a lot of organizations that once had Pioneer Valley or Valley in their names shifted. Anyway it was nice to see in print here.
My question my whole life is, does anyone *actually* say Noho? I grew up knowing the joke and seeing it on t shirts and such at the Mercantile and understanding the cultural divide it described, and as someone whose family moved there because my dad got a job at UMass (although, funny story, it turns out that when I was going to Bridge Street School every day I was passing a cemetery where one of my ancestors was buried in 1729), we were pretty firmly in the Noho demographic but I really don't think I ever remember anyone using that name as anything other than a reference to the Hamp vs. Noho joke. Whereas a lot of the people I went to school with really do say Hamp all the time. I don't know, maybe I still just know the wrong people for Noho.
I grew up in Amherst and definitely knew more people who said Noho (including my family) than Hamp! I'm 36 FWIW, and also the child of transplants who came to work at UMass.
Yeah I mostly just see it used in facebook arguments lol
This is Maynard family territory and I was happy to see it, too!
This piece on the parallels between Kamala’s evolution and Beyoncé’s recent discography was an interesting read.
https://19thnews.org/2024/07/like-beyonce-kamala-harris-is-having-her-renaissance/
I cannot wait for the convo on Glen Powell. I can’t tell if I think he’s attractive because he reminds me of every white boy I had a crush on in college or if there is something particular to him. Whatever it is, he’s the only 30-something American actors among his peers that would inspire me to watch something just because he’s in it.
ooooh can't wait to read this, I love The 19th!
I agree with everything you said re: Glen Powell. I can't tell if I really find him attractive or not but I do find him compelling to watch. I thought Anything But You was pretty bad, but not because of him. In fact, right after finishing it I immediately watched Top Gun Maverick just to get a bit more of him.
Dust to Digital is an amazing record label; some years ago they put out this incredible box set of recordings of traditional Moroccan music made by the author Paul Bowles in 1959. I have one on my shelf and it's seriously one of the most beautiful music-related objects I've ever seen.
https://dust-digital.com/products/music-of-morocco-recorded-by-paul-bowles-1959
Yes! Welcome everyone to the content queen who is Ilona Maher! More lipstick and rugby! Big shoulders! Olympic Villa! And that's just on Instagram, for the millennials who still can't get on TikTok. We love to see it.
I *love* her. Also real Jennifer Garner vibes???
I also really enjoyed Mo Ryan's piece on Kamala and misogynoir in entertainment. It made me so very angry all over again about the demise of the show "Sleepy Hollow" and the way its star Nicole Beharie was treated in the industry. I'm so glad that she is now an Emmy nominee. But it is so important that all of us call out this bullshit for what it is when we see it.
https://burner-account.ghost.io/on-kamala-harris-barack-obama-and-sleepy-hollow-on-moving-forward-and-not-going-back-2/
"we are just not allowed to live in precedented times anymore" — this is the second use of that word I've encountered today, which for me is … um, a first
On Sunday I literally said to my friend as we were waiting for a train "I just want to live in precedented times". I think it is the current mood.