Content Consumed: June 8

Happy Wednesday! You’re halfway through the work week and I bet you’ve got some great weekend plans. Get excited about it.

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Anyways, today’s Content Consumed:

• The “bad vibes” economy (Vox). Aka: my weekly “is everything really the worst right now, and how does the economy work?” call with my dad. Like everyone else in their early-to-mid-twenties, I’ve been a 401k-holding capitalist worker only during a never-ending global pandemic. It’s really, really hard to tell how bad things actually are because this is our norm—and because the Internet/media sensationalizes everything one way or another. So please, read this article. It’s a great explainer of everything going on right now, written for folks like me.

• Hey, can I get a bump of that caviar? (NYT). Some foods are made better with the experience. I have a theory that half the people who “like” oysters just order them for the fun of the slurp and the aesthetics of it. So are “bumps” of caviar — licking fish roes of your fist — bound to be the new oyster shooters, the new tequila-salt-lick? I wouldn’t bet on it.
• Apple confirms deal For Brad Pitt Formula One film with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ director (Deadline). Apologies for doubling up on Brad Pitt two days in a row. My bad. But this is relevant to many of my interests: Formula One, sports movies, entertainment industry news, and, unfortunately, Brad Pitt. It’s important to note that 7-time world champ Lewis Hamilton is signed on as a producer, so I actually have high hopes. I’ve enjoyed non-F1 work (and, obviously, F1 work) of his in the past and this should ensure that the movie isn’t a complete deviation from accuracy. Also, feels like Brad is a wee bit old to play “a driver who comes out of retirement to compete alongside a rookie against the titans of his sport.” Anyways, you know I’ll watch it no matter what.
• Fire Island, the gay rom-com of the summer (Buzzfeed News). I haven’t watched it yet, but I promise I will! It’s supposed to be a lovely and funny film, and I’m obsessed with the viral tweet going around that it got an “F- on the Bechdel Test”. Whaaaaaat? A movie about friendship and love between a group of queer AAPI men didn’t cater one bit to women? Oh, the horror! …Can’t wait to watch it.
• Let’s save the American mall (NYT). Malls really weren’t supposed to be so ugly. Just a couple hundred years ago in cosmopolitan Europe, they were lush and green spaces to gather, chit chat, people-watch, eat, and of course, do a bit of window-shopping. This Times author argues that we don’t even need to tear down the buildings: some spaces just need a little renovation and restoration to become spaces of beauty and socialization once again.

That’s it for today!

Cheers!
Casey