The Daily Note with James A. Brown

It's Wednesday and it's time for some Wit and Wisdom.

This week's wise words come from Mark Manson, the best-selling author known for books with profane titles like Everything is F***ed or The Subtle Act of Not Giving a F***.

In the latter book, he says in order to achieve happiness, you have to do something bold.

Choose something.

Everybody enjoys what feels good. Everyone wants to live a carefree, happy, and easy life. To fall in love, and have amazing sex, and relationships, to look perfect, and make money, and be popular, and well-respected, and admired, and a total baller to the point that people part like the Red Sea when they walk into a room. Everybody wants that. It's easy to want that. A more interesting question, a question that most people never consider is, what pain do you want in your life? What are you willing to struggle for? Because that seems to be a greater determinant of how our lives turn out.

All of the Above with James Brown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

He says happiness requires problems and struggle, and fulfillment comes from finding answers for our struggle.

Whether you suffer from anxiety or loneliness, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, or a d*** boss who ruins half of your waking hours every day. The solution lies in the acceptance and active engagement of that negative experience. Not the avoidance of it. Not the salvation from it.

Or as a wise reader of mine once told me, “put a stake in the ground.”

You never know what you can find where you are.

What do you think?

And what's your struggle?

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

his holiday season has me thinking about how fortunate I am to have people in my life that care about me.

It also makes me think about the feeling that I have at times.

that I'm all alone, even in crowded rooms.

This feeling is riskier than most of us realize.

The World Health Organization claims loneliness is equivalent to 15 cigarettes a day, and the risks are greater than those that come with obesity or physical inactivity.

All of the Above with James Brown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

That's why they've declared loneliness a global public health concern.

And no wonder, according to a worldwide 140-country Gallup meta-survey, 1 in 4 people, or more than a billion adults on the planet, are very or fairly lonely.

And a report from NPR suggests that that percentage is likely low because the poll wasn't allowed in China.

There must be more than a few lonely Chinese people

With this, we should consider why billion-ish people feel this way.

Many point to the ever-long tale of the COVID-19 pandemic, and no doubt that plays a role, but that can't be it.

The modern condition is filled with conveniences and wonders that are often hard to escape, as is the weight of it all.

In the strings attached,

I think we should slow down and ask, is all this worth it? And if its not what do we do about it?

Whether it is or not, at least I know I'm not alone.

What do you think and why are so many people lonely these days?

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Colin Cowherd, Draymond Green and the strange world of “new” media

Colin Cowherd, the sports talk TV and radio star turned entrepreneur and owner of the podcasting network, The Volume, posted a fascinating appeal to his listeners.

Take it easy on Draymond Green.

“I know Draymond,” Cowherd told his podcast audience. “He's a terrific employee. He's a hard worker. He's an excellent podcaster. He's thoughtful and very, very reflective. I've never thought he mails it in.“

He’s right. Over the decades, we've seen worse than green in sports in the NBA.

“My feeling is, when you have perspective and you've watched (Bill) Laimbeer,” continued Cowherd. “And you've watched Dennis Rodman and you see Draymond and Laimbeer and Draymond are more talented, better offensive players, obviously, than Dennis Rodman. But it's just perspective. You know, he's not let's take a deep breath here. He's not selling drugs to kids. He's not a shady politician. He's not selling weapons to inappropriate people. It's a sports suspension based on a very physical player.”

Much like those athletes, Green's temperamental nature was intertwined with winning.

The future basketball Hall of Famer was a key component of one of the greatest dynasties in NBA history.

His Golden State Warriors won four titles, appeared in six NBA titles, and won more games in a single season than any other team in history, all in a 10-year span.

Green isn't a typical, bombastic, demonstrative, fire-breathing physical player known for doing all the little things, the dirty work.

The team needed this to allow its style to succeed.

In many ways, he was the team's heartbeat.

Today, as I record this, he's also a big reason why they're in 11th place.

Green is an atypical, bombastic, demonstrative, fire breathing, physical player, known for doing all the little things, the dirty work, the team needed to allow its style to succeed. In many ways, he was the team’s heartbeat. 

Today, as I record this, he’s also a big reason why they’re in 11th place. 

As his physical talents have declined, he’s escalated one of his worst habits: lashing out during games. Last year, he punched a teammate and this year he’s repeatedly got himself thrown out of games for his conduct including for choking an opponent. Just a few days ago, he was suspended indefinitely for hitting another opponent in the head. 

What made Cowherd’s comments fascinating is their business relationship. Green’s podcast is produced by, empowered by, enabled by Colin Cowherd’s network. A year and half ago he described his work as “new” media.

“It's a mindset.” Green said. “It’s how you go about your business.”

