Critical Nonsense

If we think of fraudsters as the hackers of social psychology, what can it teach us about the weaknesses of our society so we can strengthen them and make them better? And how should we feel about being left behind by a vibe? [28:57]

This week, special guest Trevor Larry joins Joey and Jess to talk about catfishing, Inventing Anna, desperation and risk analysis, vibe shifts, "youth culture" as a construct, and Williamsburg. They don’t talk about why Nobody Beats the Biz (R.I.P).

references



• NPR: Ways to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine
• Joey's on the radio.
• The Tinder Swindler
• Inventing Anna
• Catfish: The TV Show
• Business Insider: The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the Theranos founder
• How to Recognize Publishers Clearing House Scams
• New York's Vulture: Everything to Know About McMillions and the McDonald’s Monopoly Game Scam
• CNBC: Nigerian prince’ email scams still rake in over $700,000 a year
• The Conversation: West Elm Caleb and the rise of the TikTok tabloid
• Time keeps on slipping #noSpaceJam
• New York's The Cut: A vibe shift is coming, will any of us survive it?
• 8Ball Substack
• Dazed: WTF is Indie Sleaze and is it actually making a comeback?
• Grandmacore Aesthetic: Everything You Need to Know
• "Beefy and handsome" Nick Wooster
• Beef and cheese behavior (maybe with lettuce and tomato, if you like lettuce and tomato).
• Or, you know, in pre-vibe-shift-terms: Do you. (R.I.P., D).

Where is the line between the honor of minding your own business and the honor of speaking up? And why do we buy things we know are trash? [28:49]

This week, Joey, Aaron and Jess talk about bowling within your bumpers, preference vs. morality, misplaced concern, the persistence of old candy, utility vs. nostalgia, and fidget spinners. They don’t talk about why black licorice is actually insanely good if you don't have a ridiculous bias against it and/or are Dutch (or from a former Dutch colony).

references



• Even if you don't speak Spanish, have a look at this graph!
• Maybe don't drink the milk, though.
• Revisit our wild rollerskating prognostication from Critical Nonsense 156!
• Ryan Ken on minding your own business
• Showtime's Yellowjackets
• Also, a look back at thick conversations from Critical Nonsense 121!
• Podcast: You're Wrong About: The Chicks vs. The Iraq War
• "Say It (Don't Spray It)"
• The Männkitchen Pepper Cannon: The greatest (but certainly not cheapest) pepper grinder of all time.
• Ancient(ly disgusting) necco wafers and the dusty, industrial hell from whence they come
• The Lindy Effect
• Um, FYI, professional fingerboarding is a thing.
• Tellicherry: the ultimate peppercorn
• Legend Adam Neely breaks down the most elegant key change in all of pop music.
• More magic music theory nerdery from Mr. Neely: Olivia Rodrigo vs. Paramour.
• The cone of transcendentally delicious black licorice ice cream that Les and his obviously superior taste receptors will absolutely fight Joey over.

How do you think we as individuals can help a country like India decolonize their values and move in a direction of sexual liberation?

This week, special guest Payal Pereira joins Jess and Joey to talk about British colonization, transgenerational cultural drama, kink subcultures, coded branding, sex education through dance, and the F-word. They don’t talk about the American Beekeeping Federation (or the Adult Bible Fellowship).

references

• Wiki: Kama Sutra
• Kama Sutra by Vātsyāyana
• Vice: Inside the Secret World of India’s Adult Breastfeeding Community
• "The Psychology Behind Kinks and Seeking Pain In the Bedroom"
• Leeza Mangaldas
• Corrections Department: The gospel according to Snopes: Etymology of the the ‘F-Word’
• The Sex Lives of College Girls
• Skins
• Sex Education

When should you keep going when all you see ahead of you are troubles? And why do tennis players grunt? [23:52]

This week, Jess, Aaron and Joey talk about the ever-elusive vanilla cookie, nuance and complexity, imagining beyond your means, kinetic linking, mirroring, and tennis culture. They don’t talk about Monica Seles. Or Maria Seles. Or even Martina Seles. (They don't talk about Jimmy Connors either).

references

• Not to disparage Joey's karaoke version, but Billy is the best.
• Critical Nonsense merch
• Returnal
• Roguelike role-playing games
• Kinetic linking
• Martina Navratilova is a (grunt-)hater
• More power (and more grunting)
• A reminder: If You Can Huh! You Can Hear
• Heilala Vanilla

Are we actually passive victims to social media or do you see a future where we have some modicum of control?

This week, Joey and Jess talk about the metaverse, Web3, public ledgers of information, entropy, "baroque speculative fiction," and nerds. They don’t talk about NFTs, weirdly enough.

references



• Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, in print or as an audiobook
• NYT's The Daily Podcast: Microsoft and the Metaverse
• Memetics
• New Scientist: What is Web3 and how will it change the way we use the internet?

What's to come in 2022?

This week, it's Wild Prognostications time again! Joey, Jess, and Aaron chime in with their annual predictions for the new year. They talk about crypto crashing [5:59], the return of rollerskating [19:59], the low-rise revival [28:53], gap-year popularity [43:15], Home-Ec classes for adults [52:19], and psychedelics [1:01:28]. They don’t talk about Vince Chase, poor guy.

references

• We can't make you love us.
• The New York Times: The Rise of the Climatarian
• Why Will Smith turned down The Matrix, but didn't turn down this.
• Oh, Disco Ball Rite Aid, you will be missed
• Whip It
• Fashion: Miu Miu Runway Show Marks the Return of the Low-Rise, Ultra-Mini Skirt
• JNCO Jeans
• What exactly is Vaporwave AESTHETICS!?
• A look back at Mandy Moore
• Black-ish and the gap year
• Asher Roth "I Love College"
• The New York Times (again): I Do Things Differently From My Wife. And That’s OK.
• Dad, How Do I?
• Vice: The Battle Over Psychedelic Therapy's Future

How to make Sh*t Happens?

We're back! (Kind of). We're kicking off 2022 with a quick intro to our new Shark Tank-like segment: Nonsense Venture Capital. This week, special guest Nora Mestrich joins Joey and Jess to talk about public restrooms, toilet paper, and two-dollar bills. They don’t talk about the impressively maintained public bathroom in Bryant Park.

references

• Shark Tank
• Not quite a TikTok public restroom access account, but here are some sink reviews
• We want our two dollars!

What debt do we owe to '90s action movies? And how can we clean digital house in the new year? [22:08]

This week, one more from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Aaron and Joey talk about the most progressive movie genres, Atomic Blonde, Sigourney Weaver, ideas on Twitter, deep cleaning our feeds, and "the holey sock problem." They don't talk about how Joey is definitely 1000% wrong about Hitch.

references

• The 2014 MIT study on Twitter feeds and quality ideas and the full report
• Whatever you feel about Malcolm Gladwell: thoughts on what guides our feelings on the law

How does purpose lead us astray? And when is it okay to talk about aliens? [24:52]

This week, another rerun from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Aaron and Joey and Jess talk about Disney Pixar's Soul, fridge magnets, the Princess Diaries Series of novels, the Drake Equation and other UFO/UAP talk, tranches, and the science behind wombats' cube-shaped poop. They don't talk about owls relate to any of this conversation.

references

• Elle: People react on Twitter to Soul
• Also, that Roger Ebert synopsis. But also, watch it!
• Quartz: "The Misappropriation of Corporate Purpose"
• Erik Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development
• '"The Princess Diaries" is a Meg Cabot literary classic—there are 10 in all, but at least read Book 1 through Jess's personal favorite, Book 3.
• SETI
• Lights in Charlotte and the blue light in Hawaii and some kinda something in LA
• Thanks science for explaining how wombats poop cubes

What do Mortal Kombat "fatalities" tell us about the American psyche in 2019? And how valuable is the comfort and familiarity of watching old TV shows? [28:27]

This week, reruns from the Nonsense Wellspring (archive)!

Again, Aaron and Joey talk about quirky horror icons, the allure of "punchy-kicky," gladiators, "22-Minute Worlds," the comfort TV business model, and several Gilmore Girls spoilers. They don't talk about the (yet unproven) health benefits of vegging out in front of endless New Girl reruns—not The New Girl, Joey, duh.

references

• The 1896 train film, L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat (Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat) that scared people, but may not have induced a stampede.
• The Guardian: "The Age of Comfort TV"
• Reviving Norman Lear sitcoms
• Too Many Cooks, Adult Swim
• The floor is lava and there are no rules: playing True American (not advisable)