Subscribe now

No doubt what Green is doing is “new.” He has been in the vanguard of a new phenomenon in the sports media world: active players covering their own leagues on podcasts, and major networks. Green also has a deal with NBA partner TNT. In recent years, a growing sect of active athletes has ventured into this space.  Green’s recently retired teammate Andre Iguodala, New Orleans Pelicans star CJ McCullum and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs and his brother Jason Kelce of Philadelphia Eagles to name a few. LeBron James has a different but similarly influential relationship with ESPN, his production company Uninterrupted has produced series for ESPN’s streaming network, ESPN+ for years.

l

These relationships beg the question: if the media and those they cover are financially entangled, how can we believe what they have say about them? The truth is we shouldn’t.

This is the latest byproduct of the weird world of media or “new” media. “New” media allows any dedicated person to seize the means of production, even myself. “New” media allows those who are covered by traditional media to set the terms. It's a “new” landscape, where the lines on the road are as clear as a Western New York snowstorm.

Share All of the Above with James Brown

These “new” truths are another reason why I’m wary of media literacy classes and tools.  These programs tend to teach us when, who, what and how we should trust the media. They take a static approach to a living, breathing, evolving organism, full of flaws, driven by people making constant conscious choices based on incentives. 

When I consume media, I think about the person who made it and I ask myself two questions: who made this and what do they want?

In this case, it's in Cowherd’s best interest to protect his company’s investment in Green because Cowherd sees himself as an entertainer who thinks he's a mogul in the making.

i

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

As of the beginning of this decade, about 3 million American citizens chose to live elsewhere.

And it appears that that number may go up, and for good reason.

The language prep site Preply asked 3,000 Americans between 18 and 26 how likely they were to leave the country permanently, and to put that urge on a scale of zero to five.

The average answer?

Three out of five.

The reasons vary, but here are the big ones.

Things here cost a lot, and they're going higher.

They want to experience a different culture.

They're worried about gun violence, and they want more of a social safety net.

How much of this is young wanderlust is unclear, but one thing is, the standard of living in America is just getting more difficult to withstand.

According to a McKinsey study, this cohort is going through what looks like a decline in economic opportunities.

Saving for retirement seems out of reach and will become even harder.

Almost 60% of the Gen Zers say their basic needs are not being met.

And that study is from 2021, before the waves of inflation of the last few years.

What do you think?

And would you move out of the country if you could?t me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

That's the sound of me lying on the floor of my dining room.

I'm fighting with a giant metal cabinet that the girlfriend now uses to store her baking tools.

We have two of them, but we only paid for one of them.

The first one was defective.

We asked for a replacement part.

Instead, they sent us a whole new cabinet.

And the company said, keep the old one.

According to Reuters, this is happening more.

Americans are expected to return more than $170 billion of goods this year, and nearly 60% of retailers have return lists or keep it policies for products whose returns cost more than their value.

And according to one of my favorite substacks, Demography Unplugged, returns have increased due to online shopping.

Demography Unplugged

New Retail Policy: Keep Your Returns

This holiday season, many retailers have adopted a “keep it” return policy. Instead of giving back unwanted merchandise, customers can keep the items free of charge. —Reuters…

Read more

4 days ago · 3 likes · Demography Unplugged

Customers often change their minds when they see their items in person.

And honestly, who hasn't done that?

I've done that.

The average return costs retailers about $30.

Many stores believe that time and the cost of processing these returns aren't worth the effort.

Nor are most of the things we buy.

It feels like there was some sort of secret meeting convened where the powers that be decided that most of the furniture and electronics that we buy will be more cumbersome and harder to put together.

That they'd stop working sooner.

That these items won't be worth our time.

I hope this cabinet proves me wrong.

The Holiday eCommerce Returns Surge: Unwrapping Strategies for Retailers in 2023

https://www.gotrg.com/post/the-holiday-ecommerce-returns-surge-unwrapping-strategies-for-retailers-in-2023

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

It's Wednesday and it's time for some wit and wisdom.

This week's wise words come from the late John M. Huntsman.

In his book, Winners Never Cheat, Even in Difficult Times, the billionaire explained his life philosophy.

When it comes to leadership, it boiled down to four words, no pain, no gain.

“Leaders are called to enter arenas where success isn't covered by a warranty, where public failure is a real possibility,” said Huntsman.

He said that most senior executives aren't interested in a top job.

Why?

Because of the risk.

The chance of making mistakes increases dramatically with leadership, writes Huntsman.

“No matter its nature or level, but never having failed is never having led,” continued Huntsman. “To succeed, we must attempt new things.”

He explains that as kids we knew this truth.

Babies fall as they learn to walk.

They spill their food.

No one uses the toilet perfectly the first time or the first dozens of times.

Those who prefer jeering and ridiculing from the sidelines when players err or stumble just don't get it, he said.Mistakes and miscues are often transformed into meaningful, successful experiences.Keep in mind the old saying,Good judgment comes from experience, and experience comes from poor judgment.

What do you think?

And what mistakes did you make early in your life?

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

Remember Norman Lear and his impact on American television

All in the Family is the crown jewel of Norman Lear's television career.

The TV legend died last week.

It's hard to put into words his impact on the American sitcom, let alone my thoughts on how he transformed the genre.

He's a big reason why I'm obsessed with it.

And honestly, I think he's a big reason why the genre struggles today.

Lear's resume is unassailable.

In the 1970s, he used British TV templates to expand what American sitcoms were, breaking the genre out of antiseptic worlds like Dick Van Dyke Show and Brady Bunch or I Dream of Jeannie.

Among his biggest hits were All in the Family, Maud, The Jeffersons, and Sanford and Son.

All his shows had unlikely leads tackling social issues of their day.

Racism, sexism, war, class, and even rape on a sitcom.

For example, one of his leads was Fred Sanford.

He starred in, of course, Sanford & Son, which was based off of the British show Steptoe & Son.

Sanford was a black bigot scrapyard dealer who was constantly working on get-rich-quick schemes to get himself and his son out of debt.

Let me tell you something. I'm only going to tell you this one time and one time only.I don't want any Puerto Ricans living in my house.- Fred Sanford

The influence of Lear's characters are everywhere.

It's hard to imagine Cheers without Lear.

That's a sitcom about an alcoholic ex-pro baseball player named Sam Malone who runs a bar.

Or the moral ambiguity of the self-interested cast of characters in the world of Seinfeld.

Even very special episodes of shows like Blossom and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air have Lear's fingerprints on them.

And more recently, shows like FX's Atlanta, which was filled with characters confronting unsaid but common social issues.

But on the downside, shoving sitcoms into a more pointed, complicated, increasingly political landscape has led to another byproduct.

The genre has lost track of what Lear's shows rarely did.

First and foremost, they were funny.

Those Were The Days.

Norman Lear was 101.

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

700 million dollars.

That's what the Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to pay Shohei Ohtani over the next 10 years.

He's a superstar. He pitches and catches like an all star. That's something that no one has done consistently in the majors since Babe Ruth.

A true anomaly.

Elite Company does not describe how rare he is as a player.

Only he won't pitch next year because he's injured.

Ohtani had Tommy John surgery a few months back and we don't know whether he'll pitch again.

Now he'll make more money than any player in the history of American sports.

700 million dollars for an injured baseball player.

His contract is 14 times the size of the entire Oakland A's of last year.

LeBron James hasn't made $700 million in his career in the NBA.

Otani will make about as much as the Biden administration is promising to pay to bring internet to thousands of rural residents.

Or what the World Bank has agreed to pay to help Sri Lanka deal with its budget problems.

And seven times what the Food Network has agreed to pay Guy Fieri over the next three years.

$700 millio for an injured baseball player.

Pnart of me is amused by this, that this is possible at all.

And part of me is wondering, what the hell is wrong with this?

I'm a capitalist.

I don't begrudge businessmen and women for making business moves.

It's not my money.

But this is yet another sign that we live in a gilded age, or at least the tail end of one.

Where are our priorities?

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

It's Friday and that means it's time for some comfort food.

This week's selection comes from the world of country music.

Kinda.

After spending an hour listening to Jelly Roll’s music, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

I had no idea who he was until I saw the face-tattooed rapper turn country music star win CMT's Best New Artist award.

He had a message for all of us.

Despite your tribulations, success is on the other side of it.

There is something poetic about a 39-year-old man winning New Artist of the Year.I don't know where you're at in your life or what you're going through, but I want to tell you to keep going, baby.I want to tell you success is on the other side of it.I want to tell you it's going to be okay.I want to tell you that the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason.Because what's in front of you is so much more important than what's behind you.Let's party, Nashville!

And that, my friends, is what joy sounds like.

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy

You may have heard a recent episode of mine.

It was about the mountain of data that shows that kids in one parent households are falling behind their colleagues with two parents.

This episode is another part of that equation, a part that will no doubt shape the future of America.

They're called DINKS, also known as Couples with Dual Income, No Kids.

U.S.

Census data says that 43% of all American homes are childless.

For these couples, it's a financial boon.

Their net worth are also higher than households with kids.

And if you believe a recent Pew Research survey, 44% of non-parents ages 18 to 49 say they never want to have children. That's up 7% from the same survey taken in 2018.

How much this behavior will hold is a mystery. People get older and they change their minds. I know I have.

But one thing about this isn't going to change.

The more and the longer we as a society choose this path, will we shape the way things look in the future.

The implications of this are many fold.

Here are a few of the likely outcomes.

We'll have to lean on immigration to take care of a much older population in the coming decades.

And just to keep our economy chugging along, as is, if that's even possible. Look at Japan. It's not a pretty picture.

And our population, our melting pot, will end up blacker, browner, and whiter in ways we can't even begin to imagine today.

Because, my friends, demographics and birthrate are destiny.

What do you think?

And are you a dink?

And what are your reasons for it?

Let me know what you think in the comments at jamesbrowntv.substack.com

Email: [email protected]

Leave me a voicemail or text: 585-484-0339

Follow me on social media:

YouTube Main Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCixNKcH6SP5OCLHMdQ_gVTw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbrowntv/

Facebook: https://facebook.com/jamesbrowntv

Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesbrowntv

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy